What can we say about the recent weather fronts?!

We have had to deal with three storm systems, Storm Ciaran, Storm Babet and Storm Debi – all of which brought floods and wind damage across the country. 

We have (according to Mark Hunt's weather blog) recorded well over 200mm of rain in the last 50 days. October had 106mm and now to date over 96mm as fallen in November. The net result for many practicing professional and volunteer grounds staff is plenty of heavily saturated ground conditions.

Mark Hunt's rainfall figures 

In recent weeks I have seen a lot of turf professionals posting pictures of their pitches on social media to show the damage done if played on, or more importantly, asking advice on what to do to protect or repair any damaged playing surfaces. 

It often beggar’s belief that we are still seeing poor groundsmanship practices being carried out during inclement weather conditions. It often comes from people not understanding the consequences of their actions.

A saturated rugby pitch 

This ongoing wet weather is certainly going to be a challenge for many of the UK grounds staff, particularly those at grass root sports clubs. Therefore I thought it would be good to share some basic knowledge of maintaining soil-based winter pitches.

All this wet weather, with more likely to come, does not bode well for turf professionals looking after soil-based sports pitches during the winter months. We have already seen several football and rugby clubs at local level postponing matches due to saturated pitches.

Damaged rugby playing surface

Many of these postponements could be prevented if clubs were to invest more into their pitches, both during the construction phase and post construction, having a robust maintenance regime in place. However, for many natural soil-based pitches it is more about the lack of maintenance and understanding about the type of pitches being managed. Understanding your soils, and how to manage them, will go a long way to producing a decent playing surface.

Understanding soils

Knowledge and understanding of the soil’s physical properties has always been important for professional turf managers, when making decisions about maintenance operations and when carrying out reconstruction works. 

Soils can vary in many ways, both physically and chemically, on a local or regional scale.

This soil variability gives rise to all the different types, universally classified by soil texture composition. Soil composition (soil texture) is determined predominantly by mineral particles and organic matter content and can be classified by the percentage of sand, silt and clay mineral particle content. The Soil Texture Triangle, as shown on the image, helps us classify the soil type, these percentages are determined by undertaking a PSD, particle size distribution analysis.

The definition of soil texture is the relative proportion of sand, silt or clay in a soil. Most soils contain a mixture of different soil particles. The particles and the soil's structure determine the pore spaces. A soil with a high proportion of coarse sand will contain large pore spaces and drain quickly, whereas a soil having finer sand, silt or clay particles will contain smaller pore spaces, and therefore will drain more slowly.

The strength and permeability of any soil is determined by its structure, soil type, drainage capacity and how well it is managed. Soils will perform differently, governed by the amount of water, root mass and air there is in the soil matrix.

Most pitch problems are caused when soils are saturated and compacted. When saturated, a soil is said to be at its maximum retentive capacity; that is, all soil pores are filled with water. Saturation usually occurs for short periods of time, either during heavy rainfall events or when soil is being irrigated.

Another saturated rugby pitch 

Firstly, we need to understand what problems are facing turf professionals when pitches become flooded and remain saturated for long periods of time. Once a pitch becomes saturated, that is to say all the pore (air) spaces in the soil profile remain filled with water, then we are in a situation of the pitch being in a poor state and will be prone to damage.

However, the main contributing factor that reduces and damages pore spaces in soil is compaction - caused by compression forces, normally associated with play and use of machinery, particularly during wet weather periods. Over time, these compression forces reduce the pore spaces so that air, water and nutrient flow through the soil profile is restricted, leading to many problems associated with compaction.

The heavier the soil the longer it will take for the pitch to dry out; sandy soils are more free draining than heavy loam or clay soils and, therefore, will dry out more quickly.

Drainage

Having an effective pitch drainage scheme will help. Most modern pitches tend to have primary and secondary drainage systems installed. These systems aid the removal of surface water quickly and tend to keep the pitches playable in periods of wet weather.

However, the effectiveness of any drainage system can be compromised over time when the drain runs become capped; it is important to retain a link between the drains and the playing surface.

This will be achieved by regular aeration work and the application of topdressings. Ideally, clubs should be putting on at least 40-60 tonnes of sand per pitch each year. This not only keeps the playing surface free draining, but also helps to restore levels.

