FIRST STEPS TO NORMALITY
Golf courses reopen
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR
Courses we're opened to golfers last Wednesday with many members praising the greenkeeping staff for keeping the course playable.
At last, we are beginning to see the first steps of a comeback from this Covid-19 pandemic. Last Wednesday lockdown eased for the first time, with the government announcing that people could extend their activities as long as they stay alert and ensure they social distance themselves from other people they meet.
The government stated that those who could not work from home should contact their employers to start arranging a return to work strategy. But emphasized that they should only do this this if safe to do so.
Golfers returning to Olton Golf Club
As for sport we have seen the opening of golf clubs. People are also allowed to play tennis and basketball and bowls clubs will soon be allowed to open under certain restrictions.
Having spoken to a number of greenkeepers they are pleased to see some sort of return to normality and have spoken of their members’ delight on getting back out on the golf course. Many clubs are still working with a skeleton staffing regime and time will tell when the clubs can return properly.
Mark Smith told me he and his staff at Olton GC were pleased to see the members back playing golf on a pairs only basis, with a member of staff controlling start times of ten minutes between players.
Reaction from the members was very positive, with many praising the greenkeeping staff for keeping the course playable.
However, these new regimes from the UK government are only applicable to those in England at present. Wales, Scotland, and NI are still operating under the previous lockdown rules and conditions.
There are still discussions going on regarding the opening up of football and cricket and other sports.
Football is still up in the air. As The Guardain reported, “The Premier League is facing the possibility of having to delay its Project Restart after a pair of crucial meetings with players and managers provoked a series of robust exchanges and diverging views.
“A planned resumption of play on 12 June is now looking less likely, and kick-off a week later is now a possibility after issues over protocols for a safe return to play and concerns over the need for more training came to the fore.”
The BBC also report that League Two's season has been brought to an early conclusion following discussions between clubs and the English Football League. The EFL said clubs "unanimously indicated" they wished to end the season via a "framework" that included tables being decided on points per game and the play-offs remaining as planned. Any move still needs to be ratified by the EFL and Football Association.
But League One sides face further talks after failing to come to an agreement.
As for Rugby, a report by the BBC stated that Premiership Rugby is auditing its clubs' grounds to look for suitable venues to host rugby union's restart. Following government guidance, rugby's governing bodies are continuing to plan for the sport's safe return.
Leicester Tigers
With nine rounds of the season left, the preference remains to stage whole rounds of games at one venue for safety and logistical reasons.
A return date in early July remains the target, although the BBC has learned that the weekend of 27 June has also been mooted.
Some Premiership clubs are set to begin a phased return to training next week, with Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care telling the Rugby Union Weekly podcast that the players are "desperate" to get back playing if safe to do so, and that "rugby needs to come back" given the perilous financial predicament many clubs are facing.
No doubt many of our parks and beaches will see an influx of visitors now lockdown restrictions have been lifted. It will be interesting to see how we cope and when full staffing levels return to allow local authorities to ensure these parks and beaches can be maintained and managed.
Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham
This week I was also invited to attend a World Urban Parks webinar which was hosted by Scott Martin from the Institute for Parks and Public Land at Indiana University with the aim of introducing The Green Flag Award to members of the World Urban Parks Association. The presentation was delivered by Carl McClean International Development Manager for Green Flag who is based in England.
Carl Began his presentation talking about the history of the Green Flag awards which began in 1996 and talked about the many benefits that can be gained from achieving the award.
Green Flag presents over 2000 awards worldwide every year in fifteen countries and is run and managed by the Keep Britain Tidy Charity
Green Flag Awards
As a Green Flag judge myself, I am able to see the many benefits that the Green Flag brings to the table for those who seek and achieve the award. It is essentially a qualitive award and designed to help raise the standards of parks and green open spaces.
The weather still seems to be in our favour, with plenty of sunshine promoting much needed growth. Gardeners will be pleased with the reopening of garden centres. No doubt trade will be brisk with people trying to buy this year’s latest supply of summer bedding plants.
As for tidying up the garden, there will be plenty of weeds that need removing due to the recent spate of growth. While on this subject, only last week I came across an interesting article in The Times stating that an invasive weed Giant Hogweed has secured a foothold across the country, prompting warnings that the fight against the “most dangerous” invasive species is in danger of being lost.
