I am pleased to say that thanks to our Lady Captain Janet Hewitt and your generous donations, TGC are one step ahead of Vinnie having already taken delivery of a defibrillator and had our training from the North West Ambulance Service.
The following TGC staff and members are now fully trained in both the use of the defibrillator and full CPR, including mouth to mouth.
Ladies
Janet Hewitt, Jennifer Jones, Sue McNeill & Marie Roberts
Gents
John Drabble, Aaron Gandy, Matt German, Joe Holland, Stan Horrocks, Sean Owen & Tony Wainwright.
Having attended this training session I must say that after completing it I felt quite inspired. I now know that wherever I may be in the world, if someone collapses with Cardiac arrest I could possibly help save their life.
While it was a serious exercise, there were one or two light hearted moments, if you will excuse the pun. As part of the defibrillator kit you get a heavy duty pair of scissors. These are to be used to remove the upper clothing of the patient i.e. cutting through bra straps. The chest area has to be clear of anything that will prevent the defibrillator pads from making good contact with the skin. That also includes chest hair and a disposable razor is also provided for this. The outcome of this was that it was suggested that any Ladies who are feeling slightly under the weather before teeing off on a Wednesday, in the interests of their health, might consider playing without a bra and that any hairy chested male members feeling light headed might wish to shave their chests before heading off to the 1st. We also considered whether we might seek out volunteer starters to carry out the bra and chest inspections!
But on a much more serious note we do recommend that members and visitors take their mobile telephones out with them when they play. Of course they should be switched off, but if someone were to collapse up at the 9th or the 11th it is a long way for someone to run back to the clubhouse to raise the alarm. Use your mobile to call the clubhouse number and either press 2 for the pro shop or 1 for the office.
The defibrillator is located in the Ladies Room in the clubhouse.
We will be offering training for any members who would be interested. Just contact the office and give them your name. It really is well worth doing.
Lady Vice Captain Jennifer Jones and Lady Captain Janet Hewitt being presented with the Defibrillator by the NWAS.
Below is a Press Article written by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) regarding Turton's Defibrillator and CPR Training.
9 January 2012 - Staff and members from Turton Golf Club in Bolton have learnt how to save a life following the launch of a British Heart Foundation campaign fronted by Vinnie Jones, encouraging bystanders to have a go at saving a life, by performing chest compressions to the tune of the Bee Gee’s song ‘stayin alive’.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) trained eleven members of the golf club’s members and staff in basic life support (on Thursday 5 January). This included how to recognise an emergency and what to do to help, how to put someone in the recovery position, how to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use a defibrillator to help someone suffering from a cardiac arrest - defibrillators give an electric shock through the chest wall which can restart the heart.
The club’s members’ fundraised for their own defibrillator which will offer a fighting chance to anyone unlucky enough to suffer from a cardiac arrest on the golf course or in the club house.
Lady Captain at Turton Golf Club, Janet Hewitt, said: “The training was excellent. We all feel much more confident about using the defibrillator. Hopefully, we’ll never have to though.
“I’d like to thank all our members for raising the funds, the British Heart Foundation for their contribution and North West Ambulance Service for the training.
“It is a bonus to the club that we have this life-saving kit. We believe we are the only golf club in Bolton with a defibrillator, and in fact, one of only two or three in the entire North West region. We now hope that other golf clubs follow suit.”
A spokesperson for NWAS said: “For every minute that passes after someone’s heart has stopped, their chances of survival decrease. Therefore, it is vital that the patient gets help as quickly as possible.
“Defibrillators within communities, particularly rural areas, can dramatically improve the chances of survival for a cardiac arrest victim. Turton golf club is an ideal location for the life-saving kit due to the lack of access to some parts of the course, which could make it difficult for an ambulance to reach a patient as quickly as we’d like.
“After receiving their free training, the staff and members at Turton golf club now have the confidence to act, should the worst happen.”
The British Heart Foundation says that collectively, heart and circulatory diseases cause more than one in three of all deaths in the UK, accounting for more than 191,000 deaths each year at an estimated cost of £30 billion to the economy.
If you’d like to find out about basic life support training, contact the North West Ambulance Service’s community resuscitation team on 0845 0021 999.
John Drabble
Honorary Secretary
Ecological Initiatives: Turton Golf Club
In an effort to improve the course here at Turton Golf Club and offer our members and visitors something extra we are employing good environmental stewardship in all our management practices. This, in some small way, will contribute to lessening our carbon footprint and minimize our impact upon the local environment.
Our main ecological aim at Turton Golf Club is to: Manage a range of incentives designed to optimize the aesthetics, ecology and playing quality of our golf facility by means of appropriate ecological management.
