What do Greenkeepers do?

Imagine the exhaustive list of different tasks that need to get done on a Golf Course.

Landscapers manicure fairways and plumbers repair turf sprinkler systems, but the ultimate responsibility for the appearance and functioning of golf courses falls to superintendents. Also called turf managers and greenkeepers, they manage the environmental health of the greens and ensure that their facilities meet the needs of the players while still turning a profit.

The British and International Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) once made a detailed list of what a fully trained, qualified golf course Greenkeeper, should be able to do.

This is a GREENKEEPER/GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT JOB SPECIFICATION.

I'm sure that this list is NOT complete. Here is BIGGA's list:

-       Monitor and Maintain health, safety and security in the workplace

-       Responding to emergencies

-       Develops annual operating budgets and plans for maintenance and capital improvement projects

-       Supervises and controls all maintenance expenses associated with Golf Course Operations, including payroll, supplies, chemicals and fertilizers.

-       Maintains records and completes required reporting to Management and Committees.

-       Order parts, supplies and equipment as needed.

-       Schedules maintenance practices around member play and outings to maximize efficiency and minimize disruption to members

-       Maintain good standards of health and safety for self and others

-       Switching and brushing

-       Mowing banks

-       Mowing rough

-       Mowing semi rough

-       Mowing surrounds and approaches

-       Mowing tees

-       Mowing greens

-       Mowing fairways

-       Scarifying/Verti-cutting turf

-       Aerating/Hollowtinning turf

-       Knowledge of safe use, mixing and application of chemicals and commercial products.

-       Applying nutrition and fertilzers

-       Applying fungicides

-       Applying pesticides

-       Applying herbicides

-       Applying top dressing

-       Repairing divots

-       Irrigating turf

-       Ability and knowledge to lay out irrigation patterns, drainage patterns, construct tees and/or greens.

-       Identifying and controlling weeds

-       Identifying and controlling pests

-       Identifying and control of turf diseases and disorders

-       Preparing ground to establish turf

-       Establishing turf

-       Identifying grasses, trees, shrubs, insects, fishes and birds on the golf course

-       Marking of hazards, out of bounds and ground under repair

-       Moving tee markers

-       Maintaining bunkers

-       Maintaining golf course furniture

-       Changing holes

-       Rolling turf

-       Driving a tractor with implements

-       Undertaking routine machine maintenance

-       Preparing machinery for use

-       Preparing machinery for storage

-       Measuring green speed and interpreting the results

-       The rules of golf relating to golf course maintenance

-       Knowledge of the game of golf, golf rules and methods of play.

-       Preparing ground to establish plants on the golf course
-  Have a meticulous eye for detail and be a perfectionist when it comes to manicuring

-       Establishing plants on the golf course

-       Maintaining, pruning and trimming trees, shrubs and wetlands on the golf course

-       Communicating effectively with staff, committee members, golf members and guests

-       Interpersonal skill to resolve conflict and work with supervisors, officials, employees, members and the general public.

-       Dealing with disagreements/conflict

-       Keeping management informed of happenings of daily regimes

-       Understanding their roles and responsibilities

-       Skills in recruiting, supervising, training, monitoring, evaluating and motivating personnel.

-       Conducts employee performance evaluations and exercises disciplinary action

NOTE: All of the above tasks must be carried out in a manner that minimizes environmental damage.

A different approach...NOT using a wedge!!

The role of a Greenkeeper…

Today, reducing environmental impacts should be on the agenda of all sports facilities. Indeed, all walks of business should be doing their bit for the environment and leading to a better end result, potentially making financial savings in the process. Golf clubs are no different and I use these as an example of how the operational direction of a business needs to change in today's climate.

“For many, the only green aspect of the golf course should be the greens, tees and fairways...”

Throughout the history of golf this has been the role of the "Greenkeeper". In the past, breaking down the meaning of this title was straightforward - it was the job of the Greenkeeper to keep the turf healthy and as green as possible also ensuring the best quality for play.

For a while now a Greenkeeper’s role has stretched out beyond the playing surfaces to include the maintenance and enhancement of the out of play areas. These “wild” areas have become a signature for clubs, helping them stand out from their competition by creating an attractive, natural and diverse environment within which to play golf hence the fact that we are in the middle of a busy city and just about 1km away from the busiest highway in South Africa.

The role of the Greenkeeper has therefore, changed. He or she has become a manager of considerable areas of land. Add to this the requirement to be aware of and be responsible for and dealing with environmental issues both on the course and increasingly, in and around the clubhouse.

It is certainly the case that the roles of Greenkeepers from the 90’s are much more diverse and complex than it used to be. As a result of this, Greenkeeper are no longer employed to keep the greens green but to keep the club green.

Why bother?

