Sports & Recreation Clubs
It has been a very wet season here, particularly at the end of last year and into this year, which has meant I have had a lot of verti- draining to carry out
mechanical relief in wet weather.” "I do not have a sophisticated irrigation
system, so I have to use what is at my disposal the best I can. My only means of irrigation are two extremely old rain train sprinklers that don’t work properly as the water pressure on the site is not high enough to propel them!” Presentation of the grounds rates very highly with Keith, but there are not enough hours in the day to allow him to do all the tasks he wants to with only himself working there.
He tries to maintain the rugby and football
fields to around twenty-four millimetres, with the cricket square and bowling green cut ‘somewhat shorter’. Newforge Country Club is a busy place during the three main seasons, but there is also work to do in the winter time, as Keith spends his days repairing the damage from the previous night’s games or training. As well as repair work, he overseeds the
pitches and arranges for the sand dressing to be completed. “Everything is affected by budgets in the current economic climate,” he said. “I have very much adjusted my approach and the products I use in an attempt to keep costs down, but I have to say I have always been permitted to spend on anything I have asked for.”
“With finances so tight at the moment,
there is a need to raise revenue for the club. This has meant that we have had to open our doors to more outside organisations who mostly require training facilities all year round. Ulster Rugby Academy, for instance, use most of the grounds for training practically all day, every day of the week throughout the summer.” “However, as you can imagine, with groups
that can sometimes number seventy or more young men, all wearing studded boots, using the grounds at a time when pitches are traditionally rested to allow regeneration, it can lead to a lot of frustration.” “Back when I started, I used to take
regular soil samples to ascertain exactly what the grounds needed, but I have been here so long now I pretty much know what my turf requires.” There is not a huge portfolio of machinery
available to the club, so buying new machinery is not a regular occurrence at all. Any piece of kit that has been acquired in the past has been purchased second hand from dealers. “There is not any real brand loyalty here. We buy when we need it and wherever we can achieve the best deal. The Kubota tractor was purchased over fifteen years ago by me and was a few years old at that time.
SPPS - World Class Ground Care
Ultra low ground pressure
echneat PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 I 77
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