Improving and enhancing biodiversity on the golf course through implementation of good ecological management practice can offer a range of benefits to the club. These benefits include:
Creates huge pride & satisfaction amongst members and staff alike in the quality of the course
Improved aesthetics & appearance of the course
Offers an improved playing experience
Raises profile of the club, generating important positive publicity
Reverses the trend of our disappearing wildlife heritage
A range of ecological initiatives have been employed by the greenstaff on the course to conserve and enhance the wildlife habitats on the course whilst improving aesthetics and playing quality. These include:
Rough Development– management of rough to promote a thinner wispier sward to facilitate easy ball retrieval should anyone land in it.
Wildflowers and thinner rough help define the 14th & 16th holes whilst providing colour to the course.
Himalayan Balsam Control– we are trying to control this invasive weed before it spreads throughout the course.
Heather & Gorse Regeneration– management to encourage growth of heather & gorse which will provide definition whilst improving aesthetics and the wildlife value on the course.
Heather growing on the course provides a colorful feature whilst enhancing the heathland nature of the course.
Nest Box Scheme– a total of 16 bird & bat boxes have been installed in carefully selected areas on the course of which 9 where occupied during 2011.
Heath/Moor Management– removal of selected trees to prevent scrubbing over and eventual decline of this important habitat.
Turton Golf Course is set amidst important heathland habitat on the southern slopes of Turton Heights.
Pond Management– management of ponds is done in such a way to encourage wildlife whilst providing a pleasant distraction to golfers.
The Greens Committee & Greenstaff are proud to announce that natural areas on Turton Golf Course have now been given the official designation of Biological Heritage Site (BHS) as they are considered to be outstanding areas of natural heritage and biodiversity. ‘Hazelhurst Clough & Turton Golf Course Roughs’ is the full name given to the BHS in this area, which also includes woodland adjacent to the course. The BHS covers ten hectares of the course and contains valuable wildlife habitats such as wet valley, species-rich acid grassland and lowland heath that provide refuge for rare and threatened plants and animals.
Designated sites form an irreplaceable part of our environment and are a major part of the strategy to conserve the biological richness of Lancashire. Lancashire County Council is required to identify and provide for the protection and enhancement of the natural heritage within their areas. As part of their planning function, they have a responsibility to take account of sites of significant nature conservation value.
The Biological Heritage Site Project is a partnership between Lancashire County Council, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and N. Merseyside and Natural England. The partnership works with District Councils in Lancashire and landowners / land managers to deliver positive action for biodiversity. Turton Golf Club is now committed to managing the BHS in accordance with published guidelines to maintain and enhance the habitats concerned.
For an account of the Biological Heritage Site please refer to the BHS official document and map.
Anthony Wainwright / Assistant Head Greenkeeper
Environmental: Turton Golf Club
69 Species of Bird identified on the course in 2012
We have a number of keen amateur naturalists who can be regularly seen walking the public footpaths that criss cross the golf course armed with their binoculars and cameras recording the various species of flora, fauna and wildlife.
One of these is David Lumb and he has kindly presented us with a list of the species of bird he has seen on or flying over the course during 2012. He has identified 69 species on the course plus a further 9 flying over and for your interest here is that list.
Birds seen on or flying over Turton Golf Club 2012
Thank you David.
John Drabble
Hon Secretary
STRI Golf Environment Awards / Winners Reception at The Wentworth Club / Tuesday 22nd May 2012
The magnificent Wentworth clubhouse
Antony, myself and the other guests.
Following his Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year Award, Antony and I attended the Winners Reception at the Wentworth Club on the Tuesday of the BMW PGA Championships. After being introduced to the other guests out on the clubhouse terrace we were taken onto the course to meet with the Head Greenkeeper, Chris Kennedy who after 22 years in the job is retiring this year. He explained the reasons behind the recent changes to both the 17th and 18th holes
Head Greenkeeper Chris Kennedy explains the changes made to the 18th
The 18th Green at Wentworth
It was a pleasure to meet with the winners & representatives from the other categories; namely:-
Southern Regional Award - Thorpeness Golf Club
Nature Conservation Award - The Manchester Golf Club
Turfgrass Management Award - Aldeburgh Golf Club
Water Management Award - Lymm Golf Club
We then returned to the balcony above the main clubhouse entrance for a Champagne Reception from where we could look out over Luke Donald and an array of golfing icons practicing on the putting green.
Luke Donald on the putting green (centre of picture, red shirt, white trousers)
Antony Wainwright
On the clubhouse balcony
We would like to thank Bob Taylor & Richard Stuttard of the STRI and The Wentworth Club for their warm hospitality.
