With the Royal Norwich [golf club] investing £15 million in its newly established 18-hole course at Weston Longville, on the outskirts of the Norfolk city, the cost of its Rigby Taylor POGO Pro soil and turf management meter pales into insignificance.
But, says Estates Manager Peter Todd, “the value of the benefits that POGO brings are priceless”.
He adds: “POGO has been indispensable in helping us to establish and maintain these new greens at a level to create a benchmark golf facility in the region.”
The course has been over two years in construction and aside from Peter’s initial agronomy work, for instance, its creation has also involved collaborative discussions, and decisions, with course architect Ross McMurray (European Golf Design) as well as course construction contractor M J Abbott and irrigation specialist Rain Bird.
After their deliberations, and the use of around 11,000 tonnes of sand to construct the tees, greens and bunkers – on a site characterised by a predominantly sandy-loam profile - the result is a stunning 18-hole, 7,239-yards course that many will agree justifies Peter’s views.
The complex will be maintained by a team of 13 greenkeepers including an in-house workshop technician, with all the team housed in a modern Turf Care Centre of Excellence boasting a state-of-the-art mower blade grinding/sharpening area and including a training room where visitors (even club members) can learn about all aspects of the course and its operation – including the benefits being obtained by the POGO Pro turf meter.
Peter’s enthusiasm for the potential of the site is also reflected in his views about POGO Pro and how the course – and its players – will benefit from the system’s ability to measure the most influential variables governing turf performance; moisture, salinity, canopy temperature, nutrition and turf stress/disease, for example.
POGO Pro also connects remotely to any Apple or android device and its integrated GPS features include precise location, geospatial condition analysis, cup placements, sprinkler positioning and patterns, area measurement and custom mapping.
In the world of football, the quality of the playing surface can...
...Read More
ICL and Syngenta are excited to launch Turf Rewards 2024, a...
...Read More