La Grande Mare Golf Membership – Coming full circle

For Rick Hamilton, 5 years in Australia had been adopted
by twenty-four years in Hong Kong, the place he travelled extensively
as a advisor for his personal firm and the PGA Tour. After virtually
three many years away from the island the place he grew up, Rick returned
to Guernsey in 2018.

For this interview, he sits on the opposite finish of a telephone at his
hometown membership with the solar beating down on the 18-hole beachside
course which, not like many, already has golfers again on it. Guernsey
has been no exception to the COVID-19 pandemic besides that, as we
communicate on sixth Might 2020, the course has been opened for 4 days as
two 9 holes to adjust to the designated two hours of out of doors
train.

All through their lockdown, which got here into place earlier than mainland
UK, working hours had been lowered to 12 per week. An entire
four-day shutdown was pressured on account of complaints earlier than important
employee standing meant they may return. From 27th April, they had been
capable of work unrestricted once more earlier than a barely impromptu return
to golf was introduced with in the future of discover.

Rick’s journey again to La Grande Mare has been totally different to
traditional profession timelines. For a lot of, their dwelling city membership may be
their first job fairly than their final, however coming from a small
island with a way of journey means issues do not fairly work that
means. As beforehand talked about, he had deliberate to be a fireman in
Australia, however a Metropolis & Guilds qualification in Engineering meant
issues had been capable of go in a distinct route.

“After I was in my late teenagers loads of my mates acquired
apprenticeships and, again then, it was a giant factor to go
backpacking and Australia and New Zealand had been the primary
locations, particularly Australia,” Rick defined. “Rising up on
a small island is gorgeous, however you’d hear tales about these individuals
going all over the world, and it was one thing I believed can be
good to do in the future, I believed it sounded superb.”

“When the suitable time got here, there have been about thirty of us that
went backpacking over two years. A whole lot of my mates had Metropolis &
Guilds apprenticeships and, again in these days, Australia was
screaming out for tradespeople whether or not it was a mechanic, a chef or
nursing and hairdressing. It was straightforward to get in so, after we might
travelled round and completed our vacationer visas, we utilized for
residency and went again and settled there.”

Royal Perth Golf Membership / Lake Karrinyup Nation Membership

“I did the conventional backpacking and vacationer factor of driving
across the nation and had a tremendous time windsurfing, fishing and
tenting and doing all these issues, earlier than I settled again in Perth
in Western Australia. After I was driving up and down the coast,
there have been some lovely golf programs, and I all the time thought to
myself, particularly after I went down south to a spot referred to as
Margaret River, that is fairly an attention-grabbing job. Sooner or later, I used to be in
a pub having a number of beers and ran into a number of guys from Royal
Perth Golf Membership, and so they had been promoting for a workshop mechanic,
so I went for an interview and so they provided me the job.”

“So, as a substitute of becoming a member of the fireplace brigade, I believed I might see what
this job is about. I began in 1991 with a brand new superintendent, so
I used to be a part of the staff who had been there to boost the requirements of the
course and the workshop. That is the place I actually acquired the greenkeeping
bug; from then on I beloved it, I believed it was a tremendous job.”

“From there, I moved to Lake Karrinyup Nation Membership which was
one of many high programs in Australia and, in 1995, I acquired requested to go
and work in Hong Kong to assist construct a golf course on an island for
the Jockey Membership which was a Gary Participant course. So I moved to Asia
as a workshop supervisor and made my means up by way of the ranks to an
assistant, and I ended up being the Superintendent of the golf
course that I helped construct and I used to be there for ten years.”

“After that, I arrange my very own firm, Asia Turf Options, and I
was consulting, constructing golf programs, planning upkeep, and
then ended up doing agronomy on new initiatives for Jack Nicklaus.
Then I labored for the World Golf Championship renovating and
rebuilding programs, and I used to be the Head Agronomist for the PGA Tour
in China which concerned serving to to arrange the PGA China Tour seven
years in the past. I went out and audited golf programs and located the venues
for them after which ready these programs for the tournaments.”

Jockey Membership Kau Sai Chau Golf Membership

While the start of Rick’s profession had a way of fine timing
and a little bit of luck about it, the years that adopted required
dedication and a set of targets he needed to attain. His
greenkeeping data was constructed from the bottom up, beginning at
Royal Perth after which extra formally at Murdoch College finding out
Turf Administration. That was constructed upon throughout his time in Hong Kong
with a Turf Administration Certificates from the College of Georgia
and supplemented by attending occasions in Australia and America to
be taught from these round him.

Nonetheless, one side of life in Asia that may’t be taught in a
classroom is the tradition. When Rick first moved to Hong Kong, the
Asian golf market, pushed by actual property building, was booming.
Wealth was being demonstrated by constructing huge properties on the
aspect of signature programs, and for these there firstly of the
increase, there was a possibility to be a part of the expansion.