Winner of the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI)
2011 Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year award
The awards were set up to highlight the greener golf clubs in the UK and showcase the creative projects they are implementing that both enhance their golf course and have a positive impact on the environment.
Antony Wainwright, Assistant Head Greenkeeper at Turton Golf Club, said: "This award helps to raise the profile of Turton Golf Club within the golfing industry and the local community.
"I believe all golf clubs should play a vital role in helping to reverse the trend of our declining species and important habitats and I'm extremely happy that the Golf Environment Awards recognises some of the ecological achievements made by golf clubs throughout the UK."
Winning the 2011 Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year award has got to be my greatest professional achievement to date, and I am honoured and proud to have received this accolade.
During my six years here at Turton Golf Course, conservation and enhancement of our out-of-play natural habitats has been my main focus, as they offer refuge for native wildlife whilst playing a vital role in the character of the course. My fascination with improving these habitats stems from thirty years of learning about nature, especially birds, and observing the gradual decline of some of our once common species. In fact, I once successfully campaigned against expansion of a local golf course, long before I came to work in the field - if only I had known then what I know now about what golf can offer to improve our countryside and, ultimately, the environment.
Turton Golf Course is situated on the southern slopes of Turton Heights, above the town of Bolton, and offers stunning panoramic views of the town below and surrounding hills, including five counties.
Nine of the holes were constructed in 1908 with the further nine completed in 1996, which has resulted in the course having a distinct difference between old and new areas, where more mature plantations and moorland grasses predominate at the older holes. The age of a golf course is an important factor in determining its value for wildlife, as ecological value increases with age due to the maturity of wildlife habitats.
Although Turton is a predominantly 'moorland course', there are a few holes that could be considered 'parkland', especially on the lower reaches. The total area of the course is fifty-six hectares, of which are twenty hectares of prime habitats such as heath, moor, beech woodland, acid grassland and five ponds. These habitats form a substantial part of the course, and it is these which I have managed over the last few years that have no doubt helped the club to offer something different for golfers to enjoy - a thriving wildlife community that contributes to improved aesthetics, appearance and a better playing experience to our members and visitors alike.
All I have done is to 'work with the land' we have to maximise the potential for wildlife and, therefore, provide a course that blends in with the surrounding environment. This involved various management strategies within specific areas of the course to preserve and enhance our habitats.
One project was to maintain our already abundant heather and try to encourage new heather regeneration in key areas, such as carries and the course boundaries. Admittedly, this was quite easy in some areas as there were individual heather plants trying to grow in areas that were intensively managed, showing that there is a healthy heather seed bank within our soil.
All we did here was to leave these areas to grow and, hey presto, we now have new areas of heather.
Other areas weren't so easy due to a very healthy sward of moorland grass species, so we trialed a small area where we removed the turf to the point where the humus layer was revealed, thereby exposing the seed bank. Heather has started to colonise these areas now, two years on, showing that the method works, albeit very slowly.
Another key habitat present within our boundaries is 'lowland dry acid grassland', which hosts a thriving wildflower community and has largely disappeared from our countryside.
Management of this habitat required strimming of vegetation and subsequent removal of the clippings so as not to increase fertility of the soil here. Timing is imperative so as to not impact upon the invertebrate and flower populations, and work commenced during the autumn, after the first frost, when most of the invertebrates had retreated away from the cold and vegetation growth had ceased.
Strips of vegetation were strimmed, about three metres wide, leaving a mosaic of strimmed and unstrimmed areas, so as not to completely remove the vegetation and allow somewhere for creatures to reside. The strimmed areas are rotated annually, in such a way that the whole of the acid grassland receives this treatment over a period of three years, before we start it all over again.
This management removes fertility from the soil, thereby preserving this very important habitat that is full of colour throughout the summer.
Heathland is another important habitat in Britain, which, along with most other habitats, has decreased dramatically over the past century. Luckily, at Turton, we have a considerable amount which forms the main out-of-play areas on the course.
It is home to heather, bilberry and gorse that, in turn, provide food and shelter for a host of birds, mammals and insects. Deer, badger, weasel, stonechat, grasshopper warbler and bard owl are just a few species which inhabit the heath and, without proper management, would revert to woodland, and the heath would be lost.
However, management of the heath is not quite as time consuming as it would first appear, as we only need the scrub and tree saplings to be kept in check. Here, we removed some, not all, of the older hawthorn and mountain ash (rowan) and simply snipped any tree saplings. This management helps prevent shading of the vegetation below, thereby allowing heath species to thrive. Now, all the largest trees and shrubs have been removed it is simply just a walk through the area once a year to clear any new saplings.