Giant hogweed courtesy of Complete Weed Control
The RHS state that giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a close relative of cow parsley originally from Southern Russia and Georgia. It can reach over 3m (10ft) in height. Although this striking plant can be attractive in certain situations, most gardeners will want to eradicate it, as it is potentially invasive and the sap can cause severe skin burns. It is widely distributed in the wild and poses a serious risk to people who are unaware of its potential for harm.
I know from personal experience the severity of the problems this plant can cause. I remember back in my parks apprentice days, during the 1970s we had several of these plants in our public parks and we were instructed to remove them for safety reasons.
Other poisonous plants worth knowing about can be seen here.
Giant hogweed is a tall, cow parsley-like plant with thick bristly stems that are often purple-blotched. The flowers are white and held in umbels, (flat-topped clusters, like those of carrots or cow parsley), with all the flowers in the umbel facing upwards. The flower heads can be as large as 60cm (2ft) across. It can reach a height of 3.5m (11.5ft) or more and has a spread of about 1-2m (3.5-7ft).
Giant hogweed is usually biennial, forming a rosette of jagged, lobed leaves in the first year before sending up a flower spike in the second year and then setting seed. True biennials only live for two years, dying after flowering, but giant hogweed does not always behave as a true biennial and in fact some are perennial, coming up year after year.
As for control, although there is no statutory obligation for landowners to eliminate giant hogweed, local authorities will often take action to remove infestations in public areas.
Giant hogweed on riverbank courtesy of Complete Weed Control
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) lists it on Schedule 9, Section 14 meaning it is an offence to cause giant hogweed to grow in the wild in England and Wales (similar legislation applies in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Also, it can be the subject of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders where occupiers of giant hogweed infested ground can be required to remove the weed or face penalties.
Giant hogweed is a controlled waste (similar to Japanese knotweed) so, if it is taken off site, can only be disposed of in licensed landfill sites with the required documentation. To avoid this, dispose of any plant material (dug up or cut down) by composting or burning.
The Canal and River trust have a constant problem with giant hogweed and every years spend a lot and time and money on removing it from their canal banks.
If you find it on land near you, take a picture and report it to the local council who be able to arrange the appropriate methods of dealing and eradicating it. Or you could contact a number of professional companies such as Complete Weed Control and Hortech Ltd who are able to deal with these Invasive species of weed.
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GRASSROOTS INVESTMENT NEEDED FOR INCREASED JUNIOR PARTICIPATION
1.4m more children could play sports weekly say GMA
This week's WEB ONLY story is that a new report by the Grounds Management Association has revealed the extent to which junior participation levels in sport could increase with investment in pitches.
AWARD FOR CHRIS BIDDLE
Outstanding Contribution to Landbased industries
TurfPro founder Chris Biddle has been announced as the recipient of the 2020 Institution of Agricultural Engineers Award for Outstanding Contribution to the landbased sector
Chris Biddle, the founder of TurfPro and its sister title, Service Dealer, has been announced as the recipient of the 2020 IAgrE (Institution of Agricultural Engineers) Award for Contribution to the Landbased Sector.
The Award was due to have been presented at the IAgrE AGM and Awards to be held at the headquarters of Amazone UK on 30 April. The event has been provisionally rescheduled for October, but may now be included with 2021 Awards next April.
Chris, a Fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers, had edited Landwards, IAgrE’s professional journal for 12 years before stepping down from the role last December.
He was proposed for the Award by Alastair Taylor, former Chief Executive of IAgrE who retired last summer who said “This Award is made to those who have made a sustained contribution to the Landbased industry throughout their career”
“Editing Landwards is a challenging role. It demands a keen eye on the shifting sands of the Agricultural Engineering and allied industries. Chris was always keen to keep the journal ahead of the curve in terms of content and editorial and as such, it pushed at the boundaries and viewed by members as a useful account of the developments of the IAgrE community.”
He added, “IAgrE's association with Chris has been highly beneficial and opened doors to new people and new themes. His work has enhanced the reputation of the institution and introduced us to new audiences.
“Chris has spent his career within Landbased industries, and was able to draw on his wide experience and contacts across Agricultural Engineering, which allowed for an interesting range of article and editorial, linking his experience with modern day and innovative thinking.”
The Institution of Agricultural Engineers, based on the campus of Cranfield University, was founded in 1938. It is a registered charity, working to promote professionalism amongst academic, practitioner and industry members from across the landbased sector. It also provides professional qualifications through the Engineering Council and the Society for the Environment.
