australian turfgrass management journal - volume 16.3 (may-june 2014)

Conference GuideConference Guide

30th Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade ExhibitionGold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

22-27 June 2014


22-27 June 2014Welcome to

the Gold CoastYour comprehensive guide to the

30th Australian Turfgrass Conference

Welcome to the Gold Coast

Your comprehensive guide to the 30th Australian Turfgrass Conference

Pitcher perfectSCG’s MLB transformation


Shed dreadIs your maintenancefacility a liability?


Weiks in the life of…An ex-pat superintendent’s journey


Green lightGardiners up and runningGreen lightGardiners up and running

www.agcsa.com.au

Celebrating the efforts of australia’s turf management professionals

ISSN 1442-2697

volume 16.3 may-JuNe 2014

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Pa r t n e r r e c o g n i t i o n P r o g r a m m eSupport those organisations who support your association

Thank you to all the partners who help the AGCSA provide members with the greatest programmes and services the industry has to offer.

PLATINUM SPONSORAGCSA

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position of Technical Development Manager. Scott will spearhead our new Simplot

Analytical Services as well as specialty product development, sales and Apex support.

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May-june 2014 3

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New look for OldThe National’s Old Course

greens resurfacing

New look for OldThe National’s Old Course

greens resurfacing

Royals ramp upAustralian Masters, Open and World Cup previews

Royals ramp upAustralian Masters, Open and World Cup previews

Gove Country GCAustralia’s northernmost golf club

Gove Country GCAustralia’s northernmost golf club

Aussie EcoTurfDeveloping drought-resistant couchgrass varieties

Aussie EcoTurfDeveloping drought-resistant couchgrass varieties

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Winner of 8 aWards at the 2012 toCa international CommuniCators Contest

ISSN 1442-2697

volume 15.6 Nov-dec 2013

ResearchACL injury in footballResearchACL injury in football

AGCSA Excellence AwardManly’s metamorphosisAGCSA Excellence AwardManly’s metamorphosis

‘The’ graduateProfile: Jason Blacka‘The’ graduateProfile: Jason Blacka

AFL ground redevelopments

Colac’s Central Reserve Melbourne’s Olympic Park

AFL ground redevelopments

Colac’s Central Reserve Melbourne’s Olympic Park

Interns and OpensCongressional, TPC Scottsdale,

Sunningdale and Merion

Interns and OpensCongressional, TPC Scottsdale,

Sunningdale and Merion

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ISSN 1442-2697

volume 15.4 Jul-aug 2013

Turf app-eal!Apps for the modern day turf manager

Turf app-eal!Apps for the modern day turf manager

Course constructionChirnside Park on the Run

Brilliant Brookwater2013 Isuzu Queensland Open

www.agcsa.com.au


ISSN 1442-2697

volume 15.5 Sep-oct 2013

A November to rememberRoyals rule as Aussies rule

A November to remember

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ISSN 1442-2697

volume 16.1 JaN-Feb 2014

Tournament calibreOpen season at Victoria, 13th BeachTournament calibreOpen season at Victoria, 13th Beach

Brothers in armsBradburys make their markBrothers in armsBradburys make their mark

Sun, sand and turfDoha Golf Club, Qatar

Sun, sand and turfDoha Golf Club, Qatar

Manuka makeoverCanberra’s new-look StarTrackManuka makeoverCanberra’s new-look StarTrack

Regional profilePambula-Merimbula GC

Regional profilePambula-Merimbula GC

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Australian Turfgrass ManagementPublished by:australian Golf Course Superintendents' associationaBn 96 053 205 888

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4 AustrAliAn turfgrAss MAnAgeMent 16.3

contentscontents

cover sanctuary cove Golf & country

club: the Palms Course at

sanctuary Cove will play host

to the 2014 toro AgCsA golf

Championships on 22 June.

Pictured is the 7th.

Photo: sanctuary Cove g&CC/

Mark Burgin Photography.



22-27 June 2014


22-27 June 2014Welcome to

the Gold CoastYour comprehensive guide to the

30th Australian Turfgrass Conference

Welcome to the Gold Coast

Your comprehensive guide to the 30th Australian Turfgrass Conference







Green lightGardiners up and runningGreen lightGardiners up and running

www.agcsa.com.au


ISSN 1442-2697

volume 16.3 may-JuNe 2014

FeaturesWeiks in the life of an ex-pat 14taking on an apprenticeship at 29 years of age is

quite a commitment, but for rob Weiks it was the

first big step on a career path that has taken him

around the world. Currently residing in Vietnam,

Weiks tracks his late-blooming greenkeeping career

and some of the lessons he has learned from

working in the cutthroat Asian golf market.

time to upgrade? 58is your maintenance facility a liability? is it costing

your golf course money? is it interfering with care

of the course? According to David Oatis these are

questions golf clubs should be asking themselves.

Green light for Gardiners 64Course superintendent Alan greatorex provides

the final instalment in his ongoing series about the

development of the new gardiners run golf Course

which opened up to eager members in the first week

of May.

Grass-roots With John neylan Pitcher perfect 22in his latest column, John neylan takes an

inside look at the stunning transformation

that took place at the sydney Cricket ground in

March to host two Major league Baseball games

and the race against time to reinstate the ground for

Afl and nrl.

sydney’s field of dreams 28AtM editor Brett robinson

catches up with Major

league Baseball’s field

guru Murray Cook who,

together with sCg curator

tom Parker and evergreen

turf’s graeme Colless,

played a key role in

turning the sydney Cricket

ground into a ballpark

befitting major league

status.

lead story: the Palms still a sanctuary 8

the last time the Australian turfgrass Conference ventured to the gold Coast, the Palms Course at

sanctuary Cove was in the midst of a full blown redevelopment under the auspices of local course

architect ross Watson. some four years later and with the course having been opened since April 2011,

AgCsA editor Brett robinson catches up AgCsA Accredited superintendent robin Doodson to look

back at how the course has performed and some of things that have and haven’t worked.

time for soil testing! Let us provide you with a truly independent

soil report

Send samples to

Ph. 03 9548 8600Fax. 03 9548 8622

Email. [email protected]

Suite 1, Monash Corporate Centre752 Blackburn Road

Clayton 3168 VicTech

A n a l y t i c a l , D i a g n o s t i c a n d C o n s u l t a n c y S e r v i c e s

MAy-June 2014 5

Contributors to Australian Turfgrass Management JournalVolume 16.3 (May-June 2014) Gausul Azam (University of Western Australia); Louise Barton (University of Western Australia); Barry Bryant (SAGCSA); Tim Colmer (University of Western Australia); Murray Cook (MLB/Brickman Group); John Cooper; Robin Doodson (Sanctuary Cove G&CC); Peter Frewin (AGCSA); Alan Greatorex (Gardiners Run); Tony Guy (STA WA); Martyn Hedley (STA WA); Steve Hewitt (VGCSA); Danny Hull (STA ACT); Mark Johnson (TGCSA); Peter Lonergan (GCSAQ); Ian McKendry (STANZ); John Neylan (Neyturf); David Oatis (USGA); Andrew Peart (AGCSATech); Pieter Poot (University of Western Australia); Phil Ryan (Pacific Coast Design); Richard Stephens (Turf Australia); Joshua Straub (Lismore Workers GC); Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust; Jim Vaughan (Turf Queensland); Rob Weiks (Twin Doves GC, Vietnam); Jenny Zadro (STA NSW).

Scott Van slyke. i’ll hazard a guess that this name will mean absolutely nothing to the

majority of Australian turfgrass Management readers. footballer? no. Cricketer? no.

superintendent? nothing on the AgCsA database...

On 22 March 2014 at the sydney Cricket ground (sCg), the 6’6” outfielder for the

los Angeles Dodgers entered his name into Australian sporting history when his slicing

flyball snuck inside the right field foul pole to score a two-run home run against the Arizona

Diamondbacks. not only was it the first Major league Baseball (MlB) home run of the 2014

season, it was also the very first MlB regular season home run on Australian soil.

now i’m the first to admit my baseball knowledge is somewhat lean and the closest i get

to seeing it regularly is when the seven-year-old fires up the Wii and proceeds to invoke the

mercy rule on me after hitting 10 home runs in a row! the world of screwballs, knuckleballs,

sliders and splitters (no, we’re not talking about rugby league front rowers but types of

baseball pitches) is about as foreign to most Australians as leg cutters, yorkers, flippers and

wrong ‘uns are to our American cousins. yet, in March, MlB hit town for the first time Down

under and over two days an impressive 76,345 fans flocked to our iconic sCg to see some

of the game’s biggest (and handsomely) paid stars do their thing.

to get MlB – a game which attracts more than 74 million fans to games annually in

the us and where a single player can earn more than the combined salary cap of two Afl

clubs in just one season – to these shores was no mean feat. As AtM columnist John neylan

writes in this edition, it took a number of key elements to all come together and (excuse

the pun) play ball. the integral component, however, was the venue and the remarkable

transformation of the sCg over a 16-day period from cricket ground to MlB ballpark (and

then back again for nrl and Afl) was something this industry has not witnessed before.

indeed it will be a project that all those involved with will look back on in years to come with

a tremendous sense of pride.

One of the key players involved to help bring the game, successfully, Down under was

a man by the name of Murray Cook. Hailing from just outside of Washington DC, Cook is

the les Burdett of the baseball world. Affectionately dubbed the ‘field guru’, Cook has, since

1975, prepared baseball grounds all over the us and for the past 20 years has been the

MlB’s official field consultant. it’s a role which has taken him to the four corners of the globe

to ensure that the ballparks MlB players play on are up to the exacting standards demanded

by the code. indeed, when there is more than $310 million worth of cattle running around, as

there was in March at the sCg, it’s paramount that the field is top notch.

Complementing John neylan’s column, we talk to Cook about his involvement in the

sCg project, one which he rates as being the most memorable and satisfying in all his

years. Cook could not be more effusive in his praise of the team he worked with, a team that

among others included veteran sCg curator tom Parker, evergreen turf’s graeme Colless

and their respective crews. Cook sums it up succinctly: “you couldn’t have put together a

better A-team to get this job done. take this project anywhere else in the world and it would

be a thousand times more difficult than it was doing it there. for sure it was difficult, but with

the people we had working on this project and the cooperation between everyone, we pulled

it off and i can’t thank them enough.” High praise indeed.

AtM congratulates all those involved in what was a very unique project and one that

again demonstrated to a worldwide audience the innate professionalism and skill that makes

Australian turf practitioners some of the best in the world. enjoy the read and i

look forward to seeing you all on the gold Coast for the upcoming conference.

Brett Robinson, Editor

Hitting a home runconFerence Guide Welcome to the Gold coast 37-57the 30th Australian turfgrass Conference and

trade exhibition returns to the gold Coast

Convention and exhibition Centre from 22-27

June 2014. AtM reviews the week ahead for

delegates, looks at the education sessions and

profiles the finalists for the AgCsA and stA

graduate of the year Awards. see you on the

gold Coast!

research

Water savers 68university of Western Australia researchers Pieter

Poot, gausul Azam, louise Barton and tim

Colmer outline a new three-year HAl-funded

project to investigate whether incorporating soil

amendments can reduce water use of turfgrass

when grown in a sandy soil.

Also in this edition…Foreword Thinking 6

AGCSATech Update 34

Regional Profile -

Lismore Workers Golf Club, NSW 72

Around the Trade 78

Turf Producers 82

State Reports 84

Off Course - Myanmar 92



22-27 June 2014


22-27 June 2014

Looking for greenkeeping staff?

Advertise on the AGCSA website - the Australian turf industry’s LEADING online job resourcePost your job online now at www.agcsa.com.au/jobs or email [email protected]


foreword thinkingforeword thinking

Peter Frewin, General ManaGer, aGCSa

As i write this report, it is becoming very clear

that the biggest event on the Australian turf

industry calendar is but a few weeks away.

While most things are organised, there is still a great

deal to finalise to ensure that the event on the gold

Coast runs smoothly and that those attending have

a great experience.

the week is shaping up to be one of the most

successful events in recent times and later in this

edition of AtM we review the many components

which will make up the week. i am delighted to

report that delegate numbers are very good and

participation by the trade for the two-day exhibition

has been excellent. Complement that with the high

calibre of both local and international speakers and

it is sure to be a wonderful week.

if you have not committed to going as yet,

there is still plenty of time. registrations will be

taken through the AgCsA office or online up until

Wednesday 18 June – visit www.agcsa.com.au and

head to the dedicated conference page for more on

how to register – or after this date you can register

at the event itself.

for those who will be joining us on the gold

Coast, if you have not already done so please take

the time to download the AgCsA mobile device

app for the conference. the app will be a vital tool

to ensure your trip to the gold Coast is informative,

educational and, importantly, enjoyable. it will also

be a great tool to use throughout the year as many

companies have taken the opportunity to upload

their latest catalogues or brochures to the app which

will provide delegates an ongoing resource.

2014 aGCSa awardSthe AgCsA Awards are one of the highlights of

the annual conference and it was very pleasing to

see the first class quality of candidates nominated

for both the AgCsA excellence in golf Course

Management Award (presented in partnership with

John Deere) and the AgCsA graduate of the

Year Award (presented in partnership with toro

Australia). the judges of the respective awards had

a very difficult job assessing the applications before

deciding on the winners who will be announced

during our week on the gold Coast.

regrettably, this year the Claude Crockford

environment Award (presented in partnership with

syngenta) will not be bestowed. What is disappointing

about this is that many superintendents and clubs

are doing great work in their respective workplaces

in this field. given the current climate of heightened

environmental awareness it is vital that we showcase

what the industry is doing in this area. When the

wonderful week awaits delegates on the Gold Coast

| |

http://www.agcsa.com.au

MAY-June 2014 7

agcsa membershipaGCSa MeMberShiP

2015 AgCsA Awards roll around, please consider

nominating one of your peers for this (and any)

award. We work in an industry where great work is

done on a daily basis and the awards are one way

this exceptional work can be acknowledged.

the AgCsA Awards ceremony will again be

a central part of the syngenta President’s Dinner

which, as most of you will be aware, has been

shifted to the start of the conference week (Monday

23 June at Jupiters). if the numbers are anything to

go by, this format change has proved to be a great

success and we are on track to record one of our

biggest dinner attendances in years.

SuPPort our PartnerSOn a recent trip to the riverina i came across a

sign on the clubrooms at robertson Oval in Wagga

Wagga (see photo opposite). the sign was simple,

yet encapsulated a vital message for our industry

– “Please support those that support us”. there

are over 70 companies and organisations that

have elected to display their wares and promote

their services at this year’s trade exhibition and it

is imperative that as an industry we support them.

if you live in the region, please take the time

to visit the exhibition even if you are not attending

as a delegate. entry to the trade exhibition is free

so bring along the general manager, committee

members and maintenance staff. it will be a great

opportunity to see what is new and a great way for

different parts of your organisation to work together

to improve your workplace.

traininG uPdatefinally, as readers of this column would know, the

AgCsA has been looking into what options are

available regarding undertaking training within our

industry. this work is ongoing and will take some

time to complete and the recent federal Budget

will also impact on any decision that is made going

forward.

there have been some interesting comments

fed back to me regarding some of our recent visits

to training providers. the AgCsA has not made any

commitment with any training provider regarding

our future plans. there is a great deal of work to

be done before any decision will be made. We will

complete our due diligence and if we elect to go

down this path any decision will be transparent

and in the best interests of the members and the

industry.

i look forward to seeing you all on the gold Coast

if you are making the trip for the 30th Australian

turfgrass Conference and trade exhibition. if not,

i look forward to catching up when our paths next

cross. Please feel free to contact me at any time if

you have an issue or suggestion; feedback is greatly

appreciated.

a u s t r a l i a n g o l f c o u r s e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s ’ a s s o c i a t i o n

MeMbership application forMHelping superintendents and their staff to achieve the best possible playing surfaces and adjacent environment within

the limitations of the available resourcesSurname: ............................................... First Name:..........................................................

Preferred Mailing Address: .................................................................................................

City/Suburb: ........................................... State: .................................Postcode: .................

Position: .............................................................................................................................

Club/Organisation: .............................................................................................................

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AGCSA MeMberShipSuperintendent .......................................................................................................... $360

Assistant Superintendent. .......................................................................................... $315

Ground Staff/Foreman/Irrigation Technician/3IC/Arborist. ........................................ $155

Sports Turf Manager................................................................................................... $315

Consultant .................................................................................................................. $360

International . ............................................................................................................. $215

Trade .......................................................................................................................... $330

Retired ........................................................................................................................ $140

StAte MeMberShip

NSW - New South Wales Golf Course Superintendents Association

Superintendent $100 Assistant $80 Groundstaff $60 Apprentice FREE

QLD - Golf Course Superintendents Association of Queensland .............................. $88

SA - South Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association

Superintendent $90 Assistant $80 Groundstaff $50 Trade $100 Apprentice FREE

TAS - Tasmania Golf Course Superintendents Association........................................ $70

Superintendent $70 Apprentice $20

WA - Golf Course Superintendents Association of Western Australia ..................... $125

VIC - Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association ....... Please call 0408 354 100

the Next GeNerAtioN (StudeNt MeMberShip)Australian Turf Industry Apprentice/Student ............................................................ FREE

For superintendents and two or more staff joining AGCSA, a discounted membership rate may be available. For further information send your list of

names and positions to [email protected]


superintendentssuperintendents

The Palms course reopened in April 2011 after a two-year redevelopment

under the auspices of course architect Ross Watson. Pictured is

the 7th which is considered by many to be the most complete hole on the

course

The 2014 Toro AGCSA

Golf Championships will

be contested on The Palms

course at Sanctuary Cove

which three years ago

re-opened after a complete

redesign. ATM editor Brett

Robinson catches up with

course superintendent and

AGCSA Director Robin

Doodson to see what has

and hasn’t worked.

Uprooting yourself and moving tens of

thousands of kilometres to the other side

of the world to start a new life and career

isn’t the sort of thing you do lightly. in 2001, robin

Doodson did just that when, following the love of his

life Kerry (no, not glasgow’s famous Celtic football

Club), he bid farewell to the uK and his native

scotland and boarded a plane bound for Cairns.

the 13 years since have become a defining

period in the affable scot’s life. He duly tied the

knot, fathered twin girls Amy and emma and five

years ago became a fair dinkum Australian when

he aced the ‘citizenship test’ (AtM could not verify

at the time of going to print whether he did indeed

score 100 per cent). Yet it has been his career on

the golf course, his second home, where Doodson

has really transformed himself since arriving Down

under. Coming off jobs at the likes of hallowed

uK institutions Wentworth and turnberry, Doodson

pretty much had to reinvent himself as a greenkeeper

both in terms of his turf management skills and off

course management capabilities.

it was a short, sharp introduction to greenkeeping

the Australian way when Doodson took on his

first job at the links Port Douglas under then

superintendent Darren flanagan. the backblocks

of glasgow where he had grown up couldn’t have

been further removed from far north Queensland

with its monsoonal rains and ‘endearing’ fauna.

it was a steep learning curve both physically

and mentally and one which got even steeper when

just a few months after starting at the links he was

elevated to superintendent. He would spend the

next five-and-a-half years in Port Douglas honing

his warm-season grass management skills (and

getting a tan) before moving to the gold Coast and

eventually rising to be superintendent of the 36-hole

sanctuary Cove golf & Country Club in early 2009.

there have been many things that Doodson

has had to adapt to in order to make it in the

Australian industry and it has required plenty of

patience and a few ‘learning from you own mistakes’

type moments. Aside from the differences between

cool- and warm-season grass management and

getting his head around the arsenal of chemicals

required to manage them, he has also had to adapt

to the subtle cultural differences present in both the

greenkeeping industry and golf clubs in general.

palms still a

Sanctuarypalms still a

Sanctuary

MAY-june 2014 9

Sanctuary Cove’s AGCSA Accredited Superintendent Robin Doodson

s

Back home, members paid their subs, played

golf and were hardly heard. there, course managers

ruled. in Australia, by contrast, members are more

involved and feel it’s their right, for better or worse,

to cast their opinion on all matters regarding course

maintenance and club operations.

While that has taken some getting used to and

required the development of some deft diplomacy

skills, what Doodson has really embraced is the

camaraderie between his fellow superintendents.

While there is a certain closeness between his

counterparts back home, the spirit of helping the

bloke over the fence is nowhere near the same as

it is in Australia. the competitiveness is also more

pronounced in the uK.

As Doodson states: “in Australia we are almost

like one big gang and it often surprises our board

and committee just how much we do share our

knowledge, equipment and resources with each

other. that’s what makes the industry special out

here and Australian supers are, from my experience

anyway, the best at what they do in the world.”

PALMS PETin Doodson’s five-plus year tenure as superintendent

at sanctuary Cove a lot has gone down, but none

bigger than the complete redevelopment of the

Palms course between 2009 and 2011. it was a

pivotal project for not only the club but also for

Doodson, his first involvement in a full blown course

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superintendentssuperintendentss redevelopment which was orchestrated by local

course architect ross Watson. the end result was a

typically demanding Watson layout with no respite at

any point, a feature which has certainly challenged

the membership and one which continues to do so.

As Doodson states, the Palms is “a modern

course built to modern standards” and among the

wider golfing community it has won (and continues

to win) many plaudits not just for its greater strategic

nature than bigger sibling the Pines, but also for its

conditioning. indeed when Australian golf Digest

released its 2014 Australian top 100 golf Course

rankings listings in March, the Palms was one of the

biggest improvers, jumping 14 places to 63. Much

of that was attributed to “continual conditioning

improvements”. the Pines also jumped six spots

(to 52), however, the judging panel noted that the

course was looking “very tired and dated” and

that it “lacks genuine strategy, owing to its shallow

bunkering and flat, uninteresting greens.”

While admiring the uniqueness of the Arnold

Palmer Design Pines course, Doodson definitely

has a soft spot for the Palms given his intimate

involvement in its redevelopment and he has

watched with interest how it has matured since

opening in April 2011.

As with any project of this type there have been

successes and failures and ask Doodson what he

would do differently given the opportunity again and

a few things come immediately to mind. While only

minor issues in the grand scheme of things, they are

the sort of things a superintendent notices.

“the landscaping is something i would love to

start again,” admits Doodson. “We got a lot of the

plant selections wrong and we are paying for that

now and something we are progressively changing.

it wasn’t through anyone’s fault; it was more the soil

types and conditions. the native grasses which were

supposed to provide us with a low maintenance

landscape have proven to be the opposite.

“the greens construction we have subsequently

learnt was 99 per cent spot on, but we have had

some drainage issues develop. (Agronomist) john

neylan actually warned me this would happen

right from the start – what would he know – and

he proved to be spot on. it was all to do with the

undulations in the greens and the way the water

moved through them. What we found is that we have

these perennially wet areas where the water gathers

and causes turf loss. so over the past six months we

have spot drained 12 greens which has improved

them significantly.

“the greens collars were another thing i guess

you could say we got wrong. We planted the collars

with tifeagle, the same as the greens, with the idea

of having that as a buffer between the fairway and

greens grass. What we found very quickly was that

the tifeagle doesn’t like to grow to 8mm and as a

result we had very patchy or no definition between

the green and the collar. We now mow the tifeagle

at greens height right out to the fairway grass, which

has created a few issues as there are now some

irrigation heads on the putting surface. the plan is

to slowly change those collars over to Wintergreen

and have them at a triplex width.”

Despite the issues with the tifeagle collars, the

decision to go with the hybrid couchgrass on the

greens has well and truly been vindicated. Many

cautioned Doodson against the use of tifeagle over

the tried and tested tifgreen 328 given its reputation

for being a high maintenance grass, especially in

relation to thatch management. three years on and

Doodson has found the exact opposite.

“the only issue we have with the Palms greens

is keeping green speeds down,” says Doodson.

“the frequency of cut is significantly less than

the 328 on the Pines, we never have to roll them

because we are not chasing green speed and

disease pressure has been minimal. At the start we

had a few issues with eri-type diseases, but that’s

fairly common in any newly constructed greens up

here. it has been a fantastic grass so far and if i

could click my fingers and change the Pines greens

over i wouldn’t hesitate to.

“We renovate the greens essentially the same

across both courses, although we do more work

to the older Pines greens. in between the major

renovations, which we do either once or twice a year,

we will go out monthly, or fortnightly in the summer,

with 6mm hollow tines to remove thatch.

“Over the past two years we have brought in

what we call ‘super tuesdays’, where we shut one of

the courses down on a tuesday. One of the luxuries

we have here, and something we never really took

advantage of, is having 36 holes to play with. We

found that tuesday was a particularly quiet day

where we would be lucky to fill both courses, so we

said why not close one down.

“it started off slowly with a few tuesday closures

and we quickly realised that it was greatly assisting

us with maintenance operations without having any

impact on the members. We now have around 35 of

these ‘super tuesdays’ a year. We don’t do it every

week – for example we don’t have any in May due

it being out busiest time of year – but overall it has

worked fantastically well.

Despite warnings before the Palms reconstruction that the

TifEagle greens would be too high maintenance, Doodson says they

have provided a superb surface and would, without hesitation, switch the

Pines greens (below) across if the opportunity arose

Over the last six months 12 greens on the Palms course have had minor

drainage works undertaken

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MAY-june 2014 11

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“We work an extra long day on these tuesdays

and go gangbusters with our maintenance practices

on the course that is closed. it’s great for renovations

or spraying and we can do it all in one hit without

having to worry about golfers hitting up on staff.

the productivity is sensational and i don’t think our

members even notice it to be honest.”

ThE ‘B’ WoRDAnother unique feature of the Palms reconstruction

was Watson’s recommendation of Plateau

couchgrass for the bunker surrounds. As well as

giving them a rugged look, the Plateau’s slower

growth habit also had supposed benefits in reducing

the amount of maintenance required. three years

on and Doodson gives the Plateau a pass mark, but

due to significant Wintergreen encroachment from

the fairways, the amount of edging required has

doubled from three to six times a year.

the bunkers in general on the Palms course are

also starting to get to an age where contamination

and drainage issues are starting to crop up,

something Doodson is mindful of given the issues

he has on the Pines course. rather than let the

Palms bunkers get to a stage like the Pines, he is

hoping to put forward a rejuvenation programme

and tackle them slowly over the coming years.

Of more immediate focus, however, is the Pines

course and remedying some of its deficiencies,

especially the bunkers. Around the time the Palms

redevelopment finished, there was talk of the Pines

course undergoing a similar reconstruction due to

the poor health of the greens and inherent issues

with the bunkers, however that has since been put

on the backburner largely due to the improving

quality of the greens.

that change can be attributed to an intensive

dusting programme recommended by former

AgCsAtech chief agronomist john neylan. Over

the past six years Doodson and his crew have gone

out with fortnightly topdressings of 1mm which has

equated to more than 150mm of fresh sand over

a six year period, essentially rebuilding the greens

gradually over time. Also helping with the health

Over the past two years Sanctuary Cove has brought in ‘Super Tuesdays’ where one of the courses is closed. This enables Doodson and his crew to undertake maintenance works, in particular renovations, with greater productivity



of the greens has been a significant tree removal

programme to eliminate shade issues as well as

oversowing the greens (and tees) with Poa trivialis

which has guaranteed excellent winter surfaces.

the 10,000m2 of Pines bunkers, however,

require some substantial work and starting this

winter Doodson hopes to rip into a number of the

course’s 71 hazards, installing new drainage and

liners and importing new sand to improve playability.

kiCkinG GoALSOutside of maintaining the two courses, one of the

interesting developments at sanctuary Cove this

past year has been the turning of its public access

driving range into a training base for the likes of the

Wallabies and Queensland state of Origin side.

in conjunction with the five-star interContinental

sanctuary Cove which also resides on site, the club

can convert the driving range into a rugby field (or

soccer pitch) and thus attract clubs who want to

use it as a training venue. A proper laser-levelled,

irrigated rectangular pitch was constructed there

well before Doodson’s time, but aside from hosting

an Origin camp many years ago the facility was

closed in 2009.

soon after the Palms course reopened,

sanctuary Cove acquired the area and turned it

into a second, public access driving range which

presented an opportunity to also use it again for

rugby/soccer. it was through enquires last year from

the Wallabies, who will have two training camps

there in june and september, that the facility has

subsequently taken off again.

On the back of that, two south African super 15

rugby teams – the Cheetahs and stormers – based

themselves there in March and a few weeks later

the Maroons announced they would use sanctuary

Cove as a training base for the 2014 Origin series.

“it’s pretty exciting having these teams here and

good publicity for sanctuary Cove,” says Doodson.

“We have one of our qualified greenkeepers – a Kiwi

as it happens – who is responsible for looking after

the rugby field when we have the teams here. We

managed to source some goal posts from ipswich

and nick jeffrey and the guys at Metricon stadium

helped out with the line-marking.”

PATiEnCE iS A viRTuEWhile league and union will provide a welcome

distraction in the coming months, there is another

event which Doodson is paying particular attention

to. Having hosted the turf tour at the conclusion of

the last Australian turfgrass Conference on the gold

Coast, many of those delegates are likely to return

when the Palms course hosts the 2014 toro AgCsA

golf Championships on sunday 23 june.

the ever-scrutinising eyes of around 80 of his

superintendent colleagues will no doubt be very

keen to see how the course has progressed and

Doodson is looking forward to hosting what has

become a hotly contested event. While hoping that

a Queenslander takes out the main prize for the very

first time, Doodson predicts it will be a patient player

that will eventually don the toro red jacket.

“You have to think about every shot around

the Palms,” advises Doodson. “Your short game is

going to be vital because you certainly aren’t going

to hit all the greens. it isn’t a long course, but you

have to be very selective where you pull out the

driver. Because it doesn’t have the length, it’s a very

strategic golf course in and around the greens.”

One of the most contentious holes is the 2nd,

a downhill par three which has a particularly gnarly

green. “it’s a par three-and-a-half,” jokes Doodson.

“Often the best strategy is to miss the green in the

right spot and try and get up and down. three there

is a birdie.” the 18th, dubbed ‘Adam’s Alley’ after

the club’s favourite son Adam scott, is a risk-reward

par five with water in play short of the green, while

the par four 7th (featured on this edition’s cover) is

Doodson’s favourite and requires a little bit of local

knowledge which he isn’t about to divulge.

And as for set up on the day, well, a sly wink and

nod of the head suggests Doodson won’t be going

easy on his ‘mates’. “think the glades four years

ago – brutal!”

While reconstruction of The Pines is off the table for now, a project to rejuvenate the course’s 25-year old

bunkers starts this winter

Sanctuary Cove’s public access driving range doubles as a rugby training venue and this year has seen two Super 15 rugby teams, the Queensland State of Origin team and the Wallabies use it as a training base

The closing hole on the Palms is named after Sanctuary Cove’s No.1

son Adam Scott

s

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toro.com.au

New South Wales Golf Club, 5th Hole

Toro the past, present and future of Australian golf.

GARY DEMPSEY & MACY

Golf Course Superintendent New South Wales Golf Club

Quality and Service. They are the two reasons the New South Wales

Golf Club currently has forty nine pieces of Toro turf maintenance

equipment in our fleet. The club has built a strong relationship with

Toro Australia over my 25 years here and look forward to continuing

that relationship into the future.”

“

TO

RO

503

70


For the past six-and-a-

half years Queenslander

Rob Weiks has immersed

himself in the lifestyle of

being an ex-pat course

superintendent. It has taken

him to the Middle East,

Africa, India, China and

currently Vietnam where he

oversees course operations

at Twin Doves Golf Club.

Weiks, who turns 40 in

June, takes a look back

on his late-blooming

greenkeeping career and

some of the many lessons

he has learned along the

way.

It all starts at a young age, innocently enough, until

dad starts seeing the back yard checkerboard

double cut, the water bills soaring and the front

yard mown down to almost dirt with a rotary to

replicate a gabba belter.

Jumping on the heavy roller two hours before

playing 1st Xi cricket for the mighty Peninsula

Cricket Club in Brisbane was also a precursor. i had

always been drawn to agronomy and horticulture

and then just missing out on a vocational bowling

greenkeeper apprenticeship at Bramble Bay Bowls

Club fuelled my fire to get involved even more.

Before we get too far, it’s fair to say i like to

control what i am doing and how i do it. i’m very

passionate and hate to fail. Control is important to

me because i trust myself and my instincts, pure and

simple. i was brought up on the notion that if you

want it done and done properly, do it yourself. that

way you can’t blame anyone but yourself if it fails.

like i tell my staff, do it the way i showed you and

if it fails i will take full responsibility; if you do it your

way, you have to accept the consequences if it fails.

i always believe turf, staff and systems can

look and perform better no matter how good they

appear to be. if i have one weed on my course or

in my landscapes, that’s one weed too many, so the

continual improvement goal is always there. i make

my set-up staff carry spirit levels to make sure red

and yellow stakes, pins and distance markers are at

right angles. some might say it’s being idealistic or

pedantic, i just think it’s being thorough.

it definitely got me into situations where if i had

just apathetically accepted the situation i might

be still working there doing an okay job, but not

a good one. that’s just not me nor will it ever be

me. Whatever it is, it keeps driving me each day at

2.50am to get out of bed and travel to twin Doves

golf Club, a 27-hole Platinum paspalum facility

in Binh Duong just outside of Ho Chi Minh City

(saigon), Vietnam where i currently work as course

superintendent.

DoInG ThE hARD yARDsAfter school i took on a traineeship in horticulture

and completed my Certificate in Horticulture at

Caboolture tAfe. Dreams of playing rugby and

cricket for Australia soon faded (note faded; still

reckon i might get that call up one day!) and for the

next 13 years i worked in landscaping, wholesale/

retail nursery management, irrigation design and

indoor plantscaping.

Deep down, however, i had always yearned to

be a golf course greenkeeper and in 2003 my world

would change when i took on an apprenticeship

under stewart Poole at gailes golf Club in Brisbane’s

west at the age of 29.

the challenge of being a golf course

superintendent always intrigued me and also the

fact that the job is so multi-faceted that being bored

is simply not a factor. in the time i have worked on

golf courses i have yet to look at my watch or the

clock and wish that the day would end.

Course superintendent Rob Weiks

in the life of anWeiks

ex-patin the life of an

Weiks

ex-pat


MAy-June 2014 15

s

i have always been a goal setter and my goal

was to be a superintendent within five years of

finishing my apprenticeship. it was a farsighted goal

when i remember not clearing $200 after working

all week, including overtime on both saturday and

sunday mornings, as an apprentice!

for this reason i worked three jobs during my

apprenticeship to stay on top of the bills. thanks

to gailes foreman Pete Agnew, who helped me out

with cheaper than normal rent (living right behind the

16th green) and an afterhours job with his garden

maintenance business, i was able to financially get

through. As Allan Border said, “nothing worthwhile

comes easy!”

