Strong field for men’s Synthetic pairs green a winner
A field of 80 bowlers have entered for the Bowls Manawatu men’s open pairs to be played at Terrace End from Thursday to Saturday. The 40 pairs include a handful of outside entries from Taihape, Castlecliff and Central Levin. Sixteen pairs will qualify for post- section play. The Takaro Bowling Club’s synthetic green has also served as an exhibition green for the lower North Island.
It was laid in November 2010 at a cost of $ 225,000 and since then the manufacturers, Auckland company Tiger Turf NZ, have sold others in the Wellington- Kapiti Coast regions.
Members from those clubs have been able to inspect the surface at Takaro and to play on it.
The green runs at 14 to 15 seconds, similar to the adjacent cotula green and at what Takaro greenkeeper Terry Rossiter calls ‘‘ a nice pace’’.
‘‘ We can have any speed we like,’’ Rossiter said.
When it’s cold in winter, speeds can reach 17 seconds.
When it is warmer it plays slower because the material expands. The cotula weed green is more comfortable to play on in hot summers because the $ 110,000 Tiger Turf Greenweave carpet heats up and can make bowling unpleasant.
It is the only artificial green at the Manawatu centre. After heavy rain it can be totally under water and within an hour of the rain stopping, it is playable again.
Rossiter said the members enjoy playing on it during the winter and outside bowlers pay a green fee of $ 5 which goes in the honesty box.
Many tournaments are played indoors on similar surfaces so players heading for them practice at Takaro.
And if big tournaments at Takaro, such as their pro pairs, overload the cotula green, the overflow play on the artificial.
Because it is
relatively
new
green
tech- nology, the life span is unknown. Because Takaro’s doesn’t have extreme use, it might last 15 to 20 years.
The turf is not maintenance free. It must be cleaned with a purposemade vacuum cleaner to remove flecks of grass, dirt and dust which blow in with the westerly winds from Featherston St and neighbouring properties.
Rossiter regularly sprays to eliminate algal growth.
‘‘ You cannot let it get embedded,’’ Rossiter said.
Club president Gary Mitchell does most of the vacuuming with help from members, all on a voluntary basis.
A month ago Tiger Turf NZ staff had to return to make repairs. One area had raised by about 30cm where the trucks had driven before the carpet had been laid. Once it dried out, the sub- surface had moved.
The Tiger Turf staff pulled back the surface, dug out the offending area, repaired it, stretched the turf and fixed it.
Besides tending to Takaro’s greens, Rossiter keeps himself busy on an almost fulltime basis. He also tends the Takaro Croquet Club lawn and the three Terrace End Bowling Club greens.
Takaro are also in the process of expanding the clubhouse by a width of about five metres to near the edge of the artificial turf, a project which will cost close to $ 300,000.
The Takaro Sports Club needs more room to cater for other sports including boccia and club 2000, the former CT Club, which has a large number of pool tables and increased theclub membership.
the turf