Report on green maintenance

Kevin Tester

25/9/18

I went to the bowls club yesterday just to find out if they were keeping to their word and actually working on the greens refurbishment, they promised, they were.

For those interested in what is being done:-

• First job is to scarify the grass i.e. remove the thatch, organic matter and debris from the lawn to improve health and allow the grass to grow ( see photo below).

• Second job is aeration, this is done by reducing the compaction of the soil in the lawn, a rotating barrel of small hollow tubes are dug into the lawn this is called “Hollow-tine aeration”

The cores of soils are collected and removed from the lawn, this is to ensure that the surface does not become uneven.

If for any reason the ground is not soft enough through lack of rain to use hollow-tine aeration system then a solid –tine aeration method will be used, not as good as hollow but better than nothing. While on site it looked as if the hollow-tine method could and would be used.

• The third job is to apply a top dressing, this becomes part of the root-zone that sustains the lawn.

Benefits of Top Dressing:-

1. Improves the lawn surface and soil drainage rates.

2. Reduces the levels of thatch.

3. Fill in the cracks and gaps

4. Increase water and nutrient retention

5. Allow a lawnmower to cut and lawn more smoothly and evenly.

• The work will be completed by three men in 10 – 11 days from date of commencement i.e.24th September – 4 / 5th October.

I picked up the schedule from the works foreman on site and what he was doing, he said that next year we will have a vastly improved surface to bowl on he also said that what was supplied this last season was not acceptable,

I did drop the fact that many visiting teams had said it was the worst green that they had played on, he face said it all (embarrassed)

I pointed out that whilst traveling around other greens in the town,ours was by far the worst, he said that other bowling clubs watered their green far more than we did, there is a lesson for next year, a rota must be prepared in advance to help keep the green watered at all times, giving a superior surface to bowl on.

We all want this, don’t WE?

  I am not a professional keeper of lawns, I hope that my description of what is being done is not far off the mark.

Lest we forget . . .

Ron Cocozza RIP

Sadly Ron Cocozza passed away on January 3rd 2019 at the age of 92.

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Ron joined Tarring Priory in 1986 and up until the 2015 season was a regular member of our Friendly sides. He recorded early success by winning our JD Smith Singles title in 1989, after that he contented himself with playing his part in successful Priory Triples Leagues and Fours competitions. He was of course a skilled bowler and gained his Outdoor SCB badge during his time at Priory.

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In later years he used a stick to steady himself whilst delivering his trademark small and wide swinging woods.

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He was a sportsman all his life and in his younger years, a footballer who would be first on most local team sheets. He was a wizard of the dribble and his wide gait made him extremely difficult to dispossess.

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Ron will be well and fondly remembered by all the Tarring Priory men who had the pleasure to play with him.

Funeral arrangements

21st January 12:20 at Worthing Crematorium

Afterwards at the Black Horse, Findon