Playing on saturated pitches will bring disastrous results. It is often better to postpone a fixture rather than ruin the playing surface for the rest of the season. Scrummage and line out play are the main causes of damage on rugby pitches during wet weather periods. The severity of the damage will be dependent upon the soil type and the ability of the top 100mm to drain quickly.

It is important that, once the game has finished, remedial work is carried out to repair divots and stand the grass back up. Care should be taken not to further damage the pitch by trying to get machinery on when it is wet and saturated. 

Brain Sandals in his Turfcare Blog has recently produced an article that gives good advice on dealing with a damaged playing surface 

Verti-Drain type solid tine spiker 

Aeration should be carried out on a regular basis when weather and soil conditions allow. You may contribute to surface deterioration if you aerate during bad weather when the surface is saturated and likely to smear; timing is the key to successful aeration.

There is a wide range of professional aerators for use on winter turf pitches, available as walk-behind, ride-on, trailed or tractor mounted.

To alleviate these compacted layers, we need to consider a range of different techniques and equipment that can encompass the different types of playing surfaces. The main aim of aeration is to penetrate the soil profile to create new macro pore space. This is achieved by several methods:

• Solid tine – Verti drain type vertical punch aerators

• Hollow/coring tines that remove soil cores from the soil
• Trailed outfield Multi tine spikers  (knife / solid tines)
• Disc/blade implements (linear aerators / Soil recyclers.
• Compressed air aerator systems

It is essential to use a variety of aeration techniques to prevent pan layers being created. This usually happens if you continue to use the same aeration technique set at the same depth, resulting in a compacted layer forming at the base of the tine or core depth. Most turfgrass managers will, therefore, vary the methods of aeration by changing the depths, size and diameter of tines.

To help grass roots sports clubs with potential funding to improve their facilities or buy essential machinery the GMA launched The Pitch Advisory Service, formerly the Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme, that was originally launched in 2014 and is funded by Sport England and the Football Foundation, working in association with the ECB, RFL and RFU.

The aim of the Pitch Advisory Service is to raise the standards of sports surfaces as well as the understanding of sports turf management practices among grassroots sports clubs across England.

The programme starts with clubs signing up to a Pitch Power app to record the condition of their facilities with a follow up from designated Pitch advisor.

All in all, there is now a lot of help and relevant information available to help grounds practitioners to ensure they can maintain their pitches during inclement weather events. 

TurfPro owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke, spoke with Phil Everett md of BossORV, the UK distributor of the Corvus range of utility vehicles at SALTEX recently, who told us they want to keep the customer's experience as simple as possible.

Phil says, "I think it's important we keep the policy simple and the pricing structure simple - so there are no hidden costs for the consumer."

Watch the full chat below or via TurfPro's YouTube channel.

TurfPro owner Duncan Murray-Clark caught up with Husqvarna's head of business unit professional UK, Johnny Snowball, at the recent SALTEX exhibition, who told us about what's been going on at the company recently - as well as their thoughts on sustainability, the customer experience and employee well-being.

Johnny tells Duncan that during the past year they have grown their customer service team, aftersales and field support.

Watch the full chat below or on TurfPro's YouTube channel.

Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup captain’s Club Car, signed by every player in Team Europe, is on its way to his home in Florida as a memento of the victory in Rome.

Luke was presented with the buggy during the celebrations at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club on the Sunday evening, with Rory McIlroy saying a few words of thanks to his captain on behalf of the team.

Club Car has been an official supplier to the Ryder Cup since 1997, and the tradition of the captain keeping his golf car began in 2002, when Sam Torrance led Europe at The Belfry.

In 2018 the players added a special touch and started a new ritual by signing the cowl of the vehicle in gold marker. 

Luke said, "I’m humbled and grateful for this gift and for the words of my team-mates when they presented it to me. 

“The Ryder Cup was one of the best weeks of my life, and it was an honour and a privilege to lead the team. The guys were immense and to have the car signed by all of them means a great deal.

“Every time I drive it at home I will remember their incredible performance which led to the epic celebrations in Italy.”

.

Kevin Hart, Club Car’s golf sales director EMEA, said, “As a longstanding supplier of the Ryder Cup we have a wonderful relationship with the event, and this tradition with the captain’s golf car further adds to that.

“Luke’s dedication to the captaincy was remarkable and he fully deserves the praise and thanks he received from his team when they presented him with the buggy.”

