Magazine - Issue 30 - April / May 2010

Moor Park
21 Jun 2010 - Tennis - Jane Carley - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Whilst the quality of the club house is not usually a deciding factor when choosing where to enjoy a game of tennis, the spectacular Georgian mansion which provides the members’ facilities at Moor Park near Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire could tip the balance.

Bats about bats
19 Jun 2010 - Conservation - Mark Witherall - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Bats are one of the most misunderstood animals in the world. With their nocturnal habits and association with things that go bump in the night, they seem to instill nervousness in many.

Pride of America
17 Jun 2010 - Best of the Rest - Ellie Parry - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Diligently carrying out their jobs as groundsmen, but worlds apart from the roar of the stands, the glare of floodlights and the attention of the media, are the dedicated individuals who tend memorial sites to military personnel lost in battle.

A breath of fresh air
15 Jun 2010 - Consultancy - Editor - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
What is aeration for? It is the European Turfgrass Specialists’ belief that aeration is a critical component that contributes to the correct PATH for success

Taking the Riens ...
13 Jun 2010 - Golf - Gregg Doggett - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010 - 1 comment
Rien Hardeman, and the job of a Greenkeeper in Holland, was brought to our attention by Redexim Charterhouse. We wondered what differences there might be to the job of looking after a premier course in Holland, to one in the UK.

Municipal golf under threat?
11 Jun 2010 - Golf - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Birmingham City Council are currently conducting a review of the seven golf courses under their charge. This includes the stunning Lickey Hills Golf Club where Head Greenkeeper, Dave Collins, and his team are preparing the course to the best of their ability, even though its future is in the balance.

Hell bent on golf history ...
7 Jun 2010 - Golf - Kevin Munt - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010 - 1 comment
In the third and final article on grasses for golf greens in the UK, Kevin Munt examines the oldest fescue/bent.

Norway to treat a pitch!
5 Jun 2010 - Football - Editor - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010 - 1 comment
Moving from golf greenkeeper to football groundsman is not an uncommon career path. A Brit abroad, doing it in Scandinavia is, perhaps, slightly more unusual. Steven James tells is story

Sowing the seeds of love ...
4 Jun 2010 - Golf - Editor - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
When the Heacham Manor site became available, successful businessman Paul Searle saw an opportunity to expand his family business by creating a golf and hotel complex. With the assistance of two industry leading companies, plus a visit to Scotland, he has brought a slice of St Andrews to the north Norfolk coast.

Back to Coventry ...
2 Jun 2010 - General Sports - Laurence Gale MSc - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Coventry University has allocated £160 million over the next ten years to develop the city centre campus, all extra work for Site Services Manager, Stephen Beasley, and his small team.

Ray of Light for Clayesmore
1 Jun 2010 - Schools - Peter Britton - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Peter Britton ‘pops down the road’ to meet Ray Norris, the long serving head groundsman at Clayesmore Dorset, and finds a man who feels privileged to do the job he does

Green Thinking
31 May 2010 - Bowls - Charles Henderson STRI - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Charles Henderson, STRI Turfgrass Agronomist for the South East, outlines what renovation work is required to achieve good playing quality throughout the season on a bowls green

Fat, slow and old ...
30 May 2010 - Rugby - Dick Timmons - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010 - 6 comments
Volunteers are the lifeblood of grass roots sport in the UK. Here, Dick Timmons, groundsman at Warley Rugby Football Club, charts the Damascus Road moment when he realised that everything he thought was right, was actually wrong!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!
29 May 2010 - Consultancy - Nigel Fahey - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Soil micro-organisms are frequently referred to when the subject of soil is raised, but this substantial subject is seldom covered in more than superficial terms. Soil micro-organisms play a vital role in the biological processes that occur in healthy living soil.

A tale of two turfs
28 May 2010 - Tennis - Tom James - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Under assault by the powers that be, grass courts can make just as much financial sense as synthetic ones, given the right maintenance regimes, Tom James talks to Paul Bishop about maintaining both grass and artificial tennis courts

The Keeper of the hallowed turf
27 May 2010 - Cricket - Tom James - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010 - 2 comments
Mick Hunt is celebrating twenty-five years as head groundsman at one of the most prestigious sporting venues in the world, the iconic Lord’s. Tom James talks to him about his career and the pressures he faces to maintain the hallowed turf