Educational Establishments
“
You’ve got the golfers who don’t want the place to be messed around with too much and, at the same time, the students of greenkeeping are just starting out and they’re going to make mistakes. It’s a delicate balance
we’ve just not shared them. Last year, I mainly used Bayer products, but this year I’ve moved onto a combination of the Instrata standard and the Instrata Elite with 50/50 fludioxonil and difenoconazole.” The course had a little Take All Patch around the greens at one point recently, because of an accident involving the equine centre.
About twenty months ago, thirty horses escaped and trampled one of the greens. Heavy dressings of rootzone to repair the damage caused the ground to become too alkaline.
John told us that it was quite dominant last year. However, it was rid of quickly. It’s starting to return mildly this year, but an application of Heritage Turf Disease Control with 50% azoxystrobin has smitten it again. This was a focus for him, because this green was a practice area, and PGA students spend a lot of their time perfecting their short game on this surface, so its quality is important in their ability to continue learning to play the game well. In addition to those learning to play as PGA pros, they have “a wide mix of people”, in John’s words. He said: “This is why my job can be difficult”.
“I’ve got people who are private members and business members who want a pretty course, I’ve got the golfing students who want a testing course, then I’ve got the greenkeeping students who want to mow or scarify or verti‐cut or whatever.” “Of course, you’ve got the golfers who don’t want the place to be messed around with too much and, at the same time, the students of greenkeeping are just starting out and they’re going to make mistakes. It’s a delicate balance.”
Head Greenkeeper John Berry 110 I PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018
Asked about whether the course’s greens are USGA spec, he said: “The practice area we were just talking about is actually a crown green bowling green. I’ve adapted it to be more like a putting green, but the construction there is based on the old clinker drainage system.”
“It’s a good material though. Don’t get hung up on the fashionable stuff. It’s basically a clay push‐up with ly‐tag‐filled drains underneath.”
“It’s a very round particle, which originally comes from a volcanic source. So, the drainage it provides is excellent, and those things combined make for a good putting surface.”
“The way it was taught to me when I studied was: we imagined we had a bucket of soil, then a bucket of marbles, and just poured the water over them to see the maximum potential for drainage.” “Knowing how the difference in drainage can potentially be that huge highlights to you that it must be on a spectrum, and smooth particles like that must help a lot.” On drainage, they also once had a visit from a contractor who showed them the oft‐ unspoken benefits of vertical draining over lateral draining.
This was considered, until they were quoted almost two‐and‐a‐half times as much cost for the project over their traditional methods.
This allowed them to undertake other drainage projects, such as the extensive laterals under their new practice area, which is sandwiched between the course and the students’ residences.
The site also has winter sports pitches, which are also verti‐drained regularly with a machine that the college owns. Prior to the purchase of this, John always had it done often anyway, and made his reliance on its benefits clear. At present, he verti‐drains the pitches a few times during the early winter months, and makes sure to do the greens at the same time, as well as in February or March. The pitches are taken around twelve inches deep with the longer tines, but even as far as sixteen with the extra‐long contractor’s tines. When doing the greens though, he needs to keep the work to around 8‐9 inches, as the drains are so close to the surface.
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