Educating Stoneham

Hi All,

No it's not a new TV series on Channel 4 but a play on the words of the famous Educating Yorkshire TV series if you didn't know. 

I wanted to do a blog about some of the stuff that's been going on, off the course. 

One of my big beliefs is staff training. This not only gives the team the knowledge to carry out their work to high professional standard and keeps us all updated on the latest methods or legislation. It also develops staff and gives them careers. Wouldn't it be great if in years to come our team now were all managing golf courses and they said we were trained at Stoneham!

So what kind of training have we been doing? 

Do we really need to train to be grass cutters who get in the way... Well yes is the answer :-) 

The modern greenkeeper needs to be a Scientist, Environmentalist, Agronomist, Arborist, Mechanic, Irrigation Engineer, Accountant, PR Officer, Manager and an Artist with the canvas being the golf course. 

So what have we been doing? 

Firstly, we have our first member of staff since I arrived pass his formal qualification. Congratulations to Steve Jones on getting his City And Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Greenkeeping. 

We still have four more members of staff involved in college at present with two more just about to start. 

Graham Hastie and Levi Pethick are nearing the end of their two year course, while Mike Ray and Matthew Moules have just enrolled on their apprenticeships. Rob Patrick and Paul Martin are next up in the coming months as they look to start their level 3 qualification. 

We just recently received some great news that Graham and Levi had both been nominated for the Student Greenkeeper of the year Award. This is one of the highest awards in our industry. My previous deputy won this in 2014 and so did a young Murray Long. The winner gets the chance to go and study at the Winter Turf School in the USA. First they both must get through the gruelling interviews to get to the national final. A massive congratulations goes out to them. 

Again this year we had eight members of the team attend BTME (BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition) which is the national conference for Greenkeeping in Harrogate with thousands of greenkeepers attending every year. 

Talks on soil biology, management, chemical usage, heathland, woodland management and a talk from all the Course Managers from the Ryder Cup course past & future plus many more were attended. 

I was lucky enough to be asked to Present again this year meaning we all returned inspired for the year ahead with better knowledge.

On the final night myself, Graham and Murray Long attended the prestigious Golf Environmental Awards after we made the national final. Unfortunately we didn't win our category as this went to Frilford Heath who have been doing this for 25 years but the night was very emotional as people shared their passion for the environment and they are making this better through golf. A lot of people don't realise what goes on at many golf clubs and how these spaces are fantastic havens for wildlife. 

In February we attended (half the team to one day, half the team the second day) two more Section conferences. These were held in London at Oaklands College (where the team college is based) and the South Coast section which was held at Salisbury and South Wilts GC. Both were very well attended with 180 and 80 greenkeepers respectively. 

The seminars covered Soil science and Sustainability, the future of Golf, improving irrigation systems plus talks from The Bucks golf club on there renovation of the site and the Grove holding the British Masters. 

I was also honoured to be asked to talk at these events following the one I done back in December for the Sussex Greenkeepers which had 50 attend. My subject was obviously 'Stoneham the story so far' which basically covered all the works we have been doing here at Stoneham, from working the surfaces, to building welfare blocks right up to the bunker project. 

We had some excellent feed back and doing all three talks has really helped to raise the profile in our industry. 

Back at Stoneham we were also getting more training in during wet and cold winter month of February. 

This included Health and Safety training from John Ross. 

The subjects included fire warden training, Manual Handling and Health and safety in each department of the club. 

At the end of February we had our Toro training. This included Sprayer training for the guys who don't use our new sprayer and operator training for all the other Toro equipment. The guys have been users of the equipment for a long time but we have no evidence of training so a quick refresher course and certificate help us to prove competence. 

Lastly, in our winter of training. 

The FTMI (Future Turf Managers Initiative). This is a three day event set up by BIGGA and held in Ipswich at the Ransomes Jacobsen factory (Machinery manufacturer). 

FTMI gets 20 of the up and coming Greenkeepers in our industry every year and gives them management training to help them move up the ladder and secure the Course Managers job. 

The talks include becoming a leader, budgeting, crucial conversations, interview techniques, a factory tour and much more. They also have four Course Managers from across the U.K. as 'Mentors'. 

I have been fortunate to be asked to be a Mentor for the last five years since it started along with some excellent guys in the industry including Course Managers from Loch Lomond, Gleneagles, G West, RAC, Royal Cinque Ports. 

James Bledge Course Manager from RCP was one of the new mentors this having come full circle as he was one of our Students in the class 2013. This was really pleasing to see. 

I enjoyed being part of this process again I find it very rewarding and I learn a lot from the guest speakers, the students and the other mentors. 

All the staff are collecting CPD points (Continuing Professional Development) with BIGGA as a way of showing their development. There aim is to go through Active, Approved to Milestone statuses in a three year cycle. I just want to say well done to the team on this subject and keep it going! 

I felt it was important to write this blog to document all that's going on behind the scenes and because I am a strong believer in education. Remember the next time you see a Greenkeeper there is more to it other than grass cutting! 

