As a fellow farmer to Stik I'm afraid I have to put the oar in here!
The amenity (slow grow) variety is certainly the easiest to maintain in the summer but be very careful in the winter. The lack of clover means that there is a lot more mud about in the winter and we all know what that does to our braking and TOR's.
A good mix of ryegrass and 30% clover will be quick to establish in the early autumn and the clover will provide an excellent "mat" to avoid the mud splattering in the wet season.
The key to any successful grass establisjment is how fine the soil is at the seedbed preparation stage. A knobbly seedbed means less soil/seed contact and will almost certainly result in uneven establishment.
Apply some nitrogen fertiliser when you first sow it and make sure you roll it really well with a flat roller. The nitrogen will help the rapid germination and allow the seed to get away well.
Yes, a ryegrass / clover mix might require topping more frequently (I'm at once every 8 days at the mo') but you will find it a much better surface to fly from.
Is the ground flinty? If so make sure you remove as many of the big ones as possible as they do tend to work there way up through the soil during the year and can be a nightmare with punctures etc.
Roll every spring after the last frosts with a heavy flat roller and make sure you aren't tempted to cut the grass for the first time each year too early. If you do you'll regret it 'cos it'll go rampant 4 weeks before it normally would.
One last word of advice, make the last cut before winter a long one. If it is left too short it will become muddy VERY quickly.
Sorry to bore you all!!!
