Golf
Aidan on the 13th green “ 24 I PC JUNE/JULY 2015
Winnie cutting the 15th fairway
Back then, we didn’t have laptops, broadband and Google at home; we had to read or ask if we wanted to advance, but the most important thing we had to do was listen, watch and remember
and my youngest son Martyn Jnr - known to all as Winnie! After a suitable probation period, we will enroll Aidan with Myerscough College to complete Level 2 in Sportsturf, whilst Winnie will complete Level 3.” “I am qualified to Level 3 in Sportsturf and
have PA1, 2 and 6. I have also had several opportunities to receive quality training in maintenance and machinery set up with Toro Lely UK’s Ian Sumpter and Clive Pinnock - two top men. A couple of days with these two can set you up for years. We bought a grinder for our cutting fleet and I initially had two days training with Ian Robson from Hunter Grinders. Now, when we have the grinder serviced, I always get Dave Mitchison, their service technician, to give me a bit of a refresher as well as a full days training for one or two of the lads. Winnie and Paul have recently been taught by Dave.” “When we changed our fleet to John
Deere, we had several days with Ian Booth - another top guy - there is nothing he does not know about JD machines. It’s important that the lads get the training as they are on the machines a lot more than I am now.” “I try to stress the importance of training
to the boys; right from when I got the job at St Pierre Park, I read as much as I could. I think Chris Nicole sometimes got fed up with my questions. Back then, we didn’t have laptops, broadband and Google at home; we had to read or ask if we wanted to advance, but the most important thing we had to do
was listen, watch and remember.” “Today, there is a world of knowledge out
there and it is up to each individual to find out as much as they can about our trade. There are plenty of magazines and publications in our rest room for the lads to peruse if they want. Some of the lads that I have had at LGM have gone on to look after their own grounds and courses; I’d like to think that I helped them, even if only a little bit.”
Because the area LGM is built on was under water for centuries, Martyn says that the soil types are very diverse. “You can dig through clay three feet and come to a layer of sand. In some areas, we have pulled three thousand year old oaks out of the peat.” “Other areas look like potters clay, whilst another area close by can look like USGA spec. When we were constructing the course we would cut and fill from one area to another.” “All the greens and tees are push up
construction, apart from the last four we built that took us to eighteen separate greens. With a wide range of soils, I ended up walking around the site telling the three carters on tractor and trailers to take thirty loads of sand to this one or take more peat to that area and then it was mixed with a rotavator, mounted on a tractor, before levelling, heeling in and raking out. It wasn’t the best way to construct, and we still have pockets that have either too much clay, too
Checking the irrigation
Paul cutting the 18th approach
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