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Australian Turfgrass Management 
Journal is published by the
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Superintendents1 Association
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AGCSA Board
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Directors: Chris Burgess
Stephen Lewis
Peter Lonergan

Chief Executive Officer
Mark Unwin
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Accounts
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Copyright © 2018
The AGCSA believes that material sourced and produced for 
Australian Turfgrass Management is accurate, but gives no warranty 
in relation thereto, and disclaims liability for all claims against 
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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

1

CONTENTS

COVER
Flemington: The 2018 Spring
Carnival kicks off at Flemington 
on 3 November with AAMI Victoria 
Derby Day. Photo: Brett Robinson.

LEAD STORY: The boy from the ‘Bool 
6
The hallowed turf of Flemington is set to come alive again as Melbourne readies to host Spring Carnival 
Week. The eyes of a nation (and the world) will be firmly cast on Australian racing’s most famous of 
racetracks as it hosts four major meets in the space of eight days. It is the equivalent of Grand Final week 
for Victoria Racing Club’s senior track manager Liam O’Keeffe who will be in charge for the first time after 
being promoted to the top job earlier in the year. ATM profiles the boy from Warrnambool and how he 
and his team manage the track through that first week in November.

Double delight 
44
A slice of history was created at this year’s 
Australasian Turfgrass Conference when joint 
winners of the AGCSA Graduate of the Year Award, 
sponsored by Toro, were announced. ATM profiles 
winners Daniel Hendrie and Bryce Walsh.

Complete package 
46
NTEWG representatives Albert Sherry and Simone 
Staples look at the current review taking place of the 
industry’s sports turf management training package.

COLUMNS

* .GRASS-ROOTS WITH JOHN NEYLAN 

I Probing deeper 
28
\ Agronomic expert John Neylan examines 
the use of soil moisture probes as a 
management tool and outlines some golf course 
trial work looking into fraise mowing as a method for 
controlling Poa annua on fairways.

FEATURES
Tournament ready 
14
The ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf returns to 
Melbourne for the third time in six years this 
November with Metropolitan Golf Club readying 
to host 28 international teams. ATM takes a look 
at superintendent David Mason’s preparations as 
well as those at The Lakes which hosts the 2018 
Emirates Australian Open the week before.

From tees to greens 
18
It has been a busy winter and spring to date for two 
of the Melbourne’s famed sandbelt golf clubs as 
they undertake works in preparation for their future 
hosting of the Emirates Australian Open.

From greenhouse to game day 
20
Barenbrug UK amenity product manager Dr David 
Greenshields examines the detailed seed research 
and development process that goes into bringing a 
new cultivar to market.

Prepping paradise 
24
You’d be hard pressed to find a more idyllic setting 
to prepare for a major international golf tournament 
than Natadola Bay Golf Course on Fiji’s Coral Coast. 
Superintendent Steve Lalor looks back on this year’s 
event.

TIME FOR WATER QUALITY TESTING!

Let us provide you with a truly independent

water quality report

Send samples to ^^ll^^Analytical Diagnostic and Consultancy Services

2 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

Ph. 03 9548 8600 
Fax. 03 9548 8622
Email, bruce@agcsa.com.au
tim@agcsa.com.au

Suite 1, Monash Corporate Centre
752 Blackburn Road
Clayton 3168 Vic

PETER MCMAUGH
A dead cert! 
34
Starting from this edition ATM 
welcomes one of Australia’s leading
minds on all things turf, Peter McMaugh. Kicking 
things off, he looks at a new turf certification 
scheme being unveiled by the Australian Seeds 
Authority called ‘TurfCert’.

HR MANAGEMENT
Standing up
50
iVicki Crowe looks at the issue of 
workplace bullying and what to do if it 

rears its ugly head at your facility.

COMPLIANCE CORNER
Sharing the load
52
EHS guru Terry Muir looks at the 
considerations superintendents and 
turf managers must take when contractors are 
engaged and working on site.

JF^jENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

~ 'i|Bee proactive 
54
V T Kate Torgersen looks at the important 
l J role golf courses can play in protecting 

and enhancing local bee populations.

Also in this edition...
Foreword Thinking 
Projects - Riversdale GC, Vic 
Projects - Indooroopilly GC, Qld 
Regional Profile - Hervey Bay GC, Qld 
Around the Trade 
Association Reports 
Up the last... 

4
38
42
58
64
68
78

Contributors to Australian Turfgrass Management Journal
Volume 20.5 (September-October 2018)
Simon Blagg (The Lakes GC); Will Bowden (STANZ); Nathan 
Bradbury (NSWGCSA); Dominic Bowd (Riversdale GC); Vicki 
Crowe (PGA of Australia); Idris Evans (Western Australian GC); 
Dr Phil Ford (Melbourne Polytech); Peter Fraser (Hervey Bay 
GC); Charlie Giffard (Indooroopilly GC); Dr David Greenshields 
(Barenbrug UK); Tina Hamden (STA SA); Daniel Hendrie 
(Morisset CC); Phil Hill (TGCSA); Steve Lalor (Natadola Bay 
GC); David Mason (Metropolitan GC); Paul McLean (GCSAQ); 
Peter McMaugh (Turfgrass Scientific Services); Hayden Mead 
(Kingston Heath GC); Terry Muir (epar); Steven Newell (Victoria 
GC); John Neylan (Turfgrass Consulting and Research); Liam 
O’Keeffe (Victoria Racing Club/Flemington); Matthew Plunkett 
(Turf NSW); Barry Proctor (VGCSA); Albert Sherry (TAFE NSW); 
Simone Staples (AGCSA); STA Victoria; Arthur Stubbs (Courses 
forHorses/ARMA); Kate Torgersen (Environmental Golf Solutions); 
Mark Unwin (AGCSA); Jim Vaughan (Turf Queensland); Bryce 
Walsh (Royal Hobart GC); Colin Winterton (Medway GC); Jenny 
Zadro (Turf Australia).

How good was it to see Team Europe triumph in the recent Ryder Cup at Le Golf 

National in France?! It was a commanding performance by Thomas Bjorn’s men 
and much of the talk in the aftermath was how Europe’s ‘champion team’ beat Team 
USA’s ‘team of champions’.

Reading the commentary and listening to post-tournament interviews with players and 
pundits, it was clear that a ‘team’ ethos was a central pillar of their success. Bjorn summed 
it up as such: “The whole team has been part of this... We got it right this week. We worked 
as a team and we knew we were up against very strong opponents, but we went out on the 
golf course and believed in ourselves and what we stand for as a team. This is the best team 
room I’ve ever been in. It was calm. It was determined. It was focused. It was fun.”

Europe’s victory perfectly encapsulated the attributes that a team needs to achieve 
success. Those who attended Steve Herzberg’s talk at last year’s Twin Waters conference on 
that very topic will recall that those traits include having clarity on goals, being comfortable 
with conflict, clear communication, individual accountability, measuring and celebrating 
success, possessing a hunger to improve and strong leadership.

Team Europe seemingly ticked every one of those boxes, but there were a couple of 
other aspects which were equally as important. For a start, everyone contributed. Every 
European player, from debutant Thorbjorn Olesen to seasoned campaigner Sergio Garcia, 
all scored at least a full point. There was also the element of trust. As Justin Rose stated 
afterwards, Bjorn “didn’t fill our week with pointless team meetings. He trusted us to be 12 
players that would come together working towards the same common goal.” And, of course, 
having fun. If you can’t have fun doing what you do, then what’s the point...

The art of golf course management is very much a team effort and as any superintendent 
will tell you, you are only as good as your weakest link. Having a cohesive team makes the 
job so much easier, especially when facing adverse times like some are at present with 
drought affecting widespread areas of the country. Getting that cohesiveness doesn’t just 
happen by chance and it takes time and a lot of work nurturing it, but when it all comes 
together, like it did for Team Europe, the result is there for everyone to see.

One group who will be hoping to emulate the above attributes of a high performing team 
is the maintenance crew at Metropolitan Golf Club. Under the leadership of superintendent 
Dave Mason and assistant superintendents Nick Launer and James Cocker, Metropolitan will 
be in the spotlight in a few weeks’ time when the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf returns to 
Melbourne for the third time in six years.

Listening to Dave speak at the VGCSA’s September education meeting at Kew Golf 
Club, he highlighted the importance of a team approach in their preparations and ensuring 
that all members of staff, including the many volunteers who will also be a part of the 
tournament, are on board for the journey. As if to reinforce that, Mason has on all his social 
media posts in the lead-up to the tournament included the hashtag ‘#winningteam’.

ATM wishes all crews, whether hosting tournaments or just fighting the fight to provide 
the best playing surfaces they can in challenging conditions, all the best as we head into 
what many are predicting will be a brutal summer. And just as a stark reminder of how hard 
some are doing it at present, just as I was finishing off this editorial the AGCSA received 
a call from the superintendent at Forbes Golf Club in central west NSW. Their year to date 
rainfall to 16 October... not even 90mm! Enjoy the read...

<*AGCSA

LOOKING FOR GREENKEEPING STAFF?

Advertise on the AGCSA website - the Australian turf industry’s LEADING online job resource

Post your job online now at www.agcsa.com.au or email admin@agcsa.com.au

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

3

FOREWORD THINKING_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
MARK UNWIN, AGCSA CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Many successes, some challenges in a productive year

On the topic of successes, a note of 
congratulations must go to all turf managers who 
turned out facilities for the various finals and grand 
finals across all codes throughout September. 
Whether it was on the national stage or at local 
level, by and large the surfaces presented across 
the board highlighted the efforts and skill of the 
turf management teams who continue to make the 
industry proud.

As another summer approaches, there seems 
to be a mismatch of weather conditions for teams 
in various states. Members in Tasmania and areas 
of Far North Queensland have received above 
average rainfall over winter, while others in Western 
Australia and parts of South Australia are on, or 
around, their average yearly falls. Many regions of 
NSW and southeast Queensland continue to be well 
below average and our thoughts remain with all turf 
mangers battling the odds in many parts of western 
and northern NSW and the ACT, where the lack of 
rainfall received to date this year is critical.

October is Golf Month, a national campaign 
to drive golf participation where clubs and facilities 
across the country will throw open their doors and 
welcome visitors to take part in a variety of golf 
activities. The AGCSA supports the initiative from 
Golf Australia to attract new players to the game, 
develop skills and enjoy the magnificent courses 
each of you turn out.

Looking ahead, and as I mentioned in the 
last issue, planning is well underway for the 2019 
conference in Brisbane (23-28 June). Over the 
coming weeks via the AGCSA website and in 
future issues of ATM, we will be providing updates 
and announcements relating to speakers, further 
enhancements to the education programme and 
information about the trade exhibition.

This issue marks 12 months since I joined the 

AGCSA and I can say it has been a thoroughly 
enjoyable, sometimes challenging, first year as 
chief executive. We continue to face some difficulties 

around education in various forms and it is certainly 
one item of work that will never be ‘finished’ as we 
continue to work with state and other associations, 
TAFE and government sectors to constantly improve 
education outcomes and move the turf management 
industry forward.

OAGCSA

The proposal to amend conditions and penalty 
rates under the Registered and Licensed Clubs 
Award has been trying and taken up far more 
time than we would have liked. However, it is a 
necessary area of focus for the AGCSA to invest 
time and resources into given what is at stake for our 
members and all turf professionals.

On the positive side, wins have come through 
delivering a very successful conference in New 
Zealand for the first time, growing membership 
numbers, launching of a new online member 
management system and website, expanding 
AGCSATech’s analytical and consultancy services 
and the continued success of the Future Turf 
Managers’ Initiative.

As indicated in the previous issue of ATM, 
the AGCSA has also been working to expand its 
membership benefits programme to offer increased 
value to your membership. After a few months 
of working through the details, I’m pleased to let 
AGCSA members know that from November your 
membership will now include access to an expanded 
benefits programme, with a comprehensive range of 
offers and discounts across entertainment, travel, 
technology and business services from leading 
Australian brands. Further announcements and 
details will be circulated to members shortly.

PROUDLY AUSTRALIAN PROUDLY INDEPENDENT

<AGCSATech

^11^ Analytical, Diagnostic and Consultancy Services

• GOLF COURSE, SPORTSFIELD AND RACETRACK ASSESSMENTS

• CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS • SOIL, PLANT AND WATER ANALYSIS

• DISEASE DIAGNOSIS AND NEMATODE COUNTS

• DRONE SERVICES (TURF HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND AERIAL IMAGERY)

Senior agronomist - Bruce Macphee 
bruce@agcsa.com.au 0409183 710 

Agronomist - Tim Fankhauser
tim@agcsa.com.au 0422 418 038

www.agcsa.com.au/agcsatech (03) 9548 8600

4 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT :

An early change we can advise members of is 
the conference branding. From 2019 onward, the 
event will be renamed to the Asia Pacific Turfgrass 
Conference & Trade Exhibition following significant 
increases in delegates, visitors and exhibitors to 
the conference from New Zealand and numerous 
countries throughout Asia.

By the time this issue of ATM is delivered, we 
will have launched the Exhibition Prospectus for our 
trade partners and industry organisations to view the 
range of exhibition and sponsorship opportunities 
available. Find out more by visiting the conference 
section on the AGCSA website www.agcsa.com.au/ 
conference.

I also recently caught up with representatives 
from each of the state superintendent associations 
to discuss a variety of areas focused on developing 
state and national strategies and increasing 
collaboration over the next 12-18 months. I see 
this collaboration, not only between state and 
national bodies but also within all sportsturf industry 
associations, as critical to the future development of 
our industry for education, training and opening up 
further opportunities to all turf managers. Pleasingly, 
I feel the sentiment was shared by each of the 
states, though there remains some work to do on 
ensuring this level of collaboration continues and 
involves all industry bodies.

One of the approaches looking to the future is 
a revision of the national and state industry awards 
and nominations process, and working toward 
aligning all state awards to the national awards. 
Again, some work needs to be done here, but such 
changes will increase the prominence of the awards 
and consistency between all states.

The AGCSA continues to expand its 
communications via digital and social platforms, 
so ensure you stay up to date with industry news, 
events, jobs and information by subscribing to The 
Cut newsletter, visiting the AGCSA website and 
following the AGCSA on Facebook, Twitter and 
Instagram.

Finally, in what seems to be a regular update 
to provide, there has been a further delay in the 
Fair Work Commission hearing into the proposal 
to amend and revoke the Registered and Licensed 
Clubs Award. Originally scheduled for September, 
the matter is now listed for the hearing of evidence 
on 29-30 October 2018 followed by closing 
submissions on 1-2 November 2018 in Sydney. 
We will continue to keep members and industry 
associations updated as the hearing approaches 
and after the Commission delivers its findings.

OAGCSA

Australian Golf Course Superintendents’ Association

OAGCSA

Australian Golf Course Superintendents’ Association

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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

5

SPRING CARNIVAL

After joining Victoria Racing Club 
as assistant racecourse manager 
from Warrnambool in October 2013, 
in March this year Liam O’Keeffe 
assumed the role of Flemington 
senior track manager following the 
departure of Mick Goodie

The hallowed turf of 
Flemington is set to come 
alive again as Melbourne 
readies to host Spring 
Carnival week from 
3 November. It is the 
equivalent of Grand Final 
week for Victoria Racing 
Club’s senior racecourse 
manager Liam O’Keeffe 
who will be in charge for 
the first time after being 
promoted to the top job 
earlier this year.

What happens when a young lad grows 

up in Warrnambool, is more interested in 
outdoor activities than schoolwork and 
has a particular liking for golf and horse racing? 

Well, when the opportunity arises to undertake work 
experience in sports turf management one day a 
week at the Warrnambool Racecourse, the die is 
pretty much cast. Such was the beginning for Liam 
O’Keeffe’s involvement in the ‘sport of kings’ and it’s 
fair to say in the years subsequent he has made, 
pardon the pun, every post a winner.

O’Keeffe could have easily gone and worked 
on a golf course, such was his interest in the 
presentation of quality turf. However, Warrnambool 
Racing Club and now Victoria Racing Club (VRC), 
custodians of Melbourne’s famed Flemington track, 
have benefited from his choice at the ‘fork in the 
road’ not so many years ago.

Instead of becoming a golf course 
superintendent, O’Keeffe now finds himself as senior 
track manager for the VRC, having taken over the 
top job from Mick Goodie in March this year after 
spending the previous five as his assistant.

GETTING THE JUMP
O’Keeffe’s journey into the turf industry benefited 
from the enlightened attitude of his schools in 
Warrnambool who recognised that not everybody 
was destined for university. Provision of the Victorian 
Certificate of Applied Learning programme enabled 
study of a trade of choice, with O’Keeffe jumping at 
the opportunity to get into turf.

After working casually at Warrnambool Racing 
Club while completing his apprenticeship in 
2007, O’Keeffe was promoted to leading hand. 
The following year he was promoted to assistant 
racecourse manager while completing his Diploma 
of Sports Turf Management through The Gordon 
TAFE which he achieved in 2010. O’Keeffe would 
later be named as one of five finalists in the then 
AGCSA Academic Achievement Award sponsored 
by PGG Wrightson, alongside the likes of now 
Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough and current 
AGCSATech agronomist (and eventual winner) Tim 
Fankhauser.

When John Green (formerly from Caulfield) was 
elevated from Warrnambool racecourse manager 
to the CEO of Warrnambool Racing Club, O’Keeffe 
assumed his first managerial role in January 2010. In 
addition to that, O’Keeffe’s talents were recognised 
by Racing Victoria who seconded him to assist 
fellow regional track managers at Hamilton Racing 
Club and Coleraine Racing Club.

With a thirst for knowledge and an eagerness 
to learn more about the profession, O’Keeffe also 
won the inaugural Anco Racetrack Event Education 
Award in 2010. This enabled him to experience 
Melbourne Cup week as part of the Flemington 
track team, one he wouldn’t forget after more than 
80mm fell between Derby Day and Melbourne Cup 
Day. He then broadened his outlook further when 
in 2011 he was awarded the Steriline Scholarship 
which enabled him to study racecourse operations 
in Singapore and Hong Kong.

6 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

However, it was his management role at 
Warrnambool, home to the famed Grand Annual
steeplechase event each May, that really set 
O’Keeffe up for what would be the next step in his 
career. With a supportive committee he managed 
the track expertly for nearly four years, during which 
time he had to deal with a few challenges, none 
greater than at the 2011 Grand Annual.

Steeplechaser Banna Strand made worldwide 
headlines when, after throwing his rider off, 
spectacularly leapt over a two-metre high brush 
fence and into a crowd of spectators. While no one 
was seriously injured, it triggered calls for the event 
to be scrapped on grounds of animal welfare and 
led to a wide scoping review by WorkSafe Victoria.

“I will never forget when WorkSafe turned up to 
investigate and saw the size of the fence that Banna 
Strand jumped,” recalls O’Keeffe. “They said, ‘Well, 
you wouldn’t expect a horse to jump that would 

you!’ From that investigation the club received 
funding to improve its perimeter fencing which was a
small positive in what could have been a disastrous 
incident.”

In October 2013, O’Keeffe departed 
Warrnambool after accepting the role of assistant 
racecourse manager at the VRC under Goodie. 
Moving from a regional track to ‘Headquarters’, as 
Flemington is affectionately known, was quite an 
adjustment and O’Keeffe admits it took him a good 
18 months to adjust to the Flemington style working 
alongside Goodie and foreman Tim McSweeney. 
Then in March this year Goodie departed after more 
than a decade in charge and O’Keeffe was thrust 
into the senior role with the prospect of his first 
Spring Carnival in charge just nine months out.

“It was a very difficult few weeks after Mick’s 
departure,” reflects O’Keeffe, who during his time as 
assistant also undertook a VRC-funded study tour

O’Keeffe with Flemington assistant 
racecourse manager Brendan 
Jackson

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

7

SPRING CARNIVAL

The hallowed Flemington facility 
contains four grass tracks, including 
the 30m wide x 2312m long Course 
Proper. Flemington’s famed ‘Straight 
Six’ (1200m or six furlongs) can be 
seen starting from top right

◄

firing Spring Carnival 

week, the most 
important thing is 
getting some rest 
when you can. It is 
a massive week and 
very draining both 

physically and mentally.
On a Melbourne Cup 
eve it’s not uncommon 

to clock up 40,000 
steps showing the 
international trainers 
around, so it can be 

pretty tiring?

-Liam O’Keeffe

to the UK to spend time with the track managers at 
Royal Ascot, York and Newmarket. “I was fortunate 
Tim stepped up to the plate and did an outstanding 
job to assist me in what was a challenging time. I 
can’t thank Mick enough for the opportunity he gave 
me here five years ago and I am really glad Racing 
Queensland are using his expertise to re-build Eagle 
Farm. He will do an outstanding job.

“Since Mick’s departure I have made some small 
adjustments as any manager would, but given we 
have always had good methods in place it has just 
been business as usual. And now I have Brendan 
Jackson, formerly the racecourse manager at Moe, 
as my assistant, who has added his knowledge to 
the team approach we have here at Flemington.”

GOING FLAT STICK
Flemington is a vast and very busy racing complex 
with activities going on 24/7 throughout the year. 
The facility comprises a total of 10 tracks, including:
•  Course Proper (30m wide x 2312m long):
Perennial ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass on 
a sand profile;

•  Steeple Track (12m x 2029m): Perennial ryegrass 

• 

and kikuyu on a loam/clay profile;
Inside Grass (20m x 1612m): Perennial ryegrass 
on a sandy loam profile;

•  Pro Ride synthetic track (8m x 2100m);
•  Three sand tracks, a dirt track, trot track and 

pool track.
Some 600 horses are stabled on site and 
training goes on every day of the week, usually 
starting at 4am. O’Keeffe manages 25 track staff, 
five of whom have turf management qualifications, 
with an additional 10 track work supervisors who 
work from 3.30am to 9am. Jump outs are run every 
Friday alternating between both grass tracks and 
on the Course Proper bi-monthly. Grass gallops are 
available every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for 
horses engaged in metropolitan races.

Flemington hosts 25 race meetings each year 
with the Spring Carnival and, to a lesser extent, the 
Autumn Carnival, being the feature events. Track 
renovations take place twice a year after each 
carnival and the type of renovation is based on 
annual benchmarking reports (i.e.: thatch and Poa 
annua levels) and also governed by the length of 
break after the carnivals (read more below on the 
upcoming renos post Spring Carnival week).

Recovery after each race meet is pretty standard. 
A Toro Rak-o-Vac will go out to sweep up any loose 
debris, with staff then repairing the track via filling 
(using a seed/sand mix) or sodding. Depending 
on the length of break between meets and the race 
schedule, that will determine other practices such 
as cutting heights and fertiliser/water applications 
(desalinated water is used on all the tracks).

“The main challenge we face here at Flemington 
is uniformly applying irrigation in windy conditions 
for nine months of the year,” says O’Keeffe. “This is 
difficult because of the ‘straight racing’ factor and 
horse training hours and is something that I have not 
encountered at any other racecourse. Flemington is 
one of only two ‘straight racing’ courses in Australia 
(the other is Pinjarra in WA) and until you are 
exposed to preparing a track to host straight races 
it can be very hard to describe and very tricky to 
manage.

“On normal tracks, most horses will never get 
to the outside 10m, which is used more for training 
or running heavy equipment up and down, such as 
irrigators. However, at a place like Flemington you 
have to be careful to limit the amount of track work 
on it and spread machinery so that you can have the 
track as even as possible.

“When we have good rainfall the track is a lot 
easier to manage, but when we have long periods of 
hot dry weather it can be very difficult. We use pop

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

8 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

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SPRING CARNIVAL

The Flemington Course Proper is 
a mix of perennial ryegrass (three 
varieties) and Kentucky bluegrass. 
Race day height is generally around 
5 inches with the aim to provide a 
‘Good 3’ track rating

In between race meets during 
Spring Carnival week, the track is 
swept using a Toro Rak-o-Vac to 
remove any loose debris

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

ups as much as possible, but unfortunately with the 
wind we get here this may only be an option 50 per 
cent of the time.

“Alternatively, we use an Upton irrigator, but 
that can compact the ground and if we relieve the 
compaction via a Vertidrain or the like we are all 
over social media accused of ‘doctoring the track’. 
You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t 
sometimes. Fortunately, the staff have done a great 
job embracing new maintenance methods over the 
last few years and it has been racing excellently.”

Like all turf managers, regardless of the sector 
they work in, O’Keeffe has to regularly deal with 
racing industry stakeholders as part of the job. With 
millions of dollars’ worth of horse flesh running 
around the track, O’Keeffe is never short on receiving 
‘advice’ from trainers, jockeys and owners. Those 
who know O’Keeffe will attest he is a pretty laid back 
character and he has a pretty simple philosophy 
when it comes to dealing with this aspect of the job.
“I have learnt over the years that if you make 
a mistake, put your hand up, fix the mistake and 
move on,” says O’Keeffe. “Everyone is human 
and everyone in the industry makes mistakes. I 
have found this is better received by all industry 
participants rather than trying to hide something.

“We do get a lot of ‘free advice’ from the Aussies 
and overseas visitors, but it just comes with the job.

|R 1 
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10 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

People will try to make you water the track to suit 
their own horse. It has always been the case and will 
continue to be the case, but at the end of the day we 
have a policy to produce a ‘Good 3’ track and that’s 
what we will continue to try and achieve.”

On the subject of track ratings, they have and 
will always be a talking point in the racing industry, 
a bit like green speed in golf. Back in December 
2014 the Australian Racing Board introduced a 
new system of 10 ratings, starting at a ‘Firm 1’ and 
going through to a ‘Heavy 10’. Old track rating 
terms ‘Fast’, ‘Dead’ and ‘Slow’, were replaced with 
‘Firm’ and Soft’, while ‘Good’ and ‘Heavy’ ratings 
were retained. The current track numerical rating 
system is;
•  Firm 1: Dry hard track;
•  Firm 2: Firm track with reasonable grass 

coverage;

•  Good 3: Track with good grass coverage and 

cushion;

•  Good 4: Track with some give in it;
•  Soft 5: Track with a reasonable amount of give 

in it;

•  Soft 6: Moist but not a badly affected track;
•  Soft 7: More rain-affected track that will chop 

out;

•  Heavy 8: Rain-affected track that horses will get 

into;

•  Heavy 9: Wet track getting into a squelchy area;
•  Heavy 10: Heaviest category track, very wet, 

towards saturation.
“I can only speak as a Victorian in regard to 
track ratings, but I will say a track manager should 
not have to toss around whether a track is rated a 
Good 3 or Good 4 on race morning,” says O’Keeffe, 
who advocates measuring the track with a Going 
Stick, which measures penetration and shear, and 
rating the surface ‘Fast’, ‘Good’, ‘Yielding’, ‘Soft’ or 
‘Heavy’. “A good track is a good track!

“I have found the number system, 1-10, creates 
unnecessary upgrades and downgrades when the 
going has hardly changed at all. This then creates 
talk, opinions and debate over a track rating change. 
The focus should be on the winner of the race and 
not debate as to whether a track is a 3 or a 4.”

HOME STRAIGHT
While the famed Melbourne Cup may be touted as 
‘the race that stops a nation’, running for all of three- 
and-a-half minutes, it is but a small part of what is 
a mammoth Spring Carnival week for O’Keeffe and 
his track team. With four separate race meets in the 
space of eight days, it is the equivalent of Grand 
Final week for O’Keeffe and it takes some special 
management to ensure Australia’s most hallowed 
piece of racing turf is at its peak to go the distance.
Carnival week this year kicks off with AAMI 
Victoria Derby Day on Saturday 3 November 
followed by Lexus Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday 
6 November. Kennedy Oaks Day follows two days 
later (8 Nov) and the week concludes with Seppelt

Wines Stakes Day on Saturday 10 November. In 
total, Flemington will entertain 37 races, including 
eight elite Group 1s.

Preparations begin as far back as late August 
when the Course Proper is oversown with a 70/30 
mix of perennial ryegrass (three varieties) and 
Kentucky bluegrass. The last major race meet 
before the Spring Carnival week was Turnbull Stakes 
Day on 6 October, where champion mare Winx 
picked up her 28th consecutive win and her 21st 
Group 1 success. With a three-week break between 
the Turnbull and Derby Day, O’Keeffe was able to 
carry out some works on the track to help thicken 
and strengthen up the grass so that it can cope with 
the heavy load across Carnival week.

