Woodenbridge Woes • Regional Roundup • Heritage Trees
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The Official Magazine of the GCSAI • www.gcsai.orgSeptember • 2010 Greenside G Mac Another Irish Major Winner Going Dutch Also In This Issue •Woodenbridge Woes • Regional Roundup • Heritage Trees of Ireland • Helping out at The Open •The Heath Uncovered • Illness Insurance Protection • Wasps - Anti Social Behaviour In 2005 we made history introducing ‘it’. In 2010 we made history again introducing ‘them’. Offer!* For a limited time E-Cut Hybrid Mowers are now at the same price as hydraulic mowers. John Deere Exclusive E-Cut Hybrid Fairway & Greens Mowers. It’s the fth anniversary of E-Cut Hybrid technology and the honeymoon’s not over. These ahead-of-their-time mowers offer the consistent cut only electricity can deliver. Save up to 30% on fuel and end hydraulic-leak anxiety forever. And only John Deere offers this award-winning** option for both greens and fairways. All John Deere E-Cut Hybrid mowers are equipped with revolutionary Quick Adjust cutting units. 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C 693.1 IE Ecut C_693_1_IE_Ecut_210x297.indd 1 23.07.2010 15:25:34 Uhr Greenside Our Contents Page Wasps - Anti Social Behaviour 10 Important A Dutch Course Made in Scotland 12 3 Irish Open Review 22 Contribution The Woes of Woodenbridge 24 Illness protection 28 make no apologies for influencing the success of many of our top golfers. for putting Graeme The Heath Uncovered 30 McDowell’s photo on the Let us not forget, too, the many I groundsmen who have maintained front cover of this edition of Regional Reports 36 their GAA pitches throughout the Greenside, as I thought that year - pitches that were used to stage AIB Irish Ladies Open his US Open win should be a the various inter county games, which Review 42 reason for celebration. have culminated in the All Ireland hurling and football finals at Croke “McDowell’s victory has no real Park. All these pitches needed to Awareness of Skin Cancer 44 significant relevance for Irish be in top class condition, so that greenkeeping, or has it? “ When the county teams could perform the So you think you have Challenges 45 I asked myself that question I skills of their sport. I immediately immediately thought of Padraig think of the successful Kilkenny team, Are you Making an Exhibition of 48 Harrington’s three Major titles in who have dominated the game of Yourself 2007 and 2008. Was it not Irish hurling for many decades. They too greenkeeping that indirectly helped to need a quality pitch, ably maintained Heritage Trees of Ireland 50 shape his career? Harrington’s home by skilful groundsmen, to practise club is Stackstown, while McDowell on, in order for them to enjoy their Helping out at The Open 54 started off in Rathmore Golf Club in many successes. So take a bow, all Portrush; this course is maintained of you involved in turf maintenance; by the greenkeepers at Royal Portrush your efforts are contributing to the Golf Club, one of whom is Graeme’s successes of many of our sporting brother, Gary. The conditions of heroes. Stackstown and Rathmore must have contributed to the success of these two players, as they both spent a lot of time, practising on the fairways and greens, when they were growing up. I often wonder that if these two courses were not up to standard, would Harrington and McDowell ever have considered taking up careers as professional golfers! So, as greenkeepers, let us take a tiny bow 50 Front Cover: Graeme McDowell, REMINDER Back issues US Open Champion of Greenside can Photo by Alan Mahon The deadline for receiving now be seen on the The views expressed in contributed advertising and editorial for articles are not necessarily the views the next issue of Greenside is GCSAI website expressed by the editor of this publication. Editorial content and photographs Visit cannot be reproduced without prior October 22nd 2010 www.gcsai.org permission from the editor. 3 greenside magazine | September 2010 News Dates For Your Diary GCSAI Charity Day Barenbrug and STRI to reveal Despite the ongoing recession, the GCSAI charity golf day new golf green trial results will be going ahead as usual. It will take place on Monday 27th September at Naas Golf Club. It is only €250 per team at Druids Glen and all proceeds will go towards the Irish Cancer Society. The results from an innovative new trial, the first of its Additional sponsorship for prizes is welcome. Contact kind in Ireland, are to be presented at an open-day on 16 David Behan on 086 8269242 or Tom Carew on September at Druids Glen Golf Resort in County Wicklow, 087 6260182 for more details. Ireland. Specialist grass seed breeder, Barenbrug and STRI, the independent sports turf consultancy, have been working Presidents Cup together on a research trial to determine the influence of All regions have finalized their teams for this years ‘standard’ and ‘relaxed input’ maintenance regimes on Presidents Cup. It will be held at the beautiful Dromoland different grass species on golf greens. Castle Golf & Country Club on Friday October 9th next. The research into maintenance regimes began back in Scotts Professional will be generously sponsoring the event 2008 at STRI’s trials ground in Bingley and the idea of again this year to which the GCSAI are hugely indebted to. an ‘Ireland’ specific trial was developed into reality when Druids Glen agreed to host the research at their golf course, and the seed was sown back in September 2009. 