TURF MANAGEMENT
Wiedenmann double all in a day ’ s work at historic Adare Manor Old Course
T his summer , Brian Dunne , celebrates 20 years as Course Superintendent at Adare Manor Old Course GC in the southwest of Ireland .
He has built a long-established relationship with local Wiedenmann dealer Seamus Weldon , at nearby Killarney .
“ We go back years ; they ’ ve always been there for us ,” he said . “ When we purchased a new blower back in 2008 , Michael Weldon pointed us in the direction of a Wiedenmann Whisper Twister . It was new to the market , and we were among the first to buy .
“ You can ’ t fault it . We ’ d be lost without it .
“ From October to December , it ’ s out every day on leaf clearance duty . Our course is lined with beech and oak trees so there ’ s plenty of work . One of the team on our small tractor blows the leaves into lines and our collector follows behind . It has dozens of tasks ; drying off tee boxes , presentation , tidying and , when we ’ ve had storms , it ’ s come into its own .”
“ We used to bring contractors in to help with deep aeration on our fairways . It was always a struggle to book the right week : and balance weather and the needs of golfers . It was also getting very expensive .
“ I asked Michael if he could source a second-hand aerator so we could do the job ourselves . He came back with a beautifully refurbished Wiedenmann Terra Spike XP , and we haven ’ t looked back .
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I asked Michael if he could source a second-hand aerator so we could do the job ourselves . He came back with a beautifully refurbished Wiedenmann Terra Spike XP , and we haven ’ t looked back .
“ Your own machine makes such a difference . We try to do our fairways twice a year . We just pick when the conditions are right and do two or three at a time . We ’ ve got twelve acres in total , as well as walkways and tee boxes , so it takes us around a week and a half normally to do all the split sessions .
Brian ’ s team , three at present , with a vacancy about to be filled , takes on two summer workers to help them cope . The friendly parkland club is constantly busy , its history and dramatic setting , marking it out as not your typical golfing experience , so enjoys lots of visitors .
Very few clubs can boast anything as spectacular as Desmond Castle ( 1200 AD ) which nestles in the background of the 1st and 15th greens or the ruins of the Franciscan Abbey ( 1464 AD ) in the centre of the course . www . wiedenmann . co . uk
GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | March / April 2024 47