After being cleaned up and given a good fill 
post-Turnbull Stakes Day, the track was cut down to 
three inches to get some sunlight into the canopy to 
assist with seed germination to thicken up the grass. 
Around 12 days out from the Carnival a granular 
fertiliser is applied and the track given a final cut at 
4.5 inches about 2-3 days before the first meet so 
that come race day it is around five inches.

O’Keeffe works around nutritional inputs of 0.3- 
0.4 of actual N per month and is very mindful not to 
overfeed the ryegrass/bluegrass mix. If anything he 
prefers it looking a little bit hungry to help promote a 
strong root system, but leading into race day he will 
green it up with some liquids to ensure it presents 
at its best.

Flemington track crew ‘till’ the track 
after each meet with a sand/seed 
mix to repair any holes or punch 
marks left by the horses. Sodding is 
carried out if needed

During the Spring Carnival week itself, one 
of the main tasks performed by O’Keeffe and his 
crew is moving the running rail if needed. The rail is 
moved based on the condition of the track, which is 
assessed after every meet, but for the big meets, like 
Derby and Cup day, it is always kept as close to its 
‘true’ positon as possible.

The rails can be moved out at any increment as 
long as the minimum width of the track is 15 metres. 
For Turnbull Stakes Day, O’Keeffe had the rail at the 
9m position (nine metres in from its ‘true’ position) 
which gave the inside of the track a good break 
leading into Derby Day, where the rail be back at its 
‘true’ position.

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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

11

SPRING CARNIVAL

Above right: The new VRC Club 
Stand which opened this spring

Above: One of the main tasks 
performed by O’Keeffe and his crew 
during Spring Carnival week is 
moving the running rail if needed. 
The rail is moved based on the 
condition of the track, but for big 
race meets, such as the Melbourne 
Cup, it is kept as close to its ‘true’ 
position as possible

Spring Carnival week sees 
Flemington host four race meets in 
eight days, incorporating a total of 
37 races

Cup eve it’s not uncommon to clock up 40,000 steps 
showing the international trainers around, so it can 
be pretty tiring.”

While Stakes Day signals the end of Carnival 
week for the jockeys, trainers and racegoers, 
unfortunately there is little respite for O’Keeffe and 
his team. With a four-week gap until the next major 
meet - the 15 December Community Raceday - the 
Course Proper undergoes the second of its two 
major annual renovations.

The track will be mown down to two inches with 
clippings collected, before contractor Lawn and Turf 
Maintenance (Mick McMahon) comes in with a fleet 
of tractors and Vertidrains to scarify and hollow core 
10 hectares of track. The Vertidrains are fitted with 
one inch tines at 75mm x 75mm spacings and take 
around five hours to fully aerate the track.

After being cleaned up, the track will then be 
topdressed with a sand matching that of the profile 
before being brushed in, fertilised and left to rest. 
It’s a big renovation and coming off the back of Cup 
week when everyone is battered and bruised it can 
be a big effort to lift. O’Keeffe, however, wouldn’t 
have it any other way and he is primed for his 
maiden Spring Carnival week in the hot seat.

“It’s a very busy time of year but it’s a fantastic 
time of year and I’m really looking forward to it 
again,” says O’Keeffe. “I’ve been in charge of some 
big meets before - like the Grand Annual - but no 
matter what track you manage there are always 
nerves and butterflies leading up to your big day. 
This is a good thing as it shows that you care 
about your profession and you want to make sure 
everything runs smoothly.

“This year definitely has a bit of a different feel 
given that it’s my first in charge. There’s certainly 
a lot more pressure stepping into that No.1 role, 
but I have been very fortunate to learn off one of 
the best in Mick Goodie and about how to manage 
things and deal with any issues. I’ve been fortunate 
to experience a wet carnival, a dry carnival and an 
average carnival and how to manage the track in 
each situation. So with a bit of luck with the weather, 
we should have a good week.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ATM wishes to thank the Australian Racecourse 
Managers Association (ARMA), Arthur Stubbs and 
Liam O’Keeffe for allowing the publication of this 
article. This article has been adapted from an article 
of the same name published in the September 2018 
edition of ‘Courses for Horses’, the ARMA’s official 
publication (‘The Boy from the ‘Bool’, p18-21). &

In between each meet the track team will use 
a Toro Rak-o-Vac to sweep up any loose debris 
and fill any holes or punch marks in the track with 
their usual sand/seed mix. As the week progresses, 
O’Keeffe might also apply a hit of iron if he deems 
necessary to help it through.

On each race-day itself, O’Keeffe is on site at 
5am to inspect and rate the track with assistant track 
manager Brendan Jackson. They will head around 
the track taking measurements with the Going 
Stick and logging rainfall or irrigation amounts 
before sending that information off to VRC officials, 
trainers and media. They will also check in with the 
trainers to see if they have any issues or questions. 
O’Keeffe’s track crew start around 8am for any final 
checks or adjustments that need to be made to set 
up for race day.

Once racing starts, O’Keeffe stations himself 
at the Flemington clock tower, which is just out the 
front of the mounting yard, to address any issues 
that may crop up during the day. They can range 
from general track rating changes, clearing flocks of 
seagulls on the track through to dealing with injured 
horses.

The biggest consideration for O’Keeffe in all 
the above is time management - ensuring his turf 
management practices are on the money and also 
ensuring he looks after himself through what is an 
exhausting week.

“Everyone wants a piece of the track manager 
around Carnival time, so it’s important that you 
manage your time in the lead-up to and during the 
week,” states O’Keeffe. “It’s important to spend as 
much time at the track in the build-up ensuring that 
all your inputs - water, fert, oversowing - are spot on 
and that the track is peaking at the right time. Our 
practices are fairly simple, but the aim is to have the 
track going in 100 per cent at the start of the week so 
that it really responds each day and bounces back 
after each meet.

“During the week itself, the most important thing 
is getting some rest when you can. It is a massive 
week and very draining both physically and mentally. 
I’ve done a few Spring Carnivals now and I’ve come 
to appreciate the importance of recharging the 
batteries and not to peak too early. On a Melbourne

12 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

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Metropolitan Golf Club has always held a 

special place in Australia’s tournament 
golf landscape, with many in the industry 
still lauding the surfaces that were presented when 

it hosted the WGC-Accenture World Match Play 
Championship back in 2001.

On the Metropolitan crew at that time, getting a 
front row seat to one of the biggest golf tournaments 
Australia has hosted, was Dave Mason. Having 
started his apprenticeship there eight years earlier, 
Mason was one of a number of up and coming 
greenkeepers to benefit from the tutelage of then 
superintendent (now Royal Melbourne custodian) 
Richard Forsyth and being exposed to major events 
such as the World Match Play.

Having risen to the role of assistant in an 
11-year stint at Metropolitan, in 2004 Mason took 
the plunge and scored his first superintendent 
posting at Warrnambool Golf Club. After four 
years there he headed back to Melbourne to take 
over at Riversdale Golf Club. In August 2015 the 
journey home was complete when he assumed the 
mantle of Metropolitan superintendent following 
Glenn Stuart’s departure to oversee the mammoth 
redevelopment at Peninsula Kingswood.

Metropolitan Golf Club was last 
in the major tournament spotlight 
when it hosted the 2014 Australian 
Masters. It hosts the 2018 ISPS 
Handa World Cup of Golf from 22-25 
November

14 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

Since stepping foot back inside the gates 
at Metropolitan, Mason has wasted little time in 
stamping his management authority. He has also 
overseen a number of projects, the biggest of 
which was the recent installation of a new Rain Bird 
irrigation system. With an eye to a possible future 
greens replacement project, he also embarked on 
some extensive in-house trials (now two years down 
the track) evaluating a number of bentgrasses (old 
and new) and profile construction methods. Add to 
that ongoing works in the plantation areas and the 
start of a five-year Course Improvement Plan under 
the auspices of Golf Strategies and Mason has 
barely had time to enjoy his homecoming.

WORLD AT THEIR FEET
Then came the announcement last November. 
Mason was out on the club’s 19th hole overseeing 
the construction of a new tee when the news reached 
him that the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf was 
heading to Metropolitan at the end of 2018. It wasn’t 
quite 12 months out from when the tournament 
was due to land and immediately his head started 
swimming with thoughts and considerations as to 
what needed to be done.

The ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf returns to Melbourne for the third 
time in six years this November with Metropolitan Golf Club readying to 
host 28 international teams. ATM editor Brett Robinson takes a look at 
preparations, as well as those at The Lakes Golf Club which hosts the 

2018 Emirates Australian Open the week before.

Foremost in those initial ponderings was the 
management of Metropolitan’s SR1019/1020 
bentgrass greens. At that time Mason had, in his 
usual style, been pushing them hard, very hard. 
However, after a couple of hot November days in a 
row, a few of his greens gave him a timely reminder 
that they can only be pushed so far.

As a result, that conjured up thoughts as to how 
he was going to manage them in the coming 12 
months and finding that important balance between 
giving the members what they have come to expect 
(i.e.: rock hard greens stimping at 13-14) and doing 
what would be best from a management perspective 
to condition them for the World Cup and the PGA 
Tour’s requirements.

“We really had to take a different look at the 
approach to the greens this past winter,” says 
Mason. “We kept a lot more grass on them than we 
normally would, which is not my management style, 
but it was more to protect the surface. As we all 
know it’s easier to take grass off than add it.

“Over the past couple of years we have 
undertaken a huge amount of plugging on the 
greens which has given us a great result. We’ve 
probably replaced somewhere in the vicinity of 

100,000 plugs during that time and it’s giving us a 
result that chemicals can’t and removes the scarring 
that comes from dabbing and hand-weeding.

“However, we pulled the pin on the plugging 
process back in April. When we dry the greens out 
the challenge is to keep the plugs from shrinking 
and becoming loose in their holes. The plugs we 
use are only 30mm-40mm, but the last thing we 
want is for one of the players to hit their approach in 
and strike a loose plug.”

Management of the greens has been just one 
of many considerations in the lead-up to the 22-25 
November tournament. Mason and his senior team, 
which includes assistants Nick Launer and James 
Cocker, spent a couple of days away from the club 
back in June to formulate and fine-tune their plans 
for the tournament.

Spending a night at Victoria Golf Club, they 
discussed their vision for how they wanted to present 
the course and what they needed to do to achieve 
that. Kingston Heath Golf Club superintendent 
Hayden Mead joined in, imparting some important 
insight from his experiences hosting the 2016 World 
Cup, while discussions were also held via Skype 
with the PGA Tour’s tournament agronomist.

Dave Mason was appointed 
superintendent of Metropolitan Golf 
Club in August 2015. It was a return 
home for Mason who started his 
apprenticeship there in 1993

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

15

TOURNAMENTS

◄ Soren Kjeldsen (left) and 2018 Ryder 
Cup player Thorbjorn Olesen will 
return to defend Denmark’s 2016
World Cup of Golf crown

Ensuring the consistency of
Metropolitan’s famed sandbelt 
bunkers has been a huge focus in 
the lead-up to the World Cup

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“A big part of our programme to date has been 
to nurse the turf a lot more,” explains Mason. “We 
have put out a lot more ropes and hoops than in 
the past to protect areas that we normally wouldn’t 
worry too much about. With the dry weather we have 
had over winter, our golfer numbers haven’t dropped 
off as much, so it was important we were mindful of 
having those areas a bit stronger come spring.

“We sat down and looked at our fertiliser and 
pesticide programmes. We have been trying to take 
a very minimalist approach to get the turf to where 
we want and I think all in all it’s coming along nicely. 
We have been keeping up with our Poa control on 
fairways, a paclobutrazol programme on the greens 
and renovating them as we would normally. For the 
past three years we have only used the Air2G2 on 
our greens along with regular dusting and I believe 
they are better for it.

“So, we are doing everything that we normally 
would, but there will be a point where we hit the 
stop button and start ramping up for the tournament. 
Most of our time to date has actually been spent in 
the plantation areas and in the bunkers.”

METRO MAKEOVERS
Metropolitan’s famed hazards have been a big 
focus this year and Mason reckons they haven’t 
received this much attention since before the 2001 
World Match Play Championship. Last year the club 
conducted an audit of all of Metropolitan’s bunker 
complexes and since then James Cocker and a 
crew of three have spent some of the best months of 
their lives ensuring they will be in peak condition for 
the World Cup. From lips and access points, to the 
depth of sand, removing hard pans and replacing 
drainage, the bunkers have received the ultimate in 
makeovers and the end result speaks for itself.

That process has been aided by Mason 
instituting a hole closure schedule in the lead-up to 
the tournament. Each week a hole has been taken 
out of play which has enabled the crew to undertake 
a plethora of jobs without being disrupted. A 
mountain of work has also been undertaken within 
the club’s plantation and out of play areas around 
tees and carries, with more than 20,000 plants (the 
majority of them grasses) going into the ground over 
the past 12 months.

At the start of this year, the 17th tee complex 
was also extended, which served two purposes. 
First, it added 25 metres of length to the hole (it is 
now 393m) and, second, helped to tidy up what 
was once a ‘pokey’ corner of the course. The club’s 
practice range also received a considerable refurb in 
early autumn. It was laser levelled and at the same 
time Mason took the opportunity to mine around 
500 tonnes of sand from the site to assist with the 
aforementioned bunker works.

For the World Cup itself, Metropolitan’s 19th 
hole will be used as part of the tournament routing, 
with the 13th taken out of play. The 19th, constructed 
back in 2009 (the final year of Forsyth’s tenure at 
Metropolitan), will become the tournament 6th hole. 
Like many of the Metropolitan members, the PGA 
Tour preferred this hole over the 13th as it is a much 
tougher prospect - an uphill 163m par three with a 
tight entry and one of the most undulating greens 
on the course.

As this edition was going to print, all the 
tournament infrastructure was starting to roll in 
through the gates, adding another air of excitement 
with the tournament just over a month out.

“It’s not very often you get to say you’re hosting a 
major international golf event, especially in Australia, 
but we are pretty fortunate in Melbourne that we do 
get to host these sorts of events,” says Mason. “The 
PGA Tour has been very supportive of myself, the 
team and the club in general and we will be doing 
everything we can to make this event a big success. 
Metropolitan has a very proud history when it comes 
to hosting major tournaments and the one thing 
about the course is that it always comes up well. 
This one won’t be any different.”

An aerial view of the improvement and extension 
works undertaken to the 17th tee earlier this year

16 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 2

THE LAKES IN SEVENTH HEAVEN
The week before Metropolitan returns to the glare 
of the tournament spotlight, The Lakes Golf Club 
in Sydney will kick off the three-week stretch of 
major tournaments when it hosts the 2018 Emirates 
Australian Open. It is the seventh occasion The 
Lakes is hosting the Open in its history and fourth 
since 2010.

The Lakes hosted three consecutive Opens 
between 2010 and 2012, with the latter year the 
first Open for incumbent superintendent Anthony 
Mills. Mills originally arrived at The Lakes as an 
assistant superintendent, but within three weeks of 
starting found himself elevated to superintendent 
and in charge of preparing the course for his first 
major national tournament. Six years on and Mills is 
steeling himself to do it all over again.

It has been a busy past 18 months for The Lakes 
crew with a number of major projects completed in 
the lead-up to the Open. It all started in March 2017 
with the first stage of the club’s new practice facility 
development which saw the construction of a new 
1300m2 putting green. Later in the year, the second 
stage of that project focused on the practice range, 
with works including;
•  Rebuilding and lowering the height of the range 

• 

• 

tee by 500mm;
Installing a Tee-line synthetic driving range mat 
for winter use;
Installing target greens on the range fairway and 
mounds on both sides to protect golfers on the 
10th and 11th holes;

•  A new chipping green and bunkers;
•  Rebuilding the men’s and ladies championship 

• 

10th tees and 1st gold tee; and
Installing a new concrete pathway to both the 
1st and 10th tees.
With that major project ticked off, this past 
winter has seen a large number of ‘one-percenter’ 
jobs around the course completed, the biggest of 
which was renovating the fescue bunker surrounds. 
Starting in early May, four herbicide applications 
were made to control kikuyu that had encroached
into the fescue. After that the fescue was shaved 
down to the soil using whipper-snippers before 
being given a final application of herbicide.

While the fescue was short, it provided an 
opportunity to trim back and reshape some of 
the fescue bunker edges before the surrounds 
were sown with a seed/soil mixture containing 
four different types of fescues (slender creeping 
fescue, Shoreline creeping fescue, hard fescue and 
Chewing’s fescue).

Spring renovations followed in the last week of 

September and comprised of the following;
• Fairways: Due to the Open being less than 
two months away, normal fairway renovation 
practices had to be modified. Instead of tractor­
mounted VC-60 scarifiers, verticutting units were 
used on fairway units, with all of The Lakes’ 
kikuyu fairways double scarified before being

cored with 25mm hollow tines. An application 
of a slow-release granular fertiliser followed, as 
well as applications of wetting agent, insecticide 
and pre-emergent herbicide.

•  Greens: Were cut first then perimeters edged 
to combat any kikuyu encroachment. Greens 
then cored with 10mm hollow tines, holes hosed 
out, greens rolled and heavily topdressed (in 
excess of 100 tonnes of sand went across 
all greens). Amendments (AmendMax, Humic 
DG, NutriDG High K and NutriDG Magnesium) 
applied over three consecutive days, with a 
follow-up biostimulant mix. (The greens had 
earlier been given a light renovation with 5mm 
hollow tines at 2.5-inch spacings in July ahead 
of The Lakes’ club championships).

•  Greens surrounds: Cored with 5/8” hollow tines 

with cores rubbed back in.

•  Tees: Scarified and cored with half-inch hollow 
tines, heavy topdress with a 90/10 sand, followed 
by applications of Dolomite (5kg/100m2) and an 
upfront granular fertiliser (31-1-8).
It is set to be a bumper few weeks come 
November and early December and ATM wishes 
the respective crews at Metropolitan, The Lakes 
and 2018 Australian PGA Championship host 
venue RACV Royal Pines (superintendent Lincoln 
Coombes) all the best as they showcase their skills 
to the world.

The Lakes cored their two hectares 
of A4 bentgrass greens with 10mm 
hollow tines in late September

Metropolitan’s fairways get their 
second mow of the season in early 
October

The Lakes’ Santa Ana tees were
scarified before being cored with half 
inch tines

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

17

TOURNAMENTS

Victoria Golf Club is currently half 
way through its green and surrounds 
replacement project which is 
seeing all greens converted to Pure 
Distinction bentgrass. Pictured is the 
18th green four weeks after sowing

It has been a busy winter 
and spring to date for two 
of the Melbourne’s famed 
sandbelt golf clubs as 
they undertake works in 
preparation for their future 
hosting of the Emirates 
Australian Open

During the two month course 
closure, Victoria staff sod cut a total 
of seven hectares of turf from the 
course, including 1.5 hectares of 
existing bentgrass/Poa greens

18 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20 5

In preparation for hosting their respective 
Opens, both Victoria and Kingston Heath have 
embarked on works, both minor and major, in the 
past few months. Kingston Heath is currently in 
the process of building new tournament tees, while 
Victoria is going all out with a complete greens and 
surrounds replacement project which kicked off in 
late July.

At Kingston Heath, four holes are being 
lengthened, with the 6th and 12th tees completed 
in August and September respectively and the 16th 
and 18th tees to follow suit in December. The works 
have included/will include;
•  6th: Due to the 19th hole being rebuilt last year 
on a slightly different angle which has allowed 
for more room, the 6th tee has been moved 
back a further 20 metres. New hole length is 
425m.

•  12th: About 35 metres has been added to the 
par five 12th, taking it out to around 560m in 
length. There is now a 290m carry to fly the 
bunkers in the middle of the fairway.

•  16th: The 16th tee will be extended back by 

40m, giving a new hole distance of 440m.

•  18th: The tees will be moved back by 30m, 
meaning Kingston Heath’s closing par four will 
be a challenging 450m.
A few suburbs closer to Port Phillip Bay, and 
at Victoria it has been a hectic winter and start to 
spring for course superintendent Steven Newell who 
arrived at the club last August.

With the course closed for two months from 
Monday 30 July, Victoria staff along with course 
architects Ogilvy Clayton Cocking Mead (OCCM) 
went full tilt removing the existing greens and 
surrounds turf before reshaping and reinstating all 
greens. The course reopened on 1 October with 18 
temporary greens in place until February 2019 when 
the new greens will be ready for play.

During the course closure a total of seven 
hectares of turf was cut from the course, including 
1.5 hectares of existing bentgrass/Poa annua greens

While The Lakes and Metropolitan golf 

clubs are well along the road in their 
preparations for the upcoming Emirates 
Australian Open and ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf, 

two of their tournament host counterparts have been 
busy in recent months as they look ahead to hosting 
the Australian Open in the coming years.

In late August 2018 Golf Australia confirmed the 
Emirates Australian Open schedule through until 
2023, with the tournament set to return to Melbourne 
in 2020 and 2022. After Moonah Links hosted the 
2005 Open, won by Robert Allenby, the Open has 
resided in Sydney with the likes of The Australian 
(4), Royal Sydney (4), The Lakes (3) and NSW (1) 
having hosted the past 12 events.

After The Lakes this year, The Australian will 
host the 2019 event before 2016 World Cup of Golf 
venue Kingston Heath Golf Club returns to the Open 
spotlight in 2020. It will be the first time it will have 
hosted the Open since 2000 when Aaron Baddeley 
won the second of his back-to-back titles.

The Open heads back north to The Australian 
in 2021 before returning to Melbourne and Victoria 
Golf Club in 2022. Victoria last held the Open in 
2002, the infamous tournament which was reduced 
to 54 holes after some of the greens became 
unplayable during the first round.

Kingston Heath is adding approximately 125m of 
length to the course with the addition of four new 
tournament tees. Pictured is the extended 6th

and 5.5 hectares of cool-season turf. This is being 
replaced with Pure Distinction creeping bentgrass 
on the greens and Santa Ana couchgrass on tees 
and surrounds. Seven sod cutters were hired along 
with two that the club already owned to complete 
the task. Newell had expected to be cutting sod for 
two weeks but to the credit of his staff the 7ha was 
done in 3.5 days.

Victoria’s greens are among some of the oldest 
on the Melbourne sandbelt and course staff have 
been working closely with OCCM to re-instate most 
of them back to their original contours. Greens 12 
and 17 are being redesigned, while the greens on 6, 
11 and 13 are being replicated but on a softer grade.
Six 9-tonne dump trucks have clocked up a 
huge number of kilometres to date ferrying material 
to and from the various greens sites around the 
course. At the time of this edition going to print, a 
total of 14 greens had been seeded with a further 
six under fumigation. The remaining greens will be 
sown in early November.

In addition to the greens replacement, a 
new irrigation system is also being installed at 
the same time. All mainlines are in along with 
greens and tee irrigation infrastructure, with the 
fairway component to be completed by the end of

December. Between 2-3 hectares of Santa Ana sod 
is also being harvested from the fairways to restore 
some areas, with a further four hectares to be 
purchased from Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf 
Club’s Kingswood site later in the year.

“We are coming to the half way mark of the 
project and good weather and good work from 
the course staff and contractors sees us slightly 
ahead of schedule,” says Newell. “We hope that the 
weather continues to be favourable and we expect 
to deliver an exceptional result for the club and its 
members in February.”

Most of Victoria’s greens are being reinstated back 
to their original contours, with greens 12 and 17 
redesigned and greens 6,11 and 13 being replicated 
but on a softer grade

E3 mySURFACE

Win an all-expenses paid trip to the 
2019 Asian Turfgrass Conference.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

19

game day

SEED

Barenbrug UK’s Dr
David Greenshields, who
presented at this year’s 
Australasian Turfgrass
Conference, examines the
detailed seed research and 
development process that 
goes into bringing a new 
cultivar to market.

Above: The time and effort invested 
into bringing a new cultivar to market 
is huge and to see it being used at 
world class facilities, such as the Old 
Course at St Andrews, is the ultimate 
accolade for breeders, researchers 
and production staff

20 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 2

Barenbrug is a global grass breeder which • 

produces a range of seed varieties for a wide 
number of applications, including sports turf.
Developing these varieties is a long and exhaustive 
process and invariably it can take anywhere up to
15 years (or longer) to bring a new grass cultivar to 
the market.

This article will examine that process and 
highlight the stages of the process and the many 
considerations that go into ultimately selecting what 
is hoped will be the best variety for the end user. 
For the purposes of illustrating some of the stages, 
we will use the recently released perennial ryegrass 
variety Barolympic as an example.

As mentioned, the ‘story of grass’ is a minimum 

15-year process, the main stages of which are;
•  Years 1-3 - Crossing: Crossing parent plants 
and offspring to produce F1 and F2 generations;
•  Years 4-6 - Selection: Field assessments for 
desired characteristics, selection of best new 
material;

•  Year 7 - Isolation: Production of new synthetic 

lines from clonal selections;

•  Years 8-10 - Private trials: Multiple trials across 

multiple seasons in potential market locations;

•  Year 11 - Multiplication: Harvest of Breeder’s 
seed’ of best synthetic lines. (Note: All stages 
to this point occur within dedicated breeding 
stations, which in the case of Barenbrug are 
located in the US, France and The Netherlands);
•  Years 12-15 - Official trials: Breeder’s seed 
sent for official independent trials (e.g.; ANTEP) 
and governmental testing;

Year 16  - Registration and certified
production: Once registered, seed is sown for 
harvest and commercial use.

BREEDING
The first seven years of a variety’s development 
involve traditional plant breeding techniques. In 
years 1-3 initial crosses are made, typically between 
plants of an existing cultivar and plants isolated from 
the wild or a particular environment of interest (e.g.: 
high wear, drought). The breeder will have a broad 
goal at this stage - perhaps to improve seed yield 
whilst retaining the turf quality of the existing variety.
Years 1-3 are often the ‘discovery’ phase when 
dealing with materials collected from the wild. It’s 
the ‘What do I have?’ phase before moving on to 
years 4-6 where the breeders will ask themselves 
‘How do I intend to cross things and what do I 
intend to make?’ Incidentally, the initial cross is not 
as important as some might think, rather it is the 
selection process that delivers the end result.

Years 4-6 involve the laborious, yet critical, 
selection process of the original cross progeny. From 
the original cross you are looking at somewhere in 
the vicinity of 10,000 progenies with the next step 
to whittle that down to about 500. Breeders will 
sow out one seed/one plant in a large nursery 
and have a look at what the individual plants look 
like. Left unmown, the plants are scrutinised for a 
broad range of characteristics, removing those with 
weaknesses to disease, heat, cold etc. as well as 
those that are too open in growth habit. Only the 
very best are selected to continue on the journey.

After initial selection, the individual plants that 
make it through are then planted out again in a turf 
trial situation. The plants are mown at around 20mm 
and basic aspects such as turf quality, density, 
fineness, disease tolerance and persistence start to 
be examined. Seed yield will also start to come into 
the equation as well (typically the finer and denser 
varieties having lower yield potential).

From the initial 10,000 plants, by the end of this 
three-year selection process there may be as few as 
a dozen plants remaining. Interestingly enough, the 
gain due to selection increases the stronger you get 
with your selection. For example, if you keep the 
best 5 per cent, you make a little bit of genetic gain, 
but if you keep the best 1 per cent you actually make 
more genetic gain.

Year 7 is when it starts to get a little more 
interesting, with the surviving plants grouped 
together based on similarities. They are first cloned 
and then planted out (typically in groups of six 
clones) and assessed for yield, heading date, 
fineness, colour etc. and then grouped together in 
similar profiles. These are then isolated from the 
others (they are planted in maize fields) and allowed 
to cross-pollinate within their group.

The resulting ‘synthetic line’ is the basis for a 
new cultivar. It is important to remember that a 
cultivar always exists as a population of genetically 
different individuals that are very similar (but not 
identical) to one another. The process of isolation 
at the breeding stage is the foundation of this fact.

It is an exhaustive process to get to this stage 
and in the case of Barolympic, after seven years 
work only 500grams of seed existed - a scary 
thought for business managers!