People's opinions and extent of knowledge on the subject of climate change will, no doubt, differ between individuals but everybody by now are aware of the basic issues - we are over harvesting, polluting and destroying habitats to a point where our lifestyle is no longer sustainable.

It is a real problem that is already beginning to affect us. 

For example, I'm sure you've all noticed the +/- 15% mark up on the cost of food over the past 3 years? This can be linked to the failure of food crops which, in turn is caused by climate change related events. The point is the problem won't go away if we pretend it doesn't exist.

Are you thinking green yet?

Becoming greener brings more than just environmental benefits. This is a key point and a key driver for change. All businesses need to commit to becoming green - golf courses included - and those that have the foresight to begin adapting their practices, even in a small way will undoubtedly reap rewards in the future.

Those that invest money in Environmental Schemes will almost certainly make their money back within a relatively short period of time and from then on will continue to accumulate savings year on year.

For many it’s difficult to be convinced that change is a good idea. Change is often deemed a scary, unnecessary process and it is for this reason that some businesses and in some cases entire industries, get left behind. Becoming greener can only be a positive change whichever way you look at it.

Our Greens Committee together with industry professionals have started our own environmental plan for our Club. We have already identified a few key subjects and areas we will be covering, E.g.  A full list of all the trees, animals, fish and birdlife (Fauna and Flora) currently living on our property, also identifying out of play areas where we’ll be able to encourage and stimulate more indigenous plant & birdlife and a better structure at our Golf Course Maintenance Workshop where international standards in Workplace Health and Safety are met?

I'm not suggesting you get straight on the phone and order a solar panel to meet your power needs at home, I'm merely suggesting that carrying out investigative work costs nothing and I’m sure you’ll be able to find initiatives that are surprisingly beneficial to your own house.

Just imagine what our Environmental Plan can do for the Club's bank balance, image, status, efficiency and of course…to the environment. 

A few interesting facts about Golf Courses:

• A typical 18-hole golf course produces enough oxygen to support 4,000 to 7,000 people.
• Golf courses have a cooling effect during the hot summer months. The average temperature of a golf course is normally 5 to 7 degrees cooler than a residential area and 7 to 15 degrees cooler than an urban downtown setting.
• A golf course can be a healthy natural environment. The turf grass on golf courses serves as a filter to runoff to control flooding; out of play areas offer wildlife habitat; trees and bushes filter dust and pollen; and the green space has a cooling effect on surrounding property.
• Most golf courses compost grass clippings and leaves, which reduces the amount of waste in landfills. Composting is a growing and recommended practice for golf course operations.
• Golf course architects now design courses that reduce the need for pesticides, water and costly maintenance practices while preserving habitat and environmental quality.
• Golf course managers are among the best-educated and most conscientious users of chemical management tools. Today, most superintendents have two- or four-year university degrees in agronomy, horticulture or other related fields. Many of them enter the profession because of a love of nature and the outdoors, and are strongly committed to conservation. A recent survey shows golf course managers give extremely high priority to maintenance practices that do not have a negative impact on the environment.

Ecological benefits of golf courses

In addition to turf-related benefits, courses provide other important ecological and community assets. Golf courses are:

• Key sanctuaries for birds and other wildlife
• Disposal and treatment sites for (effluent) wastewater
• Attractive and environmentally sound “covers” for closed landfills and other ecologically damaged sites
• Recreational places for non-golf activities, such as jogging, walking and bird-watching
• Wetlands preservation areas

References: 

Google

Wikipedia

Pitchcare Magazine (Australia) - Economy vs Environment

www.teetimes.info - Quick facts about Golf and the Environment

Bird Hide Project

Wings in the city – Pretoria Country Club Bird Hide

As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, a project that combines the three disciplines was sought. The bird hide is an architectural structure that needs to become part of its surrounding landscape, a refuge within a refuge. The landscape forms the habitat for the birds, and is enhanced by specific planting and landscape design that sets the scene for observation. 

Furthermore the project is about connecting people with urban green space, conservation and creating habitats within the city for all its inhabitants, weaving layers of nature and man-made environments together into a more sustainable, symbiotic whole. Suburban Pretoria is teeming with wildlife, we truly have nature on our doorstep. All we need is the facilities to access it.

The Pretoria Country Club is one of the oldest recreation areas in the city of Pretoria and was established on the hunting farm of Carl Jeppe in 1910. It has always been an urban refuge for fauna, offering a variety of habitats in and around the golf course and other sports fields. The grounds boast a large dam in the Waterkloof Spruit together with wetlands, grasslands and many groves of trees. Recent sightings on the grounds include the endangered Peregrine Falcon, Long crested eagle, bee-eaters, 3 types of kingfisher and nesting sites of thick billed weavers to name but a few.

This hide is a pilot project informed by specialists from BirdLife SA, designed to accommodate wheelchair users. It is a prototype with the further potential to be replicated in many places throughout our city in botanical gardens and parks, housing estates, conservation areas, university grounds and other sports clubs.

