GREENKEEPER INTERNATIONAL GI £5.20 JULY 2010 Featured Inside The Roar of the Dandelions IS THE DANDELION EXPLOSION THE FIRST SIGN OF FALL-OUT FROM EU PESTICIDE LEGISLATION? Sports Turf Feature TEstING TIMES AT TRENT BRIDGE We look forward to The England and Pakistan Test Series at Trent Bridge It’s coming Golf Course home Feature With The Open set to return to the Old Course, we visit St Andrews for this month’s Course Feature There’s One Tool You Won’t Need When You Service Hunter Sprinklers! The last thing a golfer wants to see is unsightly excavation scars from typical sprinkler maintenance. All Hunter Premium Golf Sprinklers feature TTS - Total Top Service, with all serviceable parts accessible from the top which helps keep your course looking great like nothing else can. Contact Revaho Today for Your Nearest Stockist Penketh Place, West Pimbo, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 9QX T: 01695 556222 E: [email protected] www.revaho.co.uk WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR BIGGA President Sir Michael Bonallack, OBE Board of Management Chairman – Paul Worster Vice Chairman Andrew Mellon Past Chairman Peter Todd Board Members Chris Sealey, Gary Cunningham, Archie Dunn, Ian Willett, Tony Smith, Elliott Small, Mark Dobell Chief Executive John Pemberton [email protected] Head of Learning & Development Sami Collins [email protected] Head of Membership Department 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 GREENKEEPER INTERNATIONAL The official monthly magazine of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association Limited. Editorial Communications Manager / Editor Mistakes happen, Scott MacCallum Tel – 01347 833800 Fax – 01347 833801 [email protected] Design get over it Design and Production Editor Tom Campbell As I write, I have just downloaded the into our shells and try wherever possible to stop vuvuzela ap for my phone and now truly doing anything that might result in a mistake. Tel – 01347 833800 Fax – 01347 833801 feel part of the World Cup. When it comes to using experience and [email protected] What has really struck me, as I write five knowledge to assess a marginal situation Advertising days into the World Cup, is the sheer intensity and determine what is the best long term of it all and how, in many cases, that with option, if you thought your actions were going Sales Executive Kirstin Black such high highs and such low lows it can be so to be double guessed by all and sundry, the Tel – 01347 833800 devastatingly counterproductive. inclination may be not to bother. How can you Fax – 01347 833802 I’m thinking about Robert Green. One error, be wrong if you haven’t done anything? [email protected] bad though it was, and he has been absolutely People must be encouraged to take decisive slaughtered in the media – they were even action – coming for that cross, changing Sales Executive Jill Rodham calling for him to be replaced at half time for a regime on the golf course – safe in the heaven’s sake. knowledge that you will be given time to tweak Tel – 01347 833800 Fax – 01347 833802 Some of the headlines the next morning were what you have done if it’s not right first time, or [email protected] quite extraordinary and I would hope that they even learn from mistakes if what has been done were kept well out of the way of the West Ham hasn’t worked well. keeper and his relatives. Of course if, time after time the ball continues Printing “Calamity! Robert Green faces England axe to be dropped, or guddled over the line, or oil Warners Midlands Plc, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH after his howler hands Americans a draw”; leakages continue to occur on the golf course, Tel – 01778 391000 | Fax – 01778 394269 “Hands of Clod”, are just a couple he would action then has to be taken in terms of training Contents may not be reprinted or otherwise have read. – a dedicated goalkeeping coach, more practice reproduced without written permission. Return with the new ball or a change in goalie gloves, postage must accompany all materials submitted It really is quite ridiculous. It’s not even a if return is requested. No responsibility can be case of being as good as your last match. In or, in our industry, a service of all machinery, a assumed for unsolicited materials. The right is reserved to edit submissions before publication. World Cup terms you are only as good as your review of day-to-day operating procedures or a Although every care will be taken, no last save – or non-save as the case may be. He BIGGA training course. responsibility