PERFORMANCE TESTING
In years 8-10, new synthetic lines are tested in a turf 
situation by the breeding department against other 
elite lines and existing cultivars from Barenbrug’s 
and competitors’ global breeding programmes 
to determine whether it is good enough to go 
to market. This will happen at multiple locations 
depending on the target markets for the breeding 
material in question.

For perennial ryegrass, synthetic lines will be 
tested under simulated wear/traffic and at a low 
mowing height (10mm normally) as two basic stress 
factors. A breeder may also wish to include a range 
of other trials or laboratory testing at this stage, for 
example tolerance to a particular turfgrass disease.

MULTIPLICATION
Results of performance testing are presented to 
product development teams in target markets and a 
decision is taken on which synthetic lines to multiply 
up to become a cultivar.

The multiplication (year 11) is a vital and costly 
process, forming what is called a ‘breeder’s seed’ 
stock, which will be used as the foundation for 
commercial production in the future. Around 5000

plants are sown in a 1000m2 plot to produce 100kg 
of breeder’s seed stock. It is imperative to ensure 
absolute seed purity at this stage.

It is important to note that those varieties that 
don’t get chosen don’t just end up in the bin. While 
some might, others will be reintegrated into future 
programmes, they might be selected from again to 
improve the variety or used as a back cross.

OFFICIAL TRIALS
In years 12-15 and beyond, cultivars are submitted 
to official trials across the globe, depending on 
their target markets. ANTEP in Australia, NTEP 
in USA and BSPB/STRI in the UK are well-known 
examples of these trialling systems. Cultivars are 
assessed independently for a variety of turfgrass 
traits according to particular turf usage parameters.
In the BSPB/STRI trialling system for example, 
a perennial ryegrass can be assessed at 25mm 
height of cut under wear simulation for winter sports 
(soccer, rugby), at 10mm mowing height for lawn 
applications and at 5mm mowing for (golf) greens 
or cricket. The BSPB/STRI trials are conducted for 
one or two years and a cultivar needs to be analysed 
across at least two trial periods for an official 
published listing.

In parallel, it is necessary for a cultivar to be 
examined under legislative protocols to ensure it is

In years 1-3, initial crosses are 
made typically between plants 
of an existing cultivar and plants 
isolated from the wild or a particular 
environment of interest

Years 4-6 involve the laborious and 
critical selection process. Those 
exhibiting any weaknesses are killed 
off. From the initial 10,000 plants 
generated in the first phase, by the 
end of the selection process there 
may be as few as a dozen plants 
remaining 

►

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

21

SEED

In year 7, the surviving plants 
are grouped together based on 
similarities. They are then isolated 
from others and allowed to cross­
pollinate within their group. The 
resulting ‘synthetic line’ is the basis 
for a new cultivar

The breeding process and the 
production of new cultivars is 
literally at the root (and shoot!) of 
driving the turfgrass industry forward 
with the expertise of turfgrass 
managers around the globe. Pictured 
is Machrie Links

eligible for sale. For registration in Europe, official 
government trials are carried out with the following 
aspects scrutinised over a fixed period of time 
(typically three years or longer);
•  Distinction - must have at least one significantly 

different characteristic to all existing cultivars;

•  Uniformity - individuals within the population 
must be very similar (includes heading date, 
colour, leaf width, growth habit and disease 
tolerance); and

•  Stability - must not revert to parental wild-type in 

a fixed time period.
Once this process is completed, companies will 

then be asked to name the cultivar.

As official trials are progressing, Barenbrug also 
strives to undertake significant product development 
and R&D on a local level in the global marketplace 
to ensure that new cultivars are integrated into 
product lines effectively.

Product development encompasses a range 
of processes, such as mixture synergy trials (the 
combined performance of species and cultivars) or 
looking closely at the intraspecific traits that a new 
cultivar delivers and how best to match these with 
end-user requirements in particular markets. Among 
some of the in-house trial work Barenbrug conducts 
relates to wear, colour, drought tolerance, salinity 
germination, cold-temperature germination, shade 
and disease tolerance.

22 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEME

PRODUCTION
Once a cultivar has been through official trials, 
certified seed production can start. First, breeder’s 
seed has to be multiplied to produce ‘pre-basic’ 
seed, which then goes on to ‘basic seed’ after 
another harvest. In the case of Barolympic, five 
tonnes of pre-basic seed were produced with one 
tonne of it stored to produce more basic seed if 
required down the line.

The basic seed is then supplied to farmers to 
sow resulting in certified seed production, which is 
the grade of seed sold to end-users. At all stages, 
it is imperative to remove off-types to maintain a 
cultivar’s integral purity. In the case of Barolympic, 
in Autumn 2013 two 11 ha sites in the UK were sown 
at 10kg/ha with yields the following year of 750kg/ha 
and 850kg/ha (approx. 17 tonnes).

SEED USAGE
Finally, after some 15-plus years of development, 
the seed is finally available for turfgrass managers 
to put into action. As has been demonstrated, the 
amount to work to get it to this stage is significant 
and to therefore see the variety being used in 
world class facilities is the ultimate accolade for 
the breeders, researchers, production staff and the 
marketing and sales teams.

In the case of Barolympic which was released 
in 2015, it has been used in several projects across 
a number of high profile sports facilities in the UK 
including;
•  Trialling and implementation into tennis courts at 

Wimbledon;

•  Use on tees in combination with fine fescue at St 

Andrews Links to improve wear;

• 

•  Reseeding areas of lost turf following a bad 
winter at Royal Troon GC, host of the 2016 Open 
Championship; and
Incorporated into surrounds and fairways at The 
Machrie Golf Links, UK.
In conclusion, the ‘story of grass’ is a long and 
varied one. It takes a wide scope of work over more 
than 15 years across many departments on a global 
scale to deliver a new cultivar of turfgrass to the 
market.

The breeding process and the production of 
new cultivars is literally at the root (and shoot!) 
of driving the turfgrass industry forward with the 
expertise of turfgrass managers around the globe. 
Improvements in wear tolerance, disease resistance 
and fineness of leaf of new breeding material are 
just a few aspects that make game day a reality for 
grounds managers, players and fans alike.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dr David Greenshields has been with Barenbrug 
UK for the past 10.5 years and has held a range 
of positions including his current role of amenity 
product manager. He has PhD in Plant Genetics from 
the University of Edinburgh. Follow him on Twitter @ 
Barenbrug_DG.

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TOURNAMENTS

You’d be hard pressed 
to find a more idyllic 
setting to prepare for a 
major international golf 
tournament than Natadola 
Bay Golf Course on Fiji’s 
Coral Coast. Superintendent 
Steve Lalor looks back at 
preparations for the recent 
2018 Fiji International.

The $1.25 million 2018 Fiji Airways Fiji 

International was held at Natadola Bay Golf 
Course in the first week of August. It is the 
fifth consecutive year that we have prepared the 

Vijay Singh-designed course for the event which is 
tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, Asian Tour and 
PGA Tour of Australasia.

Indian professional Gaganjeet Bhullar shot a 
superb final round 66 to win in one of the most 
dramatic finishes we have seen since the tournament 
first touched down in 2014. Bhullar chipped in for 
eagle on the 17th to stave off Anthony Quayle by a 
single shot, the Queenslander having earlier posted 
a blistering final round course record 63.

After a 2-under front nine, Quayle tore up the 
back nine in 7-under, posting birdie, eagle, birdie, 
birdie from holes 11-14 and then a further eagle on 
the 17th to come home in just 29 shots. It proved a 
fitting way to end the tournament as the course drew 
rave reviews from players and organisers all week, 
including drawcard Ernie Els.

Our preparations for this year’s tournament 
started three months before the event, although our 
mowing schedules and fertility programmes were 
fine-tuned within the final six weeks. The first weeks 
involved preparing for several local tournaments, 
applying pre-emergent herbicides, landscape 
area management, bunker maintenance, general 
trimming to reduce time to carry out tasks closer to 
the event and any requests from PGA tournament 
officials as outlined in a tournament report which 
was formulated in early June.

The clearing of the perennial weed pest vaivai 
(Leucaena leucocephala) was limited this year due 
to unexpected rainfall during the dry season. This 
weed plagues the majority of the grassland areas of 
the course and control is never-ending.

Our procedure for controlling it is to burn off the 
grasses, manually cut the tree down to knee height 
and then spray the new growth as it comes up with 
herbicide. The burning allows better access to the 
weed for removal, encourages new growth of the

wanted grasses and also smokes out any wasps 
that have a tendency to make their nests on the 
branches of the plant, thus preventing unwanted 
stings to the team.

The rainfall stopped us from carrying out any 
burning which gave us extra time on the golf course 
which proved advantageous with the preparation of

Superintendent Steve Lalor (far 
right) and the Natadola Bay crew 
celebrate a successful week 
following Gaganjeet Bhullar’s single 
shot victory

24 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20

Doesn’t get much better than this... 
The stunning setting of Natadola 
Bay’s par three 13th. The course 
played host to the Fiji International 
for the fifth consecutive year in 
August

Natadola’s 9th hole

the playing surfaces (Natadola Bay is wall-to-wall 
Sealsle Supreme seashore paspalum). The team
worked well and carried out tasks more efficiently
in prior years, with our planning and execution right 
on schedule as opposed to the 2017 event. Our 
tournament maintenance schedule included;
Greens
•  Primo, KNO3 and silicate applied Monday of 

tournament week;

•  Double cut at 3mm on the Sunday prior to the 
tournament and then mown each morning at 
3mm with Jacobsen GK522 walk-behinds;

•  To keep green speeds consistent, irrigation was 
applied every second night and greens rolled 
the following morning;

•  Hand-watering to the newer greens and drier 
areas on older greens occurred during the 
morning preparation.

Tees
•  Championship tees hand mown in the morning 

at 5mm with Jacobsen GK522s;

•  Other tees hand mown in the afternoon at 5mm 

with Jacobsen GK522s.

Bunkers
•  All hand-raked each morning.

Jacobsen LF550s and LF3400s.

Roughs
•  Primary rough - mown each afternoon at 20mm 

with Jacobsen Tri-Kings and TR3s;

•  Secondary rough - mown at 60mm but not 

during tournament week.

Looking down the 12th hole with 
its green nestled right next to the 
Pacific Ocean

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

25

TOURNAMENTS

◄ Natadola’s 11th green looking down 
to the 14th green in the distance

Volunteer Dean Scullion cuts the
10th fairway at 8mm

Natadola’s 17th green gets a 
morning cut at 3mm

Els played well throughout the week, improving 
every round before finishing with a 65 and a four- 
round total of 12-under. He was impressed with the 
outlook and the conditioning of the course, as was 
Vijay who acted as a tour guide for his long-time 
friend on the Wednesday before the tournament.

I didn’t manage to spend much time with Vijay 
this year as he arrived late from the UK where he 
had contested The Senior British Open and then 
departed shortly after the Fiji Open concluded to 
prepare for the PGA Championship the following 
week at Bellerive Country Club.

He was pleased with how the course presented a 
year after the redesign works which were undertaken 
between the 2016 and 2017 tournaments. As 
was featured in Australian Turfgrass Management 
Journal Volume 19.5 (September-October 2017), 

we reconstructed 12 greens and six tees, made 
changes to several fairways, bunker complexes and 
landscape areas and installed new cart paths.

Vijay didn’t request any additional changes 
which will let us concentrate on improving the 
course as a whole moving forward. We have already 
started on some long overdue projects and will 
hopefully have them completed by the start of 
the wet season this year. Among these projects/ 
programmes are;
•  Scarifying/renovating all fairways: This has 
never really been fully completed since opening 
in 2009. I have scarified random fairways but 
now I am looking to carry out this process 
several times a year. We are pretty lucky/unlucky 
that we have a 12 month growing season for 
quick recovery. I will look at scarifying/aerating 
fairways and roughs on a quarterly basis. We are 
on the last few fairways to date.

•  Raise catch basins: There are several catch 
basins that sit too low. These have been like this 
for quite some time, so levelling them out a bit to 
prevent balls from funnelling down to them will 
alleviate the wear around the drains. We have 
completed these works since tournament.

•  Level and promote turf between 10 and 18 
fairways: This has probably been the item 
that I have wanted to do for the longest time as 
players, both professional and amateur, land 
in this area which is uneven, lined with rocks 
and difficult to hit out of. During the original 
construction, the project managers did not see 
the importance of this area and decided not to 
spend the money to develop this part of the golf 
course. With the redesign works a couple of

26 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

years ago, we have a large stockpile of sand that 
was stripped off holes for the new construction 
to go ahead. I will use this sand to cap the area 
and then use the scarifications from fairways to
grass. We are currently around half way through 
this project and looking to complete before the 
wet season hits.

• Kerbing of high traffic areas: We began to 
kerb around the clubhouse and front nine tees 
some years back and the Fiji International 
prevented us from continuing with the remainder 
of the course. With the redesign works we have 
noticed more players coming through and so 
now we need to direct traffic to cart paths and 
keep them on the paths. Kerbing will go around 
greens 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17 and 
around tees on 11, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 18. All 
kerbing works are done in-house and will be 
carried out over the next six months.

• Tees: A year after the redesign, it came apparent 
that several tees were built too small for play and 
maintenance. We have rebuilt/extended these 
tees and they will be fully in play within a few 
weeks.
Reflecting on this year’s tournament, it was 
a very busy but successful week and the crew 
enjoyed celebrating their efforts with the volunteers 
afterwards. Overall, preparations this year went 
far better than last year given we had no crazy 
construction timelines to deal with and I was certainly 
surprised how much more relaxed I was this year - 
all the planning must have been on the mark!

Although volunteer numbers were down this year 
(from the 20 that initially said they were interested 
we had only two come through), the boys really 

stepped up and achieved all that was expected from 
them during the week of the tournament.

The guys who came out were dedicated to the
cause and everything went as smooth as you could 
ask. A big thanks to Kevin Adams, Terry Sullivan 
from Powerturf NZ, Jordan Phillips from Newcastle 
Golf Club, Dean Scullion from Jacobsen Australia, 
Ryan Markwell, Manasa Vinidakai, Jone Racola and 
Senirusi Ramumu from Denarau Golf and Racquet 
Club.

The Fiji International has grown markedly over 
the past five years and we are looking forward to it 
gaining even more traction in 2019.

Top: Tournament drawcard Ernie Els 
tees off on Natadola’s spectacular 
1st. Els finished third

Above: Natadola’s 16th hole

Below: The 14th green, which was 
relocated 40m to the left of its 
previous position, was one of 12 
greens reconstructed between the 
2016 and 2017 tournaments

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

27

JOHN NEYLAN

Agronomic 
expert John 
Neylan delves
into the use of soil 
moisture sensors and how 
to get the most out of them 
and also looks at some 
recent trial work on the 
potential of fraise mowing 
as a non-chemical means 
of controlling Poa annua.

Above: The addition of soil moisture 
sensors into the turf manager’s 
arsenal has helped to add an extra 
level of precision in understanding 
the relationship between soil 
moisture content, turf health and 
playing surface quality

Soil moisture monitoring using portable probes 

has become commonplace over the past 
few years for determining soil moisture and 
for scheduling irrigation. This has added an extra 

pages and what turf managers need to consider 
when using such devices.

level of precision in understanding the relationship 
between soil moisture content, turf health and 
playing surface quality.

Soil moisture probes are but a tool, albeit 
a very useful tool. The power of the device is in 
understanding the numbers the device is generating 
and then relating it back to a wide range of variables 
including weather, irrigation programming, turf health 
and surface performance at your location. What 
the soil moisture probe provides is a reasonably 
repeatable measure that can be related to key 
maintenance practices.

At the 2018 Australasian Turfgrass Conference 
in Wellington, New Zealand, a Plenary session 
paper was presented by Carmen Magro entitled 
‘Optimising turfgrass performance using precision 
monitoring technology’. The presentation highlighted 
the importance of monitoring soil moisture content 
and how the data can be related to changes in 
turf health. It was unfortunate that the presentation 
only concentrated on one specific device and 
didn’t provide a broader overview of the available 
technology.

There have been frequent comments made 
over time that different technologies have various 
attributes and/or weaknesses that may make one 
device preferred over another. This was implied 
in Magro’s presentation with no detail behind it. It 
therefore had me thinking that it may be useful to 
review the use of soil moisture sensors in these 

SENSOR TYPES
In a review of Michigan State University’s Turfgrass 
Information File (which all financial AGCSA members 
have access to), the information regarding the 
comparison of soil moisture probes is very limited. 
Consequently, I had to look towards agriculture 
and horticulture to obtain a better insight into this 
technology. Interestingly, this further emphasises the 
lack of research into some fundamental areas of turf 
management where we assume that a tool we are 
using actually means something.

There are basically two groups of sensors:

•  Water potential sensors, such as tensiometers 
and granular matrix sensors which directly 
interact with the soil matrix; and

•  Soil moisture sensors that give a percentage or 
relative content of soil moisture (water content 
sensors).
In turf applications, the first soil moisture 
sensor that was widely used in turf was the matric 
or soil water potential sensor developed by Ken 
Cuming. This device measures directly the change 
in soil water potential by responding to the capillary 
tension in the rootzone, which in turn is related to 
soil water availability. The Cuming sensor was a 
considerable advancement over the gypsum block 
device because it compensated for changes in soil 
salinity.

In trials undertaken by Pathan et.al. (2003) 
it was demonstrated that the cumulative volume 
of water applied to turfgrass plots controlled by 

28 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

the sensors represented a saving of 25 per cent 
in summer, when compared to water applied to 
plots according to recommendations for Western 
Australian homeowners.

This device was used by Neylan and Robinson 
(1997) for monitoring nutrient and water use in a 
sand amendment trial and provided considerable 
information relating to water movement and nutrient 
leaching. The Cuming sensor was an excellent 
management tool, however, as with many buried 
sensors it was not widely adopted.

Buried sensors, with their associated wiring, 
were seen by many turf managers as too difficult 
to deal with because of concerns around damage 
from aeration equipment. Fortunately, the wireless 
sensors now available have, in part, eliminated these 
concerns. The portable probes that are represented 
by the water content sensors have been more widely 
accepted because they are not in a fixed position.

Water content sensors measure the water 
content of a soil using the time or frequency of a 
pulse travelling between or returning to electrodes. 
The most common types are capacitance and time 
domain reflectometry (TDR) soil moisture probes. 
Most sensors in this category are accurate to within 
2-3 per cent of the actual soil moisture (https:// 
www.agric.wa.gov.au/horticulture/soil-moistu re­
monitoring-selection-guide) .

TDR is the method used by many modern 
soil moisture probes used in turf management to 
calculate volumetric water content. In simple terms, 
the TDR probe works by sending a wave of electric 
energy down each metal conductor rod that is 
inserted into the soil. Depending on soil moisture, 
the wave will be transformed as it travels down each 
rod and part of it will be reflected back to the meter.
The meter then uses a calibration curve to relate 
the reflected signal to the volumetric soil water 
content. The measurement extends to about 3-6cm 
around the sensor, giving a reasonable volume 
of soil measured when compared to some other 
probes.

It is important to note that the soil moisture 
content is a measure along the length of the probe. 
For example, if a 12cm probe is used it measures 
the average moisture content along the 12cm 
length. This may be applicable for a couchgrass 
sportsfield with a 20-30cm root system, but not so 
for a bentgrass putting green. According to Magro 
(2018), most of the root activity in golf greens occurs 
in the top 6cm and therefore shorter probes are 
more appropriate.

In my experience the 7.6cm probe is a good 
length for putting greens, with the 3.8cm probes 
being particularly useful for determining the effects 
of the thatch layer. Where the soil moisture content 
of the deeper layers is required, it is best to take out 
a turf plug using a hole changer and then inserting 
the probe.

In theory, accurate estimation of water availability 
with TDR sensors is best achieved by calibrating

it to each particular soil type. Without specific 
soil calibration the numbers become less accurate 
(absolute) but are still very repeatable (Kreuser, 
2016). Soil texture, organic matter and even soil 
particle shape will affect the probe’s calibration.

However, a TDR moisture probe doesn’t need 
to be accurate to be useful; it just needs to be 
repeatable. In my experience, this is the most 
important consideration. The numbers that the 
probe generates are rarely going to be absolute. 
In my opinion they are just a number that can be 
related to turf performance in a particular situation.

For example, when a probe is purchased it 
is important to take regular readings and then 
compare the readings against the changes in the 
turf. The obvious one is when the turf begins to 
wilt, as this provides a number or reference point 
around which irrigation or spot watering would be 
considered.

At the other end of the scale, when the surface 
becomes soft, this provides an understanding 
of what the upper limits of soil moisture are. In 
fact measuring soil moisture in mid-winter, after a 
significant rainfall event, can provide an indicator of 
water infiltration and drainage problems related to 
■organic matter accumulation (Glasgow, 2018).

Having undertaken several benchmarking and 
monitoring studies, the TDR probe is always used. 
The results show over time the relationship between 
irrigation regime, renovation programmes, organic 
matter accumulation and weather. It is important 
to know your site and don’t get hung up with the 
numbers a turf manager is getting at another site.

Kreuser (2016) recommended the following 

keys to effectively using a TDR probe;

Soil moisture probes are but a tool, 
albeit a very useful tool. The power 
of the device is in understanding the 
numbers it is generating and relating 
it back to a wide range of variables 
and surface performance

When using a moisture probe, it is 
important to take regular readings 
and then compare them against the 
changes in the turf. The obvious one 
is when the turf begins to wilt, as 
this provides a number or reference 
point around which irrigation or spot 
watering would be considered ►

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

29

JOHN NEYLAN

•  Know the minimum soil moisture required to 
prevent wilt. This number will vary depending 
on factors such as turf age, soil composition and 
management.

•  Measure areas before and after irrigation to fine­
tune irrigation scheduling and monitor irrigation 
system performance.

•  Compare the change in soil moisture reading 
with daily evapotranspiration to further refine 
irrigation scheduling.

•  Verify the usual dry spots are actually dry before 

hand-watering.

SALINITY AFFECTS
One of the discussion points regarding soil moisture 
probes is how they are affected by changes in soil 
salinity. In particular, soil moisture readings can 
increase as the soil salinity increases. A laboratory 
study was conducted by Serena et. al. (2017) to test 
the accuracy of four moisture sensors in a range of 
soil salinities. Sensors included in the study were 
the TDR300 (Spectrum Technologies Inc.), POGO 
(Stevens Waters), Turfguard (Toro Company) and 
5TE (Decagon). Sand meeting USGA specifications 
for particle size distribution was used for the study.

The TDR300 measured accurately to a salinity 
level of 0.5dS/m (ECe), however, as salinity increased 
moisture readings were higher than measured 
values but deviated linearly. This indicated that with

The 7.6cm probe on a TDR probe 
is a good length for putting greens, 
with the 3.8cm probes particularly 
useful for determining the effects of 
the thatch layer

In a recent golf course trial to 
establish the process of fraise 
mowing and its viability as a Poa 
annua management tool, a fraise 
mower was operated at a depth of 
4cm across the trial areas

30 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

Measure areas before and after irrigation to fine-tune 
irrigation scheduling and monitor irrigation system 
performance

correct calibration, the TDR300 can report moisture 
content accurately even at high salinity.

The POGO and the 5TE sensors performed 
well to salinity levels as high as 15dS/m (ECe). The 
Turfguard sensor was the least affected by salinity, 
maintaining an accurate range of readings with 
salinity as high as 40dS/m (ECe). (Note: Non-saline 
soils equate to <2dS/m, slightly saline soils 2-4dS/m 
and highly saline soils 8-16dS/m).

Agriculture Victoria (Note Number: AG1412 
February 2010) has provided a check list to consider 
when purchasing a soil moisture probe. Among the 
questions they ask the purchaser to consider are;
•  What information do I need from a soil moisture 

monitoring device?

•  How labour intensive is the device?
•  How useable is the information from the device?
•  What level of accuracy do I need?
•  Does soil type affect my choice?
•  Does the irrigation system I use limit my choice?
•  What other site factors affect my choice?
•  How durable is the product?
•  How much maintenance will it need?

As with most things in life, there can be several 
ways to achieve the same outcome and the use of 
soil sensors is no different. In my experience the 
most relevant aspects are;
•  Whatever device you use, stick to it.
•  Once the device is purchased, or in the case of 
in-field sensors once they have been installed, 
use it! Take the time to understand the data 
being generated.

•  Take numerous measurements under a 
range of conditions representing different turf 
areas and record the data. Relate this to your 
management programme, turf quality and 
surface performance.

•  Push the limits - understand what the breaking 
point is for soil moisture and then create an 
‘action band’ within which irrigation must occur.
•  Relate the soil moisture data to other key 
indicators that can be measured such as surface 
hardness.
It is important to know your site and don’t get 
hung up with the numbers a turf manager is 
getting at another site.

• 

INTEGRATED POA ANNUA CONTROL - 
FRAISE MOWING
In any weed control programme it requires multiple 
strategies rather than relying on just the herbicide 
option. CropLife Australia (2014) provides several 
key strategies to be considered in managing weeds 
including the following non-herbicide options;
•  Focus on preventing weed seed production and 
reducing the number of weed seed in the soil 
seedbank;

•  Emphasise cultural practices that suppress 

weeds by using turf competitiveness; and

•  Use mechanical and biological management 

practices where appropriate.
Research undertaken by Neylan and Nickson 
(2016) and Neylan (2017) has demonstrated seed 
bank numbers in couch and kikuyu of up to 11,000 
Poa annua seedlings per square metre, with up to 90 
per cent occurring in the thatch layer.

Brosnan et. al. (2017) hypothesised that with 
greater than 80 per cent of viable Poa annua seed 
being found within the top 1cm of soil, that fraise 
mowing may be an effective means of non-chemical 
Poa annua control, particularly useful in scenarios 
where herbicide resistance has resulted in limited 
chemical control options.

Fraise mowing was pioneered in The Netherlands 
by Ko Rodenburg in 1996 with the invention of the 
KORO Field Topmaker (Minnick, 2018). The original 
intention was to use it for the control of Poa annua by 
removing large plants and reducing the seed bank, 
as well as the removal of thatch and organic matter.
Brosnan (2017) has tested fraise-mowed strips 
and found a 40-50 per cent reduction in the number 
of Poa annua plants present. Fraise mowing is said 
to remove 80 per cent of visible Poa annua seeds 
and physical removal of Poa annua through fraise 
mowing may be part of a successful control strategy.
In a recent golf course trial to establish the 
process of fraise mowing and its viability as a Poa

Finished surface following fraise 
mowing. Note the visible stolons and 
rhizomes

annua management tool, samples of the trash and 
turf sods from the treated area were collected and 
the seed numbers determined. The fraise mower 
was operated at a depth of 4cm across the trial 
areas and the trash removed.

The trash and turf sods were allowed to dry 
for four months and then the material was placed 
onto trays that contained seedling propagation 
mix. The trays were watered and then the number 
of seedlings counted immediately upon seedling 
emergence.

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- 

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

31

JOHN NEYLAN

<4 Poa annua seedlings in trash from 
fraise mowing 10 weeks (left) and 20 
weeks (right) after seeding

Poa annua seedlings in couch sod 
from the fraise mown area four 
weeks after seeding

Seedling counts were undertaken at 12, 22 
and 36 days after seeding (DAS) (Figures 1 and 2). 
About 50 per cent of the seedling emergence for 
the trash material had occurred at 12DAS with most 
seeds emerged by 22DAS.

For the turf sods, about 33 per cent of the 
seedling emergence had occurred at 12DAS and 
75 per cent at 22DAS. This result does demonstrate 
that Poa annua is going to germinate over a period 
of time rather than all at once and emphasises 
the importance of a well-planned pre-emergent 
programme.

The process of fraise mowing undoubtedly 
removes a substantial amount of weed seeds, 
however, it does generate large volumes of trash 
that needs to be disposed of. The process removes 
most, if not all, of the mature plants and then with 
the use of pre-emergent herbicides provides an 
excellent opportunity to keep the area ‘weed free’ or 
at least at levels where spot treatments are going to 
be more viable.

