Green Keepers

The team are out on the course in the Winter at 7.30am but in the Summer start work at 6am to make sure that the course is always in peak condition.

The biggest problem of running a down land course like Seaford is that of the Crows and Rabbits. Because there are a lot of grubs in the fertile soil, the crows dig them up but if this is on a green, this can cause very costly damage which needs to be speedily put right before the first game in the morning. Also, the multitude of rabbits and other wild-life cause immense problems but because Seaford Town Council runs and anti chemical policy and insists on using all natural measures, it becomes an on-going problem.

The responsibilities of a Head Greenkeeper / Course Manager are for the development and maintenance procedures on the golf course.

The financial areas of the course also fall under his jurisdiction: Costing/Quotations, Budgets, Bills of Quantities, Invoice Management, Health and Safety

The team are:

Jon Linscer - Head Green Keeper
Jon has worked Seaford Head for the last 15 years.

Simon Lambert - Assistant Green Keeper
Simon has been part of the team at Seaford Head for 5 years

Chris Walsh - Assistant Green Keeper
Chris has been part of the team for 2 years

Alexander Lott - Trainee Green Keeper
Alex has just joined the team Summer 2008

The Course in General

Seaford Head Golf Course is a Downland Course. The grass species present are well suited to the conditions and the environment in this area. The maintenance operations have been tuned to suit the growth habits of these plants. This has diverted the resources to other areas of the course that need extra attention resulting in the continuing progression of the course giving excellent high quality playing surfaces

Areas that used to be mown are now left for wild flowers such as Gorse and Bluebells to establish. This is beneficial for the greenkeeper and the environment alike.

Seaford Head Golf Course is an S.S.S.I. (Site of Special Scientific Interest) which means that the course has a selection of uncommon plants and invertebrates. These are set aside to develop and fill in the off areas of the course. They are, however, under threat from rabbits and other animals on the course. Over the last year the greenkeeping team have been liaising with the Sussex Downland rangers as to the control of these pests and the establishment of wild flowers such as Bluebells and Orchids

Irrigation

This area has been a turning point for the golf course, putting Seaford Head on the map to be one of the few golf courses in Britain to have a computerised irrigation system controlled by a master computer linked to a PC. Having this installed will benefit the course in the long term as it is more reliable and efficient. The system has the intelligence to increase or decrease the power supply to fit the needs of the system.

Gemini has been developed by Cosmos, to be a reliable alternative to a manually operative program. It enables the entry or edit of irrigation programs quickly and easily, with all the programs graphically presented. This shows the layout of the holes and where the existing sprinkler heads are located

The construction of a new pump house has added the finishing touches to a new and reliable irrigation system

The Machinery

Five years ago there was a poor selection of machines that needed to be replaced. They were ineffective as reliable stock and this brought the running costs and the down time of the machines to an unacceptably high level. This was an ideal opportunity to replace and improve the inventory of machines. As a result, the efficiency and productivity increased and the golf course gained 7 brand new machines. As for tools, the course has a wide selection ranging from spanners to grinders which are attached to a large board for easy access.

The machines & tools are as follows:

Toro Greensmaster 3000D - Greens mowing practices
Jacobsen LF100 - Fairways only
John Deere 2653A - One of the recent machines used for tee surrounds and approaches as well as semi rough
John Deere 1145 - another new machine used for main rough and other areas on the course
Ransomes 171 - Spare mower for backup and for jobs that are detrimental to the quality of the greensmaster cut
Saxon - Bought last year, used to cut on green and tee banks and any other awkward areas
John Deere 855 front end loader - all loading and clearing operations. Hollowcoring/aerating and any other tractor requirements
Ransomes Cushman - Main use is for spraying and top dressing but is also used as a utility vehicle
Kawasaki Mule - Utility Vehicle
Golf Cart/Buggy - Utility Vehicle and Course Inspection Vehicle
Other smaller equipment - flymos, strimmers, blowers, etc