The cowl of Donald’s car was removed and shipped separately to the rest of the vehicle as a precaution. The vehicle was transported by road to Hamburg, where it was loaded on to a ship bound for Florida, United States.

GGM Groundscare have announced that their depot in Haydock, which has been established for five years, has been appointed as a Honda authorised dealer for the lawn and garden range.

The new Honda business will serve customers in Warrington, St Helens and Wigan and has just invested over £50,000 in a new customer experience as part of the appointment. They have also redeveloped their showroom and storage facilities at the premises.

As a result of this announcement, GGM say they will be recruiting for several new roles including sales, service and admin.

 
The development of the new Honda franchise and newly improved Haydock showroom has been overseen by Thomas Gibson. He said, “This is an extremely exciting time for the business to coincide with our five years at Haydock. As a customer and staff centric organisation, it gives us the means to offer new opportunities to local people in the form of both job opportunities and service levels. We’re looking forward to developing the Honda brand and welcoming customers into our showroom.”

Stuart Edgar, Honda dealer manager said, “We are delighted to establish this franchise with GGM Groundscare. As a forward-thinking organisation, we are confident that they are a great choice to represent our lawn and garden product range, drawing on their expertise and knowledge of garden machinery and their excellent customer service reputation with customers. 

Chris Gibson, managing director of GGM added, “This an extremely exciting time for the GGM Group. We already have a strong and competent team that is capable of delivering first class customer service and support, with professional groundcare machinery and the Honda business will only add to this”.

THE DUMBING DOWN OF PARKS SERVICES

CRISIS IN GOLF - PART II

A CRISIS IN GOLF

WHEN AUTUMN LEAVES FALL

AUTUMN TURF DISEASE PREVENTION

DISGUSTING VANDALISM

GROUNDSFEST KICKS OFF

REFLECTIONS ON CHANGES IN THE MARKETPLACE - PART II
by guest editor, Ian 'Poggy' Pogson

THE VALUE OF LOCAL COMMUNITY CLUBS

BUSY SHOW SEASON UPON US

WATCH OUT FOR AUTUMN DISEASES

REFLECTIONS ON CHANGES IN THE MARKETPLACE
by guest editor, Ian 'Poggy' Pogson

HEDGE CUTTING SEASON

AERATION IS KEY

RAIN STOPPED PLAY

EDUCATION IN SPORTS TURF

by guest editor, David Roberts

SPORTING (SURFACES) PROWESS

WATER SHORTAGES

CRICKET ON THE UP

MY TOP FIVE CONCERNS

by guest editor, Andrew Turnbull 

BIODIVERSITY IN PARKS

DROUGHT CONDITIONS PREVAIL

MAY BE BUSY

A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
by guest editor Angus Macleod

TURF HARVEST FESTIVAL

FEEDING TIME

TIME TO GET TOUGH

STAY CURIOUS!
by guest editor, Alex Vickers

A TRANSISTIONAL MONTH

SPRING IS UPON US

HEDGE YOUR BETS

PEOPLE'S PARKS, PUBLIC PARKS - IN PERIL?

by guest editor, Paul Rabbits

TESTING TIMES AHEAD

ROBOTIC POTENTIAL

CHANGEOVER TIME

WE MUST DEVELOP OUR OWN STAFF

by guest editor, Karl McDermott

DOUBLE CENTURY CELEBRATED

OUR PARKS IN CRISIS

AN OUTSTANDING SUCCESS

OPTIMISM RETURNING
By Guest Editor, Roy Rigby

WATERLOGGING ISSUES

NEW YEAR, NEW FEATURES

View all of 2022's blogs here

View all of 2021's blogs here

View all of 2020's blogs here

View all of 2019's blogs here

View all of 2018's blogs here

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF EVERY POUND OF BUDGET
A course manager's view

A NEWFOUND APPRECIATION FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS
Who look after grassroots pitches

SUSTAINABILITY & THE UK ACTION PLAN
For weed, pest and disease management

CONCERN FOR PARKS FOLLOWING COUNCIL BANKRUPTCIES
What does the future hold?

TAKING A GLOBAL LOOK AT SUSTAINABILITY
Is the rest of the world also driving towards sustainable practice?

