Magazine - Issue 18 - April / May 2008

What irrigation system?
15 Jun 2008 - Golf - Duncan McGilvray - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
So, what irrigation system is right for you? In this fourth article in a series of six, Duncan McGilvray of EnviroPro H2O, looks at the systems currently available from the simplest forms right up to computerised systems

Wicket prep
10 Jun 2008 - Cricket - Editor - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008 - 7 comments
Cricket pitch preparations can take anything from 5-15 days. Every Groundsman’s preparations will be different. No two pitches are the same and neither is the equipment each Groundsman has available. Some clubs have covering systems whilst others don’t. This will have a major bearing on pitch preparations.

Managing water in the soil
9 Jun 2008 - Consultancy - Demie Moore - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
Professional turf managers the world over agree that producing a consistent, firm (not soft or hard) surface with good grass coverage is their aim. While many factors go into this, one of the most fundamental is management of moisture in the rootzone.

Chemical safety and IPM
7 Jun 2008 - Consultancy - Nia Frost - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
Without a doubt, information about chemicals has improved significantly over the years. IPM (Integrated Plant/Pest Management) and chemical safety are important factors according to Nia Frost, Technical Manager, Plant Protection Products, Scotts Professional

Primo MAXX - game, set and match
4 Jun 2008 - Bowls - Tom James - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008 - 1 comment
Last year, we reported on trials due to be run by Mark Dempsey, Parks and Street Scene Central Support Manager for Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, and his team, to explore the effects of a growth retardant on the condition of two bowling greens in Wellholme Park, Brighouse, headquarters of Woodvale Bowling Club.

Who are the Gingerbread Men?
2 Jun 2008 - Golf - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008 - 2 comments
A recent visit to Lymm Golf Club in Cheshire to talk to Head Greenkeeper, Stuart Yarwood, gave me the opportunity to meet up with several other like-minded individuals who call themselves the Gingerbread Men.

Thatch - your friend and food for fine grass!
1 Jun 2008 - Consultancy - Martin Ward - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
Dead grass, how many headaches does it give the sports turf manager? It causes disease, dry patch and fairy rings, water retention, black layer, poa annua ingress and slow playing surfaces that seem to eat fertiliser, water, fungicides and top dressing.

Snakes & Ladders
29 May 2008 - Golf - Kevin Munt - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
The R&A’s highly laudable drive toward best practices for golf courses uses a ladder as an analogy for showing progress toward a sustainable golf course, but do you know how high this ladder is?

Going out on a Lymm!
26 May 2008 - Golf - Stuart Yarwood - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008 - 5 comments
The story of a Gingerbread Man

Don’t let the weeds win!
26 May 2008 - General News - Paul Cawood - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
Spring is a great time of year. It’s when all the misery of winter and the “will it ever end” feeling starts to change to optimism about the season to come, and the hassles and triumphs that it will bring.

Paul on a mission!
25 May 2008 - Golf - Paul Lowe - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008 - 2 comments
Climbing the ‘sustainable ladder’ whilst still reaching the high expectations of members will always be difficult, but this is the mission at Bromborough Golf Club where Paul Lowe took over as Head Greenkeeper just eight months ago. His findings to date have been very interesting.

Westchester to Wimbledon
24 May 2008 - Tennis - Dave Procter - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
Still a young man, David Procter has followed an interesting career path thus far. His current position at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has seen him move from Greenkeeping to Groundsmanship.

Toffee delight!
23 May 2008 - Football - Kevin Marks - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
Everton Football Club have recently moved from their former training ground at Bellefield, built back in the 1960s, to a moderrn £14 million training complex at Finch Farm in the Halewood area of Liverpool. Kevin Marks visited the club for a tour of the new facility.

Going to extremes
22 May 2008 - General Sports - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
I spend a fair bit of my time visiting sporting facilities across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In many instances their location has a bearing on how they are managed and maintained.

Astro physics
21 May 2008 - Synthetics - Tina Ribbans - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
The introduction of synthetic surfaces has significantly changed the sport of hockey. Since being introduced in the 1970s, competitions in western countries are now, almost exclusively, played on artificial surfaces.

Match Day countdown
18 May 2008 - Football - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
It’s Valentine’s Day and Pitchcare’s Laurence Gale has headed north to the Reebok Stadium to spend the day, and the evening, with Head Groundsman, Richard Norton, as he and his staff prepare the pitch for the visit of Athletico Madrid in the UEFA Cup.

On the road again!
17 May 2008 - Industry - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
Laurence Gale MSc joins the Bernhard sales and demo team on a trip to Ireland.

A spoonful of SUGAR?
16 May 2008 - General News - Editor - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008 - 1 comment
One of the longest message board threads ever seen on the Pitchcare website, on the subject of grass colour, resulted in a lengthy discussion about the use of sugars to ‘jump start’ the plant.

Flood SOS
16 May 2008 - Cricket - Ellie Parry - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
For the most part, I feel privileged to be working in our industry. Although I’d worked in Premiership football, I had no idea that turf, and the art of Groundsmanship, was so fascinating. During the last six years, I’ve learned an enormous amount and met some amazing people

Inside the ropes at Augusta National
15 May 2008 - Golf - Jeff Foulger - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
My first memory of Augusta National Golf Club was sitting in front of the TV with my dad, watching Ian Woosnam win The Masters in 1991. I had no idea what went into making that place look so perfect. But I do now, thanks to Mike O’Keeffe and The Ohio State University Programme. They got me in here for an experience of a lifetime.