Magazine - Issue 19 - June / July 2008

Lightning Protection
11 Aug 2008 - Consultancy - Tony Ware - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008
When properly installed, lightning protection in decoder systems will generally be stronger than that found in smaller multi-wire systems. The exception is pedestal-mounted multi-wire, where extensive extra lightning protection components can be housed within the pedestal.

De Vere-ing on to a new course
2 Aug 2008 - Golf - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008
When the De Vere group purchased Oulton Park, just under three years ago, some heavy investment was required to bring the golf course back up to championship quality.

The winter pitch crisis
25 Jul 2008 - General Sports - Gordon Jaaback - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008 - 2 comments
Consultant agronomist, Gordon Jaaback, asks what value are modern well-equipped schools if outdoor sports facilities are neglected? Only on the sportsfield can children experience a microcosm of life - learning to succeed, to fail, to win, to lose and, above all, to respect one another.

Breaching plant defences
23 Jul 2008 - Consultancy - Dr Kate Entwistle - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008 - 1 comment
The visible symptoms of disease that develop on the sward are generally our initial indication that the turf has become infected by a pathogen. However, prior to the development of these symptoms, the pathogen has had to go through a series of different processes both on the surface of the plant and inside the plant cells, in order for the plant to show these detrimental symptoms.

Crossing the divide
20 Jul 2008 - General Sports - Megan Hood - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008 - 4 comments
Two years ago Megan Hood left her native New Zealand to join the STRI to work as a regional agronomist in the North of England. Now she is heading back to take up a senior position with the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute.

The Reel Deal
18 Jul 2008 - Mechanics - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008 - 3 comments
Fine turf mowers are put through their paces at Donnington Wood Bowling Club in Telford, Shropshire. Today’s Greenkeepers and Groundsmen have a wide selection of fine turf cylinder mowers to choose from.

Nurturing the roots of football ... Sweet FA
16 Jul 2008 - Football - Corinne Hitching - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008 - 1 comment
Investment needed in football pitches is measured in billions of pounds. The FA’s recent commitment to the cause looks sadly wanting, reports Corinne Hitching

Post Drainage Blues
13 Jul 2008 - Consultancy - Steve Gingell - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008
The recent wet winters have produced problems on many winter sports pitches. Often the first line of approach is to install an intensive pipe drainage scheme. Clubs commonly expect such a system to work immediately, to require limited maintenance and, worse still, are frequently forgotten about.

Gearying up at Charlton
5 Jul 2008 - Football - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008
Paul Geary has been Head Groundsman at the Charlton Athletic’s training ground since 1994 and, in recent years, has played an important role in the development and upgrading of the playing surfaces at the facility. Paul is responsible for overseeing all the works carried out, which includes end of season renovations, drainage works and ground improvements, together with the normal, ongoing maintenance schedules.

Keeping the peninsula sharp... A Gingerbread man on the Wirral
4 Jul 2008 - Golf - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008
When Carl Crocher joined Caldy Golf Club as Course Manager in 2003, he brought over twenty years experience to the club, having previously worked on new builds in Germany, the construction of a new course in Yorkshire and the restoration of a heathland course in Essex. Laurence Gale MSc caught up with him recently on this Links and Heathland course to find out about this Gingerbread Man’s maintenance regimes.

BUNKERS: A hazard lost in the sands of time?
3 Jul 2008 - Golf - Tim Lobb - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008
Tim Lobb, principal and golf course architect in Thomson, Perrett and Lobb, a leading international golf course design business, explains why bunkers are the forgotten hazard of golf course design.

Rubber Crumb migration in sports surfaces
1 Jul 2008 - Consultancy - Steve Prinn & Daniel Prest - Issue 19 - Jun / Jul 2008
Rubber crumb top dressing has been used for many years on a wide variety of sports surfaces. The crumb has been found to have some benefits in improving turf resiliency and wear tolerance, but the main function of the crumb is for protection.