RENOVATIONS, PLAY AND THANKS
On my mind this week

SUSTAINABILITY – IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING & EDUCATION
Set to play a crucial role going forward

TULIP TREE
Liriodendron tulipifera

LYDIA BROOM
Genista lydia

THE LAWN AND ITS VALUE
Changing attitudes

GIANT HOGWEED
Invasive and potentially harmful

LIFE-CYCLE ANALYSIS & SUSTAINABILITY
Considering every stage of the journey

NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY
The most important nutrient

BERBERIS THUNBERGII
A shrub that has stood the test of time

ENSURING FUTURE PROSPERITY
Advice imparted at road shows

INNOVATION & SUSTAINABILITY
A key focus

PHOTINA RED ROBIN
A sensational flowering shrub

VALUING THE GRASSROOTS
We must not overlook those who maintain these grounds

MANAGING WEEDS SUSTAINABLY
In amenity spaces

DETECTING NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
In turf plants

SPRING RENOVATIONS UNDERWAY
A crucial period

SUSTAINABILITY IN SUPPLY
A focus on those who supply essential inputs to our sector

CHANGING CLIMATE
Is a borehole the key for clubs?

SUSTAINABILITY AT THE SHARP END
How to put into practice when budgets are tight?

ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN OF GRASSROOTS RUGBY
Clubs are struggling

SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE
Seeking transparent and robust supply chains is essential

TIME FOR ACTION
To reverse recruitment crisis

CONTROLLING COSTS
Planning is crucial

THE SEARCH FOR SUSTAINABILITY
What exactly does the term mean?

CARING FOR THE GRASSROOTS
From volunteers to contractors

DEFRA IS LETTING DOWN THE COUNTRY
Complete failure to address the plastic grass debate

WE CAN ALL DO MORE
To aid biodiversity

MY LIFE IN GREENKEEPING
With Bruce Cruickshank

LEVELLING UP, GETTING SMARTER & GETTING AHEAD
Parks require so much more funding

SWITCHED ON FOR HARD WORK
Putting trimmers through their paces

MACHINERY HIGHLIGHTS
At this year's show

MY SALTEX
Daniel Lewis​, Manchester City Football Club

AWASH WITH LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Two months till showtime

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD
Priorities for the amenity sector

THE DECLINE OF ‘PARKITECTURE’
A symptom of the state of parks in 2022

DEVELOPERS SHIRKING GREEN SPACE RESPONSIBILITIES
Lack of financial commitment

TIME TO COME TOGETHER
For the good of the industry

THE DEATH OF GRASS ROOTS CRICKET
Gathering apace?

ROUTES INTO THE INDUSTRY MUST BE ENSURED
Q&A with David Fisher, Lantra’s head of industry partnerships

STRONG VIEWS ON CRICKET PITCH PERFORMANCE MARKING
A bone of contention

A PREMIUM PRODUCT
Delivered at Naas Golf Club

THE GREEN REVOLUTION
And Esker Hills

MAKING A CHANGE
Laytown and Bettystown Golf Links

A DAY AT THE RACES
Naas Race Course

WORKING TOGETHER AS ONE VOICE
How the industry needs to proceed

OVER 175 YEARS OF EDUCATION
Wesley College

ELECTRIC EXCITEMENT
Dennis's Ian Howard talks electrification

THE HOME OF CORK GAA
Páirc Uí Chaoimh

LONG POLE BATTERY HEDGE TRIMMERS TESTED
STIHL HLA 66 and HLA 86

OVER 800 YEARS OF HISTORY
Johnstown Castle and Gardens

A CLUB GONE WILD
Kilkenny Golf Club

A GOLF COURSE IN THE GARDEN OF IRELAND
Woodenbridge GC

80 YEARS YOUNG
Charleville Golf Club

AN UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE
Bunclody Golf & Fishing Club

GETTING BACK TOGETHER
Albeit gradually . .

GO WEST
Inishturk GAA pitch – one of the most westerly sportspitches in Europe

WORKING ON A TIGHT BUDGET
Nenagh Golf Club

ON A MISSION
Wrekin Golf Club aiming to enrich wildlife and fauna

WILD AND WONDERFUL
Design By Nature

LEARNING HOW TO SURVIVE
Abbey Par 3

TACKLING OBESITY
Vital that schools can provide sport

A LIFETIME OF LEARNING
Vital for turf professionals

CELEBRATING 125 YEARS
Tullamore Golf Club

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGES
At Trinity College Dublin

