SALTEX: Drainage specialist and IOG ‘Contractor of the Year’ award finalist Turfdry to exhibit

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Turfdry Drainage Systems, which has just installed a comprehensive new drainage system Shirley Park Golf Club in south London, will be at SALTEX.

The 11^th and 16^th greens at the club were back in play in record time after the IOG ‘Contractor of the Year’ award finalist installed the system in late September 2017.

Following re-turfing of the drain lines by Turfdry’s team, combined with care and attention from greenkeeping staff, the greens were back in play within nine and seven days respectively.

Shirley Park GC 11th green back in play in nine days

This beats a 15-year-old record relating to the 10^th green at Sunningdale’s New Course, where re-turfing by the greenkeeping staff following installation of the unique Turfdry Drainage System using Hydraway Sportsdrain, enabled the green to be successfully returned to play in less than three weeks.

The Turfdry Drainage System is installed on several greens on the Old and New courses at Sunningdale GC, which is one of over 70 UK golf courses on Turfdry’s list of satisfied clients.

Turfdry has a long and successful relationship with Shirley Park Golf Club, dating back to 2001, before current course manager, Richard Evans, was appointed.

The initial contract was to design and install fairway drainage with the Turfdry Drainage System using Hydraway Sportsdrain, and this proved so successful that further works were carried out in 2002, just after Richard’s appointment. Richard was immediately impressed by the Turfdry Drainage System and, by 2005, had decided to have the system installed on two of the club’s worst performing greens, the 3^rd and 13th.

Reviewing the impact of the drainage works, Shirley Park’s general manager, David Roy, stated that: “By analysing rainfall data we have proven that the drainage works designed and installed by Turfdry has slashed the number of course closures. The works were carried out in a clean, tidy, prompt and efficient manner and Turfdry would be our first port of call for any future works.”

Shirley Park GC’s 11th green with a trencher

Indeed, the measureable impact of drainage improvements has seen Turfdry return to the club in 2009, 2010, 2014 and now again in 2017. Whereas in previous years turf reinstatement following greens’ drainage had been done in-house, this year was the first time that the club had employed Turfdry’s own turfing team to undertake the works. Richard Evans was impressed by both the turfing team’s speed and expertise, as well as the immediate impact of the drainage systems.

“A real quality finish from the team… it absolutely poured down a couple of days after you left and water was rushing from the outfall – always a good sign,” he said.

Turfdry’s managing director, Melvyn Taylor, established the company in 1995, as a specialist sports turf drainage company. Whilst drainage – particularly its unique and impressive Turfdry Drainage System using Hydraway Sportsdrain – remains at the core of the business, the firm is also highly regarded for its design and construction of natural turf sports facilities. It was the firm’s largest ever such project – the £750k feasibility, design, and construction of sports pitches and amenity grassland within the historic setting of Concord College in Shropshire – that led to Turfdry’s nomination for the 2017 IOG ‘Contractor of the Year’ award.

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