GOLF
GETTING Personal...
Matthew Robbins - 90s God-like character into bras
Who are you? Matthew Robbins, Head of Golf at Telford Hotel and Golf Resort.
Family status. Single.
Who’s your hero and why? Duncan Ferguson (Everton striker).
What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? It’s ongoing. Every time the course looks amazing for a ProAm or something.
If your younger self saw you now, what would he think? Fool.
Which famous people wind you up? Anybody who’s famous for reality TV.
What job would you love, other than your own? Any sporting profession. Or a rock star.
A wasp lands on your arm - what do you do? Swat it.
If you could domesticate any animal, which would you choose as a pet? A monkey.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? I had a job interview when I was young and completely froze. Couldn’t speak.
Brexit or Remain? Remain.
What is your favourite film? The Shawshank Redemption. What scares you? Death.
What would your autobiography be called… and who would play you in the film? The book would be called ‘God’, and I would be played by God.
What is your favourite sport? Football.
What would you cast into Room 101? Reality TV.
Which historical time and place would you most like to visit? I was very lucky to grow up in the ‘90s - a fantastic decade. I also like the sound of the ‘60s. Location-wise… I’m desperate to travel Route 66.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To see my children grow up healthy and happy.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Liam Gallagher. Duncan Ferguson. Nelson Mandela.
18 PC October/November 2018
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? To be open-minded and listen to both sides.
What’s your favourite piece of trivia? I was in a tie-break in a pub quiz and completely lucked out with my perfect guess. “When was the first bra invented?” --- “1912.”
What’s your favourite smell? Football terraces.
Which three songs would you take to a desert island? Same as at my funeral: Live Forever by Oasis; Theme from Only Fools and Horses; Theme from Z-Cars, which plays when Everton FC walk out of the tunnel.
What’s the daftest work-related question you have ever been asked? “Do you have to cut the grass more than once per week?”
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Our multi-cassette, vehicle-mounted attachment.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Fun. Loyal. Honest.
Finally, what is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16-year-old groundsperson/greenkeeper? I feel it’s hard to tell someone without experience of both good and bad how to appreciate how good they have it. If I could though, I’d convince them to appreciate what they’ve got and be grateful they’re doing the job.
one, and some of our bunkers wrap entirely around these greens for fifty yards. The greens are also known for their undulation. Some of them drop a couple of feet from end-to-end. They’re currently running at about 11 on the Stimp. That’s actually a little slower than in previous years, often at 12, as we’ve had to go a bit extreme with water input to bounce back from this summer, and we also use a lot of wetting agents.
If you view the feedback on the review sites, most of the positive comments will focus on that. They’ll say: ‘really fast’/’tricky to read’/’undulating and interesting’. The course is just shy of 6,800 yards and, as a par-72, makes for a testing round. The standard scratch score is 74, so the handicaps take the length and green undulations into account.
Something that’s complicated by the large greens is the purchasing of materials. Everyone sells packages of chemicals and the like designed to cover a hectare, so we have to buy two of each and, of course, that leaves half a packet left over each time. Scarifying, tining, verti-draining, dressing and the like also take quite a lot longer than they would for most. On the flip side, we can do half a green at a time and just use flag positioning as a way to make the greens more interesting, whilst allowing work to be done.
We can also get some rest when ALS come to do some contracting work. They come down first thing in a morning, being based so close to us, and do our spraying and verti-draining work.
Dave, in the office there, always give us a time and date that suits us, and it’s a good relationship. We know the job will be done to our standard, and they’re usually gone before there’s even a golfer on the course. For me, there isn’t one way to keep greens. Something that the changing seasons has done means we all need to be flexible with methods and timings, as well as just dates. For example, one member of our shop staff is now trained to cut the greens and fairways.
9th hole
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