Based on the limited observations to date, 
it does provide a tool that could be used to 
treat problem areas rather than entire golf course 
fairways.

REFERENCES
Brosnan, James T. Gregory K. Breeden, Aaron 
J. Patton and Quincy Daker Law (2017). Annual 
Bluegrass Control via Fraze Mowing. Managing 
Global Resources for a Secure Future. 2017 Annual 
Meeting Oct. 22-25.

Figure 1: Poa annua seedlings in trash from fraze mowing

Crop Life Australia. 2014. Herbicide Resistance 
Management Strategies, https://www. croplife, org.au/ 
resources/programs/resistance-management/2018- 
herbicide-resistance-management-strategies-2/ 
Kreuser, B. 2016. Use and abuse of soil moisture 
meters. Turf iNfo for the North Central US, University 
of Nebraska - Lincoln (www.turf.unl.edu).
Magro, C. 2018. Optimising turf grass performance 
using precision monitoring technology. 2018 
Australasian Turfgrass Conference webcast.
Minnick, Jerad. 2018. Five years of fraze mowing. 
SportsTurf. March. 34(3): p 18-21.
Neylan, J. 2016. Poa annua seed bank. Australian 
Turf grass Management Volume 18.1 (Jan-Feb 2016), 
p42-43. AGCSA.
Neylan, J. and D. Nickson. 2017. Controlling 
the enemy - Poa annua pre-emergent trials and 
seed bank studies. Australian Turf grass Management 
Volume 19.1 (Jan-Feb 2017), p42-46. AGCSA.
Neylan, J. and Robinson, M. 1997. Sand 
amendments for turf construction. HAL Report 
TU203.
Pathan, S. M., L. Barton and T. D. Colmer. 2007. 
Evaluation of a soil moisture sensor to reduce water 
and nutrient leaching in turfgrass (Cynodon dactylon 
cv. Wintergreen). Australian Journal of Experimental 
Agriculture, 2007, 47, p215-222.
Serena, M., Las Cruces, E. Sevostianova, and D. 
VanLeeuwen. 2017. Accuracy of handheld and 
buried moisture sensors in a saline soil. Managing 
Global Resources for a Secure Future. 2017 Annual 
Meeting Oct. p22-25.

Number of Poa annua seedlings in 
trash from fraise mowing (above) 
and number of Poa annua seedlings 
in couch sod from fraise mown 
area. The number of seedlings in 
the treated (fraise mown) area was 
significantly less, indicating that it 
could be an effective tool to treat 
problem areas

32 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMEf

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PETER McMAUGH

To date in Australia, there has 
been no genuine fully-fledged ‘true’ 
certification scheme for vegetatively 
propagated turfgrass varieties

A dead-. 
cert!

Starting from this edition, 
Australian Turfgrass 
Management Journal is 
honoured to have one 
of Australia’s foremost 
agronomic experts provide 
a regular column. Peter 
McMaugh’s insight and 
knowledge of the turf 
industry is unsurpassed 
and he kicks off his regular 
contributions by looking at 
a new certification scheme 
for turf producers called 
‘Turf Cert’.

o use the vernacular, there is a new kid on 
the block’ - certification. The Board of the 
Australian Seeds Authority, which holds the
Commonwealth Government licence for certification 
of all agricultural seed used in Australia, has seen a 
gap in the turf industry for the quality assurance of 
its vegetatively reproduced stock and has set up a 
new certification scheme for turf producers called 
‘TurfCert’.

In its simplest terms ‘certification’ is a guarantee. 
It guarantees that what you order is what you get, 
and that what you get is produced under tightly 
controlled conditions (rules) which are protected 
and enforced by regular independent inspection.

Readers of this magazine are familiar with the 
purchase of certified seed, especially bentgrass and 
ryegrass seed, from their reputable seed suppliers 
who many years ago adopted this guarantee of 
quality. The imperative to do this came largely from 
the fiasco many years ago of the dumping of non­
certified Penncross bentgrass seed into Australia 
when things went wrong with production of that 
variety in the USA.

This was caused by contamination in the 
production crops in Washington and Oregon states 
in the USA and had to be addressed by wholesale 
crop destruction and replanting of new parent stock 
which had been reselected to meet the quality 
standards required by certification. If you are familiar 

with the USA seed industry, they talk about blue tag’ 
crops, referring to the blue coloured certification 
tags attached to fully accredited bags of seed.

If your first reaction from reading so far is a 
yawn, with the impression that we already have 
certification because you have seen something like 
this already well-advertised, then think again. To 
date, in Australia, there has been no genuine fully- 
fledged ‘true’ certification scheme for vegetatively 
propagated turfgrass varieties. I was going to 
say ‘any’ grass varieties, but I’m not sure about 
sugarcane which is the only other grass variety 
which is extensively vegetatively propagated.

You may also think that because we already 
have ‘Plant Breeders Rights’ (PBR) to protect 
varietal integrity, that we don’t need another layer of 
protection. But the protection through PBR is very 
largely the protection of the owner of the rights and 
not the protection of the end user. Certification offers 
protection at both levels.

The Australian PBR scheme, introduced in 1987 
through the Plant Variety Rights (PVR) legislation, 
is based on and is part of the international scheme 
regulated by the International Union for the 
Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).

This scheme covers all plant varieties in both 
seed and vegetatively propagated form and is 
based on three principles - distinctness, uniformity 
and stability. None of this is about genetics. It is

34 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

I have just recently consulted on exactly 
this situation. If you see a paddock where the 
contamination is in long strips without being very 
wide, you can be sure that it is the end result of a 
single contaminated roll of turf going through the 
shredder of a line-planting machine. What might be 
5 per cent contamination of nursery stock becomes 
40 per cent in the new planting. There is an 
excellent article on this topic by Dr Phil Busey from 
the University of Florida in the 2009 International 
Turfgrass Society Research Journal (Vol.11, Part 2, 
p1177.)
AN INDUSTRY DOYEN

How do you introduce a man who 

needs no introduction? As you 
can see from the 
accompanying photo, Peter 

about the appearance (phenotype) of the plant so 
that DNA as such has absolutely no direct bearing 
on the success or failure of a PBR application.

The process is different in the USA where PBR 
is attached to the seed part of the industry but 
the vegetatively propagated materials are covered 
under a separate Plant Patent scheme. In my 
experience this has a more contorted and yet less 
vigorous process.

Under the PBR act, when a person or entity is 
awarded ownership of a plant variety, there is an 
obligation that requires access for licence holders 
to pure stock. Failure to provide this can result in 
loss of the licence.

Achieving and maintaining this purity of strain 
over the 20 year life of the patent is really quite easy 
for rose growers or suppliers of nursery stock plants 
which are clearly identical while being separate 
entities. It isn’t quite that simple for vegetatively 
reproduced grass of the turf type.

Contamination is a far harder issue to deal with 
over an extended life span of a paddock. This is 
especially so when the dominant weed species of 
an area is the same as the crop species, e.g. couch 
in couch. When grasses purported to be of a clearly 
distinguished variety are propagated by vegetative 
plant from contaminated stock, the extent of the 
contamination is quickly multiplied until it is almost 
impossible to tell the original from the contaminant.

McMaugh is not a young 
man, but according to those 
old enough to have gone the 
distance in the turf industry 
he has looked like this for at 
least the last 30 years!

With old age, however, 
comes a profound level of 
experience and in his 54 
years in the turf industry
Peter has worn (pardon the visual pun) 
many a hat. As a researcher, teacher, 
consultant, turf producer, plant breeder 
and machinery designer, Peter is 
a scientist at heart who has got, and 
continues to get, his hands dirty at the 
coalface. The value of such experience 
cannot be measured and as those who 
have read his huge body of work over the 
years, it gives an added dimension to his 
writings.

Years of working with golf course 
architects on over 50 projects and with 
major stadium venues and racetrack 
constructions in his portfolio, Peter has a 

True ‘certification’ is a major step 
forward in guaranteeing end users 
the quality they are paying for and 
gives those growers who choose to 
provide it a big advantage with the 
discerning customer

many-faceted view of our industry. Major 
portions of his work have been across 
Asia and his international 
reputation is second to none. 
All this shows in the many 
awards he has received 
along the journey, including 
the AGCSA Distinguished 
Service Award (2000) and 
becoming the first member 
of the turf industry to receive 
Australian horticulture’s 
highest honour, the Graham 
Gregory Award (2009).

The depth and breadth of Peter’s 
turfgrass knowledge was perhaps best 
summed up by the late great Dr James 
Beard. During one of his visits in the 
1980s, the esteemed Dr Beard proclaimed 
that ‘Peter McMaugh is the only other 
turfgrass scientist in the world that knows 
the literature as well as me”. Enough said.
We welcome Peter’s quirky personal 
column to the pages of Australian Turfgrass 
Management Journal and encourage 
readers to send in any questions or topics 
that they would like him to address. You 
can email these to Brett Robinson brett@ 
agcsa.com.au. Enjoy the read...

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

35

PETER McMAUGH

Does ‘certification’ mean that you 
are getting the best performing 
grass for your purpose? No. It 
simply means you are getting the 
best quality of the grass you have 
selected to suit your needs

controlled propagation create a new certified (or 
guaranteed) breeders stock.

This provides a very clear illustration of what 
‘certification’ is all about. It is all about the guarantee 
that any grass you buy from a ‘certified’ paddock 
carries a clear line traceable back to the ‘breeder’s 
nursery stock’ which originally came from a single 
node propagule.

This characteristic of ‘certification’ means 
that you cannot have a ‘certified’ farm producing 
‘certified’ products, you can only have ‘certified 
paddocks’, clearly identified by GPS coordinates, 
which contain a specific quantity of a specific grass 
variety.

This is where ‘certification’ shows clear 
differences from schemes of accreditation. While 
farms can be accredited, they can produce reliable 
good quality turf on a consistent base. They can be 
like a 5-star Halliday Winery but they can’t be ‘Hill 
of Grace’.

There is a vast difference between ‘a true to 
type’ certification and a trademark or brand which 
can cover a multiple of different blends of bits and 
pieces and a true to type single variety at the same 
time. In other words, a trademark can be used as a 
cover name for the selling of multiple variety blends 
or even contaminated single variety types, as well 
as ‘true to type’ certified single varieties. In the wine 
industry the blend can sometimes be better value 
or even more enjoyable than the single variety, but 
that is rarely the case in turf and especially so in 
vegetatively reproduced grasses.

Does ‘certification’ mean that you are getting 
the best performing grass for your purpose? No. It 
simply means you are getting the best quality of the 
grass you have selected to suit your needs. It is no 
more a guarantee of superior performance than is 
PBR which guarantees difference.

‘Certification’ reinforces the uniformity and 
stability aspects of PBR and trueness to type. If 
the grass you choose because you get sold on the 
marketing hype of the product is a dud, you get a 
guaranteed dud. However, in reality the effort that is

This type of rampant gross contamination 
has historically happened with the early improved 
selections of couchgrass in Australia - Greenlees 
Park and Wintergreen - which were always public 
domain varieties and never subject to PBR. The 
consequence of this was amply demonstrated by Dr 
Peter Martin many years ago when he collected over 
30 samples of Greenlees Park from various sources 
and proved that they were all genetically different 
and in most cases not related to Greenlees Park at 
all. This same experience has been replicated with 
Wintergreen. This in general means that there is no 
really reliable way of obtaining currently pure stock 
of either of these grasses.

This will change in the future because under 
the rules of certification the plant breeder of the 
original variety can reselect that variety and through 

Certification is a guarantee. It 
guarantees that what you order is 
what you get and that what you get 
is produced under tightly controlled 
conditions (rules) which are 
protected and enforced by regular 
independent inspection

36 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 2

Above: When grasses purported to 
be of a clearly distinguished variety 
are propagated by vegetative plant 
from contaminated stock, the extent 
of the contamination is very quickly 
multiplied

Above left: The ‘TurfCert’ scheme 
has been set up by the Board of 
the Australian Seeds Authority, 
which has seen a gap in the turf 
industry for the quality assurance of 
vegetatively reproduced stock

needed to produce the quality and purity involved 
in certification is generally an indicator of a top-end 
performer.

‘Certification’ has by its nature one defining 
characteristic - you are either certified or you are 
not. You can’t be ‘partially certified’ and work your 
way up, step by step, to full certification. Any 
scheme of this type may be accreditation of a type 
but it is not certification.

True ‘certification’ is a major step forward in 
guaranteeing you the quality you are paying for and 
gives those growers who choose to provide it a big 
advantage with the discerning customer. In case 
you think this is something new, recently I came 
across a report I wrote in 1986 to the Board of the 

TGA NSW recommending uptake of such a practice.
There are pseudo certification schemes in the 
market place and there have been some disgusting 
examples of people trying to hide poor performance 
behind definitions in ways similar to what we have 
seen in the recent Royal Commission into the 
finance industry.

Make sure you understand the real definition 
of ‘certification’ and the difference between it and 
‘accreditation’. You need this in the same way as 
you need to understand the difference between 
a plant variety name and a trademark. They both 
impinge on the concept of you getting a guarantee 
that what you order is what you get. Tread carefully 
and you won’t fall down a hole!

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

37

PROJECTS

Riversdale Golf Club 
horticulturist Dominic 
Bowd writes about a recent 
project to dramatically 
transform a weed 
infested riparian area of 
the course as part of a 
wider community effort to 
enhance Damper Creek.

Above: The rejuvenation of the 
weed infested riparian area on 
Riversdale’s 2nd hole will provide 
long-term benefits by turning it into 
an ecologically rich and visually 
stimulating feature of the course

The Riversdale Golf Club is Melbourne’s 

second oldest golf club. It is also one of 
Melbourne’s most unique golfing experiences. 
Between its spectacular undulating topography, 

small quick greens sloping back-to-front, floristically 
diverse gardens and novel assemblage of both 
Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere 
tree species, Riversdale certainly has a great deal 
going for it.

I was appointed head horticulturist at Riversdale 
in mid-2015, a role that has involved extensive 
renovations of non-play areas, often in conjunction 
with the club’s appointed course architect Paul 
Mogford of Crafter & Mogford Golf Strategies.

Much of this work has involved strengthening 
pre-existing themes throughout the course while 
attempting to stay true to the club’s rich and 
unique floristic history. Getting the balance between 
visionary, forward-thinking ideas and tradition right 
is not always an easy endeavour. But in my view it is 
both a noble and worthwhile challenge.

As an environmental scientist and restoration 
ecologist by training (with a BSc. Environmental 
Earth Science/Botany, UNSW), I have always been 
interested in ecological systems, particularly those 
within the urban context. In addition to improving 
thematic continuity throughout the course, and 
performing ongoing maintenance tasks as is 
required of any horticulturist, I wanted to contribute 

my knowledge and experience to Riversdale in a 
more profound and meaningful way.

I saw a unique opportunity to employ both 
ecological science and landscape design principles 
and begin to transform what was, and largely still is, 
a neglected and weed-infested part of the course - 
the riparian zone flanking Damper Creek - into an 
ecologically rich and visually stimulating feature.

I believe ecological restoration work of this kind 

produces multiple benefits, among them;
•  Creating a visually appealing landscape for 

members and guests of the club;

•  Enhancing the local ecology within the course; 

and

•  Reducing dispersion of weed seed and vegetative 

material into the surrounding environment.

DAMPER CREEK
Close to its northern fence-line boundry (near High 
Street Road), Riversdale Golf Club is bisected 
by Damper Creek, a tributary of the Yarra River. 
Ecological restoration programmes both upstream 
and downstream of the course in recent years 
have turned what was once a degraded and weed- 
infested creek line into a beautiful and floristically 
diverse habitat.

This important work, initiated by Monash Council 
and The Friends of Damper Creek, benefits not only 
local residents, but also local wildlife, such as the 

38 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 2

endangered Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis), 
Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) and Musk Lorikeet 
(Glossopsitta concinna). What I envision for the 
future is a relatively seamless corridor of indigenous 
vegetation that links the riparian ecology upstream 
of the course with that downstream.

As with any big and bold agenda, you have to 
do your research prior to breaking ground. For me, 
this involved choosing a location, researching the 
local ecology, drawing-up a design and coming up 
with a plan.
Location: For our location, we chose an embankment 
adjacent to the dam beside Riversdale’s uphill par 
four 2nd hole. This location featured virtually 100 per 
cent weed coverage and, amongst others, included 
labyrinthine;
•  Blackberry (rubus fruticosus agg.) brambles up 

to 4m high;

•  Trad (Tradescantia fluminensis)',
•  Tree lucerne (Chamaecytisus palmensis)-,
9 Gorse (Ulex europaeus)-,
•  Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna); and
•  Silver poplar (Populus alba).
Research: In order to find out more information 
about the local ecology of the Waverley area, I 
organised a meeting with the local bush-care group 
(The Friends of Damper Creek) and two members 
of Monash Council’s bush crew, all of whom were 
more than happy to share their knowledge, passion 
and experience.

I also consulted Monash Council’s ‘Monash 
Gardens for Wildlife’ booklet, Marilyn Bull’s 
exhaustive ‘Flora of Melbourne’ book, the State 
Government’s ‘Bioregions and EVC Benchmarks’ 
website and a case study on ecological restoration 
of the Merri Creek published by the Merri Creek 
Management Committee.
Design and plan: Using my existing scientific and 
horticultural knowledge, in addition to that which I 
dug up during my research, I drew up a design for

The weed-infested embankment 
adjacent to the 2nd hole prior to the 
restoration works

the re-vegetation of the embankment. It featured the 
following elements;
•  Rushes, sedges and moisture-loving grasses 
planted six to a square metre close to the 
waterline;

•  Smaller shrubs (up to 2m) planted at reduced 

densities further up the slope;

•  Taller shrubs (up to 4.5m) further uphill from the 

smaller shrubs; and

•  A mixture of tall and small shrubs at the very top.
I opted to go with a mixed planting at the top 
in order to soften the interface with a turfgrass 
nursery and to ensure that it will not be heavily 
shaded when the plants mature.
The flora used were all locally indigenous 
species selected from Ecological Vegetation Class 
(EVC) 127 - ‘Valley Heathy Forest’, a historically 
common vegetation community in low-lying riparian 
zones within the Waverley area. This was my 
attempt to mimic, as much as is possible within a 
highly altered landscape, the pre-1750 vegetation 
assemblage.

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39

PROJECTS

An excavator was used to remove 
200mm of weed seed infested 
topsoil and to create a smooth batter 
for jute matting to go down

The embankment was planted out 
with the likes of gold dust wattle, 
silver banksia, tree everlasting and
Austral indigo (pictured)

Riversdale assistant superintendent 
Danny Adams (right) and foreman 
Mark Brooks (left) assisting with the 
planting of indigenous tube stock

TRANSFORMATION
In terms of a plan of attack, I firstly surveyed the 
area for any indigenous species that might need 
to be moved or flagged prior to commencement 
of earthworks. I did not uncover even one! I 
then commenced a series of herbicide spraying 
missions of the understorey weeds using bioactive 
glyphosate, conducting a total of three runs over five 
weeks. I then enlisted the help of the course arborist 
to fell all the larger shrubs and trees, chipping the 
material on-site and deep-burying it at our secluded 
dumping site.

Following this, the embankment was battered 
using an excavator. We scraped the top 200mm 
of soil to reduce weed recruitment, in the hope of 
saving both time and money in maintenance over 
the long-term. Next step was rolling out and pegging 
in the jute matting, a geofabric designed to both 
stifle weed growth and reduce erosion.

The jute-matted embankment was then planted 
out by me and members of the ground-staff with 
locally indigenous tube stock I had chosen, including 
species such as;
•  Gold Dust Wattle (Acacia acinacea);
9 Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata);
•  Tree Everlasting (Ozothamnus ferrugineus); and
•  Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis).

My hope, in undertaking a project like this, 
is to provide an example to other golf clubs with 
similarly degraded areas bursting with aesthetic 
and ecological potential, that with a heady cocktail 
of vision, enthusiasm and research, neglected non­
play areas can be transformed into spaces that not 
only improve the appearance of the course, but give 
something back to the environment upon which we 
all rely, and for very little cost.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dominic Bowd has 10-plus years of experience in 
horticulture, landscaping and bush regeneration/ 
restoration ecology. He has a B.Sc. (Environmental 
Earth Science/Botany) and a B.A. (Environmental 
Studies) from UNSW. Currently employed as the 
head horticulturist at Riversdale Golf Club, he has 
also worked as a member of the bush crew at 
Earth Repair Ecology & Restoration (Sydney), team 
leader of natural areas at Citywide (Sydney), junior 
environmental consultant at A. D. Envirotech (Sydney) 
and leading hand (Northern & Western Divisions) at 
Australian Ecosystems, Melbourne.

Bowd wishes to thank Riversdale Golf Club 
superintendent Travis Scott and assistant 
superintendent Danny Adams for giving this project 
the green-light.

REFERENCES
Bull, Marilyn. 2014: ‘Flora of Melbourne: A guide to 
the indigenous plants of the greater Melbourne area’. 
Hyland House Publishing, Carlton, Vic.
City of Monash. 2018. Monash Gardens for Wildlife 
booklet, https://www. monash. vic. gov. au/Services/ 
Environment/Council-Leadership-and-Actions/ 
Plants-and-Animals/Monash-Gardens-for-Wildlife- 
booklet.
Department of Environment, Land, Water and 
Planning. 2018. Bioregions and EVC benchmarks; 
https://www.environment. vic.gov.au/biodiversity/ 
bioreg ions-and-evc-benchmarks. Victorian 
Government.
Friends of Damper Creek Reserve Inc. 2018. 
http://www. friendsofdampercreek. org.au.
Merri Creek Management Committee. 2018. www. 
me me. org.au/parkland-management.

40 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

Dominic Bowd spot-sprays weeds that have managed 
to penetrate the jute matting

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playing surface.
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’’^GROWING SOLUTIONS

PROJECTS

Indooroopilly Golf Club is currently 
growing in a 500m2 LF1 (Trinity) 
zoysia matrella practice green 
following the successful conversion 
of its collars to zoysia over the past 
two years

Indoo

After successful projects 
to install zoysia into its 
green collars and bunker 
surrounds, superintendent 
Charlie Giffard writes that 
Indooroopilly Golf Club has
taken the next step and is 
currently growing in its first 
zoysia green.

Indooroopilly superintendent Charlie 
Giffard (right) shows David Doguet 
(Bladerunner Farms, USA) the newly 
planted zoysia green

Over the past couple of years, Indooroopilly 

Golf Club in Brisbane has been trialling 
the use of zoysia grasses to determine its 
potential as a playing surface going forward. As 

was reported in Australian Turfgrass Management 
Volume 18.5 (September-October 2016, p48-49), 
a 1.8-metre metre wide strip of Shade Tuff zoysia 
matrella was installed around a newly stolonised 
green to gauge its performance.

In time, this turned out to be very successful 
and in early 2017 we subsequently planned an all- 
out assault on couch encroachment around, and 
in some cases in, our 328 Tifgreen greens. Initially 
concentrating our efforts on the newer West course, 
the programme embarked upon was to poison out 
the existing collar grass (Greenlees Park) and any 
adjacent encroachment in the green edges and 
re-turf with the new zoysia variety Sir Grange.

We were able to get some early release of 
this material to trial thanks to Simon Adermann 
from Lawn Solutions Australia. Over the next two 
years we have successfully carried out the collar 
conversion to Sir Grange and to date we have been 
more than happy with the results.

The method employed to convert the surrounds 
was pretty straightforward. After spraying out the 
couch collar and removing the dead material, we 
levelled the area and then solid turfed with Sir 
Grange. The zoysia grew in very quickly and due 
to its low growth we were able to mow it down to 
a collar height of 8mm within a month of laying it.

We have certainly noted its low growth rate 
and how this has been a great saving as the 
collars only require a mow every other week in 
the growing season and once a month during the 
winter. This represents a real saving and our ‘return 
on investment’ would be in less than five years’ time 
going by this indicator alone!

Other benefits so far include;

•  High tolerance to salt (particularly beneficial as

Indooroopilly uses effluent irrigation water);

•  Low to nil disease and insect incidence;
•  No dew formation;
•  Upright growth habit effectively ‘perching’ the

ball for an improved lie;

•  Drought hardy;
•  Low nutritional requirement; and
•  Low seed head formation.

The only noticeable difference we have observed 
is the playability in comparison to the original 
Greenlees Park couchgrass. We have noticed that 
the ball tends to check more when pitched onto the 
collar, similar to kikuyu. However, the ‘swing’ to this 
‘roundabout’ is that on sloping run off areas around 
the greens the ball will hold up in the adjacent collar, 
meaning a happy result for the player. We haven’t 
really noticed any extra wear on the cutting units due 
to the additional toughness of the leaf blade (due to 
higher levels of silica).

In addition to the collars, we have also 
successfully rolled out Shade Tuff zoysia in our 
bunker surrounds. The Shade Tuff has settled in 
very nicely and shows great definition on tongues. 
We only need to trim these about once a year and 
they stay at a similar height. The ball won’t bury itself 
and will pop up on top of the wiry zoysia when hit 
into these tongues which makes them very fair and 
playable while also looking fantastic!

42 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.

Indooroopilly has also successfully 
used Shade Tuff zoysia matrella in 
its bunker surrounds and tongues 
where it provides great definition

The L1F (Trinity) six months 
after stolonising. A March 2018 
planting date combined with a cool 
Queensland winter has led to slow 
establishment, with present coverage 
around 75 per cent

GOING GREEN
With the success experienced with the collars, the 
next logical step for us was to explore the possibility 
of putting zoysia down on a putting green. Again 
through Lawn Solutions Australia, we procured 
some material that had an even finer growth habit 
that was suitable for a green.

The plant material offered was a zoysia matrella 
developed by David Doguet from Bladerunner 
Farms based in Texas, USA, the world’s largest 
privately-owned zoysia research facility. The variety 
offered for trial was L1F (now known as Trinity) 
which is a very fine-textured greens-grade zoysia 
that is gaining popularity, especially in the USA.

We subsequently went about preparing a 500m2 
practice green situated within the East course. We 
stolonised the surface back in late March 2018 and 
we are sitting at around 75 per cent coverage at 
the time of writing (late September). Unfortunately, 
we have had a particularly cold winter this year 
and, as it turned out, timing an off-season planting 
time is not something we’d recommend. Noted, it is 
different from the standard 328 Tifgreen and grows 
from underneath via rhizomes rather than from 
above-ground stolons.

According to accounts from David, their 
experience in the US indicates it can take up to 50 
per cent longer to establish when compared to the 
current hybrid bermudagrass varieties. He did say, 
however, that the big advantage with Trinity is that it 
tends to be more tournament ready almost as soon 
as you achieve full cover when compared to regular 
hybrid bermudas that typically can take as long as 
18 months to attain a similar level.

About four months after we stolonised the green 
we were fortunate to receive a visit from David 
who came out to Australian for the Lawn Solutions 
Australia conference and field day. It was his and 
wife Sheri’s first trip to Australia and during his time 
at Indooroopilly we were able to show him the new

green. He was suitably impressed to see his variety 
of grass growing “all the way Down Under”.

Currently we are mowing the Trinity zoysia at 
5mm and waiting for that auspicious day of 100 
per cent cover before we can properly assess its 
playing/putting characteristics. We are hopeful it 
will perform to expectation. If it proves to be so, the 
plan is to then roll it out on a possibly proposed 
short par 3 loop where zoysia would be planted tee 
to green, with Trinity on the greens and Sir Grange 
everywhere else. This would afford us an excellent 
test case in deciding on whether zoysia would be a 
potential grass type for any future developments on 
our main courses (East and West).

Even at this early stage in the trial, we believe 
this type of grass could potentially be a real game 
changer not only for our club but for the golf 
and turf industry. Its lower nutritional and plant 
protection requirements, combined with low growth 
characteristics, would mean huge cost savings in 
terms of maintenance and inputs.

Playability is hard and fast and appearance, 
with its dark green, upright growth habit, makes 
for a very attractive finish. Imagine looking down 
a golf hole on a typical early morning in southeast 
Queensland with literally no dew in sight, ready for 
play! Here at Indooroopilly, we are indeed hopeful of 
this grass’s potential and, importantly, how reduced 
inputs can make it a truly sustainable proposition for 
clubs looking to save money and improve quality.

