Where the money goes

Aerators, Agrochemicals, Cassettes, Corers, Fertilisers, Filters, Grinders, Irrigation technologies, Mowers for every occasion, Scarifiers, Slitters, Sprayers, Spreaders, Verti-cutters, Vibe-Turf Irons, Wash-off systems... never mind course furniture, drainage, netting, artificial surfaces, storage, education.

Every activity has its trade fair. Greenkeeping is no different: every year Harrogate hosts the "ultimate turf management exhibition in Europe" and as we spend a lot of money on turf management I thought it'd be worth a look.

The trouble with almost any trade fair is that it's easy to walk out having spent a fortune on things you don't really need. Despite the fact that most of the salesmen on the stands look terminally bored as they hope for someone to ask them something. (There was one exception: the agronomist from STRI who does our annual inspection was incredibly enthusiastic as he demonstrated their new gadget which measures the smoothness of greens and looked forward to visiting us in Summer to try it out). I didn't in fact buy a new grinder, or a waste water separator, or indeed anything. But it was tempting.

It was encouraging to hear how many people who, in passing, had nice things to say about Bamburgh. Yes, most were salesmen, but they did seem to have genuine knowledge of the course and the club.