Meet the golf course manager: Rob Ransome

By Alistair October 11, 2018 20:04 Updated

The course manager of Eaton Golf Club in Norfolk talks about how the thatch removal programme his team has implemented has led to increased consistency in the greens.

Founded in 1910, Eaton Golf Club, located just one mile from the centre of Norwich, is described as an oasis of beauty and tranquillity set within walking distance of a city centre.

Designed by four-times Open champion JH Taylor, the course is a challenging test for golfers of all abilities. It is an attractive parkland course, extensively tree-lined and it demands accurate and intelligent shots, especially off the tees.

In 2017 the club was twice featured on ITV News; both stories were about elderly members, one 90 the other 100, who both stated that playing golf regularly at Eaton is one of the keys to their longevity.

GreenKeeping speaks to the club’s course manager, Rob Ransome, about the challenges involved in maintaining such an important and picturesque venue.

What was your path to greenkeeping and how long have you now been at Eaton Golf Club?

I fell in to greenkeeping really! I was working for George Porter, the general manager of Sprowston Park Golf Club in Norwich, on a temporary contract as a forklift driver. When my time finished, he asked if I would be interested in becoming a greenkeeper at the club. I started in 1994, working under head greenkeeper, Martin Anthony, who encouraged me to gain my NVQ2 at Plumpton College. I reluctantly left in 1996 for Diss GC as a first assistant where I then accepted the course manager’s position in 1999. I was only 23 at the time, but had a good work ethic and knowledge instilled in me from my time at Sprowston.

I gained my NVQ3 at Easton / Otley College and various STRI, BIGGA, NPTC training. The position of course manager at Eaton Golf Club came up in 2017. I have been a long-time admirer of Eaton and was fortunate enough to be given the position. I recently had my 12-month review from the chairman and all is good, phew!

What is the size of your team, what are their names, how do you maximise the team and resources to ensure a high end product is delivered to the playing visitors?

There are two greenkeepers, Richard Brown and James Brown, plus Ben Borley, a greenkeeper / arborist, and myself. We have recently restructured the greens’ team and are currently recruiting for an assistant greenkeeper and an apprentice. We also have a part-time gardener, AJ, who is assisted by James one day a week, who do a fantastic job with the clubhouse surrounds. There has been a lot of training and investment in the team since my arrival. I believe it’s important to keep the team involved with everything we do on the course. Team is the key word for me and although the last year has been a real challenge for us, work ethic and morale is very high, with a determination to get the course where we want it to be.

What would you say are the biggest challenges you currently face and how do these impact on the daily maintenance across the course?

We are a very busy club, so time management is essential. Working together and as efficiently as possible allows us to achieve what’s expected from our members. This summer has really taken its toll on the course too, so patience, good timing and communication is required to ensure we get the affected areas back to a good standard.

What grass cultivars and seed do you use across the course, how often do you overseed?

The greens are overseeded three times a year using Mascot R103 or R105 bent, and once with R1 bent / fescue during our spring renovation. Tee boxes are drilled twice a year with R9 ultra-fine rye and divotted weekly with R9 and R5 fescue mix. Surrounds are drilled once a year with R9, and R5 when renovated. Fairways are drilled once a year with R9 and / or R5.

What aeration and topdressing programme do you use across the course? What equipment and processes do you use on the varying areas, when do you undertake the work and how far in advance is your programme planned?

Aeration consists of 8mm solid tines through the summer months moving up to 12mm between October and March. 12mm hollow cores are used in September and April, with 8mm cores used between May and August.

We are working on exchange and thatch removal to increase greens’ quality. The greens here can get very saturated in the winter, so we’ve moved over to straight sands going little and often through the summer and heavy when coring. Over the last 12 months we have applied 110 tonnes, but our target is 160 tonnes.

It is important for us to remove as much thatch and layering as quickly as possible, but also to give the members consistency in greens’ quality. This year it has been a case of looking at the diary and finding a window with regards to coring so, one months’ notice has been given, but going forward we will be putting any disruptive renovations in the club diary at the beginning of the season. Communication is an essential part of course management. I don’t like to give our members any negative surprises!

Prior to you joining there was a significant problem with leaves which affected members’ play. What were their complaints and what action did you take to remedy this problem?

Lost balls, loss of ground cover and a general untidy appearance. We purchased a Trilo S3 so that it arrived in conjunction with me starting my position at Eaton, and it’s done a fantastic job

What have you found the major benefits of the Trilo S3 to be and how has this helped the maintenance and presentation of the course throughout the autumn and winter months?

It gives a very clean finish with a single pass, and the footprint is light, leaving no detrimental effect on the surface. We can start early in the season to keep on top of the leaf fall, knowing that we can clear the same areas multiple times, as the season and leaf fall continues.

How often do you use the Trilo S3, what overall results have you seen and what feedback have you had from the members since it was introduced?