Playing open Pennant for gailes provided an

opportunity to see how the other clubs in Brisbane

presented their courses (perhaps i should have paid

more attention to winning the matches – i’m how

many down?). Being exposed to new ideas and

different ways of doing things had always interested

me.

stew gave me every opportunity to improve

myself and was an awesome support base for

me then and now. My illusions of mowing greens

each morning or sitting on a fairway mower were

cruelly crushed when i entered the life of bunker

maintenance. edging, raking, smoothing faces,

hand weeding, flattening floors, fixing washouts,

spraying weeds in them, blowing leaves out of them,

day after day after day. One day i edged 81 bunkers!

there was only one way out of this pit of bunker hell

– bust my chops and hopefully stew would notice

and give me a chance doing something, anything,

else (except clean out the wash-down pit!).

stew always had time for my questions (and

still does) and would often stay back after work to

show me and help me with what i wanted to know.

He gave me a first class standing in greenkeeping

that i still look back on today, hand on heart, and

fully appreciate. Another key figure was Brian Dale

at grovely tAfe when i did my Certificate iii and iV.

He not only gave me the educational background

that i fully appreciated and needed, but his passion

definitely rubbed off also.

finishing my apprenticeship is still one of the

most treasured things i have done in my life and

thanks to stew it wasn’t only educational it was

a gratifying and good time as well. i learnt a

lot at gailes especially about water management/

irrigation scheduling, stress management and most

importantly, feel.

Van Tri Golf Club in Hanoi, Vietnam was Rob Weiks’ first opportunity to showcase his skills as a course superintendent in the competitive Asian golf market

One of Weiks’ first tasks at Van Tri was to focus on attention to detail


superintendentssuperintendentss trusting your instincts and having the

confidence and understanding of your particular

course situation is paramount. i remember clearly

stew telling me, ‘you can always put water in;

you can’t take it out. Water responsibly!’ it’s why

gailes under stew Poole’s control is one of the best

courses in Queensland.

Despite this burgeoning passion for the industry,

i soon realised that achieving a superintendent role

in Australia, where the only time a job rolls around is

if someone retires or someone’s greens croak, may

not be a short-term option. Working as a long-term

assistant didn’t excite me either so i decided to look

for alternatives. Possessing a love for travel, the idea

of working overseas quickly came into the picture.

As those who know me will attest, i am a

very impatient man. it has to happen, and nOW!

i actually see being impatient as a strength for a

superintendent. not waiting for things to happen,

being proactive and going out and chasing things

up has definitely got the courses i worked on in

better nick in a shorter time than procrastinating and

discussing options would have done.

After four years at gailes, Brookwater golf and

Country Club a few clicks south in springfield was

my next stop. i called Dave lunardelli out of the blue

and asked if i could meet with him for a potential

position on his staff. During the interview Dave

asked me, “What do you want to do?” i replied,

rather confidently, “not work here! get a job as an

assistant with troon somewhere, anywhere!”

About eight months later Dave drove past me

while Adam rose (now Brookwater assistant) and i

were working near the turf nursery and casually said,

“How soon could you move overseas?” “today!”

i answered. not long after i got a call from Colin

thorsborne, then course superintendent at the

Montgomerie, Dubai. i remember Col telling me that

they hadn’t approved a high enough salary and not

a decent enough place to stay for an ex-pat. i cut

him short and told him they could pay me whatever

and that i’d sleep in the workshop if necessary – the

opportunity was more important than anything else.

i learnt a lot at Brookwater and made some

lifelong friends. i definitely ruffled some feathers,

but i was there for a reason and determined not to

fail. i still have contact with Dave and i am eternally

grateful for his help and trust in me to refer me

for the position in Dubai. Without his referral my

dream would maybe still be just that, a dream. He

exposed me to a different side of agronomy and

expanded my expectations of the industry, although

i’m sure he was glad to see the back of me and my

incessant questioning about whether there were any

assistants jobs going.

sInk oR sWIMthree months after that call from Col i arrived in

Dubai at midnight on Boxing Day 2007. Jetlagged

to hell, i threw some clothes on, stumbled into a taxi

and, completely disorientated, found my way into

the Montgomerie workshop. My agronomy world

was about to change again.

With over 100 hectares of turf and landscapes

and extremely high expectations of maintenance,

the Montgomerie was a level above. throw in 7-8

different cultures on staff, extremely high tDs and

bicarbonates in the irrigation water, 50+degree

heat with high humidity for nine months of the year,

oversowing tees, fairways and greens surrounds,

floradwarf greens with nematodes present and no

registered chemical control allowed, it was sink or

swim time!

My head was spinning so much i truly didn’t

know what was up or down for the first few weeks,

but under Col i learnt to be more organised and

efficient, manage turf stress thresholds and acutely

improve my observation skills. Working with Col

developed my thoroughness, ability to record and

communicate efficiently, plus i learnt how to control

golf course conditioning like never before. Control

the controllables!

Having the opportunity to run the course with

the help of foreman tariq Mahmood while Col was

at the gCsAA show, just three weeks after i started,

and managing to get through unscathed was career-

defining for me. that two week experience stoked

my desire to run my own course even more.

throughout my time at the Montgomerie i

was involved first-hand with rebuilding and soft

shaping greens, establishing and implementing

fertility plans, tee construction, oversowing and a

huge amount of other advancements in my career

ConTInuED on pAGE 18

The Montgomerie in Dubai was Weiks’ first taste of greenkeeping

overseas. With over 100 hectares of turf and landscapes, extremely high expectations of maintenance, not to

mention 50+degree heat, the Middle East course was a level above

Van Tri’s par three 13th with the Tam Dao Mountains in the

background

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}

that i still draw on today. Col was always trying to

improve things even if it was by one per cent and

that really rubbed off on me.

Dubai for the most part was a lonely place as

i worked, ate, slept and also tried to find time to

complete my Diploma online through nMit. i had

some great times in Dubai – the friday brunches are

definitely worth a look – and the opportunity to see

how guys like Craig Haldane (emirates golf Club)

and Brian Hampson (the els Club Dubai) worked

was motivating.

Also having guys like robin evans and Mark

Chapleski from troon golf to watch operate was

a good lesson in how to manage myself in a

professional capacity. i also have to thank the

Montgomerie general manager at that time, ray

Metz, when i eventually took over from Col as

superintendent; he was truly supportive and great to

work with. it was through working with troon golf

that i saw a different side of how to do things and

i still to this day follow a lot of the standard setting

principles that were taught to me back then.

We all understand the notion of the point of

diminishing returns and i learnt that lesson in Dubai

with regards to the amount of time i spent working.

if i had my time again, i would have socialised

more and taken some time out for myself. that

said, on a professional level it was absolutely

invaluable. Although i never really let myself enjoy

Dubai on a social side, what i was exposed to and

entrusted with during my 19 months there helped

me dramatically on my career path.

Dubai was also the place where, twice, i had

my unit block evacuated because i fell asleep (after

working a 14 hour day in the heat) on the lounge

after i had put a steak on the grill! looking down

onto the street from my third floor balcony, fanning

away the smoke, at my angry neighbours wasn’t

good!

DREAM AChIEVEDi remember thinking that if i could grow grass here

in Dubai i could grow it anywhere. that theory was

soon to be tested after accepting my first official

superintendent role in Asia at Van tri golf Club, the

only private golf course in Vietnam, in mid-2009.

situated about 20 minutes outside of the capital

of Hanoi, Van tri has sea isle 2000 paspalum on

greens, greens surrounds and bunkers and salam

paspalum in all other areas. i worked here with

experienced general manager rick Blackie and

it was truly a dream job with the autonomy to do

what was required and a staff, for the most part, that

cared and wanted their course to be as good as

possible, which is a rare commodity in Asia. thanks

to rick’s trust and passion, between the two of us

we accomplished more in one year than most gMs/

superintendents achieve in three.

On the turf management side, wet season

agronomics and low light intensity agronomics are

all about stress and fertility management. not seeing

even the outline of the sun for up to three weeks at

a time and sleety, sideways rain in sub-teen degree

conditions is not a lot of fun. the winters are long,

dark and cold and are contrasted with the sauna-like

heat and humidity of the sunny dry season.

the 16 months at Van tri was definitely a

challenge, as was working afterwards at Chi linh

and Dai lai golf clubs as construction and grow-

in superintendent. i did some time (sounds like a

prison sentence!) in China, again under troon golf

on a cool-season grow in/construction in western

yunnan Province and spent a year working for

Atlas turf international which took me to india,

China, singapore, thailand, indonesia, Vietnam,

Philippines, Hong Kong and Azerbaijan. i saw a side

of the industry that expanded my horizons not only

agronomically but about our industry as a whole. i

also had the opportunity to work at the Malaysian

and singapore Opens.

in september 2012 i returned to Vietnam to take

on my current role as course superintendent and

landscape curator at twin Doves golf Club about

42km north of Ho Chi Minh City. it is a 27-hole,

110ha site with 2.59ha of greens and 11.36ha of

lakes/waterways. Also under my control is a fully

operational production plant nursery and a 3ha

Platinum ‘te’ paspalum turf nursery.

the wet season averages 1.8m of rain and it

is low light intensity turf management for most of

this time. the dry season runs anywhere from mid-

november to May with temperatures getting into

the low 40s coupled with high humidity. it is located

In the time I have

worked on golf

courses, I have yet to

look at my watch or

the clock and wish that

the day would end.

Rob Weiks

ConTInuED FRoM pAGE 16Van Tri boasts Sea Isle 2000 paspalum on greens, greens

surrounds and bunkers and Salam paspalum in all other areas

Weiks’ career has also taken him to China where he was involved

in the construction and grow-in of Gaoligong Golf Course

MAy-June 2014 19

in a rural area and staff management is a constant

challenge to achieve high standards. the course

is predominately Korean owned with a percentage

being Vietnamese ownership.

A working day always consists of the following

and usually has requests or other challenges to

deal with:l 3.30am: leave home.l 4am: email replies and daily report sending

from the previous day, check pumps. get some

Weetbix down!l 4.30am: inform staff of required tasks and

check hand weeding tools are on person and

machinery pre-starts are done correctly and

following sOPs.l 4.30am-5.50am: Pump checks and full course

checks from front entrance to the back of

the 27th hole; task management for morning

preparation before golfers tee off.

l 5.50am: Brief with construction and landscape

supervisors of daily tasks and establish

completion times.l 6am-9am: Do daily worksheet stipulating the

tasks and the staff required; check and re-check

work is being done correctly and to standard.

stimp greens, pull some cores and check all

playing surfaces/course set-up while making

lists for the next day. establish the next day’s

mowing/cultural requirements, check lake levels

and check landscape work progress;l 9am-10.30am: spend time with (local) assistant

and landscape foreman and point out what is

being done correctly and incorrectly. Check

pumps. Check the correct amount of staff is

working in the correct areas and in the correct

way.l 10.30am-11am: follow up purchasing, check

mechanics.

s

Weiks’ current club Twin Doves (left) and working at the Malaysian Open in 2012 with Kuala Lumpur G&CC superintendent Mohd Nizam



l 11am: time to put the feed bag on for 20

minutes.l 11.20am-2pm: Check in with the gM, inspect

course, check plant nursery and turf nursery.

train supervisors/assistant on what needs

correcting, establish irrigation scheduling, check

and calibrate spray tanks if needed for next day.

Check hand watering, check next day’s staffing

and set up second jobs. Also check clubhouse

and tee house indoor plants.l 2pm to whenever the day’s work is completed

(normally 3pm-3.30pm): finalise the next day’s

tasks/spraying etc. follow up purchasing/

deliveries, emails and file away daily photos.

GooD pEoplE, GooD TIMEsHaving spent time with industry people in Asia such

as Kirk Buchanan, Danny Potter, Peter Wardell,

greg turner, Dave Paterson, Pete Morison and Brad

Burgess, has given me an opportunity to pull from a

vast array of local knowledge.

Being exposed to the workings of other

superintendents has always intrigued me, seeing

how they cope with differing environmental

conditions and how they go about their course

presentations. Ali Mcfadyen from the Bluffs at

Ho tram has been a top mate, be it for a vent

or to bounce ideas off, while ronan McKeown

(Montgomerie links, Da nang) , Mohd nizam (Kuala

lumpur g&CC, Malaysia) and Brad leahey (laguna

national, singapore) have also have been great

support while working in Asia.

Jason Blacka (Hainan island) and Chris May

are two other guys i often bounce ideas off or in

Jason’s case discuss the fortunes of the Australian

cricket team. Ben styles has been a great mate

and confidant throughout my time here in Vietnam

also. surrounding yourself with likeminded, driven

individuals is really important so that you can

bounce ideas off and vent frustrations.

What people who haven’t worked overseas

and in Asia may not understand is that what

would normally be considered a simple task is

not. no matter how much training and direction

and examples you set, every day is a new day and

task/wheelbarrow management (two hands on and

pushing) is an absolute necessity. in Vietnam, as on

most Asian courses, it is locals with agricultural or

absolutely no educational background whatsoever

that will end up working on the course. this, as you

can imagine, creates a set of challenges unique to

our work environment.

in a nutshell, from my experiences to date in

Asia it’s hard, relentless and tiring work that always

gives you a sniff of reward and success, but can

slap you back as soon as you think you have it all

worked out.

Editor’s Note: if you would like to find out more

about working in Asia and what it takes, you can

email rob at [email protected]. you can also

check out the twin Doves gC Agronomy facebook

page, which rob regularly updates with photos, or

you can connect with rob through linked-in.

s

TOp 10 SupER Ex-pAT TIpS So you want to work as a superintendent in Asia? Here are a few sage tips from Rob Weiks that have helped him forge a successful

career over the past six-and-a-half years: l Cover your bases! Be thorough with pictorial evidence, before and

after type files and email proof that you have noted situations and

you are actioning them. Keep detailed records.l Pick your battles. Be smart about what to fight for and what to let

go.l inspect, don’t expect. never, ever assume it’s done properly! l Be proactive. Don’t wait to be told something is wrong. in Asia

they will make decisions without you knowing and if you don’t fix

it before it becomes an issue, good luck!l if applicable, don’t allow your standards to be compromised by

local standards.l spend time with your staff. A little personal investment in them

goes a long way.l trust your instincts. if you think it’s wrong, you’re almost always

right.l try and spend some time enjoying the country you work in.l Have a support network. Venting is crucial to sanity!l Work hard/smart. they are two of the same.

And from the ‘Only in Asia’ file, here are Rob’s top five comments/

requests from overseas course owners, members and local

managers! Enjoy…l “We have to move all the markers (five sets) up onto the front tees

because the course is playing too difficult!” the same gentleman

also asked to change the green complexes because they were

above the height of the fairway – he wanted his mishits to roll onto

the green!l “i want the entire course mown at 21mm, except the greens.”l “Why is there water on the course?” (immediately after 161mm of

rain fell in a 16 minute period).l i was introduced to a guy in Hanoi and upon asking what his role

was he replied, “Captain intelligence!” i then asked “Where is your

cape mate?”...nothing!l “the greens are too fast (11’2”)

and the fairways are too firm”…

best compliment/complaint i

have ever received.

With a supportive staff and general manager, Weiks was able to

achieve high standards of course presentation at Van Tri

mailto:[email protected]

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john neylanjohn neylan

Over a 16

day period in

March, the

iconic Sydney Cricket

Ground was dramatically

transformed into a Major

League Baseball venue for

the 2014 Opening Series.

As ATM columnist John

Neylan writes, the success

of the project came down

to having the right people

in the right roles and a

good helping of Aussie

‘can-do’ spirit.

Modern stadia are multi-use venues that

cater for sport, concerts, stunt motorcycles

and any other events that require a large

area and comfortable seating. the reconstruction of

the great southern stand at the Melbourne Cricket

ground in 1991-92 was a major improvement in

seating and amenities and set the standards for

other stadiums around Australia. the opening of

etihad stadium in 2000 further lifted the standard.

As a consequence, all of Australia’s major venues

have gone through various redevelopments to better

cater for the spectator. these redevelopments

come at a significant cost and the way to pay for

these enhanced facilities is to maximise the use

of the venue. the staging of events can be widely

varied and in some circumstances changeovers are

required within a matter of hours.

the impact of the events on the turf management

team can be wide-ranging and as stadiums host a

greater variety of events, the turf managers have had

to finetune their maintenance techniques and the

speed of repairing and changing over the surface.

Over many years i have discussed with sydney

Cricket ground (sCg) curator tom Parker the

challenges of coping with the transformation from

cricket to Afl football, particularly as it related to

the centre wicket and the potential hardness and

grass cover. throw in a sheffield shield final and

the anxiety levels can be very high as the sydney

swans fitness gurus scrutinise every aspect of the

playing surface.

this pales into insignificance, however,

compared to turning the sCg into a full-blown

Major league Baseball (MlB) venue. several years

ago tom showed me a proposal to convert the

iconic ground into such a stage. the proposal

seemed fanciful at best given that it would require

significant re-levelling of the playing surface and

the importation of large volumes of clay soil. the

timeframes were incredibly tight and on the face of

it just did not seem possible.

While it didn’t happen all of those years ago,

in June 2013 it was confirmed that the sCg would

indeed host two MlB games. More significantly, they

would be the opening two games of the 2014 MlB

season, the first time the Opening series was to

venture outside of the northern Hemisphere.

Promoter Jason Moore of Moore sports was the

driver behind enticing the los Angeles Dodgers and

Arizona Diamondbacks to contest two official games

on 22 and 23 March 2014 as well as two warm up

games against Australia. Adding to the occasion,

these games were to be played 100 years after the

Chicago White sox and the new York giants played

a series of exhibition matches against nsW at the

sCg in 1914.

Put simply, MlB is a huge business in the

us and has worldwide appeal on television. if

you are interested in the value of baseball there

is a fascinating article in forbes magazine by

Mike Ozanian which outlines team values and

player salaries. the two teams that came to

The Sydney Cricket Ground has witnessed many remarkable sporting feats in its long

history, but the recent transformation of the ground into a Major League Baseball venue

will go down as one of the most dramatic

PhOT

O CO

urTe

Sy O

f Th

e SC

G

PitcherperfectPitcherperfect

MAY-June 2014 23

s

Australia boasted over $us310 million worth of

baseball superstars with the Dodgers’ 2014 payroll

accounting for $us235 million of that. four Dodgers

players – Adrian gonzales (first base), Zack greinke

(pitcher), Carl Crawford (left field) and Matt Kemp

(center field) – each receive salaries in excess of

$us20 million per season. to put it in perspective,

gonzales’ salary of $us21,857,143 for the 2013 MlB

season was more than the combined salary caps of

two Afl clubs!

Obviously players on these sums of money

were not going to be happy with an inferior playing

surface, especially when travelling across the world

to play. it was without doubt that the MlB coming

Down under was big and the scrutiny was going

to be intense. the question was whether the sCg

could pull it off?

uNrivALLed TrANSfOrMATiONA project of this complexity requires excellent

planning, a high degree of organisation, ingenuity

and a ‘can do’ attitude. scott egelton, from the

Pier Property Corporation, was commissioned by

Moore sports to oversee the project. evergreen

turf (Australia) was appointed as the contractor

for undertaking all of the field works and to grow

the ‘ready for play’ turf for the post-baseball field

restoration. the full scope of works included;l levelling the northern end of the field;l removing the turf from the baseball diamond

and installing the special infield mix;l Digging out the ‘warning track’ and installing

a special terracotta material. the 15 foot wide

warning track runs around the perimeter of the

field so that as the players are running for a high

The baseball infield is marked up prior to turf removal and clay being installed

24 AustrAliAn turfgrAss MAnAgeMent 16.324 AustrAliAn turfgrAss MAnAgeMent

john neylanjohn neylans ball they feel the change in surface underfoot

and therefore know they are close to the fence;l removing all of the imported infield mix and

warning track material post-game;l installing sand, laser levelling and turfing with

‘ready to play’ turf.

All of this was taking place in an Ashes year and

during the construction of the $186 million northern

stand. sCg curator tom Parker and his staff had

plenty of work to do with the rectification works to

the field at the northern end due to the new stand

and the levelling of the surface for MlB, not to

mention wicket preparation for an Ashes tour match,

new Year’s test, shield and Big Bash matches.

the MlB is big business and when the show is

in town it is the only show! to that end, MlB sent

over their field preparation ‘guru’ Murray Cook and

several staff to help prepare the field. i had met

Murray briefly in the lead up to the 2000 Olympics

when the baseball field was being prepared at

the sydney showgrounds. Pedantic, meticulous,

exacting and dogmatic best describe Murray’s

approach to MlB field preparation and as i clearly

recall him saying back then, “these players expect

the best and they will get the best.”

in 2014 the exacting standards were no different.

At the end of the event Murray congratulated the

team that put it all together and described the sCg

as one of the best fields in the world. Murray was

most impressed with the team work, technology and

ingenuity shown by all those involved.

PLAy BALLso how did it all unfold? At the end of the 2013

Afl season the northern end of the sCg field was

levelled to meet the standards acceptable to MlB.

this involved removing the turf, laser grading the

surface and then laying 8200 square metres of

washed legend couch.

this process had some challenges with the tie-

ins around the fence line which had been altered

because of the new stand. While there were no

concerns for baseball, it required additional works

so that it would be suitable for Afl. the new turf had

limited time to establish before the Ashes tour game

– but it got there. the sCg hosted its last shield

match from 12-15 february and starting 28 february

the MlB transformation began.

evergreen turf (Australia) brought together a

strong team of experts to undertake the necessary

works. evergreen was the principle contractor but

also utilised the expertise of turf Drain Australia,

flemming golf and golf shapes. thirty staff were

involved in a military precision exercise overseen

by the irrepressible graeme Colless and evergreen

project manager Wayne Davey. the preparations

involved: l removing 3000m2 of turf using evergreen’s

‘robo Max’ turf harvester;l removing about 400 tonnes of sand for the

95mm deep infield mix layer;l Placing, levelling and preparing 220 tonnes

of imported infield mix. this mix is a material

with a very exact particle size specification.

it is designed to provide good traction while

also being able to allow a player to slide over

the surface. the mix was shipped from the us

in 17 containers in 220 one tonne bags (read

more about the infield mix in the following article

‘sydney’s field of dreams’ pg 28-32);l removing 300 tonnes of material from the

warning track and placing 320 tonnes of triple-

washed crushed terracotta (from newcastle) in

its place;l Construction of two ‘bullpens’ at the southern

end of the field for the pitchers to warm up in.

Removal of turf and rootzone material for the warning track.

Around 3000m2 of turf was stripped and 400 tonnes of sand removed

In addition to the infield area, ‘bullpens’ (warm-up areas for

pitchers) were constructed and temporary outfield fencing

installed using 100 tonne concrete counterweights for support

MAY-June 2014 25

s

All of this work was successfully achieved in

seven days. the MlB crew meticulously constructed

the pitcher’s mound with a very basic tool set

that included a spirit level, plate compactor, mash

hammer, a string line, hand tamp, landscape rake,

shovel, level board and various pieces of timber to

get the angles just right. the consistency of the clay

is also very important so that the mound can be

constructed to the required specification. According

to an article written by Murray Cook on his MlB blog

about construction of the pitcher’s mound, it takes

about 8-10 tonnes of clay.

the ‘can do’ attitude of graeme and the

evergreen crew, together with tom Parker and the

sCg staff, made the ‘impossible’ happen. the field

had to be ready for training on friday 14 March

with both MlB teams playing warm-up games

against Australia on 20 and 21 March with the series

openers on 22 and 23 March. from an agronomic

perspective, the set up was possibly the easiest

task – it was the subsequent restoration process and

creating a good surface for nrl and Afl that would

be the next big challenge.

the MlB games went off without a hitch despite

severe thunderstorms in the vicinity of the sCg

around game time. As an example, on 22 March

there was 2-3cm hail reported in the sutherland

region. MlB guru Murray Cook was regularly on the

hotline to the Bureau for the latest updates as heavy

rainfall would have been a disaster for the game.

interestingly, on the day after the second game

(24 March) there were storms around sydney that

caused flooding.

With the weather gods smiling, the MlB

hierarchy were described as being “blown away” by

the condition of the field and the event in general.

the sCg was described as being one of the “best

in the world”. this was high praise given that the

MlB had previously opened seasons in Monterrey,

Mexico (1999), tokyo, Japan (2000, 2004, 2008 and

2012) and san Juan, Puerto rico (2001).

in addition to the 76,000-plus spectators across

the two games, they were televised live to 341

million viewers and an additional 900,000 viewers

in Australia. One unique aspect of the Australian

coverage was ian Chappell trying to describe to the

us commentators about the game of cricket and the

wicket table in the middle of the outfield.

So convincing and meticulous was the transformation of the SCG, many MLB pundits commented that they felt like they were watching a game in an MLB venue back in the US


john neylanjohn neylans reSTOrATiON

the big show finished on the sunday and within

hours of the players leaving the field the dismantling

process and surface restoration began in earnest.

the team had to have all works completed before

the nrl Heritage round game between st george

illawarra Dragons and south sydney rabbitohs on 5

April, a time frame of just 13 days. this included the

removal of the infield and warning track materials,

temporary fencing, the dugouts, foul ball line posts

and repairing all the damaged turf areas.

A major component of the restoration process

was growing the replacement turf ahead of time

so that once it was installed it could be played

on immediately. Any major turf replacement is a

huge issue for the sports that follow and it can

be guaranteed that it will be closely scrutinised to

ensure there are no hazards for the players.

evergreen grew 5000m2 of stalok instant Play

turf for the repairs. the washed legend couch was

established on a sand profile reinforced with stalok

fibres. the development of the turf was closely

monitored and evergreen had a dedicated team

whose only job it was to grow the replacement turf.

As with all big projects, there is never enough

time to grow all of the turf that is likely to be

required and it literally peaked the day it was

needed. Attention to nutrition and pest control were

key elements in growing a high quality turf and in

particular having a strong, dense root system. While

initially about 3700m2 of turf was to be replaced, a

total of 4700m2 was used once the ‘doubtful’ areas

were replaced.

As luck would have it, the day the restoration

works started, sydney’s wet March kicked in. During

the first seven days after the MlB games there was

85mm of rain at the sCg and over 100mm at the

turf farm in Hawkesbury. remarkably, there was

minimal peripheral damage to the field outside of

the infield and warning track. the warning track

provided an excellent road system for the removal of

all of the temporary fixtures and it was an absolute

credit to everyone involved that there was so little

unnecessary damage to the turf.

One aspect of the wet weather that provided

additional work was the extra weight in the turf rolls

due to the water. it made them extremely heavy to

handle and there was some superficial damage to

the turf due to the damage on the pressure points

where the turf sat on the truck during transport. Most

of the work was completed by 2 April with some

minor repair work needed so the ground would be

ready for nrl. Once the turf was installed, the field

was oversown with ryegrass.

the swans use the sCg for training and they

love the ground and were very keen to get on it for

training as soon as possible. At a time when the

swans weren’t playing well and Buddy franklin’s

form was under the microscope, the pressure was

on. the nrl game was played in wet conditions

but the surface came through the game with little

damage. in the lead up to the swans first game at

the sCg on 13 April there were several days of rain

and rain during the game. Again the surface came

through the game in good condition and will only

get better as the season progresses.

Key iNGredieNTSso what makes a huge event such as this a

success? from my observations there were several

keys to making it all happen:l A promoter and a venue that is prepared to

spend the money necessary to do the job well;l excellent planning and project management;l A dedicated team of workers;l good cooperation between trades;l excellent supervision and control of traffic

movements. the sCg has just one acces

point that allowed equipment to move onto the

ground; andl A ‘can do’ attitude. this is the intangible factor

that makes things happen irrespective of the

circumstances. this project had no wriggle

room either in the set up or the restoration.

the success of the project from a turf

management perspective can be summed up in a

comment from evergreen project manager Wayne

Davey. “the MlB were highly impressed with the

team effort and cooperation between the different

subcontractors and sCg staff. there was no

whinging or arguments.” Wayne also added that the

Americans were “very impressed with the Australian

turf industry in terms of its professionalism and

technology.” A big wrap indeed!

A total of 4700m2 of specially grown Legend couchgrass sod was laid to

complete the restoration works

With the MLB games complete, the Evergreen Turf and SCG crews had just 13 days to reinstate the ground

ahead of the Dragons-Rabbitohs NRL Heritage Round clash

The success of the whole MLB project can be put down to excellent

planning and project management, a dedicated team of workers and a

‘can-do’ attitude

Copyright © Roy Gripske & Sons Pty. Ltd. 2014. All rights reserved. 1404232

www.plpgolfandturf.com.au | 1300 363 027

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MLBmlb


ATM editor Brett Robinson

catches up with Major

League Baseball’s fields

and facilities coordinator

Murray Cook to reflect on

his involvement with the

historic project to transform

the Sydney Cricket Ground

into a ballpark for the

Opening Series of the 2014

MLB season.

MLB field and facilities coordinator Murray Cook

(left) and SCG curator Tom Parker turn the first

sod in preparation for the transformation of the

ground to a MLB venue PhOT

O CO

uRTe

Sy O

f Th

e SC

G

Sydney’s

field of dreamsfield of dreams

MAy-june 2014 29

s

Construction of the home plate area at the Sydney Cricket Ground

He’s affectionately dubbed Major league

Baseball’s ‘field guru’. since taking his first

steps as a young groundskeeper way back

in 1975, salem, Virginia-born Murray Cook has

developed a reputation as being the best in the

business when it comes to preparing, constructing

and maintaining baseball grounds.

it’s a passion that since 1990 has seen him

consult to Major league Baseball (MlB) as the

organisation’s fields and facilities coordinator, a role

which has taken him to more than 50 countries to

help MlB spread the word about a sport which is as

ingrained into America’s collective psyche as cricket

is to Australia’s.

since its first forays as a professional sport in the

early 1900s, baseball has grown into a behemoth.

the figures are astounding. last season alone MlB

attracted more than 74 million fans to games and

boasted gross revenue in excess of $us8 billion.

According to a forbes magazine article penned

ahead of the start of the 2014 season, the average

worth of each of the 30 MlB clubs was a staggering

$us811 million.

that’s chicken feed, however, when you look at

the league’s top two ranked teams in terms of value.

Coming in on top of the list is the new york yankees,

which has a value of $us2.5 billion alone, with the

los Angeles Dodgers, who played in the Opening

series in March at the sydney Cricket ground

(sCg), tipping $2 billion.

Helping these values soar in recent times has

been some mind-boggling television rights deals

struck by a number of clubs. As an example, prior to

the 2014 season the Dodgers signed a 25-year deal

with time Warner Cable for $us8.35 billion; that’s

for just one club! the players too are cashing in on

these lucrative tV deals and in january superstar

pitcher Clayton Kershaw iced a seven-year, $us215

million contract extension which will see him remain

with the Dodgers until the 2020 season.

it’s not surprising therefore that given so much

money is invested into the sport, that fastidious

attention is paid to the conditions and standards of

the facilities upon which the game is played. And

that’s where Cook comes into the equation. As well

as providing expert advice and support to MlB

and minor league ballparks across the length and

breadth of the us and Canada, Cook also packs his

bags every time MlB heads overseas.


mlbmlbs Over the years MlB has taken exhibition games

and Opening series all around the world with Cook

front and centre in ensuring that these facilities,

sometimes in countries where baseball is a minority

sport, meet the exacting standards demanded by

baseball’s code. He has worked in japan, Mexico,

Venezuela, Dominican republic, Puerto rico, Cuba,

taiwain and China and in 1989, just prior to being

picked up by MlB, he also oversaw three exhibition

games in the former ussr. Cook is also president

of Brickman sportsturf which manages and builds

sportsfields the world over.

Cook is no stranger to Australian shores either

and when the Olympics came to sydney in 2000

he was sent out by MlB to oversee the baseball

facilities at both the sydney showgrounds and

Blacktown. Around the same time he also played

a significant role in the development of the Palm

Meadows Baseball Complex on the gold Coast,

which is home to the MlB Australian Academy

Program that develops local players with the goal of

getting them into the us leagues.

As Cook states, “it’s been a fun road these

past 38 years and i have had the opportunity to

work with some great people along the way.” such

experiences have enriched him both professionally

and personally, however, it will be his most recent

trip to Australia that will for a long time hold a special

place in his heart.

it’s not every day you get to play a major role in

transforming another country’s iconic and history-

laden sporting citadel into a MlB venue, but for

the 2014 Opening series matches between the lA

Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks at the sCg in

March, that’s exactly what Cook did.

The whOLe nine yARdS

While there were many history-making aspects to

bringing MlB Down under, for Cook there were

two components which made this project such a

groundbreaker – the scope of works required to

transform a cricket oval into a ballpark and the

extremely narrow timeframe in which to pull it off.

“We pretty much had to build an entire ballpark

in 16 days,” reflects Cook, speaking from his home

just outside of Washington DC some three weeks

after the Opening series had concluded. “it wasn’t

just a matter of setting up the infield, but a whole

baseball stadium. We had to build outfield fencing,

bullpens (areas where pitchers warm up in), batter’s

eyes (similar to sightscreens in cricket), backstops,

locker rooms, batters tunnels, foul poles.

“We had all these different things going on all

at the same time and we had to make sure that it

didn’t impact on tom Parker’s (sCg curator) turf

too much, especially the wicket block. for instance,

with the fence we couldn’t dig down into the field

so we had to bring in over 100 one-tonne concrete

counterweights to stablise the fence so it would not

fall over if a player ran into it.

“normally we would have up to three months

to get a venue like this ready, so it was a huge

difference. initially we only had 10 days to work with,

but the promoter was able to work with the sCg to

get a few more days. even then we knew it would

be a push, especially if we had any rain delays,

which fortunately we didn’t. looking back it’s pretty

amazing we were able to turn it around in that sort of

time frame and the most pleasing aspect of all was

that we didn’t have to compromise on anything.”

Planning and preparation to stage MlB in

sydney began some 16 months before the players

even took to the sCg. Along with the infrastructure

required to construct a ballpark, one of the key

considerations for Cook was sourcing the infield and

pitcher’s mound clay mix.

