The Imants ShockWave and RotoKnife – supplied by Campey Turf Care Systems – have helped transform the fairways at Bray Golf Club, Co. Wicklow Ireland, after the club relocated to their current site in 2003.
After the original base of their nine-hole course was purchased by a land developer, Bray Golf Club moved to a brand new 18-hole site with a purpose built club house. Whilst the new facilities pleased the members there were issues for course superintendent, John Bishop.
With the new site being located on the side of a hill there was very little topsoil, causing problems with shallow roots. This also meant the course would dry out quickly during the summer, with the usual methods of opening up the root-zone failing because of rocks.
It was at this point Campey product specialist, Brian O’Shaughnessy, suggested using the Imants ShockWave on the course.
“Brian had told us about the ShockWave, so we got Mark Harris, a sports ground contractor from Dublin, to come in and try it on our worst fairway, which was the 15th,” John began.
“The results were brilliant, it really turned the 15th around. It’s at the bottom of the club so everything that was getting washed off the top fairways was ending up there, but after we ShockWaved it, there was a huge change.
“Our fairways are now one of the strongest parts of our course, and the members rave about them.”
Despite the successful impact of the machine, John still had to use wetting agents during the summer to keep the fairways moist in the top profile. But adding the second Imants machine; the RotoKnife to his maintenance programme has seen his wetting agent use reduced to nothing, even with an exceptionally dry summer in Bray.
The Imants RotoKnife is a really effective linear aerator, designed to relieve surface compaction, improve aeration, reduce thatch build up and remove surface water. It is fast and flexible and an excellent addition to the greenkeepers repertoire of rootzone management tools. The disc rotoshaft can be set in any of five positions offering flexibility in working depth and linear spacing, allowing deep slitting to a depth of 150mm or shallow slitting at 50mm spacing.
“Brian talked us through the RotoKnife and the great results people were getting by using the ShockWave in one direction, and then the RotoKnife at another angle,” John explained.
“We try and ShockWave once or twice a year depending on the weather conditions, but in-between that we use the RotoKnife once a month during the winter to keep the surface open.
“We continued that through the playing season from March to September, and this year we’ve used no wetting agents on the fairways at all. So in the last two years our wetting agent programme has disappeared.
“In July we had 17mm of rain, the average for Bray in July would be 52mm, through using the two machines we are getting a much better root structure and we can take the stress of a dry summer.
“The Imants machines have delivered a lot of advantages. We now have a better playing surface, we’re using no wetting agents and our root structure is much stronger. The overall presentation of the fairways is 100 per cent better.
“They’ve gone from being weak with some superficial qualities to being strong in structure and presentation.”
The fairways aren’t the only area of the course to improve, with the tee boxes also benefiting from the Imants ShockWave.
John also plans to use the machine on his greens come September as the Imants machines cement themselves as a vital part of the maintenance programme.