As a shelter the hide does not need to be 100% weather tight, affording us some design freedom. It is made up of a rigid steel frame, pre-manufactured and assembled on site with timber cladding and planted poles, gabions using local stone and mulch pathways provided by the golf course. The surrounding site is to be planted with berry-bearing shrubs and trees, seed bearing grasses that also provide building material for bird nests, a variety of flowers for nectar feeders, trees, stumps and other props to provide nesting sites, perches and an insect factory.

The roof consists of timber planks placed on their sides and nailed together, each rotating slightly to form a winged shape that is orientated so as to allow light in from the south while providing shade to the north and west accentuating the entrance.

A conservative building estimate with a construction time of two weeks and a basic schedule of quantities have been done and came to a total of R100 000,00. We hope to raise enough funds to start construction in July and we are in the process of talking to possible suppliers for preferential or discounted rates. All contributions and sponsorships are welcome and deposits can be made at the reception counter at PCC with specific reference to the BIRD HIDE.

If anyone is looking to sponsor a specific item, or there is a business that might be interested to make a corporate sponsorship as a marketing effort, please contact Almer du Pisanie of kwpCREATE at 012 343 9141 or 082 705 7512 or via e-mail almer@kwpcreate.com.

As part of the COOL CAPITAL design biennale (http://www.coolcapital.co.za/) held in Pretoria during the month of August the bird hide will form part of the itinerary in the Architectural Pavilions + Installations category. It will also form part of various exhibitions and publications.