Around 70 per cent of baseball is played within

the infield area – the 90 foot square formed by home

plate and the bases – and there is a particular set of

guidelines on how these areas are constructed and

the materials used. Along with the need for this area

to be dead level, which itself required significant

works by the sCg at the end of the 2013 Afl

season, of paramount importance is the physical

characteristics and blend of the clay mix.

the infield clay (used for the basepaths and

area out to the infield/outfield grass line) is generally

about a 30-40 per cent clay/10-20 per cent silt/50-60

per cent sand mix, while the pitcher’s mound has a

heavier clay content and is somewhere in the range

of 40-50 per cent clay, 10-15 per cent silt and 30-40

per cent sand.

starting february 2013, the hunt began for a local

source of this material, with graeme Colless from

evergreen turf, which was contracted to undertake

the field construction, heading the search. While

finding an adequate crushed terracotta mix for the

15-foot warning track which rings the entire playing

field, the infield mix proved more difficult.

Despite numerous testing of various materials

both in Australia (through sydney environmental

soil laboratories) and in the us and getting very

COnTinued On PAGe 32

The pitcher’s mound, the highest point on a baseball field, consumes

between 8-10 tonnes of a special clay blend

The infield mix was imported from San Diego in 220 one tonne ‘super

sacks’. It was then spread at a depth of between 3-3.5 inches along the

basepaths

FL

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Syngenta Australia Pty Ltd, Level 1, 2-4 Lyonpark Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. ABN 33 002 933 717. ®Registered trademark of Syngenta Group Company. ™Trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. All products written in uppercase are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. AD 14/186

Banish Winter Fusarium from your courseColder temperatures, high moisture and low light are ideal conditions for Winter Fusarium to develop. Attacks appear late in autumn and through winter so it’s important to keep your turf protected as scarring will only start to recover in spring when active growth resumes.

Maintaining optimum turf health and surface integrity throughout winter ensures the best possible start in spring. Trust the industry’s best – INSTRATA Turf Fungicide and HERITAGE MAXX Turf Fungicide.

For more information ask your Syngenta Agent or go to www.syngenta.com.au

Note: While Flame™ has taken great care in preparing this artwork responsibility for the printed artwork and copy accuracy lies with the client. The printer is responsible for checking artwork before plates are made, accuracy in measurements, plates tolerance requirements, registration and construction detailing. Any questions please contact flame before proceeding with the job. Copyright 2014 Flame.

Christina Salisbury (account service) | [email protected] | +61 2 9887 8500 | flame.com.au

Name: FLAME_SYN1346 Winter Fusarium AD14-186_ATM_287x210_May 2014

Date: 07.05.14 | Round: FSize: 287Hmm x 210Wmm


MLBmlb

close to the required specification (Colless estimates

they were about 80 per cent there), by november

the call had to be made to import the desired infield

mix from san Diego. gail Materials had offered a

product that met the specification required by MlB

and that actually cost less than the various local

materials minus the shipping.

two-hundred-and-twenty one tonne bags

– called super sacks – were shipped across in

containers along with pellets of a calcined clay

conditioner called turface. this product is applied

to the top of the infield mix once on the ground to

assist with moisture retention and prevent the clay

sticking to the player’s cleats if it gets wet.

Aside from the pitcher’s mound, which usually

consumes between 8-10 tonnes of clay, the infield

mix is typically spread at a four inch depth along

the basepaths. given the sCg was only hosting

two games and to make the transition back to

nrl and Afl afterwards easier, the basepaths

were constructed a little shallower – between 3-3.5

inches. in order to protect the existing sCg

rootzone material, wherever the infield clay and

terracotta mix went on the ground, geofabric cloth

was laid prior to minimise contamination.

One BiG fAMiLyWith so many elements to bring together in such a

short time, ask Cook what the key factor was to make

it such a success and without hesitation he gives the

biggest rap to the people he worked with. from

promoter jason Moore (Moore sports) and project

manager scott egleton (Pier Property Corporation)

to sCg curator tom Parker and evergreen turf’s

graeme Colless and Wayne Davey, it was their

combined experience and work ethic that ultimately

made the first Opening series Down under a hit.

“it came down to the many months of planning

and coordination, but also having the right people

there who were focussed on what we were trying to

do which was to create a little bit of history,” says

Cook, who was one of a team of four who came out

from the us. “it was by far the best team effort from

all parties that i have ever been involved with.

“Bottom line – we would never have got this

done without tom Parker. tom and his guys were

phenomenal. tom was just a tremendous guy and

the cool part about working with him was that he

knew where we were coming from. He had that

understanding about clays and the need to have

specific clays for specific areas and the importance

of areas being level. Our ‘wicket’ in baseball is the

infield, so essentially we were talking the same

language, just two different sports. My team of us

baseball experts and tom’s crew worked seamlessly,

like they had known each other for years!

“Between jason, scott, tom’s crew and the

evergreen crew, you couldn’t have put a better

A-team together to get this done. Having their

ability and knowledge of hosting major events and

knowing they had the equipment and resources

to do the job was extremely comforting. i mean,

when you are doing something as major as this sort

of event, which is being televised to hundreds of

millions of people around the world, there was a lot

of pressure to make sure it was done right.

“take this project anywhere else in the world

and it would be a thousand times more difficult than

it was doing it there. for sure it was difficult to put

it all together in just 16 days, but with the people

we had working on this project and the cooperation

between everyone, we pulled it off and i can’t thank

them enough.

“But it was more than just what these guys did

on the ground. it was walking away from the whole

experience with some lifelong friendships that really

sticks with me. Working alongside them for the best

part of a month, i got to know them like family which

was really nice. We walked away with more in terms

of relationships and friendships than you could ever

put a value on.”

COnTinued fROM PAGe 30

BaSeBaLL By THe nuMBerSso what are the requirements for an official MlB ballpark? Well here are a few facts and

figures to help improve your knowledge bank: l the home plate and three bases form a 90 foot square; l the pitcher’s mound must be 10 inches above the height of home plate. the

distance from the back tip of the home plate to the front of the pitching rubber is 60

feet 6 inches;l the typical pitcher’s mound is an 18’ diameter circle with a 5’ x 34” level plateau which

contains the 2’ x 6” pitching rubber (from which the pitchers launch themselves). l from six inches in front of the pitching rubber, the pitching mound must start to fall

one inch every foot towards the home plate.l the infield/outfield grass line is a 95 foot radius from the front of the pitching rubber; l the outfield fence can be anywhere from 328 feet (100m) to 435 feet (133m) from

home plate. in the case of the sCg, the outfield boundary was 328 feet (100m) down

the left and right foul lines and 400 feet (122m) to the centre-field fence.l the sCg infield and outfield turf was raised from its usual height of 10mm to a final

height of 23mm for the MlB games.

to find out what goes into constructing a pitcher’s mound and to keep up with the latest

in ballpark maintenance news from MlB, visit Cook’s excellent MlB field and Ballpark

blog http://groundskeeper.mlblogs.com/

normally the transformation of a non-baseball ground into an MLB

venue would take three months. The SCG project was completed in just

16 days

In between games the top 5-10mm of the infield clay mix is watered,

levelled and groomed

FL

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Syngenta Australia Pty Ltd, Level 1, 2-4 Lyonpark Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. ABN 33 002 933 717. ®Registered trademark of Syngenta Group Company. ™Trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. All products written in uppercase are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. AD 14/187

Trust the industry’s bestPrevention is better than cure and INSTRATA has you covered with three active ingredients. INSTRATA is an excellent choice for the management of Winter Fusarium as it can halt infections immediately and prevent new ones from occurring.

Entrusting your turf to INSTRATA and HERITAGE MAXX will give you peace of mind for 28 days after either product’s application. With these great options Syngenta offers high impact on Winter Fusarium with little operational complexity.

For more information ask your Syngenta Agent or go to www.syngenta.com.au

Note: While Flame™ has taken great care in preparing this artwork responsibility for the printed artwork and copy accuracy lies with the client. The printer is responsible for checking artwork before plates are made, accuracy in measurements, plates tolerance requirements, registration and construction detailing. Any questions please contact flame before proceeding with the job. Copyright 2014 Flame.

Christina Salisbury (account service) [email protected] |

+61 2 9887 8500 | flame.com.au

Name: FLAME_SYN1347 Heritage_Instrata AD14-187_ATM_287x210_May 2014

Date: 07.05.14 | Round: FSize: 287Hmm x 210Wmm


agcsatech updateagcsatech update

AGCSATech agronomist

Andrew Peart looks back

on a recent project which

saw the modification of

a bowling green sand

profile to remedy issues

of excessive moisture

retention.

During last summer AgCsAtech was involved

in a project whereby a sand profile was

deemed to hold onto excessive moisture,

therefore preventing it from adequately drying out,

especially during autumn and spring. this was

a somewhat different case as most of the issues

surrounding sand profiles are that they have a

tendency to be too droughty, especially during

establishment.

During the drought years, sand profiles were still

constructed with the specific reason of trying to not

only provide better drainage for year round usage,

but also to retain adequate moisture. However, in

some cases the retention of moisture, probably

excess, was seen as a priority which meant using

finer sands, having shallower profiles and utilising a

gravel drainage layer.

Decisions regarding sand type, sand

amendments and profile depth over a gravel

layer can all dictate how much moisture a sand

profile will retain. During the drought these types

of constructions proved viable, but with more

consistent summer rains and natural accumulation

of organic matter within the profile, in some cases it

was only a matter of time before moisture retention

reached a point where aeration porosity started to

be severely compromised.

the sand profile in this particular instance was

used in the construction of a tifdwarf bowling green

in Melbourne, the physical analysis of which can be

seen in table 1 (opposite page). As the figures show,

the sand was finer than a conventional specification

and had a high volumetric water content. the

resultant conditions were not only affecting turf

health, with the presence of persistent disease,

but also limiting the amount of pace that could be

generated from the surface.

reconstruction of bowling greens are slightly

more difficult than that of golf greens as there is

generally fixed infrastructure around the perimeter

of the bowling green that is very difficult to alter. in

addition, the height of the bowling green playing

surface cannot be raised in relation to the perimeter

due to the set height of the ditch units.

generally the best way to reduce moisture

retention within a soil profile is not only to remove

the accumulated organic matter but also increase

the depth of the sand profile. for a golf green

this could be undertaken by modifying the green

surrounds to allow for an addition of sand above

the current levels, but for a bowling green this was

not possible and excavation of the base would be

required.

given the locality of the bowling green, the

costs associated with excavation and subsequent

disposal of the base material proved to be cost

prohibitive. the initial scope of works had specified

that all of the original sand was to be excavated and

a sand meeting usgA specifications be imported.

After taking representative samples from across

the green, the depth of the sand above the drainage

layer was only 220mm which included a 40mm layer

of thatch. the following options were discussed to

amend the profile:l undertake an aggressive scarification and

hollow coring programme;l remove the accumulated thatch layer, import

the same sand type and sprig;l remove the accumulated thatch layer, import

and blend a droughtier sand and sprig.

the aggressive scarification and hollow coring

programme was deemed unacceptable due to

the continual impact it would have on the playing

surface over a number of years. As well, the

sand profilesModifyingModifying

MAy-June 2014 35

s

current level of disease was an ongoing concern.

importing the same sand type was deemed to be

unacceptable due to the overall shallow depth of

profile that would still be present in conjunction with

its high volumetric water.

importing and blending an imported profile was

deemed to be the best option given the constraints

that the club faced. Blending of the sand was going

to be an important aspect of the upgrade to the

surface as simply placing a layer of new sand over

the old sand may have led to issues with layering

and the uneven movement of water through the

profile.

the imported sand that was to be used was

a rocla medium washed sand which had a low

moisture retention, however, the sand particle

distribution did not quite meet that of a usgA-spec

sand profile. the physical analysis of the rocla sand

can be seen in table 2.

TriAl workPrior to the start of the full reconstruction, two small

test sites were constructed along the northern and

southern sides of the bowling green. each of these

sites contained four plots measuring 1.2m x 1.2m

which gave an overall area of 4.8m x 1.2m.

the trial was conducted primarily to understand

how the proposed new profile would perform in

terms of its moisture retention compared to the

alternatives. the primary evaluation tool for the trial

was the fieldscout® tDr300 moisture probe which

was used to assess moisture retention at different

depths.

the four plots consisted of the following profiles:l Plot 1: existing bowling green with turf and

thatch layer still present.l Plot 2: the top 60mm of the green was removed

which included turf, thatch, rootmat and sand.

this was then replaced with the same sand

which was placed and consolidated to the same

level as the playing surface. l Plot 3: A homogenous 1:1 blend of the imported

rocla sand with the existing sand from a depth

of 60mm-180mm, above the remaining 40mm

of existing sand. the top 60mm was a straight

rocla medium washed sand.l Plot 4: A homogenous 1:1 blend of the imported

rocla sand with the existing sand from a depth

of 120mm-180mm, above the remaining 40mm

of existing sand. the top 120mm was a 1:1

blended mix of straight rocla medium sand

with the upper 60mm of the original 1:1 blend of

rocla sand with existing sand, as in Plot 3.

the initial testing was undertaken on both

test areas (each containing the same construction

techniques) with a range of differing length probes

fitted to the fieldscout tDr300 to understand the

moisture retention within the depths – 0-38mm,

0-76mm, 0-120mm and 0-200mm. tables 3 and

4 show the results obtained from the plots as

described above.

TAble 3. MoiSTure reTenTion (SouThern AreA)

0-38mm 0-76mm 0-120mm 0-200mm

Plot 1 21.3% 15.9% 13.1% 15.4%

Plot 2 11.9 9.7 9.6 14.3

Plot 3 7.0 5.6 6.5 12.4

Plot 4 8.7 6.4 6.2 11.9

TAble 4. MoiSTure reTenTion (norThern AreA)

0-38mm 0-76mm 0-120mm 0-200mm

Plot 1 25.3% 17.4% 15.1% 16.5%

Plot 2 11.6 10.5 9.9 14.1

Plot 3 8.0 6.1 6.2 10.8

Plot 4 8.7 6.3 5.2 10.5

Opposite page top: The project involved the construction of small trial plots in the bowling green where the various profile options were tested for their ability to retain moisture

Opposite page bottom: The three trialled profile options (from bottom to top), Plot 2 (existing sand), Plot 3 (straight Rocla sand on top) and Plot 4 (blended Rocla sand)

Particle size distribution Sieve Specification Sand

Fraction (%ret) (mm) Recommendation

fine gravel >2.00 0 1

Very Coarse sand 1.00 - 2.00 < 10 <1

Coarse sand 0.50 - 1.00 < 20 5

Medium sand 0.25 - 0.50 40 - 60 37

fine sand 0.15 - 0.25 < 30 44

Very fine sand 0.05 - 0.15 < 10 11

silt plus Clay <0.05 < 5 2

Physical characteristics

at 30 cm tension

Bulk Density (g/cm3) 1.2 - 1.6 1.6

total Porosity (%V/V) 35 - 55 38.9

Volumetric Water (%V/V) 15 - 25 27.9

Aeration Porosity (%V/V) 15 - 30 11.0

Hydraulic conductivity (mm/hr) > 150 220

Chemical characteristics

pH-1:5 water 5 - 7 7.7

electrical conductivity-1:5 water (ds/m) <0.2 0.05

salinity (ppm) <600 150

TAble 1. exiSTinG SAnd PhySiCAl AnAlySiS

TAble 2. roClA SAnd PhySiCAl AnAlySiSParticle size distribution Sieve USGA Specification Sample

(retained) (mm) Recommendation

fine gravel >2.00 < 3 total particles 0

Very Coarse sand 1.00 - 2.00 < 10 2

Coarse sand 0.50 - 1.00 total particles 20

Medium sand 0.25 - 0.50 > 60 47

fine sand 0.15 - 0.25 < 20 26

Very fine sand 0.05 - 0.15 < 5 total particles 4

silt plus Clay <0.05 < 5 < 10 1

Physical characteristics

at 30 cm tension

Bulk Density (g/cm3) 1.2 - 1.6 1.6

total Porosity (%V/V) 35 - 55 38.1

Volumetric Water (%V/V) 15 - 25 8.2

Aeration Porosity (%V/V) 15 - 30 29.9

Hydraulic conductivity (mm/hr) > 150 440

Chemical characteristics

pH-1:5 water 5 - 7 5.1

eC -1:5 water (ds/m) < 0.2 0.05

salinity (ppm) <600 150


agcsatech updateagcsatech updates

The noticeable change in colour from the blended Rocla sand (top

120mm in this photo) to the existing sand used in the profile

the results from this initial testing firstly indicated

the dramatic increase in moisture retention due to a

turf cover and thatch layer above the sand profile

(Plot 1 compared to Plot 2). secondly, the results

also showed that the two blended plots (Plots 3

and 4) had about 40 per cent less moisture than

the existing sand at depths of 38mm, 76mm and

120mm below the surface. there is less difference

at the 200mm depth where the perched water table

is created.

following that initial testing, the northern test

area was watered with 9l of water (the equivalent

of 6mm of irrigation) and the moisture retention was

again tested after five minutes with the following

results.

TAble 5. MoiSTure reTenTion (norThern – 6MM)

0-38mm 0-76mm 0-120mm 0-200mm

Plot 1 33.8% 25.4% 20.3% 18.9%

Plot 2 18.7 16.9 13.9 16.3

Plot 3 14.5 11.3 8.8 12.5

Plot 4 17.1 12.2 10.7 12.0

As the moisture readings were taken very soon

after the watering, the results are more similar

although the blended plots still retained less

moisture which was pleasing from a reconstruction

point of view.

finally, the southern test area was watered

with 18 litres of water (the equivalent of 12mm of

irrigation) and the moisture was again tested after

five minutes with the following results.

TAble 6. MoiSTure reTenTion (SouThern – 12MM)

0-38mm 0-76mm 0-120mm 0-200mm

Plot 1 33.5% 25.9% 19.8% 19.3%

Plot 2 23.4 20.3 17.4 17.4

Plot 3 18.3 16.1 14.2 14.6

Plot 4 19.2 18.0 15.1 15.9

Again, a similar trend was noted, although less

pronounced due to the amount of water applied and

the little time taken before the moisture readings

were taken.

six days following the construction of the two test

areas, they were again tested for moisture retention.

given the condition of the green, it appeared as

though no irrigation had been applied over that

period and according the Bureau of Meteorology’s

Melbourne weather station, the area had received

2.2mm of rainfall.

TAble 7. MoiSTure reTenTion (SouThern AreA – AfTer 6 dAyS)

0-38mm 0-76mm 0-120mm 0-200mm

Plot 1 16.8% 13.0% 9.7% 10.4%

Plot 2 8.3 6.6 6.7 9.6

Plot 3 4.1 3.8 3.3 6.5

Plot 4 5.0 3.9 2.9 6.3

TAble 8. MoiSTure reTenTion (norThern AreA – AfTer 6 dAyS)

0-38mm 0-76mm 0-120mm 0-200mm

Plot 1 21.7% 15.9% 11.4% 12.5%

Plot 2 9.0 6.6 6.3 9.5

Plot 3 4.4 3.9 2.9 6.2

Plot 4 4.1 4.3 2.7 6.2

the results again showed that the two blended

plots had about 40-50 per cent less moisture than

the existing sand at all depths. it can clearly be seen

the influence of the perched water table given the

increase in moisture retention at the 200mm depth.

ConCluSionit was very noticeable that both plots that contained

the rocla medium washed sand (Plots 3 and 4)

provided less moisture retention (at both assessment

dates) than the existing sand profile. the other major

influence on moisture retention was the impact that

the turf and thatch layer had (Plot 1) when compared

to Plot 2 which contained just the same sand type.

the take home message is that greens, whether

bowling or golf, can be modified if there has initially

been an inappropriate sand/soil selection made or

if they have aged and with ineffective renovation

practices hold excess moisture.

the trial work conducted illustrated that simply

removing the accumulated organic matter will

assist in reducing moisture retention, however,

the incorporation of a droughtier sand to reduce

moisture retention even more, particularly in the top

120mm, may prove to be even more beneficial.

As always though, greater inputs such as

sanding, coring and scarifying should always

be undertaken as often as possible on correctly

sourced rootzone material to avoid excessive

moisture retention over time.



22-27 June 2014


22-27 June 2014


gold coast 2014gold coast 2014

The Australian golf Course superintendents’

Association, in conjunction with principal

partners toro, Jacobsen, syngenta, John

Deere and rain Bird, extends a very warm welcome

to delegates of the 30th Australian turfgrass

Conference and trade exhibition.

this is the second time in four years that the

conference ventures to the gold Coast Convention

and exhibition Centre (gCCeC) and after the warm

climes of the sunshine Coast last year, delegates,

particularly those from down south, will be looking

forward to returning to Queensland. the gCCeC,

refurbished ahead of the 2010 conference, proved

to be a sensational venue and combined with the

tremendous facilities and hospitality that the gold

Coast is famous for, it’s little surprise that the turf

industry’s biggest gathering is heading back to the

Broadbeach hub.

so what’s in store for delegates? Well, whether

its golf, education, networking with peers or seeing

the latest innovations from the trade, the 30th

Australian turfgrass Conference will have something

for all sectors of our diverse and talented industry.

to make sure delegates get the most out of their

conference experience, the AgCsA has been

mindful to keep costs down, while at the same time

providing a wide range of topics, social events and

networking opportunities.

session highlightsfollowing a successful trial last year, the 2014

toro AgCsA golf Championships will again be

played on sunday which frees up the Monday for

the Jacobsen-sponsored workshops. these day-

long workshops were introduced for the first time

on the sunshine Coast last year and proved to be

extremely popular with delegates. that looks likely

to continue, with both workshops this year fully

subscribed within weeks of being announced. the

two workshops to be held this year are:l Managing turfgrass under environmental and

pest stress: the identification and management

of agronomic stresses is the key to successful

golf and sportsturf management. turfgrasses

grow within an optimum range of conditions

whether it is temperature, light or moisture.

30Th AusTrAliAn TurfgrAss ConferenCe And TrAde exhibiTion

Pat finlen

stephen newport

Welcome to the Gold Coasto

n behalf of my fellow AgCsA

Directors i would like to welcome you

all to the 30th Australian turfgrass

Conference and trade exhibition at the gold

Coast Convention and exhibition Centre in

Broadbeach. We appreciate you making the

effort to attend what is the Australian turf

industry’s largest annual gathering.

the industry continues to experience

a time of change across the board and we

believe we have compiled a diverse range of

speakers and topics to help you remain at

the cutting edge of your chosen profession.

topics include ‘taking the next step’,

‘Alternative/biological practices’, a forum on

bunker design, an excellent discussion on

couchgrass dormancy and a Cricket World

Cup preparation forum.

Pat Finlen, former gCsAA president,

superintendent and now general manager

of the Olympic Club in san francisco, is

one of our headline speakers not to be

missed and will join a panel of Australian

superintendents who have taken the major

step from the course into the general

manager’s office.

last year’s highly successful Jacobsen

sponsored workshops make a welcome

return on the Monday of conference week

with Dr Karl Danneberger (Ohio state

university, us) and David Bancroft-Turner

(Academy of Political intelligence, uK)

hosting these. David’s presentation on

‘How to survive, thrive and manage the

politics at your club’ booked out very quickly

and Dr Danneberger will provide the latest

information on ‘Managing turfgrass under

environmental and pest stress’. together

with our own home grown array of speakers

there really is something for everyone with

the golf stream supported by the sportsfield,

Architects and technicians streams.

the trade exhibition this year will

allow you to see the latest innovations

and products available in our industry. At

the time of printing, it appears that the

exhibition centre will be near capacity and

as always we are indebted to our trade

partners for their unwavering support of

conference week – please support those

companies that support us. Don’t forget

to download the official 30th Australian

turfgrass Conference app to enhance your

experience around the trade show floor and

education sessions as well.

the AgCsA golf Championships,

once again hosted by AgCsA Platinum

Partner toro Australia, will be held on the

superb tifeagle greens of sanctuary Cove

(Robin Doodson, AgCsA Accredited

superintendent) and the equally impressive

328 greens of Hope island (superintendent

Danny Foote).

unfortunately i will not be joining you

this year as a significant birthday for my wife

will find me out of the country. i am sure that

the AgCsA Board and the staff, led capably

by our general manager Peter Frewin, will

once again ensure a seamless week of

education and entertainment.

Peter lonerganCoolangatta &

tweed heads gCPresident, agCsa

MAy-June 2014 39

Outside the optimum range plant stress occurs.

this day-long workshop, presented by Dr Karl

Danneberger (Professor of turfgrass science,

Ohio state university, usA) will look at the

impact of environmental stress on turfgrass

growth and how we can manage the turf during

these stress periods. l How to survive, thrive and manage politics

at your club: Political behaviour is alive and

well in all golf clubs, schools and councils. this

session, presented by expert David Bancroft-

Turner (the Academy of Political intelligence,

uK) will help turf managers to recognise and

manage politics more effectively and provide

tips and suggestions to improve performance.

the tradition education component from tuesday

through to thursday will again encompass four

individual streams – golf, sportsfield, technicians

and Architects. Both Danneberger and Bancroft-

turner will also present during these sessions as

will another of this year’s keynote speakers Pat

finlen, immediate past president of the golf Course

superintendents Association of America (gCsAA).

As well as being at the head of the world’s

largest superintendent organisation, finlen is also a

key figure at one of America’s most revered sporting

institutions – the Olympic Club in san francisco.

finlen is currently the general manager and up until

recently was course superintendent, hosting among

other things the 2012 us Open. finlen will make

the following presentations during his time on the

gold Coast:l Hosting the us Open (Plenary Session,

Tuesday 24 June, 12.20pm);l ‘taking the next step’ management forum with

Andrew Casey, Peter schumacher and Craig

Molloy (Golf Stream, Wednesday 25 June, 8.30am); and

l Course maintenance at the Olympic Club (Golf Stream, Thursday 26 June, 12pm).

this year’s programme also sees the inclusion

of a two-hour spray Application Workshop. initially

two were scheduled for the week, however, they

proved so popular that the AgCsA has added a

third. these workshops will be held: l Wednesday 25 June: 1pm-3pm

l Wednesday 25 June: 3.30pm-5.30pml thursday 26 June: 11am-1pm

Other highlights to watch out for during the

education sessions include:l Staging the Cricket World Cup: stephen

newport will discuss preparations for the 2015

iCC Cricket World Cup to be jointly held between

Australia and new Zealand (Plenary Session, Tuesday 24 June, 9.50am). this will be followed

on thursday by a Cricket World Cup Wicket

Preparation Forum, which will feature a number

of curators discussing their various wickets

and preparations methods (Sportsfield Stream, Thursday 26 June, 11.30am).

l Bunker Management Workshop:

superintendents Daryl sellar (glenelg gC),

Paul gumbleton (Monash CC) and David

Warwick (Avondale gC) will join with golf course

architects richard Chamberlain and ross Perret

to discuss all aspects of bunkers, from design

through to construction and maintenance (Golf Stream, Wednesday 25 June, 10.30am).

event Changesthere have been a number of changes made to

the social events to be held during the gold Coast

conference. One of the biggest changes is the

switching of the syngenta President’s Dinner from

the end of the week to the start of the week. to be

held in the Pavilion Ballroom at Jupiters on Monday

23 June, the dinner also incorporates the annual

AgCsA Awards where the industry acknowledges

its outstanding achievers.

following a hiatus at last year’s conference,

the AgCsA is delighted to inform delegates that its

highest honour, the Distinguished service Award,

will be bestowed in 2014. so if you are heading to

the gold Coast make sure to book yourself a dinner

ticket and come and celebrate what will be a special

night for one of this industry’s principal contributors.

With the dinner taking the place of the usual

Welcome reception, this has freed up thursday

evening for the everris-sponsored farewell Bash.

the traditional post conference turf tour has also

morphed and will now feature not only a tour but golf

as well. the AgCsA AgM has also had a change

The 30th Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade exhibition returns to the gold Coast Convention and exhibition Centre from 22-27 June, 2014

Caragh Threlfall

John neylan

Andrew Casey

Craig Molloy

Paul gumbleton

Peter schumacher



of timeslot and will now be held on Wednesday

morning ahead of the start of the education sessions.

for all the information (dates, times, venues) on the

key events at this year’s conference check out the

page opposite and punch them into your calendar,

or better still, download the…

ConferenCe aPPyes, the official 30th Australian turfgrass Conference

and trade exhibition app is now available for

download and is bigger and better than last year.

Developed by local Victorian company invisage,

the app is available on all Apple and Android

devices and can be downloaded for free from

the respective app stores simply by searching for

‘AgCsA’.

the app contains all the relevant information

that you need to know about this year’s event and

it will be continually updated in the lead-up to and

during the conference with the latest information for

delegates. Here are some of the app’s features:

Speakers: under the speakers icon there is a list

of all speakers in alphabetical order (by surname)

which contains a photo, biography and the sessions

they are presenting. By clicking on their sessions

you can bring up a synopsis of their presentation

which includes title, time, location and duration.

from here you can take notes for that particular

session (you can then email all notes through the

settings feature), rate the session or bookmark

it. Bookmarking the session will add it to your

upcoming schedule which will appear on the front

page of the app. you can bookmark as many

sessions as you like and as the show goes on the

next session will be displayed on the front page.

Programme: the Programme icon contains the

complete conference programme which includes

all the education sessions and social events which

can be viewed either by day or by stream (Jacobsen

Monday workshops, Plenary sessions, the two

golf streams and sportsfield stream). Clicking on

a session, as above, will take you through to

information about the session – time, location and

duration as well as a brief synopsis – and you can

bookmark it so that it appears on your schedule.

you can also simply click the star icon next to the

session listings to add it to your schedule.

Exhibitors: those companies exhibiting at the trade

show are contained behind the exhibitors icon and

are listed both alphabetically and by category (e.g.:

machinery, irrigation, chemicals etc) and by AgCsA

partner status. Clicking on an exhibitor will take you

through to a company bio and logo and here you

can also access full company and representative

contact details. under the Actions tab you can

mark the company as a favourite (you can also do

this by clicking the star icon next to the company

in the main exhibitor listings), take notes and click

the Visited tab to indicate you have stopped by the

stand. links to product brochures are also available.

the new app also features a photo gallery,

which will be updated during the week with photos

from the event, and a ‘Contacts’ icon which contains

a list of those delegates attending the conference

along with their details (you can set up your contact

details through the My Profile area in settings).

Please ensure that when you download the

app that you allow Push notifications as this will be

one of the key means through which the AgCsA

will communicate important updates to delegates

during the actual conference.

ConferenCe webCastsOver the past four years, the AgCsA, in conjunction

with Brisbane-based tr Vidcom, has recorded a

series of webcasts from each conference. the gold

Coast conference in 2010 saw the first of these

webcasts produced and since then the AgCsA has

ramped up the number of webcasts recorded. Over

the past four conferences, a total of 102 webcasts

have been released, representing more than 97

hours worth of turf management education.

the full suite of webcasts from past conferences

can be accessed through the AgCsA website http://

www.agcsa.com.au/video and all delegates who

attend this year’s conference will receive exclusive

access to the 2014 webcasts as soon as they are

published. for those who don’t attend, the 2014

webcasts will be available in the lead up to the 2015

conference.

Disclaimer: the above speaker session information

was correct at the time of this edition of AtM going

to print. Any changes will be announced during the

conference sessions or notified through the official

conference app.

Phil beal

daryl sellar

Chris lambrides

bruce davies

The stunning Palms Course at sanctuary Cove plays host to the 2014 Toro AgCsA golf

Championships

http://www.agcsa.com.au/video

http://www.agcsa.com.au/video

MAy-June 2014 41

evenT inforMATion And ConferenCe regisTrATion

The main conference registration desk

will be located in the main foyer of the

gold Coast Convention and exhibition

Centre (gCCeC). Delegates are requested

to visit the registration desk upon arrival to

receive their conference accreditation and

delegate satchel.

there will also be a registration desk set

up outside the entry of the trade exhibition

during trade exhibition hours. if the main

conference registration desk is closed,

please proceed to the trade exhibition

registration desk. the registration desk(s)

will be open during the following times:l Sunday: 2pm-4pml Monday: 9am-4pml Tuesday: 8am-4pml Wednesday: 8am-3pml Thursday: 8am-2.30pm

2014 toro agCsa golf ChamPionshiPs and dinnerWhen: sunday 22 June (10am-8.30pm)

Where: sanctuary Cove golf & Country

Club and Hope island golf Club

Details: the 2014 toro AgCsA golf

Championships will be played across two

courses, with the stroke competition held

on the Palms Course at sanctuary Cove

and stableford competition staged at Hope

island golf Club. 11.30am shotgun start at

sanctuary Cove, 12 noon shotgun start at

Hope island.

for those at sanctuary Cove, at the

conclusion of the round players will be

transported to Hope island for the

presentation dinner. Buses will depart from

the gCCeC for both courses at 10am and

return 9pm. Cost: $130.

2014 agCsa trade ChallengeWhen: Monday 23 June (10am-5pm)

Where: lakelands golf Club

Details: the 2014 AgCsA trade Challenge

will be contested at lakelands golf Club.

Open to all AgCsA and state trade members,

this is a three-person team stableford event

with the best two scores counting. there

will also be an individual prize. Winning

team receives $2000 credit for advertising in

Australian turfgrass Management Journal.

At the conclusion of the round there will

be drinks, finger food and prize presentation.

Players are requested to be at lakelands

by 10.45am for an 11.30am shotgun start.

Buses will depart from the gCCeC at 10am

and return at the conclusion of presentations.

Cost: $330 (team of three), $120 per person

or included for those companies exhibiting

at the trade exhibition.

syngenta President’s welCome dinner and 2014 agCsa awardsWhen: Monday 23 June (6.30pm-10.30pm)

Where: Pavilion Ballroom, Jupiters

Details: traditionally held at the end of the

conference, this year’s syngenta President’s

Dinner will kick off the conference week

and replaces the Welcome reception of

past years. Always a highlight of the week,

this great night of fine food, AgCsA Award

presentations and entertainment will be the

perfect platform from which to launch the

conference’s return to the gold Coast. Pre-

dinner drinks from 6.30pm. Dress code:

semi-formal, dress pants and collared shirt

(jacket and tie optional). Cost: $120.

30th australian turfgrass ConferenCe trade exhibition When: Wednesday 25 June (9am-5pm) and

thursday 26 June (9am-2pm)

Where: gCCeC

Details: this year’s trade exhibition will

feature more than 60 of the industry’s

leading turf management companies

exhibiting their products and services. entry

to the trade exhibition is free (please note

if you are only attending the trade exhibition

you will still need to register on the door to

receive a name tag). see later in this guide

for a full listing of companies exhibiting.

for registered delegates only, the trade

exhibition cocktail opening will be held from

4pm-6pm on tuesday 24 June.