BLENDING THE OLD WITH THE NEW
Bray Golf Club

A WELL POLISHED COURSE!
Ierne Social And Sports Club

IDENTIFYING THE TRUE VALUES
Of grounds maintenance

THE INDUSTRY WILL CHANGE & ADAPT
But it will survive

WIRRAL GOLF COURSES SAVED
Renewed hope and optimism for the future

GREEN SPACE CONTRIBUTION TO WELLBEING IS UNDERVALUED
Parks invisible on national agenda

A SHINING LIGHT IN IRELAND'S SUNNY SOUTHEAST
Wexford Golf Club

GREEN SPACES DO NOT LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES!
Keith Kent says we must invest in people

WE SHOULD TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THE UK INDUSTRY
Right time for all sides to come together

SOIL LIFE IS PRECIOUS
Good-quality soil can help save the planet

MORE THAN JUST CUTTING GRASS
Encouraging the next generation

A BUZZ FROM DOING THE JOB
Wide experience of the turf grass industry

PAYING THEIR WAY
Low wages is the bane of the industry

AMENITY MANAGEMENT IMPACTS US ALL
Professor John Moverley

CARING FOR PARKS OF ALL TYPES
Mary Worrall

TOP FIVE FRUSTRATIONS FOR CRICKET GROUNDSMEN
What causes you the most frustration in your role?

PROFESSIONALS AT THE CUTTING EDGE
Vic Demain and Phil Sharples

BOWLS CLUBS IN PERIL
A sad decline

A VERY SPECIAL INDUSTRY
Loz looks back

SNEAK PEAK AT A ROBOTIC "GAME CHANGER"
Commercial model capable of covering 50,000 m2 teased

HALESOWEN PICK A BIG ROBOT UP FRONT
Invest in mowers

COMPRESSED AERATION
The new way

PARKS MATTER MORE THAN EVER
Recent sector developments

ON TEST
STIHL blowers

THREE CORE VALUES TO SHAPE OUR INDUSTRY
Real concerns for the future

ENGLAND'S GREEN SPACE GAP
A split along racial lines

ON TEST
EGO STX3800 strimmer with RTX2300 Rotocut head

A SECTOR FACING IMPORTANT TIMES
Review of the National Action Plan

PARKS MATTER
The role of public parks in the recovery: a discussion paper

A UNIQUE SPORTING VENUE
Wormsley private estate

A BTME OUTDOORS?
A good bet for the industry

PARKS NEED APPROPRIATE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
Q&A with Philippa Reece, Parks and Foreshore Manager at Adur and Worthing Council

CRICKET LOAM
What does it mean?

A HERCULEAN EFFORT TO GET PARKS BACK TO NORMAL
Q&A with Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council’s parks and ground manager

ON TEST
STIHL battery products

TURFGRASS STRESS MANAGEMENT
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidants during biotic and abiotic stress in turfgrass plants

AUTUMN DISEASE MANAGEMENT
The coming months are going to prove very difficult

THE ABUSE OF PARKS . .
Is the abuse of society

WHY PARKS MATTER?
A statement from the Parks Management Forum to the Prime Minister

THE 21st CENTURY PARKS MANAGER
Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial

EAT, SLEEP, CUT, REPEAT!
Cricket under covid

TIME FOR A SINGLE SHOW?
Debate brought back into focus

A CHALLENGING TWO MONTHS
Running golf design projects from home

PRESSURE SITUATION
Cementing the reputation

A CLUB TO BE PROUD OF
10 years at the helm of Olton GC

GAME CHANGERS IN TURFCARE
The day the Lord's outfield reconstruction proved its worth

THE ESSENCE OF ESSENTIAL
Finding a sensible way forward on defining "essential maintenance"

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
2001

HOW TO LOOK AFTER A GOLF COURSE WITH NO GOLFERS
Fundamental to the survival of almost all courses, if not of the game itself

RAIN STOPPED PLAY WOULD BE WELCOME
. . along with ‘lunch is being taken early’

PHYSICAL CONTROL OF TURFGRASS PESTS
An urgent problem

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL
Opportunity to embrace new methods

ENVILLE ON THE UP
Major investments taking place

GREEN FLAG AWARDS 2019
A great success

U.S PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT SHOW EXCELS
Buoyant GIE+EXPO

LEGACY OF THE SOLHEIM CUP
At Gleneagles

A DAY OUT WITH THE LADIES
Behind the scenes at the Solheim Cup

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY'S EDIBLE GARDEN SUCCESS
2006 - present

HAIL THE GRASS MASTERS!
Boorish media comments about pitch quality are wide of the mark

CONTRACTOR SEES MULTI-DISCIPLINE SUCCESS
360 Ground Care serving professional facilities

BUSY TIMES
Judging the Green Flag Awards

TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
What does it all mean in managing turf surfaces?

