EDUCATION

Seminar: 10th September 2008, 7pm Elmwood Golf Course.

Seminar: 20th August 2008, 7pm Elmwood Golf Course.

Barenbrug UK visit, March 19th 2008

A good turnout of 10 eager to learn greenkeepers, arrived at the Falkirk depot of Barenbrug UK. We were warmly greeted by Billy Nimmo, Operations Manager, who gave a presentation on the quality control aspects of the Barenbrug business. He discussed, certification or guarantee of purity / germination and how Barenbrug exceed the standards expected in Europe and the UK. After his presentation a short discussion ensued regarding the labelling of grass seed bags to enable clearer identification for less experienced greenstaff.

Jayne Leyland, UK R and D Manager then gave us an impressive presentation on how to Optimise overseeding. I found this especially relevant going into the new season, with aims to increase the frequency of overseeding this year. One of the most important points that I took from her talk was to sow the seed to the correct depth, and this is different for each species of grass. Therefore she suggests it is more efficient to overseed different grass species at different times, to different depths.

We then were taken on a tour of the facility, and saw the new mixing machine with automatic cleaning action!!.

The afternoon finished off with another presentation from Jayne, this time about Climate and the climate for change.

Here we received information regarding trials that have occurred re issues such as low temperature germination. We also learned that if you access the Barenbrug website, and register, you can download the latest results of research that Barenbrug have achieved recently. They are also keen to have feedback on any issues you may have concerning the use of their products.

Please visit their site and register for this valuable tool that can increase your knowledge of turf management.

May I, on behalf, of the Bigga Central Section say a huge Thank You to Jayne and Billy for their hospitality, food, drink, sweets, and for sharing their wisdom and expert knowledge with us today. I have certainly taken away a few things to think about. I would also like to thank all those that registered for today and hope that you enjoyed the event. Lastly if anyone has any requests for training days then please post any ideas on our forum

Graeme

Scottish Conference, Carnegie College Dunfermline, March 4th 2008.

This was my first time attending the Scottish Greenkeepers Conference. I was therefore looking forward to gaining some more knowledge and I was not disappointed. The speakers of the day were all articulate and highly interesting, and were well introduced by the two chairmen of the event; Iain Macleod (Scottish Education Officer) and Stuart Greenwood, (Scottish Chairman).

Topics covered included, Pesticide Legislation, Environmental management, Ups and downs of hosting the Ryder Cup, A view of the construction techniques employed at St Andrews Links 7th course, Uses for green compost and finally how course mapping can be used as a management tool.

I must say I took a little something from each speaker, but notably I was very impressed with Ron Alexander’s presentation on the uses of Green Waste. At the links we have just created our own compost out of gorse clippings and waste grass, therefore Ron gave me ideas on what to do with this material, such as improving compacted areas of turf using a neat compost mix.

The most entertaining of the day was certainly Gerry Byrne from the K Club and how he managed to prepare a poor course for the Ryder Cup, and then how to reinstate the course after it had been turned into a swamp that Shrek would be proud of after the event.

A big thankyou must go to the patrons whose contribution made this possible and to Peter Boyd for his once again excellent organisation skills. I will certainly be back.

Graeme

Link here for a copy of the GTC's Health and Safety booklet.

USGA Seminar, Elmwood Golf Course November 28th 2007

What a fantastic turnout! 40 people from the region and beyond (the wee bonny banks…) turned up to hear 3 superbly articulate and interesting speakers give an interactive presentation on Dollar spot, Fairy rings and Growth regulators.

First up was Professor John Kaminski. His presentation focused on increasing the effectiveness of fungicide control on Dollar Spot by using specific nozzles (air induction) for the task. He also stated that you can maximize control by tank mixing a preventative and curative product. He has kindly left a link to his University site www.turf.uconn.edu, where you can find information on his latest research projects.

Secondly, Professor Mike Fidanza gave a detailed talk on fairy rings and control methods, such as aerification combined with a fungicide/surfactant application (specifically Heritage / Revolution). Another important tip is to combine these controls in one ie to use a hydroject to deliver the compounds directly into the soil where the fungus thrives.

Lastly, Stan Zontek, turfgrass agronomist chaired a lively Q and A session about Growth regulators including Primo. Advantages and Disadvantages of this product were highlighted during this session and methods of trialing any new chemical were also discussed.

The Central Section Committee would like to extend a warm and heartfelt thank you to John, Mike and Stan for this excellent and thought provoking presentation. We would also like to thank all those that attended, and to ask that you all return for any future planned events.

15 section members attended an extremely informative and entertaining presentation by Frank Newberry. The talk was titled "The Influential Head Greenkeeper" and involved how to achieve a greater influence over a committee and other people. Frank used various stories from his 17 years experience with greenkeepers to highlight and express certain points.

Our next presentation is in March 2007, with the subject being one close to all our hearts - Rules of Golf!!. Finally, We would like to pass our thanks to all those that attended our seminar's this year and would ask that you continue your support and perhaps try to bring at least one member of staff along to the next seminar as well. Wishing you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!

Archie Dunn has a captive audience at this weeks excellent discussion group with agronomist Richard Windows!

The evening event with Richard Windows, the local STRI agronomist saw 18 local members attending, a great turn out on such a very wet and dreary night. It was a very informative evening and we had the opportunity to discuss many topical issues, from sustainability, to frost policies. A good chat in the bar after also.