Chris Biddle was succeeded as Editor of Landwards by Andy Newbold, of Cumbria-based FarmSmart Events, a former President of IAgrE.
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CAMPEY BEGIN REINTRODUCTION TO WORK PLAN
Team returning over next few weeks
Campey Turf Care Systems say they will still strictly adhere to government social distancing guidelines.
Campey Turf Care Systems have said they are putting plans in place to safely reintroduce their team over the next few weeks, that will still strictly adhere to government social distancing guidelines.
Campey say that like many other companies, they have been operating with a skeleton staff at the main office to provide customers with key parts and tines. They have also stopped all demos because transporting machines to various sites cannot be classed as essential travel.
A spokesperson for the company said, "During this time the understanding from customers that orders may be slightly delayed has been fantastic as has the understanding that demos aren’t necessary during this time - with any future demos requested, set to be fulfilled when it is safe to do so."
Machinery has been available for collection at the main office using a routine that eliminates the need for personal contact. Using this as a basis, Campey say they are confident that as the government guidelines are changed, they will be ready without delay.
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BASIS LAUNCH NEW ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM
The BASIS Classroom
System designed to support members in advancing their professional development from home.
BASIS has launched a new digital learning platform - the BASIS Classroom - that supports members in advancing their professional development from home.
Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, explains that the Classroom is a free ‘members only’ platform that contains a selection of voluntary digital training sessions on an array of subjects surrounding crop production, turf management and environmental protection.
“Members can log-in to the platform and will be presented with a choice of topics applicable to their qualification. Once selected, members will be taken through to an online exercise that may include presentations, videos or even a quiz,” he says.
“The software is designed, so that exercises cannot be skipped, which ensures the appropriate amount and quality of training is delivered and CPD points are rewarded accordingly at the end of the session.
“It’s also worth noting that the courses will be available online for a year after first posting, so members can participate at a convenient time,” says Stephen.
The training will be put together by companies that want to share knowledge with members, but no longer have events as a platform to do so. The first two companies to submit a session were Origin Fertilisers and Certis and these are now live online.
Mandy McAulay, Origin Fertilisers marketing manager, said, “The BASIS Classroom is a great initiative, as it gives members the opportunity to continue to stay up-to-date with their CPD, but also gives us a great outreach platform that’s easily accessible to both providers and members.”
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SYMBIO APPOINT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
For expanding international business
Jeremy Hughes has taken the reins from Martin Ward in providing advisory services, product support and training.
Jeremy Hughes has been appointed by Symbio as its new international business development manager.
He has taken the reins from Martin Ward in providing advisory services, product support and training to the company’s growing number of distributorships serving an expanding customer base in overseas markets. Jeremy also provides direct support to a number of golf resorts and football clubs in Europe and the Nordics.
Jeremy has been with the Surrey-based company for five years as technical sales manager for the Midlands, north west England and west Wales. He was previously course manager at the Vale of Llangollen Golf Club where he adopted and advocated a biological approach to turf management.
Jeremy says that interest in the company’s products has never been greater. “Over the past 30 years, we’ve worked with customers to restore a healthy balance to their soil. As the market-leader, we’ve experienced year-on-year growth in recent years, spurred on by wider access to education, the withdrawal of active ingredients in chemical applications, and greater environmental awareness.
"A growing understanding of soil biology is resulting in an increasing number of sports turf managers changing their approach to problem solving and the improvement of their playing surfaces, whether that’s thatch reduction, grass species conversion, disease prevention, maintaining firmer, drier greens, or increasing the holding capacity of sand-based sports pitches. Club owners are increasing seeking advice at the construction stage, starting as they mean to go on in ensuring soil and turf health is optimised from the outset. We continue to improve and develop the company and our product range, building on our excellent results and customer satisfaction.”
Jeremy can be contacted on Tel: 07554 668423 and by email at jeremy@symbio.co.uk.
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BOBCAT INTRODUCE 'WORK NOW, PAY LATER' SCHEME
180 day schedule for first payment
Manufacturer says the scheme, which is available in all markets, is designed help support UK customers in these difficult times.
Bobcat says that to help support UK customers in these difficult times, it has launched a new finance campaign called ‘Work Now, Pay Later’, providing a 180 day schedule for the first payment, to underpin the purchase of new Bobcat loaders, mini-excavators and telehandlers.
