Introducing the Hornet Moth

The Hornet Moth (Sesia apiformis) is the largest of our region’s clearwing moths and also one of the rarest. There are currently only seven known colonies within the East Midlands (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland).

Badger Deterrents: A Case Study from Ullesthope Court Golf Club

As with many clubs, Ullesthorpe Court GC has experienced much badger damage in the last few years, particularly on and around our greens.  A couple of methods were attempted, using sprays and smells, but with no success.

Wildlife Conservation: Good or Bad for Golf Courses?

Wildlife on golf courses is one of those things that sparks very different reactions among golfers, and sometimes even golf club managers, excluding, of course, the enlightened readers of The Golf Club Secretary!

Reviving the Black Poplar: Branching Out With the Tree Council

By the end of this year Cold Ashby Golf Centre will have planted about 650 new native trees. Our aim was to increase biodiversity, create wildlife habitats, strengthen the playing strategy required for some holes and reinforce its attractive landscape.

Making Homes for Newts

UPDATED JANUARY 2023: There’s a new Head Greenkeeper at Glen Gorse Golf Club: James Burberry, a passionate wildlife enthusiast, is working with the help of key members like Alan Herbert, on initiatives to benefit nature. The first, and the more unusual, is a project to restore and expand habitats for a local newt population.

MOREwoods and MOREhedges

The Woodland Trust is based here in Grantham and they have 2 schemes called MOREwoods and MOREhedges. You can apply to them for advice, funding and supply of saplings. At SGC we did this and received over 2,500 saplings, together with guards and stakes.

The Rachel Carson Bowl

At Market Harborough Golf Club we recognised the need to raise members’ awareness of our activities, especially when so much of what we are trying to do is, by definition, low profile or has a lengthy lead-in or incubation time. One way of doing this, and at the same time raising some funding, was to organise a new club competition.

NEW EQUIPMENT FLEET

12 months ago the main season equipment at The Leicestershire was on its last legs to say the least. With one fairway mower sent to the graveyard and the remaining over 20 years old… things had to change.

Going Green at Longcliffe Golf Club

Long before the “green agenda” became a popular cause Longcliffe Golf Club was thinking “environmentally”. However, this was not entirely altruistic because “going green” can sometimes make financial sense as well as being good for the environment.