Matt 

And breathe!

You may have noticed we have started our aeration work for 2017 around the course. This is crucial to improve air flow to the roots of the grass plants and assist with drainage. 

This blog includes a quick Vlog (video blog) from the 13th green to explain some of the work that has been going on to it. This is something I want to try more and more, so you can see videos of work's going on.  

The link is here:- 

https://youtu.be/k47yayCu1y8

Work on the 13th was quickly carried out. The green was micro hollow cored, cleared (note the cores were used to top up drain lines from the greens drainage work), topdressed and brushed in. 

We then gave the green a roll using the turf iron to smooth this out. 

Also on the greens we have been using the Air2g2 machine, no this is not from Star Wars but it's the machine that blows compressed air into the soil causing this to break up leaving air spaces between soil particles (a mini fracking machine but only in the top 12 inches). This time we have opted for two 12 inches tines and one 8 inch tine giving an almost wave effect as the three tines go into the soil but leaving the surface normal.

Another advantage- this will help us to stop pans (solid areas at various depths) from happening. This happens if aeration is carried out at the same depths all the time as explained in previous blogs. 

The verti draining work is later than originally planned but this has been due to dry Autumn in 2016, meaning the tines would not get to our required depth. When we tested the ground conditions before Christmas it was still bone dry just two inches below the surface. 

This is mainly due to the high thatch content on fairways and something we will have to work on with new legislation about worms...

I know I sound mad now but it's all linked. 

Reducing the thatch and diluting it with sand will be our only line of defence soon as the EU have decided that Horticulture and Agriculture won't be aloud to use the chemicals used to suppress them soon. This will make life tough in the wet winters so we are already planning. This started with our first soil analysis of the fairways. It gave some interesting reading, to me anyway:-)  

The one thing I can't get over with these so called experts making changes (granted if it's for health reasons, I m totally behind it) but I think this will be a game changer for golf and sports pitches moving forward. Agriculture are already saying the knock on effect maybe less food produced, which is great for an increasing world wide population. So what's the answer from the EU? We will need to import more. More from other continents, that don't have the bans... madness. 

Back to the verti-draining and off my soap box. This is a slow process taking around a day to complete two fairways. Please give way to the operator when you see him (play around him). It can take 30mins to complete a single line on a fairway, not including stopping for the golf! 

That's enough from me today, including a video and a rant. Not bad for a quick blog. I have lots of other stuff to blog about but that will have to wait! 

See you soon 

Matt 

The bunker project- Finishing touches

Carrying on from my previous blog I thought I would tell you about the last stages of the project. I also have a you tube video you can watch to get you in the mood for the new bunkers. 

Here is the link below:-

https://youtu.be/Gi0O3cv_w8k

After a delay of nearly a month on the Heather turf due to unseasonal dry weather and issues with the companies lifting equipment. It's worth remembering last year we were a trial site and it was lifted by hand. This year they have orders from a few very big clubs also, so they needed to make a machine to lift big areas quickly, making it easier for the guys to lay our end. So this took time too. 

The Heather turf arrived at the beginning of December... 52 pallets to be precise. Meaning we had a very busy run up to Christmas. 

The look we got from adding the Heather turf is something pretty special. It's aged the bunkers making them look like they have been here forever. Graham and myself, went to see the Heather turf being lifted and also collect pictures of what natural Heather areas looked like so we could replicate this back at the club. 

After a team briefing showing the greenstaff our pictures on the big screen the guys really understood what we wanted and done a great job. 

The surrounds and swails with the added Heather look natural and it really frames the hole. I have also been impressed with the quality of the Heather turf. Let's hope we get some rain to help bed it in! (Over night only would be perfect ;-)

With all 52 pallets of Heather turf out before Christmas the team got a much needed rest. 

They have had such a busy season and we have spent over 2200 man hours on projects alone. That works out as one member of the team working 42 hour weeks every week for a year just on projects! Obviously it doesn't happen like that as we have other things like running the golf course and competitions but you get my drift. 

So much work has been done on the course that I have been asked to go around the country in various places and to talk about 'Stoneham' to Greenkeepers, trade and General Managers. All this is great PR for the club and others are looking at what we are doing.

Okay, I m going off on a tangent now. Back to the bunkers. 

Now into January and the weather is still dry enough for us to get some sand into the bunkers. 

This isn't the final levels but the first layer. PLEASE DO NOT PLAY FROM THE BUNKERS. 

The Heather turf and turf haven't rooted well enough yet to take sand splash. 

The sand in the bunkers will get chance to settle and compact down and we will top up until the levels are right. The bunkers will open as soon as they are ready but not before. 

We also added Heather Turf to the 1st tee. Replacing the old hedge with heather has enhanced the view from the clubhouse and pro shop area and the Heather has brought the feeling of the golf course to the first tee. 

Following this we will cut in the last areas of heather, tidy and top up the drain lines ahead of the season. 

