Sports Pitch Maintenance

Who should attend?

Personnel involved in sports surface maintenance at Golf and Pitch & Putt clubs, Rugby, Soccer and GAA clubs, Cricket, Tennis and Lawn Bowling clubs, Horse racing venues.

What will be covered?

COURSE OBJECTIVES

On satisfactory completion, learners should be able to:

1. Understand and explain the features of soil based, sand based and sand dressed natural grass surfaces.

2. Understand and explain the features of sand filled and rubber filled synthetic surfaces.

3. Describe how rainfall, temperature and soil conditions affect routine maintenance

4. Mark grass surfaces and set out goalposts etc. for a variety of sports events

5. Select appropriate maintenance equipment and demonstrate a range of maintenance techniques including:

- topdressing

- aeration

- scarifying

- fertilising

- line marking

- switching

- brushing

- edging

- mowing

6. Demonstrate the safe and effective use of repair and renovation methods including:

- goal mouth patching

- divot repair

- forking to relieve compaction

- over seeding

7. Carry out Astro Turf Maintenance,

- understand how necessary it is

- understand and demonstrate the techniques involved

8. Demonstrate safe use of equipment

9. Understand hazards, risks & control measures

10. Demonstrate how to create and maintain a safe working environment

Other areas of interest

Using the mower for weed control

Developing skills in creating mowing patterns