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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

43

AWARDS

Above: Walsh (left) became the 
first graduate from Tasmania to 
be named as winner of the AGCSA
Graduate of the Year Award

Right: Joint 2018 AGCSA Graduate 
of the Year Award winners Bryce 
Walsh (second from left) and Daniel 
Hendrie with Toro’s Laurence 
Bingham (left) and Eiise Willemsen

Daniel Hendrie and Bryce
Walsh created a little 
slice of history at the 
Australasian Turfgrass 
Conference in Wellington 
when they were named 
joint winners of the 2018 
AGCSA Graduate of the 
Year Award, presented in 
partnership with Toro.

TORO

0 ftuWe
delight
Daniel Hendrie’s opening word said it all - 

“Wow!” Having hobbled up to the lectern on 
crutches to jointly accept the 2018 AGCSA 
Graduate of the Year Award on the opening night 

of the Australasian Turfgrass Conference, you could 
tell he was in a state of shock. Similarly, fellow 
recipient Bryce Walsh standing next to him had tears
welling up in his eyes.

It proved to be a special night for two of the 
Australian turf industry’s up and coming practitioners 
and they created a little slice of AGCSA Awards 
history by becoming the first joint winners of the 
Toro-sponsored award in its 22-year history. Having 
put the seven state and territory finalists through 
their paces on the eve of the conference, the three- 
member judging panel could not split Hendrie and 
Walsh and duly decided to bestow the honour upon
both.

Hendrie and Walsh beat home a talented crop 
of finalists which included Steven Lewis (Chinderah 
GC, Old), Thomas Schott (The Grange GC, SA), 
Luke Snedden (Gold Creek CC, ACT), Dechlan 
Turkington (Royal Melbourne GC, Vic) and Matt 
Vroom (Mandurah CC, WA).

In winning the award, Hendrie and Walsh will 
now travel to the USA in July 2019 to attend Toro’s 
Turf Pros event. They will join around 20 other 
international superintendents for a week-long tour of 
Toro’s headquarters, engineering and manufacturing 
facilities where they will get the chance to test out 
the company’s new products.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF
The relief that Hendrie felt when Toro’s Laurence 
Bingham read out his name on stage during the 
awards ceremony was almost palpable. In the lead- 
up to the conference and the awards judging itself, 
not much had gone right for the former Toronto Golf 
Club apprentice turned current Morisset Country 
Club assistant superintendent.

Out on a training ride in April for a triathlon, 
Hendrie came off his bike heavily and badly tore 
his Achilles tendon. As well as having to negotiate 
his way around the Wellington conference in a 
moonboot and on crutches, just an hour before he 
was due to present to the award’s judging panel 
he discovered he had left his palm card notes back 
in Australia. Luckily he had them on file and was 
able to hastily print off another set. Despite those 
hiccups, the 21-year-old impressed and became the 
NSWGCSA’s 10th recipient of the national award.

“The award means so much to me,” says 
Hendrie, who completed his apprenticeship studies 
at Kurri Kurri TAFE in the Hunter Valley. “It really 
gives credit to how hard I worked during my 
apprenticeship and it has already opened up doors 
to progress in the industry that wouldn’t have been 
available if I didn’t win the award.

“My plan had always been to do The Ohio 
Program next year, but unfortunately due to my 
ankle injury that won’t be possible, so I’m planning to 
spend another year as an assistant superintendent 
to allow me to mature more as a turf manager. I’m 
only 21 and time is still on my side.”

In accepting the award, Hendrie praised the 
contributions of all the superintendents he has 
worked under, but gave particular mention to his 
first, Mick Dundas.

“I had three superintendents during my 
apprenticeship, but it was Mick that inspired me and 
guided my passion during the two years I worked 

44 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.

at Royal Hobart under superintendent Lewis. During 
his time at Royal Hobart, Walsh has been involved 
in a number of projects and more are on the horizon 
with the club about to embark on major masterplan 
works. He also helped prepare the course for the 
club’s centenary events in 2016 and played a role in 
preparations for the 2013 Australian Amateur Teams 
Championship and 2017 Australian Senior Amateur 
Championship.

Walsh undertook his studies at TAS TAFE 
Warrane Campus under the guidance of teachers 
Mark Potter (turf) and Tanya Norris (horticulture) 
whom he thanked for the amount of time they 
invested in him during his studies and for continually 
pushing him to produce high quality work.

“My favourite part about working in the turf 
industry is being able to work outdoors and seeing 
the enjoyment club members get out of our work,” 
says Walsh. “During my apprenticeship Steve was 
great in giving me lots of responsibilities during 
renovations, week-to-week work and also leaving 
me in charge of the course on numerous occasions. 
These all helped to develop my skills as a turf 
manager.

“Winning this award gives me a great opportunity 
now to travel to America and further my knowledge. 
I also believe it will contribute in helping me further 
develop within my workplace and potentially lead 
to a higher role within the industry in the future. My 
next steps currently see me staying at Royal Hobart 
and hopefully being involved with the masterplan 
redevelopment which will be a very exciting time for 
the club.”

under him,” says Hendrie. “He was almost a father 
figure to me and a great role model on and off the 
golf course.

“I’m also thankful to Nathan Reynolds who gave 
me a shot as an assistant at Morisset and who has 
driven me to succeed. Mark Frith is another who 
answers the thousands of questions I have every 
time I see him, as well as my TAFE teachers Mark 
Crawford, Albert Sherry and Greg Smith.”

Now in the assistant’s role at Morisset, Hendrie 
is aiding Reynolds in all facets of turf management 
including formulation of maintenance and capital 
works projects, programming of all agronomy 
practices and overseeing the club’s environmental 
management system and WHS system.

“I love the game of golf, so being able to work 
on a golf course is the dream office,” says Hendrie. 
“I like how every day is different and there is always 
another project on the horizon or another problem 
area that needs addressing.

“I like how the industry is a community. That was 
one of the biggest things that hit me straight way 
was how close the industry is and how no matter 
where you’re from or who you are, if you have a 
question or need something, someone will always 
be happy to help.

“One of the biggest highlights during my 
apprenticeship was volunteering at two Australian 
Opens (2015 and 2016). At the time I was just 
another apprentice from a small course, so to have 
the opportunity to be a part of Australia’s biggest 
tournament twice was really special and definitely 
helped my development.”

STATE FIRST
While Hendrie continued the NSWGCSA’s excellent 
track record in the award, Royal Hobart Golf Club’s 
Bryce Walsh created an additional slice of award 
history. Twenty-four-year-old Walsh became the first 
graduate from Tasmania to be named as winner of 
the award, something that he hopes will encourage 
others from the Apple Isle to aspire to.

“Being the first Tasmanian to win the award 
leaves me very proud and honoured,” says Walsh. 
“I hope that winning this award encourages current 
and future students in Tasmania to realise that if 
you put the work in and believe in yourself anything 
is possible. I also hope that this may encourage 
more people to undertake studies in turfgrass 
management within Tasmania.

“When I heard my name read out I was initially 
in shock and I remember looking at my boss Steve 
Lewis and he looked like he had seen a ghost! He 
told me afterwards I looked the same! It was great 
to be able to share the moment with both Steve and 
(assistant superintendent) Gareth Kelly who spent 
a lot of time helping me with my TAFE studies and 
preparing me for my awards judging presentation.”
After finishing his Year 12 studies, Walsh applied 
for a number of horticultural positions before being 
fortunate enough to gain a full-time apprenticeship

“The award means so much to me”
- Daniel Hendrie

Walsh was able to celebrate his 
award with superintendent boss 
Steve Lewis (left) and Royal Hobart 
assistant Gareth Kelly

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

45

EDUCATION
The National Turf Education Working 
Group is working hard to ensure 
sports turf management education 
standards in Australia are the best 
they can be to address the needs of 
industry

The complete,ackage
With changes made by the Australian 

Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) on 
how training packages are reviewed, the 
meeting of the National Turf Education Working 

Albert Sherry and Simone 
Staples from the National 
Turf Education Working 
Group provide an update 
on the current review taking 
place of the industry’s 
sports turf management 
training package.

Victoria
•  Simone Staples (AGCSA)
•  Dr Phillip Ford (Consultant)
•  John Shannon (STA Victoria/Melbourne 

Grammar School)

•  Chris Deppeler (Gordon TAFE)
Australian Capital Territory
•  Wade Turner (NSW Bowling Greenkeepers 

Association/Queanbeyan BC)

•  Bruce Davies (Canberra Institute of Technology) 
New South Wales
•  Albert Sherry (TAFE NSW)
•  Mark Schroder (NSWGCSA/Liverpool GC)
•  Jyri Kaapro (Bayer)

THE PROCESS
The purpose of the SME group is to provide 
industry engagement and expertise in the review 
and redevelopment of the sports turf management 
qualifications and related units of competency in the 
AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and 
Land Management Training Package.

With the main objective to define the main 
occupations and job functions within the sports 
turf management industry, two highly productive 
meetings have been conducted to date at the Skills 
Impact office in North Melbourne. At these meetings 
the following information was determined;
•  The typical job roles for each qualification 

conducted across the turf industry;

•  Key purposes in those roles;
•  Work functions of each role;
•  Typical tasks conducted in each role;
•  Required skills and knowledge expected by 

industry at each qualification level;

•  Revision of the specialist 17 sports turf units 
specific to each qualification (specialist sectors 
have been, and will review, business, pest 
management, irrigation, WHS and environmental 
units currently used in the training package);

Group (NTEWG) last December concentrated 
on detailing inadequacies in the current training 
package for the Australian turf industry.

Once identified, these concerns were presented 
to an Industry Reference Committee (IRC) and 
Skills Impact who assisted in putting together the 
NTEWG’s submission for the ‘Employment, Skills 
Outlook and Training Product Review Plan 2017- 
2020’.

This submission was successful and the NTEWG 
received approval in June 2018 to proceed with the 
review. As a result, Skills Impact, in consultation 
with IRC members, invited a representative sample 
of industry to form a working group to prepare draft 
documentation for wider turf industry consultation 
later this year.

This ‘subject matter expert’ (SME) group 
consists of industry representatives from all sports 
turf sectors and states, providing much needed 
advice and background information on all areas of 
turf management and training. The group includes; 
Western Australia
• Hugh Gardner (STA WA/Subiaco Council)
• John Forrest (Hartfield Country Club)
South Australia
• Damien Hough (Adelaide Oval)
Queensland
• Darren Lee (GCSAQ/Palm Meadows GC)

46 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

•  Construction of a qualification pathway reflecting 

industry needs.
There are four main phases in the review.

PHASE 1: JOB ROLES AND PURPOSE 
OF EACH QUALIFICATION
The group discussed job titles and their purpose 
within the sports turf industry and put together a 
workforce analysis. Although job titles for various 
roles vary slightly within different parts of the 
industry, the following roles were aligned against 
current Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) 
levels:
Certificate II
•  Groundsperson (pre-trade) - pre-apprenticeship 

(aligned to AQF Level 2).

•  Purpose: To support groundstaff and conduct 
ongoing maintenance practices in sports turf 
management facilities.

Certificate III
•  Sports turf tradesperson - apprenticeship 

(aligned to AQF Level 3).

•  Purpose: Use agronomy to produce sports turf 
surfaces to a standard expected by sports turf 
industry stakeholders and/or the public.

Certificate IV
•  Assistant golf course superintendent/assistant 

turf manager (aligned to AQF Level 4).

•  Purpose: Use agronomic skills to lead and 
manage workgroups (including contractors). 
Work autonomously and take responsibility for 
the outcome of own work and that of the team.

Diploma
•  Golf course superintendent/sports turf manager 

(aligned to AQF Level 5).

•  Purpose: Management of the sports turf facility.
The SME group was then divided into smaller 
groups to determine the job tasks for each 
qualification.

PHASE 2: REVIEW OF EXISTING UNITS
Working with Skills Impact representatives, 
curriculum writers and experts, the SME group 
started a revision of the existing AHCTRF units taught 
from Certificate II to Diploma level to determine 
where improvements could be made and find any 
noticeable ‘gaps’ in the units of competency.

This exercise will also assist in establishing if;

•  Any new units need to be written to facilitate 

changes within the industry; and

•  The training package needs to be expanded to 

include new skills.

PHASE 3: INDUSTRY CONSULTATION
Once the initial review is completed and the SME 
group is satisfied with the draft documents, they will 
be released for wider industry consultation. Skills 
Impact will host information workshops in most 
major capital cities to brief any interested parties on 
the content and reasoning behind the drafts. Wider 
consultation via websites and online feedback forms 

will also be available to allow the broadest possible 
input. The initial consultation is currently scheduled 
for late October/early November 2018.

This feedback will be considered, documents 
will be rewritten taking into account arguments 
received, before being reposted for a second 
round of consultation. Association websites (eg: 
AGCSA/STA), publications and social media will 
keep industry aware of the progress and how they 
can contribute, participate in workshops and give 
feedback.

PHASE 4: IMPLEMENTATION
It is hoped that after the two industry consultation 
periods that the final draft will be ready to submit to 
the Industry Reference Committee for endorsement 
in April 2019, before being forwarded to the 
Australian Industry and Skills Committee and other 
government agencies for approval. Implementation 
would then start in February 2020.

For more information about the training package 
review or to get in touch with the National Turf 
Education Working Group, please contact one of the 
following representatives;
•  Simone Staples (AGCSA): simone@agcsa. 

com.au (03) 9548 8600.

•  Albert Sherry (Co-chair NTEWG): albert. 

sherry@tafensw.edu.au (02) 4936 0215.

•  Hugh Gardner (Co-chair NTEWG): hugh. 

gardner@iinet.net.au 0418 245 557.

As part of the review, all units of 
competency are being assessed to 
determine where improvements can 
be made and find any noticeable 
deficiencies

SPORTS TURF MANAGEMENT CAREER PATHWAY

As part of the training package review process, a pathway, opportunity and job role 

outline was developed

Head curator/Head greenkeeper

Consultant

Grounds manager 

Horticulturalist

Parks and recreations manager

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

47

EDUCATION

Dr Phillip Ford says the addition of the new Bachelor 
degree in sports turf management will help to 
enhance the level of professionalism of Australia’s turf 
practitioners

The course can be studied via different means. 
Students can either undertake the traditional face-to- 
face mode of study (to be mostly done at Melbourne 
Polytechnic’s Epping and Fairfield campuses) or 
using the ‘blended delivery’ mode, where lectures 
are viewed online and practical work is done on 
selected weekends. This latter mode, while a more 
difficult way to study, makes the course a viable 
option for rural or interstate students. Ford adds 
that the face-to-face time commitment is similar to 
the current Diploma course, with a degree student 
expected to devote a further eight hours per week 
for study and assignment work at home.

SPORTS TURF MANAGEMENT BACHELOR
DEGREE TO LAUNCH IN 2019

Melbourne Polytechnic (formerly NMIT) 

was the first TAFE College in Australia to 
introduce post-apprenticeship training in 
turf. In 1987 it started the Advanced Certificate in 

The degree includes three turf-specific units 
(‘Turf construction and drainage’, ‘Turf for sport’ 
and one other to be determined), two turf-specific 
research projects/trials, nine generic agronomy 
units and two electives. The two electives allow 
students to branch out into areas of special interest 
such as human resource management, business 
studies, communications and marketing.

Under the Commonwealth Supported Funding 
scheme, the cost per unit will be between $1100 
and $1300 with student loans available. For more 
information visit www.studyassist.gov.au or Google 
‘fee help study assist’.

“This qualification will provide a sound 
programme for future Australian turf managers,” says 
Ford. “Whether students go on to complete a career 
on the tools or move into alternate employment in 
sales, research or consultancy, the course provides 
an excellent pathway for our industry.

“Potentially, a turf manager could enter the 
industry as an apprentice, carry on to the Diploma 
and then transition into the Degree. It’s possible, in 
fact, to then do an Honours year (which is basically 
research), then a Masters and then a PhD. With 
a growing need in the Australian turf industry for 
tertiary-trained personnel, this new degree course 
will help elevate our profession and its professionals 
to new heights.”

For more information about the Bachelor of 
Agriculture and Technology, majoring in Sports Turf 
Management’, contact Dr Philip Ford, PhillipFord@ 
melbournepolytechnic.edu.au, or Mark Burchell, 
MarkBurchell@melbournepolytechnic.edu.au. 
Alternatively, contact the Melbourne Polytechnic Turf 
Department on (03) 9269 8823.

This qualification 
will provide a sound 
programme for future 

Australian turf managers. 
Whether students go on 
to complete a career on 
the tools or move into 
alternate employment 
in sales, research or 
consultancy, the course 
provides an excellent 
pathway for our industry.

Dr Phillip Ford

Turf before adding a Diploma level course in 1990. 
This pioneering path is set to continue with the 
announcement that it will be offering a new sports 
turf management degree starting in February 2019, 
a first for the Australian turf industry.

The ‘Bachelor of Agriculture and Technology, 
majoring in Sports Turf Management’, will be 
offered via partnership with fellow Melbourne-based 
institution La Trobe University. According to Dr 
Phillip Ford, the driving force behind the new 
course’s development, the degree will help to 
enhance the level of professionalism of Australia’s 
turf management practitioners.

“We have been very careful to craft a course 
and delivery method that allows a pathway all the 
way from Certificate II or III,” says Ford, who played 
a key role in developing the earlier Advanced 
Certificate and Diploma courses. “In particular, 
students who have completed a Diploma of Sports 
Turf Management will get several exemptions going 
into the degree.”

The new degree course will consist of 24 units, 
with entrants who have completed a Diploma of 
Sports Turf Management eligible for up to eight 
exemptions, depending on the units they completed. 
Ford notes that if a student has not undertaken the 
Diploma course, it would make sense they do so 
first through the TAFE system which will then make 
them eligible for the degree exemptions.

Assuming that eight exemptions are granted, 
that leaves 16 units to complete. Students will be 
allowed seven years to complete the remaining 
units, meaning they can still undertake full-time 
employment while completing the degree on a part- 
time basis.

48 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20 5

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HR MANAGEMENT

ATM’s HR
expert Vicki
Crowe looks at
the issue of
workplace bullying and 
what to do if it rears its
ugly head at your facility.

Above: Everyone has the right to 
be in a safe workplace free from 
violence, harassment and bullying. If 
you feel you are being bullied, don’t 
sit on it and hope it will go away - 
report it immediately

1911

•  Excluding you or stopping you from working 
with people or taking part in activities that relates 
to your work;
Intimidation (making you feel less important and 
undervalued);

• 

•  Giving you pointless tasks that have nothing to 

do with your job;

•  Giving you impossible jobs that can’t be done in 

the given time or with the resources provided;

•  Deliberately changing your work hours or 

schedule to make it difficult for you;

•  Deliberately holding back information you need 

for getting your work done properly;

•  Pushing, shoving, tripping, grabbing you in the 

workplace;

•  Attacking or threatening with equipment or any 
other type of object that can be turned into a 
weapon; and
Initiation or hazing - where you are made to do 
humiliating or inappropriate things in order to be 
accepted as part of the team.

• 

One of the biggest issues with understanding 

a person’s claim that they are being bullied is 
that it’s subjective, often emotive, and some 
say linked to issues that occurred in childhood 

that have been triggered. Depending on your 
personality, what upsets you often doesn’t upset 
another person and it can be difficult to understand 
their perspective.

REASONABLE MANAGEMENT ACTION 
According to the Fair Work Act 2009, bullying 
does not include reasonable management action 
carried out in a reasonable manner. Reasonable 
management action may include;
•  Performance management processes;
•  Disciplinary action for misconduct;
• 

Informing a worker about unsatisfactory work 
performance or inappropriate work behaviour;

From the bullying investigations I have 
undertaken, wanting to control others appears to 
be a common theme with bullies. It can be tricky to 
know how to deal with bullies. Some experts say to 
stand up to them, others say ignore them. No matter 
which approach you take, dealing with bullies can 
be exhaustive, time-consuming and non-productive 
in the workplace.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) states that 
the action must be repeated and that the behaviour 
creates a risk to health and safety (this includes 
mental health). A one-off incident is not considered 
to be bullying.

If you have someone bullying others in the 
workplace, deal with it quickly as it will only escalate 
and can lead to a stress claim or action in the FWC.

WHAT IS BULLYING?
You may be surprised with what bullying looks like. 
By definition, workplace bullying is verbal, physical, 
social or psychological abuse by your employer or 
manager, another person or a group of people at 
work. It includes;
• Repeated hurtful remarks or attacks, or making 

fun of your work or you as a person;

• Sexual harassment, like unwelcome touching 
and sexually explicit comments and requests 
that make you uncomfortable;

• Playing mind games, ganging up on you, or 

other types of psychological harassment;

•  Directing a worker to perform duties in keeping 

with their job;

•  Maintaining reasonable workplace goals and 
standards. A manager is entitled to carry out 
actions and give directions that are consistent 
with managing the workplace. However, any 
reasonable management actions must not only 
be reasonable but must also be conducted in a 
reasonable manner. If not, their behaviour could 
still be considered to be bullying.

REPORT IT
Everyone has the right to be in a safe workplace 
free from violence, harassment and bullying. If you 
feel you are being bullied, don’t sit on it and hope it 
will go away. Report it to your manager or another 
person in authority that you trust. If they don’t act 
upon it, you can apply to the FWC for an order to 
stop the bullying.

Bullying can only be dealt with by the FWC 
if the person is still working for the company. If 
you are a manager or the employer, you have a 
legal responsibility under Occupational Health and 
Safety and anti-discrimination law to provide a safe 
workplace. Employers also have a duty of care for all 
employees’ health and wellbeing while at work. For 
further information on how to handle bullying in the 
workplace, visit https://www.fwc.gov.au/disputes-at- 
work/anti-bullying

Source: Australian Human Rights Commission

50 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

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EHS

Every turf manager engaging 
contractors has EHS responsibilities 
for both the contractor and anyone 
else that could be affected by the 
contractor’s activities

Working with contractors presents unique 

environmental, health and safety (EHS) 
challenges. Every superintendent 
or turf manager engaging contractors has EHS 

responsibilities for both the contractor and anyone 
else that could be affected by the contractor’s 
activities.

Remember, your contractors may be at 
particular risk if, for example, they are strangers 
to your workplace and unfamiliar with your EHS 
policies and procedures, site hazards and risks. 
If something happens, you could be liable unless 
you have implemented a programme of contractor 
management.

It’s not all one-way traffic though and contractors 
have their own legal EHS responsibilities too. In this 
article we aim to help superintendents ensure that 
everyone understands the shared role required 
to be played in ensuring health and safety and 
environment protection when engaging contractors.

DUTY OF CARE
Most superintendents and turf managers will 
engage an independent contractor at some point, 
but many are oblivious to the duties they owe these 
contractors and the duty the contractor owes them. 
It does not matter how the person comes to work at 
your golf club or turf facility, if they are contractors, 
subcontractors or self-employed people, including 
the people who work for them, they all come under 
your responsibility. It is therefore imperative that 
your contractors are effectively engaged and then 
managed.

In all jurisdictions, workplace safety legislation 
states independent contractors engaged to 
undertake work for your business are considered to 
be workers of your business. This means that you 
have a primary duty of care to any contractor you 
engage and to any workers they may have working 
for them. You must ensure their health and safety, 
so far as is reasonably practicable, and you must 
also ensure their activities do not breach workplace 
safety and environmental legislation.

Where there are multiple parties working on your 
site, the role of each party needs to be determined 
from the beginning. If this is overlooked and an 

ATM’s compliance expert 
Terry Muir examines the 
important considerations 
superintendents and turf 
managers need to be 
aware of when they engage 
contractors at their facility 
and the EHS responsibilities 
of the respective parties.

OAGCSA 

<0 

eparconnect

52 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

incident occurs, the regulators will examine who 
the duty holders are under the legislation, what that 
duty was and what steps were taken or not taken 
to prevent the incident. The result - lost time, lost 
resources and stress as everyone involved starts 
playing the blame game.

Another common mistake many businesses 
make is engaging a contractor and then leaving 
them to their own devices. This effectively delegates 
all safety responsibility to the contractor. This is 
now an offence. Businesses that operate under 
the harmonised model work health and safety 
legislation (WHS Act) are now specifically prohibited 
from transferring all safety responsibilities. The 
legislation renders any such attempt as void. No 
matter how cleverly worded a contract may be, any 
clause within a contract that attempts the following 
will be deemed void and therefore unenforceable;
• Exclude, limit or modify the operation of the 

WHS Act;

•  Exclude, limit or modify any duty owed under 

the WHS Act; or

•  Transfer to another person/entity any work 
health and safety duty owed under the WHS Act.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING?
When looking to engage a contractor, the lowest 
price should not be your primary consideration. 
It may be that in some instances the cheapest 
contractor has the best safety record and evidence 
of an excellent safety management system. But if 
they don’t, and you select a contractor based purely 
on price, it will be difficult to argue that you took all 
‘reasonably practicable’ steps to ensure a safe work 
environment when engaging the contractor.

Once a contractor does come on board, 
the WHS Act requires that you consult with that 
contractor about the specific health and safety 
issues associated with the work and your site. In 
particular, you need to work with them to identify 
and minimise risks. It’s then your job to monitor and 
communicate with your contractor to ensure they 
are doing what they said they would.

So, when anyone is working at your facility 
under a contract, agreement or other documented 
arrangement, prior to engagement you should;

•  Verify that the contractor is qualified,, licensed 

and authorised to carry out the work.

•  Assess the contractor’s ability to perform the 

• 

required work safely and efficiently.
Inspect the tools and equipment the contractor 
will use to ensure they are suitable for the 
work and are well maintained. If you cannot 
inspect the tools or equipment directly, at least 
review evidence of their fitness for use, such as 
checking their latest maintenance record.

•  Ask the contractor what training they have 

received in risk assessments.

•  Review the contractor’s site environment and 

safety plans and documents.

•  Request that the contractor identifies safety 
issues with the work you require them to 
perform.

•  Review the contractor’s processes for safety 
induction, supervision, monitoring and risk 
assessment.

•  Check the contractor’s references.
•  Obtain copies of their policies and procedures 

and insurances.

•  Consult with you in relation to work health and 
safety duties and obligations to determine how 
shared responsibilities will be managed;

•  Demonstrate that they have an effective EHS 

•  Obtain evidence from the contractor regarding 

management system;

their history of;
•  Workers compensation claims;
•  Lost time injuries (i.e.: injuries that have 
resulted in a worker being unable to report 
to their next shift);

•  Medical treatment injuries; and
•  Operational safety (e.g.: details of 

prohibition).

•  Provide information on how health and safety 
and environmental risks have been eliminated 
or mitigated in work being undertaken by them;
•  Comply with the procedures that you have 
implemented to protect workers’ health and 
safety and the environment;

•  Report all incidents that have affected the health 

and safety of people and the environment; and

•  Verify the contractor’s willingness to submit to 

•  Provide sufficient information to allow you to 

regular monitoring and supervision.

monitor contract-specific EHS performance.

•  Review the contractor’s environment and safety 

management system.
Remember, you owe the same duty of care to 
your contractors’ workers as you do to your own 
workers. You are also responsible for safety and 
environmental hazards that exist on your premises. 
Therefore, it is important not to adopt the ‘hands off’ 
approach when working with contractors believing 
that you can remove yourself from liability in cases 
where contractors cause work-related injuries and 
pollution incidents to themselves, their employees 
or to third parties.

The duty of care ensures safety and health 
and environmental responsibilities are shared by 
everyone at your workplace. You will need to be 
clear about what you want your contractors to do, 
and they should be asked how they will do their 
work safely and with minimal risk.

It’s not all one-way traffic though. Contractors 
are not absolved of their duty of care to their own 
workers and others in your workplace just because 
they are retained by you. If you have a contractor, 
they are required to:
•  Comply with their obligations under work health 
and safety and environment legislation and the 
contract-specific environment health and safety 
requirements;

ENGAGE AND MANAGE
Contractor selection ultimately comes down to 
a due diligence process that ensures the right 
contractor has been chosen for that job. Yes, your 
contractor too is responsible for their own safety 
and supervising their employees ensuring they work 
safely. However, you and the golf club/turf facility 
(the principal) has significant level of control of 
work activity and you must establish the necessary 
degree of contact with the contractor specifically 
in areas of environmental health and safety risks 
associated with the work.

