FEBRUARY 1985 Greenkeeping and Course Maintenance GET KUBOTA ON COURSE. ON YOUR COURSE. No-one offers more. Kubota Tractors (UK) Ltd, Dormer Road, Thame, Oxon OX9 3UD Tel: 084 4214500 The Official Magazine of the British Golf Greenkeepers9 Association IT'S ON THE GREEN •WHERE IT COUNTS! ... of all the mowing jobs on a golf course, mowing the greens requires the most delicate touch of all. The new GREENSMASTER 300 ensures a uniform cutting height, appearance and playing characteristic while manoeuvring in a tightly defined area. Why not see this exceptional mower in action ... the GREENSMASTER 300 has so much more to offer! NEW GREENSMASTER 300 TORO x GG/2/85 I UK DISTRIBUTORS: LELY IMPORT LIMITED STATION ROAD/ST NEOTS/CAMBRIDGESHIRE Tel (0480) 76971 Telex3k. FEBRUARY 1985 470 Greenkeeping and Course Maintenance UNE SITUATION The Official Magazine of the SUR LE CONTINENT British Golf Greenkeepers' Association Founded 1912 Britain's membership of the European Economic Community President: PETER ALLISS means a great deal more than increased trading links with the Continent, a common agriculture policy and the election of a Vice Presidents: Gordon Wright W. Mountain Euro M.P.,it is about people. European people who now have F. W. Hawtree F. G. Catchpole G. Vaughan J. F. R Wilson the freedom to cross frontiers, seek work and earn a living J. Cogan B. C. Jennings T. Scott D. Craig wherever they fancy selling their skills. E. Staniforth, M.B.E J. Field D. B. Hargreaves D. R. B. Hopkins W. Payne R. Bird J. E. Lelean J. Moyce We have seen few Europeans taking jobs in Britain except in Dr. P. Hayes some specialised service industries like hotels and restaurants Chairman: J. Richardson where the Italians have found a niche. The Germans fly in and 20 Aston Way. Clavering Park. out to market their engineering talents, but the British, insular Whickham, Tyne & Wear Tel. 0632 886765 to the last, still treat the English Channel as a moat only to be Hon. Secretary & Treasurer: crossed for two weeks a year on their way to the Costa del Sol. W. Heeles 7 Tentergate Close. Knaresborough. N Yorks We have been saying for months the growing business on the Tel. 0423 863851 Continent is golf. New courses are under construction, Executive Committee: E. Walsh established ones are gaining in popularity, additional sponsors H. Fry R. Gates H. Gillespie W. Pile are emerging to finance professional events, sales of equipment E. James G. Malcolm A. Kite P. McCarron are booming and there is a demand for British Greenkeepers. J. Richardson R. Goodwin A. Gamble Auditors: Solicitors: Your Association has received a number of enquiries from L. Phillips & Co. Mr. M. Holmes 8 York Place. Topham Phillips & Co. Germany, France, Austria and Spain seeking experienced Knaresborough, 11 Princes Square. N. Yorkshire. Harrogate. British Greenkeepers to manage courses abroad. Because of Tel. 0423 862334 N. Yorkshire. Tel. 0423 66777 this interest the BGGA has decided to set up a register of greenkeepers willing to move to the Continent. The Association is affiliated to the English and Welsh Golf Unions. Publisher and In the first instance write to the Secretary, Walter Heeles Editor: JOHN LELEAN (address in the left hand column), giving details of your present Editorial A. Gamble position, previous experience qualifications and family details. Panel: H. Gillespie This information will be kept in the strictest confidence, and only sent to a prospective employer with your approval. CONTENTS By joining the register there is no guarantee of a job, but the NEWS ROUNDUP 5,6,7,8 BGGA believes this service will be both useful to its members as well as our friends, the other side of European golfs largest GOLF GREENKEEPING VISITS ST. MELLION 10,11 water hazard. B.G.G.A. 25YEARSAGO 13 NEXT MONTH MANAGEMENT OF HEATHER MERE GOLF CLUB. The Editor talks to Mike Sheehan, one of ON HEATHLAND COURSES 14 Britain's youngest Golf Course Managers. SECTIONAL NEWS 15,16 COMPACT TRACTORS, The mini power unit made for golf course maintenance. TRADE DIRECTORY 18 BUILDING THE P.M. GREEN, from Golf Course Constructor, Howard Swan. Britain's leading magazine The greenkeeper who developed a taste for his cuttings - A short story on golf course management from the pen of Vice-President, Fred Hawtree. Golf Greenkeeping and Course Maintenance is published by: Wharfedale Publications Limited, P.O. Box 12, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS22 4SR. Telephone: (0937) 63181. Published ten times per year. Copies for non-members by subscription. £10.00 a year. Single Copies £1.50 postage paid. Published for the British Golf Greenkeepers' Association by: Wharfedale Publications Limited. The BGGA, The Editor and Publishers do not necessarily agree with the comments and views expressed in this publication and do not accept responsibility for any personal opinions stated therein. © Copyright 1984 Golf Greenkeeping