The company describes the scheme as the most attractive finance product they have ever offered. Available to customers in all markets, including agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, construction, rental, waste and recycling the finance scheme covers every type of Bobcat machine, except rotary telehandlers.
Andrew Higgins, director, Doosan Financial Solutions EMEA, said, “We have never seen market conditions like these and we wanted to provide our customers with a solution to help them in these harsh circumstances. As a result, we have launched our very special finance scheme to help businesses using compact equipment, to help alleviate their worries about cash flow in these uncertain times."
The scheme is a special hire purchase promotion in which customers only need to pay their first payment after 180 days - which the company says allows customers to generate profits from their new machines, well before the first finance payment has to be completed.
Users of the scheme will have an interest rate of 0.99% and the duration of the plan allows them to spread payments for up to 66 months. Customers will need to pay an initial downpayment followed by a nominal payment of £10.00 per month for the first six months.
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AND FINALLY . . .
Vintage 1971 Greensmaster "cuts like a dream"
Found on eBay by the father of a Student Greenkeeper of the Year winner, mint condition Toro machine shines on bowling green.
Some eBay finds can be described as pure gold! In this case, a vintage circa. 1971, unused and no doubt collectable Toro 21” Greensmaster pedestrian mower, which it's new owner says "cuts like a dream".
The listing was won by Toro’s Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award 2018 winner Dan Ashelby’s dad, Mark from Mark Ashelby Grounds who has spent 25 years in sports turf management and says he knows a good deal when he sees one.
Dan Ashelby giving the Toro Greensmaster, which is thought to have been manufactured in 1971, a one-off outing on a bowling green
One of the precursors to the Toro Greensmaster 1000 greens mowers range, Dan says of his Dad’s win, “We couldn’t believe it when we saw the listing. The machine was bought new by a cricket club in the early 1970s but never used. It’s in mint condition with no wear anywhere. It came with the original user manual and the original stickers on the engine. The red paint is still freshly painted like new on the cutting reels!
“It was bought as a collectible and is too good to use, but we couldn’t resist setting it up and giving it a quick one-off outing on a bowling green. And she cut like a dream.”
Greenkeeping is in the Ashelbys’ blood with Dan’s greenkeeping education beginning at a young age. His father was head greenkeeper at Gatley Golf Club and Dan has been helping out around the course since he was eight years old. Since winning the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award in 2018 Dan has achieved head greenkeeper position at Hartford Golf Club in Cheshire.
He says: “Greenkeeping is definitely a shared interest Dad and I have. Things like this recent eBay find are good fun and it’s great to bring a bit of its history into the family. I’m a big Toro fan and love using the new machines at work, so it’s been great to have the opportunity to see and use one of the very first Toro machines to arrive in the UK, which was well before I eventually did!”
So, what’s next for this rare vintage find? Dan says: “The rest of its life will be much like that of a classic car, enjoying the occasional run out on a nice sunny day!”
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ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS HERE
Amazing success rates!
Advertise your recruitment needs on TurfPro Weekly Briefing and reach our targeted audience of recipients every week.
Contact Nikki Harrison for details - 01491 837117
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PRESSURE SITUATION
Cementing the reputation
by Luke Dennis, course manager at Robin Hood Golf Course
In the second of our feature articles from the 'Belfry Boys', Luke Dennis of Robin Hood GC tells us how adapting from corporate style golf to a members’ environment was challenging - plus how they've coped through lockdown.
Laurence Gale, editor TurfPro, writes
Over the last twelve years we have seen an exodus of talented greenkeepers from the prestigious Belfry Hotel and Golf Resort go on to become successful course managers in their own right at a number of Midlands golf courses. I thought it would be nice to catch up a number of these guys and see how they got on with their careers and how they coping with the current Covid-19 Crisis.
I first contacted Mark Smith at Olton Golf Club Near Solihull Birmingham who was keen to put pen to paper and talk about is career and the lifelong friends he started his career with at the Belfry. You can read his article from last week here.
During his time at the Belfry he had the pleasure of working with the following guys Luke Dennis, now course manager at The Robin Hood GC , Andy Wood, course manager Enville GC , Jamie Brookes, course manager Walmley GC, Chris Bromley, Stratford GC.
