Course Manager enjoys Atlanta Experienc
The 2006 Conference and Show in the United States was this year held in Atlanta. Course manager, Graham Blum, was one of the 10 selected BIGGA (British International Golf Greenkeepers Association) delegates to attend. The selection process covered more than six months and the delegates are rewarded with this wonderful opportunity thanks to Bernhard & Co (the makers of the world's finest grinders). The following is Graham's brief outline of the week. The tour began at Gatwick for our long haul flight to the States. Our tour organiser, Kim Furnell (Bernhard's co-ordinator) was going to have her work cut out arranging 10 UK greenies for the week. After settling in to our hotel for the week, we had our first social get-together, which gave us a chance to learn about each other and the courses we work on in the UK. Monday morning started early with our first field trip for the week. We attendedtwo golf courses - Eastlake Golf Club, home of the season ending tour championship, and Atlanta Athletic Club, home of the great Bobby Jones. Eastlake opened in 1904, groundstaff of 35, membership of 60 paying $50,000US per year and corporate membership costing up to $300,000US per year. Total budget for golf course operations was approx $1.9M US. Eastlake have installed a $1M sub-air system designed to remove excess water from their greens like a huge vacuum cleaner. First installation of its kind in the world. Atlanta Athletic opened 1898 and boasts 36 holes of championship course. Hosted the 2001 PGA Championship and will again host it in 2011. Total budget for this course is just over $3M US this year. They are also spending $4.6M on renovations on one course. Staff of up to 68 during high season. Membership of 2,000 paying a $60,000US joining fee and a further $500US per month. Unfortunately, we were out of season. Both courses are predominantly Zoysia grasses and are dormant, so the only thing that was green were the greens. At both of these courses, members expect green speeds in excess of 11 on the stimpmeter. If not, the greenkeeper had better start looking for another job. Greens for the Open Championship generally rate at 10.5. Tuesday we were up at 6 am and spent the day in conference seminars discussing communication and networking amongst superintendents and owners from around the US. This highlighted the need for greater communication between greenkeepers, committees, owners and golf professionals - something I pride myself in already. Wednesday was another field trip visiting four sites around Atlanta. Centennial Olympic Park - venue for 1996 Olympic Games, Eastlake Golf Club again, Ansley Golf Club - nine-hole members club with a $700,000US budget and 15 staff, and finally Georgia Tech Campus. We visited their football stadium which holds 55,000 spectators, their golf academy with state-of-the-art practice facilities, and baseball and softball arenas. The show began Thursday in the World Trade Centre. Opening guests included Nancy Lopez. They presented the Old Tom Morris Award to Dr. Joe Duich for his services to the greenkeeping industry. He was the first non-greenkeeper to receive the award. His claim to this award is his development of bent grasses (mainly penn-cross bent) at Penn State University. Tonight we attended the Bernhards Prestige Dinner. I was fortunate to sit with Pete Dye's son, Perry. He is at present in the construction stages of three golf courses with a further 50 on the drawing board. He was a very interesting dinner companion. Friday and Saturday were spent attending the show and manning the BIGGA stand. A little shopping and much networking in the evenings over countless beers and steaks and fries. I was desperately missing the home cooked food and vegetables, as were my travelling companions. I was most fascinated by the vast money available to all courses in the US for grounds budgets. I marvelled at the amount of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers that they use on such large scales, with no seeming consequence to the environment. All superintendents I had the opportunity to talk to were dumbfounded by our budget restraints and staffing levels here in the UK. I have been invited by the Superintendent's Assoc. of Michigan to visit and exchange ideas and practices we use here at Trefloyne. I expect this visit to then be reciprocated by them visiting us, here in Wales. All delegates were pleased to board the plane on Sunday night for our journey home, after a long and intense training and learning experience, which I would not have missed for the world. I thank Kim, Joan and Sarah Beynon for allowing me the time to attend this wonderful event and look forward to utilising some of the ideas and practices I have brought home at Trefloyne in the near future.
