Early mornings at Royal Aberdeen
Sunrise at Balgownie is not just about the beautiful sights, but also the wonder of nature all around us
Tag: ROYAL ABERDEEN GC
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Indigenous Dune Sand – Analysis
In order to establish to particle size distribution of our indigenous dune sand topdressing, we had a sample tested to establish the uniformity and amount of coarse sand, medium sand, fine sand, very fine sand and silts within the sample send from our new borrow pit site to the right of hole 7 on Balgownie Links.
The benefits of sand topdressing are:
Improved Smoothness – Voids exist within the turf canopy between turfgrass leaves and stems, causing inconsistent ball roll. Sand topdressing helps fill these voids to provide smoother and truer putts.
Thatch Dilution – The layer of organic debris, stems, crowns and roots in the upper rootzone – i.e., thatch – can become concentrated and encourage mower scalping and localized dry spots. Thatch should be diluted with sand through practices like verticutting and sand topdressing to maintain good turf quality.
Increased Firmness – Turf produces organic matter in the upper rootzone that creates soft, spongy playing conditions. Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resiliency.
Improved Rootzone – Sand drains well and resists soil compaction. The accumulation of sand from multiple topdressings over many years can improve soil physical properties.
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Employee Recognition – 42 Years Service
On behalf of Royal Aberdeen golf club we would like to congratulate Deputy Course Manager Steve Frost who as of 14/03/25 has accumulated 42 years of loyal and dedicated service as part of the Greenkeeping Team.
Steve started at Royal Aberdeen as an apprentice Greenkeeper on the 14th March 1983 and while attending Elmwood college over the next 4 years he obtained his SVQ Level 2 in Sportsturf management and spraying certificates PA1, and PA6. He has completed many other qualifications over the years including SVQ Leve3 in Sportsturf, Manual handling, PA2 Tractor mounted spraying certificate, emergency first aid, abrasive wheels, management training and continues to engage in the BIGGA CPD Programme. Steve has also been involved in the course preparation for almost all of the clubs major tournaments such as The Scottish Open, The Senior Open Championship, The Walker Cup, The Amateur Championship, The Boys Amateur Championship, The Scottish Amateur Championship and many other high profile events since he started with the club.
This milestone represents a true and lasting commitment to Royal Aberdeen Golf Club and we are proud of this accomplishment.
We thank Steve for being a valued member of our team and his continued contributions are vital our success.
Please feel free to congratulate Steve on this achievement the next time you see him out working on the course.
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Staff Training – BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition 2025
From the 21st -22nd January Golf Course Manager Richard Johnstone, First Assistant Greenkeeper Euan Polson, Assistant Greenkeeper Kevin Thain and Golf Course Mechanic Gary Tonge attended BTME 2025 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club will benefit greatly from their attendance at the Continue to Learn education programme at BTME 2025. Continue to Learn at BTME offers more than 250 hours of education specifically aimed at sports turf professionals and those working within the golf club industry. The education being delivered provided a variety of opportunities to help develop and hone skills.
Some of the education attended by team included the Turf Managers Conference, professional turf machinery maintenance – Hydraulics/Electrics, building a fertiliser programme for beginners along with various other seminars and classes.
Attending the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) is an additional attraction. Showcasing 100+ exhibitors, displaying the latest products and innovations in sports turf as well as the opportunity to secure special “show offers”.
Networking with fellow professionals and industry specialists is invaluable, providing the chance to learn from around 5000 other golf course management experts and colleagues from across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
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Balgownie – Autumn Maintenance
Our Annual Autumn maintenance took place between 21st – 23rd October 2024 and gave us the opportunity to Hollow Core the greens and surrounds . This practice was carried out to remove a large percentage of organic matter, relieve compaction, increase root development, improve drainage and provide the material to create a playing surface for our new contingency first green and approach. By removing the accumulated fibre it allows us to exchange the poorer soils to a better one through a straight sand topdressing helping to firm up all surfaces providing true links like conditions.
We also took the decision to apply Chewings and slender creeping fescues which offers the best solution for year-round performance. A combination of a drop spreader and vredo disc seeder was used to apply the fescue seed before we worked any excess seed into the holes using switches to cover the seed within the holes with our indigenous dune sand topdressing. This provided the seeds with the correct growing medium and some protection from the elements. We Overseeded with around 200kg of Fescue and the seed should germinate within the next month due to the slightly cooler conditions. To achieve maximum seed establishment and rapid surface recovery without creating a flush of growth that would negatively affect playing characteristics we applied a granular feed called C Complex 4-3-4+5CaO+3MgO . We chose this product as it has proven to be effective in aiding recovery while maintaining turf health and vigour without any negative effect on playability.
Fescue is the most appropriate species to links sites across the UK and with adequate management will provide characteristics that are typical of links golf here at Royal Aberdeen. The practice of overseeding is a vital aspect of what we are trying to achieve at and will now remain part of our annual maintenance at least twice a year.
The Maintenance procedures were carried out at this time of year when the air and soil temperatures are ideal allowing recovery times to be kept to a minimum. This short term disruption will give us long term benefits giving us firm and true surfaces all year round.
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Staff Training – BIGGA CPD Milestone Certificate
On 27/09/2024Course Manager Richard Johnstone was awarded with a 16th BIGGA CPD Milestone certificate in recognition of his continued education and training in 2024/2025.
The BIGGA CPD scheme is made up of members who are looking to improve their professional knowledge and competence within the industry while developing skills and personal qualities necessary for the execution of technical duties throughout their working life
“No professional should stand still – we are learning – all the time”
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club - Golf Course Blog 