PCC Tree List - 2014

PCC Tree List A few years ago we made an effort to identify and record every specie of trees and shrubs, indigenous and exotics, currently growing on our property.  About 80% of our trees on the course and other areas on our property have since been tagged with a green tag (indigenous) and yellow tag (exotics). This tag includes their Common names in English and Afrikaans, also the Botanical Name and National Tree Number. Find below a list of the 105 available trees on PCC, with the exception of only 2 trees still to be identified.
*All Exotics/Non-Indigenous trees are numbered with a "X"
Botanical Name	Common Name	Afrikaans	National Tree no.
Acacia caffra	Common hook-thorn	Gewone Haakdoring	162
Acacia farnesiana	Needle Bush	Soetwattel	X492
Acacia galpinii	Monkey thorn	Apiesdoring	166
Acacia mearnsii	Blackwattle	Swartwattel	X494
Acacia melanoxylon	Blackwood	Swarthout	X495
Acacia sieberiana var. woodii	Paperbark thorn	Papierbasdoring	187
Acacia terminalis	Peppertree wattle	Peperboomwattel	X500
Acacia tortilis	Umbrella thorn	Haak en steek	188
Acacia xanthophloea	Fever tree	Koorsboom	189
Acer buergerianum	Chinese maple	Chinese ahorn	X658
Aloe barberiae	Tree aloe	Boomaalwyn	28
Araucaria bidwillii	Bunya-bunya	Boenjaboenja	X19
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana	King Palm	Koningpalm	X207
Bauhinia blakeana	Fragrant orchid tree	Geur orgideeboom	X520
Bauhinia variegata	White orchid tree	Witorgideeboom	X523
Bolusanthus speciosus	Tree wisteria	Vanwykshout	222
Brachychiton acerifolium	Australian flame tree	Australiese vlamboom	X722
Caesalpinia ferrea	Leopard tree	Luiperd Boom	X547
Callistemon citrinus	Lemon bottlebrush	Lemoenperdestert	X853
Callistemon viminalis	Weeping Bottlebrush	Treurperdestert	X856
Calodendrum capeanse	Cape chestnut	Wildekastaiing	256
Carya illinoinensis	Pecan tree	Pekanboom	X271
Casuarina equisetifolia	Horsetail tree	Perdestertboom	X246
Cedrus deodara	Deodar	Deodar seder	X46
Celtis africana	White stinkwood	Witstinkhout	39
Celtis australis	Australian nettle tree	Netelboom	X322
Celtis sinensis	Chinese Nettle tree	Chinese netelboom	X323
Ceratonia siliqua	Carob tree	Karob	X524
Chorisia speciosa	Silk floss tree	Kapokboom	X718
Cinnamomum camphora	Camphor tree	Kanferboom	X396
Combretum erythrophyllum	River bushwillow	Vaderlandswilg	536
Combretum kraussii	Forest bushwillow	Bosvaderlandswilg	540
Combretum molle	Velvet bushwillow	Fluweelboswilg	537
Cotoneaster amoenus	Fire mountain	Pronkbessie	X427
Cussonia paniculata	Highveld cabbage tree	Hoeveldse kiepersol	563
Cussonia spicata	Common cabbage tree	Gewone kiepersol	564
Dais cotinifolia	Pompon tree	Basboom	521
Dombeya rotundifolia	Common wild pear	Gewonde drolpeer	471
Dovyalis zeyheri	Kei-apple	Keiappel	507
Ekebergia capenis	Cape ash	Essenhout	298
Eriobotrya japonica	Loquat	Lukwart	X449
Erythrina crista-galli	Cockspur coral tree	Hoenderspoorkoraalboom	X571
Erythrina lysistemon	Common coral tree	Gewone koraalboom	245
Eucalyptus globulus	Blue gum	Bloekom	X815
Eucalyptus saligna	Sydney blue gum/Saligna Gum	Salignabloekom	X817
Eucalyptus urnigera	Urn Gum	(nie beskikbaar)	n/a
Euclea crispa	Blue guarri	Bloughwarrie	594
Faidherbia albida	Ana tree	Anaboom	159
Fagus sylvatica	European beech	Europese beukeboom	X291
Faurea saligna	Transvaal beech	Transsvaalboekenhout	75
Ficus benjamina	Weeping fig	Treurvy	X336
Ficus burkei	Common wild fig	Gewone Wilde Fy	48
Ficus hawaii	Hawaiian Ficus Liana	(nie beskikbaar)	n/a
Fraxinus americana	American Ash	Amerikaanse esseboom	X912
Gleditsia triacanthos	Honey locust	Soetpeulboom	X537
Grevillea robusta	Australian Silver-oak	Australiese silwereik	X347
Harpephyllum caffrum	Wild plum	Wildepruim	361
Heteropyxis natalenis	Lavender tree	Laventelboom	455
Hymenosporum flavum	Sweet cheesewood	Soetkasuur	X414
Ilex aquifolium	English Holly	Europese Huls	X650
Jacaranda mimosifolia	Jacaranda	Jakaranda	X971
Kigelia africana	Sausage tree	Worsboom	678
Kiggelaria africana	Wild peach tree	Wildeperskeboom	494
Lagerstroemia indica	Pride of India	Skubliesroos	X766
Laurus nobilis	Greek laurel	Griekse lourier	X403
Ligustrum lucidum	Chinese Privet	Chinese liguster	X925
Liquidambar styracuflua	Sweet gum	Amberboom	X416
Magnolia campbellii	Indian magnolia	Indiese magnolia	X377
Melia azedarach	Seringa	Maksering	X604
Morus nigra	Mulberry	Moerbei	X327
Mundulea sericea	Cork bush	Kurkbos	226
Murraya exotica	Orange Jessamine	Oranje jasmyn	X580
Olea europaea ssp. africana	Wild olive	Olienhout	617
Peltophorum africanum	Weeping wattle	Huilboom	215
Pinus roxburgii	Chir pine	Tjirden	X40
Platanus x acerifolia	London plane	Gewone plataan	X419
Platycladus orientalis	Chinese arborvitae	Chinese lewensboom	X83
Plumeria alba	White frangipani	Wit frangipani	X939
Podocarpus falcatus	Outiniqua yellowwood	Outeniekwa geelhout	16
Podocarpus henkelii	Henkel's yellowwood	Henkel-se-geelhout	17
Podocarpus latifolius	Real yellowwood	Opregte geelhout	18
Populus nigra	Lombardy poplar	Italiaanse populier	X253
Populus simonii	Simon's Poplar	Chinese Populier	X254
Populus tremuloides	American aspen	Amerikaanse esp	X255
Quercus acutissma	Bristle oak	Stekeleik	X296
Quercus palustris	Pin oak	Moeraseik	X309
Quercus robur	English oak	Steeleik	X312
Quercus suber	Cork oak	Kurkeik	X314
Robinia pseudo-acacia	Black Locust	Witakasia	X562
Salix babylonica	Weeping willow	Treurwilger	X258
Schefflera actinophylla	Umbrella Tree	Australiese kiepersol	X743
Schinus molle	Pepper Tree	Peperboom	X638
Schotia brachypetala	Weeping boer-bean	Huilboerboon	202
Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra	Marula	Maroela	360
Searsia (Rhus) lancea	Karee	Karee	386
Searsia (Rhus) leptodictya	Mountain karee	Bergkaree	387
Searsia (Rhus) pendulina	White karee	Witkaree	396
Stenocarpus sinuatus	Firewheel tree	Vuurwielboom	X363
Syagrus romanzoffiana	Queen Palm or Cocos Palm	Kokos palm	X767
Syzygium paniculatum	Australian water pear	Australiese waterpeer	X784
Tabebuia avellanedae	Pink trumpet tree	Pienk trompetboom	X976
Taxodium distichum	Swamp cypress	Moerassipres	X70
Tipuana tipu	Tipu tree	Tipoeboom	X567
Ulmus parvifolia	Chinese Elm	Fynblaarolm	X319
Vibernum odoratissimum	Sweet snowball	Soetsneeublas	X999