Golf
Water can be drawn from the main lake
much peat or are too sandy but, with the equipment we had and seeing the end result, we didn’t do too bad.” “We use a lot of biostimulants, combined
with lots of solid coring, with various diameter cores from 8mm to 12 mm, and we go from 50mm to 275mm deep, although we do not use heave on the greens. We can get out on the greens weekly during the summer; our Wiedenmann GXi160 has not been off our Kubota for at least two months; the only thing that has changed are the tines.”
“We don't always core the whole green;
there are areas that need more regular attention, so these get extra. We also use liquid fertilisers so core holes allow ferts to get to the roots quicker, although they are used for quick uptake through the leaf primarily. We do not have a problem with thatch; I’m not saying we have none, but what is there is manageable. We have not hollow cored for several years now.” “We have an automatic irrigation system
that covers all greens, with 4-6 sprinklers on each; tees are also fully covered. The par threes have one or two sprinklers on the approaches, whilst the par fours and fives have the final 100 yards of fairway covered to try and avoid any awkward bounces during the summer months.” “My pump room is an old boiler house
from a part of the course that used to be a vinery. Under the floor there is a reservoir
that holds about 30,000 gallons of water ready to be pumped around the course at night. As soon as the level drops an inch, another pump at the central reservoir comes on and pushes water 500 yards to keep the level up under the floor; I have two pumps that keep the irrigation system pressurised at around 6.5 bar. Even at the extremities of the pipework, I have enough pressure to put three or four greens on at the same time, although mostly they are programmed to come on at night, when needed.” “Aside from filling from the main lake, I
have a well right next to the pump room that can supply 25,000 gallons overnight to top up if needed and, just in case, there is another well that holds over 30,000 below ground, with a holding tank above ground with the same capacity, and this can feed the pump room by opening a valve and letting it gravity feed from underground pipes we fitted twenty years ago.” “At our sheds, we have a borehole that is
used to wash the machines and equipment down. We are not covered by the same restrictions as on the mainland, at the moment, but we do have other restrictions we follow and I know what I have to do to keep our areas safe.” Water would seem to be a major
consideration, whether it’s from a mechanical or natural source. “Because of the low lying position, we can suffer from flooding in the winters, especially if excessive
Hunter Juno, Martyn’s favourite piece of kit
rainfall coincides with high tides. When this happens, our sluice gate on the outlet to the beach - which has a massive non return valve fitted half way down the pipe, so no salt water can come back towards the course - can be closed for anything up to eight hours, meaning any water coming onto the course cannot escape, causing the ditches to fill and overspill on to fairways. This is not normally a great problem as the course drains really well and, with two high tides a day, this often happens at night. It is often only the debris line left by the water that tells us that we suffered a flood.” “Unfortunately, the last two winters have been quite bad, with this last one being a complete disaster for us, golf wise. The local water board decided to divert the overflow from the islands reservoir over a hill to a pumping station that stands half a mile from the course, and then let the outflow come through the course. This caused the worst flooding I have ever seen and it was only when the properties on the perimeter of the course became close to flooding that they installed two pumps on my eighth tee to help alleviate the problem. The outlet pipes ran across the coast road - which had to be closed - and they pumped out ten million gallons a day. These pumps were in place for nearly a month and then I was left with the task of bringing the tee back in play!” “Our own pump, situated by the outfall to the beach, comes into play when the high
PC JUNE/JULY 2015 I 25
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