2014 agCsa annual general meetingWhen: Wednesday 25 June (7am for a

7.30am start)

Where: gCCeC (room 6 or 7 – please

check on the day)

Details: Please note the change in time from

previous years. Open to all current financial

AgCsA members. two AgCsA Director

positions will be up for election. Coffee

and muffins will be served from 7am with a

7.30am meeting start.

everris farewell bashWhen: thursday 26 June (6pm-8pm)

Where: PA Pub, Jupiters

Details: With the syngenta President’s

Dinner moving to the start of the week, the

everris-sponsored farewell Bash will take

its place on the thursday evening. this

will be a great way to relax and unwind

with fellow delegates and reflect on the

conference week that was. finger food

and drinks provided. Cost: included for all

registered conference delegates and trade

show exhibitors. Additional tickets $88.

friday fun dayWhen: friday 27 June (8.30am-5pm)

Where: rACV royal Pines resort

Details: normally the day set aside for the

post conference turf tour, friday this year

will incorporate a tour of rACV royal Pines

resort, currently being reconstructed, as

well as 18 holes of golf (scramble) in the

afternoon.

Buses will depart from the gCCeC to

rACV royal Pines at 8.30am for a 9am tour

start with superintendent lincoln Coombes.

for those staying on to play golf, a BBQ

lunch will be served from 11am with a 12

noon shotgun start. for those who just

want to attend the tour of the course, this

component is free, however, please note

that there will be no transportation back to

the gCCeC until the conclusion of the golf.

Cost: $120 (for those playing golf). tour

component free (does not include lunch or

golf).

Disclaimer: the above event information

was correct at the time of this edition of AtM

going to print. Any changes in times, venues

or locations will be announced during the

conference sessions or notified through the

official conference app (see more on the

app oppositie page).



The future of the Australian turf

management industry lies in the young

blood coming through its ranks and

each year the AgCsA and stA aim to give

two lucky turf management apprentices a kick

start to their careers through their respective

graduate of the year Award programmes.

the life of a turf management apprentice

can be a thankless one at times, but as this

year’s field of finalists demonstrate, with a

little bit of hard work and commitment, not to

mention a fair helping of skill and nous, the

wonderful opportunities that the industry can

afford are there for the taking.

As has been tradition, this year’s

recipients will receive a trip of a lifetime

courtesy of award sponsors toro Australia.

Both graduates will get the opportunity to

attend the Winter school of turf Management

at the university of Massachusetts and visit

the 2015 golf industry show in san Antonio.

Judging for both awards was undertaken

in mid-May and the AgCsA, together with

the stA, congratulate the following finalists

for getting through to this stage and making

some fantastic presentations to the judging

panel.

gCsaQSimon Winzar

Lakelands Golf Club

A naturally gifted sportsman

from an early age, Winzar

took up playing golf at the age of 12 and

immediately fell in love with the sport. A five-

day work experience placement at a small

privately run golf course in nerang fuelled the

desire to work on golf courses even more and

eventually led to a school-based traineeship

opening up with lakelands golf Club.

Working one day a week and weekends

starting in november 2008, Winzar would

go on to complete his Certificate ii in sports

turf Management through grovely tAfe and

following year 12 was taken on as a first

year apprentice. following completion of that,

Winzar immediately enrolled in the Diploma of

sports turf Management course through ryde

tAfe in sydney as well as the Certificate iii in

landscape Construction. Having completed

the latter, he hopes to finish the Diploma by

the end of 2014.

if having a full time job at lakelands and

studying isn’t enough to keep him busy, the

20-year-old also operates his own lawn and

landscaping business for clients around the

gold Coast. such has been the success of

this little venture that Winzar now has a part-

time employee working for him.

gCsawaChris Varty

Gosnells Golf Club

Born and bred in Victoria but

spending most of his formative

years in Western Australia, Varty began his

turf management career back in Victoria at the

age of 19 working for a contract maintenance

company. Visiting many different facilities

during this time exposed Varty to many facets

of the turf industry, but it was golf courses

which appealed the most.

Moving back to Perth, Varty struggled

to gain an apprenticeship and ended up

working as a removalist. it was after suffering

a dislocated knee that Varty was able to

re-evaluate his career goals and as luck

would have it he successfully applied for an

apprenticeship at gosnells golf Club.

During his time at gosnells, Varty

has worked under three different course

superintendents which has exposed him

to different turf management styles and

philosophies. However, it has been attending

Challenger tAfe and understanding the

reasoning behind the various turf management

practices employed on the golf course that

has truly opened Varty’s eyes to the world of

turf management.

nswgCsaKurt Eldridge

Bermagui Golf Club

eldridge is one of two finalists

this year to have completed

their studies through the Canberra institute of

technology. employed at Bermagui Country

Club since January 2010, eldridge has

inherited a love for plants and nature through

his mother who is a horticulturalist.

During his time at Bermagui, under the

astute leadership of AgCsA Accredited

superintendent David thomson, eldridge has

completed his Certificate iii in sports turf

Management and has actively participated

and contributed in daily preparations of the

golf course, bowling greens, croquet and clay

tennis courts.

Bermagui has a small crew of six which

has meant that eldridge has experienced

most facets of golf course maintenance. With

all capital improvement works being carried

out in-house as well, eldridge has been

exposed to a number of major projects during

his apprenticeship including irrigation design

and installation, bunker construction, tee

construction, landscaping and renovations.

the big goal for eldridge is to secure a

placement on the Ohio Program.

sagCsaLuke Merchant

Vines Golf Club of Reynella

twenty-year-old Merchant has

been employed at the Vines

golf Club of reynella since 2011 under

AgCsA Accredited superintendent rob

Millington. Completing his studies through

urrbrae tAfe, Merchant is now looking to

undertake Certificate iV and hopes to move to

england with his girlfriend in the near future

and continue his career there.

sta aCtSimon Snedden

Gold Creek Country Club

it has been a whirlwind past

six months for stA ACt

representative simon snedden. following the

completion of his apprenticeship last year,

snedden joined the crew at gold Creek

Country Club, Canberra in January and

impressed AgCsA Accredited superintendent

scott Harris so much that within five months

he was elevated to assistant superintendent.

twenty-six-year-old snedden’s path into

golf course management came about after

his contract to play rugby league with the

newcastle Knights ended. During his time

at the Knights he was part of the stadium’s

ground crew for six months, but it was his love

for golf (snedden is a 3 handicapper) that saw

him take on an apprenticeship at young golf

Club in 2010 which he completed through

the Canberra institute of technology (Cit)

last December. snedden’s future ambition

AgCsA, sTA grAduATes vie for nATionAl honoursatm profiles the finalists in both the agCsa and sta graduate

of the year awards which will be handed out during the 30th

australian turfgrass Conference on the gold Coast.

MAy-June 2014 43

is to continue on and complete his Diploma

in sports turf Management and in the years

following become a course superintendent.

snedden is one of two finalists this year

to hail from Cit and will be looking to emulate

the feats of 2013 winner luke Jorgensen

(federal golf Club) who became the fifth

graduate from Cit to win the national award

since its inception in 1996.

tgCsaAndrew Burgess

Riverside Golf Club

twenty-two-year-old Andrew

Burgess is the second tgCsA

Apprentice of the year in as many years to

hail from launceston’s riverside golf Club,

following in the footsteps of Andrew schindler

in 2013. Burgess has worked at riverside

for the past five years and completed his

apprenticeship through tAfe tasmania.

Burgess is part of a small team of three,

headed by course superintendent sam

O’Keefe, that is tasked with maintaining the

18-hole course which lies on the western

banks of the tamar river. should Burgess

win the AgCsA graduate of the year Award it

would be tasmania’s first at the national level.

vgCsaEthan Bell

Wangaratta Golf Club

Bell, who at just 19 years of

age has the honour of being

the youngest finalist in 2014, hails from

Wangaratta golf Club where in only a short

amount of time he has risen to be assistant

superintendent such is his maturity and skill

level.

Born and bred in the north eastern

Victorian township, it was during year 9

that a family friend who ran his own turf

management business offered Bell some part

time summer work. that sparked his desire to

be in the industry and in 2010 Bell undertook

a school-based apprenticeship through

Wangaratta golf Club which saw him continue

his schooling four days a week with one day

a week spent at the golf course. recognising

his abilities, the club offered him a full-time

apprenticeship in 2011 which he completed

through Wodonga tAfe.

in early 2012 Bell was promoted to

assistant superintendent and when incumbent

superintendent David Warnaar moved to

Warrnambool golf Club at the start of that

winter, Bell was asked by the club to fill the void

until a new superintendent was appointed.

taking charge at just 17 years of age, Bell

acquitted himself for some three months in the

role before current superintendent rick lee

was appointed. since then Bell has continued

to impress in his role as assistant and is also

undertaking the Diploma course.

Wyong shire Council’s Andrew spicer

created a little slice of history for

stA nsW when he became their

first graduate representative to collect the

stA national sports turf graduate of the year

Award at the 2013 twin Waters conference.

this year sees a field of four contest the

national award with the finalists coming from

the ACt, nsW, Queensland and WA.

sta aCt

Timothy Jopling

Aust Sports Commission

Jopling’s career in sports turf

management developed after

several years working in horticulture. since

completing his Certificate in Horticulture

(nursery) in 2004, Jopling has worked his

way from apprentice to horticulturist at

nurseries and for the past five years has been

at the Australian sports Commission.

Jopling completed his sports turf

Management course at the Canberra institute

of technology. He loves the variety of work

undertaken each day and the different skill

sets required to achieve good results. Jopling

is keen to continue to expand his knowledge

of turf management in the future.

sta nswTom Kelly

Green Options

When asked what he enjoys

about his job, Kelly replied, “i

have the best job in the world!” Kelly recently

received the highest pass at ryde tAfe

for students working on sportsfields, cricket

wickets or race tracks and his commitment to

his work is evident in the way he talks about

preparing surfaces.

Kelly works at sites such as st ignatius

College, graham reserve, Manly Oval and

Macquarie university playing fields. He

prepares wickets for 1st grade cricket as

well as rugby and soccer events.

sta QldAlex Jensen

Brisbane Metropolitan Touch

Association

Jensen’s love for sports and

being outdoors has set him up for the best

job he could ask for. since graduating from

Brisbane north institute of tAfe, Jensen

has been promoted to head groundsman

at Brisbane Metropolitan touch Association

(BtMA) giving him the responsibility of

looking after the sports fields.

the BtMA competition is one of

Australia’s largest and operates across two

venues including Queensland’s premier

touch football facility, Whites Hill super

Centre, which comprises 15 floodlit fields

built specifically for touch.

Prior to greenkeeping, Jensen worked

in landscape construction. His long-term

ambition is to work at a major stadium either

in Australia or the us.

sta waLuke Cooney

Hale School

it is fair to say that Cooney

isn’t your average turfie. His

background is studying economics at

university but it was his true passion for

cricket that gave him the opportunity to

change his career path.

After helping out with looking after wickets

at tuart Hill Cricket Club between university

classes, he gained as much information and

advice he could to manage the wickets for

the six weeks remaining in the season. the

following season he was then offered the

position of curator at the club. He put down

the pen and calculator and grabbed hold of a

wicket roller and hasn’t looked back.

Cooney spent five years working at

the university of WA as cricket curator at

James Oval and while there completed his

apprenticeship after attending Challenger

institute of technology. last november he

collected the C.H. Bailey & sons Perpetual

shield for best WA sports turf graduate. More

recently Cooney has made the move to Hale

school .

2014 sTA nATionAl sPorTs Turf grAduATe of The YeAr AWArd

agCsa graduate of the year award – Past winners2013: luke Jorgensen (federal golf Club,

ACt); 2012: Dave Canterbury (Kiama golf

Club, nsW); 2011: Dan Oswin (novotel

forest resort, ViC); 2010: Adam shields

(Casino golf Club, nsW).

sta sPorts turf graduate of the year – Past winners2013: Andrew spicer (Wyong shire); 2012:

rory Bairnsfather-scott (WACA); 2011:

rebecca Dynon (racing Victoria)



GolfSundAy10am - 4.30pm - AGCSA Golf Championships - Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island GCs4.30pm - 5.30pm - Pre-dinner drinks and canapes (Hope Island GC)5.30pm - 8.30pm - Toro Golf Dinner (Hope Island GC)

MondAyAll Day Workshops10am - 3pm (Lunch @ 12.30pm)Karl DannebergerManaging turfgrass under environmental and pest stress

David Bancroft-Turner Political intelligence - How to survive, thrive and manage the politics at your club

10am - 5pm - AGCSA Trade Challenge - Lakeslands GC

6.30pm - 10.30pm SYNGENTA PrESiDENT’S DiNNEr

TuESdAy8.30am - 9.10amDavid Bancroft-Turner - What is politics and why do I have to manage them?9.10am - 9.50amDr Karl Danneberger - Growing Degree Days9.50am - 10.30amStephen Newport - Staging the Cricket World Cup

10.30am - 11.00am - Morning Tea

11am - 12.20pmDr Caragh Threlfall, Dr Nick Williams and Dr Nigel Stork - Final Report on Uni Melb Biodiversity Study12.20pm - 1pmPat Finlen - Hosting the US Open

1pm-2pm - Lunch

2pm - 4pm Soils and Couch Dormancy DiscussionJim Hull - Carbon in Soils;Dr Phil Ford - Reducing couch dor-mancy;John Neylan - Couch Dormancy: Is it necessary?

4pm - 6pm - TrADE SHOW COCKTAiL OPENiNG

wEdnESdAy7.30am - AGCSA AGMGolf i8.30am - 10amPat Finlen, Peter Schumacher, Andrew Casey and Craig Molloy Taking the Next Step

10.30am - 12.30pmBunker Maintenance Workshop

Golf ll8.30am - 10am Alternative/Biological Practices David Officer - Biological control of Parramatta Grass; Graham Sait - Minerals, microbes and turf resilience; Nick Malajczuk - Adding Mycorrhizal fungi to improve plant performance

10.30am - 12.30pmDr Caragh Threlfall, Dr Nick Williams and Dr Nigel Stork Practical and cost-effective ways to improve golf course vegetation habitat for different biodiversity groups

12.30pm - 5pm - Lunch/Trade Show

ThurSdAy8.30am - 9.10amPlenary Discussion - Scott Harris, Bruce Davies, Luke Jorgensen - Sportsturf management apprentices 9.10am - 9.50amJohn Neylan - Reflections: A career in turf9.50am - 10.30amPhil Beal - Rebuilding The Australian


11.30am - 12pm Adam Power - Update on New Course Rating System12pm - 12.30pmPat Finlen - Course maintenance at The Olympic Club12.30pm - 1pmDavid Bancroft-Turner - Making club politics a positive experience

1pm - 2pm - Lunch and Trade Show

2pm - 4pm Paul McLean and Gavin Kirkamn Workplace accidents - Learning on the run

6pm - 8pm - EvErriS FArEWELL BASH

fridAy8.30am - 5pm - Friday Fun DayTour of RACV Royal Pines reconstruc-tion with optional 18-hole Scramble golf event

N.B. Times correct at time of publication. Subject to change

SprAy AppliCATion workShopS

Interactive learning experience on making sprayers, products and people work seamlessly to get great results. Max. 40 per session.

Wednesday: 1pm - 3.00pmWednesday: 3.30pm - 5.30pmThursday: 11am - 1pm

ArChiTECTSTuESdAySociety of Australian Golf Course Architects Golf Competitionand Dinner - Featuring Fireside chat

wEdnESdAy10.30am - 12.30pmBunker Maintenance Workshop Daryl Sellar will be joined by various superintendents and architects to look at bunkers and the use of bunker liners as cost/time saving tools.

12.30pm - 2pm - Lunch

2.15pm - 4.30pmSAGCA Annual General Meeting

4.30pm - 5.30pmPaul Jones, David Hanby and Andrew Price - Key irrigation information for golf course architects.

ThurSdAyChoice of sessions and Trade Show

6pm - 8pm - EvErriS FArEWELL BASH

MAy-June 2014 45

SporTSfiEld wEdnESdAy8.30am - 10.30amManuka Oval Redevelopment Forum Brad van Dam, John Neylan, Jarrod Hill and Dimitri Dimakopoulos

10.30am - 11am - Morning Tea

11am - 12.30pmAlternative/Biological Practices David Officer - Biological control of Parramatta Grass; Graham Sait - Minerals, microbes and turf resilience; Nick Malajczuk - Adding Mycorrhizal fungi to improve plant performance

12.30pm - 5pm - Lunch/Trade Show

ThurSdAy8.30am - 9.10amPlenary Discussion - Scott Harris, Bruce Davies, Luke Jorgensen - Sportsturf management apprentices - A shared responsibility9.10am - 9.50amDr Chris Lambrides - University of Queensland EcoTurf project9.50am - 10.30amJim Hull/Phil Ford - Oversowing couch with ryegrass on sportsfields


11.30am - 1pm2015 Cricket World Cup Cricket Wicket Preparation Forum - A look at the varying methods of pitch types and preperation methods across some of the CWC venues.

1pm - 2pm - Lunch and Trade Show

2pm - 3.30pm David Bancroft-Turner - Managing the politics rather than politics managing you

6pm - 8pm EvErriS FArEWELL BASH

fridAy8.30am - 5pm - Friday Fun DayTour of RACV Royal Pines reconstruc-tion with optional 18-hole Scramble golf event

N.B. Times correct at time of publication. Subject to change

SundAy 10am - 4.30pm - AGCSA Golf Championships - Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island GCs4.30pm - 5.30pm - Pre-dinner drinks and canapes (Hope Island GC)5.30pm - 8.30pm - Toro Golf Dinner (Hope Island GC)

MondAyAll Day Workshops10am - 3pm (Lunch @ 12.30pm)Karl DannebergerManaging turfgrass under environmental and pest stress

David Bancroft-Turner Political intelligence - How to survive, thrive and manage the politics at your club

10am - 5pm - AGCSA Trade Challenge - Lakeslands GC


TuESdAy8.30am - 9.10amDavid Bancroft-Turner - What is politics and why do I have to manage them?9.10am - 9.50amDr Karl Danneberger - Growing Degree Days9.50am - 10.30amStephen Newport - Staging the Cricket World Cup


11am - 12.20pmDr Caragh Threlfall, Dr Nick Williams and Dr Nigel Stork - Final Report on Uni Melb Biodiversity Study12.20pm - 1pmPat Finlen - Hosting the US Open

1pm-2pm - Lunch

2pm - 4pm Soils and Couch Dormancy DiscussionJim Hull - Carbon in Soils;Dr Phil Ford - Reducing couch dor-mancy;John Neylan - Couch Dormancy: Is it necessary?


SprAy AppliCATion workShopS

Interactive learning experience on making sprayers, products and people work seamlessly to get great results. Max. 40 per session.

Wednesday: 1pm - 3.00pmWednesday: 3.30pm - 5.30pmThursday: 11am - 1pm

TEChniCiAnSSundAy10am - 4.30pm - AGCSA Golf Championships - Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island GCs4.30pm - 5.30pm - Pre-dinner drinks and canapes (Hope Island GC)5.30pm - 8.30pm - Toro Golf Dinner (Hope Island GC)

MondAy8.30 - 4.00 Toro Workshop


TuESdAy8.30am - 4pmJacobsen Workshop


wEdnESdAy8.30am - 4pmJohn Deere Workshop

4pm - 8pm - JOHN DEErE TECHNiCiANS DiNNEr

ThurSdAyAll day - Trade Show

6pm - 8pm EvErriS FArEWELL BASH



30th Australian Turfgrass Conference Trade Exhibition

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, 25-26 June 2014whether you’re a seasoned turf manager or an apprentice just entering the industry, the annual australian

turfgrass Conference trade exhibition is one event you can’t afford to miss. read on to see which of australia’s leading turf management companies and service providers will be present on the gold Coast.

abel sPortsStand 25

Abel sports is a leading manufacturer

and supplier of aluminium goal post and

sports ground equipment for major sporting

stadiums, councils, schools and sporting

clubs throughout Australia. We manufacture

and install goal posts for Afl football, rugby

league, rugby union, soccer and hockey.

All goal posts are designed to be easily

and safely installed/removed and be WH&s

compliant.

Afl and rugby goals are available in all

lengths up to 16m and come with ground

tubes, base plates or hinges. soccer and

futsal goals are available for either junior or

senior level. semi-permanent or portable

soccer goals are also available with rear

posts and hinged base supports for nets.

Abel sports also manufacture rugby/soccer

combo goals approved by both codes. goal

post storage systems are also available for

onsite and offsite storage.

Other Abel sports products include

coaches boxes and interchange benches,

goal post pads, boot cleaning and goal post

lifting systems. Abel sports also design and

install to engineer specifications barrier/safety

netting systems for Afl, soccer and cricket

grounds. Abel sports not only guarantee

all their manufactured products (5 years),

they have their own team of installers and

guarantee all installations. Abel sports is

a proud supporter of the Australian Made

Campaign.

ade turf eQuiPmentStand 98

ADe turf equipment on stand 98 is pleased

to bring together an exciting range of

innovative turf equipment to the conference.

shibaura golf and turf products include

compact tractors, rotary and reel mowers and

the amazing slope Mower Ce certified to 30

degrees – Japanese quality at a competitive

price.

Buffalo turbine boasts the most

comprehensive range of turbine blowers in

the market. Check out the impressive 40hp

twin turbine blower along with front mount

and PtO versions.

Club Car golf and turf vehicles – visit

us to view the amazing new Carryall utility

vehicles which feature the new fuel efficient

subaru fuel injected engines to bring a new

level of performance and fuel consumption

savings of up to 50 percent. the new heavy

duty 48 volt battery systems feature extended

endurance, on board chargers and increased

payloads.

advanCed seedStand 50

Advanced seed is a leading importer and

provider of turfgrass seed and related

products for both the commercial and retail

markets throughout Australia. Our products

are used by leading racecourses, golf

courses, turf farms, local governments and

sporting facilities throughout Australia.

Our extensive range of both cool- and

warm-season grasses allows us to provide

the very best selection of products to turf

managers. Access to major seed producers

and breeders from usA, europe and new

Zealand allows us to provide a product range

at the cutting edge of turfgrass research. High

performance varieties from leading turf grass

breeders seed research of Oregon & Dlf

seeds provide a quality broad selection of

turfgrass for the turf professional.

Apart from highlighting our turf grasses,

we will be displaying information on our

evergreen turf Covers, earthway spreaders

and our new Playmatta product. Be sure to

visit us at stand 50 where we will be happy to

assist you with all of your turf enquiries. www.

adseed.com.au.

all stake suPPlyStand 43

All stake supply is a family owned, Australian

company established in 1976. Our business is

focused on providing a complete distribution

service supplying quality grass reinforcement,

revegetation and erosion control systems.

Visit our stand (no. 43) to see the latest

technology in grass reinforcement.

agCsaStand 1

the official host of the 30th Australian

turfgrass Conference, the Australian golf

Course superintendents’ Association is

committed to the ongoing professional

development and support of all those

involved in the golf course maintenance and

turf management industry.

With a membership of over 1200 drawn

from Australasia and across the globe, the

AgCsA offers a range of unique services

to help superintendents, turf managers

and their staff who are seeking access

to resources, training and networking

opportunities.

Visit the AgCsA stand to find out about

the extensive range of services available

and how they have been tailored to meet the

needs of people working in the golf course

and turf maintenance industry. Back issues

of the AgCsA’s award-winning journal,

Australian turfgrass Management, will be

available, as will merchandise and a wide

selection of turf management text books.

new membership applications from

delegates are always welcome and current

members can renew their membership

or update contact details. in the coming

months the AgCsA will be launching a new-

look website and membership management

system, so it is important that we have your

correct details on file. get your photo taken

at the stand and go into the draw to win a

major prize. AgCsA Board members and

AgCsAtech agronomist Andrew Peart will

also be present throughout the show to help

with any queries.

MAy-June 2014 47

augusta golf CarsStand 60

Our new Cushman range of maintenance and

utility vehicles were born to help you eliminate

downtime and get more doing out of your

day. for decades, we’ve sat on the top of the

leaderboard for hauling, moving, loading and

just plain getting the job done and the new

Cushman Hauler Pro is fully loaded and ready

to work all day long.

equipped with a 72-volt AC drivetrain,

the Cushman Hauler PrO has the range,

power and operational efficiencies your

course demands. Powered by a quiet, zero

emissions 72-volt electric drivetrain, the

Hauler PrO features a daily range of up to

80km fully loaded and all the energy benefits

of a low maintenance and unique AC system.

A standard on-board charger gives you the

flexibility to charge the Hauler PrO at any

outlet within your facility.

With a 450kg vehicle payload, over 500kg

towing capacity and optional limited-slip

differential, the Hauler PrO is the strong

silent type that is easy to work with! Augusta

golf Cars now have stock of the new Hauler

Pro around the country and ready for delivery.

Visit www.ezgo.com.au.

ba grouP australiaStand 28

BA group Australia is a manufacturer of

spraying equipment, established in 2008 with

a dedicated team encompassing years of

experience in the ag spraying industry.

Our head office is based in geelong,

Victoria and we also have a warehouse

in toowoomba, Queensland. together we

distribute a large range of sprayers and

accessories, creating spraying solutions for

the turfgrass industry.

We have a large range of trailed and skid

mount units, our new greens keeper walk

behind sprayer especially designed for green

and bunker surrounds. We also distribute

teeJet products and can provide you the

latest info on nozzle technology. We provide

a custom build service as well so give us a

call any time to discuss your spraying needs

with one of our sprayer specialists. Keep your

spraying on course with BA group Australia.

basfStand 92

BAsf is a trusted resource in providing

solutions to meet the needs of professionals

in the turf industry, including superintendents

and turf managers, greenhouse and nursery

growers, lake and pond managers and

vegetation management applicators. We are

dedicated to producing the highest quality

products that help solve unique challenges,

backed by guaranteed customer service

satisfaction.

Our products are specifically designed

to help solve any of your turfgrass problems

with maximum efficiency of labour and

other resources. for the turf professional

this means a powerful portfolio of leading

edge chemistry, colorants, dyes, wetting

agents, herbicide, fungicide and insecticide

bayerStand 49

SILVER SPONSORAGCSA

Visit Bayer at stand 49 and hear about

Bayer’s latest innovation in turf fungicides

– interface with stressgard formulation

technology.

stressgard is unique to Bayer and is

proven to give outstanding disease control

while alleviating plant stresses, ultimately

improving turf quality, density, colour and

playability. the newly launched interface

with stressgard is Bayer’s most powerful

turf fungicide to date.

Have you registered with Bayer’s

Amplify turf website yet – www.

bayeramplifyturf.com.au? register at

the Bayer booth and go in the draw to

win an iPad Mini! Bayer Amplify turf is

designed for golf superintendents and turf

managers. it aims to help you solve your

biggest challenges and concerns whether

budgeting, water, disease, insect or weed

management. Our online training keeps

you up to date with the latest in skills and

knowledge on everything from managing

chemical spills to broadleaf weed control

and chemical application.

Our regular weekly insights and advice

will give you practical tips on everything

from correct application of insecticides,

herbicides and fungicides to compliance

with laws regulating chemical use. finally,

‘turf talk’ will take you to the golf courses

that are leading the way in the latest thinking

and innovation and show you how they are

managing the important issues.

brown brothers engineersStand 94 BRONZE SPONSOR

AGCSA

Brown Brothers engineers Australia P/l is

an importer and distributor of lowara pumps

and pumping equipment, with sales offices

in Melbourne, sydney and Brisbane. lowara

pumps were established in Vicenza, italy in

1968 and it is part of Xylem inc., a global

engineering and manufacturing company.

lowara specialises in the manufacture of

premium quality pumps and fluid handling

equipment and is recognised worldwide for

quality, efficiency and reliability.

Brown Brothers engineers specialises

in the design and fabrication of purpose

built booster systems particularly for golf

courses in both new Zealand and Australia.

Many of these booster systems include a

microprocessor pumping system controller,

but it does more than just change the speed.

it actually manages the performance of the

pump to match a wide range of system

conditions and requirements.

the Hydrovar software is designed

specifically for centrifugal pump operation,

control and protection. it can be set up to

protect the pump for operating under various

unfavourable conditions, e.g. cavitation,

operating against a closed head, low nPsH

etc. the Hydrovar provides the golf course

superintendent with flexibility of watering

when required with substantial savings on

installation, power usage and maintenance.

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA

Country Club internationalStand 66

the evolution of Country Club international

into one of Australia’s leading golf course

and range suppliers has been built on an

eclectic and diverse range of products that

have been compiled and evolved to meet

market need for innovation and quality.

the most obvious include; the biggest

and tallest safety barrier screens in Australia

(over 36m high in some cases); the latest

high tech closed loop esD Waste2Water

washdown systems from usA that are now

becoming a ‘must’ in every maintenance

shed facility; practice range equipment

from range servant sweden that has

been the world industry benchmark for the

past 20 years; and the signature Par Aide

product range that has inspired imitators

(supposedly the most sincere form of

flattery!) both in Australia and around the

world.

Complementing these are some

fabulous suppliers including; eagle One

in the usA with an incredible array of golf

course product; Petro industrial in Australia

with the largest range of fuel storage tanks

and accessories; Woodbay engineering in

Canada with their amazing de-thatchers

and greens rollers; enviromist industries

with their world leading CDA chemical

sprayers; and greenjoy, Duchell and many

more. see what’s new from Country Club

international. you will be surprised!

http://www.ezgo.com.au



dint golf solutions Stand 59

Dint golf is proud to be once again exhibiting

at the Australian turfgrass Conference

trade exhibition. the year comes and goes

so quickly in the busy golfing world that we

all operate in and so the annual conference

is an ideal way to stop for a while and catch

up with friends. the relationships that Dint

has built with loyal customers over many

years are highly valued.

Dint will be exhibiting new products,

new ideas and offering our highest levels

of service. As you know, our ability to

customise and accommodate our products

to suit your needs is second to none, and

we will have many examples of this work

to show you and talk about when we

catch up in June. Dint will be at stand 59

and the sales team of Adam, nathan, Jon

and Damien, as well as Anthony, will look

forward to welcoming you. the team at Dint

golf – making golf courses look great.

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA

david golfStand 75

for over 50 years, Melbourne based David

golf has been a household name to course

superintendents and club managers. the

company is Australia’s largest supplier of

course hardware and practice equipment

with in excess of 200 product lines. the

company also has offices in sydney and

Brisbane and exports to Asia and new

Zealand.

At David golf our commitment to the golf

industry is very real. We have a commitment

to quality, a commitment to carrying a full

range of product, a commitment to inventory

which means we can supply immediate

delivery and a commitment to client service.

in recent years David golf has expanded

into corporate promotional golf products,

supply of selected pro-shop equipment such

as golf hire buggies, work and safety gear

and construction of safety netting barriers

through sports safety netting.

Of particular importance has been

the expansion of our hardware sales to

countries outside Australia. new Zealand,

usA, south east Asia, Japan, China and

india have become important markets as

superintendents realise the quality and

service benefits of dealing with David golf.

Our client’s requirements are our priority.

We intend to keep improving each year by

providing the service and back-up customers

have come to expect.

technologies that provide the optimal level of

protection for both cool-season and warm-

season turf.

Managing turfgrass requires significant

expertise, particularly when it comes to

disease management. We’re here to help.

take a look and see which BAsf solution

is right for you. Come see us at the 30th

Australian turfgrass Conference at stand 92.

bernhard grindersStand 65

Well known by the professional golf tours

worldwide as the premier blade sharpening

machines, Bernhard grinders ensure

maintenance equipment at the World top 100

mainstays, as well as daily-fee, private, resort

and municipal courses world-wide, is always

in ideal cutting condition. Bernhard grinders

helps greenkeepers, owners and operators

cultivate consistent, healthy turf. Private, public

and resort golf courses realise top and bottom-

line benefits from their precise cut, ease

of use, reliability, environmental friendliness,

safety-first design, value proposition, industry-

best 10-year warranty and more.

ChemsearChStand 57

Chemsearch’s BioAmp system is a

revolutionary and environmentally friendly

biological solution or your turf and pond

care. the BioAmp system plus freeflow

significantly improves golf course conditions,

while also providing an excellent alternative

to traditional treatments. BioAmp has the

ability to break down organic compounds,

like pesticide residue, and convert difficult

minerals into useful nutrients. freeflow

bacteria have the ability to trigger a plant’s

natural defences against stress, reducing the

level of disease and giving the turf a nutritional

advantage.

golf courses are experiencing the

benefits of using the BioAmp system plus

freeflow, from reductions in chemical costs

to minimising expensive labour fees. the

BioAmp system has become a popular

choice for superintendents all over Australia.

Where industry turns for solutions, visit www.

chemsearch.net.au or call us at 1800 252 087.

Colin CamPbell (ChemiCals)Stand 2

Colin Campbell (Chemicals) has been

developing plant protection products since

the 1940s. We have brought to the industry

many innovative turf products and continue

to do so with our commitment to the turf

industry. At Campbells we pride ourselves in

bringing the highest quality products to the

turf industry. We test all products stringently

before bringing the product to the turf market.

We will be providing updated information

on our existing product range along with an

update on fairy ring trials with the workings

of Monstar and best way to manage fairy

ring. Also, come talk to us about disease

management; we can show you how to make

your existing programme work better for you.

social media and apps are becoming

more popular within our industry for turf

management and we can help by providing

you with a list of tools to assist with your

daily turf management regimes. if you need

help on how to start we can help you as well.