Other work's have included cutting, flymoing and preparing the new turf areas, woodland management, placing out winter mats on the high wear tees. Spraying the greens to try and prevent disease and add wetting agents. Edging bunkers and weeding and general works to get the course tidy following all the works. 

With the winter solstice done and now in mid January the season will soon be on us. 

We just have February traditionally the coldest month of the year to go and then (let's hope) boom! 

I hope you agree the new bunkers are starting to look the part and they have both improved the course strategically and aesthetically.  

Matt 

The bunker project- Coming up to the finishing line

We have so much going on at the club at the moment from clearing leaves to project work I am finding it hard to keep up the blogs, not a bad thing as its great to see so much work going on. 

In my last bunker project blog 'The Welsh Wizard' we spoke about the works being done by Nathan and Nick to get the bunkers shaped from subsoil to the drainage, to the base and then the bunker blinder liner. 

Now I am going to talk about the next stage of the build. 

The revet turf 

Once the blinder base was added we started the revetted edge to the bunkers. This was built on the shelf created during shaping that is also blinded so we can always find the edge and repair in the future years the to exactly the same place. 

The revetting turf comes in slabs approx 35mm thick. Each slab measures 1.2m by 0.6m. The slabs were cut in half lengthways to produce strips measuring 1.2m by 0.3m. The revet is laid like a wall with no joins in the same place and yes greenside up! 

At this point we had looked at 'how' we were going to do the revetment here at Stoneham. Murray Long suggested we changed from the traditional way of just a plain 3 revetted turf edge and add some movement like our old traditional bunkers we have already. This would give the appearance that some of the Heather the turf once in would be rolling over like the Willie Park bunkers we have already. 

We also knew we would need to add height to certain banks by adding an extra layer to. 

Before 

After 

The greenstaff did a great job on the revetment and the back filling behind it.

Top soiling 

Once all the revetted edges were complete we then moved on to the top soiling. These were the stock piles you would have seen next to the bunkers that everybody thought were new huge mounds! 

Nathan (the shaper) then distributed the piles out around the bunker at a depth of 4-6 inches (depending on slope). If the area didn't have enough top soil, then we added a rootzone that we purchased. This was shaped in by Nathan and then healed in and raked again and again (please see picture at top of blog). At this point we said goodbye to Nathan and Nick as they moved on to shape another course. They done a fantastic job for us and I think everyone could see the skill that Nathan has with his digger. 

It was sad seeing them go but we know they will be back before we know it to carry on with this amazing project. 

Turfing 

Once the topsoil was all in place the turfing began. There was a mix of turfs out on the course depending on location.

 A dwarf rye mix was used around the green side bunkers and swails to match the existing turf. This can be cut tight and is hard wearing which is perfect for these areas. 

The fairway bunkers were turfed with pure fescue because they will be mixed with Heather. This can then be left long, giving a whispy natural look. 

You may have noticed that some areas were left bare, once the turfing was completed. These areas were left for the heather turfing. 

The turf was laid in the traditional way with over hand left in the bunkers. These were cut off using a saw (it gives a better finish) and blended in to the revetted turf. 

All the turfing was completed in 5 days. That's over 4000m2 of turf down in an incredibly quick period. 

Drainage outlets 

With the turfing complete, Profusion left us to complete the final stages. 

Next on the list was the drainage outlets. We had on site the trencher I borrowed from Muswell Hill GC, which allowed us to complete the drainage. We used 80mm perforated pipe running to a positive outfall (either a ditch or low area) as close as we could find to the bunker. Some of the runs had to go 200-300m 13th green to 5th ditch for example to get a good drainage run. 

Only two bunkers on the 5th and two bunkers on the 1st and 3rd could be drained to a soak away. 

The ones on the 1st and 3rd are over gravel so they should be perfect. We will monitor the 5th to see if we need to drain from the soak away to a ditch but heights and falls were making this a big project and we had enough fall towards the woods so a soak away option is being trialled here. 

Our other big issue during this stage was irrigation. 

The irrigation system was laid in the ground at different stages and in different places to the plans. This caused us a huge problem. Areas were cat scanned and cables 

marked. 

Normally the cables are laid at the same time as the pipe work as above. This is done so the pipe work can always be traced for future works. The trouble we have is the mains went in first and then the cable some years later. Meaning we can't find the pipe work!! Even the plans for where they wanted to lay them are not close and the depths of installation are all different making it impossible to miss. 

So obviously we found the pipe work and cable with our trencher! 

This meant 13 repairs to the system, just adding outlets to the bunkers. These all had to be dug out, repaired, and left open until all the repairs were completed before we could test them and back fill them. Huge man hours were used on this along with our irrigation engineer just to get it sorted. 

It just goes to show you, you can never plan for everything and you are always learning. Next year I have now planned time and a budget should this happen again (it will I fear) but this is something we will work on in the future when we have to upgrade the system. 

Okay, that's enough from me. I will blog again about the finishing touches of Heather and Sand. 

See you all soon 

Matt