Golf
unusually sited within Doncaster Racecourse. More learning on the job followed - Colin completing a course in Horticulture and Agriculture Records and Accounts, Phase 3. In charge at Town Moor for five and half
years, Colin got to grips with clearing some of the dense woodland surrounding the course. His tenure was a decisive period for his career progression. “I attended BIGGA headquarters for a week-long soil science course under their commitment to CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and developed a deeper interest in the subject.” Bath Golf Club was Colin’s next rung - he
Colin Robinson “ 42 I PC JUNE/JULY 2017
stayed three years, heading up the greens team. “It was hard work, but I was gaining experience all the time.” Then came Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club, North Yorkshire, but the ‘seven-year itch’ struck, though not before he had completed an accounting course in his own time, winning a student of the year award with a credit and distinction. Further education followed - Colin
A green tells you if it’s suffering. You must get out there and look, but also use the data as a call to action. We’re tickling them all the time to improve performance
completing a BIGGA course in construction of tees and greens in 1994. Still only thirty- something, he couldn’t pass up the chance to move to the then 36-hole John O’Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire. He then added an NVQ Level 4,
“equivalent to a BSc”, to his educational armoury. His academic thirst unquenched, Colin began an MSc in Sports Surface Technology from Cranfield University in 2001, graduating in 2004. Then, in 2006, after a twelve year stay at John O’Gaunt and just forty-nine, “I decided to pack it all in and I travelled the world for a year”. But, on his return to the UK, he found his
passion with greenkeeping still burned brightly. “I came to King’s Lynn and here is where I plan to stay until I hang up my greenkeeping boots,” he laughs. Now nearing a decade at the links venue, Colin continues to pursue knowledge in his
vocation, trialing and testing new methods and materials to improve the condition and presentation of the Top 100 course. “Every head greenkeeper manages
budgets, staff and time, but I’m a working one who wants to keep applying and improving the science of greenkeeping,” he states, “and feel I’m more experienced and more highly qualified than many agronomists who consult so widely in golf.” Spreading across some 140 acres, although
“not particularly long”, King’s Lynn is two- thirds to three-quarters woodland and many trees abut the greens. “I’ve taken out 250 in the last two weeks
alone,” he said when we first spoke in early 2016. “Thankfully, we have no tree preservation orders or sites of special scientific interest here, but I had to apply for a tree felling licence from the Forestry Commission.” Woodland and heather-lined, tight
fairways make this a course for extreme accuracy of shot - a challenge for the very best golfer. Four years ago, golf course architects Martin Hawtree prepared a review report for the course, with a host of recommendations, which Colin and his team are gradually putting into effect. “We bring in arborist James Joyce to tackle five or six holes a year, whilst we get busy on the bunkers,” Colin explains. King’s Lynn was constructed in the 1970s, but not quite to the standard the club had expected, Colin explains. “Instead of using USGA-recommended
rootzone, the club used the local sandy soil, which, unfortunately, has well over 60% fine sand rather than the recommended maximum of 20%.” “This causes drainage issues, as fine
particles create far smaller airspaces which are capillary (water-holding) rather than porosity (water-draining). This means our greens hold on to too much water, especially in the winter months, giving them the
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156