Come see us during the week. you can keep

up to date before and during the show on our

website www.campbellchemcials.com.au our

blog www.campbellturf.blogspot.com. you

can also follow us on twitter.com/campbellturf.

dennis & sisisStand 46

Dennis and sisis have been manufacturing

world class turf maintenance equipment for

over 80 years. Quality influences our approach

at every stage and shapes our attitude towards

delivering excellent equipment capable of

creating a world class finish.

the product portfolio includes dedicated

and cassette system mowers, pedestrian and

tractor-mounted scarifiers, sweepers, aerators,

seeders and brushes. take hold of Dennis or

sisis machine and you’ll feel the difference

immediately – solidly built, well balanced and

a joy to operate. to find out more about our

range of products or request a catalogue

please visit stand 46.

drummuster/ChemClearStand 22

Chemical users across Australia can take

advantage of two fantastic industry stewardship

programmes that can help them dispose of

both their out-of-date ag vet chemicals and

empty containers.

the drumMuster service was first

established in 1998 and works in conjunction

with local tips and waste transfer sites to

arrange the collection and recycling of pre-

cleaned, empty chemical containers. Once you

find your local collection site and clean your

containers, simply call your local collection

site, bring them in during the relevant opening

hours and we will do the rest. to find out more

about the programme or to discover your

nearest collection site, go to www.drummuster.

com.au or call 1800 008 707.

http://www.chemsearch.net.au

http://www.chemsearch.net.au

MAy-June 2014 49

leaving left-over obsolete chemical on

your property can create a variety of potential

dangers. ChemClear started in 2004 and is

responsible for the collection and disposal

of your unwanted, inherited or out-of-date

chemical products. We liaise with shire

councils to arrange state-wide collection runs,

which are set up according to demand. to get

started, give us a call or 1800 008 182 or head

online at www.chemclear.com.au to register

and begin taking an inventory of the chemicals

you wish to dispose of.

eQuiPment solutions

Stands 80 and 82

equipment solutions Pty ltd, a division of

Amgrow, imports, distributes and sources

locally manufactured range of specialist turf

management equipment. equipment solutions

has access to the latest technologies and

design and our national network of sales

specialists can assist you with new and

used equipment as well as spare parts and

accessories.

the huge range of equipment available

comprises tractor-mounted deep tine and

rotary blade de-compaction aerators, rotary

blade root pruner, overseeders, renovation/

debris collection machines, debris blowers,

topdressers and material handlers, tractor-

mounted and walk-behind scarifiers, walk

behind turf cutters, pedestrian corers and

specialist articulating wide area mowing

equipment.

international brands such as Agrimetal,

Amazone, Blec, Dakota, first Products,

groundsman industries, rgf, lastec, true

surface, thatch-Away and Wiedenmann,

along with local manufactured brands such

as truturf ,turf engineering and our own es

Allied range are available through our sales

team. this year equipment solutions will

display some new innovative products that

have not yet been exposed to the Australian

turf Management industry. so drop by stand

80 and discuss your equipment requirements

with stan Wells, Mike Pauna, Dean scullion

and Jordan tishler.

evergreen turfStand 54

An Australian owned business, now in its

32nd year, evergreen turf has grown into one

of Australia’s leading turf and horticultural

entities.

evergreen turf provide products and

services to golf courses, sporting clubs,

schools, builders, sports stadiums, race

courses and turf growers. evergreen turf

offers consultation, design, construction and

maintenance services and turf reinforcing

systems for race courses and sportsfields,

landscaping services and turf machinery.

evergreen turf understand the needs of the

turf industry which is why we proudly supply

stalok and evergreen ‘Matrix’ instant play

turf. Both are turf replacement systems which

can be used immediately after installation

on any turf surface. two of our most recent

stadium stalok installations have been the

sydney Cricket ground after the Major league

Baseball and Manuka Oval reconstruction in

Canberra.

evergreen turf also offers a wide range

of services to cater for your needs, including

but not limited to the following: lineplanting

and sprigging, verti-draining, fertilising,

topdressing, oversowing, coring, scarifying,

topmaking, instant turf replacement,

consultancy, design and construction. for all

inquiries, see one of our staff at stand 54 at

the AgCsA trade show 2014.

fernland agenCiesStand 71

fernland Agencies is a family owned business

which has been servicing the needs of the

horticultural industry since 1978. We are a

‘one stop shop’ for all nursery, landscape and

turf care requirements. in the last 12 months

we have added some excellent new products

to our turf care range, including Verde-

Cal (activated lime and gypsum), OArs (a

corrective wetting agent), essential Plus (a root

promoter and soil conditioner), Companion

(microbial inoculant), tru-Prill fertiliser for golf

greens and Club green fertiliser for fairways

and sports fields.

Between our two specialist turf consultants,

who have many years practical experience in

the trade and in sales, we can offer expert

advice and supply products for golf courses,

sports fields, stadiums and other facilities.

We operate out of a purpose-built warehouse

and distribution centre, located adjacent to

the Bruce Hwy at yandina (approx. 1hr north

of Brisbane), from where we can efficiently

despatch products anywhere in Australia.

Our commitment: friendly and helpful staff

who understand the products we sell; a wide

range of quality products which give excellent

value across a broad range of applications ;

and prompt despatch of all orders, with clear

communication if there are any hold-ups with

any products.

floratine ProduCts grouPStand 78

floratine Products group has been designing

and manufacturing high-grade nutrient

products for the turf industry for over 22

years. they understand that your professional

reputation and livelihood are largely

dependent upon the quality of the turfgrass

you manage, and with their technically trained

and dedicated distribution team, floratine

works with turf managers to develop proactive

plans that meet the turf management goals of

each particular facility.

floratine’s product line is divided among

four general categories: foliar, soil, biological

and additional (specialty) products, such as

wetting agents. Our floratine foliars allow

the turf manager to deliver nutrients quickly

and efficiently directly through the leaves,

bypassing the root system, making pH,

microbes, nutrient tie-ups, temperatures and

other factors irrelevant to ensure your turf is

receiving nutrients exactly when it needs them

most.

Our products are environmentally friendly,

do not contain non-beneficial, agricultural or

utility-grade nutrients, or synthetic chelates.

to see what’s new in 2014, please drop by

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA

everrisStand 53

everris is a global organisation with product

portfolios renowned for their innovation,

performance and precision, including but

not limited to turf fertiliser brands sierrablen,

sierraform gt, sportsmaster and Proturf,

with Osmocote exact and rout in the

horticulture market and brands like Agroblen

and Agrocote in agriculture.

Working in partnership with customers

and inspired by nature, everris is passionate

about creating improved nutrition

programmes and total solutions delivering

healthy green turf. As the world leader in

fertiliser manufacturing, everris has a vast

range of solutions to deliver reliable and

exemplary results. everris offers high quality

products such as premium fertilisers, wetting

agents and plant protection to deliver a

solution for every turf manager’s need.

Around the world, turf managers put

their trust in everris’ advanced technology

to deliver high-quality nutrition for optimum

health, performance, endurance and

appearance. Dynamic products such as

slow and controlled release fertilisers put

the turf manager in total control. this allows

for efficient and precise delivery of nutrients,

specifically designed for your turf. We also

manufacture and supply economical short-

term release fertilisers in mini prill sizes

for quick response when needed. everris

is committed to maintaining balance and

respect with the natural environment it is

inspired by.



and have a chat with our experienced sales

team. We look forward to seeing you all on the

beautiful gold Coast this coming June.

geo tyres online

Stand 51

geOtyres Online is an Australian-based

online tyre distributor specialising in all tyres

for golf courses, sports grounds, parks and

off-highway industrial and agricultural uses.

geOtyres Online is a division of Australia’s

largest importer of turf, AtV, utV, industrial

and specialty tyres, who have been importing

world-leading brands Kenda and Deestone for

over 16 years.

the main focus of the business is

on supplying quality tyre solutions to the

golf course and turf industries in the most

convenient and easiest way for customers – a

one-stop shop for all turf and golf cart tyres,

being just one click away when you need it.

All tyres are covered by the manufacturer’s

warranty and product liability insurance,

backed up with the long-term commercial

commitment within Australia. Our online

network, with stocking points around

Australia ensures fastest delivery times. stock

is available when you need it. Visit www.

geotyres.com.au

golf & bowling maChineryStand 95

golf & Bowling Machinery are the Australian

distributors of scott Bonnar turf equipment,

smooth range turf equipment and JrM tines

and bedknives.

the scott Bonnar 30” Queen mower, scott

Bonnar scarifier, smooth roll for golf clubs

and bowls clubs, smooth spread and smooth

Cut mower are all products sold Australia wide

by golf & Bowling Machinery.

golf & Bowling Machinery stock a huge

range of JrM high quality bedknives and tines

making the task of maintaining and improving

your golf course more efficient. new to this

range is the super-thin cut bedknife designed

to cut as low as 0.50” for courses looking to

go low for those special events.

golf, bowling and sporting clubs can

also benefit from our range of pre-owned

equipment. from ‘as traded’ to ‘fully

reconditioned’, we work with clubs to come

up with the best product to suit their needs.

Our hire equipment is also available to provide

clubs with a flexible and economical option for

renovation equipment. With five technicians

employed across two branches, we support

our products with specialised service and

repairs. golf & Bowling Machinery – sales,

service and hire; servicing the turf industry

since 1982.

graden industriesStand 40

graden industries has been around a long

time – since 1986 in fact. We are known for

our high quality, ‘Australian’ designed and

manufactured range of turf equipment, known

worldwide for their effectiveness and trouble-

free service life.

specialising in verticutters for greens

and fairway application, graden now has

responded to the many requests for machines

to pick up the bigger volume of material these

verticutters generate. graden is launching the

first of a new range of clean-up units – the

groundhog see video footage of the new

groundhog in action, collecting cores and

verticutting material, removing it and dumping

into a trailer – a one man clean-up machine.

the swing-Wing tractor mounted fairway

unit can be viewed, specifically designed for

undulating fairways and effectively address

the entire surface with its floating wings. the

Contour sand injector will have its seeder

attachment, allowing a fourth process to be

incorporated in the one pass – aeration,

de-thatching, sand injecting and over-seeding.

this has been very successful in the uK.

graden’s smallest verticutter – the Airrow – will

also be on the stand. Obvious applications for

this unit are tight tee box areas, lawn areas

with obstacles and domestic applications.

globe growing solutionsStand 4

globe is a long-term supporter of the Australian

golf Course superintendents Association and

has been a major participant in the trade

exhibition for many years. it is a great

opportunity for globe growing solutions to

introduce new products and services to the

Australian professional turf market. equally

it is important for globe growing solutions

staff to spend time with their clients, both at a

business and social level.

this year, globe growing solutions will

have our key golf client managers from each

state at the AgCsA event to be amongst the

clientele at conference week. the globe

growing solutions team is looking forward to

discussing some of our new technologies and

products that have become industry trialled

and trusted.

Make sure you drop past the globe

growing solutions trade stand to see what

new and exciting products and promotions

we are offering. We wish all delegates an

enjoyable and worthwhile time at the 2014

AgCsA Conference on the gold Coast.

hg sPorts turfStand 55

Hg sports turf is a global leader in the design

and construction of premium quality natural,

synthetic and hybrid turf sports fields. Hg

sports turf markets and installs proprietary

products throughout Australasia (including

Xtragrass and Desso grassmaster), ensuring

it is at the forefront of worldwide research,

development and innovation through its many

partnerships with respected international

companies.

Many high profile events including the 2000

sydney Olympic games (Olympic stadium),

30th australian turfgrass ConferenCe maJor sPonsor

JaCobsen, a textron ComPanyStand 58

Jacobsen® is committed to providing high-

quality turf equipment to customers around

the world. We produce walking greens,

riding greens and fairway mowers, as well

as utility vehicles, sprayers and aerators. We

engineer our products to meet the needs of

today’s turfgrass professionals by asking for

and listening to their feedback throughout

the product lifecycle. you will find Jacobsen

equipment at the finest golf courses and

sports facilities world-wide.

Headquartered in Charlotte, nC,

Jacobsen is a textron company. We market

and sell Jacobsen products through an

extensive global distribution network and

our sister company ransomes Jacobsen,

in the uK. Our skilled teams are trained to

provide quality service and support for every

machine we sell. We even have our own

training facility – Jacobsen university – which

provides service training for customers and

dealers.

We take great pride in our business and

are pleased to be the only turf equipment

manufacturer to have achieved isO 14001

Certification for environmental management.

We know that the environment is the

cornerstone of our business and yours, so

we do everything we can to protect it in our

facilities and in the field.

GOLD SPONSORAGCSA

http://www.geotyres.com.au

http://www.geotyres.com.au

MAy-June 2014 51

the 2003 and 2011 rugby World Cups, the

2006 Melbourne Commonwealth games

(MCg) and the 2006 Doha Asian games

(Qatar) have been played on Hg sports turf.

Over the last decade, the company has built or

rebuilt many sports stadium fields in Australia

and new Zealand with one of its proprietary

products, eclipse stabilized turf including AMi

stadium, AnZ stadium, Canberra stadium,

eden Park, etihad stadium, gabba, MCg,

niB stadium, and Waikato stadium. www.

hgsportsturf.com.au. Please come and visit us

at stand 55.

hortiCultural training P/lStand 84

Horticultural training Pty ltd is a registered

training Organisation and has been offering

specialist horticulture and conservation

and land management training since their

establishment in 1991.

they offer nationally accredited competency

based training from Certificate ii to Advanced

Diploma level in a range of horticultural

subjects including turf, parks and gardens,

arboriculture, landscaping, nursery and

conservation and land management.

All training is delivered onsite by

knowledgeable, qualified trainers and tailored

to the enterprise and learners requirements.

this is backed up by comprehensive

learning resources compiled over many

years. learning material has been written

by Horticultural training specifically for the

horticultural industry. this ensures their ability

to deliver superior work based training.

training can be arranged for new and

existing employees. Additional services offered

include agricultural chemical and distribution

control licensing, AusChem training, chainsaw

training, irrigation training, skills audits,

competency assessments and recognition of

prior learning. Horticultural training Pty ltd is

an accredited training provider with funding

may be available to assist with your training

requirements.

hunter industriesStand 42

Hunter industries is a global manufacturer of

products for the irrigation, landscape lighting

and custom moulding sectors. founded in

1981, the family-owned company offers over

1000 products including a complete spectrum

of water-efficient solutions for golf course

irrigation systems.

Our Central Control system can be used

in retrofit, upgrade and new construction

situations. Paired with Hunter’s total top

serviceable rotors, this package offers

complete control of your course. to learn

more about Hunter’s line of golf irrigation

products, visit hunterindustries.com/golf.

hybrid agStand 77

Hybrid Ag was established in Melbourne

in 2002 with the sole focus of supplying

the agricultural market with high quality,

prescription-blended soil and plant nutrient

solutions. At that time a market was emerging

that was demanding higher quality and higher

profitability at lower prices. the only way

for the grower to survive was to raise the

yields! through careful analysis of the soil and

plants and applying the relevant nutrients in

a buffered and balanced manner, the results

required began to speak for themselves.

As demand for our services grew, a decision

was made to move to Wangaratta. Our new

manufacturing plant has been meticulously

set up to produce the highest quality product

on time, every time. Hybrid Ag has complete

control over the entire supply chain, from raw

materials through manufacturing, bottling and

supply and delivery, making our operations

smooth and streamlined.

today, through recognition that there was

a significant need within the market, Hybrid

Ag has moved into turf nutrient supply. After

working with three major players in the turf

market for the last three years, to achieve

maximum r&D, we are ready to help the

industry move forward into a new and exciting

era of turf fertilisation.

hydro teChniCs irrigationStand 47

Visit Hydro technics irrigation to see the latest

technology for actuating sprinklers wirelessly

– the ‘g Wave’ Control system. Capable of

adaption to any controller which puts out

a 24v signal and sprinklers that can use a

DC latching coil via the use of the patented

ground wave system designed and developed

in Australia. this new ground wave technology

represents the future of irrigation.

Whether installing a new system or

retrofitting an old one, wiring between satellite

and sprinkler is now redundant. simply install

the new sprinkler with receiver, load the

unique iD number into the transmitter using

the user friendly software package and you

are operational. the elimination of field wiring

within the system will reduce maintenance

costs to almost nothing as well as limiting

damage caused by lightning to satellites as

there are no wires connected. Visit Hydro

technics irrigation on stand 47 for a working

display.

indePendent turf serviCesStand 56

independent turf services (its) was started

in August 2007, with one main objective – to

service the commercial turf industry with a

range of quality products, unique renovation

practices, soil testing and sportsfield

construction services. the company

manufactures, imports and distributes turf

seed, specialist fertilisers, chemicals, analytical

services, general irrigation equipment and golf

course accessories. its also lead the turf

industry in warm-season grass conversions

and specialised renovation equipment.

the key to our success has been our

commitment to practical research and

development programmes. Most recently its,

in conjunction with the Australian soil research

company injekta, has brought soil structural

stability soil testing to the turf market for


John deere golfStand 70

John Deere has been involved with grounds

maintenance since 1837 stemming from

a simple blacksmith shop in illinois, usA.

today the company has grown by listening

to customers and meeting expectations for a

wide range of products and environmentally

friendly technology such as hybrid mowers

resulting in reduced noise levels and fuel

consumption whilst still providing leading

performance and longevity.

Customers who are using John Deere

machines around the world today to

maintain golf courses and sporting venues

to exceptional high standards are supported

by a factory-trained dealer network that is

second to none. this network can provide

service, including parts solutions with

minimal downtime should the need arise.

When partnered with the flexibility of being

able to offer finance options through John

Deere finance, the company’s own finance

division, it’s no wonder that John Deere

is proud to have been entrusted with the

grounds maintenance of top golf courses

and sporting arenas throughout the world.

SILVER SPONSORAGCSA



the first time. injekta’s soil structural stability

assessment comprehensively analyses

the stability of soil structure through the

assessment of a range of factors including

the Cation ratio of soil stability (CrOss),

Zeta potential measurement as well as

soluble and exchangeable cation analysis,

in addition to the traditional basic suite of soil

measurements.

the s3A diagnosis positions its to

interpret the performance of a soil and develop

immediate and effective management plans

to improve soil function, whether improving

soil porosity and drainage, addressing soil

and plant nutrient deficiencies or overcoming

pathogens in the soil.

kustom bindStand 52

Kustom Bind is a permeable, polymer-treated

gravel layer, used for the lining of bunkers,

separating the bunker base from the bunker

sand. the process involves binding specified

aggregates together, which produces a

superior drainage blanket for water to escape

the bunker sand, enabling it to move laterally

toward the drainage pipes.

Kustom Bind prevents sand slumping,

erosion and contamination, drastically

reducing the costs associated with bunker

maintenance as well as being extremely

durable, long-lasting and environmentally

friendly. Kustom Bind is also resistant yet

flexible and will not crack, break down or

disintegrate like other liners on the market.

Kustom Bind’s polymer formula will not be

affected by weather-caused soil expansion or

contraction – it moves with the soil, rather than

resisting it.

furthermore, Kustom Bind is the most

effective Australian made bunker liner that

seals off the bunker sub grade eliminating

contamination of the sand and drainage

systems. We know of no other system that

protects the integrity of your drainage the

way Kustom Bind does. fully functional, fast

drainage means the sand dries quicker and

the course is back in play faster after it rains.

lawn solutions australiaStand 97

lawn solutions Australia – your national

accredited turf supply group. lawn solutions

Australia is a hand-picked group of Australia’s

best and most experienced turf producers

who have come together to make it easier to

specify and purchase turf across the country.

Our growers are the names behind sir Walter

soft leaf buffalo – Australia’s favourite lawn

– so you can have the confidence of the

same standard of quality and performance

to our new range of turf brands. When you

deal with a lawn solutions Australia, you can

be confident you are accessing consistently

branded varieties that will suit your needs and

local growing environment.

lawn solutions Australia has exclusive

arrangements with the world’s leading turf

breeders and research facilities, including

texas A&M university and the university of

georgia in the us. We are committed to

investigating and commercialising new breeds

and varieties – but only if they bring something

new to the table. Our strategy is to introduce

new varieties only if they have clear and

distinguishable environmental advantages

over existing varieties in the marketplace.

you can find out more, including the

location of your nearest lawn solutions

Australia grower by visiting www.

lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au or calling 1300

883 711.

living turf Stand 81

living turf will showcase Australia’s first

smart phone app with ‘disease alerts’ from

My-results. My-results’ proprietary algorithms

draw on local weather information and historic

data to provide early warning on disease

breakouts and weed emergence. this allows

you to treat less, more accurately and for

greater effect. the mobile app format allows

all your staff access, no matter where they

are, 24/7.

Additionally, living turf sales professionals

will be on the stand to profile Australia’s

largest range of technology specific fertilisers,

including exclusive brands you can’t get

anywhere else such as soluCal, lebanon,

nutrite and Matchplay, an Australian owned

and made range developed in conjunction

with living turf that has been proven across

some of Australia’s most iconic stadiums and

golf courses.

living turf is proud of the fact that our field

team individually all have a minimum of 15

years’ experience in Australian turf, making us

the largest Australian owned distributor of turf

products in this market today. Having tertiary

trained agronomists and trade qualified sales

professionals on staff, it is our focus to seek

to understand first that lets us provide smarter

results for clients. While you are visiting

living turf, ask about the ‘green and gold

Challenge’.

maredo bvStand 44

Maredo is a Dutch company that develops

innovative heads like coring, seeding and

sweeping for triplex greens mowers. now is

the time to use your triplex greens mower for

more than just mowing!!

maxwell & kemPStand 20

At M&K we have been servicing the golf and

sports turf industry with supply of chemical,

fertiliser, wetters, seed, hardware and

professional testing services since 1984. We

have seen a lot of change in this time and it

is great to see how professional the industry

is today. sales staff at M&K are all former

superintendents, which holds them in a great

position when dealing with our clients, in that

they have a firsthand understanding of the

client’s issues, needs and requirements.

We are proud to distribute for a wide range

of respected manufacturers and offer a range

of niche products in conjunction with the

mainstream ranges. We are an independent,

family owned and proud Australian Company

and we hope you come and pay us a visit

at stand 20 at the Australian turfgrass

Conference.

mCmahonsStand 90

Whether it is a single tee construction or

the development of a 27-hole golf course,

McMahons are specialists in the field having

provided services to the industry throughout

Australia for in excess of 20 years. remodelling

and renovation works are undertaken using

our specialist equipment operated by our

team of experienced operators.

there is a growing trend within the golfing

community to restore greens to their original

design. golf greens throughout their life will

undergo minor repair or modification works

in addition to regular maintenance regimes.

the result being many greens slowly deviate

from their original design and slowly, albeit

unnoticeably, change.

As many courses are looking to return

to their heritage design they are enlisting

technology to achieve exactly this. Our ability

to scale with flexibility to adapt to any size

project, benefits clubs in drawing on our

extensive experience and resources to satisfy

project requirements, affordably.

mentayStand 88

selecting the right cricket pitch roller is

important. some prefer water-ballasted rollers

while others choose a ride on roller with

a concrete-filled rear barrel. the gabba in

Brisbane has been using a Mentay 2000 for

years. the Allan Border fields have one as

well. We have developed a new roller, the

MAy-June 2014 53

Mentay 1200 Custom, ride-on cricket pitch

roller which is wider and those that use it love

it. scotch College in Melbourne saw it at a

trade show and asked us to deliver it to them

at the end of the show.

the Mentay 2000 ride on cricket pitch

roller with a petrol motor has a tare weight

of 860kg. Water ballasted the roller weighs

1660kg. the Mentay 2000 wicket roller has a

total weight of 2200kg with a water filled barrel

at the front and a concrete filled rear barrel.

nuturf australiaStand 91

nuturf, a division of Amgrow P/l, is a leading

distributor of products and agronomic

services specialising in the turf and amenity

horticulture industry in Australia. Our national

network of qualified sales specialists offers

advice and solutions in plant nutrition, plant

protection, seed, surfactants and colourants.

the core segments of the business which our

sales specialists focus on are golf courses,

sportsfields and amenity turf, spray contractors

and facility management, racetracks, schools,

turf farms, bowling greens, landscape,

industrial vegetation management

in addition to servicing the Australian

market, nuturf also operates in new Zealand,

fiji, China and singapore. nuturf continues to

look for new opportunities in overseas markets

to expand its international activities. nuturf’s

mission is to deliver to the Australian turf and

amenity horticulture industry products, service

and agronomic solutions above and beyond

the expectations of our valued clients. Our

commitment is to our customers, our staff,

the environment and the community. the

reputation and performance of our products

and service is critical in achieving growth and

business success, providing a great place to

work, and the delivery of our mission.

Website: www.nuturf.com.au. Organisation

street address: unit B2a, 3-29 Birnie Avenue

lidcombe nsW 2141. Call 1800 631 008 or

email [email protected]

on-Pin

Stand 19

On-Pin is now launching linksMap, a web-

based course management system with an

interactive aerial map of the golf course which

in conjunction with online reports is used to

manage a course’s logistical requirements

and succession planning. for the golf club

it will provide a live, constantly evolving,

permanent online library of course knowledge.

founded in 1998 On-Pin has grown from

its Australian roots into a global operation

with offices now in Australia, europe and Asia.

On-Pin is as passionate about enhancing

the golfer’s playing experience as it is about

providing the golf club with a management

solution that can have a significant impact

on the productivity and efficiency of the golf

operation.

Along with our international development

partners, On-Pin’s commitment to continual

improvement in technology, product

functionality and affordability has resulted in a

state-of-the-art range of gPs products to suit

the golf course management, superintendent,

individual golfer and fleet markets. this

commitment to excellence is built around

industry feedback over the past 14 years from

both golfers and club managers alike.

Qturf maChineryStand 38

Qturf Machinery is a Brisbane based company

specialising in the supply, installation and

support of aeration, topdressing and mowing

equipment used in the renovation and

maintenance of turfgrass on golf courses,

sportsfields and in parks and gardens

applications.

Qturf is the Australian and new Zealand

importer and distributor of the Wiedenmann

product range. Wiedenmann is one of the

leading manufacturers of high-class machines

for turf maintenance, dirt removal and

winter service. the comprehensive range of

implements for compact tractors and light-duty

utility vehicles is targeted towards commercial

and municipal customers. the main focus are

machines for turf regeneration, collection and

removal of grass and leaves, mower decks,

turf sweepers and sand spreaders as well as

sweepers for snow and dirt, snow blades and

salt spreaders. Wiedenmann make products

that are suited to every situation, such as

artificial turf maintenance, turf maintenance

and dirt removal.

Qturf Machinery is also the importer and

distributor of the fieldmaster range of high

quality, high productivity grass maintenance

equipment used extensively in the commercial

and municipal market as well as in the

agricultural industry. the range includes

machines for basic grass slashing and pasture

topping to dedicated heavy duty roadside

mower/slashers and fine park mowers.

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA

Pgg wrightson turf Stand 27

Pgg Wrightson turf is a leader in the

research and development of innovative

seed products for the Australasian turf

market. from our world class research

and development site at Kimihia research

Centre based in Christchurch, new

Zealand, we utilise the latest technology

advances to thoroughly evaluate products

before bringing them to the market.

Pgg Wrightson turf specifically selects

and breeds turfgrasses for Australasia’s

unique temperate environment. the

process of plant breeding involves

correctly selecting plants, both locally

sourced and from international germplasm,

that are genetically crossed, and back-

crossed, and then further selected for

the characteristics that are sought after

for the desired environment. from there,

the suitable plants are rigorously tested

in multiple turf trials spread throughout

Australasia, where only the elite cultivars

are finally selected for commercial

production.

Pgg Wrightson turf has partnerships

with Agresearch, stri (uK), nteP

(usA), AnteP (Australia), nZsti (nZ)

and PlAntwise (lincoln university,

new Zealand) and work with these

organisations to produce new cultivars

and technology. Pgg Wrightson turf

has qualified representatives on hand to

ensure the correct seed selection is made.

With representatives and facilities covering

Australia, we are well placed to cater for

customer’s needs, always delivering in a

timely fashion.

PlP golf and turf

Stand 79 PlP golf and turf is a division of Powerup

lawncare Products which operates under

the banner of family owned company, roy

gripske & sons Pty. ltd., a 100 per cent

Australian owned and operated company.

We are Australian distributors for Hustler

golf, ryan turf renovation products,

eastman Hover Mower, r&r products,

Bayco golf accessories, golfco rollers,

Mean green ii lapping paste and Accu-

products.

Our philosophy is to provide the golf

and turf industry with quality, affordable

products backed up by our customer

service team that is second to none. We

have an extensive sales team on the road –

servicing every state of Australia – ready to

answer any of your questions concerning

our products.

this year at the 30th Australian

turfgrass Conference and trade exhibition

you will be able to view all of our new

products on stand 79 from r&r, Bayco,

golfco and Accu-products . We look

forward to answering any of your questions

concerning our products or about us and

our vision.

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA



redeximStand 100

redexim continues to address the global

demand for more efficient turf renovation

and cleaning equipment for both natural and

synthetic turf. understanding these needs

and working closely with clients across all

facets of turf maintenance has led redexim

to developing and now offering over 120

specialised machines to meet these demands.

this comprehensive range include

pedestrian, self-propelled and tractor-

mounted machines to carry out these

maintenance practices including deep tine

aeration, slitting with ability for sand inlaying,

coring, scarification, raking, sweeping,

seeding, topdressing, stone buriers and

the comprehensive range of synthetic turf

maintenance products.

redexim’s reputation for quality, reliability,

multifunctional applications, ease of use and

high safety standards continues and remains

paramount in the quest to continue serving

the respective sectors of the turf industry. for

more information visit stand 100 and chat with

our representatives. www.redexim.com or call

0419 310 546.

signature Control systemsStand 41

signature can trace its roots in the irrigation

industry to over 100 years ago. since then,

signature Control systems has been dedicated

to providing the highest-quality products and

services in the golf, landscape and irrigation

industry. signature Control systems is an

industry leader in the design and manufacture

of intelligent golf, residential and commercial

irrigation equipment for golf courses, turfgrass

sites and landscape management. We will

be exhibiting sprinklers, intelligent irrigation

controllers, intelligent field satellites, valves,

sensors and accessories, electronic control

equipment, central control systems and site

management software.

We provide superintendents, landscape

managers and property managers direct

control of their irrigation system, water and

energy resources. With our global strategic

partners, we have more than 600 golf courses

installed with signature irrigation systems

worldwide. Many are in the top 100 golf

courses in the world. With our intelligent

control systems, golf course superintendents

have reduced their water usage between 20-30

per cent, thus supporting our environmental

awareness campaign and contributing to their

operational efficiency.

signature Control systems is now a

full line manufacturer and supplier to the

irrigation industry with products that cover

any installation requirement. Check out the

signature share web-based et Controllers.

smart traCk australiaStand 21

smart track Australia is proud to be exhibiting

its extensive range of turf protection products.

Come and talk to us about supa-trac and

i-trac, find out how they have been used

at stadiums and golf courses throughout

Australia and how they can help you!

supa-trac will provide superior turf

protection over any other product available

worldwide. supa-trac can be laid down for

longer periods than any comparable product,

without leaving bearing marks or feet circles.

this unique product is trafficable and at the

same time allows the turf to breath and

enhances growth. i-trac is an extremely heavy

duty roadway that will not damage the profile

or kill the grass. i-trac has been embraced by

stadia and major events as an answer to short-

term temporary access of heavy vehicles. With

turf replacement at $100m2, i-trac can save

you many thousands of dollars.

even if you don’t have an immediate need,

it will come up one day, so come and see us.

We will be happy to provide all the information

you may ever need, so when the unforseen

happens you won’t be left with the damage.

southern PaCifiC sandsStand 96

located at ningi, approximately 40km north

of Brisbane, southern Pacific sands is the

premier supplier of quality washed silica sands,

bio-retention filtration medium and As4419

simPlot PartnersStand 76 simplot Partners is amongst the largest

suppliers of professional turf products in the

world, with facilities throughout the western

usA, Asia and Australia. simplot welcomes

the opportunity to be involved in the 30th

Australian turfgrass Conference on the gold

Coast.

this year we will be introducing an

exclusive range of new specialty products

including one of the most advanced

surfactants direct from the usA. We will also

have on display our exclusive spectrum

technologies tools including the popular

tDr 300 plus a number of new released

products. We will also have on our stand

tony Braga from AAC to discuss the

simplot liquids which are considered the

most advanced turf liquid range on the

market including such names as liquiMaxx

greenMaxx, ferro-cious and Drop Zone

etc…

As per previous years we will be running

some promotions on the stand including

fantastic industry related prizes. Please

come and see us on the simplot Partners

stand – no. 76.

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA


rain bird australiaStand 99

A privately held company founded in

1933, rain Bird Corporation is the leading

manufacturer and provider of irrigation

products and services. since its beginnings,

rain Bird has offered the industry’s broadest

range of irrigation products for farms,

golf courses, sports arenas, commercial

developments and homes in more than 130

countries around the world.

rain Bird has been awarded more than

130 patents, including the first in 1935 for

the original horizontal action impact drive

sprinkler (u.s. patent #1997901), which

revolutionised the food production industry

and ushered in a new era in irrigation

worldwide. the original impact sprinkler

was designated a historic landmark in 1990

by the American society of Agricultural

engineers. today, rain Bird offers over

4000 irrigation products and services.

rain Bird is committed to the intelligent

use of Water™. it is our legacy to design

and manufacture only those products of

the highest value and quality. We work for

long-term, responsible partnerships with

our customers and our vendors. this is

who we are, and this is how we wish to be

perceived in the irrigation industry and our

communities.

SILVER SPONSORAGCSA

MAy-June 2014 55

soil products servicing Brisbane, south east

Queensland and beyond. established in 1993

southern Pacific sands has built a reputation

of providing high quality silica sand, soil

products and timely service, providing a truly

independent supply source of washed and

classified sands,

As a certified isO9001 quality

organisation, we are proud of our ability to

provide a range of products meeting specific

industry standards such as fAWB, As4419,

As4422 and DtMr (Dept of transport & Main

roads). from major projects or developments

requiring bulk supply, through to smaller

single load deliveries, southern Pacific sands

prides itself on the proven track record of

providing quality products, excellent service

and delivery.

southern Pacific sands has a diverse

customer base from metal casting foundries,

concrete and asphalt batching plants, civil

construction industry, local and international

supply of golf course construction and

maintenance material through to locomotive

grit for Queensland railways.

With significant proven reserves, southern

Pacific sands has the ability to provide

customers with the security of accessing a

long term supply of quality products.

sst australiaStand 7

sst Australia is a significant manufacturer

and supplier of soil moisture maintenance

aids and spray additives for the turf industry

in Australia and new Zealand. the principle

products supplied by sst include Aquaforce

(a premium highly penetrating soil wetting

agent), Broadwet (an irrigation applied soil

wetting agent), restore (an economical

general purpose soil wetting agent), Breakthru

gold (a highly effective corrective wetting

agent for severely water repellent areas) and

envirodye (an environmentally compatible

marker dyes for turf sprays).

sst Australia has recently introduced to

the market a new product known as Bi-Agra.