TurfPro is publishing articles from all of these guys and I am hoping to make visits when it’s safe to do so, to put together a more in depth article about the management and maintenance of these established courses.
This week it is the turn of Luke Dennis, course manager at Robin Hood Golf Course to give an account of his career and experiences in greenkeeping. Luke takes up the story . . .
I started my career in the golf industry aged just 17. It was only a few hours per week at the Belfry doing front of house duties. This was just for pocket money as I was a full-time athlete then. I didn’t play golf and wasn’t aware of greenkeeping as an actual profession. I would chat to and wave at the green staff feeling jealous of the comradery and fun they had while maintaining the course.
The head greenkeeper at the time, Bevan Tattersall, would drive past regularly and offer me a job and eventually the lure of earning some money and wanting a car made me accept. During my 13 year term at The Belfry I gained my qualifications through Myerscough College, worked my way up through the ranks and was fortunate to work on all three of the courses there and also help in the workshop during busy times.
The team around me were amazing and the competition for promotion was always healthy! Off the top of my head from the team that worked the 2002 Ryder cup, twelve or so have gone on to be course managers, all of whom I keep in touch with still. With the Belfry hosting so many top tournaments I quickly gained a passion for the tournament setup part of greenkeeping. I love getting the playing surfaces reacting well and tournament ready.
In 2000 I worked with the European tour over in Sweden for the Scandinavian Masters in preparation for hosting the upcoming Ryder Cup. Cutting the 18th green in front of a packed Ryder Cup grandstand is one of my most treasured greenkeeping memories.
I left the Belfry as deputy head greenkeeper back in 2009 to join Robin Hood Golf Club under course manager Andy Wood who I had worked with previously on the Brabazon. The methods, work practices and high presentation installed in me, like many others, were then taken into to my next role. The long-term vison was to shadow Andy and help redevelop Robin Hood, learning the very different workings of a members’ golf club in the process. I also managed the workshop and maintained a fleet of machinery which I sharpened in-house with our own Bernard Grinders.
Adapting from corporate style golf to a members’ environment was challenging, relaying information and communicating being a key. The other main factor for me was prioritising work as I had only ever worked in a very large team with almost unlimited resources. I had an irrigation tech, spray tech and a handful of mechanics on the end of radio and then suddenly you must be all three! Though some methods and work practices never change, accepting that all the little jobs cannot be done is very hard.
As planned, I became Andy Wood`s successor in 2017. With extensive new greens drainage complete, a new carry drain system installed and ten holes redeveloped I was given the opportunity to carry on cementing Robin Hood Golf Club as a top quality golf course. My first challenge was to be a host venue for the TP Tour. With my predecessor having a reputation for firm, lightning-fast greens the pressure was on but with some excellent work from the team we had a great event, even in the rain.
In winter of 2018 we remodelled the 13th and 17th (see pics) a project that we shared with Pro-Fusion which worked out brilliantly and kept us within budget. Last year I negotiated my first 5 year machinery deal. Eventually I got my wish list through some clever brainstorming from Big Jon my Toro salesman. I part purchased, part leased all my cutting equipment with Toro and purchased all my utility vehicles and sprayer through John Deere and Jacob Shellis. This new fleet of machines is vital to achieve the high level of presentation that now is expected here at Robin Hood.
As the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK I had just started my green renovations which included scarification, a small hollow tine, top dressing followed by a large solid tine and finally a series of sand dressings. Initially the clubhouse closed and we introduced a no touch method of entry and play until the complete closure was enforced.
This meant I finished the back end of the renovations on an empty golf course and with a reduced team. It has been a very difficult few weeks. I personally have worked long hours in solitude which I’ve found tough. It’s been hard on the team’s morale too. I suppose you get used to the interaction and banter amongst the team which is the reason I entered into the profession in the first place.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been mainly cutting and keeping up with the wetting agent, fungicide and nutrient programs on the all surfaces with a team of four. My team have been working safely in solitude using their car as a base to have breaks and store their PPE. Hand sanitiser was issued and stations setup - plus of course, we practiced strict social distancing at all times. I issued all the jobs via text with nearly all communication also done via phone.
I think it is a case of doing everything you can to keep the team safe and feel comfortable in the workplace. These measures will be in for a long while.
Wednesday the 13th of May saw Robin Hood welcome the return of our members via a booked tee time system. It was lovely to see the excitement in their faces as they walked towards the first tee. I was fortunate enough to be able to recall my furloughed staff, so I am now back up to a full strength team of seven.
