Course in hand for Nigel after lockdown work
NIGEL Colley took over as the course manager at Wimslow Golf Club just a few weeks before the Covid 19 lockdown but he soon settled into his new role and has some great plans for one of Cheshire’s top courses with the knowledge and experience he has gained in golf course management since he began his career nearly 30 years ago.
Nigel said: “Golf was always a passion, I joined Rotherham golf club through a scholarship scheme when I was in my early teens, it was then that I decided I wanted to work within the golf industry and fell into golf course management as I was always a hands on type person and loved being outdoors.
“I studied golf course management at West of England University, Bristol in 1993-1996.
“I’ve worked at courses in Germany and UK and my first head greenkeeper job was at the Roehampton Club, south west London from 1997 -2004.
“This was terrific in gaining experience and learning from Anthony Freemanthe course and grounds manager at the time.
“It was a great introduction into running and maintaining a golf course. The club itself had 4,000 members who could use the facilities available depending upon their subscription category.
“We had 28 tennis courts, on four different surfaces, a gymnasium, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, four croquet lawns which held the world championships on numerous occasions, landscaped gardens plus a 18 hole golf course, all set in under 100 acres of land, just seven miles from the centre of London.
“I then moved to Birstall golf club in Leicestershire where I spent four years as head green-keeper before moving to Birstall’s neighbouring course Rothley Park Golf Club.
“Rothley was a course that was seen as more prestigious than most in the area, they limited membership numbers to allow the members to play whenever they could.
“During my 12 years there the surfaces improved immensely especially the greens that were built on clay.
“I laser levelled all the tees, we used Mackenzie & Ebert to redesign all the bunkers on the course and installed blinder bunker liner into the bases, we were in year four of the bunker alterations when I left to come to Wilmslow.
“We had a new Hunter irrigation system installed throughout the club during 2016/17 winter. In 2016 we jointly held the English seniors amateur competition with another Leicester club, the first time England golf had used Rothley Park for an event.
“I began at Wilmslow at the start of March 2020 three weeks before Covid19 lockdown.
“Even though we had reduced staff numbers during lockdown from seven to four we achieved a massive amount and it was a perfect opportunity to work on the course without disrupting the members.
“We were able to overseed the greens on two occasions with bent grass seed. Due to lockdown we cut at higher heights of cut which allowed a greater percentage of seed to germinate and survive.
“This set us in good stead to produce some decent green surfaces throughout 2020 when the course reopened.
“The members so far have enjoyed playing the course since it reopened and I have been received very well, with lots of positive comments coming from the membership to date.
“The main criteria is to improve the playing surfaces throughout the site, creating smooth true putting surfaces that are consistent all year round. Easier said than done with the North West climate!!
“Longer term I would like to add colour to the course whether that be from patches of heather, wildflowers or gorse and broom to enhance the natural habitats and encourage wildlife across the site. In general improve what they have, whether it be the irrigation system, machinery, staff knowledge and educate members through communication as to why we do the work we do to improve the playing surfaces.
“The club have a good strategy and a good base to build and go from strength to strength during these tough economic times, so I want to play my part and enhance what we already have at Wilmslow, which is a great golf course layout with some fantastic holes, especially the par 3’s!
“Extra work and projects will be agreed in conjunction with relevant committees at the club, as will long term plans. I have my own ideas of where we need to go to progress and move forward, hopefully all our ideas combined will move Wilmslow in the right direction and further enhance the course that the members cherish playing.”
A Seniors Stableford at Avro was led in by club legend Vic Tarr with 40 points, well clear of Leslie Fowler 35 and Mark Brookes 33.
It was much closer in a Midweek Stableford at Avro with Ian Arthur winning a cpo on 39 from Neil Flood, one more than Stephen Callaghan.