UNDER PRESSURE
Dry weather conditions continue to keep turf managers focused on moisture management

EDDIE SEAWARD
Death of Wimbledon’s influential grounds manager

MAJOR NEW IRRIGATION PROJECT
At Top 100 classic Berkhamsted Golf Club

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE HATTERS
Investment paying off at Kenilworth Road

ELIZABETHAN RESTORATION
At Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

WHAT IS BIOPHILIA?
The vital impact of parks and green spaces on health and well-being

WORM CONTROL
Without carbendazim

THE TRUE COST OF PETROL
Battery-powered outdoor power tools are now turning the heads of professionals

SANDS OF TIME
Sand-based pitches are now the norm in professional sports

WHY DO WE DO THE RIGHT THING?
We must maintain industry standards

CHASING GRASS PERFECTION?
11 things you need to know . . .

MAINTAINING STANDARDS
Q&A with BASIS ceo, Stephen Jacobs

STRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
Hosted at research trial grounds in Bingley

THE MECHANIC
Leicester City FC invest in new role

LORD'S 'GRASS-GUVNOR' TO RETIRE
Mick Hunt bows out after 49 years

HOLLOW CORING & DEEP SCARIFICATION
Is it really necessary?

Paul Woodham, head of sustainable agronomy - Europe, highlights the importance of The R&A’s Sustainable Agronomy Service and what this means for golf facilities across the country and globally.

The R&A launched its new Sustainable Agronomy Service in 2022 and since then over 150 clubs are now working with our team. Our aim is to support clubs with research and guidance which will enable the development of sustainable solutions that address threats and opportunities for golf. We want to raise standards in sustainable agronomy and influence a positive change in greenkeeping, so that best practices are applied and reflect requirements for sustainable golf.

Climate change, increasing costs and changes in legislation are impacting the management of golf facilities and so we need to adapt to these challenges in a sustainable manner and work with industry stakeholders to develop appropriate solutions. 

Over the past five years we’ve seen certain pesticides being withdrawn and changes in EU Sustainable Use Regulations mean we are moving further towards non-pesticidal course management in the very near future. Furthermore, additional legislation relating to water usage will tighten the rules on how golf facilities can access water from abstraction or mains supply water. Where there may not be legislation change, increasing costs and decreasing access to mineral resources mean that facilities will need to evaluate their current methods.

Another example of where the industry could face challenges is the management of worm casts through the upcoming winter months. Worm casts are becoming far more visible and there is currently no chemical control available. This can pose problems for golfers who may begin to question the upkeep of the course. Good communication and education in addition to directing maintenance strategies and positive change to the course environment is key – which is where we step in.

We can offer thought leadership pieces to the industry, which are useful resources for golfers at all levels, as well as managers and committee members at individual facilities. With sustainable practices, come questions from members on why certain things are happening and why the greenkeeping staff may be embarking on particular techniques. We need to ensure that the right messages filter through the entire facility about the importance and relevance of the responsible removal of trees to allow more light and airflow to gain natural reduction of disease risk and to create more diversity in course vegetation and species habitat.

The R&A team. L-R:: Paul Woodham, head of agronomy, Europe; Simon Watson, senior agronomist; Alistair Beggs, head of Aagronomy at The R&A; Gordon Howat, senior agronomist; Chris Gray, head of sustainable golf and agronomy, Asia-Pacific

The R&A Sustainable Agronomy Service is here to promote achievable sustainable improvements as part of a holistic plan to prepare for the future. We have a team in place to direct, guide and support golf facilities – not just in Great Britain and Ireland, but throughout Europe and Asia Pacific.
We support facilities with changes they can make in the immediate term, as well as in future years, to encourage and support superior course conditioning year-round in the most sustainable and achievable way. 

The fees associated with our service are reinvested into our research and education programmes. Across the entire organisation, we’re committed and passionate about moving the game forward. Hopefully, clubs will feel the benefit of expert consultancy, direction and support, with the knowledge they’re giving back to the game through investment in global research programmes.