2011 TGA Turf Show The Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA), the organisation dedicated to the advancement of quality turf production in the UK and Ireland, has announced that J & B Farnaby will host its 2011 Turf Show. The biennial event will be held at the 500 acre turf farm run by husband and wife team Jeff and Barbara Farnaby along with son Paul, situated just off the A1 at Scotch Corner on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th June 2011. Focusing on all aspects of turf production, the show attracts growers from as far afield as Italy, Slovenia and Norway who visit to see demonstrations of the latest machinery and product innovations used in the growing and harvesting of quality cultivated turf. Druids Glen It was important for the performance of different species to ALCI Awards be assessed on Ireland’s unique terrain with its increasingly This years ALCI Awards and AGM are being held in the adverse weather conditions, and the results from the trial beautiful Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, Newcastle, Co. will provide important data that promises to be of great Down on 16th October next. In a change to previous years benefit to the Irish greenkeeping industry. the Awards and AGM are both being held on a Saturday, Course superintendent, John O Sullivan, at Druids Glen with the AGM starting at 2pm and the Awards Gala at 7pm. has been working closely with Dr Ian McClements, STRI’s You can contact the ALCI office on 0404 44789 to book tickets. manager for Ireland and Jayne Leyland, Barenbrug’s research and development manager to monitor the performance of seven separate grass species and mixtures under the two different maintenance regimes. The open-day will include presentations from Druids Glen, Barenbrug and STRI on the trials, with some practical demonstrations on overseeding from Keith Kensett, and aims to provide information for greenkeepers and golf courses to further understand grass species and the related effect of maintenance to develop and improve their greens. If you are interested in attending the open-day on 16th September at Druids Glen please contact the STRI Sales & Marketing team on +44 (0)1274 565131 or email [email protected] 4 www.gcsai.org Education Report hope the season has gone really well for everybody with the weather being kind and club competitions running smoothly. Hopefully it will be a year to I remember at long last. This may be the time to keep your head down and keep doing what ever is required to keep your course in pristine condition. It may also be a time to look at your current qualifications and be quietly thinking to yourself that maybe it is time to up skill. You do not have to reinvent yourself, but maybe a basic managerial course could help you with your lack of confidence when, for example, attending committee meetings. A mechanics course is always useful to save on those expensive call outs that could save your club some money. Whichever course you are interested in, please feel free to give me a call when I can discuss the details with you. Two days are being arranged for deputy Superintendents in November in Bobby your area to discuss the role and relationship between Superintendents and McDermott their deputy’s. I would appreciate if you would text Y for Yes I am interested in attending or N for no I am not interested to 086-2627839. The reason for this Foxrock is that it could save time and money if we knew in Golf club advance if people are interested or not; so a quick text would really help. Thank you kindly in advance for your response. If you would like to contact me please do so: PH: 086 2627839/01 2065136 Email: [email protected] [email protected] 5 greenside magazine | September 2010 News Croke Park Gets World IGF Announces Appointment First Award of Antony B Scanlon as In May 2010 Dublin’s Croke Park Stadium gained BS 8901:2009 certification, making it the world’s first stadium Executive Director to receive this prestigious award for sustainable event The International Golf Federation (IGF) has announced the management.