Providing nestboxes for birds is another measure we have taken to ensure a healthier population of those species that have a limited availability of nestholes in which to raise their young. Boxes have been placed on the course for blue, great and coal tits, and robins, with further plans for boxes for barn owls, tawny owls, kestrel and nuthatches.
We have had major success from eighteen boxes erected, with a total of at least seventy birds reared from ten of them during 2010 and 2011. Little Owls have also bred successfully for a number of years now in a cavity of the clubhouse, cheering those up who are lucky enough to see them during the early morning.
Add to the above a comprehensive pond management scheme, gorse planting scheme, himalayan balsam control, log pile creation, grass clipping management and a bat box scheme, amongst others, and we have a complete management plan that recognises the need to think about the ecology on our course.
This is all documented and planned for in a full ecological appraisal I wrote for the club which asked the questions; what do we have at the club in terms of wildlife habitats? And what do we have to do in order to preserve or enhance these areas? So, if you are thinking of going down the environmental road in your future greenkeeping career, then I think you're half way there if you can answer these two questions.
Recognising the importance of some of the habitats we have, I also worked with Lancashire County Council to achieve the official title of Lancashire Heritage Site/Biological Heritage Site (BHS). There are now ten hectares of our course that have received this designation, whereby management regimes described above have been initiated.
Local authorities are required to identify and provide for the protection and enhancement of the natural heritage within their areas and so promote the BHS scheme. As part of their planning function, they have a responsibility to take account of sites of significant nature conservation value.
All of the above has helped me gain this fantastic award, but I wish to thank a few individuals who have made this possible. Firstly, thanks must go to our Head Greenkeeper, Chris Westwood, who really helped to get the ball rolling by convincing the greens committee to adopt an environmental policy, and allow me to execute a strategy to improve the ecological value of the course. Without him, I simply wouldn't have been able to advance my experience of golf course ecology.
Thanks also goes to the Greens Chairman, John O'Hara, and the whole team up here at Turton who have supported and adopted new environmental initiatives.
Finally, I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say that there has never been a more important time to focus on ecology and to minimise the carbon footprint we leave for our children to inherit.
Far too much valuable land, which once provided natural habitats for native British flora and fauna since time in memorial, has been lost to us - 97% of England's traditional wild flower grasslands have disappeared, for example. The result is a comprehensive list of various species of flowers, plants, animals, birds, insects and other organisms whose numbers are in a steep decline.
I feel extremely lucky to operate within the golf industry, and one of the reasons why is that British golf courses have the potential to play a critical role in preserving and enhancing Britain's countryside. No other industry, except maybe the management of nature reserves, has the opportunity to directly impact upon the state of the countryside like golf has. Eventually, I see golf courses becoming havens for wildlife within the British countryside and shedding the public conception that golf courses are detrimental to the countryside and the environment.
Our very own Wainwright's Walk / May 1st
I’ve just spent a most enlightening evening in the company of our Assistant Head Green keeper Tony Wainwright, as he opened our eyes and ears to the natural delights of TGC.
I won’t spoil it for any of you who have already asked to go on the list for the next walk, but it is something that you should not miss. Tony is both enthusiastic and informative and I feel that all of our members, from Juniors through to Seniors, will enjoy this as you will leave with a far greater understanding and appreciation of the ecology and biodiversity of our beautiful golf course.
Next time I play I can guarantee that I won’t be looking where my playing partner’s ball lands. I shall be far too busy listening out for the song of a Goldcrest and looking for Weasels.
John Drabble
Hon. Secretary
Ecological Initiatives
In an effort to improve the course here at Turton Golf Club and offer our members and visitors something extra we are employing good environmental stewardship in all our management practices. This, in some small way, will contribute to lessening our carbon footprint and minimize our impact upon the local environment.
Our main ecological aim at Turton Golf Club is to: Manage a range of incentives designed to optimize the aesthetics, ecology and playing quality of our golf facility by means of appropriate ecological management.
Improving and enhancing biodiversity on the golf course through implementation of good ecological management practice can offer a range of benefits to the club. These benefits include:
Creates huge pride & satisfaction amongst members and staff alike in the quality of the course
Improved aesthetics & appearance of the course
Offers an improved playing experience
Raises profile of the club, generating important positive publicity
Reverses the trend of our disappearing wildlife heritage
A range of ecological initiatives have been employed by the greenstaff on the course to conserve and enhance the wildlife habitats on the course whilst improving aesthetics and playing quality. These include:
Rough Development– management of rough to promote a thinner wispier sward to facilitate easy ball retrieval should anyone land in it.
Wildflowers and thinner rough help define the 14th & 16th holes whilst providing colour to the course.
