Haywards Heath Golf Club, West Sussex

[barb]

Hi all
Just been reading on the BBC website about Haywards Heath Golf Club, West Sussex and their unfortunate mistake, watering 11 of the 18 fairways with weed killer instead of water and which they say the turf may not return to good order until spring 2009.
I know I wouldn't be a very happy member if that were my club.
Just wondering if anyone is affected by this or has had a similar thing happen at their club.

 

[forefortheday]

Read that too and thought oh my god costs about £1,100 to join as well so imagine having to play that all year!

Sad fact is it might destroy the club if all the members start demanding refunds.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Peter Allis mentioned this today - I really feel for the club members!

The only problem we've had is that in his last year our headkeeper seemed to forget what his job was. It took the new headkeeper a year to get the course back to how it should be!

Although slow, the greens are now very smooth and the fairways fantastic - especially considering it's only a 10 year old course!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

At Royal Ascot We are only 5 years old and maturing nicely. Our greens aren't great as they got infested with meadow grass and have needed intensive work to get rid of the problem. However visually it is looking a picture at the moment and when the latest batch of trees beging to mature adding definition to each hole it will be even better.

The greens are now fine to putt on if a little slow at times. but if you hit them online they are true with no bobbling.

I would be heartbroken if something like that happened now and would definitely be demanding at least a partial refund of my subs. I haven't heard too much about it so does that mean the course is unplayable now?

 

[barb]

Not sure Homer, the pics on the BBC site showed the fairways are all brown and it said the fairways were serverly damaged but the club has said the cost of repairing will mostly be covered by insurance and they have declined to comment further.

 

[big_russ]

The story was in a couple of papers i read this morning along with pictures and it looked like wasteland with only the greens a lush colour of green.
The greenkeeper used an industrial strength weed killer instead of the usual mild weedkiller that normally leaves the grass intact.
As the chairman of the greens commitee says "It could be spring next year before we have turf of good playing qality"

What a bunch of plonkers!!

 

[mackenzie]

Anyone got a link to the story? Can't find it on the beeb website.

 

[big_russ]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7503544.stm

This is the link you are looking for

 

[Farneyman]

It seems a costly way to make your course look like a links course in the summer!

 

[mackenzie]

Thanks!

Browns rather than greens huh?

 

[backwoodsman]

Hmmm...

I feel for the members. But The club should also be worried about being prosecuted. That sort of thing should not happen, and has to be a breach of the pesticide regulations, COSHH etc. That it's been reported on the beeb won't help it stay under the radar of those follow up this sort of thing.

 

[OldWindy]

Shame - not a bad track. Reckon the members will be demanding refunds but only reconstituting the fairways is apparently covered by the insurance.

 

[Red_Eyes]

I never use the fairways, favouring the rough at present.
Joking aside, I feel for the greenkeeper. Would something like that cause him to lose his job? That must be something that will follow him wherever he end up working. Though odds onhe'll never do it again.

 

[Greenkeeper]

Hello all

I just want to put some clarity on the situation.... you know what the press are like. The article in the papers contains the usual garbage form.
Firstly, this was a catastrophic mistake by one of the finest greenkeepers. The truth is he was not watering the fairways at all, he was spraying for weeds... however instead of using a selective weedkiller he used a total weedkiller.
I know there is no excuse for complacency, but in his defence, the chemical in question are all in 5 litre containers, they are the same colour and shape and the labels all look very similar indeed. One is for broad leaf weeds the other for paths, and that is the only visible difference. The manufacturers are already taking action to remedy this problem.
I feel for the members, but as a greenkeeper myself and knowing how much we care about our course, my heart goes out to him and his family. I hope he can keep his job, I know he was well thought of by the members and I know this will never happen again. But I think it has shaken many of us up in the industry.

I know I will take extra care in future.

Regards

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Greenkeeper,

Totally agree with your comments. Doesn't deserve to lose his livelihood over an error especially given the circumstances you illustrated. Have to say hats off to out greens staff today. We have had a problem over the last year with meadow grass infiltrating a nuumber of greens and so they haven't been great. Memebers have regularly moaned particularly about how they look (they never mention how they putt!)

They have been working really hard and on most of the problem greens the battle has been won and ont he others the green staff are ahead on points. The greens today and the course in general were a picture for captains day and as I mentioned on another post were officially 8.5 on the stimpmeter.

Can you confirm how that rates in general terms as they putted really well, true and quick but if you didn't get the pace right you were 4 foot past in a flash. I know it isn't anywhere near tour speed but is that fast for a members course at this time of year given the weather and the problems we have had

 

[Greenkeeper]

Hi Homer

The sad truth is, he probably will. For someone to be in the industry for so long and who has contributed so much it’s a crying shame. The biggest concern is that if he does lose his job, and because of the high profile mistake he has made, he may never find another job in the occupation he loves.

Regards to the meadow grass problem, your greenkeepers need to be commended. So many give up and let the meadow grass dominate our greens. It’s a growing concern, particularly with the current finical restraints we are under. You see meadow grass is a hungry, thirsty and sickly weed grass. It requires loads of fertiliser, water and chemicals to produce a reasonable playing surface. The current price increase and the chemical legislation changes meadow grass is no longer sustainable.

I wish them luck!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Greenkeeper

Here is an extract from our latest captains report on how they are dealing with the problem:

As this years Captain I am concerned about the number of letters I am receiving with regard to the condition of the Greens. We are all aware it has been a long and cold spring and, until the last few days growth has indeed been slow. The Green Staff assure me they will be dealing with the meadow grass on the greens as soon as the weather conditions permit and are right for this action.
I am in constant contact with Alistair Holehouse (Course Manager) as to the condition of the golf course and we all look forward to better weather and playing conditions. To ensure the continued progress of the improvement in greens condition Alistair has the following programme is in place:
Mini Solid time aeration monthly. Verti cutting every two weeks. Over seal with pure bent grass to thicken the greens surface. Foliar feed to aid seed germination.
This will get the greens back to where they have been in the past.

As I said to day they were 8.5 on the stimp and true. Is that a reasonably quick reading for the time of year, the wet weather this week and given the work put in.

 

[viscount17]

I know there is no excuse for complacency, but in his defence, the chemical in question are all in 5 litre containers, they are the same colour and shape and the labels all look very similar indeed. One is for broad leaf weeds the other for paths, and that is the only visible difference. The manufacturers are already taking action to remedy this problem.

I expect this came out of the same piece of Euro legislation that decided that all fire extinguishers had to be (predominently) red irrespective of their contents and use.