My Background… I’ve been a greenkeeper for over 36 years now, man and boy as they say. I started as an apprentice at Cawdor Golf Club, at 16 years of age on the YTS scheme, on a mere £29.50 for a 40-hour week. Having never played on a golf course, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the big draw for me was being outdoors. At first it was all a bit alien. I was never an acade mic person at school, but when I started my apprenticeship, I completed three years of day-release college. This made me...

Everything in life needs oxygen, and your pond or lake is no different. Low dissolved oxygen levels can lead to poor water quality and harm aquatic life. They can also be a risk to public health and safety. Signs of Low Oxygen Levels ·        Excess algae growth ·        Foul smelling water ·        Lots of surface insects ·        Dead or dying fish Why Oxygen Levels Fall Most oxygen in the water bodies exists in the top layer. During warm weather this surface layer heats up, reducing its...

I always say to our apprentices, ‘never forget the basics, grass needs, food, water, air and light’. This article will deal with the food element, what to feed, when to feed and how to feed. My best advice would always be start with soil analysis, what is present, what you need and what is lacking. Every winter we take samples of our rootzones for analysis and the results of this will dictate the make up of our fertiliser programme. I grew up in a military family and there’s a saying in the...