Less fertiliser, water & pesticides = less cost

High Post GC in the rain

Ever felt as though you have jumped in at the deep end and are struggling to keep your head above water?

Imagine how Peter Hickling, Manager of High Post Golf Club felt, when on his first day at the helm, his club chairman put a letter on his desk from the Environment Agency. The letter threatened the directors with criminal proceedings for over abstraction of water for irrigating their greens. The chairman simply said “don’t let this happen again”. Welcome on board, Peter thought to himself!

Like many clubs on chalk down-land, High Post (whom Peter Alliss rates the bunkerless ninth hole in his dream 18 holes) draw their water from a bore hole.

Pressure from members for faster and faster greens

with the mower cutters being lowered, had developed Poa Annua (meadow grass) dominated greens which required high amounts of watering as well as lots of fertiliser and pesticides.

Peter consulted with his head greenkeeper, the Environment Agency and the R&A who had just launched their website www.bestcourseforgolf.org with extensive detail on best practice guidance for managing golf courses in a sustainable way.

Conservationist policies were soon developed and implemented.

These included:

• Over-seeding with drought resistant fine fescue grasses on the greens
• Targeted hand watering with reduced sprinkler irrigation.
• Use of Aeration machinery that injected water below the surface to the roots (eliminating surface evaporation)
• Reduction of fertiliser to further encourage the fine fescue drought tolerant grass and drive out thirsty annual meadow grass
• Installation of a closed loop wash-down system to clean green-keeping machinery
• Removal of thatch from the putting surface to develop turf which is drier and firmer and thus in healthier condition
• The height of the cut was raised on the greens

The sustainable way is not easy to start with.

A year later Peter was only just keeping his head above water. Golfers at High Post were used to lightning quick greens and reaction was not entirely favourable!

Finer grass greens at High Post

“Communication is the key” says Peter from sometimes painful experience. “Keeping the members fully informed of the approach being taken and the long term benefits is essential.”
Under the watchful eye of Lachlan Morrison, the club’s new head green-keeper appointed in March 2006, further impressive progress was made. Water abstraction for sprinkler irrigation was reduced by 47% and this despite the hot dry spell during 2006.

Steve Gingell of The Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), the club’s agronomist, monitored progress and gave advice throughout. Steve was “blown away” 12 months later by the dramtic increase of the finer grasses on the greens.

Dramatic improvement at High Post

All the while, Peter kept the Environment Agency in touch with all the new intiatives and progress and in early 2007 the club were advised to apply for a Water Efficiency Award - for which they later won a commendation, an achievement featured on the R&A’s main website, www.randa.org.

Rob Wescott explains: “through careful planning, the club reduced the water it abstracts by nearly half down from 6,138 cubic metres in 2003 to 3,261 by 2005. Our Water Efficiency Awards judging panel felt High Post was a leading example to other clubs, showing best practice in course management”

As the club goes into the 2009 season, Peter and his team are several rungs up the ladder of sustainability and feeling very bouyant, Steve Gingell and the STRI have been immensely helpful says Peter, “now we have introduced further practices which are bringing

significant benefits to the golfer.

With the improved composition of the fine grasses, and regular brushing and rolling of the putting surfaces the

speed of the greens has returned,

however, this is now combined with a quality sustainable surface.”

Less fertiliser, pesticides and water = less cost.

Moving towards greater sustainability has been the challenge and one which Peter and his team continue to relish. With some pride and a glint in his eye, Peter says “High Post, which incidentally has probably some of the finest quality fairways in the UK, will be a course that golfers will flock to as a shining example of best practice management.” It is a “joy to be alive” to visit High Post.

Expert help (The R&A, STRI) good communication and a dedicated team of professional green-keepers have been the key to the transformation and the hard work is by no means over yet.

The club aspires to become a world renowned inland course

fully embracing sustainable management.