The course is in great shape and we’ve had some amazing feedback. The aim is to present the best course possible so the membership realises what they’ve missed and how big golf is in their lives. Hopefully this will mean member retention will be high and we may attract some new members to the club in the future.
Post-pandemic life will be very different and finances will be a lot tighter for everyone. I hope people can continue to support their passion, the place they come to unwind and have fun. The last couple of days I have been out chatting to members from a safe distance and they are simply thrilled to be golfing again.
Many have commented following their round that being back on the course gave them a sense of normality - which must be good in such uncertain times. I really hope that member-based golf clubs survive this crisis, and not only that but the club ideology and spirit survives too.
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A CHALLENGING TWO MONTHS
Running golf design projects from home
by Jonathan Gaunt, director & senior golf course architect, Gaunt Golf Design Limited
Golf architect, Jonathan Gaunt, shares his experiences of running his golf design business under lockdown.
The past 2 months has been challenging, to say the least.
On 20th March, while I was undertaking a site visit at Whittington Heath GC (an HS2 project), the clubhouse was closed due to the Covid-19 Virus Pandemic. This was the first direct impact of the virus on my work, because it was decided, on completion of this outdoors visit, that the construction site would be closed indefinitely.
Whittington Heath GC, Lichfield, Staffordshire – Heather Mitigation Area at rear of (new) Green #7
The project is part of the HS2 High Speed Two project and the changes to the golf course are being undertaken to enable the railway line to be routed through the golf course, greenkeepers compound and clubhouse. The project was already being affected by the extreme wet weather of autumn/winter 2019/20, so we really didn’t want any further likelihood of delays.
However, the government issued their lockdown instructions and we all began the process of adapting to working from home. This, of course, put an immediate stop to all inspection visits relating to this project, along with other ongoing reconstruction projects on site at Willow Valley GC in Yorkshire, Cavendish GC in Derbyshire, The Wildernesse Club in Kent and Breinholtgard GK in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Breinholtgard Golf Klub, Esbjerg, Denmark - new 9th hole on Sletten Course
I must admit, I am very fortunate in the respect that since October 2018 I have been “working from home”, when I converted my garage to an office in the garden. In fact, since then I’ve been able to be much more productive because I don’t have to drive over the moors to Bakewell (where my old office was) and back here to Sheffield twice a day.
GGD's office in Sheffield
I have 5 other colleagues who work with me on our projects - 3 CAD engineers/golf design associates and 2 landscape architects. They’ve worked for me (for many years now) from their homes in Mansfield, Glasgow, Ferrara (Italy), Leeds and Exeter. During the lockdown they’ve all (thankfully) continued working for me with hardly a break.
We’ve been particularly busy on new golf projects since October 2019, and have submitted 2 new planning applications in 2020, alone, with another one just starting. These are substantial projects - involving a new 9-hole course in Hertfordshire, a 9-hole upgrade (of a 27-hole course) in Bedfordshire, and an upgrade of an 18-hole course in Yorkshire. We’re also half-way through the design work for bunker remodelling projects at Selby GC in Yorkshire, West Kent GC and Nizels GC in Kent and at Stratford on Avon GC in Warwickshire.
Wildernesse Club, Sevenoaks, Kent – new bunkers on hole #7
Although we cannot claim any money or funding from the government (due to our working circumstances as a limited company - and I’m not going to furlough myself(!)), we still regard ourselves as being very fortunate indeed. We have really good clients and a good deal of work on site, on the drawing board and at concept stage and this will enable us to survive these unprecedented circumstances.
Having said this, we still consider ourselves to be in “lockdown” and I will continue to work from my office base here in Sheffield, for as long as is necessary. However, the Whittington Heath project is now back on site and the golf course contractor - John Greasley Ltd - is building up his workforce again to maintain the agreed work schedule. Consequently, I’m already scheduling in site visits to oversee, sign off and certify their work.
Since the government relaxed lockdown measures on 10th May and the re-opening of golf courses on 13th May, it means that I will begin to schedule in site visits again to the courses where work was being done prior to the lockdown beginning.
We look forward to continuing our work, not resuming it, as we never stopped.
Jonathan Gaunt
Director & senior golf course architect, Gaunt Golf Design Limited
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