The latest bowls maintenance seminar of the 2026 calendar took place at Derby West End Bowling Club, bringing together greenkeepers, volunteers and club members for a valuable day of practical demonstrations, expert advice and knowledge-sharing.

Red thread is a familiar problem for bowling greenkeepers. One day the green appears healthy; a few days of mild, damp weather later, patches of pinkish-red and straw-coloured grass begin to appear across the playing surface.

Dollar spot is one of those turf diseases that can quickly turn a healthy-looking bowling green into a frustrating patchwork of small, straw-coloured marks.

For football grounds teams maintaining a pitch to an elite standard is about far more than simply keeping the grass short. Surface quality, consistency and playability all depend on what is happening beneath and within the sward.

For more than 70 years, Wycliffe Bowling Club has been at the heart of its local community. Established in 1956 as part of a foundry, the club has evolved over the decades, moving twice before settling at its current site in 1992.

Since then, the facility and its playing surface have continued to develop, supported by a dedicated team of volunteers who take great pride in maintaining the bowling green.

One of those volunteers is Adam Orr, a member of the club’s greenkeeping team whose responsibilities focus on the technical aspects of turf maintenance, including operating and maintaining the machinery.

Sale Sports Club groundsman Iain Harrop is embracing the benefits of battery-powered turf maintenance after switching from the petrol FT-510 to the Dennis ES-510 electric cylinder mower.

Crewe Alexandra Football Club's grounds team is embracing battery-powered technology with the Dennis ES-34R rotary mowers, using the professional 34-inch twin-blade rotary mower to deliver high-quality pitch presentation and clean-up while reducing noise, vibration, emissions and running costs.

Port Vale’s Head of Grounds, Steven Alderson, has turned to Dennis battery-powered mowing technology as the club continues a major period of development during its 150th year.
Steven has been responsible for the club’s grounds operation for the past four years, having built up his career across both professional golf and football.

For more than 100 years, Derby West End bowling club has been a part of Derby’s sporting heritage. Today, as the only flat green bowling club left in Derby itself and one of only a small number remaining in Derbyshire, preserving that legacy has never been more important.

When West Haddon Bowls Club's long-serving greenkeeper retired after four decades at 92 years old, three volunteers stepped forward to take on the challenge. Armed with enthusiasm, a willingness to learn and a trusted Dennis FT Range, they're proving that volunteer-led clubs can deliver playing surfaces for the community to enjoy.