The
Lansdowne course at Blairgowrie Golf Club in Perthshire, Scotland has seen huge
benefits since using a range of ICL’s H2Pro moisture management products –
according to Course Manager Craig Stewart.
Craig
Stewart is the man responsible for maintaining the magnificent championship
course and has six full-time staff with two seasonal workers alongside him.
As a
long-term user of ICL products, Craig first started applying the H2Pro range of
products five years ago after a successful trial.
“Essentially,
our aim was to keep the surface and the profile dry on the greens and
approaches throughout winter. We tried a few products and then Jamie Lees (ICL
Technical Area Sales Manager, Scotland) suggested trialling H2Pro TriSmart. We
trialled it for two months in the middle of that summer, saw great results and
we just carried on from there. I like the fact that you can go from TriSmart to
FlowSmart carrying on the moisture management programme all through the year.”
Craig
first applies H2ProTriSmart in April at a rate of 10L/ha. He continues with
monthly applications before switching to H2Pro FlowSmart in September or
October depending on the weather conditions.
“As
soon as the weather begins to change and it turns a bit cooler then we know
that it is time to switch to FlowSmart. We then use that for as long as it’s
needed just to pull the moisture through the surface and the profile to dry the
greens out.
“It
is such a flexible programme and you can tailor it to your everyday conditions
rather than having a fixed plan. If we get a wet spring or summer then we use
FlowSmart until it starts to dry up a bit and then we switch back over to
TriSmart, but it can work both ways.
“We’ve
also noticed a big reduction in irrigation and hand watering. Since using H2Pro
TriSmart we very seldom use another wetting agent because quite simply we have
no need. It is labour saving because we no longer have guys out with hoses
looking for dry patches on the greens and of course we are saving money on
water usage too.”
The
H2Pro range of products are not the only ICL products that Craig uses and he
gave his reasons as to why the company plays such big role in his maintenance
procedures.
“The
majority of the products we use at Lansdowne are from ICL. Jamie helps me put a
programme together every year and if we ever have any problems then he is
always around for support. From a technical point of view, I just cannot fault
the advice I get.
“We
know the amount of money and research that goes into their products and I think
that gives you confidence. Every product is consistently good. For example,
when we get a bag of fertilizer from ICL we know exactly what we are getting -
it is always consistent.”
