GREENKEEPER INTERNATIONAL GI Published by the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association £5.50 MARCH 2015 Inside... MEN AT WORK - DOWN UNDER How volunteering can boost your career All eyes on St Andrews Wildlife at The Home of Golf ALSO INSIDE... A MISSION TO MOSCOW : BRORA GOLF CLUB WELCOME FROM BIGGA BIGGA BIGGA President Sir Michael Bonallack, OBE BIGGA Board of Management Chairman Les Howkins MG BIGGA Vice Chairman Stuart Greenwood BIGGA Past Chairman Chris Sealey BIGGA Board Members Rob Welford, Andy Baker, Jeremy Hughes, Kenny MacKay, George Barr, John Keenaghan BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton BIGGA General Manager Tracey Maddison [email protected] Contact Us BIGGA House, Aldwark, Alne, York, YO61 1UF [email protected] www.bigga.org.uk Tel – 01347 833800 | Fax – 01347 833801 Caption GREENKEEPER INTERNATIONAL The official monthly magazine of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Open season for career chances Association Limited. Production As we emerge from winter the an impossibility. This serves as a reminder that Design & Brand announcement of the BIGGA Open nearly all of us have to make some sacrifices or Executive Tom Campbell Championship Support Team is a timely compromises to achieve the career progression reminder that the season will soon be we desire. In James’s case it was a complete KING OF THE Tel – 01347 833800 Nestled on a seaside perch in the It’s no surprise that Castle Stuart uses ext 513 upon us. ‘no brainer’ and I know he won’t regret it for a [email protected] Scottish Highlands, Castle Stuart Jacobsen SLF 1880’s on their fairways. With The Open returning to its spiritual home second but it is not always so cut and dry. My Golf Links is a truly extraordinary golf Because when you’re Scottish golf Editorial of St Andrews this year we, not unexpectedly, view, for what it is worth, is that it is always Communications received a huge number of applications to be better to make the positive decision than let destination. Home of the 2011, 2012 royalty, only the best turf equipment Executive part of the Team and I know that we have ful- inertia get in the way but it is a personal choice. and 2013 Scottish Open, the course will do. Steve Castle Tel – 01347 833800 filled the brief given to us by the R&A to provide debuted at No. 56 on Golf Magazine’s ext 510 CASTLE steve.castle them with a first class greenkeeping crew. There On that subject you could view a Top 100 Courses in the World list. For more information about @bigga.co.uk is a great balance of first timers and experienced commitment to CPD as a sacrifice, it Jacobsen products, visit Advertising campaigners, something the R&A organising certainly takes effort above and beyond www.jacobsen.com. Business team are particularly keen that we achieve and but is undoubtedly a tool to personal and Development Manager Jill Rodham I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing them career development. Tel – 01347 833800 in July. I was thrilled to discover that we clocked up ext 519 Fax – 01347 833802 Naturally there will be many applicants who our 1,000th CPD Active member last month. [email protected] are disappointed – we were oversubscribed This is a significant milestone and evidence, if it Printing by more than three to one – but we are totally were needed, of the extraordinary commitment Warners Midlands Plc, The Maltings, Manor to learning and development that sits at the Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH committed to providing more and more devel- Tel – 01778 391000 | Fax – 01778 394269 opmental opportunities for our membership. heart of the greenkeeping profession. Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise So, my advice is to persevere and keep putting Thank you to all the members who have reproduced without written permission. yourself forward for these events. engaged with CPD, you make our job of promot- Return postage must accompany all materials submitted if return is requested. No With the expansion of the BMW PGA Cham- ing your profession so much more straightfor- responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited pionship support team, the new TPC Sawgrass ward. I look forward to reporting on our 2,000th materials. The right is reserved to edit submissions before publication. Initiative sponsored by John Deere alongside member in the not too distant future! Although every care will be taken, no Enjoy the read. responsibility is accepted for loss of our Open Championship activity the opportu- manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Opinions nity to add top class tournament experience expressed are not necessarily those of the Association, and no responsibility is accepted to a CV, which many employers place a really for such content, advertising or