Berkhamsted are using a new tool that’s revolutionising how they look at their golf course. Manager Howard Craft explains how everyone at the club is reaping the benefits…
This article is part of GCMA Insights – topical content for golf industry professionals, discussing the things that matter to those who work in golf clubs.
Scanning its target some 250 feet up, it can capture changes smaller than a sleeve of golf balls on Berkhamsted’s historic layout.
An eye in the sky – an ultra-high-quality drone – is a sophisticated toolset that’s helping the Hertfordshire club reset the science of golf course management.
Used by a new online portal, the Clere GolfHub, a series of flights have helped produce an evolving interactive mosaic of high-resolution photos of the Hertfordshire track.
And it is informing course managers and club chiefs how the course is changing over time – helping them to make quick decisions on what work is needed to keep the top 100 course in tip-top condition.
The GolfHub’s sub-10cm resolution picked up objects as small as individual plant, sprinkler heads and club signs when it did its first flight in 2021.
And subsequent flights have allowed Berkhamsted to see easily organised before and after images, with the visual information now the go-to tool when monitoring seasonal work.
That includes growth and planting, pathway alterations, course renovations, as well as looking at tees, fairways, rough, gorse and heather.
“It’s been incredibly useful when collaborating with our greens committee,” said Berkhamsted’s club manager, and GCMA member, Howard Craft.
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“Discussions and management decisions are quicker and easier than ever before because we now have such clear information.
“The Clere GolfHub has been a success at Berkhamsted, and we are only using a fraction of its capabilities so far.
“We have trained multiple staff to use it, from the team in the management office through to Gerald and his senior greenkeeping staff.
“For us the GolfHub is mainly a one-stop tracking & monitoring tool which removes uncertainty and saves us time and money because we are now making better course management decisions.”
Craft and his team can use any electronic equipment they’ve got to hand – whether it’s PC or phones – to geo-tag on-course actions and they can also add notes to help the greenkeepers know exactly where and how the work should be done.
“As everything is guided by accurate GPS, our greens team now has absolutely clear location instructions about every aspect of their work” added Craft.
“For example, the GolfHub provides exhaustive information about our new irrigation system, including the location and routing of every underground pipe and sprinkler.
“It is also an incredibly accurate measurement tool, which helps us to order the right quantity of materials and analyse data across all surface areas.
“Our club trustees also now use it to monitor the extensive non-golfing parts of the Berkhamsted estate.”
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And they’re even utilising it in golf course set up. “We now use the GolfHub to decide where to put the pins on the greens, as it contains a wealth of historic pin placement data,” explained Craft.
“All of our green slopes are accurately stored in the GolfHub, so our members can now have attractive printed tournament-style pin sheets, and they can view pins through its powerful Player App which they download for free.
“The App gives us additional new ways to engage with our members, and when it comes to major club events and Opens the GolfHub helps us to create an enhanced experience.”
Steve Richardson, Clere Golf Director, said the hub built up an information bank over time where clubs could see changes.
He added: “For example, for high-traffic areas such as pathways or bunker surrounds which are prone to erosion and in need of attention, the GolfHub can save huge amounts of time as club staff can see exactly how each pathway is now looking following maintenance visits.”
Added Craft: “For some people, greenkeeping will always be largely an art form – but modern course management now uses data and science!”
“For golf club managers the Clere GolfHub supports the cases for change when the Course Manager proposes works and enables the club to manage those changes once the works are underway.
“It is the best tool I have ever used for professional golf course management.”
Pictures courtesy of Andy Hiseman
This article is part of GCMA Insights – topical content for golf industry professionals, discussing the things that matter to those who work in golf clubs.
Get involved in the debate. To join the GCMA, click here, or to organise a call with a member of the GCMA team, just complete this form and we’ll be in touch!
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