Topgrass

Top-Grass is an advisory business selling independent advice for the maintenance of sports turf surfaces.  Turf advice is the core of the business offered by Top-Grass.

Our advice services include:

• Agronomy
• Course design/re-design
• Irrigation
• Drainage
• Machinery

The agronomy service offered by Top-Grass includes visits and reports that include assessment and appraisal of course condition and maintenance practices, but also adds to this by setting up annual maintenance plans which allow proper planning of the works required to improve the golf course.  Advice on fertiliser programmes is often based on soil samples and correcting any deficiencies together with correct timing of applications to keep the grass in the best possible condition.  A clear and concise maintenance plan allows for timely purchase of products required whilst also allowing the club management as well as the greenkeeping team to see what work is required, the duration of the work and the disruption expected from any maintenance works.

Top-Grass will act to help golf clubs achieve long term goals and aims. Our greenkeeping experience gives us understanding of problems and issues that greenkeeping staff work with on a day to day basis.  We can add to this by helping clubs formulate polices and plans to achieve the proposed golf course maintenance procedures and to plan for improvement works during the out of season period.

The other services offered by Top-Grass can also be easily accessed. This means that all works carried out on the golf course can be achieved in a coherent fashion. The partnership built up between Top-Grass and the client can result in benefits and efficiencies that are to the long-term benefit of all.

Advice offered is intended to achieve results by using sound cultural techniques rather than expensive chemical solutions. Keeping the turf healthy and strong, will in the longer term produce greater benefits.

Advice can be given on a range of scenarios from trouble shooting, maintenance plans, general advice on any issue through to full golf course consultancy offered on an annual basis.

Top-Grass provides a full service that is committed to improving golf course layout and design. This is cost effective and aims to keep disruption to golfers to an absolute minimum. Effective communication is employed to allow any projects to proceed with the minimum of fuss and with backing from club membership.

Services offered are: -

• Appraisals that evaluate the current design and layout of the golf course with associated problems and benefits and is normally the first step required when deciding on whether alterations are required. 
• Design / Re-design -  this can be carried out in a cost effective manner and can include projects which are small, like individual bunker re-design, up to full golf course design.
• Project Management - Top-Grass can provide cost effective management of construction projects to ensure the golf club has works carried out properly by the construction company or to help with advice when works are carried out in-house.

Irrigation advice is available through Top-Grass from auditing your current system up to project management of the installation of a new system.

• Many golf courses have had their current irrigation systems installed for many years now and these are often nearing the end of the anticipated life span. Due to the wet summers that have been encountered over the last few years many systems have not been used to any great extent. This may cause problems in coming years where if dry/warm summers are encountered, system problems may only then be highlighted by the lack of water being available on sensitive areas such as greens.

• Top-Grass can also undertake a detailed system design and specification that can be used in tendering for a system upgrade or new system quote.

• Tendering can be undertaken on behalf of a client to ensure that cost effective quotes are received from a variety of irrigation installers and an independent system design carried out on behalf of a client will ensure that the quotes received are comparative.

• Quote analysis can also be carried out, where quotes from differing installers are analysed to ensure that the system quoted gives the client the most cost-effective system for their needs.

• Irrigation project management can be offered where Top-Grass acts on the behalf of the client to ensure any installation work is carried out to the specifications set down. These would include depth of pipes, restoration of drainage damage, correct component useage etc.

All of the above services are on offer individually, or can be linked to make up a package. The advisory services can also be accessed as a total package.

Water dispersal on many golf courses is a perennial problem that makes traffic movement and presentation difficult to achieve. Top-Grass has the knowledge and experience to be able to give advice in this area as well as provide plans.

• Advisory work with regards to drainage can be given for small isolated areas up to whole golf course analysis and advisory reports.

• Plans for the drainage work required on a golf course can be drawn up and used for the implementation of works in house or with the use of a contractor. Maps can be produced showing slopes / contour lines which can then be used to route drainage lines to best advantage. Plans will normally be drawn up after undertaking an advisory visit.

Advice can be offered as to the most efficient ways of purchasing machines together with matching machinery to tasks.

• Top-Grass can help golf clubs to assess their buying practices to ensure that finances are being used to best effect. There are other aspects that are important within buying practices such as staff health and safety together with keeping up with technology. Analysis can be undertaken together with the greenkeeper and club secretary, a report will then be submitted that can be used for discussion at committee level. 
• New machine park specification can be drawn up in conjunction with the greenkeeper to ensure that machinery that is purchased fits the tasks that the machines are required to undertake. A specification can be put together which can be used for machine dealers to tender on. The supply of a full machine park can result in significant savings for golf clubs as preferable deals can be sought due to the larger scale of the purchase.
• Top-Grass can provide training for machine use and maintenance where a golf club has a specific training requirement.