Artificial Surfaces Introduction to Author - the story so far
2015 is my 30th year in the industry. I am quite proud of this fact and it has allowed me to work through the ranks and through the professions to the point at which I am today. I believe that groundscare is a practical science whereby practice
and experience, underpinned with a sound philosophy and reasoning, makes for competent outcomes and professional sports surface provision. Of course, intertwined with all of this is the pre-requisite for being able to communicate with all manner of individuals within the workplace and I do not, for one moment, underestimate the importance of effective communication in the work that I do today. After leaving school, I was sent, rather nervously, to the local golf
club to start work as an apprentice greenkeeper under the Government Youth Training Apprenticeship Scheme that was running at the time. It was at this local club that I was dealt the first of many good hands I have had over the years. I worked under a very considerate and enthusiastic head greenkeeper who taught me the ropes and where I quickly became interested in groundscare and horticulture in general. As with all good apprenticeships, practical, on the job training was carried out in conjunction with college attendance. It was at college where I met another influential individual, John
Hacker, who was one of my first lecturers at Myerscough College. I quickly gained experience and confidence and moved, at the end
of my apprenticeship, to a local independent school where I continued my training. In 1988, I won the Groundsman of the Year award, which propelled
my career and it was when I met a lot of industry leading figures of that time. I next moved to become grounds manager designate at the Northern Tennis Club in Manchester. My work here involved preparing thirty-one tennis courts with six different surface types, up to and including Davis cup and professional men’s tour tennis events. This is where I first got involved in synthetic and artificial surfaces, and I wanted to know more about maintenance and management of such surface types. I maintained constant contact with Myerscough College and was also undertaking additional qualifications in my spare time. Perhaps surprisingly, I also found the time to look after a local bowling green as well!
My close connections with the college meant that I was given the opportunity to work as a part time lecturer, and was then offered a position on the permanent staff. This meant that my enthusiasm for the science of groundcare could be aligned with my practical expertise and, hopefully, meant that my lectures and practicals had some substance.
Another individual I met at this time was Martyn Jones. Many in the industry know Martyn and he certainly had charisma and enthusiasm for his subject gained over many years’ experience, both in the UK and overseas. Many senior staff in the industry today have studied at
Myerscough and it certainly had positive influences on my career. I always recommend the importance of continual professional development so as to keep in touch with current management and science etc. After leaving Myerscough, I moved south to run the sportsturf section of Merrist Wood College, which had invested heavily in sports facilities at the time, including a new golf course. Golf was booming, particularly in the South East, and there was significant demand for well qualified contemporary greenkeepers. As my experience and knowledge grew, I picked up more and more
consultancy work and, eventually, built a small business running alongside my lecturing activities. My career was developing rapidly along with my young family and, at one point, I was working full-time lecturing, carrying out consultancy work and completed a Master’s Degree at Reading. This was certainly not easy with a young family and, to be honest, I don’t think I could do it nowadays. I eventually made the move to Dorset to take on full time consultancy work, which I have now been doing for twelve years. My client base includes private schools, local councils, private
sports clubs and golf facilities, principally in the UK, but I do have a large golf client in Egypt. Nowadays, I tend to focus on the construction and development of
natural and synthetic facilities, as they sit hand in hand on a modern sports ground facility. I do believe that any facility should have a competent
groundsperson in place and, as such, they are best placed to advise any client on maintenance issues. As a consultant, I seek to supplement what the grounds personnel can do with industry specific knowledge, particularly in construction. I do believe a good groundsman is an asset to any facility, but
complacency is short lived in the modern sports arena as commercial pressures mean that facilities constantly have to be on their toes to offer what paying clients want. I still get involved in some training and lecturing, particularly for governing bodies and professional organisations.
96 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 Artificial Surfaces The road...
Procurement of an artificial facility can be influenced by internal and external factors, such as governing bodies, charities or even individuals. Consultant David Rhodes guides you through the pitfalls and processes
F
or the purpose of this series of articles, I will differentiate between artificial and synthetic surfaces on the following
basis; Synthetic surfaces relates to carpet type surfaces that are either non-filled or filled partially with sand, rubber or alternative materials. It does not include natural systems whereby a synthetic component is utilised to strengthen the overall rootzone integrity and plant environment. These so called hybrid systems can be talked about another time. Artificial surfaces relate to the plethora of surface types available,
other than carpet types, so these may be hard surfaces used for tennis, netball etc., or rubberised surfaces used for athletics and other sports. In this series of articles, it is
assumed that the installation is in an external environment, rather than indoors, and any maintenance recommendations relates to outdoor type use.
Further on in the series, I will go
into more detail on each surface type as appropriate but, hopefully, this clarifies the difference between artificial and synthetic surfaces and the context in which they are referred to.
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