Both you and the contractor must have their own 
environment, health and safety systems in place. 
You must also ensure that your contractor receives 
all appropriate information regarding any risks or 
hazards known to you to enable the contractor 
to determine if or how these risks may affect their 
ability to do the job safely.

Importantly, the engagement of contractors 
does not generally result in poor environmental, 
health and safety outcomes. It is poor contractor 
engagement and management that can result in 
pollution events, workplace injury, and possible 
workplace safety violations that you could be liable 
for.

Most turf managers will engage a 
contractor at some point, but many 
are oblivious to the duties they owe 
these contractors and the duty the 
contractor owes them

Once a contractor comes on board, 
the WHS Act requires that you 
consult with them about specific 
health and safety issues associated 
with the work and your site

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

53

ENVIRONMENT

ATM’s resident 
environmental 
expert Kate
Torgersen looks at how 
golf courses can play an 
important role in protecting 
and enhancing local bee 
populations.

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This time of year is when we see an increase 

in bee activity with the warmer weather and 
flowers in bloom. Throughout this article we 
look at what options can be done to reduce the risk 

to golfers without calling in the pest controller, how 
important bees are and the role that golf courses 
can play to help their survival.

farm livestock. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Australia’s 
agricultural production benefits from honey bee 
pollination. When we think of bees the majority of 
people instantly think of the European honey bee, 
but Australia also has over 1500 species of native 
bee with a small number of these (approximately 
10) stinger-less.

In researching this article I was surprised to 
find very little information available about bees on 
Australian golf courses. That’s compared to the 
wealth of literature that can be found on international 
courses where it almost seems common practice for 
clubs to have beehives on site.

Type ‘bees on golf courses’ into Google 
and you will see the results are plentiful, with 
international courses participating in beekeeping 
initiatives, managing beehives as part of their 
regular maintenance and providing out of play and 
wildflower areas to encourage bee populations. 
Even chemical company Syngenta has a dedicated 
initiative called Operation Pollinator which helps 
restore pollinators in agricultural, golf and other 
landscapes by creating essential habitats.

By contrast, scroll down through the list of 
search results and the first mention of bees on 
Australian golf courses is a forum asking about the 
ruling if your ball happens to come to rest under a 
swarm of bees!

Bees are vital to our existence as they help to 
pollinate most of the crops we eat and many that feed

When a hive or swarm has been located and is a 
threat, don’t call in the pest controller. Contact a local 
beekeeper who can come and remove them 

Despite their prevalence, bee populations are 
always under threat whether it’s through pests 
and diseases, intensive farming practices or the 
destruction of their natural habitat. And it’s the 
latter where golf courses can play a significant role, 
especially in an urban environment where they are 
often some of the last remaining open green spaces.
To back up that very point, between 2012 and 
2014 the AGCSA, in conjunction with the University 
of Melbourne, conducted a project which examined 
the biodiversity benefits of urban golf courses (see 
the article ‘Green havens’ which appeared in ATM 
Volume 16.5, Sept-Oct 2016, p6-12). As part of the 
study, researchers looked at native bee populations 
on 13 Melbourne golf courses and compared them 
to those found in nearby residential and park 
reserve settings.

Using a combination of sweep nets and 
coloured pan traps, researchers caught over 1000 
individual bees and identified at least 30 different 
species of native bee. When compared to nearby 
residential areas and nature reserves, golf courses 
on average supported a greater number of different 
bee species.

Furthermore, researchers sampled these ‘nature 
reserves’ to see if more intact remnant habitats 
supported a greater number of bee species. Instead, 

54 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 2

The Western Australian Golf Club has 
nine hives on course and is looking 
to expand that number heading into 
this summer

Just one of the many obvious 
benefits of having hives on your 
course. Many golf clubs that collect 
honey from their hives sell it in the 
pro shop or clubhouse bar

they found that golf courses provided the most 
important refuge habitat for native bees in the urban 
landscape. This is probably due to the wide variety 
of nectar-bearing plants found within golf courses 
and because of their greater levels of maintenance 
(e.g. irrigation) which may increase food resource 
availability.

THINK BEE-FORE YOU ACT
Increased bee activity this time of year obviously 
is a safety hazard for golf course superintendents 
and turf managers to consider. But before you grab 
the phone and call your nearest pest controller, 
thick twice about your options. There are many 
alternatives you can choose that will not only save 
money but also contribute to promoting bees.

Posting information on your website or in a 
regular newsletter notifying members that there is a 
higher risk of bee activity at this time of year is a good 
way to raise awareness among the membership 
(especially those who may have allergies).

Usually when people see or hear bees they 
immediately think danger. However, bees are just 
like any other animal. They will only attack if they feel 
threatened. Swarming bees are very docile and are 
not inclined to sting provided they are left alone and 
a few common sense precautions are taken.

When a hive or swarm has been located and is 
a threat, rope the area off and place a sign informing 
people of the danger (you may have a similar

procedure in place already for other dangerous 
fauna) and contact your local beekeeper.

Beekeeping has become more popular these 
days and it is very likely that you will have one 
nearby that you can call upon. Where possible they 
will relocate the bees for you to add to their hives 
and, if you’re lucky, may even supply you with a few 
jars of honey! If you are unsure of a local beekeeper, 
there are many websites that you can source this 
information from, such as:
•  Aussie Apiarists Online

www.aussieapiaristsonline.net

•  Apiarist Association

www.vicbeekeepers.com.au

•  Western Australian Apiarists’ Association

https://waas.org.au

•  The Beekeepers Club
www.beekeepers.org.au

Reducefyour operating costs per annum 
EpFand enjoy consistent, attractive bunkers 

that last.

Speak to Shane Summerhayes oni0425 280 300 

or^email shane@turfcareausTcom!au

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

55

ENVIRONMENT

Colin Winterton has kept bees at
Medway Golf Club for more than 25 
years

If you are looking to keep hives on 
your course it is recommended to 
undertake a beginner beekeeping 
course

is sold to members who on a daily basis will ask 
him how his bees are when out on the course. Colin 
also has hives at various other locations around 
Melbourne, including the 5th floor of the Rialto Tower 
in the CBD. The honey collected from these hives is 
used for high teas in the tower’s restaurant.

One important factor Colin stresses for those 
wanting to keep beehives on their course is the 
need to know what you are doing. Whether it’s 
you, a fellow staff member or a club member, he 
recommends undertaking one of the many beginner 
beekeeping courses which are available nowadays. 
Managing beehives can be time consuming, 
especially during the honey season, but as Colin 
attests for him he is at his most relaxed and stress- 
free when interacting with the hives and becomes 
totally absorbed in their activity.

John Spraggs, director of agronomy at Royal 
Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand, has a total 
of 28 hives on his course and is currently looking 
to expand that number as results over the past 12 
months have been very positive. The club provides 
the site while a local beekeeper provides his skills 
and the hives.

Idris Evans, superintendent at The Western 
Australian Golf Club in Perth, is also looking to 
expand the number of hives he has on his course. 
Evans currently has nine hives which were installed 
about five years ago after contacting a local 
beekeeper. To stop the bees from swarming heading 
into summer, Evans is looking at adding a few more 
hives in the coming months.

“I wanted the hives on course as I think it’s 
important to show that the golf course is helping to 
improve the environment,” says Evans. “We have a 
local beekeeper who maintains them and the honey 
produced by the hives is sold in the clubhouse. The 
lady members love it!”

of bees will collectively fly about 40,000 
kilometres.
Each worker bee (who are incidentally all 
female and perform all necessary tasks in 
the hive) can make around one teaspoon of 
honey in its lifetime (just six weeks). It is not 
all surplus, as it is used to feed the brood, 
regulate hive temperature and personal 
consumption. A productive hive on good 
conditions can store 20kg of surplus honey in 
a month. A good backyard hive may produce 
30-50kg in a season.

• When worker bees are searching for food, 
they follow a meandering path. However, they 
are able to return to the hive in a straight line 
(hence the term ‘bee-line’) due to their unique 
navigating skills. When they reach the hive 
they perform a waggle dance on the combs 
to tell other worker bees how far and which 
direction to go.

It was through one of these that I came across
my local beekeeper. He now comes out a few times 
a year to collect any swarms we have on the course 
and relocates them to one of his several hives. 
Instead of paying for a pest controller to come and 
kill the bees, the club is saving money and as a 
bonus I get a nice supply of honey.

HIVES OF ACTIVITY
There are a number of turf managers around 
Australia and New Zealand that have hives on site 
and who are actively encouraging bees through the 
promotion of their native habitat. You will be amazed 
at how many clubs are collecting honey from their 
hives and selling it in the pro shop or clubhouse bar!
Many might be reluctant to place hives on site 
due to potential safety concerns, but talking to 
long-serving Medway Golf Club superintendent and 
beekeeper extraordinaire Colin Winterton, if properly 
managed and with a bit of common sense they 
provide wonderful benefits.

Colin has been a beekeeper most of his life and 
for the past 25 years has had a varying number of 
hives on his course in Melbourne’s inner west. He 
currently has seven active hives which are located 
well out of play. Honey that is produced by the hives

A TO Z OF BEES
Bees are remarkable creatures. Ask any apiarist 
and they will happily regale you with facts 
and figures of these wonderfully industrious 
insects. Here are just a few;

A standard-sized beehive typically contains 
between 10,000 and 60,000 bees.

•  A queen bee, on her mating flights, will mate 
with a dozen or so drones (male bees), 
but then never mate again during her life. 
After mating, she is capable of producing up 
to 2000 fertilised eggs every day (in good 
conditions) for up to five years.
The male bee (drone) hatches in spring, with 
its sole purpose being to mate with the queen 
on her mating flight at which point it dies. If 
still in the hive in autumn, it is expelled from 
the hive to die as it only consumes precious 
honey stores. It performs no tasks in the hive 
and needs to be fed by the worker bees.

•  To make one kilogram of honey, a colony 

56 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

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REGIONAL PROFILE

Course superintendent at 
Hervey Bay Golf Club for 
the past five years, Peter
Fraser is continuing a 
family tradition of working 
in the turf industry.

Superintendent: Peter Fraser (35).
Family: Wife Kristy, kids Tyler (11), Kye (6) and 
Kaylee (3).
Social media: On Facebook.
Years as a superintendent: Eight.
Association involvement: AGCSA member five 
years, GCSAQ.
Turf management career: Sanctuary Cove Golf & 
Country Club, Qld (apprentice and worked up to 3IC); 
Ocean Shores Country Club, NSW (greenkeeper 
then superintendent, 18 months); Coraki Golf Club, 
NSW (superintendent three years); Hervey Bay Golf 
Club, Qld (superintendent 5.5 years).
Qualifications: Certificate III in Sports Turf 
Management.
Major hobbies/past-times: Going to the gym, 
camping, golf and family time.

Where in Australia is Hervey Bay Golf Club and 
what is the club/township famous? Hervey Bay 
is about a 3.5 hour drive north of Brisbane on the 
Fraser Coast. It is most known for Australia’s best 
whale watching experience and also the gateway 
to Fraser Island. It is a major tourist town and relies 
heavily on the tourist trade.

Tell us a bit about your background and how 
you came to be a superintendent. My love for the 
job all started with my dad being the golf course 
mechanic at Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club on 
the Gold Coast, which he is still after 30-plus years. 
I have been around this industry from a young age 
and have grown to love working on golf courses, 
so when I graduated high school I was offered an 
apprenticeship at Sanctuary Cove.

Once completed, I worked my way up to 3IC 
and with no option to progress I decided to move 
on and got a greenkeeping job at Ocean Shores 
Country Club. Not long into that job the super left 
and I was offered my first superintendent’s role. I 
stayed on for a year and then decided to see a bit 
of Australia with the family. When I got back I got a 
job at a small country nine-hole course at Coraki in 
northern NSW. I was on my own for three years there 
and decided I wanted more so when the Hervey Bay 
job came up I applied and the rest is history.

The Hervey Bay crew (from left) comprises Rodney 
Newton, superintendent Peter Fraser, Tony Frankland, 
assistant superintendent Andy Wood, course volunteer 
Ron Raverty, Damien Ogilvie and Kody Duncan. 
Absent is volunteer Michael Tappenden

58 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

The Hervey Bay course is heavily 
tree-lined with root encroachment 
causing mounting issues for Fraser

With a high retirement age population, a lot of our 
members have their own carts which means plenty 
of cart damage. Also keeping enough water on the 
course is a battle - I am pumping out more than I 
can put in at times. We have a competition every day 
of the week so we have to plan very carefully with 
spraying fairways etc.

Take us through your turf management operations 
there. What changes have you implemented 
in terms of managing the course during your 
tenure as superintendent? When I first started 
here I instituted a biological fungicide programme 
so my staff and I were less exposed to chemicals. 
I have been slowly removing common couch from 
the greens and increasing them back to the original 
sizes and shapes as well. The use of Primo is been 
introduced on greens, tees and fairways, as well as 
gypsum and fertiliser applications on the fairways. 
Looking ahead, I’m hoping to level out some tees 
and dethatch the fairways more often as we have a 
major issue with grain and thatch.

Any special environmental considerations that 
you have to incorporate into the management 
of the course? Our course has a lot of wildlife 
which we have to be conscious of (e.g.: kangaroos,

Who were some of your early mentors and 
what did your early postings teach you about 
the industry and turf management? I learnt a lot 
from previous supers Dean Henderson and Darryl 
Edwards and assistant at the time Scott Calder at 
Sanctuary Cove, especially in regards to course 
presentation and staff management. I was always 
taught if the job can be finished on the day, stay 
and finish it.

How did the job at Hervey Bay GC come about 
and what do you like most about being the 
superintendent there? It was advertised on AGCSA 
website. I had been to Hervey Bay lots of times as a 
kid camping on the foreshore, so when it came up I 
jumped at the chance. It is always a challenge here 
and now there are a lot of projects underway and in 
the planning stages so there is never a dull moment. 
I have a great crew of guys who know what needs 
to be done and they also embrace the different 
projects that are on the cards.

Give us an overview of Hervey Bay GC and 
some of its unique characteristics from a course 
perspective. Our greens are small and with the front 
nine being more tree-lined than the back you have 
to play target golf. We have 40 bunkers all of which 
are greenside. We have no water carry holes on 
the front nine but a number out the back along with 
plenty of dogleg holes.

What are some of the unique features about 
Hervey Bay GC from a turf management 
perspective? Being a tree-lined course one of 
our main issues over the past few years has 
been tree root encroachment in fairways, tees and 
some greens. Combined with below average rainfall 
means those areas are getting the moisture sucked 
out of them, so I am in the process of exploring 
different options to combat this issue.

Is it an easy/hard facility to manage? What’s 
the most challenging aspect? It has its moments.

Hervey Bay GC boasts 8000m2 of 
Tifdwarf greens which are renovated 
twice a year in February (solid- 
tined) and September (hollow-tined). 
Pictured is the 3rd

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018  59

REGIONAL PROFILE

Six greens, including the 7th 
pictured, have been recently 
extended back out to their original 
size with Fraser trialling a zoysia 
matrella collar on three of these to 
try and keep common couch from 
encroaching into the Tifdwarf greens

Hervey Bay GC is currently 
upgrading its fairway drainage 
infrastructure

cockatoos, corellas and even had the odd koala and 
jabiru). When we do any tree work our local tree 
loppers are always making sure there is no wildlife 
in the trees. If so it gets relocated or the tree stays.

What are some of the major challenges 
facing Hervey Bay GC both from a turf and 
club management perspective? From a turf 
management point it is probably the amount of cart 
use on the course; it will always be a problem due 
to Hervey Bay being a retirement town. The club is 
putting money into cart paths at tees and greens at 
the moment so eventually the course will be fully 
pathed.

Another would be water. Like a lot of clubs I am 
lucky that everything gets watered apart from rough 
(we have an endless supply of treated effluent), but 
since I have been here I have only experienced one 
proper ‘wet season’. Constantly applying treated 
effluent and getting no rain really pushes our 
surfaces, fairways especially.

Outline any major course improvement works 
recently completed and/or highlight any ongoing 
or future works. There have been a lot of projects 
completed in last couple of years including 
construction of a 700m2 Tifdwarf nursey, six green 
extensions (including zoysia matrella collars on three 
of them) and numerous cart path installations. We 
are now concentrating on fairway drainage and have 
recently completed an upgrade to our drainage lines 
on the 11th and 14th fairways. The existing 90mm ag 

One of the projects Fraser 
has undertaken during his 
time as superintendent was 
the construction of a 700m2 
Tifdwarf nursery

60 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

lines running down the sides of these fairways have 
been replaced with 225mm PVC lines with laterals. 
Holes 4 and 5 will have the same done in the 
next 1-2 years which will mean we can get golfers 
back on the course sooner and not have to close 
for days. We are also doing a lot of beautification 
works on the course such as cleaning up gardens, 
constructing new ones and mulching areas with 
trees to cut down on mowing.

The weather and climate is always a great leveller 
for a course superintendent. How has Mother 
Nature treated the course in recent times? As 
mentioned earlier, for most of my duration here it 
has been dry. The summer of 2016-2017 was the 
worst with basically no rain all summer. We then had 
algae block up all sprinklers and with that came the 
loss of a lot of turf, mostly on fairways. We also had 
a mini tornado rip through one section of the course 
uprooting a lot of trees and closing the course for 
close to a week. Last summer was finally a wet one 
and we had plenty of rain which again closed the 
course several times.

The one product I couldn’t manage my course 
without is... gypsum and Tri-smart wetting agent. 
Gypsum for the sodium and Tri-smart is a great 
all-year-round wetting agent, especially in summer.

What are some pros and cons of being a regional 
superintendent? The only drawback is not being 
able to attend industry days in the cities. Aside from 
that, everything else is great!

Are expectations of course presentation and 
conditioning any less than that placed on your 
metropolitan counterparts? I don’t think so 
because I was taught at a resort course and I try 
and bring that here. We also have a lot of members 
that have moved here from other prestigious clubs 
Australia wide so they have similar expectations to 
that.

Do you have to be more resourceful as a regional 
superintendent? Not sure about being more 
resourceful, but for me I don’t have a full-time 
mechanic so we do it all ourselves (I’m lucky to 
have been taught by the best). In saying that, the 
club is now in a position that we can turn over our 
equipment more regularly than before which means 
less down time. There are a lot of small business 
owners at the club who are always willing to help 
out.

Do you use volunteers to assist with the 
management of the course and how important 
are they to your operations? We have numerous 
volunteers that help in the gardens and on the 
course. We have our own plant nursey which was 
set up and run by John and Janice Andrewartha 
for 25 years and also on the garden crew is Sandra

A mini tornado ripped through the 
Hervey Bay course in late January 
2016, forcing the closure of the 
course for almost a week

and Kath. On the course I am lucky enough to have 
three regular volunteers - Ron Raverty, Michael 
Tappenden and Dave Phillips - who do everything 
from tee divotting, blowing cart paths and wick­
wiping through to helping with renovations, green 
extension works and turfing. Their help is very much 
appreciated.

If you could change one thing about your job 
as a regional superintendent what would it be 
and why? Not a lot really. My staff are great, the 
committee is very supportive and the members are 
friendly; it’s a great place to work!

How important are the relationships you have 
with other course supers/trade reps? Very 

important. I’m always swapping advice or seeking 
advice from other supers and reps.

What have you got in your shed, what’s your 
favourite piece of kit and what’s on the wish 
list? The shed currently houses 3 x Toro 3150s, 
Toro 1750 Multi Pro, Toro 7200, Toro 4000-D, Toro 
Propass, 2 x Toro Workman utilities, Toro 5610, Toro 
3500-D, John Deere 3235c (fairway), 2 x John Deere 
tractors, John Deere 1200A bunker rake, Mustang 
2044 skid steer and two utes. The Multi Pro 1750 
wins hands down as favourite machine because 
when I started here we used to spray by hand using 
a WOOL tanker. We have just ordered a Ventrac 
which will replace our 3500-D and also be able to do 
a lot more other tasks as well.

I

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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

61

What do you think is the most challenging aspect 
of a superintendent’s role today? Paperwork! 
Says it all really...

What gives you the most job satisfaction? Seeing 
the end result of your plans and the hard work put 
in by everyone. Also the members and visitors 
enjoying the course and the positive feedback they 
give.

Most pleasing/rewarding moment during your 
time as Hervey Bay GC superintendent? That 
would have to be this year’s Pro-Am with all the 
great comments on the course from the pros that 
come every year.

REGIONAL PROFILE

Above: After a spate of dry summers, 
the summer of 2017/2018 was a wet 
one for Hervey Bay, with 305mm in 
February alone

Right: Fairways are granular 
fertilised twice a year and gypsum 
applied every two months to combat 
sodium levels

Do you think regional/country superintendents 
have a better work-life balance than their metro 
counterparts? I can’t answer for the metro guys, but 
I have a great work-life balance. There are times that 
it feels like you live at work, but hey, it’s all part of it.

Favourite spot on your course? The 11th tee - a 
great elevated par 4 hole - and the 16th green 
because it overlooks the dam and down the long 
par five 13th.

AT A GLANCE - HERVEY BAY GOLF CLUB, QLD

Course specs: Total property area is 60 
hectares. We have 8000m2 of Tifdwarf greens, 
1ha of Queensland blue couch tees and 12ha 
of blue couch/common couch fairways. I have 
extended six greens back out to their original 
size and am trialling zoysia matrella collars 
to try and keep common couch encroaching 
into the greens. It is working well in that 
respect, but now need to try and keep the 
common couch out of the zoysia.
Members/rounds: 804/55,000 (not including 
social).
Major events: Fraser Coast Legends Classic, 
Hervey Bay Open and Mid-Amateur, 2019 
Wide Bay Open.
Annual course budget: $353,000 (not 
including wages).
Staff structure: Peter Fraser (superintendent), 
Andy Wood (2IC), Damien Ogilvie and Rodney 
Newton (greenkeepers), Kody Duncan (2nd 
year apprentice), Tony Frankland (gardener/ 
groundsman), Ron Raverty and Michael 
Tappenden (both volunteers)
Climate/Annual Rainfall: Hot and humid 
summers and usually mild winters with an 
average annual rainfall of 860mm.
Soil types: Greens are a sandy loam and 
everywhere else is a wollum (heavy soil/clay) 
so when it is dry it’s dry and when it is wet it’s 
wet - there is not really any in between.
Water sources/irrigation system: Treated 
effluent for most of the course and town water

62 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

Major disease pressures and how 
you combat them: Before I started as 
superintendent the main disease issues 
with the greens was fusarium. As soon 
as I started I implemented a biological 
monthly programme and my greens are the 
healthiest they have ever been and fungicide 
applications have dramatically reduced. With 
the tees and fairways, dollar spot is our main 
issue in the winter months, especially in the 
shaded areas.
Nutrition management: Year-round, apart 
from when we renovate the course, I have a 
set monthly foliar programme for the greens 
which consists of fertiliser, wetting agent, 
potassium silica, manganese, biological 
fungicide and root stimulant. I adjust the 
amount of nitrogen I put out throughout 
the year and make sure I put out plenty of 
potassium due to the course receiving a high 
amount of traffic. Tees are granular fertilised 
at renovation time then foliar fertilised 
throughout the year.

Fairways are granular fertilised twice a 
year with foliar applications before big events. 
I also apply gypsum to the fairways every 
two months to combat the sodium in the 
soil due to lack of rainfall and use of effluent 
water. I have been treating the fairways every 
two months now for a year and have seen a 
dramatic decrease in sodium in the soil, so I 
must be doing something right!

Just another picture perfect day on the Fraser 
Coast Pictured is the 16th green
for the putting green because of its proximity 
to the clubhouse. We have a Rain Bird 
irrigation system with dual row on fairways 
and ring main for tees and greens. Rain 
Bird 700 electric valve-in-head sprinklers with 
satellites running off a Nimbus central control 
system. Three 22kW submersible pumps with 
an Amiad dual filter.
Cutting heights/regimes: Greens 3mm in 
summer (four days a week) and 3.5mm in 
winter; tees and collars 8mm summer and 
9mm winter, with fairways 15mm year-round. 
Renovations: Greens renovations are carried 
out twice a year. In February we solid tine, 
verticut, fertilise and topdress. September is a 
12mm hollow tine, scarify, fertilise and heavy 
topdress. Before both renovations soil tests 
are carried out and amendments applied. 
Tees are solid tined and scarified shortly after, 
fairways are aerated and this year will be 
either scalped down or scarified.

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AROUND THE TRADE

MLR’S ORN

A 4m-long single span light rig 
with a 24m2 illumination footprint, 
the Orn supplementary lighting rig 
from MLR has been specifically 
designed to spot treat problem 
areas on golf course greens and 
fairways

FLAGSTICK

CREEPING BENTGRASS

64 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.

to be closer to the ground than conventional 
stadium rigs so as to minimise light spillage. The 
rig’s mechanical structure can support a maximum 
of three spans, meaning it can be extended by 
one or two additional light booms. The Orn can be 
powered via 3-phase mains or a small portable 6kW 
generator and delivers a DLI (Daily Light Integral) of 
25.6mol/m2/day.

Working with its global distributor Bernhard 
and Company, the Orn joins MLR’s range of 
supplementary lighting rigs that have been 
servicing a multitude of sports stadiums since 1998. 
Steve Nixon, director for Bernhard and Company, 
says the addition of the Orn rig to its portfolio is an 
exciting development for the company.

“By combining our strong experience and 
knowledge of the golf market with MLR technical 
expertise, we are bringing a unique product that 
will revolutionise the way turf professionals manage 
difficult growth areas around their golf course,” 
says Nixon.
in Australia, the Orn rig will be available through 
Bernhard and Company’s Australian distributors 
Ventrac Australia. For more information contact 
Chris Stig on 0419 258 566 or email Chris© 
ventracaus.com.au. In Queensland it will be 
available through Turfcare Solutions; contact 
Paul Lierse on 0425 280 305 or email tcsqld@ 
gmail.com.

FLAGSTICK CREEPING
BENTGRASS NOW AVAILABLE
AGCSA Bronze Partner Advanced Seed has been
Australian distributors for Seed Research of Oregon
for well over 10 years and is pleased to announce
that the company’s latest creeping bentgrass variety
Flagstick is now available in Australia.

Flagstick was developed by screening for 
superior dollar spot resistance over many years 
and locations in both greens and fairway trials. It is 
the result of 20 years of continual research and this 
long-term development ensures Flagstick will have 
superior performance.

Flagstick is a versatile creeping bentgrass with 
high density and rapid tillering to keep out Poa 
annua. It has a fine leaf texture, a bright, dark 
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important turf diseases such as anthracnose, red 
thread, brown patch and dollar spot.

Flagstick can be used for seeding or sodding 
golf course greens, tees and fairways. It can be 
used for interseeding existing stands of creeping 
bentgrass to reduce inputs. Flagstick shows 
superior performance in close cut greens, tees or 
fairways and blends well with other Seed Research 
of Oregon varieties such as 007, SR 1150 and Tyee. 
For more information on Flagstick, contact 
Advanced Seed on (03) 9462 0340 or visit www. 
adseed.com.au.

CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP FOR 
BROWN BROTHERS ENGINEERS
AxFIow, a Sweden-based family owned group, 
announced in mid-September that it had acquired 
AGCSA Bronze Partner company Brown Brothers 
Engineers. The companies affected by the change 
in ownership are Brown Brothers Engineers Ltd, 
Brown Brothers Engineers Australia P/L and Kelair 
Pumps Australia P/L.

AxFIow is the fluid handling solutions business 
group within Axel Johnson International. They 
specialise in the marketing, distribution and provision 
of complete sales and engineering services for 
high quality fluid handling equipment. The AxFIow 
Group is active in 26 countries, has approximately 
700 employees and an annual turnover of 200 
million Euro. Its acquisition of the three companies 
represents a major expansion into Australasia.

Current owner Ted Mace says that despite the 
change of ownership, effective from 1 October 
2018, it will be business as usual with the goal to 
ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. 
There will be no changes to the existing team and 
management, apart from a title change for CEO 
John Inkster who will become managing director.