and Course Maintenance. Printed by: W. Kristall Ltd., Leeds 3 © GOLF GREENKEEPING February 1985 MORRISON GIVES YOU MORE QUALITY FOR YOUR MONEY MORRISON PUTS MORE INTO A MOWER • All designed and built with precision gearing lor superior cutting quality >ic600 • Excellent clip rate per yard. • Economy of power to operate cutters and independent rollers. • Many optional attachments and accessories. • Full technical back-up and spares always available. Delivery Ex-Stock. MORRISON INDUSTRIES LTD Main Road, Thornham, Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6LX Telephone (Thornham) 048526-234 228 (24 hours) Telex 818861 GREENKEEPERS MOTOMOP SHOCK LIQUIDATION PRESS FOR Motomop Limited, the company formed FRESH TALKS to market the revolutionary motorised sponge roller has gone into liquidation APPOINTMENTS Both the British Golf Greenkeepers' with debts in excess of £280,000. Association and the English and Inter- The firm started in 1980 under the name Nickerson Turfmaster Limited of national Greenkeepers' Association have of Duskford Ltd, changed to Varram Ltd. Gainsborough, Lincolnshire have requested talks with the Institute of in December of that year and became appointed Jim O'Brien from Poole, Groundsmanship to discuss greater Motomop Ltd. in July 1982. Dorset to represent them in the South co-operation between the organisations. The roller met with early success after West. South Wales and the West T.V.coverageduring the ill-fated Bob Hope Midlands. Classic at Moor Park when flooded greens were brought back into use in record He is well known to most machinery Courses in Turf time after a torrential downpour. Ex- distributors in those areas and has American President Gerald Ford was been connected with the machinery Management intrigued with its capabilities and said industry for most of his working life so. Later the P.G.A. bought several representing such well known The Sports Turf Research Institute will machines as stand-bys for alltheir major products as Sheen, Alpina and Ginge hold two, possibly three one-week courses tournaments. Mowers. in the spring on the theory and practice Last year the company entered into a Jim, who is a member of the Institute of turf construction and management. sales agreement with Jacobsen and later of Advanced Motorists, is married with The courses, starting Monday morning gave the American company a licence to two children and spends his spare time and finishing on Friday afternoon, last for manufacture in the United states for ten on archaeology and swimming. five days. They will cover soils, grasses, years. Similar agreements were made for turf diseases and pests, drainage, the Far East markets. Brian Stephens has been appointed watering, fertilizers and machinery. Last year Motomop was displayed at Area Manager responsible for South the International Turfarass Exhibition in Starting on 25th February and 11th Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall March the fees (exclusive of accom- Las Vegas and the Managing director, with Brown and Sons Seeds Ltd the Bob Frost announced a quarter of a million modation and meals) are £85 for members Bristol based distributors of Sports and £100 for non-members (plus VAT). pound deal with Jacobsen and said he Turf and Amenity Products from 2nd hoped it would be doubled by the end A further course will be held if necessary January 1985. during the week commencing 4th March of the year. Brian has joined the company after six year's experience with H. Pattison Details from The Secretary. Sports Turf NEW DEPOT IN LEEDS FOR & Co. Ltd. Research Institute, Bingley, West Yorkshire. Tel: Bradford (0274) 565131 SUPATURF PRODUCTS LTD. Supaturf Products Ltd, thePeterborough based distributors of seed fertilisers for the golf and sports industry have opened £3 Million worth of grass machinery a new depot on the Normanton Industrial Estate to the south of Leeds. All the northern customers will be for the States supplied from the 5,500 square foot warehouse which is close to both the M1 the trans pennine M62 and the A1 By the end of this year, Ransomes Sims Commenting on the East Anglian firm's trunk road. & Jefferies, expect to have sent £3 million achievement, Managing Director Bob Frank Cookson has been put in charge worth of grass machinery to the United Dodsworth said "There are people who to organise regional distribution but States, 82% more than last year and a say this country should be exporting more expects to be back 'on the road' before massive increase compared to sales of to the USA because of the high valued long. £1 million in 1982. dollar. Whilst it may well have helped us" he said, "we would never have done what wehave,had we not got machines suitable for the American market as well as an When Eric Staniforth joined a small efficient distribution and after-sales M.B.E. engineering firm in Macclesfield as a 13 service network in the country".