“The Hong Kong job was speculated to be a two-year contract to go
and construct the golf course, set it up and are available again however, like loads
of issues, you go over there for 2 years and twenty-four years
later you are still there,” Rick defined.

“I had travelled fairly a bit and, after I went there, I might already
travelled round Asia and skilled different cultures, and that is
the massive factor. It’s important to go in there and be respectful and
perceive their tradition, and the way they do issues, in any other case you
will not survive.”

“The alternatives in Asia at the moment had been speedy, and the
studying curve was huge. This was within the mid-nineties early two
hundreds when golf course building and growth in Asia was
a giant factor, and it solely slowed down a number of years in the past. Should you had been
actually eager and enthusiastic about what you probably did and labored arduous, you
might make your individual luck and alternatives would come up. Having a
good community of mates and getting on with totally different individuals like
architects, equipment suppliers and fertiliser suppliers was good.
It was fairly a tight-knit neighborhood with loads of expats, and
all people in South East Asia knew one another, and also you’d meet up at
golf reveals.”

Aerial view of La Grande Mare’s gorgeous beachside location

“So, once we went in there, we constructed the programs, did all of the
specs for the turfgrass sorts and irrigation – that may
both be Toro or Rainbird – and put equipment packages collectively.
Again in these days, there was some huge cash round so we might make a
record of what we needed and the homeowners would just about purchase all of it,
so it was a little bit of a dream job. In my first job in Hong Kong on the
island, there was no expense spared in any respect, the homeowners needed it to
be world-class commonplace, so we had been there to advise, and it was all
achieved correctly and professionally. If we stated, we wanted X quantity of
greens mowers and X quantities of aeration gear we acquired it.”

“Through the years, as issues moved on, you needed to open up and
function the golf course, and that’s when issues tightened up a
bit. A whole lot of homeowners needed these golf programs, however they did not
realise how a lot they price to run and handle, turf administration is
massive cash. They could not imagine that they may purchase a BMW three Collection
for a similar value as a fairway mower.”

“As a result of golf was fairly new to lots of people at an in depth
degree, they knew little or no about sustaining programs. One of many
attention-grabbing issues I discovered working in Asia for therefore lengthy was that, at
my first course, we needed to practice all of the employees. And they might all
be fishermen and fisherwomen, and so they lived in just a little village,
and so they’d by no means seen mowers or a golf course. They did not know
something about it. However, because it turned out, the perfect operators in
phrases of working the machines and taking care of them had been ladies.
Ninety % of my operators had been women, and so they had been the perfect.
The lads could not function the machines to the identical commonplace, and
they did not handle them both. While you go round Hong Kong
and China you may discover, even in the present day, that loads of the operators
are ladies.”

Air2G2, a favorite machine of Rick’s / Rick with a brand new Foley
grinder, a part of the workshop enchancment plan

“Afterward, the course needed to be working, and also you needed to rely
in your inexperienced charges and issues did tightened up. While you had been doing
equipment alternative programmes, you needed to be a bit extra cautious
about what you picked and ensure it was the suitable machine for
the course. Not being too extravagant and ensuring the machine
was going to serve the aim of that particular website and job.”

“That is why the specialist machines, just like the Air2G2, are good
as a result of you need to use it on any space or soil sort and there isn’t any
disruption to play. Within the previous days, golfers hated whenever you went
out with a 16mm tine and had holes and topdressing in every single place, and
the course was a multitude for a few weeks. However, lately, with
the quantity of kit and equipment we’ve got with machines like
the ProCore 648 and Air2G2, it is a clear course of until it’s good to
take away loads of thatch or natural matter.”

Whereas the home urge for food for the sport was rising shortly,
the skilled curiosity from outdoors the nation was transferring at a
slower tempo. On his arrival in 1995, the Asian Tour and European
Tour occasions, such because the Hong Kong Open, had been happening with
little PGA involvement. By 2012, the fourth of 4 WGC-HSBC
Championship occasions was dropped at the Olazabal Course at Mission
Hills Golf Membership in Shenzhen, China with Ian Poulter profitable the
match.

On the time, Rick knew the PGA Tour was seeking to develop into
China and, given his intensive background of working within the
nation, he started consulting for the Tour as their agronomist.
Though he had been working his personal firm since 2004, by 2017,
he was engaged on fourteen tournaments in addition to consulting on
course constructions and upkeep elsewhere.

La Grande Mare – not a hyperlinks course!

The wide range of the job is what saved him hooked for therefore lengthy.
Sooner or later he may very well be in Southern Hong Kong within the tropical warmth and
ninety % humidity with illness and heavy rainfall, and the
subsequent day rising a course in a very totally different local weather or
prepping for a match. While selection was key to Rick’s
enjoyment of the job, there have been explicit features that stood out
for him.

