Extreme weather - Issue 115
Did we miss summer?
So, there you have it.... the longest day has been and gone and we are well on the way to darker nights, autumn - even winter for that matter and, of course, Christmas!
A couple of weeks of lovely weather aside, it doesn’t feel as though summer has even arrived yet, but from a turf manager’s perspective at least the rain has let up and allowed renovations and general maintenance to return to ‘normal’ - if there is such a thing anymore?
There is no doubt that last winter was a shocker, with England enduring the wettest eighteen months since 1836. In our cover story, industry expert Mark Hunt delves into what was behind winter’s weather patterns, crunches some numbers to see why it caused so much of an issue for turfgrass managers, and looks at the reasons behind this (page 8). We know that with wet weather comes an increased risk of turf disease and, in an article on page 36, Dr. Jonathan Knowles (Head of Sports Turf Academy at Leicester City Football Club) offers clear and practical insights on turfgrass diseases.
Also in this issue, our Science Spotlight covers the important topic - ‘What is a CE mark?’. Henry Bechelet, Technical Manager for ICL, tells us why The Fertilising Product Regulations are raising the standards for our industry (page 26).
Our regular features include Top Tips - topdressing advice (page 24), Wellbeing - vandalism heartbreak at Lickey Hills Golf Club (page 62) and a plethora of technical articles including the future of sustainable landscaping - battery v petrol (page 52), technology for groundcare managers (page 70) and an interesting article on how we turn the tide on the recruitment crisis (page 84).
England fell short at the last hurdle and, aside from some tough home nation watches, media focus has been on some of the performances of the German pitches, with divots a common occurrence. Seldom in today’s world do the pundits and tabloids ever have justifiable material to criticise UK pitches, which is testament to the dedication, expertise and skill of our fantastic groundstaff and the thriving turf industry we are part of.
Good luck to the team at Royal Troon hosting The Open and all those who have presided over the grass court season, as the ultimate major tennis spectacle is underway.
Kerry
t: 07973 394037
e: kerry.haywood@pitchcare.com