Bi-Agra is a highly effective moisture retention

aid which is easily applied to turfgrass and

sports areas that suffer from poor moisture

retention and consequent poor turf health

and vigour. independent trials have shown

that application of Bi-Agra can retain up to

five times the normal amount of moisture held

in the rootzone at field capacity. improved

appearance and vigour can be obtained with

half the amount of applied water to the turf,

enabling reduced irrigation requirements.

sst’s products are exclusively available

from globe Australia and in new Zealand from

PPg Wrightson turf.

strathayr turf systemsStand 86

strathAyr is a turf producer, a developer of

natural turf technology and a world-leader

in sportsfield and racetrack construction

techniques. strathAyr has turf farms in

Victoria and tasmania and grow a full range

of turf varieties for supply to major sport and

racing facilities and the domestic market. turf

varieties include: legend couchgrass, Village

green kikuyu, sir Walter Buffalo lawn turf,

rtf tall fescue, santa ana couch, Penn g2

bentgrass and Penn A1/A4 bentgrass

strathAyr turf systems is based at our

Victorian farm. We specialise in the reflex

reinforced strathAyr system for sportsfields

and racetracks and also construct high quality

unreinforced sand profile sportsfields. We

also produce MegAyr turf – instant use,

50mm thick turf reinforced with reflex mesh

elements. this product is ideal for use on both

sportsfields and racetracks.

Other strathAyr products include:

removable natural turf systems for stadia,

tennis and racecourses; permanent natural

turf system for stadia and racecourses;

‘drop-in’ portable cricket wickets; and natural

instant turf teplacement products. We have

recently completed the construction of a sand

profile field for the richmond football Club

at Punt road with other projects including

Moe racetrack, Kensington track at royal

randwick and Adelaide Oval.

suPaturfStand 16

An Australian company established in 1992

with experience spanning nearly 20 years,

supaturf provides a complete line marking

system for professional use on grass sports

surfaces – everything you need available

from one single supplier who specialises

only in this area with all products made in

Australia. While providing consistent and

quality service, supaturf accurately defines

and meets specific line marking and logo

requirements. Because of this experience we

have developed a strong and loyal customer

base from local football clubs through to

professional stadia.

internationally recognised in the design

and manufacture of line marking systems,

supaturf has introduced a new and improved

formulation. Our new superior, environmental

line marking liquids and sophisticated

production methods now create a brighter,

whiter and longer lasting product.

supaturf has representatives in ACt,

Victoria and nsW and distributors in WA,

sA, tasmania, Queensland, nt, Central

Coast nsW, south Coast nsW, nZ and new

Caledonia. Visit www.supaturf.com.au or call

(02) 6040 4808 to find out how supaturf can

streamline your line marking requirements.

the groundsmanStand 64

the groundsman is your premier resource

for buying and selling new and used turf

and landscaping equipment. Why? Because

the groundsman is the first place turf care

professionals turn to when looking to buy the

right equipment for the right price.

Visit stand 64 for free copies of the

special turfgrass trade exhibition edition

of the groundsman and get the info you

30th australian turfgrass ConferenCemaJor sPonsor

syngenta australia Stand 39

syngenta has an ongoing commitment

toward creating specialist turf management

solutions and services for the golf industry,

combining innovative, commercially viable

and environmentally responsible ways

for superintendents and turf managers to

achieve consistently high levels of playing

surface quality. As the game of golf evolves

to embrace new markets, we are gaining

an even greater understanding of the

challenges that superintendents face in

terms of maintaining and developing the

courses of tomorrow.

Our products and services have been

developed through significant investment in

research and development, harnessing the

latest discoveries in science and technology

to provide new ways to enhance courses

worldwide. Alongside our product range,

we share our insight and expertise through

education, support and advice – helping our

customers to get the most from their time

and resources by promoting best practice

usage.

syngenta is one of the world’s leading

companies, with over 27,000 employees

in over 90 countries dedicated to bringing

plant potential to life.

GOLD SPONSORAGCSA



need for your next purchase. Have it on

hand for reference when making enquiries

with advertisers that are also attending and

exhibiting at the trade exhibition. Ask about

the benefits of becoming a member of the

groundsman and how the latest technology

is being embraced to make it easier to source

and sell your machinery and equipment.

looking to market your business or

product? Discuss how the groundsman

can offer marketing strategies using printed

products, the internet and social media to get

you and your products noticed by your target

market. got something to sell? Visit stand 64

to receive special offers and discounts only

available to turfgrass attendees! We look

forward to meeting you!

total edenStand 26

total eden has been a supplier to the irrigation,

turf, water treatment and agricultural market

for the last 50 years. We pride ourselves

on providing complete and sustainable

solutions involving quality products, expertise

and service. Putting customers first is

fundamental to the way we do business and it

is this ethos that has helped make us one of

Australia’s premier suppliers of quality water

management products and services.

Our nationwide service network and

personnel, who understand the specific needs

of the market, make total eden your smart

choice supplier. total eden offer products

and services across a range of applications

including pumps (pressure, stormwater and

sewage), a range of irrigation sprinklers,

complete filtrations systems, controller

and solenoid valve systems for irrigation

applications, PVC and poly pressure pipes,

valves and fittings.

By dealing with one supplier for your

water, fluid and environmental management

projects, you can improve your bottom

line through increasing your logistical and

operational efficiencies. Our experience

in delivering successful turn-key water

management systems for both small and

large projects makes us a market leader in

the industry. Come and see us at stand 25 to

discuss the solutions we can offer you.

triangle waterQuiPStand 93

triangle Waterquip is an Australian owned

company that has been established for

30 years as a manufacturer, distributor of

irrigation equipment to the golf course, turf

and agricultural irrigation markets. Our head

office is located in Melbourne with branch

offices in Perth, sydney and Brisbane. Key

contacts are managing director Wally Menke

and national marketing manager gary Horton.

A range of the filtaworx stainless steel

Australian made, fully automatic self-cleaning

screen filters, that have developed a strong

reputation for reliability and dependability

even in the most difficult of water conditions,

will be on display. Additionally we will be

exhibiting a comprehensive range of electric

fertigation injection pumps which can be

installed to operate fully automatic with a

controller and sensors or as a manually

controlled system.

should your requirements be as simple

as applying wetting agent on an irregular

basis or injecting acid for pH correction, we

will have equipment on display to suit your

needs. Other products on display will include

water meters, hydraulic control valves, impact

sprinklers and manual filtration equipment.

tru-turfStand 89

tru-turf – the original turf rolling company

that brought you such things as the patented

tri-roller smoothing heads. tru-turf greens

rollers are renowned for their ability to follow

the most contoured of greens with even

ground pressure, utilising design, not weight,

to produce a tru-turf surface.

Our latest stealthy r52-eltac machine

will be making its first appearance at the

show with its AC electric motor and belt drive

turf drain australiaStand 17

turf Drain Australia specialises in sports field

slit drainage and sports field construction

projects, including the design and

construction of turf bowling greens and turf

cricket wickets. We have been successfully

installing these types of projects across

Australia for over 30 years and have

developed an industry-proven reputation

for our quality, service and experience. All

projects we complete are either the drainage

or construction of sports field surfaces.

turf Drain Australia offers the following

services; sports field slit drainage –

design and construction; sports field –

design and construction; laser controlled

trenching, gPs guided and two-way laser

controlled grading, turf wicket construction

to international standard; bowling green

construction; and sanding and grooving

turf Drain Australia brings our vast

experience, the right equipment and

a proven track record to every project.

Plus we own and operate all of our highly

specialised and purpose built equipment.

this means that we can ensure that we

achieve a successful outcome for our clients

on any project that we undertake.

turf Drain Australia is proud of our

reputation and we are continually ongoing in

our efforts to develop innovative machinery,

processes and methodologies that will

continue to improve sports field slit drainage

and construction projects.

BRONZE SPONSORAGCSA


toro australiaStand 102

toro Australia was founded over 40 years

ago and is a wholly owned subsidiary of

the toro Company. toro Australia today is

a leading nationwide supplier of mowers,

turf care and construction equipment

that caters for golf, turf, sports fields and

grounds, professional landscape contractor,

residential and hire and rental markets. toro

Australia has also expanded to become the

largest single supplier of irrigation products

to landscape, agricultural, turf care and

domestic garden markets.

toro Australia continues to provide

unparalleled service and new technical

advances across all of its ever-expanding

fleet and irrigation products. each piece

of equipment is designed to make the job

safer, easier, more economical and kinder

to the environment. toro Australia’s highly

efficient golf sprinklers and controllers

can help you save time, money and water

and ultimately deliver improved playing

conditions.

Built on a legacy of excellence and

innovation, toro Australia offers a range of

commercial turf management equipment,

irrigation products, quality used machinery,

spare parts and a reputation for service and

support like no other.

PLATINUM SPONSORAGCSA

MAy-June 2014 57

making it even quieter. this new model will

roll in excess of 25 greens on a single charge,

while effortlessly maintaining its rolling speed

up or down hills. the unique and easily

operated, built in trailer includes built in axles

and trailer arms. When combined with the

rugged lightweight features of tru-turf greens

rollers, they’re ready to take on the world’s

most demanding golf courses. tru-turf greens

rollers are used extensively on the PgA tour,

Champions tour and the Web.Com tour.

We will also be releasing the new frH-

108 fairway rolling heads. they’re five heads

that attach in the place of the cutting heads to

a fairway mower, so as to allow the fairways

to be rolled for a fraction of the cost of the

current dedicated machine on the market.

turfCraft internationalStand 24

this year’s Australian turfgrass Conference

will continue the long association between

turfCraft international and the event. turfCraft

editor Alastair Dowie was invited to be on

the organising committee of the Millennium

conference and turfCraft has been an

exhibitor and supporter for many years.

Once again the stand will be manned

by Alastair and turfCraft sales manager ed

Kryskow. the pair invites all current and

past subscribers to the magazine to come

and have a chat and pass on any feedback

regarding the magazine and how it can meet

the needs of the readers and its valuable

advertisers. turfCraft also welcomes new

subscriber inquiries and has a range of

features that are relevant for turf managers

and staff from all sectors of the industry.

this year the stand will also feature

demonstrations and information on the

recently upgraded turfCraft international

website. Alastair and ed will be available

throughout the trade show to discuss the

website and how readers and advertisers

can take advantage of the site. turfCraft is on

stand 24 so drop in for a visit.

ventraCStands 3&5

take the risk out of the operation. Ventrac will

provide you a level of stability and comfort

that is unmatched while operating on severe

inclines. see the simplicity and versatility

that Ventrac has to offer with its 30 plus

attachments and the ease of changing from

one to the other.

if it’s slopes, undulations, leaves,

trenching, grinding down those unwanted

stumps, then Ventrac can offer a solution. get

more bang for your buck with a product that

lets you do more than just mow.

also exhibiting…river sands (85).

Disclaimer: the exhibitor listings and stand

numbers above were correct at the time of this

edition of AtM going to print. Any changes will

be announced during the conference sessions

or notified through the official conference app.

ThE AGCsA WishEs To ThAnk PrinCiPAl ConfErEnCE sPonsors


facilitiesfacilities

Never have golf clubs been under more

pressure to reduce expenditure than in the

current economic climate. Ask many course

superintendents around the country and they will

impart stories of how their maintenance budgets

have been cut back or frozen. Capital investment

in course maintenance equipment and replacement

of larger, more expensive infrastructure items are

often put off or ignored at many facilities, which isn’t

surprising because the need to reduce spending is

understandable when income is down.

However, few golf facilities compute the cost of

not investing in infrastructure items. in some cases,

the cost of not investing can be considerable,

though it is not immediately obvious and it is

difficult to quantify. in short, there are times when

it is financially impossible or unwise to invest in

infrastructure items, but before deciding to pull the

plug on needed improvements, carefully consider

the cost of not making them.

You may find it surprising, but there are times

when golf facilities simply cannot afford not to invest

in infrastructure. even in the best economic times,

it can be challenging to convince golfers to invest

in infrastructure that they do not believe will directly

benefit them. irrigation systems, drainage projects,

maintenance equipment (especially machinery

needed for much-hated cultivation programmes)

and maintenance facilities quickly come to mind as

examples.

Historically, courses have been very slow

to invest in maintenance facilities, despite their

enormous impact on nearly all golf course

maintenance activities. While plenty of courses have

newer or upgraded maintenance facilities, few are

top notch. regrettably, many courses are struggling

with substandard facilities. in case you are in denial

and think that your facility ‘isn’t that old’, you may

be surprised to learn that maintenance facilities that

were state-of-the-art 15-20 years ago may now be

deficient in certain areas.

Why? golf course presentation and maintenance

practices have changed dramatically in the last

20 years and equipment has become increasingly

specialised to cater for this. equipment inventories

have expanded in response to the increase in

specialisation and maintenance facilities must

adjust to accommodate larger equipment fleets.

Change also may be necessary due to differences

in staff levels and make-up, local, state or federal

regulations or to account for environmental issues

and concerns.

Is your maintenance facility

a liability? Is it costing

the club money? Is it

interfering with your course

maintenance operations?

David Oatis asks whether

your club can afford not to

invest in a new or upgraded

maintenance facility.

Historically, courses have been slow to invest in

maintenance facilities, despite their enormous impact

on nearly all golf course maintenance activities

Golf course maintenance equipment is expensive. Every piece of equipment should be kept in a clean, dry environment and protected from the elements, have its own storage space and be accessible without having to move other equipment

time toupgrade?time toupgrade?

MAY-june 2014 59

s

Here are a few questions to help determine if

your golf course maintenance facility is up to date:l Does your maintenance facility provide a safe

working environment for your employees?l Does it provide a comfortable, efficient working

environment, or is it a hardship and a challenge

that must be overcome?l Does it effectively protect your equipment

assets?l Does it increase efficiency, or does it drag your

maintenance staff down and cost your course

money?l Does your maintenance facility help attract and

retain quality employees, or is it a deterrent?l Does your maintenance facility protect the

environment, or is it a liability?

reviewing the strengths and weaknesses

of your maintenance facility is a very worthwhile

exercise. You may find that your maintenance facility

is costing you money in ways you never considered,

and some fixes may be relatively inexpensive. to get

started, let’s first answer a few questions.

PurPOsethe obvious question is, ‘What precisely is the

purpose of a golf course maintenance facility?’ A

maintenance facility is not just an equipment repair

or equipment storage facility, an office or a locker

room. it must allow for proper care and organisation

of all things related to staff, planning and equipment

necessary to conduct golf course turf management

programmes, projects and activities. in the simplest

possible terms, it serves as the centre from which

all golf course maintenance activities emanate. A

weakness that affects operational efficiency can

adversely affect nearly all maintenance activities.

Often maintenance facilities began their life as

something else. if your maintenance building was

originally intended to be something else, chances

are good that it is not ideally suited to its current

purpose. if it was built in a different era, it may simply

be too small. such deficiencies can often be worked

around but they can still impact efficiency.

APPeArAnceWhen it comes to maintenance facilities, many

clubs take an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach.

Maintenance facilities often are disdainfully referred

to as the “shed.” unfortunately, the name sometimes

fits. it is important to recognise that the appearance

of the maintenance facility has an impact on the

staff. if your maintenance facility is old, dirty,

disorganised, worn out, in disrepair or unattractive,

the effect it has on staff will not be positive.

the questions to ask include:l Does the appearance of your facility have a

negative impact on staff morale? Clearly, this

is difficult to assess, but if the staff don’t take

pride in their work it may be because they are

influenced by their surroundings.

Do not confuse an inadequate facility with one that is sloppy and rundown. A facility like this will make it hard to attract and retain quality employees

Available from Globe Australia Pty Ltd Ph (02) 8713 5555 SST Australia Pty Ltd Ph (03) 9720 6306

Special purpose wetting agents and moisture maintenance aids for optimum turf health

Optimize water usage for turf with SST Products


facilitiesfacilitiess l Does an unkempt appearance foster a lack of

care and respect for maintenance equipment

and the course? if it appears that you don’t

care about the cleanliness and care of the

maintenance facility, why should the feelings

of your employees be any different toward

equipment or the golf course?l Does your maintenance facility have an impact

on your ability to attract new employees and

retain quality ones? think about it. if looking for

a new job, what sort of operation would you be

most attracted to? A clean, neat, professional

maintenance facility will be much more inviting

to prospective employees than one that is

cramped, dilapidated, dirty and disorganised.

if the maintenance facility looks so bad that

it adversely affects staff morale or is making it

harder to attract and retain quality employees, then

it is already costing you money. However, do not

confuse a poor maintenance facility with one that

is disorganised and run down. Many facilities can

be improved with good organisation and regular

maintenance. spring cleaning, reorganisation and

some paint could have a very positive effect if the

space and building(s) are adequate.

equIPment AnD stOrAgegolf course maintenance equipment is expensive.

Many of the machines used for care and conditioning

of the course are complex and have a high degree

of sophistication and precision. thus, every piece

of equipment should be kept in a clean, dry

environment and protected from the elements. for

the sake of organisation, each piece should have its

own storage space and most equipment should be

accessible without having to move other equipment.

the exceptions would be less frequently used items

such as aerators, topdressers, seeders and the like.

Here is the million-dollar question regarding

equipment storage: How much of your maintenance

equipment is kept outside and left fully exposed

to, or perhaps only marginally protected from, the

elements? What constitutes ‘marginal’ protection?

Dusty, leaky buildings, lean-tos or equipment stored

in trailers or beneath tarps all constitute marginal

protection. equipment is often brought indoors wet

from washing after use or from precipitation, so the

storage environment should be dry and ventilated

to hasten drying.

in order to assess how insufficient your storage

situation is, complete the following exercise:l Calculate the new replacement value of every

single piece of equipment that is left outside or

is only marginally protected.l Be sure to count everything. this includes items

big and small, such as backhoes, dump trucks,

mower and construction trailers, cultivation

equipment, etc. even an old tractor that is

only used a few weeks a year has value, so be

sure to account for every piece of equipment,

regardless of how old or how seldom it is used.

it is not uncommon for golf facilities to have

several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of

equipment poorly protected. this results in several

obvious costs. the equipment will deteriorate and

break down more often. this results in higher

repair costs and a shorter lifespan. Also consider

the impact untimely breakdowns have on the golf

schedule. Breakdown of specialised cultivation

equipment stretches out aeration, which is already

a disruptive and disliked operation for course

superintendents and golfers alike.

Mowers and other equipment lose precision

more quickly and this can become noticeable as

course conditions eventually decline. Operational

efficiency is lost and daily jobs take longer to

perform. When daily jobs take longer to perform

because of unreliable equipment, other secondary

or ‘detail’ jobs may not get done.

Another important question is, ‘How much of

the equipment needs to be moved every day?’ in

facilities where space is limited, equipment often

is packed tightly together in an effort to get as

much of it indoors as possible. this creates several

significant problems:l equipment that is parked too closely together is

often subject to damage. the dreaded hydraulic

oil leak may be the result of a hydraulic hose

worn out from normal use, or the hose could

have been damaged by another piece of

equipment while moving in or out of storage. Do

not let it be the latter.l A significant amount of time and labour is

wasted when equipment must be moved twice

a day regardless of whether it is used. if this

sounds familiar, calculate the number of labour

hours required to get equipment in and out

each day and multiply it by the number of days

in a week/month/year. the amount of labour

wasted on shuttling equipment in and out of the

maintenance facility may be shocking.l Keep in mind the number of cold starts that

engines sustain when they have to be moved

twice a day or more. Much of engine wear

occurs when engines are first started, so more

cold starts translates to greater engine wear.

Equipment parked too closely together is often subject to damage. The dreaded hydraulic oil leak may be the result of damage caused by another piece of equipment while

moving it in or out of the facility

How much of your maintenance equipment is kept outside and left fully exposed to, or perhaps only

marginally protected from, the elements?

MAY-june 2014 61

s

HAnD-tOOl stOrAgestorage of hand tools represents a unique challenge

because they need to be accessed quickly and

easily. furthermore, many hand tools are awkward

and heavy and they come in myriad shapes and

sizes. improper storage can result in expensive

power hand tools (whippersnippers, hedge trimmers

etc…) being damaged. staff also can be injured

when improperly stored tools unexpectedly fall

down on them.

so, how are your hand tools stored?l Are hand tools neatly organised so that they can

be quickly located and accessed easily, or are

they a jumbled, disorganised mess?l is there frequently a line of staff at the start and

end of the workday getting hand tools out and

putting them away?l Are hand tools organised so that you can

quickly assess inventory?

equIPment mAIntenAnce AnD rePAIr given the huge investment in golf course equipment,

careful attention must be paid to its maintenance

and repair. An adequately sized, well-organised

work area can save time and money. following

are a few points to consider when evaluating your

equipment repair area:l lighting and climate control must be considered

with respect to adequacy and energy efficiency.

l it is imperative that the repair area be separate

from the primary traffic flow pattern. if traffic

flows through the repair area, work flow will be

disrupted and parts and tools can be lost or

misplaced.l equipment maintenance and repair can be

noisy, so the workshop should be located away

from areas designated for staff.l Certain maintenance tasks (e.g.: grinding,

painting and woodworking) require specialised

equipment and/or facilities.l for efficient repair and maintenance of

equipment, especially given larger equipment

fleets and the complexity of modern equipment,

Storage of hand tools represents a unique challenge because they need to be accessed quickly and easily, are often awkward and heavy and come in myriad shapes and sizes

If you’ve got the turf,

we’ve got the equipment solution.

Equipment Solutions Pty Ltd. Our name says it all. We lead the way in the Australian turf industry, with the best and most comprehensive and innovative range of equipment available.

8 Hexham Place, Wetherill Park NSW 2164 Phone 02 9827 1310 Fax 02 9756 1513 Email [email protected]

THATCHAWAYS

SEEDERS

AERATION/DECOMPACTION

TOP DRESSERS

ARTICULATED MOWERS

BLECAVATORS

DEBRIS BLOWERS

VC60 FIRST PRODUCTS SCARIFIER

SOD CUTTERS

VACS/RENOVATION

Come and see our new products at Stand 80.


facilitiesfacilities

equipment lifts are now considered a standard

feature rather than a luxury. equipment lifts

require high ceilings and plenty of space, which

many older facilities do not have.l Having repair parts accessible is critical to

keeping the equipment fleet running efficiently.

thus, it is important to keep parts organised and

secure so that inventory can be monitored and

parts quickly accessed. this requires adequate

space and storage shelving or the like. l saving old equipment for parts is both good

and bad. A field full of old, broken-down and

partially disassembled equipment gives a

messy, unprofessional image. By the same

token, keeping old equipment for parts can save

money. A balance must be struck.l equipment technicians are critically important

to a smooth-running golf operation and a

substandard maintenance facility may limit the

ability to attract qualified personnel.

stAff fAcIlItIesMaintenance facilities adequate for 5-8 employees

will become overcrowded with 12 staff members

and very uncomfortable and inefficient with 15-20.

Overcrowding causes a number of problems:l storage of personal gear is frequently a problem

when space is limited. Maintenance staff

members work outside in the elements, so they

need a variety of jackets, sweaters, raingear,

shoes, boots, etc. l inevitably, clothing gets wet with perspiration and/

or precipitation. if it is stored without adequate

ventilation, odours develop and clothing can be

ruined. Without adequate facilities, staff usually

resort to spreading wet clothing over equipment

or somewhere else in the facility. this creates an

unprofessional and unattractive mess.l some facilities issue employees uniforms and

personal protection equipment. Overcrowding

makes it very difficult to keep track of personal

items and uniforms.l undersized lunch rooms may force staff to

take breaks outdoors or in equipment storage

or repair areas. When kitchen facilities are too

small, lunch and break time may cut into work

time.l superintendents are responsible for training staff

on a variety of issues, which means meeting

facilities are necessary. usually, the lunch/break

room can double as a meeting room, but it must

be large enough to do so.l separate, climate-controlled office and meeting

space is necessary for the superintendent,

assistant superintendents and equipment

technicians.

sAfety AnD envIrOnmentAl Issuesit goes without saying that proper storage of fuel,

pesticides and fertilisers is critically important for

practical, legal and environmental reasons. these

materials are expensive, so common sense and

regulations dictate that they be kept secure.

Accidental spills represent significant concerns.

the long-term effects of equipment washing

and pesticide mixing and loading operations also

must be considered. Be sure to check local, state

and federal ordinances regarding containment and

rinsate storage of these materials. requirements

vary throughout Australia, but no golf facility can

afford to be deficient when it comes to safety and

environmental issues.

sOlutIOnsVisiting maintenance facilities at other golf courses

is very helpful in gauging how deficient your facility

may be and for identifying possible solutions.

including course committee members, owners, or

other decision makers on maintenance facility tours

helps to educate and communicate the needs of

your facility.

Consulting with architects who specialise in

designing golf course maintenance facilities can

also be enlightening. Have a conversation with your

insurance agent and get input regarding possible

safety and liability concerns for your maintenance

facility. Developing a master plan for upgrading your

facility is an excellent first step.

new construction and total replacement may

be the best solution, but when this is not feasible,

smaller improvements can help tremendously.

identify what can be accomplished and develop a

manageable implementation plan. Here are a few

things that can be done on a budget:l Organise and clean the existing structure. A

good spring cleaning and a coat of paint can do

wonders.

An adequately sized, well-organised and well-equipped workshop area

can save significant time and money

Visiting recently constructed maintenance facilities at other

courses is very helpful in gauging how deficient your facility may be

and for identifying possible solutions

MAY-june 2014 63

l Clean and upgrade kitchen, bathroom and

locker-room facilities.l Assign staff to maintain the facility so it is kept

clean, neat and organised.l evaluate the equipment inventory and determine

if the fleet can be trimmed or whether it should

be expanded.

Also consider reorganisation options that add

space and/or re-purpose existing space. A few

examples include:l if storage is an issue, it may be feasible to

add a cold-storage facility. this can usually

be accomplished with reasonable expense,

and it may free up other space and improve

operational efficiency significantly.l if the repair area is inadequate, adding space by

constructing an additional building or adding to

the existing building is worth consideration.l if office space is lacking, consider adding a

separate facility for offices. An office portable

can provide an economical solution.l if staff facilities are limited, a separate building

for all staff activities may be the solution. Be sure

to include a mud or drying room.l Purchasing extra microwave ovens and/or

toaster ovens and larger coffee makers are

simple solutions to help staff enjoy their breaks.

cOnclusIOn

Your golf course may not currently have the funds

available to build a new maintenance facility.

However, understanding the deficiencies of your

facility and how they impact maintenance activities,

budget and care of the course is the first step toward

improving the situation.

Maintenance equipment, staff and their activities

and programmes represent a huge expense and

are vitally important to the success of a golf facility.

improving the protection of equipment and material

assets combined with more efficient maintenance

operations makes a big impact on the bottom line.

they can also have a favourable impact on the

golfer experience.

there are many other areas of turf maintenance

facilities worthy of examination. this article cannot

address them all. As such, if your facility is weak in the

areas discussed, then it is a good bet that there are

other areas that need upgrading and modernisation

as well. given the impact maintenance facilities

have on the efficiency of all course-care activities,

improvements here can elevate course conditions,

enhance golfer satisfaction and even save money in

ways you may never realise.

AcknOwleDgementsDavid Oatis is the director of the USGA Green

Section’s Northeast Region. This article has been

reprinted with permission from the April 4 2014, Vol

52 (7) edition of the USGA Green Section Record.

Copyright USGA. All rights reserved.

Does your maintenance facility help attract and retain quality employees, or is it a deterrent?

l Nata accredited laboratory analysis available on all turf sandsl Top dressing sandsl Turf construction sand blends (i.e Simonds Stadium Geelong)l Bio retention blendsl Greens, fairways and tee sandsl NSS have been trading for over fifty yearsl Delivering to golf, race and

sportsfields Victoria wide including interstate

Contact: Chris Dunoon 0418 522 390 David Dunoon 0409 235 008

www.newcombsand.com.au


constructionconstruction

The first

weekend

of May

2014 saw

the official opening of

Gardiners Run Golf Course

in Melbourne’s north east.

Course superintendent

Alan Greatorex provides

the final instalment in his

ongoing series about the

development of the new

course.

By the time this edition of AtM hits your shed,

the new gardiners run golf Course will have

been open for play for just over a month. An

official opening ceremony was held on the afternoon

of friday 2 May with nearly 300 eager members

taking to the course over the following two days,

signalling the start of a new era for the club.

to say that they were champing at the bit

would be an understatement. the new Pacific Coast

Design course has been under construction for the

past 28 months and with the old Chirnside Park

course reduced to nine holes during this time, the

members were suffering withdrawal.

since the last article in Volume 16.2, which

looked specifically at greens construction, work has

continued apace with the countdown to opening

day looming. Construction works as such finished

in early April with the last of the bunkers being

completed with drainage, bunker mat installed and

sand placed. it was then time to focus on preparing

the course as best as possible for opening day and

beyond.

GRow, GRow, GRowAt this point our main focus was on establishing

a full coverage of santa Ana couchgrass on the

back nine fairways, green surrounds and Penn g2

bentgrass greens. As mentioned in past articles,

due to delays in getting access to the back nine

holes, they were planted almost a year behind the

front nine. With all tees (santa Ana) and the front

nine holes already having a good coverage, it was

just a matter of increasing mowing regimes to pull

them into shape.

Based on recommendations from our turf

consultants, the decision was made in January

2014 to hold off on any herbicide applications on

the back nine fairways during the summer-autumn

Green light for

GardinersGreen light for

Gardiners

With construction finishing in early April, the focus in the final weeks before opening was on preparing the course as best as possible. Pictured is the 6th

Alan Greatorex


MArCh-APril 2014 65

s

period so as to maximise the growth of the santa

Ana before the onset of any cooler weather and

winter dormancy.

Melbourne’s weather during this late summer/

autumn period was kind in this regard with a

very warm run, including very mild overnight

temperatures, which meant the couch continued

to spread and cover over. the downside of

this decision, however, has been that the weed

infestation in these fairways makes them look a

bit ugly, but with constant mowing and a gradual

eradication programme over the winter months they

will still provide an acceptable playing surface.

it has definitely been the correct decision and

we are all looking forward to the following spring/

summer to really clean up the back nine fairways

and have a pure santa Ana surface. A spring

topdressing will also be beneficial in providing a

smoother surface.

fertiliser in the form of granular nitrophoska was

applied at 75-100kg/ha every 21 days during this

period to maximise growth. Cutting heights have

been at 15mm to encourage lateral growth and this

height will remain right through the first winter. tees

and surrounds have received similar applications of

fertiliser, but are being cut at a height of 18mm. At

this stage that height will remain going into the first

winter in an attempt to maintain adequate coverage

and wear resistance.

it is always difficult to resist the temptation and

pressure to lower the height of cut and increase the

mowing frequency as i already feel as if we have cut

too short, too quickly and too often with the growing

conditions slowing going into winter.

greens were cut at a height of 4mm for the

opening and even at this height there were some

signs of minor scalping, exposing the crown of the

plant and making them vulnerable to disease and

lessening its ability to handle the onslaught of daily

play.

the main issue with the greens is that the back

nine are relatively young and immature having been

planted in the height of summer 2013-2014. it wasn’t

an ideal time to plant, especially with temperatures

hitting the 40 degree mark on a number of occasions

and over consecutive days.

the need to establish a healthy rootzone was

of paramount importance so as to have a stable

firm base that would allow us to put a ride-on

greensmower on them without leaving wheel marks.

As it is we started this mowing regime in late March

2014 which i believe has been too early resulting in

some minor corrugations which will require some

rolling to iron them out.

phoT

os: b

ReTT

Rob

inso

n

Main photo: Some 28 months after construction started, Gardiners Run officially opened the first

weekend of May. Pictured is the par 3 16th green

Gardiners’ par three 11th

MArCh-APril 2014 65


constructionconstructions By contrast, with the front nine greens being

in the ground a lot longer, the issue with them was

that they had become a little long and ‘puffy’. the

challenge was to bring the height down gradually

and at the same time topdress heavily to establish

a firm surface ready for play. these greens could

handle the ride-on mowers without any corrugations

and could also tolerate the small Dakota topdresser.

All the greens will benefit from a regular mowing

regime now that we are open for play and with a

regular dusting programme and light grooming it

won’t be long before they are all behaving the same.

leading up to opening day the greens were cut

daily with the perimeter cut done with a pedestrian

mower to lessen the wheel marks of the ride-on

mowers ringing the green. A week out from opening

a final application of fungicide, wetting agent, amino

acid emulsion, seaweed, liquid fertiliser and trace

elements was made to give them a shiny glow.

One of the biggest challenges in relation to the

greens has been controlling the duck population

and their ravenous grazing habits. We have three

greens (12, 16 and 18) that are sub-standard due

to the fact that the ducks have continually harvested

areas not allowing the bent grass to spread laterally

and knit together.

some areas have been seeded 3-4 times in an

attempt to cover but the ducks just pluck out the

newly germinating seed. in the end we covered

these areas with chicken wire laid on the ground

until the plant had enough maturity to cover over

and were able to cope with regular low mowing

which in turn helped discourage the ducks. A heavy

fertiliser programme was also implemented to push

the growth along faster than the ducks could eat it

which then required a daily mowing programme.

posiTive sTARTDespite some inclement weather hanging around,

the opening weekend went well with morning and

afternoon shotgun starts on both the saturday and

sunday. the course stood up exceptionally well

considering the numbers and conditions and even

the following day it looked like it only had normal

wear and tear.

the course was set up to be easy off the middle

markers, but the following week were able to provide

a full challenge by setting the course up off the

back markers and setting some more aggressive

pin positions. feedback from the members was

overwhelmingly positive with many commenting that

it was great to finally play a course that had been

built to be ‘member-friendly’. so far, so good.

looking back over the project, one of the most

pleasing aspects from a superintendent perspective

has been the opportunity given to me by the

Chirnside Park Country Club, Pacific Coast Design,

Densal, A&M Watering (irrigation) and JW reid

Builders (maintenance facility) to be actively involved

in the decision-making process and construction of

a new golf course.

With all new projects there are always challenging

situations that require changes to the original design

and i am grateful to those involved in allowing me

to contribute to the successful establishment of the

new gardiners run golf Course.

A couRSe foR the MeMBeRS

on 3 May 2014, Pacific Coast Design director Paul reeves and i played 18 holes

at the opening of the new gardiners run golf Course. it is always very satisfying

to play golf on one of your own designs that has been nurtured through many

(many) days of planning, discussion, design, redesign and on-site work. it was even

more so in respect to gardiners run as PCD have been involved for over 12 years, from

the original application process through to opening.

it is never easy building a golf project in Australia and to be honest i really think

that it would not have happened at Chirnside without the club general manager Barbara

Kelly and a core of their committee that stayed right through the process. Alan greatorex

(superintendent) and the Densal team (construction) were at many times stretched by

external issues but also just got on with the job and were great.

