When Colin Hutt arrived at Swaffham Golf Club in its centenary year in 2022, he was welcomed by a club with excellent natural drainage and plenty of personality, but one working to improve within tight financial constraints. Every decision has to deliver real value which is where the club are seeing positive results from a partnership with Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) – two years into a programme which is making measured steps in the right direction without overstretching budgets, staff and site limitations.
Starting off in greenkeeping at the age of 16, Colin brought over four decades of experience to the characterful course nestled within Norfolk Breckland Heathland, over which time he’d gained first-hand knowledge of a vast array of tools, techniques and nutritional products. This prior experience, combined with repeated conversations with OAS Area Sales Representative Mark Keysell at regional events, was the start of a positive parentship built on a genuine understanding of the club’s needs.
“While we were using other products initially, Mark continued to pop in from time to time and provided some advice on the greens and always kept us informed of the new and different products within the Origin’s range” Colin explains. “He then organised a meeting at BTME with members of the OAS technical team which provided the extra data and reassurance we needed to give a new programme a try.”
With limited irrigation and free-draining chalk and stone-based profiles, the plan centred around careful nutritional and moisture management to maintain consistency throughout the season. “On the greens we’re using a combination of granular and liquid fertiliser feeds, together with Ascoflex Plus biostimulant and Terafirm and TriCure AD wetting agents. Through the winter we then put down regular applications of the 20-20-30 tank mix to provide additional strength and resilience.”
Additional inputs across the wider course include Greenforce Pro, Darby selective herbicides and two formulations of Multi-Green – which Colin highlights as a particularly familiar and reliable part of the programme. “This is a product I’d used a lot previously and, while conditions are different here to my previous club, Multi-Green continues to deliver fantastic results season after season.”
What started with conversations around chemistry and product support, has extended into broader agronomic discussions, with Mark taking soil samples, organic matter readings and conducting a full review of the programme ahead of entering year two. “This is so important and means we can determine where progress is being made and what adjustments may be needed to ensure we continue taking those steps in the right direction.”
Colin adds, “The club, the players and the directors can all see the improvements in course condition which is incredibly rewarding but it’s not something that is achieved by yourself. I’m incredibly fortunate to have five motivated greenkeepers, fantastically supportive directors and excellent advisors like Mark who prove that, together, teamwork really does make the dream work!”