TERRA SPIKE XF In the Wildernesse

TERRA SPIKE XF In the Wildernesse

By Peter Driver

The Wildernesse Golf Club at Seal, near Sevenoaks in Kent, has taken delivery of a Wiedenmann Terra Spike XF from local turf care dealer, Ernest Doe & Sons.

Huw Morgan has been Course Manager at the club for the past 12 years and during his tenure has won the 2001 BIGGA Excellence in Greenkeeping award and in 2002 became a Master Greenkeeper. He was formerly head greenkeeper at Southerndown Golf Club near Bridgend in Wales and certainly appreciates the benefits of deep aeration to a golf course.

"This new machine is certainly fast and it will allow us to get on the course more often, especially when windows of opportunity occur", he said. "We are a busy course and usually have two starting tees to accommodate the number of rounds. I'm already considering adding another machine next year!"

Huw's winter regime is to deep aerate the fairways and semi-rough through November and December, then repeat again in February and March. The greens will be done in the Spring and Autumn and the tees and surrounds at least twice during the year.

"We don't need to apply any heave at Wildernesse because we have a good soil here and it goes down a good 8"-10", he added. "We like to keep the top loose as this helps water penetration and allows nutrients to get down into the rootzone."