Himalayan Balsam Control– we are trying to control this invasive weed before it spreads throughout the course.
Heather & Gorse Regeneration– management to encourage growth of heather & gorse which will provide definition whilst improving aesthetics and the wildlife value on the course.
Heather growing on the course boundary along the 14th hole provides a colorful feature whilst enhancing the heathland nature of the course.
Nest Box Scheme– a total of 16 bird & bat boxes have been installed in carefully selected areas on the course of which 9 where occupied during 2011.
Heath/Moor Management– removal of selected trees to prevent scrubbing over and eventual decline of this important habitat.
Turton Golf Course is set amidst important heathland habitat on the southern slopes of Turton Heights.
Pond Management– management of ponds is done in such a way to encourage wildlife whilst providing a pleasant distraction to golfers.
The Greens Committee & Greenstaff are proud to announce that natural areas on Turton Golf Course have now been given the official designation of Biological Heritage Site (BHS) as they are considered to be outstanding areas of natural heritage and biodiversity. ‘Hazelhurst Clough & Turton Golf Course Roughs’ is the full name given to the BHS in this area, which also includes woodland adjacent to the course. The BHS covers ten hectares of the course and contains valuable wildlife habitats such as wet valley, species-rich acid grassland and lowland heath that provide refuge for rare and threatened plants and animals.
Designated sites form an irreplaceable part of our environment and are a major part of the strategy to conserve the biological richness of Lancashire. Lancashire County Council is required to identify and provide for the protection and enhancement of the natural heritage within their areas. As part of their planning function, they have a responsibility to take account of sites of significant nature conservation value.
The Biological Heritage Site Project is a partnership between Lancashire County Council, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and N. Merseyside and Natural England. The partnership works with District Councils in Lancashire and landowners / land managers to deliver positive action for biodiversity. Turton Golf Club is now committed to managing the BHS in accordance with published guidelines to maintain and enhance the habitats concerned.
For an account of the Biological Heritage Site please refer to the pdf files of BHS official document and map below.
What is a Biological Heritage Site? (BHS)
Biological Heritage Site - Site Description
Biological Heritage Site - Site Boundary Map
Antony Wainwright / Assistant Head Greenkeeper
TGC wins 2011 Volvo National Golf Club Challenge
Turton Golf Club win the Volvo National Golf Club Challenge Men’s Championship at Turnberry 25th-26th October 2011
The two-day event brought together the four best men's and ladies’ teams from qualifying events held throughout the UK in June earlier this year.
As well as winning a golfing holiday to Greece, Turton’s players were also presented with the prestigious Lee Westwood Cup.
The Lee Westwood Cup
The 2011 Volvo National Golf Club Challenge Champions have been awarded the stunning 'Lee Westwood Cup'.
“I am honoured to be a patron to the challenge and deeply humbled to be asked by Wedgwood to name the National Golf Club Challenge Trophy 'The Lee Westwood Cup'.” Lee Westwood
The National Golf Club Challenge trophy, created and donated by Wedgwood in support of Help for Heroes, has gone through an intensive sixteen week process from design through modelling to construction and stands as a magnificent symbol of the UK golfing community coming together to raise funds for our injured armed forces.
Turton captain Adam Bullough said: "Turton Golf Club felt extremely privileged to have even reached the final of such a prestigious and worthy event. For us to then go on and win the Lee Westwood Cup makes us feel very proud indeed. This is by some distance the most significant golfing achievement in our club’s 103-year history."
Turton won with 192 points, one point ahead of The Players Club, with Robin Hood Golf Club third with 176 points and Guildford Golf Club fourth with 141 points.
Making it through to the finals was dependent upon each teams’ performances in qualification and how much money they had raised for the Help for Heroes charity.
Turton raised an amazing four figure sum for their donation to Help for Heroes which was raised from competition entry fees, social events and donations made on their Captains Day and an auction of various sporting items and memorabilia.
Turton’s top 10 scores in qualification, added to the amount of money raised by the club gave them a 4th place qualification to the national final in Turnberry.
The scoring in the final last week was via a stableford competition with the seven best scores out of 10 counting in the final round.
The stableford points of the top seven Turton scorers on the final day were:
Adam Bullough 31 pts; Andrew Hurst 31pts; Mark Rothwell 30 pts; John Drabble 26pts; Steve Gallagher 25 pts; Scott Woods 25 pts; and Paul Greenhalgh 24 pts.
The non scoring players were: Graham Hill, Joe Holland and John O’Hara
The trophy was presented to the team by Lee Westwood on 19th December 2011 at the offices of his management company, International Sports Management Ltd.
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