As the old saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. That’s certainly the motto for Came Down Golf Club in Dorchester, who have been using a nutritional programme from Suståne on their greens for over 30 years.
The club says it continues to give them controlled growth, outstanding colour and enhanced plant health year after year.
Established in 1896, Came Down is a chalk-downland course nestled in the Dorset countryside which has strong historical links with some of golf’s most important institutions including The R&A, The Ryder Cup and The Open.
While James Lockwood has been at the venue for 18 years, and Head Greenkeeper for the last three, he admits that the club’s relationship with Suståne goes much further back. “We think Suståne has been used here for roughly 35 years, making us one of the first clubs in the UK to use their products!”
James’ current programme, constructed in conjunction with Suståne’s Russell Riley and local distributors Agrovista, includes Suståne 10-1-4 as a spring starter, 5-2-10+Fe applied at lower rates and regular intervals throughout the summer and 5-2-4 to keep the greens ticking over in winter. “This is the tried and tested combination which works perfectly for us” he says.
“Firstly, it’s great that it’s all organic. The club are keen to utilise more sustainable solutions and this programme, in conjunction with some of our cultural practices, has helped us to pretty much eliminate the use of fungicides. Secondly, we like the control it gives us – no massive flushes of growth, just a steady, healthy growth pattern that leaves the greens looking immaculate and playing well year-round.”
James adds, “We have a couple of greens in shaded spots that have previously struggled with Fusarium. With a bit of trial and error, we’ve found that upping the rate of Suståne 5-2-10 through the back end of the summer, and 5-2-4 in the winter has helped us to limit the impact on these specific areas. It’s becoming increasingly important that we all try and resolve these issues using science and clever microbiology rather than relying on chemicals.”
“Another thing we like is that the granules are nice and fine which means we can apply it exactly when we need to without risking any interruption to play.” He concludes, “It’s testament to the continual quality and results that we rarely have to stray away from the programme that has been so pivotal to things here at Came Down for so long.”
