Best in the North

Lucy Ohstenin Industry News

THE BEST IN THE NORTH

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Located four miles from the centre of York, with very sandy soil the York Golf Range has been operating for six months and the grass has stood up well to the pressures.

Barenbrug recommended a special mixture of dwarf perennial ryegrasses and Barcrown, the No 1 creeping red fescue. The mixture was sown in August 2002 and by the end of October it was ready for its first cut. Helped by the mild back-end five further cuts were completed before winter set in. By the end of February it had thickened up well and the golf range opened for play in mid-April.

Graham Chapman has been very pleased with the mixture and the help and advice he has received from the company. "We knew a bit about grass as we'd grown it for the dairy cows and other cattle on the farm but amenity grass is a different thing. I was surprised by the heavy seed rate we needed in comparison to agricultural grass but we have achieved a healthy dense sward. The grass has looked good throughout and it hasn't burnt off at all.

"We spun the grass seed on and then used a Cambridge roll. We applied fertilizer to give it a boost and sprayed it to contain the weeds. We do all the work ourselves and I think the combination of good seed, good weather and good people has produced a great playing surface that is well on its way to being one of the best in the north."

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Barenbrug area manager Jayne Leyland recommended the special mixture to provide high levels of drought and wear tolerance and minimum maintenance. "Barcrown has recently received very good wear tolerance figures in STRI trials and it's better than a lot of bents in drought conditions so it was ideal for this project. When you combine Barcrown with the dwarf perennial ryegrasses you get a tough sward that will flourish in light sandy soils, withstand heavy wear and have good disease resistance."

The next stage in Mr Chapman's diversification programme is the establishment of a pay-and-play 9-hole beginners golf course. Work has started on the fairways and Barenbrug grass has been chosen again, this time a new mixture for 2004, which has 75 per cent Barkoel and 25 per cent Barcrown. This mixture is the ultimate for low maintenance and will offer outstanding drought tolerance and good wear on the sandy soils.

"I've been very pleased with the results of using Barenbrug, so why alter," commented Graham.

Issued on behalf of Barenbrug UK
by FSW Group Limited, Norwich, United Kingdom
For further press information contact:
Liz Cooper or Lucy Ohsten at FSW
Telephone: 01508 491400
Email: mail@fsw.co.uk



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