At Eaton we have a huge number of trees and the clear up is relentless for six to eight weeks. The staff and members have all been really impressed. The trees here are planted very close together leaving very little room to manoeuvre, but the S3 is small enough to access most places but large enough to hold an impressive amount of debris.

How does the heavy number of trees affect the health of the plant across the course and what tree management programme do you operate? Is the work done in-house, or do you contract out?

All of our work on the trees has been done in-house. We have a very good tree surgeon on the team. Ben has trained the team on pruning techniques and last year we started raising the canopies and removing the crowded / unhealthy trees.

Some of the trees on the course have been planted just two or three feet apart. When I arrived at Eaton there was a tree management plan which has now been updated to include a more strategic plan, where we are looking at the species, age and location of the trees and what impact they would have on the holes if they were lost. Going forward, we will be utilising some of our trees and moving them with a tree spade to strengthen other parts of the course.

How many bunkers do you have across the course and what maintenance programme do you run? Are there any renovation plans and, if so, what do you have in mind?

We have 55 bunkers on the course and we are currently running a sand replacement plan. There had been some improvements made to the bunkering before my arrival, but this has been put on hold temporarily to concentrate on improving overall course condition.

What machinery fleet are you currently using?

We now have a mix of machinery and I’m keen to make sure we have the right machine for the job regardless of its make. I’ve been particularly impressed with the Trilo S3 and our Toro Groundsmaster 4500-d rough cutter.

What irrigation system does the course have, what water supply do you use and how do you manage the water when the course needs it?

Our irrigation system is 33 years old with a mix of gear driven and valve in head sprinklers. It started as a Watermation system but many of the sprinklers have been replaced with Rainbird.

It’s had numerous add-ons over the years, and there is no holding tank, so we really struggle for pressure on some parts of the course.

We have invested a lot of money in the system this year just to get it working as efficiently as possible.

Going forward a new system is required – one designed around the course we have today and not the one we had 33 years ago. This year was a massive test for the system which worked alongside staff hand watering to keep areas alive. We extract from a bore hole that has an allocation for use between April and September.

What fertiliser programme do you use across the course and how often?

I work closely with Mark Keysell from Rigby Taylor. The greens are kept quite lean with regards to nitrogen, with supplements applied to correct any deficiencies. We apply SeaQuest monthly, tank mixing with Magnet Velocite to retain colour when required. The greens also run a programme of the HydroPro-2 wetting agent through summer months and a Propel-R penetrant through the autumn and winter. The tee boxes and aprons are kept with PolyPro slow release fertilisers and the odd application of sulphate of iron to keep any moss at bay through the winter months. The fairways are sprayed with SeaQuest / N-Force and a liquid application of 29-0-0, as and when required.

What height of cut do you use across the course and what man-hours are spent mowing?

Greens are cut daily at 3.5mm and take 21-man hours a week
Tees are cut twice a week at 12mm and take 12 hours
Aprons / surrounds are cut twice a week at 12mm and take eight hours
Fairways are cut twice a week at 19mm and take 20 hours
Rough is once a week at 63mm and takes around 28 hours.

What do you do to ensure you are investing in raising the standard of practice and performance from your team?

I appraise the team yearly and part of this process is knowing what their particular skill sets are. This allows me to work on their strengths, as well as any weaknesses. I like to have a team with diverse skills as they can make the work they do their own and take pride in what they do.

The first appraisal with James identified he wanted to be more involved in the tree work as a support to Ben, so we put him through his climbing training. Richard wants to be more involved with products and spraying, so he will be taking the relevant PA certificates this winter and working alongside me with programmes and product selections.

In my experience, investing time and money into the team is good for morale and naturally raises standards.

The pressures on the course manager to deliver a better product are growing year on year and the level of professionalism is rising with this. What do you think are the qualities now needed to meet the requirements and demands of members / players by someone in your position and how does this help contribute to the business of golf?

I work hard on communication via bi-monthly blogs, course walks and presentation evenings. I believe this creates a bond with the members and a trust that we are there to create the best possible surfaces, and the work that we conduct needs to be done – and done for a reason.

What currently gives you the greatest satisfaction from your job, how do you feel daily when you are moving around the course looking at what you and the team have achieved and what do you feel are your biggest achievements to date?

As a team we’ve made many improvements so far, but I would say by walking around the course I can’t help but notice the tree work we achieved last winter; the visual impact that has created is stunning. The surfaces have been hit hard this summer, but the tee boxes have come out of it in great condition and the greens look much healthier, which have been framed nicely by the changes we’ve made on widening the surrounds.

With your experience and achievements, what advice would you give to youngsters starting out and wanting to pursue a career in the profession?

Make the most of every opportunity you’re given.

This is a great industry to be involved in with many people willing to share their knowledge and experiences. Listen, learn and work hard. Be inspired, don’t be afraid to ask questions and take whatever training is available to you.