THE world of cinema has Mad Max. Trefloyne Golf Course has Mad Matt.

Matt Whittock is Trefloyne’s gead greenkeeper, and you’ll frequently see him out there from extremely early in the morning until way after dark. He just loves his work, and the golf course… and that’s something shared by his great team, Aaron Roberts and Milo Stone.

But however committed they are, some jobs loom very large when it comes to the time they take.

And so, as everyone at the club holds Matt and his team in such high regard because they always go the extra mile, Trefloyne members gather each year to give something back, and help with the time-consuming job of hollow-tining the greens. This year it was on September 23rd, in the drizzle.

It’s a tedious but simple process. Matt runs the machine that removes a three-inch plug of soil every couple of inches. Then the volunteers come along with scrapers and shovels to load the long lines of plugs into Aaron’s and Ryan’s trailers. After which Milo adds the finishing touches with the blower.

Hard at work on the greens
Hard at work on the greens ((Photo supplied))

Last time, although Matt started tining before 7am the volunteers – starting at 9am – caught up with him by mid-morning. But even with an unscheduled coffee break, everyone was still in by lunchtime.

However, Mad Matt’s not a man to be outdone! There had been downtime… so this year he was out there way before dawn with headlights blazing, getting stuck into the greens furthest away from civilization so the neighbours wouldn’t complain.

As a result, he was well on his way round the course by the time club captain Eifion Price had finished briefing the 15 or so volunteers and they’d swallowed the last of their bacon rolls and coffee. Right on time for a sharp 9am start.

At the appointed hour the team moved like a well-oiled machine to the 1st green, with everyone working together to sweep hundredweights of plugs off the green. then shovel them into the trailer.

The members completed the work in record time
The members completed the work in record time ((Photo supplied))

With the 1st completely clear it was on to the 6th, and then the 2nd and the 3rd. Followed by the 4th and 5th, the 7th and the 8th. The 11th was next… and it was nine holes down. And it was not yet 10 o’clock!

When Eifion called a vote – ‘all those in favour of a break’ – he was laughed down! This band of volunteers – pretty much all seniors and ladies – was made of stouter stuff. Onwards and upwards! Which meant that all that was left to do was to repeat the success of the first nine holes.

It’ll be no surprise that it was no problem at all. From starter’s whistle to ‘down shovels’ was one hour, fifty-six minutes… celebrated by a quick cup of coffee and a photo call. All in a day’s work for Trefloyne members.

Sadly, there’s no mention of ‘formation hollow-tining’ in the Guinness book of Records. But rest assured… if there were, Trefloyne would reign supreme.