“Going into some programs that had been fairly run down and getting
them prepared for a match was all the time a buzz,” he stated.
“Particularly moving into with an area staff who had by no means skilled
it. I might go in weekly or month-to-month and put programmes collectively and
work with them and practice them, in order that was very satisfying. On the
finish of the match, the native greenkeepers felt superb, in order that
was a very nice journey to go on with them.”

“One of the vital satisfying jobs was building. You go to a
website and take a look at it for a possible golf course and you’ve got
acquired this open pallet, and you’re employed with the designers and construct the
course. Seeing it from day one to the tip end result, when golfers are
going out and taking part in, is essentially the most rewarding a part of the job; being
concerned by way of the entire course of and being a part of a staff who
create a legacy that hundreds of individuals will come and revel in. When
I look again in the present day on the programs I’ve labored on, it is a tremendous
feeling.”

Having the ability to expertise a profession of such selection overseas for therefore
lengthy comes at a value. The numerous flights and lengthy hours are
a part of the job however, ultimately, the time spent away from his spouse,
youngsters and grandchildren, coupled with regulation adjustments
concerning golf course building in China, introduced Rick’s time
away from dwelling to a pure finish.

Golfers having fun with the course/ A distinguished loopholed tower is
surrounded by German bunkers

As a twin citizen, he had the choice to return to Australia, however
in the end the draw of dwelling received. This resolution, just like the one which
initially noticed him go away, had a component of lucky timing about
it. There have been no stable plans for work on his return to the island,
simply concerns of farming or consulting. Nonetheless, not lengthy
after he was dwelling, La Grande Mare got here calling and, for the 2
years which have adopted, he has strived to make it the perfect course
within the Channel Islands.

“I’ve gone full circle, from working on the highest degree to
being very hands-on at a course again dwelling. I used to be fortunate to return again
and have a venture like this on my doorstep. I stay six minutes
away whereas earlier than I might spend sixteen hours travelling to
initiatives.”

“I got here in and began working, after which we acquired a brand new proprietor final
12 months, and we’re taking a look at doing loads of growth work. We have
had a superb price range to go and purchase new equipment for the course, and
I have been capable of do a equipment alternative programme and get the
guys right here educated up on the brand new gear.”

“The course is twenty-five to thirty years previous, and it is fairly
quick. It is a fantastic website on the seaside; it isn’t a hyperlinks however a
parkland course constructed on marshland. It wants upgrading, like loads
of programs that get to a sure time of their life. It must be
rejuvenated, so we’re trying into that side of issues going
ahead.”

“The soil sort is clay and silt so, in the summertime, it hardpans
and it is like rock. Even once we attempt to change the holes, the outlet
cutter virtually breaks or whenever you’re attempting to knock hazard steaks
within the floor someday the wooden virtually splits. Then, within the winter,
it holds loads of moisture so the native soil here’s a problem
and being beneath sea degree would not assist with that.”

La Grande Mare – proper on the seaside

“We get massive spring tides, and we’re proper on the seaside so these
ten-metre tides crash over the ocean wall, and with the rain, there
is a time period the place the water cannot escape out, so there is a
lot of open ditches and issues like that to attempt to channel it
away, however there is not sufficient drainage with the previous push-up greens.
Due to the soil sort and the dearth of subsurface drainage, the
moisture is retained for a very long time and, in the summertime, it is arduous
to get the aeration and the water in there. One of many explanation why
I acquired the Air2G2 was to make the greens extra forgiving, so I might
management how they play. With USGA greens in a match, you possibly can
management the firmness, moisture and velocity however right here, after I arrived,
there was no management over how the course performed.”

“It is a fixed programme to maintain the greens aerated and open.
I’ve been going out with the Air2G2 with the 300mm probes on
fairly a detailed spacing to alleviate the arduous panning and opening them
up, after which we are available in with the Verti-Drain with totally different tine
configurations to attempt to maintain it on the highest as effectively. We try this
fairly often to maintain them transferring, after which we comply with up with a
wetting agent and watering to attempt to assist.”

“We have been doing loads of work with topdressing utilizing larger
high quality sand in order that they putt higher, in addition to amending among the
programmes to attempt to get the rootzone a bit more healthy and stronger
as a result of among the greens have issues with diet. I appeared
in any respect the soils and used profile porous ceramic to assist enhance
the situation of the soil rootzone. After we get the tides are available in,
we get loads of salt on the course, so working gypsum programmes
and different modification programmes means we will just about management the
greens now. We have already had constructive suggestions from our members
and gamers throughout competitions we have had, so we all know we’re going
in the suitable route.”

“I need this course to be the perfect within the Channel Islands. I
need to constantly produce the highest quality surfaces and greens.
I actually need the golfers to return out and benefit from the course and have
it in the perfect situation it may be, as a result of that is what I try
for.”