The Groundskeeper Subcommittee is responsible for ensuring that the club’s lawns are maintained to a high standard and that all the outside facilities are safe and welcoming for members, guests and visitors.
Planning and budgeting
By the end of February furnish the Committee with a comprehensive annual expense plan for approval and integration into the year’s budget planning. This plan should encompass:
- a detailed lawn maintenance program developed with Duncan Hector & J’s Garden Services outlining scheduled tasks and associated costs.
- a costed inventory of proposed upgrades or refurbishments for lawn equipment, including but not limited to sprinkler systems, lawn mowers and spreaders.
- an itemised list of anticipated expenditures for other grounds-related tasks such as hedge trimming, car park maintenance, and shed and clubhouse upkeep.
Collaborate closely with Stuart from J’s Garden Services to diligently execute the lawn maintenance program according to the established schedule.
The procurement and delivery of seed (Duncan Hector) Lawn Dressing (Oakley Turf Farm), and chemicals (Duncan Hector) and overseeing their storage.
All proposed expenditures necessitate pre-approval by the Treasurer before procurement.
Court Maintenance
Ensure lawn mower settings are correct at all times. Ensure that the shed’s petrol canister is consistently filled with fuel. Address any equipment issues as they arise.
Arrange the manual application of soil conditioner in March, and Biogran in April and August, Biofeed and Resolute in July, and soil conditioner again in October, or as per schedule.
Refil the irrigation system tank in the spring and verify the functionality of the sprinkler system consistently throughout the year. Ensure that the pop-up mechanisms remain accessible at all times. Drain tank in the winter.
Organise the winter lawn preparation which comprises cleardown, overseeding and the spreading of lawn dressing in October.
Collaborate with Martin Tunmore regarding when winter/summer lawns should be set out and enforce or lift Winter Rules as deemed necessary for optimal turf care.
Grounds
Regularly monitor the grounds for weeds, pests, and diseases, and coordinate actions to minimise their impact. Oversee the repair of minor damage to playing areas as needed.
Organise volunteers twice a year to assist with grounds and car park maintenance. Tasks should include trimming trees, hedges, and shrubs, as well as preventing and removing weeds. Also, clear ivy from the roadside of the fence.
Organise and execute a rota for the mowing of the grass along the boundaries and the practice area.
Treat the benches annually at the end of the summer season using teak oil.
Treat the feet of the boundary boards annually with a preservative.
Keep the roadside path to the postbox clear at all times as well as the area around the water meter.
Restain the shed and top pavilion as and when required.
Machinery
Ensure the fuel can is topped up with E5 petrol and the Briggs and Stratton ‘Fuel Fit’ at a ratio of 10ml per gallon of petrol.
Make sure the lawn mowers are adjusted according to the schedule: 5mm in the summer and 10mm in the winter. The groomer should always be set 1-2mm lower than the mower. Grease the nine nipples and clean once in a while.
Regularly clean and align the sprayer nozzle and pump the tyres.
Regularly check the tractors are running as expected.
Arrange the annual servicing of the lawnmowers and tractors.
Irrigation System
We are eligible for “non return to sewer” relief on water used for irrigation, as this water doesn’t flow back into the sewer system.
To qualify for this relief, we must take two readings of the sub-meter on the water tank, spaced two weeks apart, during the peak of summer when we are actively watering the lawns. These readings are submitted to our water supplier, Wave, promptly after each reading. They will use the difference between the two readings to calculate the amount of water that is not being returned to the sewer over the summer, which will lead to a reduction in our sewerage charge – and, ultimately, our overall water bill.
This now has me querying how we manage the irrigation tank:
– Is there a valve somewhere we turn on/off or is it constantly topped up?
– Do we empty the tank each winter to avoid it freezing and if so who and when is this done? Have we done it?
– Do we refill it every summer, and if so when was it refilled this year, and by whom?
– Who determines when to start & stop the sprinkler system and how is this done?