“I am glad to hand over the ownership to 
AxFIow, with its long-term ownership view and 
strong values,” says Mace. “It will present new 
opportunities for the group and its employees and 
be a reliable partner for our customers for many 
years to come.”

Adds Ole Weiner, AxFIow Holding CEO: “We 
see a very good match between the Brown Brothers 
Engineers and AxFIow management cultures. This 
is crucial to our ambition to keep people with 
local expertise in place, while giving the acquired 
company the opportunities that come with being 
part of a larger group.”

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AGCSA Bronze Partner Dint Golf Solutions is 
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The iPro, used by more than 300 golf courses 
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Also available with the iPro holecutter are an 
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to the correct depth each time. There is also an 
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the blades when transporting or storing in the shed. 
For more information on the iPro holecutter, 
contact Dint Golf Solutions on (02) 9700 8113 or 
visit www.dint.com.au.

HERITAGE SEEDS’
PREMIER 3 KICKING GOALS
Heritage Seeds has launched its new turf perennial 
ryegrass variety Premier 3. The next generation 
of a long-standing Australian turf favourite, 
Premier 3 boasts fast establishment and proven 
wear tolerance, making it an excellent choice for 
sportsfield surfaces.

“Premier 3 is the latest product to come out of 
the Barenbrug breeding programme and responds 

to customer demand for a good-looking, dense Heritageseeds □

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018  65

AROUND THE TRADE

The next generation of a long­
standing Australian turf favourite, 
Premier 3 ryegrass boasts fast 
establishment and proven wear 
tolerance, making it an excellent 
choice for sportsfield surfaces

trial at Heritage Seeds since it was seeded 18 
months ago. Neylan notes that Premier 3 was among 
the best varieties for germination and seedling 
vigour and has been consistently amongst the top 
performers for turf quality and density. He adds 
that Premier 3 ryegrass has also been statistically 
amongst the best ryegrass cultivars for both winter 
and summer turf quality and density.
For more information about Premier 3, email Matt 
Merrick at mmerrick@heritageseeds.com.au or 
contact your local Nuturf representative.

KEEP HEDGES IN TRIM
WITH SYNGENTA PGR

turf with proven wear tolerance for use on high- 
traffic sporting arenas,” explains Heritage Seeds 
turf portfolio manager Matt Merrick. “Innovation is a 
major driving force for the Barenbrug Group and we 
are continuously improving our grass varieties by 
applying new genetics and technologies to ensure 
that our customers can grow with confidence.”

With high endophyte, Premier 3 displays strong 
persistence and resistance to insect pests. It also 
has excellent disease and heat tolerance, and its 
deep green colour means it also ranks highly on 
visual appeal.

“This particular cultivar builds on the 
characteristics which made Premier II a leading 
ryegrass choice in Australia for over 20 years,” 
says Merrick. “Premier 3 has been independently 
tested in both Victoria and Queensland to ensure 
its suitability for Australian climates and has been a 
consistent top performer in these trials.”

Agronomist John Neylan (Turfgrass Consulting 
& Research) has been undertaking an independent 
assessment and statistical analysis of the ryegrass 

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

AGCSA Gold Partner Nuturf Australia 
announced the appointment of Chris 
Neal to the role of Territory Manager 
- NSW effective from 10 September.
Neal arrives at the company having spent the 
past 19 years at Bonville Golf Resort just outside 
of Coffs Harbour, including the past 11 years 
as superintendent. The club earlier this year 
hosted the inaugural Australian Ladies Classic 
tournament to great acclaim.

“Chris’s experience in turf management is 
at the highest level possible and he is a great 
addition to the Nuturf team,” says Nuturf’s national 
sales and operations manager Andrew Melville. 
“He will be a great resource for our customers and 
all turf practitioners in the northern NSW region.” 
Neal can be contacted on 0417 428 501 or email 
chris.neal@nuturf.com.au. 

Recent trials have demonstrated that Syngenta’s 
new plant growth regular Trimmit can help improve 
the appearance and maintenance requirements 
of hedges in landscape areas. Trials with Trimmit 
undertaken by Dr Sheldon Navie, vegetation 
manager at IVM Group, has shown that a single 
application can reduce hedge regrowth by up to 90 
per cent.

This is due to the regulator’s innovative mode 
of action - an early gibberellic acid inhibitor which 
supresses the growth of terminal shoots for up to 
12 months, while encouraging the plant’s axillary 
buds to grow. The result is not only denser, greener

PROSSER TO AID ADE

Jacobsen distributor ADE Turf Equipment. Prosser 
resigned as superintendent of Commonwealth in 
May after more than 19 years and started his new 
role in mid-August.

“When I left Commonwealth, I knew that I 
wanted to stay in the industry,” says Prosser. It 
was important for me to still be involved in golf and 
talking to and helping out superintendents. I have 
known Tim (Coram, managing director ADE Turf 
Equipment) for some 20 years and this role ticked 
all the boxes for me.”
Prosser is based out of ADE’s Chelsea Heights 
premises and can be contacted on 0400 533 
050 or email mark@adeturf.com.au. 

66 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.

hedges that remain uniform for longer, but also 
healthier plants that can better withstand drought 
and other high-stress conditions. Using Trimmit also 
has the added benefit of reducing the need to prune, 
delivering significant savings in labour, clipping 
disposal, noise invasion and risk management 
issues.

“I have taken a vast number of measurements 
on plants treated with Trimmit and the difference 
is obvious,” says Dr Navie. “Many of our clients 
trim large numbers of hedges along busy roads. 
Working in these areas comes with an inherent level 
of risk and usually also requires lane closures, traffic 
control and/or night works - all of which add to the 
cost of undertaking these activities.

“Trimmit has the potential to significantly reduce 
the frequency of required hedging in these areas, 
reducing the cost of managing the vegetation, 
the time spent by workers in these higher risk 
environments and the impact on road users.

“An application of Trimmit for the hedges and 
Barricade herbicide for weed control - at the same 
time - should mean that vegetation management 

workers do not need to return to these areas for 
extended periods.”
To find out more about how Trimmit can help 
with your hedging needs, contact your Syngenta 
agent or call 1800 022 035.

OUTCROSS 9060 LANDING SOON
AGCSA Platinum Partner Toro Australia is set to 
launch the all-new Outcross™ 9060, a revolutionary, 
turf-friendly machine that delivers on the benefits 
of both a tractor and a super-duty utility vehicle. 
Interested turf managers are being encouraged to 
register interest with their Toro rep now for what the 
company says will be an invaluable machine in the 
long standing battle turf managers face to ‘do more 
with less’:

“This machine is a time-saving, easy-to- 
use, multi-purpose, turf-friendly workhorse that 
will bring you year-round flexibility, consistency 
and productivity,” says Brian Goodridge, Toro’s 
Equipment Product Manager. “It’s the first machine 
of its kind to be purpose built for the management 
of fine turf.”

JACOBSEN LAUNCHES NEW TR SERIES TRIPLEX MOWERS

extron Specialized Vehicles Inc. has 
launched the new Jacobsen TR series 
of reel mowers. The Jacobsen TR series 
features two new triplex cylinder mowers that 
will replace the existing TR-3 and Tri-King 
machines. Created with usability in mind, 
the new machines are built on a common 
platform for ease of servicing and operation, 
and are offered in both standard and premium 
models.

The standard TR320 model is 3WD and 
utilises a 24.8hp Kubota diesel engine. The 
cutting units on the TR320 can be raised to 
a vertical position, boasting the narrowest 
transport width in its class for access to 
narrow areas and ease of storage.

The TR320 also features a switch- 
operated cutting unit lift and lower system, 
an easy-to-use transmission pedal with a 
mechanical interlock for transport and mow 
speed control, and an analogue display 
screen.

The premium TR330 model is also 3WD 
and utilises the same 24.8hp Kubota diesel 
engine. In addition to the great features 
of the TR320, the TR330 has integrated 
AdaptiShift™ technology, which allows cutting 
units to move side-to-side to mow hard-to- 
reach areas while keeping operators safe.

The TR330 also features a mechanical 
suspension seat with arm rest for superior 
comfort and a joystick control for lifting and 
lowering cutting units. Electronic control 
systems, including an interlock speed control 
system and a digital display screen, are 

included on the TR330 for intuitive diagnostic 
feedback and functionality.

According to Richard Comely, 
international product development director 
for Jacobsen equipment, the new TR series 
range has been developed to suit a range of 
applications and budget requirements. The 
TR320 and TR330 models are ideal solutions 
on sports fields, golf course maintenance, 
light municipal applications and fine turf 
areas.

“The TR320 is our standard triplex 
cylinder machine and has been built to 
provide an option for customers who may 
have a restricted budget or who simply 
want a machine with standard functionality,” 
says Comely. “The TR330 is a premium 

machine which has many fantastic features, 
such as electrical systems which provide 
instant feedback to the operator and 
on-board diagnostics for ease of servicing 
and maintenance. The addition of AdaptiShift 
is also a huge benefit for end-users and will 
allow them to mow hard-to-reach areas.”

The new TR320 featured as an integral 
part of the Jacobsen fleet at Le Golf National in 
France which recently hosted the 2018 Ryder 
Cup. Superintendent Alejandro Reyes had a 
number of TR320s in operation, employing 
them to prepare the fairway collars.
For more information about the new 
Jacobsen TR series of cylinder mowers, 
contact your Jacobsen distributor or visit 
www.jacobsen.com

Jacobsen has released 
two models as part of its 
new TR Series cylinder 
mower range. Pictured is 
the TR320 standard model

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018  67

Above: Eastlake Golf Club 
superintendent Nathan Bradbury 
has taken over as acting NSWGCSA 
president

member, I didn’t foresee myself holding such a 
position, but I do feel that I can deliver the desired 
outcomes to make the NSWGCSA a strong and 
supportive association.

With my elevation to acting president, further 
changes within the board ranks have seen David 
Somerville (Bankstown Golf Club) move to acting 
vice-president. Along with David’s support and 
that of the other dedicated board members, we will 
strive to ensure we improve the overall offer from 
the association. This may be through additional 
technical support/articles, educational walk ‘n’ talks, 
greater membership offers and enjoyable golf days/ 
events.

I’d like to sincerely thank the board of directors, 
members and sponsors for their support and 
understanding in recent times. The association 
has also committed itself to ensure a close working 
relationship with the AGCSA and general manager 
Mark Unwin. This relationship will help deliver the 
required outcomes (as mentioned above) for our 
members and sponsors.

This is the first ATM report for some time 
from the NSWGCSA and already this year the 
association has hosted a number of successful 
events. Nearly 150 attended the Annual Ambrose 
Day held at an immaculate Royal Canberra Golf 
Club (superintendent Ben Grylewicz), with the golf, 
dinner and entertainment proving a great success.

Peter Donkers (Long Reef Golf Club) hosted 
a walk ‘n’ talk in late July sponsored by Globe
Growing Solutions. Around 50 attendees enjoyed 
a BBQ breakfast as Peter discussed his recent 
maintenance facility relocation along with ongoing

changes to the course. Ron Duffy (North Ryde Golf 
Club) followed this up with a similar walk ‘n’ talk 
session in late September.

Our next (and biggest) event will be the annual 
Rube Walkerden Day and AGM to be held at 
Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club on Wednesday 31 
October. Stonecutters is quite a challenging layout 
which in previous years has hosted NSWPGA 
golf events. Course superintendent David Aplitt 
and his team always deliver outstanding results, 
ensuring major tournaments and events like ours 
are successful. I urge all members to come along 
to Stonecutters for what will no doubt be another 
successful day.

Finally, on behalf of all members, I would like 
to wish St Michael’s Golf Club superintendent and 
fellow NSWGCSA board member Russell Fletcher 
a speedy recovery following his shock heart attack 
in early September. Russell, who only a few days 
earlier was representing the NSWGCSA at the 
annual state presidents gathering with the AGCSA 
in Melbourne, had an episode while out on his usual 
Sunday morning bike ride. He was duly transported 
to The Sutherland Hospital where he underwent 
immediate surgery to remove a blockage from his 
artery. The operation to install a stent was successful 
and Russell is now recuperating. We look forward to 
seeing you back soon mate.

NATHAN BRADBURY 
PRESIDENT, NSWGCSA

ASSOCIATION REPORTS

NSWGCSA •

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Under recent circumstances, I find myself 

filling the role of acting president of the New 
South Wales Golf Course Superintendents 
Association. Only completing three years as a board 

TURF QLD Turf

Queensland

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reduction of 10.5 per cent and increased yield of 
14.5 per cent. The industry has invested heavily over 
the years in increased utilisation of technology both 
in machinery and product with an investment per 
farm of $1.7 million over the past five years.

As we enter spring, the turf industry in South- 

East Queensland has suffered considerably 
with high levels of frost over the winter months 
causing shortages of supply. Obviously this will pick 

up during the warmer months as growth rates and 
production increases, however, at the time of writing 
this there is a shortage of natural turfgrass.

Turf Queensland has just finished a large face- 
to-face assessment of our industry across the state 
from Mossman in the north to the border in the 
south and those producers out west. It is pleasing 
to advise that the Queensland natural turfgrass 
production industry covers a total of 2725 hectares. 
It returns a GDP to the state of Queensland of $327 
million per annum while employing over 700 people.
The industry has been working heavily on water 
and energy use which in turn has assisted in waste 

68 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT

The turf industry in Queensland has been hit 
with both the red imported fire ant issue in the 
southeast of the state as well as crazy ants in North 
Queensland. Both of these pests are requiring 
considerable investigation. The turf industry 
currently has a number of pest and disease research 
and development projects being undertaken, in 
particular couch mites and couch smut. We await 
the outcomes of these with interest.

JIM VAUGHAN 
TURF QUEENSLAND

llllllllllllllllllllllllllt IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllll  lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllll llllllllllllllnllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllln

VGCSA®
It definitely has been dry in Melbourne these past 

three months which I’m sure all the footy players 
and fans are ecstatic about. Mother Nature also 
gave the ski fields a massive dump this winter which 

I was pumped about as well, along with the tens of 
thousands of Melbourne supporters who were up 
there. While the ski fields may have been deserted 
as the Demons made their Grand Final charge, no 
doubt there will be a late rush to catch some powder 
after they bowed out in the prelims!

In September it was great to meet with all the 
state superintendent association presidents and 
AGCSA chief executive Mark Unwin. The meeting 
was held to plan and discuss strategies that will 
help the states and national association continue 
to support our members in what is currently a
challenging climate for golf course managers.

For the past two years, the VGCSA has been 
part of the Victorian Golf Industry Awards night and 
it was a privilege to honour two of our best again 
in August. The award categories presented were 
the Superintendent Recognition Award, received by 
Thirteenth Beach Golf Links superintendent Steve 
Hewitt, and Apprentice of the Year, which went to 
Dechlan Turkington (Royal Melbourne Golf Club).

hl HI

■ 

. (uHird/i

Above: Kew Golf Club hosted the 
VGCSA’s September education day

Steven Hewitt (left, Superintendent 
Recognition Award) and Dechlan 
Turkington (below, Apprentice of the 
Year) were officially recognised at 
the Victorian Golf Industry Awards

The hard work of greenkeeping staff and 
course managers often flies under the radar, so the
recognition given to Steven and Dechlan in front of 
the whole Victorian golf industry was great for our 
association and its members.

It has also been wonderful to see the healthy 
level of member attendance at our recent meetings. 
Involvement continues to grow here in Victoria with
numbers above 100 for the past three education 
meetings in 2018, including the most recent at Kew 
GC (host superintendent Cam Hall). The VGCSA 
committee tries its best to keep topics as relevant 
as possible by engaging and listening to member 
feedback.

While our guest speakers are experts in 
delivering constructive information to broaden 
knowledge, I also know everyone who attends 
these education meetings will tell you it is the course 
walks and the information shared during morning 
tea, lunch and after the events that everyone enjoys 
most. A massive thanks to all our guest speakers, 
committee and attendees who play a vital role in the
success of these events.

BARRY PROCTOR 
PRESIDENT, VGCSA

Brush Panel | Chain Link | Shade Cloth | Timber Bollard | Tubular Steel

p. (03) 94371472 I e.sates@metchain.com.au

wwwmelchain.com.au/golf

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018  69

ASSOCIATION REPORTS
PPC A A  Golf Course JM

AA I I  Superintendents
g % 

Association of Queensland 1HI

I "1 I ■ 
\ggg 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH

•  A practical session on soil analysis interpretation;
•  An in-depth look at beneficial bacteria and their 

• 

role in soil and plant agronomy;
Information on what happens when a disease 
sample arrives at the laboratory for identification;
•  Developing preventative fungicide programmes 

for southeast Queensland conditions.
The day finished off with Adam Mills talking 
about stepping up to the role of superintendent 
at Royal Queensland Golf Club and his first year 
experiences in the job. There was good discussion 
after the sessions with a BBQ and drinks providing 
an opportunity for the next generation of turf 
managers to interact with their peers.

The Northern Rivers Golf Day was held at 
Maclean Golf Club with 50 players representing 
nine clubs and TAFE NSW. John Causley, his staff 
and an army of volunteers are to be commended on 
the condition of the golf course in the extreme dry 
conditions they have been experiencing. Thanks 
to all the sponsors again for making this day a 
success and Shane Heaney (Ocean Shores CC) for 
coordinating the event.

AROUND THE TRAPS...
It has been a busy time for a number of GCSAQ 
members, while for others it is about to get busier. 
GCSAQ vice-president Shaun Cross and the crew 
at Byron Bay are nearing the end of the long process 
to re-grass fairways. The 1st fairway was the last 
full fairway to be converted, leaving only half the 
7th to go. Due to this hole requiring rectification 
because of major drainage and playability issues, 
the grassing process will be completed in spring 
next year once redesign and reconstruction of the 
fairway occurs from 135 metres out. The green and 
surrounds will be completed next winter.

Elsewhere, Teven Valley Golf Club owner Paul 
Gumbleton is working his way through the new 
Craig Parry design being constructed at Teven, just 
outside of Ballina in northern NSW. Paul, formerly 
the superintendent at Monash CC in Sydney, is 
undertaking this work himself with help from his 
trusty shaper mate Bob from down south. To date 
he has reconstructed and grassed four new TifEagle 
greens and is in the process of turfing all the other 
newly shaped playing surfaces with Zeon zoysia.

RACV Royal Pines Resort is hosting the 2018 
Australian PGA Championship from 29 November 
to 2 December. Course superintendent Lincoln 
Coombes is looking for volunteers to help with 
the preparation of the championship golf course. 
This opportunity would suit sports turf managers/ 
apprentices that are interested in furthering their 
career and gaining some experience working at one 
of Australia’s iconic golf resorts in full tournament 
preparation mode. If you would like to be a part of 
this, please email lincoln_coombes@racv.com.au.

Byron Bay Golf Club is nearing the 
end of a multi-year project to convert 
all its fairways across to Wintergreen 

couchgrass. Pictured is the 1st It has been a very busy few months in Queensland 

with lots going on around the traps, an AGM 
and some very successful education days. 
With a drier than average winter, many courses in

Queensland are under the pump to keep their turf in 
a strong position going into what looks like being a 
very hot and dry summer.

The GCSAQ recently held its AGM at the 
beautifully presented Noosa Springs GC, with the 
following board elected;
•  President: Paul McLean (Sanctuary Cove)
•  Vice-president: Shaun Cross (Byron Bay GC)
•  Treasurer: Stuart Campbell (Maroochy River)
•  Secretary: Garry McClymont (Twin Waters GC)
•  Committee: John Halter (City GC), Phil
Soegaard (Lakelands GC), Brendan Clarke 
(Atherton GC) and Matt Holmes (e-par).
For the record, Keith Johnson (Keperra GC)
walked away with the spoils. A big thanks to the 
boys from Toro for donating the prizes yet again.

Greenway Turf Solutions held its annual 2IC 
education day which was again a success with more 
than 50 attendees benefitting from;

GCSAQ sponsor Greenway Turf 
Solutions recently hosted a 
successful 2IC education day

gSMB

•

[ 1

a 

~

70 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

And speaking of tournament preparations, Royal 
Queensland Golf Club will be the venue for the first 
ever ‘GCSAQ Sportsman’s Lunch’. The event will be 
held on 5 November and will be headlined by course 
designer and former pro Mike Clayton and PGA 
rules guru Andrew Langford-Jones.

MAN DAY HEADS TO ROCKY
The GCSAQ has run two workshops this year to help 
promote mental health awareness among members. 
The first of these was at Nudgee Golf Club in April, 
while the latest was held at Rockhampton Golf Club 
in September. The latter meeting also provided an 
opportunity to take an association education day to 
a smaller regional area.

In the past, GCSAQ education days have been 
held in metro areas such as the Gold Coast,
Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Cairns. It is hoped 
that as membership and awareness grows in 
regional areas, superintendents in these areas will 
interact with their colleagues in metro areas more, 
sharing information for the benefit of all.

Chaired by GCSAQ president Paul McLean, 
the meeting’s main aim was to relay information on 
mental health, as well as provide an open forum 
to discuss issues common to superintendents and 
course staff everywhere.

Matt Holmes (epar) presented on mental health 
legislative requirements of golf clubs. Among the 
topics Matt covered included the identification of

various mental states and the requirements of golf 
businesses in handling staff that may have mental 
health issues in the workplace. He also provided 
answers to some common questions backed up 
with real-life cases in the workplace.

Also presenting was Simon Santosha from 
Men and Family Counselling and Consultancy, 
who discussed men’s mental health, family and 
general wellbeing counselling, along with practical 
strategies for dealing with mental health issues for 
individuals and staff in the workplace.

The current GCSAQ committee is committed to 

bringing such days to regional areas more often.

PAUL MCLEAN 
PRESIDENT, GCSAQ

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

TURF NSW —
It has been a busy few months for Turf NSW with 

a successful integrated pest management (IPM) 
workshop conducted in late August with IPM 
Technologies in conjunction with the Turf NSW AGM.
Growers and industry representatives discussed 
the role IPM can play in a pest management 
programme together with ‘hands on skills’ in 
monitoring beneficial pest populations. A simple plan 
was identified by the group to control priority pests 
including mites. Further visits will be undertaken with 
turf producers and the wider industry in the coming 
months to investigate further research around 
biological, cultural and chemical control options.

Turf NSW congratulates the re-election of the 
executive and new members to the Turf NSW 
committee. The full committee is;
• President: Paul Saad (Southern Cross Turf) 
• Vice-president: Steve Vella (A View Turf)
• Treasurer: Anthony Muscat (Greener Lawn 

Supplies)

• Committee: Patrick Muscat (Musturf), Neale 
Tweedie (Grech’s Turf Supplies), Joe Muscat 
(Greener Lawn Supplies), Paul Saliba (Qualturf) 
and Troy Franks (Dad ‘n’ Dave’s Turf).

Course reconstruction works 
continue apace at Teven Valley Golf 
Club in northern NSW

ON THE MOVE 
a AARON BANKS: From 
assistant superintendent

to superintendent

Bonville Golf Resort, NSW.
GLENN BEAUCLERC: From
superintendent Logan City Golf
Club, Qld to superintendent
Oxley Golf Club, Qld.
Golf Club, ACT to assistant 
PETER DUNN: From Yowani
superintendent Federal Golf 
Club, ACT.
SHANE GEORGE: From 
superintendent Links Shell Cove, 
NSW to assistant superintendent 
Concord Golf Club, NSW.
GARETH HAMMOND: From 
assistant superintendent 
NSW Golf Club, NSW to 
superintendent Terrey Hills Golf 
Club, NSW.
CHRIS HOWE: 
From
assistant superintendent to 
superintendent Concord Golf 
Club, NSW.
SHANE MCDONALD: Departed 
as superintendent Oxley Golf 
Club, Qld.
MARK PARKER: 
From
superintendent Concord Golf 
Club, NSW to superintendent 
New South Wales Golf Club, 
NSW.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

71

• Non-voting members: Josh Stephenson
(Windsor Rural) and David Raison (Greenspace 
Turf Cooperative)
Turf NSW has also been helping producers 
with information on the drought, particularly in 
regional areas. Growers are also reminded that new 
legislation for manual hand stack harvesters came 
into effect on 1 October.

Finally, planning for the Turf NSW Grass Roots 
Field Day on 30 October 2018 at Evergreen Turf 
is well underway. To run from 10am-1pm, the day 
will focus on soil preparation, understanding turf 
varieties and feature a variety of demonstrations on 
harvesting turf, washing turf, instant play turf and the 
use of compost to aid wear and tear and improve 
water use efficiency. Lunch is included. The day 
is targeted at landscapers, landscape architects, 
specifiers, golf and sports turf professionals.

Please RSVP to Matthew Plunkett on 0434 147 
988 or info@turfnsw.com.au, or go to the website 
www.turfaustralia.com.au/events by 25 October.

MATTHEW PLUNKETT 
IDO, TURF NSW

ASSOCIATION REPORTS

STASA

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
about modern trends affecting our industry. Kim 
spoke about water as a key issue and how its 
management is critical to the garden industry. 
Gardens provide so much value for health (mental 
and physical), aesthetics, cooling and the economy 
which policymakers need to recognise.

As another year goes by, almost 100 guests 

were privileged to a variety of insightful 
presentations at the annual STA South 
Australia Turf Seminar held in mid-August at 

Adelaide Oval.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^

Thanks to Ben Page (Cricket Australia) and 
Scott Patching (SANFL) for presenting on the 
growth of cricket and Australian Rules football in 
South Australia. It is fantastic to hear both sports 
are strengthening despite the competition from 
alternative options such as computer games and 
social media. In particular, the significant increases 
in women’s participation have been pleasing.

Keynote speaker Kim Syrus 
entertains (above), while Damian 
Hough discusses his management 
practices at Adelaide Oval

STA NSW

The management of venues and playing 
surfaces becomes critical to cope with the rates of 
growth. Ensuring we are securing more venues and 
venues are female-friendly will be a challenge the 
industry needs to address.

STA SA president Gerry Charlton provided 
a passionate speech on TAFE SA’s decision to 
abandon the Certificate III in Sports Turf Management 
and the lack of government funding in this sector. 
Gerry, with support from other peak industry bodies, 
has sought for the reinstatement of funding and a 
reconsideration of this decision.

Keynote presenter this year was none other than 
Kim Syrus. Kim talked about his journey from a 
qualified horticulturalist starting out at a rose nursery 
in Myponga to his rise as a well-known media 
personality. Put a microphone or camera in front of 
Kim and he will do the rest.

Kim is clearly passionate and was honest about 
the horticulture industry and provided information 

The STA NSW committee recently got back 

to its grassroots and lent some expertise to 
the team at Broken Hill Council. The council 
reached out earlier this year for some advice on 

preparation for their Alma Oval upgrade after 
continued issues with drainage and coverage on 
the surface of their wicket square.

The project was carried out over five days and 
we got to utilise my favourite piece of machinery, 
the ‘wicket stripper’. The young team at Broken Hill 
were grateful to have the legendary Graeme Logan 
share his knowledge and we are really pleased with 
the results.

STA NSW held the inaugural ‘W201 Wicket 
Accreditation Programme’ at the SCG on Tuesday 25 
September. Thanks to Justin Groves, Adam Lewis 
and Johnny Noafal (all SCG), Greg Davidson 
(Cricket Australia) and the great Doug Bollinger 
for their knowledge and support. We are looking 
forward to taking the ‘W101’ programme to regional 
areas in 2019.

STA NSW is hosting an Innovation &
Science Field Day on 4 December at
Sydney University

72 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

Jim Sinclair from SafeWork SA spoke on the 
importance of workplace safety and the assistance 
his organisation can provide to the turf industry. 
Having to contend with managing large machinery, 
herbicide and pesticide applications, recycled water 
and plumbing requirements, player safety, as well 
as working outside of normal business hours, the 
WHS risks turf managers face are far greater than 
many other industries. It’s great to know the support 
is there from SafeWork SA.

There was some great interaction with Shannon 
Andrews, senior policy officer from the Department 
for Environment and Water, about groundwater 
allocations and the implications of this. It’s pleasing 
to hear the Department will be providing plenty of 
opportunity for consultation on the allocations.

