Tricky Ricky Green Keeper with a trick or two

Date:  21 August 2007

Soil samples, seasonal diseases, bugs that can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage and pests that lurk under the turf waiting to strike when the conditions are right. No, it's not the latest Hollywood disaster movie, but just a normal working week for head greenkeeper Aaron Percival and his hard working team from John O'Conners GM Limited.

For the last five years, Aaron has been looking after the tees, caring for the greens and going more than a fairway to put Rickmansworth Public Golf Course on the map and establish its reputation in the local area as Tricky Ricky.

With tee markers to move every morning depending on competitions, wind direction and strength, pins to move to keep golfers thinking about their final putt, fringes to trim, the rough to cut and heavy divots to replace, the day tees off with an early start, but not all the work of the greenkeeper is so visible.

Menacing bugs and pests can lurk under the soil waiting to strike on the tender, lush springtime grass. The crane fly, commonly known as the Daddy Long Legs, likes to lay its larvae under the surface of the turf and once hatched, they eat away at the root system, weakening the grass and in a worst case scenario cause greens and tees to be unplayable.

However, it's not the threat of bugs that keep Aaron awake at night. The weather dominates his day and dictates his working week. From September, hundreds of metres of new drainage pipes will be buried in the 6th fairway, which has suffered with flooding from natural springs. The water will be redirected into existing ditches. New bunker sand has been experimented with on the practice area and will be introduced to the main 18-hole course in September. The new sand will provide better drainage and will lessen the wash away after heavy rains. This winter will see golfers teeing off temporary grass areas on most holes, avoiding the dreaded winter mats. With the introduction of new technology, Aaron can now control the recently installed irrigation system from the office or his home, meaning what ever the weather, he's able to react and keep the course in the condition golfers expect, day to day, season to season.

As for the future of green keeping in this country, it could be getting a whole lot greener. Many varieties of grass seeds are being developed to deal with our ever changing climate.