Paul and i really enjoyed our round with the club president and treasurer, we really

had fun and were very happy with the way the course had come out. however, the test

was when we got back to the club and were confronted by the field of 150 members who

had also played that day. thankfully there was not one that did not have a huge smile on

their face. My favourite comment… “thank god we got what we asked for; not a monster,

but a great course for the members”.

phil RyAnDiReCToR, pACifiC CoAsT DesiGn

Looking down the par five 2nd with the par three 3rd and Dandenong Ranges in the background. the front nine holes are a full season ahead of the back nine in terms of turf maturity

Looking across to the par four dogleg opening hole

Some greens and surrounds needed to be covered with chicken wire to deter ducks from grazing the

establishing turf

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researchresearch

University of Western

Australia researchers

Pieter Poot, Gausul Azam,

Louise Barton and Tim

Colmer outline a new

three-year Horticulture

Australia Limited-funded

project to investigate

whether incorporating soil

amendments can reduce

water use of turfgrass

when grown in a sandy

soil.

Many Australian cities face future water short-

ages and in Perth substantial water deficits

are predicted to develop as early as 2020. A

significant proportion of Perth’s annual water use of

562 gigalitres is associated with turfgrass irrigation,

with over 10 per cent used in community parks and

gardens alone. in addition, a substantial fraction of

household water is used for watering home gardens,

including lawns.

Although much of this water is extracted from

private garden bores, water restrictions have been

introduced for scheme water, as well as private bore

water, in response to increasing water demands

and environmental concerns related to groundwater

over-extraction. thus, turfgrass managers, including

home owners, will face ongoing water restrictions,

likely affecting turfgrass quality and growth.

Public green spaces are important for

maintaining community physical and mental health,

so research into avenues of how to maintain

turfgrass quality under limited irrigation is essential.

Maintaining turfgrass under limited water supply is

problematic especially in sandy soils, which have

relatively low water retention and are thus highly

dependent on frequent summer irrigation (e.g. WA

coastal plain, ‘sandbelts’ of Melbourne and south

eastern suburbs of sydney).

in addition, these soils often develop soil water

repellency over summer, exacerbating the problem.

earlier university of Western Australia (uWA)

research by louise Barton and tim Colmer (HAl

Project tu07006) showed that water repellency can

at least partly be overcome by the application of

soil wetting agents to increase soil water infiltration.

However, the increase in soil water content is still

rather limited.

to further increase the water holding capacity

of sand, other amendments would need to be

incorporated. soil amendments can hold on to

water much better than sands, due to either a

much smaller particle size or a porous structure

that can store water internally. incorporating these

amendments in the surface soil would decrease

the amount of water that would otherwise leach

beyond the zone of the turfgrass root system. the

extra water retained would reduce the demand for

irrigation.

ProjeCT AimsVarious soil amendment products are likely to

improve soil moisture retention, but few have been

systematically tested by independent agencies

under Western Australian conditions. Our three-year

The UWA’s three-year research project will investigate the efficacy of a range of soil

amendments (organic, inorganic and blends). Pictured are the established experimental plots

at Shenton Park, Perth in January 2014

Watersaverssavers

MAy-June 2014 69

s

research project (Application of soil amendments to

maintain turf quality on sandy soils under reduced

irrigation - HAl Project tu13000) will investigate

the efficacy of a range of soil amendments

(organic, inorganic and blends) to decrease water

requirement, while maintaining turfgrass quality,

under restricted water supply.

the main aims of our research include: l Obtaining independent evidence of the efficacy

of a range of soil amendments in decreasing the

irrigation requirements of turfgrass;l identifying the mechanisms responsible for the

variation in efficacy of different amendments;

andl estimating the amount of water that can

potentially be saved by using soil amendments

without compromising turfgrass quality.

exPerimenTAL APProACHthe soil amendments that are included in the current

trial have been selected in consultation with the local

turfgrass industry (i.e. turf growers Association

of WA, consultants and turfgrass managers) and

include both organic and inorganic products that

are largely locally produced and are likely to be

economically viable. the latter is essential for uptake

of soil amendment technology.

similarly, the choice of turfgrass species – soft-

leaf buffalograss (Stenotaphrum secundatum; cv

Palmetto) – is based on industry recommendations

and reflects the wide use of this species for new or

replacement turfgrass for amenity areas in many

regions of Australia.

the research is being conducted at the uWA

turf research facility at shenton Park, which has

been successfully used for turfgrass research for

the last 15 years. the field station occurs on the

spearwood Dune system underlying most of the

western suburbs of Perth and thus has sandy soils

that are representative for the region.

in the first two summers of the project, 12

amendment treatments will be evaluated at two

irrigation rates [65 per cent et replacement (three

irrigations per week) or 43 per cent et replacement

(two irrigations per week)], with four replicates for

each treatment combination, totalling 96 plots (each

2.5 x 3.5 metres).

Amendments (see page 76 for full list of

amendments used) were rotary hoed into the surface

A range of amendment products were spread over their respective plots prior to turf being established

Figure 1: Infrared imaging will be used to analyse turfgrass surface temperatures

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researchresearchs 10cm of the soil in October 2013. One week later,

turfgrass rolls were laid and the plots were further

levelled with a small pedestrian roller. the turfgrass

plots were allowed three months to establish before

experimental irrigation rates started in february

2014. the experiment will run for at least two

summers, after which more plots will be established

to further quantify potential water savings using the

most successful amendments.

meAsUremenTsturfgrass growth and quality in each plot will be

assessed regularly during the first 1.5 years of the

project, including two summers. growth will be

determined by measuring the dry weight of clippings

after each mowing event (weekly), while colour will

be determined weekly during the irrigation season

using a Chromameter.

We will also make use of several ‘cutting edge’

technologies to improve our understanding of

turfgrass responses to the various soil amendments.

for example, we will regularly assess root growth

in the surface 0.7m of the soil using a specialised

circular scanner that can be lowered into the

transparent access tubes installed in each plot.

each plot also has a 1.7m deep PVC access tube

installed for measuring soil water contents at 10cm

intervals using a sentek Diviner.

lastly, we will analyse turfgrass surface

temperatures using an infrared camera, (see

example, figure1). the temperature of the turfgrass

surface is a good proxy for its water use, and

transpiring turfgrass would be expected to have

much lower surface temperatures than plots that

have less water available and lower transpiration.

reseArCH oUTComesthe benefits of this research to the turfgrass

industry and wider community include water

savings and maintenance of high quality turfgrass

surfaces despite a warmer and drier climate, better

environmental management and an improved public

perception of turfgrass management.

turfgrass managers have been involved in

designing the project and will be able to view and

evaluate treatment effects and research outcomes

at regular field days. the first field day was held

in february 2014. A workshop will be held at the

completion of the study and research findings will be

presented in journals and at various conferences, to

industry and scientific audiences.

ACknoWLedGemenTsthis project has been facilitated by Horticulture

Australia limited (tu13000) in partnership with the

Australian turf industry. it is funded by contributions

from the Water Corporation, a consortium of local

government authorities, amendment product

suppliers, turf growers Association (WA), sports

turf Australia (WA) and the WA land Authority.

in kind support has been provided by Baileys

fertilisers, turfgrass fertiliser supplier, irrigator

repairs, M.e.y. equipment, Mower supply, Mow

Master and Mower service. greenacres turf farm is

thanked for providing the turfgrass for the research

site and Darren Kirkwood from the tgA of WA

for his support in the preparation of the field site.

Members of the uWA turf industries research

steering Committee are thanked for their support

and advice.

AmendmenTs UsedBelow is a list of the amendment treatments

included in the trial. Values in parentheses

represent the percentage at which amendments

have been incorporated in the top 10 cm of the

soil (weight fresh product/weight soil).l Bentonite (5%)l Compost (10%)l Kaolinite (Ca and silt amended; 10%)l ready grit™ (10%)l spongelite (5%)l Zeolite (5%)l Bentonite (5%) + Compost (10%)l Kaolinite (10%) + Compost (10%)l ready grit™ (10%) + Compost (10%)l spongelite (5%) + Compost (10%)l Zeolite (5%) + Compost (10%)l Control (no amendments added)

Rotary hoeing soil amendments into the surface 10cm of soil

The choice of turfgrass species used for the trial – soft-leaf buffalograss – was

based on industry recommendations

The project will assess root growth in the surface 0.7m of the soil using

a specialised scanner that can be lowered into transparent access

tubes (pictured) in each plot

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regional profileregional profile

72 AustrAliAn turfgrAss MAnAgeMent

Nine months ago Josh

Straub took over the reins

as superintendent at the

picturesque Lismore

Workers Golf Club in

northern NSW. With a

young bub also on the

way it is proving to be a

life-changing year for the

31-year-old.

Following the recent retirement of long-serving course superintendent

Chris Haselden, Josh Straub has taken the reins at Lismore Workers

Golf Club

Superintendent: Joshua straub (31).

Family: Partner natasha (soon to be proud parents

end of May!)

Period as a superintendent: nine months.

Association involvement: AgCsA (two years,

AgCsA Accredited superintendent), gCsAQ.

Turf management career: Club taree (apprentice

and assistant superintendent), Ocean shores

Country Club (greenkeeper) and lismore

Workers golf Club (assistant superintendent and

superintendent).

Qualifications: Cert ii & iii Horticulture and Cert iii

Horticulture (turf Management).

Where in Australia is Lismore Workers GC?

lismore is situated in the northern rivers region

of nsW, about 1.5 hours south of the Queensland

border and 25 minutes inland from Ballina. lismore

is home to southern Cross university, so it attracts

plenty of young people and is a very multi-cultural

city. lismore is known for its new Year’s eve tropical

fruit festival, lantern Parade and is the birthplace of

lions Australia.

Tell us a bit about your background in turf

management. i started out in the industry at the age

of 16 as a summer time casual at taree golf Club

under Bryce strachan. that got me a taste of being

in the industry and stirred up the desire to take on

an apprenticeship. At the time there was already

an apprentice at the golf club so i had to patiently

wait until one become available in my hometown.

After a year or so of waiting i enrolled myself into a

Cert ii Horticulture course to start my education and

show my future employer i was keen to further my

knowledge. that led me to getting an apprenticeship

and being 2iC at Club taree under Paul eggins. Paul

taught me a huge amount about the trade, having an

eye for detail and making presentation your number

one priority.

After three years as 2iC, i went for a trip up to

lismore where i met my partner natasha and the

rest, as they say, is history! six months later i was

living in the northern rivers which led to me getting

a position at Ocean shores Country Club and then

eventually getting the 2iC position here at lismore

Workers under Chris Haselden. following Chris’s

recent retirement i took over as superintendent.

Being a country kid i always enjoyed being

outdoors and loved playing with machinery. i guess

greenkeeping allowed me to do that and also get

paid at the same time! Also there is no other job in

the world that you can work hard all day on, then

knock off and enjoy the results you have just worked

hard to produce.

You have taken over from Chris who retired

after a long career as Lismore superintendent.

How has the transition gone from assistant to

superintendent? i think the transition has gone

fairly smoothly. Chris got me trained up pretty well

with the operations of the course before he left. i

Lismore Workers Golf Club, nSW

Lismore Workers Golf Club, nSW

MAY-June 2014 73

s

The Lismore Workers crew (from left) Richard Hooton, Trent Roberts, Graeme Eaton (assistant superintendent), Greg Williams and Josh Straub (superintendent)

Since starting as superintendent, Straub has targeted Lismore’s 328 greens and is looking to further enhance their health and playability. Pictured is the 11th green with the 9th fairway in the background

guess the good part about it all is that Chris is still

around all the time playing golf and fixing members’

carts, so firing a quick question here or there isn’t

too hard for me. He also regularly drops in to see

how things are going.

i guess the biggest changes have been getting

the staff under me used to my interpretation of how i

want the course to be presented on a weekly basis,

which has come along nicely. i’m also still getting

used to maintaining warm-season greens instead

of cool-season greens when i was at Club taree.

Warm-season greens need a lot more attention in

maintaining thatch levels and this summer was a

huge learning curve for me. i have picked up a lot

which will put me in good stead for the next growing

season and help me to keep on top of things

in the coming years. Other than that, having full

responsibility of decision making and sticking with

that decision, whether it works out or not, has been

another part which has changed moving up into the

main role.

Give us an overview of Lismore Workers GC

and some of its unique characteristics? lismore

Workers golf Club is known for its undulating

playing surfaces, especially the fairways. there are

a lot of undulations so it’s very rare a golfer will get

a level lie which can give the average player a bit of

trouble if not used to the course. the course has a

good variety of par 3s, six in total, and a lot of the

greens are elevated which makes visibility of hole

locations that little bit harder and usually requires an

extra club or two to reach the green. it is also a koala

habitat for our little fury natives, so we occasionally

see them running from tree line to tree line which

gives the golfers a bit of extra value for money!

What are some of the unique features about

Lismore Workers GC from a turf management

perspective? the unique features are the fairway

undulations, the soil profile being made up of mostly

clay, above average rainfall and only one water

drainage exit leaving the course (both underneath

and surface water). All these combined mean that

in wet periods the course can be hard to maintain,

especially getting machinery around and operating

safely. it also takes a long time for it to dry out. this

can test the patience, but you just have to keep

plugging away and do the jobs you can do in these

conditions.

the course in the dry times is fairly easy to

maintain. the overall size of greens, tees and

bunkers isn’t too big compared to previous courses

i worked on, so getting around and doing most jobs

is fairly quick and easy. the course has slightly

changed since first starting with some drainage

work carried out and concrete/gravel pathways

installed too. this has helped dry out a couple of big

wet areas and made the course more accessible for

carts/machinery.


regional profileregional profiles

Take us through your turf management operations

there and some of the changes you have made.

seeing our climate is sub-tropical and we usually

receive plenty of rainfall, our biggest task is keeping

on top of the mowing on a weekly basis. greens

get cut daily and we try to get tees and collars done

twice a week.

fairways, surrounds and second cut around tee

banks are carried out once a week, with bunkers

raked twice. the rough mower usually doesn’t stop

most weeks! Also, boom spraying the course can

take up some time in the summer months with the

majority of fertilisers used being liquid forms along

with fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, wetting

agents and growth retardants.

the biggest change i have implemented so far

is the purchasing of a new gA24 Jacobsen aerator

which now means we do all our own renovations

in-house. Hopefully this winter we can get out

monthly and mini-tine the greens to get some air

into them and relieve compaction. i have also tried

solid tinning some of the more compacted tees to

loosen up their profiles.

We have now started cutting tees and collars

with a toro 3250-D greens mower instead of using

a 3100-D sidewinder surrounds mower. this has

made these playing areas a lot cleaner due to using

a catcher mower, less wheel marks due to different

tyre pattern and has given a better ribbon pattern

effect too. We have also started cutting fairways

in a straight ribbon cut pattern which has made

presentation of the course a lot more noticeable and

the members/guests are appreciating the difference

in appearance.

the next thing on the wish list is to purchase

a set of wire brush heads off Andrew smith from

Yamba gC. this will help me keep the thatch levels

in the greens under control better, as well removing

unwanted dead material and giving them a truer/

faster putting surface. next spring i want to renovate

the greens fairly aggressively and keep on top of my

thatch programme better than last growing season.

Any special environmental considerations that

you have to incorporate into the management

of the course? the biggest consideration at the

moment is the maintenance facility – it is old and

needs a lot of attention to get up to date with

legislation and environmental requirements. the

board and club recently agreed to sign up to a

five-year platinum eMs subscription with e-par

AT A GLAnCE – LiSmoRE WoRkERS GoLF CLubCourse specs: 18-hole course which

measures 5775m from the blue plates, 5542m

(white plates) and 5084m (red plates). Par 70

for men, par 72 for women. forty hectares

total area to be maintained.l Greens: 20 tifgreen hybrid couch greens,

including one putter and one chipper,

total size approx. 8000m2. l Tees: total size about 8000m2, mix of

Wintergreen, Queensland blue and

common couch.l Fairways: 11ha, mixture of common

couch, Queensland blue, kikuyu and

carpetgrass.l Surrounds: 1.5ha mix same as above. l Roughs: 25ha, mix same as above. l Bunkers: 22.

Cutting heights: greens 3-4mm, tees and

collars 10-12mm, surrounds 13mm, fairways

15mm and roughs 51mm.

Members: 500.

Annual rounds: 20,000.

Major tournaments: northern rivers

District 36-hole easter tournament (stroke),

september Pro-Am tournament and northern

rivers District ladies spring Cup.

Staff structure: Joshua straub

(superintendent), graeme eaton (assistant

superintendent), trent roberts (greenkeeper),

richard Hooton (casual greenkeeper) and

greg Williams (trainee).

Climate: lismore has a mild, sub-tropical

climate. Average yearly rainfall is 1343mm.

Soil types: greens are a sandy loam; rest of

course consists mainly of clay loam.

Water sources: Main water source is river

water from Wilson’s river. this is pumped

to two holding tanks on top of the hill above

the course which is then gravity feed to the

irrigation system.

Irrigation system: gti gemini trident

decoder system. sprinklers for greens and

fairways are toro 730 valve-in-head. tees are

toro 2001 sprinklers.

Renovations: in October we scarify, ½ inch

hollow tine and topdress. in february we

scarify, ½ inch solid tine and topdressing.

During the winter months we go out with ¼ to 3/8 solid tines monthly when possible.

Major disease pressures and how you

combat them: During the summer months

(December to April) our biggest disease

problem would be with the eri family

pathogen, especially take All Patch. to keep

this disease at bay we regularly manage our

thatch levels by verticutting, grooming and

dusting. We use slow release nitrogen forms

of fertiliser, soil testing to keep an eye on

pH levels, monthly applications of calcium

and potassium and have a preventative

fungicide programme in place during this

period. last spring we started a monthly

biological fungicide program using Bacillus

subtilis gB03 strain to combat disease fungi

and help encourage soil microbe activity.

During the cooler months, winter fusarium

and black helminthosporium can be a problem

depending on how wet it gets. We use

contact fungicides to knock the disease on

the head when first signs appear and regular

aeration during the dormant period. We also

do a granular application of potassium and

calcium in autumn to help the warm-season

grass cope with the cooler temperatures

when coming into the winter months.

Lismore is known for its undulating layout and terrific vistas from many areas around the course. The 11ha

of fairways are a mix of common couch, Queensland blue, kikuyu and

carpetgrass

MAY-June 2014 75

s

which starts in July. terry and the team will be

going through our facility with a fine-toothed comb,

helping us get an appropriate eMs in place for

future safety of our facility, staff, golf course and

neighbouring environment.

What are some of the major challenges facing

Lismore Workers GC both from a turf and club

management perspective? i guess the biggest

challenge is making the course more playable and

accessible with golf carts in the wet weather periods.

like most courses, the income really suffers when

carts are not allowed on the course. the club has

already started constructing new concrete paths

around the course as well as less expensive gravel

pathways too. this has allowed carts still to access

the course in wet periods and has kept the numbers

of weekly rounds up during these times.

Also, drainage issues mean that playability out

of bunkers and low lying areas can be problematic.

there has been talk of selecting the worst areas

and redoing drainage/construction on a year by

year basis.

Outline any major course improvement works

recently completed or future works planned.

the last 18 months the club has focused on

concreting cart pathways with the 11th, 14th and

16th tee complexes completed. next will be the

2nd tee followed by more gravel pathways. We

are also about to undertake a tree and branch

lopping programme on the 3rd, 11th and 18th tees

to improve sunlight to these areas and for WHs

issues. the works will mean the course is a lot safer

for both golfers and staff, improve plant and playing

conditions and help with wear issues too.

How is Lismore Workers faring in the water

management stakes? We are pretty lucky with

water and despite the past nine months being

very dry the council has not put any restrictions on

our use. saying that, i still try to water as little as

possible to try and avoid the huge power bills for

pumping the water.

Greens are scarified, hollow tined and topdressed in october, with the hollows swapped for solids in February. During winter the greens are mini-tined monthly when possible


regional profileregional profiles

The one product I couldn’t manage my course

without is... Primo Maxx and trinex 250 are the two

products which save us a lot of time and money.

Being a small crew, growth retardants help us keep

on top of the growth, gives the playing surfaces a

nice tight finish and reduces seed head growth. this

especially helps us out over the Christmas break

when there are a lot of public holidays.

What are some pros and cons of being a regional-

based superintendent? the pros, as most regional

supers would agree, is the lifestyle, avoiding the

hustle and bustle of the city and having a better

environment for bringing up your children. As for

cons, not having the budgets and staff the city

courses have and having to travel a bit more to get

to seminars or conferences.

Are expectations of course presentation and

conditioning any less than that placed on your

metropolitan counterparts? i think expectations

are not set any lower than the city courses and i am

always striving to give my members/visitors the best

possible playing surfaces all year round. that way

your members don’t want to play anywhere else and

visitors will keep coming back.

Do you have to be more resourceful as a regional-

based superintendent? Yes you do, especially

when it comes to multitasking jobs. this means we

may carry out a couple of tasks at the same time to

eliminate travel time around the course, due to the

lack of staffing numbers. for example, i have set

greens mowers with blower racks and spray bottle

holders, so when cutting greens we can also blow

all debris off greens and spot spray for weeds. the

job may take a little longer, but we can keep on top

of weed control and have all playing surfaces clean

and cut before play.

Also, with machine maintenance and fixing

we do most procedures ourselves as we don’t

have a mechanic. this helps us have a better

understanding on how the equipment works and

runs and also saves the club in maintenance costs.

using volunteers to do odd jobs around the course

is also very helpful and enables us to concentrate on

the main roles while still keeping the course in good

shape all year round.

One thing you would change about your job?

More time in the day! You are always multitasking

and with small staff numbers you are still doing a lot

of the small jobs yourself which can make the days

go really quick. i guess the biggest lesson i have

learnt is prioritising and accepting that some smaller

jobs will just have to wait!

Lismore has a mild, sub-tropical climate with average yearly rainfall

1343mm

Straub has started striping fairways which has made a noticeable

difference to course presentation

MAY-June 2014 77

How important are the relationships you have

with other course supers/trade reps? Very

important as these people can be a very resourceful

tool to help solve problems, share and get new

ideas, borrow equipment off and build friendships

with. in particular, Wayne tickle (superintendent)

and tony from Ballina golf Club have been a great

help to me over the past six months and i am very

grateful for that.

What have you got in your shed? toro 3150-D

greensmaster triplex, 2 x toro 3250-D greensmaster

triplex (one greens, one tees & collars), toro 3100-

D sidewinder, toro 3300-D Workman and tycrop

topdresser, toro 4000-D groundsmaster, toro 1250

Multi Pro spray unit, Jacobsen lf570 fairway unit,

Jacobsen groommaster ii bunker rake, Jacobson

gA24 aerator, quad bike, Bobcat, utility Clubcar,

John Deere tractor and Dean trailer.

What’s your favourite piece of machinery and

what’s next on the wish list? the favourite is the

toro 1250 Multi Pro which makes spraying the

course so simple, accurate and easy. the next major

purchase will hopefully be the wire brush heads for

one of the triplex mowers. this will make keeping

on top of thatch levels easier while increasing speed

and uniformity. the Dean trailer has clocked up a

number of years and we get one of our members

to come in and patch it up once in a while to keep

it going.

Favourite spot on your course? On the 11th green,

looking back down the 9th fairway to the clubhouse

(see photo bottom page 79).

Most pleasing/rewarding moment during your

time as Lismore Workers superintendent? Just

recently after the northern rivers District two-

day easter tournament. the staff got so many

compliments about the course being in top condition

from both members and visitors. One member said

it was the best condition he had seen the course in

his 50 years being a member of the club. this was

great to hear and keeps me motivated to looking to

improve it more.

Straub is looking to purchase a set of wire brush heads to help keep thatch levels under control in his 328 greens and improve speed and uniformity

For further information contact your PGG Wrightson Turf Representative, free phone 1800 DURATURF or email [email protected] pggwrightsonturf.com.au

Stop for a chat with the Turf team at booth 23.To go into the draw fill out the coupon below and put it in the bowl at our stand. Winners drawn Thursday 26th June at the conference.

Your name

Your contact number

WIN a Leatherman Multi-Tool

at the AGCSA Conference 2014. Five to be won.


around the tradearound the trade

Jacobsen launches bi-directional turf groomer and brush system

agCsA gold Partner Jacobsen will launch

its new bi-directional turf groomer and

brush system for selected Jacobsen greens

mowers into the Australian market at the upcoming

30th Australian turfgrass Conference trade

exhibition on the gold Coast (25-26 June).

unveiled at the BtMe show in the uK in

January, the new groomer and brush system allows

the superintendent to select the aggressiveness of

their greens maintenance regime depending on

the prevailing soil conditions, with the option of

using either a groomer or a brush rotating in both a

forward or reverse direction. the reverse action of

the groomer or brush is more aggressive, while the

forward direction (i.e.: with the same rotation as the

cutting cylinder) has a more gentle action.

grooming and brushing the turf prior to mowing

has several benefits. it reduces the grain of the turf

area by standing the grass blades up (brush) or

cutting horizontal runners (groomer) and promoting

vertical growth. it can also remove thatch which

promotes healthier greens and opens up the soil

canopy to allow gas exchange and topdressings to

reach the soil more efficiently.

to switch between groomer and brush takes

less than five minutes allowing course managers

to adapt quickly to changing conditions. there are

a selection of brushes with a herring bone pattern

and different levels of stiffness to accommodate a

variety of turfgrasses.

traditionally, Jacobsen’s turf groomer has been

designed with a patented interlocking system with

the front roller, allowing for a shorter roller base

and providing the ability to follow ground contours

on undulating greens. incorporated into the new

design is the option to increase the roller base by

the addition of a smooth roller, ideal for conditions

when the turf is under stress.

for the groomer, a new blade design has

been introduced using the same profile as the

existing groomer, but double sided. this enables

the groomer to switch between forward and reverse

rotation without changing the blades. Changing

the rotation of the groomer or brush is a simple

operation; there are two different drive belts and

these can be changed out in less than five minutes

using just a ½” deep well socket.

“going down this route we have one accessory

that can accommodate two turf management

operations – grooming and brushing,” says

ransomes Jacobsen’s product manager lee

Kristensen. “We have retained our class-leading

groomer attachment, but added the option of

a powered brush as well. With quick and easy

change out from groomer to brush and forward

or reverse, we have provided course managers

with multiple options for their greens management

regimes.”

the new groomer/brush system is available for

the following Jacobsen mowers: eclipse 2 floating

head walking greens mower, gP400 riding greens

mower and eclipse 322 riding greens mower.

For more information about the new bi-directional

turf groomer and brush system contact your

Jacobsen distributor, visit www.jacobsen.com or

visit Stand 58 on the Gold Coast.

Bayer’s ChipCo GT hiTs markeT

AgCsA silver Partner Bayer has launched Chipco

gt into the Australia market, a new and improved

advanced formulation turf fungicide that has been

especially developed to provide fast disease

knockdown within 24 hours. According to Bayer

national sales manager Paul Conradt, Chipco gt

(ai: 240g/l iprodione) is the only iprodione on the

market with this technology.

“Chipco gt affects all phases of the development

cycle of the fungi, including spore germination,

mycelial growth and spore production,” says

Conradt. “Chipco gt is a penetrant fungicide with

limited systemic activity. the curative activity is

restricted to fungal growth on or very near the leaf

surface.”

Conradt adds that Chipco gt is an all-round,

versatile fungicide that is also easy to tank mix with

other products, such as Bayer’s Chipco signature.

it controls five turf diseases, including dollar spot,

brown patch, fusarium patch, spring dead spot

and helminthosporium, as well as botrytis blight in

ornamentals.

Bayer recommends Chipco gt for use on all

recreational turf such as golf courses, bowling

greens, sports fields, race tracks and other turf

areas, as well as ornamentals. it should be applied

as part of an integrated programme on greens,

tees and fairways and applied preventatively when

conditions are favourable for disease.

Chipco gt is available in a handy 5l pack at

Bayer distributor outlets now.

Jacobsen’s new groomer/brush system is available for the eclipse 2, gP400 and eclipse 322 greens

mowers

bayer’s new fast knockdown turf fungicide chipco gt

http://www.jacobsen.com

MAy-June 2014 79

LonG paddoCk sporTsTurf ranGe To assisT Turf manaGersthe long Paddock sportsturf range from nsW-

based long Paddock Organic solutions is now

available on the Australian turf market. the long

Paddock sportsturf range includes:l Renovator (organic fish pellets – NPK

6-5-4+12% Ca plus organic carbon 17%):

Designed for quick turf recovery after renovation

as well as fast tracking plant maturity during pre-

and post-construction programmes.l Rapid Uptake (liquid fish concentrate –

11-2-10+kelp+fulvic acid plus 14% organic

carbon): ensures rapid plant recovery from turf

renovations, heat and cold stress, shade as well

as low light intensity caused by extended wet

weather periods.l Sportsturf Organic (natural liquid fish

concentrate plus kelp) and Sportsturf 10-2-

6 (liquid organic based concentrate with

added trace elements): encourage beneficial

soil microbial stimulation, increase soil carbon,

assist in breakdown of organic matter.

“the long Paddock sportsturf range is

designed for progressive turf managers seeking

biological and environmental outcomes to their turf

management programmes,” says long Paddock

Organic solutions founder and director Phil Knight.

“sportsturf managers are collectively some

of the greatest ambassadors for environmental

stewardship on the planet. that’s why it’s important

for all turf professionals that use our sports turf

products to realise that while they are performing

daily environmental stewardship at their own sports

turf complexes, they are also helping to protect our

Australian inland river systems.

“long Paddock products are manufactured by

Charlie Carp and made wholly from european Carp,

the no.1 pest currently destroying the biodiversity

and health of these systems.”

For more information about the Long Paddock

Sportsturf Range, contact Phil Knight on 0408

533 090, email longpaddockorganicsolutions@

gmail.com or visit www.charliecarp.com.au.

spray riGhT wiTh synGenTa

AgCsA gold Partner syngenta

has announced that its XC spray

nozzles (pictured) are now available

in Australia.

the nozzles deliver refined air

induction technology with increased

spray angles that increase width

of coverage, reduce spray drift,

increase the number of droplets per ml, equalise

front and back spray deposits and remove sensitivity

to boom height. the XC nozzle range includes two

foliar nozzles and one soil nozzle.

Contact your syngenta representative or local

agent for further information or to obtain a set, or

visit stand 39 on the gold Coast.

in for The LonG hauLerthe new Cushman Hauler Pro electric utility vehicle

is now available in Australia through distributor

Augusta golf Cars. equipped with a zero-emission

72-volt electric drivetrain, the Cushman Hauler Pro

has the range, power and operational efficiencies

that course superintendents demand.

the Hauler Pro features a daily range of up

to 80km fully loaded and all the energy benefits

of a low maintenance and unique AC system. A

standard on-board charger provides flexibility to

charge the vehicle at any outlet within the facility.

the Hauler Pro has a 450kg vehicle payload and

over 500kg towing capacity, while the optional

limited-slip differential ensures traction in wet and

slippery conditions.

“the new Cushman range of maintenance

and utility vehicles were designed to help

superintendents and turf managers eliminate

downtime and get more doing out of their day,”

says Mats Marklund, Augusta’s state manager for

Victoria and tasmania. “for decades, we’ve sat

on the top of the leaderboard for hauling, moving,

loading and just plain getting the job done and the

new Cushman Hauler Pro is fully loaded and ready

to work all day long.”

For more information about the Cushman Hauler

Pro contact Mats Marklund on 0411 110 119,

email [email protected] or visit www.ezgo.

com.au. You can also view the YouTube video

on the Hauler Pro http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=Lpv2uxPHd0s

permanenT ChemCLear faCiLiTiesAgvet chemical users in and around Melbourne

and sydney now have access to ChemClear’s

new permanent facilities. the new sites in laverton

north (Melbourne) and st Marys (sydney) will hold

collections once a month to service users looking

to get rid of chemicals they no longer need or want.

the addition of these permanent facilities means

chemical users in Melbourne and sydney and

the new cushman hauler Pro features a 450kg vehicle payload and daily range of up to 80km fully loaded

the long Paddock sportsturf range is designed for progressive turf managers seeking biological and environmental outcomes to their turf management programmes

http://www.charliecarp.com.au




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpv2uxPHd0s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpv2uxPHd0s


around the tradearound the trade

surrounding areas no longer need to wait for a state

collection to be scheduled. registrations are still

essential, however, to utilise the new service and

users can do so by calling 1800 008 182 or filling

in the online form at www.chemclear.com.au. An

appointment time and address will be provided to all

registrants and receipt provided at the delivery point

once the chemicals are signed off.

More than 102,000 litres/kilograms of unwanted

or out-of-date chemicals throughout nsW have

been disposed of through ChemClear since the

programme first started in 2003. Collections in

Victoria have collected a total of 46,572 litres/

kilograms of chemicals.

Toro T5 roTor Goes rapid

toro has now enhanced its t5 series rotor with the

new rapidset feature. rapidset technology offers a

quick and easy way to adjust rotor arc settings with

no tools required and works with just a few twists of

the nozzle turret.

turning the head clockwise sets the right arc

edge, then turning the head counter-clockwise

increases the arc to the desired position (see

diagram above). the arc can be reduced in a similar

fashion. A built in ‘slip-clutch’ protects the gears

during adjustment.

the toro t5 series rotor, tailored for the

residential market, has a number of features

including a 5” pop-up height, advanced nozzle

technology and debris-tolerant seal. toro irrigation

product manager David richardson says the

rapidset is easy to operate for home gardeners

and the technology significantly reduces installation

time.

the t5 also features a high-performance,

patent-pending Airfoil nozzle design. the Airfoil

technology creates a low pressure zone under

the nozzle stream to gently glide water downward

for close-in watering that won’t wash away seeds,

making it ideal for grow-in applications.

For more information on the T5 Series Rotor with

RapidSet, visit www.toro.com.au/t5 or call 1300

130 898.

rain Bird kiCkinG GoaLseleven regional soccer stadiums recently

constructed and upgraded to host the 2014 fifA

World Cup in Brazil will use rain Bird irrigation

systems to keep their turf in top condition. the first

Brazilian stadium to install a rain Bird irrigation

system was Castelao stadium located in the city of

fortaleza in september 2012.

Over the next 11 months, rain Bird signed on

nine more stadiums in the Brazilian cities of rio

de Janeiro, sao Paulo, salvador, Belo Horizonte,

Brasília, Cuiabá, Manaus, natal and recife. the

eleventh installation, finalised in January 2014, is

currently underway at Arena da Baixada stadium

in Curitiba. the World Cup will run from 12 June-13

July 2014.

growers band together to form lawn solutions australia

specifying and buying turf has become

easier with the launch in March 2014

of a new national group of turf growers

offering industry best practice and a uniformly

branded range of turf.

lawn solutions Australia brings together

nearly 40 of Australia’s accredited turf

producers under a single banner to supply

nationally branded turf varieties, as well as

a range of value-add products and services.

the group and its exclusive turf brands have

been developed off the back of the success of

Australia’s sir Walter soft-leaf buffalo with all

members of the new group being sir Walter

growers.

