TURF MANAGEMENT
New Verti-Drain helps The
Centurion Club prepare for
UL International Crown
Andy Garland, Course Manager at Hertfordshire’s Centurion Club, is working on
improving course-wide surface drainage with a little help from his new Verti-
Drain 7521. Focussing on the fairways, his latest bit of kit from Charterhouse Turf
Machinery, will be fundamental as club preparations ramp up to host the 2020
UL International Crown event.
elevised to millions, 2020
will be the fourth edition of
the Women’s Professional
tournament and the first time it will
be hosted in the UK. Andy and his
greens team of 12 are already well into
preparations to ensure the course is
fit for a worldwide audience. “When
it comes to aeration, we have a small
machine for use on the greens, but we
had been hiring in a unit for work on the
fairways” he explains. “The trouble with
that was, the effectiveness of the work
conducted was very much at the mercy
of the weather and the resulting ground
conditions on that day.”
T
With previous experience of Verti-
Drains, Andy spoke with his local dealer
Browns and had a demonstration of
the 7521 model. “You know what you’re
going to get with a Verti-Drain – the
ability to use different tines to work at
good depths and build quality that can
handle compacted soils.” Having taken
delivery of his new machine complete
with different head options in August,
the 7521 has been busy on the fairways,
together with some deep aeration work
on the greens.
“We equipped the Verti-Drain with 1”
tines and aerated all of the fairways
which instantly improved surface
drainage. Water dispersal has been so
much better which is crucial as we head
towards the winter period. We hope
to get one more round done on all 18
holes before the tractor gets put onto
renovation projects over the winter.
This should help us emerge in spring
ready for full tournament preparation.”
Andy concludes, “By having our own
Verti-Drain we can be flexible around the
weather conditions and the maintenance
schedule to maximise its effectiveness.
It will be a key tool as we get ready for
our big event next summer.”
Charterhouse Turf Machinery, 01428 661222
www.charterhouse-tm.co.uk
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GroundskeepingJournal.co.uk | Sept/Oct 2019