Dyfed League Get-Together
Trefloyne's new Dyfed League captain, Meurig Evans, arranged a pre-season get-together on Saturday as a prelude to what is hoped to be another successful season. With new and old faces joining in the medal round and enjoying the social atmosphere in the clubhouse after, Trefloyne looks like being a force to reckon with if the practice round scores are anything to go by. Meurig led by example, shooting a fine nett 67, followed by newcomer and leftie, Gareth Knight with a nett 69. Junior champion, James Maxwell showed that the Welsh training is paying dividends when he carded a nett 70. First rounds commence early April and Meurig is still keen to recruit any members interested in playing for Trefloyne.
Seniors Warm-up
Graham Harrison, this year's Seniors captain, is arranging a practice friendly match amongst Trefloyne senior members for next Thursday February 23. Seniors interested in playing are asked to register with Graham or on the seniors notice board.
Winter League Underway
The 2006 winter league competition is now in its third week and is set to go down to the wire. With a new format for this season (best four of six stableford scores to count), the opening rounds have seen the best scores of the past 12 months being recorded. Nick Griffiths set a cracking pace in Division One with an opening score of 43 pts. Unfortunately, week two saw him slide down the list, as Meurig Evans kept up the pace with 37 and 40, respectively. Division Two has Paul Mills recording concurrent 38-point scores, while Andrew Evans recorded 37 both weeks.
Competition Results
Saturday, February 11: Men's Stableford - winner Meurig Evans 40 pts; runner-up - Pat Casement 38 pts; equal 3. James Maxwell and Andrew Evans. No birdie 2s were recorded, so a bag draw sees Bernard Bradley, Nick Griffiths and David Weavers each receive a £10 Pro-shop voucher. Ladies Stableford - winner Julie Jenkins 33 pts; runner-up - Di Neale 32 pts.
Junior clinics
The Trefloyne Junior golf clinics recommence on Saturday, March 4, and Tuesday, March 7. Classes are available for juniors who are members and non- members from age three to 17. Application forms are now available by contacting the Pro-shop or Christine on 01834 845639. Easter holiday golf clinics are also now available for booking.
Pro-shop News
Trefloyne Pro-shop has now taken delivery of the 2006 Cobra and Wilson golf equipment. For information or a demonstration, visit Christine and her friendly staff to upgrade your old equipment and move on with the new technology.
LADIES' SECTION
Winter golf has been progressing steadily for Trefloyne ladies' section, with a continuous flow of keen and well wrapped ladies ready to tackle the course in cold and wintry conditions - we are a sturdy lot! Linda Kromrei kept up the consistent golf for which she is famous, winning the stableford competition in January and taking second place the following week from Liz Crockford. Heather Thorne was on form in January, too, taking two second places in the weekly stablefords. Linda also won the first Bogey, with several of her colleagues unfortunately making silly errors that resulted in their disqualification - we won't be doing that again, will we girls! Liz Crockford braved fierce winds to claim the February medal, with captain Linda second again, but roles were reversed in the next week's stableford when Linda won on 32 points, closely followed by Julie Jenkins on 31 and Liz on 28. Julie won the next stableford with 33 points, despite being freezing, and Di Neale, who was in a lovely warm buggy, came second with 32. The ladies also turned out in force on what must have been one of the coldest Tuesdays for a very long time to take part in our ever-inventive golf professional Christine's chipping and putting session. Sadistically, Chris insisted that we all jog up and down and stand on one leg performing various balletic exercises first before she allowed us near a ball, and of course we all promised that we would follow this routine before we ever picked up a golf club again! However, despite the blue noses and numb fingers, we all enjoyed this practice session immensely and can see the improvement in our games already. Chris has kindly agreed to make this a regular monthly event thank goodness and, hopefully, the next one will be in warmer temperatures. Beautiful bowls of steaming home-made soup in the clubhouse afterwards makes it all worth the pain and effort too. Next Tuesday all ladies are welcome to join us from 10 am as we will be playing Trefloyne as a rather pleasing par-three course as arranged by Christine, which will allow us all to put into practice some more of those accurate nine-irons! If it should rain and spoil our plans, we hope to move the action to Heatherton, so brush the cobwebs off those clubs ladies and come and join us for some great fun and physical activity in these dark winter months. NB. The club annual general meeting will be held tonight (Friday) at 7 pm and we would love all ladies to do their best to attend.