product high value on, is increasing year on year. We are information that may appear. Circulation is by subscription. Subscription rate: UK £50 per working hard to offer even more opportunities – year, Europe and Eire £65, Rest of the World watch this space! £95. The magazine is also distributed to BIGGA members, golf clubs, local authorities, the turf industry, libraries and central government. Very recently one of the five BIGGA members who were successful in gaining a place on the aforementioned TPC FOR A LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE Sawgrass initiative, James Bledge, unfortunately had to relinquish his spot. ON YOUR COURSE, CALL 01473 270000 The opportunity for promotion to the role of Course Manager at his club, Royal Cinque Ports, www.ransomesjacobsen.com was presented to him. ISSN: 0961– 6977 He was delighted to accept but sadly his cal- © 2015 British and International Golf endar of work makes attending the ‘fifth major’ Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO GI/CS3/02/2015 Greenkeepers Association Limited @BIGGALtd MARCH 2015 GI 3 GI Castle Stuart 3.indd 1 11/02/2015 11:42 CONTENTS A look at what’s inside the magazine this month GI BRORA GOLF CLUB MARCH 2015 managed aeration and top dressing Brora is unique in many ways, Brora is a traditional out and programme combined with appli- not least because they share the back links, the 9th green sitting at cations of seaweed have kept the land with the local crofting com- the furthest point from the club- playing characteristics consistent munity who have a historic right to house. Brora Golf Club’s throughout the years. Firm, fast, graze livestock on the course. Sheep Even with this layout Braid has true and well presented turf, just and cattle wander freely around the managed to get each of the four par how a traditional links course course, whilst unobtrusive single threes to play in a different direc- should play. strand electric fences protect the tion. In recent years James has added greens from damage. The 9th and 18th play north and applications of the wetting agent, Over the years this relationship south while the 6th and 13th play Revolution® Revolution, to his programme. This has helped to maintain the rough at east and west. has eliminated dry patch during playable heights, but woe betide the It is perhaps a little unusual that the warm summers and reduced golfer who thinks it is wide open. each nine ends with a par three, Brora Golf Club’s Head Greenkeeper James MacBeath tell us how Farmura’s the problems caused on the edge Like all great architects Braid has the 18th at 201 yards uphill to a Revolution® has boosted the traditional links course in the Scottish Highlands of greens by sand splash from the made clever use of bunkering and green with a false front and a severe FEATURES bunkers. subtle changes in angles to protect swale in front is particularly chal- He makes two fertiliser applica- the greens. lenging. Brora Golf Club was founded £25, Braid submitted his plan and have had limited staff, equipment tions on greens and surrounds. With the maintenance practices The members and visitors watch- in 1891, originally a nine hole the course which exists today was and budgets. James MacBeath, the One early C-complex 7-0-7, then preparing firm surfaces they ing your trials and tribulations course which was extended to born. present Head Greenkeeper, said: in mid summer a 4-0-8 invigorator, become almost impossible to hold from the clubhouse overlooking 18 about ten years later. There have been very few changes “As far as I can remember there with some seaweed applications in from out of the rough. the green do nothing to add to your In 1923 the committee invited to the layout proposed by Braid, the have only been five Head Green- between. Although recent warm and wet sense of wellbeing! the renowned course architect and only minor alteration extended the keepers here and, although the Other than that it is only Revolu- summers have helped the rough Located just 20 minutes from golfer, James Braid was to visit. 11th hole by 53 yards to convert it machinery has changed, all have tion and soluble iron during the to thicken up, the club and its the well known course at Dornoch, This he did in February 1924, to a par 5 and the course overall to worked to the same philosophy of winter months. Tees and pathways greenkeeping team are committed Brora has many regular visitors 13 Chairman’s Word… arriving by train, walking around a par 70. how we maintain this unique rustic receive similar inputs and the rest to retaining the playing character- who make the long journey north to the course and departing later the Through all these years all green- piece of land.” of the course only gets what nature istics at Brora and plan to thin the play this spectacularly scenic gem.