Advertisement
When readers of The BUZZard were first introduced to Kingswood greenkeeper Ivan van Heerden in the October 2021 edition, he shared some thoughts on that year’s wet winter, which left the course in need of remedial action in certain sections.
Then came the infamous downpour of 22 November, less than a month later, and suddenly his team had to battle floods that turned George and surrounding towns into a disaster area while morphing low-lying parts of the KGE course into raging rivers and rapidly expanding dams.
It took thousands of man-hours for the town to nurse damaged infrastructure back to operational health, and this was also the case at Kingswood. But those crisis times now seem like a distant memory, and when catching up with Ivan again on a rainy morning in late March, the best news from his side was: ‘There’s nothing to report!’
Good season sees increased traffic
With many resident and visiting golfers making use of the estate’s pristine course over December and during the best-weather months that normally follow the festive season, Ivan’s team had to keep a close eye on blemishes created in the normal course of play.
‘We experienced more traffic on the course than during the previous few Decembers, when numbers were still recovering after Covid lockdowns and travel was picking up at as slow a pace as the economy would allow.
‘But over the past few months the total of rounds played necessitated more attention to pitch marks on the greens and the fixing of divots all over the course,’ Ivan explains. He adds that his 17-strong team continues at a good pace with normal maintenance tasks such as cutting and trimming and mowing and applying a new brand of organic fertiliser to enrich areas in need of extra nutrition.
Advertisement
It never rains …
The well-being of a professional in Ivan’s position is invariably decided by the weather – it never rains but it pours. Or the clouds disappear for weeks on end and a thirsty course withers rapidly from one day to the next. Oh, and then there’s the ever-present challenge of load shedding, just to ensure that no one gets to rest on their laurels.
‘The drought experienced over many periods in the recent past has really taken its toll on the course. To make our lives more interesting, load shedding prevents irrigation during those powerless hours: without electricity, the course goes without water and it’s impossible to keep all areas as green as desired.’
So Ivan is holding out for a wet but mild winter, with moderate rains that would help to keep the course in a pristine state, all year round. But, as a preventative measure, his team is currently embroiled in a drainage project to counter waterlogging in the vicinity of the seventh and 16th holes.
To best explain the challenges of creating proper drainage at the seventh, Ivan has provided a series of photos, some of which are included here. His explanation of the work is rather technical, but in brief comprises a herringbone drainage system of which each ‘bone’ (a lateral pipe connected to the main pipe at a slight angle) is six metres in length and spaced two metres apart.
Dear John …
No, none of Ivan’s staff members has been laid off since we last spoke, and there’s been no need to hire new personnel, since the current course-keeping contingent works together like a well-oiled machine.
So the only noteworthy addition to Ivan’s team is a brand-new, bright green John Deere tractor. It’s impossible to miss when it’s making its way across the course, but try not to dent it when hitting that perfect shot with your driver …
