CONTENTS Contents


SCHOOLS & COLLEGES Scotland’s finest


On the A91, which concludes at St Andrews, and just a few miles east of Stirling, sits Dollar Academy, one of Scotland’s finest private schools. Catering for over 1300 pupils, many of them from the surrounding area, the seventy acre site nestles at the foot of the Ochil Hills. It was here that Lee Williams met Robert Meldrum, the school’s long-serving Head Groundsman. P78


He can’t be Hoodwinked


Leicester Grammar School is a family of three independent co-educational day schools based in Great Glen. Before its development in 2007, the school had no playing fields of its own and transported pupils to various sporting facilities by bus! It now boasts seventy-five acres of sports facilities and Head Groundsman, Michael Hood, is the man entrusted with the challenge of looking after them. P86


Hare to stay


There is no Harry Potter bell tower, no sweeping driveway through undulating fields and the entrances are, frankly, unprepossessing. Despite the millions of pounds invested in recent years, Bromsgrove School keeps one hundred acres of secrets from a casual visitor, hidden like a vast walled garden. Kerry Haywood met Head Groundsman, Richard Hare, to find out more about this ‘gentle giant’ of a school. P94


PUBLIC PLACES Palace of the Peak


Chatsworth, said by many to be the Palace of the Peak, is set on the banks of the River Derwent in the heart of the Derbyshire Peak District. Since 1549, it has been home to the Cavendish family and currently is to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. David Mears was given a rare opportunity to visit, tour and talk to a number of the gardeners’ team recently. P102


TECHNICAL ‘Most weather’ pitches


It’s that time of year when various named storms sweep across the Atlantic to batter the UK, whilst various other weather patterns bring freezing temperatures and occasional heavy snow. It is a time when ‘all weather’ pitches struggle to live up to their epithet. Synthetic Pitch Maintenance expert Nick Harris provides a few pointers about what you should, and should not, do when adverse weather strikes your synthetic pitches. P112


Reassurance from maintenance


David Jackman, operations manager at Reesink Turfcare, takes a look at how to control spending and avoid spending surprises, allocating maintenance budget when the economy is uncertain, managing this cost component over time and warranties. P116


Michael Hood, Leicester Grammar School Vince Vosper, St Austell Golf Club


Melvyn Jones, Warrington Wolves


Greg Kilgour, SRUC Elmwood ALSO IN THIS ISSUE


Editorial ............................................................ 1 News ................................................................ 5 How to respond to bad news ................ 120 Product News ............................................ 122 Classifieds .................................................. 124 Offside ........................................................ 128


Mark Broughton, Aldeburgh Golf Club’s Course Manager who is retiring at the end of the year


PC October/November 2020 3


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