NETLON TEES-UP TURF PROTECTION SOLUTIONS

A simple plastic paving system is providing the perfect solution to turf erosion on two separate golf courses. Head Greenkeepers Ian Marshall, at Wellingborough Golf Club in Northants, and Ian McFarlane, at Saltford Golf Club near Bristol, have both used the Netpave 25 turf protection system from Netlon to provide stability and protection on heavy wear areas of their grounds.

Netpave 25 is a recently introduced easy-to-lay plastic paving system designed to protect turf from both human and light vehicle traffic. The half metre-square paver units are designed to be laid on top of existing grass and simply clip together to form a stable ground surface. Once laid, the grass grows through and the pavers virtually disappear.

At Wellingborough, Ian Marshall was faced with a need to provide overflow parking facilities. The standard option of providing a hard parking surface would have required excavation and planning permission, which was likely to prove both costly and problematic, as the grounds are an English heritage site.

Netlon's paving system offered a low-cost solution with an aesthetically attractive end result and no need for disruptive excavation work.

Ian laid Netpave 25 on an area of approximately 280m2 to provide the parking facilities. The area is adjacent to the main car park and Ian is very pleased with the results: "Netpave 25 was really easy to put down, and now that the grass has grown through you can't see it at all unless you look very hard. It solved our parking problem with very little disruption."

Down near Bristol Ian McFarlane took a different route to reach the same solution. The Saltford Golf Course had two problem areas where the ground became very muddy in wet conditions.

The first, an access route to the club house, is used by pedestrians, golf buggies and mowers and this traffic, combined with any amount of rain, meant the area frequently became slippery and muddy. The second problem area was a patch of rising ground at the end of a bridge that provides access to the 17th hole. This well-used area would turn into "a mudbath" when the frequent pedestrian traffic combined with the British weather.

Ian investigated turf protection solutions as a means of improving the condition of the two areas. Netpave 25 was his final choice because of its inherent flexibility. The interlocking paver units and flexible structure mean Netpave 25 is ideal for use on sloping ground such as that at the Saltford Golf Course. The easy-lay clip system was also a great advantage.

A year on from the first installation Ian is more than happy: "I'm delighted with the results. Neither area gets muddy any more and the grass has grown through nicely - it's been very successful."

Netlon is an acknowledged leader in the development and application of plastic mesh products for use in horticulture, civil engineering and agriculture. Netlon Turf Systems has developed a range of technologies and products to improve the capabilities of grassed areas to withstand heavy and intensive wear. In addition to Netpave 25 the range includes products designed to cater for a wide variety of turf protection situations, from a lightweight protective mesh capable of coping with light traffic to an engineered turf system and more permanent paving, both capable of handling even heavy goods vehicles..

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