GREENKEEPING
Scott Davidson
With a month ’ s notice in England ahead of courses reopening , some clubs will have sought to rectify that , while others have had to consider whether the financial benefit outweighs the needs of the course .
The reopening of facilities in Wales was in itself an adrenaline surge for greenkeepers in that country . Officially given less than 24 hours ’
Scott said : I think with everyone being stuck indoors , working from home and with no social life , they are just needing to get out a bit and are happy to play in anything .
notice that they were able to reopen on 13 March , many were hard pressed to get the course playable in short order .
“ We had 500mm extra rainfall last year on top of the average , which impacted what we could do through the winter ,” explained Lucy Sellick , head greenkeeper at Wenvoe Castle Golf Club and chairperson of BIGGA ’ s South West & South Wales Region . “ It ’ s put a strain on greenkeepers and I know some hadn ’ t cut their fairways in a long time because they weren ’ t able to get on the course . With such short notice before courses open , it just added to the pressure they were feeling .”
For BIGGA and the other leading bodies of the sport , such as the Golf Club Managers Association , it has been important to manage the expectations of regular golfers so that they didn ’ t expect to be returning to facilities that were in impeccable condition – especially considering the reopening in England was shortly followed by the US Masters , traditionally the start of the UK golfing season . But at the same time , it was important not to deter anyone who wanted to play golf from taking part , so the messaged needed to be balanced .
In Scotland they ’ ve had no such problems and at Cathcart Castle near Glasgow , Course Manager Scott Davidson said that every day the course was able to open any holes during the winter , the car park would be filled with golfers looking to get outdoors for some much-needed exercise . With courses remaining open throughout the winter , it provided an insight into what the rest of the UK can expect this summer .
Scott said : “ I think with everyone being stuck indoors , working from home and with no social life , they are just needing to get out a bit and are happy to play in anything . It ’ ll be pouring with rain and you ’ ll see the car park is still full .
“ We were fortunate to be able to play some golf , but even if it ’ s only an hour playing seven holes , an hour of golf is better than no golf at all .”
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