I have an online academy, hundreds of guides and I give unlimited free advice to anyone who’s prepared to put in the work. I’ve helped hundreds of volunteers, qualified and amateur greenkeepers, many starting from scratch, to achieve greens they never thought possible, and to gain the pride that comes with real skill and knowledge.
But lately I’m seeing more of a different kind of enquiry:
Your feedback helps fellow greenkeepers make informed choices — and it helps me continue to support the return to natural, chemical-free greenkeeping across the UK and beyond.
Here’s the bonus: every product review you leave enters you into my monthly prize draw to win a 1-litre bottle of BioActive Yucca — the top-selling natural wetting agent trusted by clubs nationwide.
That’s it — you’re automatically entered!
Why BioActive Yucca?
✔️ Breaks down hydrophobic soils naturally
✔️ Helps your green make the most of rainfall
✔️ Supports soil microbes, no chemicals and Certified Organic
✔️ £74.22 value — yours for free if you win
Thanks as always for supporting Bowls Central — and for championing natural greenkeeping.
Best regards,
John Quinn
www.bowls-central.co.uk
Winner will be announced on 1st September 2025. Look out for the September Prize Draw towards the end of August
Life after pesticides for bowling clubs, what a scary thought, or is it? Master Greenkeeper John Quinn explains why he believes the death of pesticides could be the start of a revolution in bowling green performance.
In parts 1 and 2 of this series on how to fix your bowling green, we discussed the process and importance of taking regular soil profile samples and discovered what the soil sample can actually tell us about the condition of the green. In part 3 John links this to demonstrate why each of the visual signals from the soil sample point clearly to one or more of the multitude of issues we experience on poorly performing greens. From disease outbreaks to skinning of heads and bad runs on rinks, the humble soil profile sample can tell us a lot about where we're going wrong and point to the answers that will help us create a performance bowling green in the near future.
In this article we take the soil samples you removed in Fix your bowling green Step1 and look more closely at them to discover what's going on under your green. This is one of the most valuable practices that any greenkeeper can undertake as it can reveal a wealth of information about the condition of your green that you could previously only guess at.
