The drive for ever higher standards and top quality year round golf is felt most keenly in the Home Counties, where numerous golf clubs compete for members.  Enfield Golf Club in Middlesex has the advantage of a long history – founded in 1893, it was one of the first 500 Clubs to be established in the UK and has a picturesque, 18 hole parkland course. From Captain’s Day to Pro/Am tournaments, Course Manager Dane Watts and his team are always busy working to keep the course at its best.

“I have been Course Manager for seven years, and in that time we have been introducing bent grasses to the greens,” he explains. “Traditionally, our overseeding programme comprised verticutting before broadcasting bents onto the surface and then topdressing, but now we are looking to put the seed just below the surface.”  With this in mind Dane trialled a Dairon RGD140 Overseeder from The Grass Group.  The results were positive and with the purchase, now aims to use it for all 18 greens.

“The course can be affected by flooding, but we’ve improved drainage on the greens by drill and fill along with deep solid tining and regular aeration, and we’ve reaped great benefits.  Couple that with The Dairon RGD140, which puts seed in at 10-13mm depth into slits created by its discs before a flexible roller closes the groove, and the results are fantastic.  The greens look very good,” he exudes.

He intends to overseed with the Dairon three or four times over the summer to really get the bents established and outcompete the Poa, which is the bane of every Greenkeeper’s life.

Dane again, “The Dairon is very easy to set up, and we’ve even managed to keep the same tractor, so the whole process has been seamless.  Seed rates are easily adjustable via a dial on the side of the machine.  I’m currently looking at using 2-3 bags across the greens, but once I’ve done that it will be an easy step to rate up or down if necessary.”

One last comment from Dane, “I’d seen the Dairon and knew it was the right choice for us and didn’t want to look at any other machines.  Local dealer Oliver Groundcare supplied the machine, and both them and The Grass Group were very helpful and supportive during trialling and machine set.  I made the right choice and am really looking forward to using it across the whole course.”