“One of the most beautiful settings for golf I have discovered in my career” Ryder Cup player Harry Weetman
HEXHAM golf course is maintained by a staff of five that includes the Head Greenkeeper, Malcolm Lathan. He has been at the course since 1990, the last fifteen of which have been as Head Greenkeeper.
Malcolm began his greenkeeping
career in the early 1970s working at Stocksfield Golf Course. He was also a keen golfer and represented England Boys in the same team as Nick Faldo in 1974. For two years he played on the professional tour alongside the likes of Faldo and Seve Ballesteros.
But, by the mid 1980s, Malcolm was back working on a golf course, this time at Tyneside Golf Club, before taking up his present position at Hexham. His assistant is Jimmy Richardson who has been at the club for nine years and who is also North East Section secretary for BIGGA. Geoff Mortimer (seven years service), Andrew Gunn, (five years) and recent appointment Jamie Smith complete the team. Malcolm set up a ten-year capital budget plan for the purchase of machinery, which is bought outright. Recent acquisitions have included a Gambetti sprayer, Toro Procore 648 aerator and Jacobsen G Plex III greens mower. With such a small team operating on a fairly large undulating parkland course the main emphasis is on the efficiency and quality of mowing equipment. The greens are soil pushed up contoured greens that amount to almost one hectare of putting surface! The composition of the greens is becoming more bent grass dominant with as much as 60% being seen on the majority of the greens. Root depth is averaging 150mm with the greens holding up well during the winter months. Malcolm protects his greens in the winter by using temporary greens whenever the weather conditions threaten their playability, usually during heavy frost.
Fertiliser applications are
restricted with the aim of encouraging better swards with finer grasses. Fairways are not fed at all, and restricted feeds are applied to tees, usually only one in spring and one in autumn. Greens have a combination of fertilisers and some Symbio natural products to increase microbial activity, along with some wetting agents. Malcolm has reduced his nitrogen input to below 100kg per year. A heavy programme of aeration is carried out on tees, greens and fairways using a combination of machines including a Robin Dagger, Verti-Drain, Sisis Slitter, Toro Procore 648 and a Sarell roller. Verticutting and de-thatching is undertaken throughout the growing period to control thatch and keep the grass upright.
Greens maintenance
In March the greens are vertidrained, scarified and topdressed with a 60/40 Rufford No. 3 rootzone dressing at a rate of 1.25 tonnes per green. Throughout the growing season a programme of verticutting is carried out on a fortnightly basis.
A further two applications of
topdressing are applied between March and September at a lower rate (1/2-3/4 tonne per green) with the final topdressing being applied as part of the end of season renovations in September. In total about 75 tonnes of topdressing is used each year on the greens. The greens are then overseeded with a
bent grass seed mix. Around 75kg of material is applied each year. Wear on the greens is controlled by regular hole changing at least 2-3 times per week. Feeding programmes begin in April with an application of Terralift 8:5:1:2 NPK fertiliser. This is followed by an application of Symbio Green Circle and then, as and when required, a dose of
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