“the launch of lawn solutions Australia

will be a game-changer for our industry

and our customers,” says business manager

simon Adermann. “Currently there are nearly

70 turf varieties in the Australian market.

each of our members will grow and sell the

most appropriate turf varieties for their local

regions, but they will be marketed under our

uniform, national brand names.”

the lawn solutions Australia, turf brands

include: l sir Walter soft-leaf buffalol nullarbor Couch Commerciall nullarbor sport and nullarbor Home,l Platinum zoysial eureka kikuyul tropical carpet grassl rtf fescue.

the full list of lsA growers are: Active turf,

Agturf supplies, Anco seed & turf, Australian

lawn Concepts, Bay turf, Buchanan turf

supplies, Caboolture turf, Cobbitty turf,

Coolabah turf, Daley’s turf, Down south turf,

earl’s turf, emerald green turf, glenview

turf, grech’s turf supplies, green life turf,

greener lawn supplies, greenhills turf farm,

greenway turf supplies, Harden Park lawns,

J&B Buffalo, Jimboomba turf Co, lawn

Doctor, lilydale instant lawn, Miller’s turf,

newlawn turf, President turf, rivturf instant

turf, strathAyr, sunnyside instant lawn,

superior lawns, sydney lawn & turf, the turf

farm, top end turf, turf Central, turf the lot

nsW, turfco, twin View turf and yarramalong

turf supplies.

For more information phone 1300 883 711,

visit www.lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au.

industry aPPointments

Tom BaCk wiTh davidAgCsA Bronze

Partner David golf

has welcomed

Tom Sheedy (pictured) back

into the fold after a 15 month

spell working in Asia in a sales

management position for a golf

brand distribution company.

sheedy returns to Australia and

his David golf career in sydney

as the new sales executive

alongside Brandon Waters.

sheedy will be servicing David

golf’s existing customers and

working on growing the business

and increasing the company’s

presence in nsW. sheedy can

be contacted on 0438 885 422 or

email [email protected]

http://www.chemclear.com.au

http://www.toro.com.au/t5


BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS


turf producersturf producers

The aim of Turf Australia’s R&D Strategic Investment Plan is to drive growth and sustainability of the Australian turf industry

In the last edition of Australian turfgrass

Management it was highlighted that Horticulture

Australia limited (HAl) was undergoing

an independent review. this process has now

been completed and nine recommendations were

released in early May which, if implemented, would

result in sweeping changes to the management and

processes governing research and development

and marketing programmes in horticulture.

the recommendations are:l establish a grower-owned rDC (a new HAl)

with a transitional government-owned body to

be set up as an interim;l remove industry Advisory Committees (iACs),

but retain the ability to seek independent advice; l rationalise and strengthen planning for

research, development and extension (rD&e);l streamline industry liaison and rD&e service

areas within the new HAl;l improve project procurement, management and

reporting;l the new HAl will engage in marketing only on a

fee for service basis with industry representative

bodies able to govern and manage their levy

marketing programme;l improve direct communication with growers;l greater levy efficiency and transparency; andl improved internal accountability/processes.

the current HAl funding agreement with the

Department of Agriculture ends on 3 november

2014. the federal government is yet to respond

to this review, but decisions will now need to be

made so that rD&e in the horticulture sector has

a direction and certainty can be provided to the

existing 1200 projects currently funded by HAl.

the detailed review document, all 312 pages,

is available from the HAl website, www.horticulture.

com.au/news_events/Hal_review.asp

Same iSSueS, different countrieSthe recent turf Producers international (tPi)

Midwinter Conference and field Day in Orlando,

florida attracted almost 700 delegates, including

73 Australians. the four day event included 25

speakers presenting 16 separate sessions covering

11 different topics.

Many of the issues we face in the turf industry

here in Australia are similar to those faced by turf

growers worldwide. some of the topics covered

included: l the need for more water efficient turf varieties;l Knowing the actual cost of turf production;l Promoting to the community the substantial

benefits of turf;l Attracting and maintaining reliable staff;l Opportunities for diversification and value

adding.

florida is an interesting place and there are

some very interesting facts and figures which impact

on the local turf industry. for example, florida has

partly sandy soils which do not hold a lot of water.

However, 1000 people per day are moving to florida

and 10,000 people per week are retiring there. since

the global financial Crisis, over 100 golf courses

have closed in florida, however, the economy is

now turning and golf courses are being reopened.

local governments in florida are concerned

about the perceived effect fertilisers are having

on the environment and, as a result, there are

laws restricting the sale, use and application of

phosphorous and nitrogen in fertilisers. As a result,

all landscapers are required to undergo best

management practice (BMP) training in order to

apply fertiliser, control pests, manage irrigation and

select plants.

the popularity of zoysia in the southern states

of the us, particularly florida, is increasing. it

is being promoted as more water efficient than

the popular st Augustine varieties (known as soft

leaf buffalo here in Australia), however, it requires

different management. for example, zoysia should

be mowed at about 3-4cm high while, in florida, st

Augustine is usually mowed at 6-8cm high.

As zoysia takes longer to establish, it must

be laid tight to hide the sod lines and the use of

a roller is recommended. spreading slow release

fertiliser just prior to laying is also recommended

and nutrition needs to be carefully managed once

established as excess nitrogen can cause problems.

America has between 40-50 turf research and

education facilities, mostly universities, and there

are approximately 150 education-only facilities

that cover turf, commonly known as colleges. the

university of florida has over 16 hectares devoted

to turf research and is part of the national turfgrass

evaluation Program (nteP). this programme

After being held in Queensland last year, the annual Turf Australia Conference and Field Day will be held in Penrith from 27-29 August

turf australia’s richard

Stephens looks at the

recommendations to

come out of the recent

Horticulture australia

Limited review and

previews the upcoming turf

australia conference.

www.turfaustralia.com.au

review recommends

HAL changeHAL change

http://www.horticulture.com.au/news_events/Hal_Review.asp

http://www.horticulture.com.au/news_events/Hal_Review.asp

MArCH-APril 2014 83

enables companies, individuals and industry to

submit new turf lines for trials across several testing

sites throughout the country.

the trial period is five years and costs $5000

per entry to enter the trial and $1000 per year. if a

turf line is commercially released during the trial,

a $10,000 royalty payment is required. Currently,

nteP has 33 entries in total, with 19 of those

originating from florida.

the university of florida is currently trialling a

dwarf bahiagrass which is dark green in colour and

has a finer texture than most bahiagrasses. the

opportunity to develop this into a mainstream turf

variety is significant as bahiagrass has low nutrient

requirements, is drought tolerant and requires less

mowing. interestingly, kikuyu is a declared noxious

weed in most usA states.

the lawn institute is another organisation set

up to provide scientific information, education and

awareness of the environmental benefits of turf. the

lawn institute research advisors claim that turfgrass

is the plant that many urban people know, touch and

understand the most. it can be their most significant

link with nature and it directly connects communities

to landscapes.

turfgrass gives many direct beneficial services

back to communities and much more than just

aesthetics. turfgrass provides a significant cooling

effect, erosion control, absorbs carbon dioxide,

produces oxygen, reduces runoff, decreases fire

risks, increases property values as well as improves

physical and mental wellbeing. All these are

significant benefits that need to be better understood

by law makers and the general community.

in recent years, constant advances in breeding

varieties have resulted in significantly more water

use efficient turfgrass varieties with up to 50 per cent

less irrigation water being required and/or up to four

weeks difference in ‘dry down’ time.

However, for turfgrass to provide these

community benefits to their full capacity, lawns must

be properly maintained and be healthy. unfortunately,

over 20 American states have completely banned

the use of pesticides on all school grounds. this has

resulted in a significant decline in the surface quality

of many sporting fields and outdoor play areas and

a corresponding increase in surface related injuries.

2014 turf auStraLia conference and fieLd day With the tPi conference done and dusted, the local

focus now turns to the turf Australia Conference

and field Day which will be held in Penrith from

27-29 August. this conference is shaping up to be

the biggest ever and back by popular demand is

Kerry Domann (aka ‘nigel’) who will again be our

conference MC.

starting at lunch time on Wednesday 27 August

at the Penrith Panthers, the option of attending either

the traditional Dik Murphy Memorial golf Day or a

paddle steamer tour up the nepean river and into

the Blue Mountains national Park will enable you to

get into networking mode. the Welcome BBQ that

evening will also enable everyone to catch up with

old friends and make new ones.

the programme for thursday 28 August will

feature something for everyone, including:l How to develop practical and strategic

approaches to developing a turf farm business;l the real costs of turf production;l improving irrigation efficiency;l Determining the minimum water requirements of

turf varieties;l Benefiting from the new national turf industry

marketing programme;l learning from the usA and tPi; and l A gala conference dinner.

the turf Australia AgM and Annual levy Payers

Meeting will kick off proceedings on the friday

followed by an interactive field day at greener lawn

supplies at freemans reach.

this year’s conference and field day is not to be

missed and sponsorship and exhibition opportunities

are still available. for more information, please

contact the turf Australia office on (02) 4588 5735 or

[email protected]

TuRF FARm wATeR uSe SuSTAInAbILITy

water availability continues to be

a major issue confronting turf

producers in Queensland and in

recent times 80 per cent of the state has

been drought declared with the remainder,

other than the tropical north, not far off.

Due to this ongoing demand placed

on our turf production facilities as a result

of a variable climate, turf Queensland has

investigated the availability of an easy to

use water use calculator to identifying

seasonal water demand in megalitres/

hectare based on a range of set criteria

such as industry, turf species, irrigation

system, soil types and location.

turf Queensland is also investigating

the efficiency benefits to turf farmers by

installing new technology and innovation

such as centre pivots or lateral irrigation,

fertigation, soil moisture monitoring,

soil and crop health mapping, gPs and

variable rate irrigation.

the effect of this on farm usage of

water and energy are subject to current

programmes being undertaken by turf

Queensland in conjunction with the

Queensland government’s Department

of natural resources and Mines and

Department of Agriculture, fisheries and

forestry.

A software programme utilised in

the sugar industry here in Queensland

was developed through the Queensland

government’s rural Water use efficiency

initiative, CsirO and a number of sugar

industry organisations. We are not sure if

this is still available and are undertaking

the appropriate investigations to see if it

can be modified to suit turf production.

the target for this updated project

would be to understand the specific

needs of the turf producer in various

areas based on the availability of water

in different climatic zones over the past

40-50 years for example. this would assist

the turf producer in understanding the

sustainability of the farm based on their

water storage capacity or water availability

in the medium- to long-term.

the issue of benefits to turf farmers

of water savings and efficiency gains by

utilising innovative equipment is currently

being investigated by turf Queensland

through the rural Water use efficiency

irrigation futures programme. Obviously

there is a return on investment calculation

required and currently and unfortunately

in the short-term the low price of turf

does not support heavy investment. the

turf industry in Queensland has some

strong economic decisions to make on its

sustainability.

Jim VaugHanceo, turf QueenSLand


state reportsstate reports

sagcsa

After a hot dry summer with a few storms that

produced some very high winds, the weather

has started to cool down with some welcome

rain falling at the end of April.

the first sAgCsA meeting of 2014 was held

at the new-look Adelaide Oval, just before the first

Afl footy game and on the second day of the

last sheffield shield game for the year between

sA and nsW. thank you to host curator Damien

Hough for his time during this busy period of

the reconstruction. Damien talked about the new

drop-in pitches for both cricket and footy, oval

reconstruction and the preparation for the change

from cricket to football. We also did a tour of the new

southern stand.

i recommend anyone coming to Adelaide to get

down to the Adelaide Oval and see the changes that

have occurred. the ground has always been one of

the best sporting facilities in the world, but with the

new facilities and Afl footy now in the middle of the

city, it is simply awesome.

Our next meeting will be the annual regional bus

trip. this year we are heading down to the beautiful

fleurieu Peninsula where we will visit Willunga

golf Club (superintendent Chad Dawe), south

lakes golf Club at goolwa (Don McAvaney), Victor

Harbour golf Club (Mike Bohnsack) and links lady

Bay golf Club at normanville (Ian Putland). the

sAgCsA Annual general Meeting will be held in the

middle of July at the royal Adelaide golf Club (host

superintendent Nathan Bennett).

the sAgCsA is delighted to announce that

Luke Merchant from the Vines of reynella golf

Club has been awarded the sAgCsA graduate of

the Year who and will represent the association in

the AgCsA graduate of the Year Award. under the

guidance of AgCsA Accredited superintendent Rob

Millington, we wish luke all the best in the judging

of the national award.

good luck to all clubs holding Pro-Ams and

other events at this time of the year. Have a good

autumn and winter and i look forward to catching

up with everyone heading up to the gold Coast

conference in June.

Barry Bryant President, sagcsa

Above right: The first SAGCSA meeting of 2014 was held at the

new-look Adelaide Oval

Above: Adelaide Oval staff reinstate the ground following the end of the

cricket season and ahead of the venue’s opening AFL fixture between

the Crows v Power on 29 March

stanz

The winter is upon us so many Kiwi turf

managers are looking forward to attending

the 30th Australian turfgrass Conference

where we always enjoy the spoils of the mild

winter and hospitality on the gold Coast. the

Australian conference is always a key opportunity

for personal development and bridging innovation

and technology transfer and, most importantly,

networking with industry peers.

A key focus in the upper north island of new

Zealand is the trend towards warm-season turfgrass

management which continues to be a challenge

in our temperate climate. nZ is now contending

with drier summers and milder winters and the

intensification of sporting groups using facilities has

required turf managers to look at more sustainable

and holistic turf management practices in many

instances.

We often look to our Australian counterparts for

guidance in the management and development of

warm-season grasses and management of various

spp under various conditions, so we look forward

to the cross pollination of ideas and management

concepts towards the delivery of improved sports

turf surfaces. the stAnZ wishes everyone a

fantastic week.

ian MckendrychairMan, stanz

Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui recently hosted a number of 2015 Cricket

World Cup Qualifier matches. Bay Oval is home to curator Jared Carter

(right) who is pictured with visiting ICC officials

MAY-June 2014 85

tgcsa

Most reports from around the state are

showing a tremendous autumn with almost

unprecedented growth for this time of the

year. taking advantage of the good weather, the

tgCsA has held two field days in recent times.

Our second field day for 2014 was held on 4

March with good numbers heading along to north

Hobart Oval. the day kicked off with a terrific

presentation from Bryan Dunn which outlined the

first 12 months of operation with the new drop-in

pitch at Aurora stadium.

John Neylan presented an interesting piece

dealing with growth regulators and their increasing

use in the turf industry. Dan Docherty, on behalf

of co-sponsor syngenta, presented the latest

technology in spray nozzles and the advantages in

efficiency and coverage that they provide along with

some new product lines.

Our host at north Hobart was Todd Struthers

from Hobart City Council who did a great job

outlining the rebuilding of the playing surface at

north Hobart Oval by the day’s other co-sponsor

total turf Care. Along with Nic Hanson, todd

explained the cutting edge techniques involved in

the reconstruction.

On 6 May, tgCsA members headed to Poatina

golf Club in central tasmania for our third field

day. Proceedings were opened by Brendon

McMahon from the Bureau of Meteorology and

ABC radio whose presentation was enlightening,

entertaining and finished far too early. thanks to

Doug Ollington (tas turf solutions) for arranging a

terrific presentation. Andrew Hall from sltec gave

a detailed presentation on nutritional uptake and

pointed out some common mistakes made when

deciding what to apply and where.

tgCsA graduate of the Year Award winner

Andrew Burgess from riverside golf Club was

also presented with his award and then, after

thanking his superintendent Sam O’Keefe, showed

us the presentation he had prepared for the AgCsA

graduate of the Year Award.

Poatina club captain Greg Williams presented a

history of the club and the course and spoke about

the recent work that had been carried out on their

irrigation system.

Preparations for our two-day conference, trade

show and Annual general Meeting on 19-20 August

are coming along nicely with some exciting new

changes in the pipeline and a terrific group of

presenters confirmed.

Mark JohnsonPresident, tgcsa

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BEFORE AFTER



sta qld

The first stA QlD field day for 2014 was held

at the Western Magpies Afl ground in March

where there was a good turnout of members

for our annual education day. We kicked off with

an interesting presentation from Phil Ford (Pgg

Wrightson seeds) on ryegrass transition trials. even

for those of us that don’t oversow our fields, the

information he presented on couch and its growth

habits gave us plenty to think about.

next up was a segment by Carl Groenewald

(the Mower Place) on small engine maintenance.

Carl discussed plenty of things we can all do to help

preserve and extend the life of the machines we use

on a daily basis and also those that tend to sit in the

corner of the shed and only get used occasionally.

Many of his tips were simple and some reminded

us that we can all become guilty of neglecting our

equipment, so it was a good wake up call.

After lunch we finished off the day with a

presentation from the south Brisbane storm chasers

on ‘all things weather and storm chasing’. some of

these guys work for the Bureau of Meteorology so

it’s a case of their work becoming a hobby too. they

would’ve had a pretty lean year in seQ this past

summer with a non-existent wet season, but they

showed plenty of slides of their past escapades.

A video of their trip to the us in 2011 where they

chased an infamous tornado which destroyed the

town of Joplin, having a near miss themselves,

finished off a memorable presentation.

Back down to earth, a reminder to all of our

members that this year’s fees are due, so make

sure you get online and re-join. We’d also like to

welcome our new gold partners, living turf and

Jacobsen/KC farm equipment, as they come on

board, along with all of our partners.

in May we held our AgM at Victoria Park golf

club in Brisbane. it was a great venue with good

food and a game of putt-putt afterwards. Our new

committee was voted in with very little change.

foundation committee member shane Biddle

(university of Queensland) decided to ‘retire’, at

least for now, while Callum Marsh (living turf) has

joined the committee. We’d like to thank shane for

his contribution over the years and welcome Callum.

Also at the AgM, our state graduate of the Year

was announced and presented with his award. Alex

Jensen (Brisbane Metropolitan touch Association)

will now represent Queensland in the national

sports turf graduate of the Year Award to be

announced in June. We wish him all the best.

the other big stA QlD news of the moment is

the launch of our own mobile device app. this app

is available on both Apple and Android devices –

just search both stores for stA QlD and install for

free.

the app allows you to get up to date news and

information from the association, sign up to become

a member, view details on upcoming events, share

your stories with the association, view pictures taken

by stA QlD members, fill in on-line forms, keep

up to date with facebook and receive instant push

notifications from stA QlD. We will be adding more

features as time goes on so download now and

keep the association at your fingertips.

Martyn hedleyVice-President, sta qld

STA QLD has recently launched a new mobile device app

sta wa

Well here we are again, cresting that middle

year hump and getting the shivers thinking

about how quickly time flies past and how

those ‘next spring renovation’ discussions demand

decisions much sooner than expected.

they say that the things you should worry

the least about are those that you have little or no

control over, but unfortunately when it comes to the

weather, especially in regard to quantity of rainfall

and degrees of heat, it’s a worry. they also say

that there is no point complaining about something

from which everyone else suffers because as yet i

don’t think our sunburnt country of droughts and

flooding rains has blessed any of us with favourable

conditions of late.

As i write this, the stA WA committee is very

pleased that Horticulture Australia ltd has agreed to

continue to support the funding of WA turf industry

development officer Eva Ricci. largely thanks to

eva’s professionalism, skill as a communicator and

good old doggedness, conversations regarding turf

are receiving due attention and respect within our

state government departments. We still have a long

way to go but hope and optimism remain strong

enough to fuel our efforts.

Our small committee has been working hard to

keep training options available to all WA members

for the remainder of the year. As well as a couple

of workshops planned, we are busy organising our

major seminar/trade show for later in the year. this

year’s event has all the hallmarks of being one of our

best yet and will include a gala dinner in celebration

of our graduating and award winning turf students

of 2014.

i hope i will meet up with many of our eastern

and southern state colleagues at the 30th Australian

turfgrass Conference on the gold Coast this year.

By all accounts the AgCsA has put together another

brilliant week of seminars and demonstrations.

tony guyPresident, sta wa



WOrLD CuP CALL uP FOr LAnGstA ViC member and AAMi Park sportsfield

coordinator Justin Lang recently embarked on

the professional trip of a lifetime to provide his

expertise at this year’s fifA World Cup in Brazil.

At the invitation of the sports turf research

institute (stri), lang’s six week sojourn entails

World Cup turf consultancy in Curitiba, one of

12 host venues for the tournament which kicks

off on 12 June. lang’s pitch assessments of

the Arena da Baixada will contribute to reports

for a venue scheduled to host four preliminary

round games, including the 23 June group B

match between the socceroos and World Cup

defending champions and world no.1 ranked

nation spain.

the invitation was something of a surprise for the unassuming richmond Afl

fanatic who, after a decade at Punt road Oval followed by a nine-year stint at etihad

stadium, has been in charge of AAMi Park’s turf since the stadium’s 2010 opening.

“this will be my biggest career highlight so far. Possibly the biggest i will

ever have,” lang said. “i’ve never been overseas before, so you can imagine the

scrambling to get my passport, vaccinations, banking and phones sorted.”

the scale of the World Cup is evidenced by the 12 stadiums and 32 training

facilities that will be used for the event. While lang expects reasonably similar

surfaces to home, he’s looking forward to being on the ground to forensically assess

the grounds.

under lang, AAMi Park’s playing surface won back-to-back Professional

footballers Association Best Pitch Awards in 2012 and 2013. As well as preparing

AAMi Park for A-league matches, Justin and his team also meet the challenge of

curating a field with the additional demands of rugby (Melbourne rebels, super 15)

and rugby league (Melbourne storm, nrl) and at times simultaneously when the three

football codes’ seasons intersect.

Justin Lang is currently in Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Vgcsa

The VgCsA Annual general Meeting was

held at Commonwealth golf Club on 19

May with AgCsA Accredited superintendent

Mark Prosser and his team having the course in

magnificent condition. Compliments also to the

clubhouse staff for making our day enjoyable. We

are certainly grateful to be able to conduct our

meetings at excellent venues and it was wonderful

to see the recently refurbished Commonwealth

clubhouse.

toro have been long time sponsors of our AgM

and again they were there to ensure our day was a

success. thank you to Dean, Michael, Chris and the

toro organisation for their ongoing support of the

VgCsA and the AgM.

As part of the AgM we presented the winner

of the VgCsA Apprentice of the Year Award. this

year’s winner is Ethan Bell from Wangaratta golf

Club who attended Wodonga tAfe. ethan beat a

strong field of finalists that included Simon Wilson

(freeway golf Club/nMit), Thomas Golding

(torquay golf Club/ gordon tafe) and David Cope

(settlers run/Chisholm tafe). Congratulations to

ethan and all finalists.

Victorian Police senior sergeant Peter Bellion

was our guest speaker on the day. At the subsequent

AgM, Jeremy Cutajar was installed as the new

VgCsA president with the committee for the next 12

months to consist of: l President: Jeremy Cutajar (ringwood/Dorset

gCs)l Vice-president: Mathew Poultney (green

Acres gC)l Secretary: Barry Proctor (Cranbourne gC)l Treasurer: Mark Jennings (Box Hill gC)l Committee: Shane Greenhill (sorrento gC),

Steve Burchett (Portarlington gC), Michael

Freeman (Huntingdale gC) and Steve Hewitt

(13th Beach)

the coveted Powell trophy went to Adam Lamb

(Barwon Heads), while the toro Cup went the way

of David Phillips (spring Valley gC). the Presidents

shield trade competition was collected by Matt

Steven (Oasis turf).

the AgM was my last as VgCsA president and

i would like to thank everyone who has supported

me since stepping into the role in 2011. the VgCsA

has continued to focus on providing quality content

at meetings and to produce a great newsletter. i

believe these two areas are a core focus and to be

a part of providing this to our members to a high

standard has been very satisfying.

this could not have been possible without the

commitment of the VgCsA committee members

and our administrative coordinator Lesley Mitchell.

As a team i feel that we have been progressive in

implementing new initiatives while at the same time

improving areas of the association that were already

done well as a result of past committees.

thank you to our generous sponsors who

continue to support the association. to all members,

thank you for the effort you have made to embrace

the opportunities made available to you. the

association cannot prosper and grow without the

input and enthusiasm of its members.

i will continue to be a part of the committee as i

feel that i still have more to offer but feel that a new

person from a leadership perspective is required.

good luck to Jeremy who i know will do a fine job.

the next VgCsA event will be the Assistants/3iC

education Meeting scheduled for 16 June at

Chisholm tAfe. this day will include a number

of guest speakers and information provided from

the state’s tAfe colleges. i would encourage all

superintendents to allow their senior staff to attend

what should be a very informative day. thank you to

Jim Brennan (Applied Agronomics) for sponsoring

the day and to Chisholm tAfe for offering their

venue for the meeting.

steVen hewittiMMediate Past President, Vgcsa

MAY-June 2014 89

sta act region

It’s that time of the year in Canberra when we

dust off the gloves, beanie and thermals in

preparation for the winter months to come. We

have already had a few small frosts and daytime

temperatures are now hovering around the mid-

teens. Autumn renovations have been completed

and most warm-season grasses are starting to lose

colour and have well and truly stopped growth.

Our annual stA ACt region golf Day was

recently held at gold Creek Country Club (AgCsA

Accredited superintendent Scott Harris). Overall

numbers were a bit down for the day with about

50 delegates enjoying a picturesque sunny day of

golf. Simon Snedden was presented with the ACt

student of the Year Award before golfers took to the

course. thank you to sponsors nuturf, simplot and

Complete turf & landscaping. thank you also to

Bill Franklin from nuturf for tirelessly slaving away

all day on the barbeque to ensure everyone was fed.

the start of May saw the federation of Bowling

greenkeepers Week with around 100 bowling

greenkeepers converging on Canberra from around

Australia. each day was hosted by a different club

starting with Queanbeyan rsl Club followed by

tuggeranong Bowling Club, Weston Creek Bowling

Club, north Bowling Club, Queanbeyan Bowling

Club and Belconnen Bowling Club.

there were sponsor talks most mornings and

a turf tour of Manuka Oval and Parliament House.

Championships for singles, pairs and fours were

also contested as well as test matches between the

states, with a gala dinner in the Bradman room at

Manuka Oval rounding off the week.

the annual stA ACt turf seminar, to be held at

tuggeranong town sports Centre on Wednesday

30 July, is fast approaching. Once again we have

a quality line-up of speakers for the day with the

central theme being playing surface rejuvenation.

topics include the reconstruction of Manuka Oval,

rejuvenation of royal Melbourne golf Club, shaving

bowling greens and the reconstruction plans for

royal Canberra. there will also be machinery

demonstrations and Luke Jorgensen will give an

overview of his study trip to the usA as part of

winning the AgCsA graduate of the Year Award.

there really is something for everyone with

a focus on getting back to the grass roots topics

of greenkeeping. Our AgM will be held at the

conclusion of the seminar. registrations can be

made online at www.sportsturf.asn.au or enquiries

through Consec-Conference Management on (02)

6251 0675.

danny hull,coMMittee, sta act region



gcsaq

Some absolutely glorious Queensland autumn

weather has had the golfers out in force

with most superintendents across the state

reporting large player numbers. the rainfall hasn’t

been too extreme and the warmth lasted into May,

so most courses are well placed heading into winter

which makes for a nice change from previous years.

Horton Park AgCsA Accredited superintendent

Pat Pauli’s new course at Bli Bli is progressing

nicely with nine fairways and six greens already

handed over to his crew. further south at rACV

royal Pines resort, the fine weather has them

ahead of schedule at the time of writing, while

Charlie Giffard at indooroopilly reports that his

club is about to spend upwards of $150K to realign

the fairway on 6 red to hopefully solve a boundary

issue. And Ben Tilley has taken it upon himself to

cause a drought by installing a new water storage

area at Headland golf Club!

there has been a little bit of movement among

the troops in south east Queensland, particularly

on the trade side. simplot Partners state manager

Col Thorsborne is making a return to the bright

side by taking the superintendent role at Parkwood

international on the gold Coast. the club has had

a renaissance of sorts over the past couple of years

with improvements happening in all areas of the

facility.

former Hyatt Coolum assistant superintendent,

David golf rep and most recently living turf rep

Brock Agnew also returns from the dark side

by joining the crew at sanctuary Cove as Robin

Doodson’s assistant. robin’s former assistant

Glenn Gibson-Smith has taken the position as

superintendent at riverside Oaks in nsW and we all

wish him well.

Luke Mortimer at Arundel found the 60 hour

weeks trying to keep bentgrass greens alive a bit

wearisome (i know how he feels!) and has moved

on to allow former sanctuary Cove greenkeeper

Todd McCully to take the reins. And former gCsAQ

committee member Graham Sims has pulled up

stumps at Pacific golf Club in Brisbane after 31

years on the tools.

the sad news from an industry perspective

here recently was the permanent closing of nine

holes at Club Banora golf Club. the golf course

was constructed on a reclaimed swamp 30 years

ago and has not been without structural issues

since then. the golf course was also damaged

by salt in the early 1990s requiring substantial

rectification work and numerous reports since then

have predicted the sort of event that has now

happened.

Despite ample irrigation water in storage on

the golf course, the structure below the turf surface

has become so parched that some areas of the

golf course have begun to crack open, resulting

in potentially hazardous conditions if people were

to enter these zones. the chairman of twin towns

services Club, Michael Fraser, which operates

Club Banora, said that, “the extent of damage in

certain areas is such that we will need to close them

from all golf operations and they will be fenced off.

the areas that are not damaged beyond repair will

be reconfigured to provide nine holes of golf for our

members.”

the club has recently been able to further

reconfigure some tee and green locations to provide

an 18-hole option for the members that have stayed

on. gCsAQ member Bob McCowan has been

leading from the front in these recent course works.

Peter lonerganPresident, gcsaq

Ben Tilley has been digging some big holes at Headland which will

no doubt spark a mass drought in Queensland

on the MoVeLucas Brown: from superintendent emerald golf

Club, Qld to superintendent Mildura golf resort,

Vic.

David Cheape: from Mandurah Country Club, WA

to assistant superintendent Melville glades golf

Club, WA replacing Dave Brennan.

Glenn Gibson-Smith: from assistant

superintendent sanctuary Cove golf & Country

Club, Qld to superintendent riverside Oaks golf

Club, nsW.

Tony Jonas: Appointed superintendent

toowoomba golf Club (Middle ridge), Qld.

Bryan Kelly: Appointed superintendent

Queanbeyan golf Club, nsW replacing scott

fogg.

Tim Madder: elevated to assistant superintendent,

Kew golf Club, Vic.

Brad Marsden: from superintendent Kings Cove,

Metung, Vic to landscape maintenance manager

Cameron Outdoor (Bairnsdale, Vic).

Craig Molloy: from general manager shortland

Waters golf Club, nsW to superintendent Cypress

lakes resort, nsW replacing Merv Hayward.

Jason Pou: from leading hand to assistant

superintendent royal fremantle golf Club, WA.

Liam Spooner: Appointed assistant superintendent

secret Harbour golf Club, WA.

Cameron Sutherland: from curator WACA, WA to

general manager of tracks Perth racing, WA.

Earl Warmington: from assistant superintendent

Jacks Point, nZ to assistant superintendent royal

Canberra golf Club, ACt.

Gibson-Smith

Marsden

Molloy

Sutherland

Ph. 03 9548 8600 Fax. 03 9548 8622 Email: [email protected] 1, Monash Corporate Centre, 752 Blackburn Road, Clayton 3168 Vic

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off courseoff course

Those who know south Australian turf industry

veteran John Cooper will appreciate that

he’s the sort of man who likes to travel the

unbeaten path. readers of AtM may recall his

article in Volume 11.2 back in 2009 which recounted

his 46-day solo kayak down the entire length of the

Murray river. recently Cooper packed the bags

(and golf clubs) on yet another adventure, this time

to Myanmar, formerly Burma. He penned this little

report for AtM about one of his many stops along

the way – thayet golf Club – which claims to be the

oldest course in Myanmar.

“the ‘road to Mandalay’ is actually the Ayerarwaddy

(irrawaddy) river inspired by rudyard Kipling’s

poem and made famous by the frank sinatra song.

the river bisects Myanmar from the far north through

Mandalay to Yangon (rangoon) in the south and is

the lifeblood of the many villages and towns along

its banks.

Once of these is the port city of thayet and

after a short horse and cart ride (and a long straight

drive), i was standing on the 1st green of the first

golf course in Myanmar. thayet golf Club proudly

boasts being the first golf course built in the country

and also of its affiliation with the royal and Ancient

golf Club. the club claims that its members have

reciprocal green fees with them, although apparently

st Andrews does not acknowledge this connection.

British colonial rule in the 18th and 19th

Centuries brought to this part of the world two

quintessentially British cultural and social institutions

– gentlemen’s clubs and golf clubs. the city of

thayet was significant to the British occupation as

it once guarded the borders of royal Burma and

British Burma following the 2nd Anglo-Burmese War

of 1855. As such, the english population of the time

saw the need to build a golf course and thus in 1887

thayet golf Club was born.

nowadays most of the country’s golf courses

are in the bigger cities of Yangon (rangoon) and

Mandalay which cater for the increasing number

of tourists as well as those locals who have the

financial resources to play the game. thayet, by

contrast, remains very rural. the primary means of

living is agriculture and not surprisingly there is little

interest in golf.

Despite the club’s references to st Andrews,

course maintenance at thayet is rudimentary at

best, with some interesting rotary mowers used

on most surfaces. the nine greenkeeping staff are

mostly occupied with manual tasks and each green

has its own hand roller, sand supply and nearby

water trough to help achieve a puttable surface.

As i looked around the landscape of the course,

the financial future seemed to be more in the

projected worth of the teak trees planted between

the fairways than the number of golfers coming

through the facility. According to the club, it has 472

members on its books, but for that to be believable

many would need to come from the major cities

which are more than 200kms away.

But at the very modest cost of just $AuD5 a

round, complete with a local caddy to hold the

umbrella and clubs, it was certainly on the affordable

side and meant i could enjoy a few of the $AuD1

beers in the midday sun afterwards.”

Thayet Golf Club is Myanmar’s oldest course, formed in 1887

The local transport to and from the course

Now that’s a rotary mower!

John Cooper with caddy at Thayet

on the road to

MandalayMandalay

australian turfgrass management journal - volume 16.3 (may-june 2014)

Documents