“As a group we are unique in that we have travelled overseas and worked at some of the best golf courses in the world”
affects the overseeding; temperatures, seeding rates, weather, and proper preparation, all go into a successful transition.
When we had finished Seaside I was
lucky enough to help out with overseeding on the Retreat course. So, I got to work on two of the courses and see how differently the Superintendent there managed his staff and the procedures. I got to do all the jobs involved in overseeding, so I now feel I have a good understanding of this job. The overseeding rates were: Greens - 2 lbs of bent grass and 15 lbs of poa trivialas per 1,000 square feet. Chipping swails - Tif Eagle dwarf seed at 18 lbs per 1,000 square feet. Tees - Poa Trivialas 18 lbs per 1,000
square feet. Fairways - rye grass 500 lbs per acre. Rates are high to keep the plant immature and create an instant green impact. Fairway rates are lower as they want the rye grass to establish properly. I have also attended a long weekend, organised by OSU, at Harbour Town
Networking with fellow interns Gareth Davies from Wales, Jack Critchley from Jersey and Ben Morgan from Yorkshire
Resort on Hilton Head Island, just up the coast from us by boat. This ‘short course’ is where all the interns meet up and attend lectures by people from all over the globe. As well as the knowledge gained from the lectures, another benefit is networking with fellow interns - it was very much a social occasion in the evenings! I now realise that this “profession”, as the Americans call, is a very small group of people when you are in it. The importance of staying in touch was stressed to us over the course of the weekend. We, as a group, are unique in that we have each travelled overseas and worked at some of the best courses in the world. We have an obligation to be the best and, in doing that, strength comes from staying in contact with each other, relying on each other, when we have a problem, and being able to share our experiences.
During the short course, the Superintendent of Harbour Town, Gary Snyder, walked the last holes with us, including the 18th fairway to the famous
lighthouse, sharing his ideas, and his management philosophy. This guy had no notes, just rattled off everything as we walked. I could tell he was good, and he knew his stuff. He inspired me to learn more about each process on the course, because he knew every rate, every chemical, the active ingredient, the latest environmental control, everything! I hope you enjoy reading this article.
There will be another instalment soon. I just want to say a big thank you to all the guys who have got in touch with me since I started writing this diary, especially Sam Hamer at Reaseheath College who emailed to say that he enjoyed my articles. He used to be an old class mate of mine and it was very nice to hear from him.
If anyone else wants to get in touch with me about my articles because they are, perhaps, thinking about joining the programme, don’t be scared to email me. I will reply soon as I get the chance. My contact details are
robjones_69@hotmail.com
What are you like?
Who are you? Carol Dutton Status? Divorced, single - cats but no children.
Who’s your hero and why? Ken Livingston - he says what he thinks (no matter what) and acts on it.
What is your dream holiday? Sailing around the Med., flying to Russia to take the trans Siberian railway, going on to China to walk the wall then down to Indonesia before flying home.
What annoys you the most? The computer - when it stops dead!
Carol Dutton: Former employee of BIGGA who, for the past umpteen years, has been writing articles for various industry magazines, working on behalf of various manufacturers and suppliers, and enjoying the ‘odd’ glass of wine!!
What would you change about yourself? The lousy memory, the big nose and the inability to work any kind of machinery.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? The Queen - talk about trapped in the job.
Favourite record, and why? ‘The Tears of a Clown’ by Smokey Robinson. Motown was my era!
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? Sean Connery. He may be going thin on top but the Scottish accent is soooo sexy
and he’ll always be my favourite James Bond.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Buy a place in the sun.
If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would you be? A clarinet - longish, thinish, usually mellow but now and again makes a lot of noise.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? ‘Make it interesting’ from the deputy editor of The Hexham Courant, having given me all the Womens’ Institute news to write up!
What’s your favourite smell? Lemon.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Curious, enthusiastic, chatty.
What talent would you like to have? The ability to draw, paint and design.
What makes you angry? The use of religion as an instrument of power.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? I would abolish the use of ‘confession’ as evidence, especially in murder cases.
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