is accepted for loss of manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Opinions expressed did make a quite brilliant one in the second The concept that one mistake is all that are not necessarily those of the Association, half which saved a certain score and I’m sure is needed for the roof to fall in on someone and no responsibility is accepted for such content, advertising or product information there is part of him thinking if he’d let that in cannot be allowed to take root, even if it means that may appear. Circulation is by subscription. the headlines in the papers are a little more Subscription rate: UK £50 per year, Europe and but saved the easy one life would have been so Eire £65, Rest of the World £95. The magazine is much quieter. subdued. also distributed to BIGGA members, golf clubs, local authorities, the turf industry, libraries and How can anyone feel confident about their central government. job when they feel that if they make one slight error they will forever be known as “Captain Cock-Up” the “Blundering (choose anything from) keeper, journalist, greenkeeper, banker, politician...)? If we all had to operate to a “one strike and Scott MacCallum ISSN: 0961– 6977 you are out” policy we would surely all creep Editor © 2010 British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association Limited JULY 2010 GI 3 CONTENTS GI A look at what’s inside the magazine this month JULY 2010 COURSE FEAT URE FEATURES 20 Golf is coming home Scott MacCallum travels to the Home of Golf to meet up with the two Gordons who are an integral part of this year’s Open Champi- onship. Golf is 28 The roar of the dandelions coming home Scott MacCallum catches up with two Gordons Dr Terry Mabbett asks if the who are working hard to ensure that this dandelion explosion is the first month’s Open is played on the perfect stage. sign of fall out from EU pesticide 20 legislation. 20 GI JULY 2010 JULY 2010 GI 21 34 Practice makes perfect The BIGGA Charity Golf Day saw victory for a team which enjoyed a distinct advantage over the rest of the field. 34 28 35 Testing times ahead for Trent Bridge Jim Cook visits Trent Bridge which will play host to the first England-Pakistan match to learn what it takes to produce a Test quality wicket. 42 Anatomy of… a New Holland Compact Tractor James de Havilland takes a forensic interest in a New Holland T4000 Series tractor 34 42 4 GI JULY 2010 35 REGULARS GREENKEEPER 6 News Desk GI INTERNATIONAL 15 Chairman’s Word £5.20 JULY 2010 16 GTC 17 Learning & Development 18 Industry Update Featured Inside... The Roar of the Dandelions 46 Around the Green IS THE DANDELION EXPLOSION THE FIRST SIGN OF FALL-OUT FROM EU PESTICIDE MEDDLING? 51 Chief Executive’s 6 Column Sports Turf Feature TESTING TIMES 52 Membership AT TRENT BRIDGE We look forward to The England and 53 Diary of Events Pakistan Test Series at Trent Bridge 54 What’s Your Number It’s coming 54 Assistant Profile Golf Course 58 Dealer of the Feature home With The Open set to return to the Old Course, we visit St Andrews for Month – Fairways this month’s Course Feature 59 In the Shed GI_JULY_10.indd 1 16/6/10 09:37:05 Cover photography TheThe official official monthlymonthly magazinemagazine of of courtesy of St Andrews thethe British British and & International International G Golfolf Links Trust GGreenkeepersreenkeepers A ssociationAssociation L imited.Limited. 18 JULY 2010 GI 5 NEWSDESK GI The latest news from around the globe VISIT TO THE 2010 COURSE AT CELTIC MANOR In April, the last in the series of the 2010 Chris and Mike had been part of the last summer’s Ashes Series. We also visited South Wales evening lecture series saw 80 greenkeeping support team and Jim had the new racecourse at Ffos Las where we greenkeepers and groundsman visit the been as an observer. were given a full tour of the facilities by 2010 course at the Celtic Manor Resort. This rounded off an excellent evening clerk of the course Tim Long before Course Golf Course & Estates Manager Jim where the session was closed by Martin director David Thursdfield gave us a McKenzie started the tour by welcoming Townsend of the series sponsors, presentation about the development of the us to the resort and giving us a fascinating Countrywide Turf & Amenity, who thanked first new race course to open in the UK for insight into the huge development process everyone for coming along to the evening 80 years. that has led to the 2010 course becoming and wished Jim and his team all the very As always we would like to thank Martin the venue for the up coming Ryder Cup.