After the presentations it was inspiring to step 
foot onto the greatest sporting venue in the world 
and listen to head curator Damian Hough give us 
some insight about the management of Adelaide 
Oval. Thanks also to Damian for accepting a 
nomination to sit on the STA SA committee and 
Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority for 
supporting the day.

TINA HAMDEN 
SECRETARY STA SA

On 4 December, we will be hosting what we 
believe is the first of its kind in our industry - the 
STA NSW Innovation & Science Field Day. The 
event will be at Sydney University and will showcase 
the very latest in machinery & chemistries. We will 
have a Nano Bubble injector, GPS sprayers, robotic 
line markers, hybrid turf, Field Scout technologies, 
Air2G2, along with new chemistries. And due to 
its prevalence, we have also added a session on 
ground pearl. Go to the STA NSW Facebook page 
to book your spot.

As this publication is released, we will have just 
wrapped up our AGM and election of our committee. 
I am not expecting many changes to the faces 
and with this dedicated team we look forward to 
continuing to provide a community for the sports turf 
industry in NSW.

CHRIS CHAPMAN 
PRESIDENT, STA NSW

TURF AUSTRALIA
Research and development in turf is seeing 

some strong projects at the moment that 
will provide benefit for the wider industry. 
Currently, turf grower levy funds are supporting 

research into couch smut and turf mites.

The University of Queensland is managing the 
‘Development of an integrated disease management 
plan for Couch smut’ project (TU17002) with the 
research team headed up by Dr Andrew Gerring 
and Dr Nga Tran. The project will look at a number 
of different angles to find a solution to the fungus 
for the turf industry, including its life cycle, current 
prevalence in the industry, resistance screening and 
control options. The team has already identified that 
there are aspects of the disease life cycle that are 
poorly understood, particularly transmission.

Entomologist Jessica Page and Dr Paul 
Horne (both IPM Technologies) are heading up 
the ‘Integrated Pest Management of phytophagous 
(plant-feeding) mites on turfgrass’ project (TU17003). 
Workshops have been held in Queensland and 
New South Wales which are the first steps in 
understanding the issues faced by turf producers 
specifically with mites.

Turf Australia is about to undertake the largest 
industry survey ever conducted to gather production 
information. The levy-funded ‘Turf Industry Statistics 

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHIHIIIII

2017-2018 to 2019-2021’ project (TU17005) will 
identify the current size of the turf production 
industry, variety production, value of turf, the 
markets for that turf, employment within the industry 
and future investment. We have a great industry but 
really lack solid data to help drive further investment.
There are a few other projects being reviewed 
by Hort Innovation at the moment and Turf Australia 
will keep the industry updated on the outcomes of 
existing and new projects.

Planning for 2019 events is well underway and 
we look forward to an active year of networking and 
educational opportunities, as well as the introduction 
of a new event - Women in Turf. Women play a very 
big role in the turf production industry, particularly 
with many businesses being family owned. Whether 
the role is running the office, looking after orders, 
accounts and staff management, or a hands-on roll 
on the farm, or both, the value that women bring to 
the industry is immense. Turf Australia has identified 
that an event specifically for women in the turf 
industry would provide a great opportunity to build 
a stronger community.

JENNYZADRO
MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, 
TURF AUSTRALIA

As part of a current turf levy 
funded research project on mites, 
workshops were held in Queensland 
and New South Wales to get an 
understanding of the issues they 
cause turf producers

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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018  73

ASSOCIATION REPORTS

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Above right: The panel of city council 
representatives, which included 
Roger Barbetti (Bendigo), Marc 
Carson (Wyndham) and Paul Cotter 
(Geelong), discussed a wide variety 
of management issues

Above: The MCG proved the perfect 
venue for the STA Victoria’s annual 
Sports Turf Seminar in late July. 
Capping it off, the arena’s giant 
digital scoreboards showcased the 
association’s major sponsors

John Shannon at his best during the 
STA Victoria Pitch Preparation Day 
held at Melbourne Grammar School

The STA Victoria’s biggest annual event, the 

Sports Turf Seminar, was held on 25 July 
2018 at the home of sport, the iconic MCG, 
proudly sponsored by Toro/Dawn Mowers/AgPower. 

The STA Victoria AGM was held prior to the start 
of the education sessions, with the election of the 
executive and general committee for 2018/19.

President Danny Edmunds welcomed new 
committee members Steve Cole (Lilydale Instant 
Lawn) and Daniel Sacco (Urban Maintenance 
Systems) and also thanked Grant Greenway 
(Endeavour Turf Professionals) who retired from the 
committee after many years of service.

The ‘G’ sparkled on the day, such an outstanding 
venue and a fabulous reflection of what our industry 
stands for. Capping it off, the digital scoreboard 
showcased our major sponsors’ products. Our 
member sponsors were jubilant with the interest 
in many of their products from the delegates. 
It is a great forum to expose companies to a 
dedicated quorum of turf professionals. Thank you 
to all sponsors and members who attended the day, 
helping to make it a memorable and informative 
event.

Michael Salvatore (MCG Arenas Operation 
Manager) opened the day with a history lesson of 
the MCG. That was followed by an update from 
John Neylan on the STA Victoria-funded research 
project ‘Compare possible hours of use for different 
sports field construction types and maintenance 
inputs’.

Of great interest to delegates was the panel of 
city council representatives which included Roger 
Barbetti (Bendigo), Marc Carson (Wyndham) and 
Paul Cotter (Geelong). Our committee put together 
a list of questions from issues noted by our panel, 
with discussion surrounding;
• Capital upgrades (priorities, funding and 

documentation);

• Council monitoring and recording hours of use 

and any restrictions on clubs;

• Mowing heights of warm-season grasses in 

summer;

•  Managing of seasonal changeover due to 

reducing length of seasons; and

•  Programmes for sportsfield lighting upgrades.

Danny Condran (Dawn Mowers) gave a 
rundown of future Toro products, while Erik Kinion 
(HG Sports Turf) spoke about the organisation’s 
history and latest projects. The construction and 
importance of subgrades was explained by Paul 
Curry (Sporteng) before Mike De Luca (Syngenta) 
presented on a good programmed approach in 
sportsfield management.

John Shannon took questions after showing 
the 2017 Pitch Preparation Day video recorded at 
Flack Park in Port Melbourne (more on the 2018 
event below). Grant Greenway from Endeavour 
Turf Professionals discussed asset auditing and 
performance monitoring of sports grounds.

Following lunch, our Women’s Sporting Panel 
then took the stage, consisting of Cathryn Fitzpatrick 
(coaching talent specialist with Cricket Victoria), 
Gulcan Koca (community football co-ordinator, 
Melbourne Victory) and Georgia Walker (inaugural 
captain of the Southern Saints - St. Kilda’s AFLW 
team). The girls spoke about their experiences 
playing at an elite level and what they see for the 
future of the codes and women in sport. AFL legend 
Leigh Montagna closed out the day with a Q&A 
session outlining his career at St Kilda.

From feedback to date, the MCG as a venue for 
this event was well received and so we are happy to 
announce that next year’s Sports Turf Seminar will 
again be held there on Wednesday 10 July, 2019. 
We would love to hear from you if you have ideas for 
speakers/topics for any future events - please email 
STA Victoria vic@sportsturf.asn.au.

Our very popular Pitch Preparation Day was 
held again at Melbourne Grammar School’s Flack 
Park facility in Port Melbourne on 11 September 
2018. In excess of 100 people attended from 
across Melbourne and Victoria. We thank our major 
sponsors for the day - Mentay and Sustainable 
Machinery - and also thank Melbourne Grammar 
School for the use of their fabulous grounds.

74 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.

Far left: STA Victoria committee 
member Mark Doyle assists Marcus 
Jackman with cylinder mower set-up

Left: Scarifiers, brushes and 
groomers were all demonstrated as 
part of the Pitch Preparation Day

This year the weather was kind to us with 
a full programme compiled and executed by 
John Shannon, Chris Cay, Brad Baptist and a 
passionate team of helpers. Many of the delegates 
were returning for the second year in a row.

John split the attendees into two groups for the 
day and subjects covered included all you need 
to know when building, preparing and maintaining 
a quality cricket pitch. Simultaneously, the STA 
Victoria committee seized the opportunity to hold a 
workshop to plan the future direction and events for 
the next 12 months.

Finally, the STA Victoria’s research project on 
the hours of use for different sports field construction 
types and maintenance inputs is now entering its 
final phase. The 2018 winter assessment has been 
completed which makes six assessments in total 
over the past 18 months. The winter assessment has 
provided several important observations as follows;

• Encouraging late summer growth and high turf
density in couchgrass and kikuyu is critical in
maintaining a good winter playing surface. The
traffic loads and subsequent turf thinning have
appeared to increase compared to 2017.

• A well-constructed sand-based field, even with
a moderate level of maintenance, provides the 
highest use sportsfield surface.

• While the winter was relatively dry, the soil­
based fields still have very limited hours of use 
due to the increase in soil moisture compared to
the sand field.
A final assessment is planned for late November 
2018 so as to assess spring growth rates and turf 
recovery. All previous reports and milestone updates 
relating to this STA Victoria project can be viewed 
online at www.vicsportsturf.asn.au.

STA VIC COMMITTEE

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

country looking at embarking upon resurfacing
projects and in doing so utilising modern turfgrass
reinforcement technologies such as hybrid systems.
These systems are having an increasing relevance 
across the centres as they allow councils to offer 
all the benefits of a ‘natural turf’ surface whilst 
facilitating increased playability and operational 
hours (when managed and maintained in line with 
supplier guidelines).

The recent completion of McLean Park in Napier 
with reinforced turf has further demonstrated the 
value of this technology when it comes to utilising 
facilities (in particular regional stadiums in the 
provinces) for more than ‘just sport’.

A reinforced surface allows the stakeholders to 
host multiple events across the community sector 
and in so doing increase the economic viability of 
their facility, as well as promote the relevance of 
their region to the rest of the country and overseas 
visitors.

WILL BOWDEN 
COMMITTEE, STANZ

The recent completion of McLean
Park in Napier with reinforced turf
has further demonstrated the value
of this technology when it comes to 
utilising facilities for more than just 
sport

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018  75

STANZ stanzT
With springtime well and truly upon us 

now, we are already starting to see the 
effects of turfgrass growth in our parks and 
recreational areas.

The usual flush of turf growth is a difficult 
balancing act for maintenance contractors and 
facility managers to achieve. The increased mowing 
requirements come at a time when most teams are 
scrambling to change over codes and prep cricket 
blocks etc.

I was recently involved in a meeting with a 
selection of other stakeholders regarding the 
development of what will be New Zealand’s first 
‘IS-rated’ (Infrastructure Sustainability) sports park. 
The Scott Point Park in Auckland is looking to 
set the standard for sports park innovation and 
sustainability across New Zealand.

The project will feature a number of multi-use 
platforms with a mix of natural turf, hybrid and 
synthetic surfaces being considered at the concept 
phase. The key difference of this development is that 
it must demonstrate a reduction in the reliance of 
potable water, minimise carbon emissions, optimise 
carbon sequestration and promote technologies 
that utilise renewable energy sources. More about 
the project can be read at www.isca.org.au.

Aside from this exciting development, there 
are a number of other key venues around the

ASSOCIATION REPORTS

TGCSA®

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After a long stint out of the presidential spotlight 

(and thanks to a classic stitch-up at the recent 
AGM), I have accepted the president’s role for 
the TGCSA after riding shotgun to Mark Johnson 

(Ulverstone Golf Club) for the last five years.

Mark has been a tremendous president for our 
association and unfortunately had to step down after 
taking on the role of general manager at his club last 
year. Mark’s passion, people skills and leadership 
has left the TGCSA in a very healthy position 
moving forward and we trust that we can keep the 
association heading in the same direction. The new 
TGCSA committee is;
• President: Phil Hill (Barnbougie)
• Vice-president: Tony Smith (Launceston GC)
• Secretary: Danny Gilligan (Tasmania GC) 
• Treasurer: Gary Byard (Tam O’Shanter GC)
• Committee: Brian Dunn (University of Tasmania 
Stadium), James Pyke (Mowbray GC), Dylan 
Knight and Tom Filtness (both Kingston Beach 
Golf Club).
The TGCSA annual state conference and AGM 
was held at Tamar Valley Resort in August and 
I can most certainly say that it was once again 
very successful. A huge thank you to Toro/Pellows 
Saws and Mowers for being the major sponsor 
for our event. A classy group of keynote speakers 
captivated the audience with their presentations 
which covered a good cross-section of most turf 
management areas.

Tony Hemming (Optus Stadium) led off with 
a very interesting presentation on the construction 
and grow-in of Australia’s newest multi-purpose 
arena. Rod Hinwood (Ellerston GC) followed in 
the afternoon session on day one and gave us an 
insight into the past, present and future of one of the 
country’s most exclusive golf courses. In true Roddy 
style it was a very entertaining presentation.

Day two was kicked off by Rob Savedra from 
Melbourne’s Wesley College. Rob’s topic ‘Rising

ON THE MOVE
BARRY PROCTOR: From
superintendent Cranbourne 
Golf Club, Vic to superintendent 
Woodlands Golf Club, Vic.
LIAM SPOONER: Appointed 
superintendent Secrets Golf
Club, WA.

ROD TATT: Appointed 
superintendent Mount 
Lawley Golf Club, WA.

KIM TONKIN: 
From
superintendent Penfield
Golf Club, SA to assistant
superintendent Mt Osmond Golf 
Club, SA.
WADE WILLIAMS: From
assistant superintendent to 
superintendent Federal Golf 
Club, ACT.
SIMON WORK: From assistant 
superintendent Mt Osmond 
Golf Club, SA to superintendent 
North Adelaide Golf Links, SA.
ANDREW WRIGHT: From 
superintendent Gisborne Golf 
Club, Vic to superintendent 
Brighton Public Golf Course, Vic.

CLARIFICATION

In the July-August 2018 edition (Volume 
20.4), Australian Turfgrass Management 
Journal carried an article titled Three 
decades of excellence’ (p22-26) on 2018 
Excellence in Golf Course Management 
Award winner Mark O’Sullivan from 
Roseville Golf Club. O’Sullivan contacted 
ATM shortly after publication wishing to 
clarify that during the major course works 
mentioned in the article, there were many 
people and companies involved.

As referred to in the article ‘Roseville 
set to bloom’ (p68-69, ATM Volume 
11.4 - July-August 2009), the following 
people were significant contributors to

the Roseville water storage and course 
redesign project:
•  The late Ron Hayden, who was a 
driving force behind the project as 
the greens chairman and committee 
member who attended weekly site 
meetings and liaised with the board;

•  Jim Wilcher, from Golf by Design, 
who was the project manager and 
designer for the water storage and 
course redesign; and

•  Jason Seagg, the club’s general 
manager at the time, who kept the 
members informed on how the work 
was progressing and negotiated with 
councils and governments.

76 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

from adversity’ was a wake-up call to us all when 
a fire destroys a big part of your establishment and 
the long road to recovery that is required. Charlie 
Giffard (Indooroopilly GC) was our last fly-in and 
as Charlie would say we ‘left the best until last’! 
Charlie’s presentation made a big impact on what 
can happen in a major flood event and the clean-up 
that followed - what a monumental task!

Other presentations which made for a very 
successful conference were given by Nathan 
Tovey (e-par), Total Ag Solutions (Kubota/Baroness 
range), Brett Chivers (Globe Growing Solutions), 
Peter Kirby (Adama/Nuturf/Serve-Ag) and Nadeem 
Zreikat (Colin Campbell).

A huge thank you must also go to Dan 
Docherty (Syngenta) for presenting on tools to 
create efficiencies within the workplace, as well as 
presenting our TGCSA Apprentice of the Year Award 
to Bryce Walsh (Royal Hobart Golf Club). As many 
will know, Bryce went was named joint winner of 
the AGCSA Graduate of the Year Award at the New 
Zealand conference in June as well. Congratulations 
to Bryce and of course his mentors Steve Lewis 
(superintendent) and Gareth Kelly (2IC).

The TGCSA conference was extremely well 
supported with around 80 delegates and trade 
representatives and a small trade show which 
doubled as the venue for happy hour at the end of 
the opening day. The President’s Dinner followed 
where we were entertained by David Fox (Hawthorn 
Football Club, Tas) who gave us an insight into 
the benefits and forward movements of Hawthorn 
in Tasmania. It was a great night and thanks to 
everyone involved for making it a success.

AROUND THE TRAPS...
• 

Isaac Jones has been promoted to 
superintendent at Ulverstone Golf Club;

•  Tony Smith (superintendent Launceston GC) 
continues with stripping the organic matter out 
of his greens (4, 5 and 15 are done);

•  Chris Hay has migrated north from Kingborough 
Twin Ovals to take a position on the crew at 
University of Tasmania Stadium (formerly Aurora 
Stadium);

•  Neville ‘Mooch’ Coulson (Toro Pellows Saws 

and Mowers) is retiring. Well done Mooch!

•  Geoff Stephens (ex-Toro WA) has purchased a 
share in Pellows Saws and Mowers. Good luck 
Stevo!

•  Arm End Golf Development near Hobart has 
been given the green light for effluent water 
supply.
The next TGCSA event will be in Hobart in mid­

November sponsored by Serve-Ag.

PHIL HILL 
PRESIDENT, TGCSA

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www.agcsa.com.au/agcsatech

UP THE LAST

Australia is full of 
introduced pests - rabbits, 
foxes, cane toads. For 
the past 30 years the 
Australian turf management 
fraternity has had to put up 
with another... Kiwi-born 
Rob Bradley who has just 
clocked up a quarter of a 
century as Curlewis Golf 
Club superintendent.

There were a few weird things of course. What the 
hell was with this ‘scallop’ thing in NSW - they are 
potato cakes or fritters! And where was the blue cod 
- who the hell eats shark?! And don’t play golf for a 
jug like back in NZ, they cost a fortune if you lose!

I was lucky enough to be given a spot on the 
floor of Peter Frewin’s Sydney flat until I found 
somewhere else, which was quite apt given that 
after drinking VB most nights the floor was where 
I ended up anyway. Four greenkeepers in a house 
and we still paid an apprentice to mow the lawns!

As the new kid, it was a rite of passage to be 
pranked. On one of the first weekends we had a 
BBQ with a fire and my flatmates started ripping the 
palings off the fence to chuck on the fire. As a naive 
Christchurch boy I wondered what the hell was 
going on. Firstly, it was a balmy 17 degrees - why 
did they need a fire? - and secondly, what about 
the bloody fence?! I found out the next day that the 
fence was being pulled down and rebuilt.

And so it started. Pete got the gig at Barwon 
Heads and I graduated from off the floor. Some 
18 months later I followed Pete to Barwon Heads 
as his assistant and then moved down the road to 
Curlewis four years after that. The interview involved 
a nine-person sub-committee. I was offered the job 
and accepted it, but then had to wait for the sub­
committee to go back to ‘the committee’ before it 
was all ratified... how big was the committee?!

Back then the 20-minute drive from Barwon 
Heads to Curlewis was like going back 20 years. I 
clearly recall my father saying, ‘Don’t accept the job 
first up. Ask for a look in the shed first’. I stated this 
to the secretary who flatly said, ‘If you look in the 
shed you won’t take the job.’ I thought, ‘How bad 
could it be? Surely it couldn’t be any worse than the 
course I did my apprenticeship at?’ It was!

On my first day I arrived to find a sheep tied 
up out the front of the shed - what is it with this 
Kiwi thing and sheep?! But I knew at least I had a 
staff that had a sense of humour (it was humorous 
wasn’t it?)

As the Aussie mantra goes, it’s ‘good to be the 
boss’ and I’ve certainly picked up some of those 
great sayings you learn as a greenkeeper...
•  One stuff up a day is okay as long as nothing 

dies (grass or person);

•  You are doing this job again because you are 

very good at it or very bad... you decide!

•  While you are doing this you’re doing nothing 

else;

•  Start at the beginning, finish at the end;
•  Eight hours in a day, you have six hours left 
(never really got that one, but use it on the 
apprentice anyway);
If the chemical applied does not work, just 
add another ‘breath’ next time (i.e.: tip in some 
more product, but just one short breath’s worth 
though);

• 

•  Just bury it - I won’t be there when it causes 

problems again (problem was I was); and

.The black 
heep
I still think my father, Bob, a life member of 

the New Zealand Golf Course Superintendents 
Association, wanted me out of the country so I 
didn’t lower New Zealand golf’s new-found level of 

professionalism. My homeland’s loss was Australia’s 
gain and this year I’ve notched up 25 years as 
course superintendent at Curlewis Golf Club on the 
Bellarine Peninsula and 30 years in Australia! I’ve 
taken an Australian’s job, taken an Australian wife 
(now ex), own a piece of Australian terra firma and 
got punished by having Australian children!

I have always said don’t ask my opinion because 
I will give it and that upsets some people (maybe 
some might by reading this). But sometimes there 
is no point beating around the bush and giving 
everyone a ribbon for ‘turning up’ and ‘trying hard’. 
So, having been asked, somewhat foolishly, by 
a fellow countryman to reflect upon my time on 
the wrong side of the Ditch, here are some of the 
lessons I have learnt and stories from along the 
journey. As they say, proceed at your own risk...

WHO THE HELL EATS SHARK?!
I arrived in this country with a job offer from the great 
nomad Phil Knight who was then superintendent at 
The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney and who knew my 
dad from his time working at Shandon Golf Club in 
Wellington. It was 1988, Australia’s Bicentenary, and 
I recall the tall ships coming into Sydney Harbour 
and thinking the entire population of NZ was there 
watching them! How big was this country?!

Life was good back then. VB was $16 a box, a 
schooner set you back $1.80 and you could buy 
smoko all week and it still didn’t cost more than $20.

78 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.5

•  A slab of VB will negotiate anything in Victoria, 

from small to big favours.
If you can’t laugh at yourself then maybe a 
career change is needed and at Curlewis we have 
a, politely put, ‘stuff up’ shelf of which I can claim 
to own a few items. Among my contributions is a 
fellow worker’s jacket that I cut into a few pieces 
when I jumped on the fairway mower and took over 
from him. It wasn’t until I turned at the end of the 
fairway and looked back and realised, it looked like 
a runway for night flying was laid out, but at least 
the lines were straight! Sprinklers, wiring, flagsticks, 
rakes, members’ golf balls, even clubs adorn the 
shelf, not all mine though. Price of admission to the 
shelf is a box of amber.

WIKILEAKS OF GREENKEEPING
A rep in Victoria, who shall remain nameless, and 
I used to sit and share stories on the things that 
have happened throughout our careers and some 
of the wonderful stories that our industry has a 
knack of generating. He wrote a memoir which is 
a bit of a laugh to read and it’s still floating around 
the traps. My stories are only a few of the many that 
superintendents could add to, but here are a few 
that have tickled the funny bone...
•  A bloke in Sydney, fertilising by fishmouthing 
greens in the nude to win a bet, was sprung 
by a group of unsuspecting lady members. 
He finished the green off as if nothing had 
happened...

•  The sun-loving groundsman who mowed in the 
nude away from the boss’s sight, but somehow 
would get an all-over tan (big effort mowing 
fairways backwards!)

•  On those hot days in Victoria, the front end 
loader makes for a great diving board (it would 
be a ‘silt testing’ operation for managers reading 
this...)

•  A course in Geelong gave one of the staff notice 
and he took a mower out on to a busy road, got 
off it and threw the keys in the bushes. Always 
better to give someone notice at the end of the 
day...

•  A superintendent asking for a bigger coring tine, 
so I suggested a post hole digger (Frewin never 
took me to another Vic supers meeting after 
that).

•  A work experience kid (now a superintendent) 
gave one of my older staff a face full of tomato 
sauce. It would have been two weeks later and 
6.30am when priming the diesel pump that he 
got a size 9 up the backside straight into the 
dam;

•  The staff member hand-scarifying a green was 
left with the hand grips only in his hand as the 
scarifier took off into the distance, stopping 
100m away;
In-house irrigation is good fun except if you have 
someone lay out all the fairway pipe and fittings, 
reducers etc and then not glue any reducers in,

• 

When he turned up for his first day 
at Curlewis 25 years ago, a sheep 
was tied up outside the front of the 
shed. Nowadays Bradley has to put 
up with a goat named Morwood (see 
ATM Vol 18.4)

or worse, have volunteers turn up unannounced 
and back fill your trenches (no wiring in) when 
you are having smoko.

•  Making a ute out of an old Falcon by cutting the 
roof off and bending back. It had no brakes so 
we had a brick on a rope. It ended up we had 
bricks all around the course in strategic spots 
to stop the car rolling. This was superseded 
with an off-road buggy before the club finally 
bought us a golf cart, the first step on the road 
to professionalism.

•  Telling a golfer to pull his head in and basically 
go away (polite term) and finding out he is the 
next president...
At Curlewis I have seen the good, the bad 
and now the better. From a club that was once 
struggling financially, we are now apparently one of 
the fastest growing in Australia (I just keep moving 
the boundary pegs out and adding another foot to 
each golf hole to keep this title!). With our future 
plans including accommodation and continued 
work with chainsaw and sawmill on the course side, 
it’s a ride I did not think I would see when I started 
here quarter of a century ago.

Bradley has never been one to shy 
away from putting shoulder to wheel, 
or a drum in this case. Kiwis may 
recognise the resemblance to Colin 
‘Pine Tree’ Meads

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 

79

OAGCSA

PARTNER RECOGNITION PROGRAMME

Support those organisations who support your association

Thank you to all the partners who help the AGCSA provide members with the greatest 

programmes and services the industry has to offer.

Amgrow

TORO

AGCSA

PLATINUM SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

JAGCSA
uAGCSA

SILVER SPONSOR

AGCSA

BRONZE SPONSOR

JACaBS=l\l 

A Textron Company 

NUTURF

specialists providing solutions

syngenta

globe

ROWING SOLUTIONS

KUBOTA 
aoonnggg

John Deere

Brown Brothers 

fl J Engineers 
wAJ Australia Ltd

CCI^

COUNTRY CLUB 
INTERNATIONAL

GOLF COURSE 
EQUIPMENT

SAFETY 
FENCING

WATER 
MANAGEMENT

disit
Golf Solutions

Hunter

Built on Innovation'

Aicl

Where needs take us

david golf

EST. 1956

ooasis turf

L

PGG WrightsonTurf

Rain^Bird Simpiot

PARTNERS

John Deere - leading the way 
in accuracy and precision

With over 20 years of proven success, continual development 
and advancements in the guidance segment, John Deere has 
now applied this technology to its SelectSpray™ Series.
With a John Deere guidance system on a John Deere machine, 
you can expect seamless integration with John Deere AutoTrac™ 
meaning less time spent spraying and a more alert operator at 
the end of the spraying operation. Furthermore, with access 
to the John Deere Operations Centre you can view the data 
collected and make informed decisions on your course.

With a 1,135.6 litre tank capacity on the HD300 or 757 litre 
capacity on the HD200 coupled with the rate controller and 
individual nozzle control, accuracy is the name of the game 
resulting in not only chemical savings, but also labour savings. 
A choice of either diaphragm or centrifugal stainless steel 
pump is available depending on your needs.
Talk to your local John Deere Golf Dealer today to 
find out more.

OFFICIAL 
GOLF COURSE 
EQUIPMENT 
SUPPLIER

LONG JOB LISI ONE EAS^
EASY-ON-TURF MACHINE

What Matters Most to You Matters Most to Us.
Get more done in a day with a single machine than you thought possible. Introducing the all-new Outcross. Part tractor, part vehicle, and 
all Toro. Specifically designed for turf with full-time 4-wheel drive, 4-wheel steer, and intuitive controls that simplify critical operations like 
aerating, top dressing and hundreds of other tasks, the all-season Outcross athletically powers through your job list. Be ready for play, today.

COMING SOON - REGISTER YOUR INTEREST NOW WITH YOUR LOCAL TORO REPRESENTATIVE

r i

TORO

k J

Toro Customer Service 1800 356 372
Visit toro.com.au to find your nearest certified Toro dealer.

5 /toroaus

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