GEA Winners Announced

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GEA Winners Announced: The winners of the 2018 Golf Environment Awards (GEA) have been announced at The Crown, Harrogate, in a ceremony hosted by STRI Group and the R&A.

 Environmental Golf Course of the Year 2018 – Carnoustie Golf Links

GEA Winners Announced

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year 2018 – Stephen Thompson (John O’Gaunt Golf Club)

Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year 2018 – Abergele Golf Club

Operation Pollinator 2018 – Kingsdown Golf Club

STRI ecology consultant, Sophie Vukelic, said: “A huge congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s awards, you each showcase what sustainable management is within golf. The golf environment is a better place with you all working to protect it”

The annual Golf Environment Awards provide the platform from which the golf industry can demonstrate environmental excellence in all its forms. Established in 1995, the awards have gone from strength to strength and in 2018, attendees to the awards almost tripled in numbers.

Carnoustie Golf Links were awarded Environmental Golf Course of the Year for their incredible work within the local community and their continued environmentally conscious practices in all areas of golf course management. Each decision at the golf facility considers the impact on the environment and each member of staff is trained to work in such a way.

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year was received by Stephen Thompson of John O’Gaunt Golf Club for his passionate dedication to nature conservation within golf. Stephen has extensive biodiversity records for both courses at his club, enabling him to tailor the management of the mosaic of habitats accordingly.

Abergele Golf Club won Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year for their Tir Gwylllt (Wild Land) area. Darren, his team of greenkeeping staff and several members have created a wildlife haven from materials ready to hand or donated. The project is a remarkable example of people pulling together to create something spectacular.

Operation Pollinator was awarded to Kingsdown Golf Club where Tom Freeman had introduced extensive native wildflower areas with the help of local primary school children. Not only did this Operation Pollinator project provide for nectar and pollen loving insects, it also provided a great golf education to the younger generation.

STRI is indebted to lead partner, The R&A, and the sponsors – Ransomes Jacobson, Aquatrols, Syngenta, Tillers Turf and Wiedenmann and would like to thank them for their continued support. The R&A’s involvement in the GEA Awards does not elicit its endorsement for the sponsor’s products or services.

Fancy having a go yourself? The entries for the 2019 Golf Environment Awards are now open and we encourage all golf clubs, big or small, to enter and show off their hard work. Enter today at www.golfenvironmentawards.com

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Pershore Groundsman Praised

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Pershore Groundsman Praised: Pershore Town groundsman Tim Phillips was singled out as an unlikely man of the match after ensuring that the club yet again avoided the wipeout of fixtures last weekend.

After snow and then rain, only three fixtures were played in Midland League Division One – and one of those on an artificial pitch.

Pershore Groundsman Praised

Despite being next to the river and the soggy conditions, the King George V Stadium was playable and Phillips’ hard work was rewarded with Town’s best league win of the season as they defeated Chelmsley Town 4-0.

Phillips, a former referee, was runner-up in the league’s groundsman of the year competition and his expertise has been visible again.

“Our groundsman has done another great job. The game was never in doubt and that was down to Tim’s hard work,” said manager Quentin Townsend. “Despite all the rain, there was nothing wrong with the pitch.

“We spent quite a lot of money on the pitch in the summer, a four-figure sum, and we’ve turned down offers from clubs to groundshare to protect the pitch. We’ve put the pitch first and foremost.”

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Rain Bird Appoints Rigby Taylor

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Rain Bird Appoints Rigby Taylor: Rain Bird, a leading global manufacturer of irrigation product and services, has confirmed the appointment of Rigby Taylor as its distributor of golf products for the UK market.

UK golf course managers will continue to access products through the UK-wide network of approved Rain Bird contractors, but they will now receive additional support, new product information and after-sales service from Rigby Taylor’s technical field sales force.

Rain Bird Appoints Rigby Taylor

Chris Clark, Rigby Taylor’s executive chairman, commented: “We are very pleased at this partnership agreement. The coming together of two such major industry names will bring significant synergistic benefits and our 50 plus team of highly skilled field personnel will be working closely with Rain Bird and its contractors to further establish this exciting range of products as the UK’s brand leader.”

Jimmy Sandison, regional sales manager for Rain Bird in the UK, Ireland, Iceland and Scandinavia explained: “We want to provide the very best levels of service and support to all of our customers. By having Rigby Taylor in place as a strong UK distribution partner for our golf course irrigation products, contractors and course managers will all benefit from a quicker, more efficient service.”

He added: “My expanding team and I will concentrate our technical expertise and irrigation know-how on educating and supporting customers in optimising the performance of their irrigation systems and in using water, energy and human resources more efficiently. We will also be focusing more of our time working with key partners who are designing and specifying new systems and those involved in course renovation projects.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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John Deere Partnership Renewed

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John Deere Partnership Renewed: John Deere and the Ladies European Tour (LET) have confirmed an extension to their partner agreement as of January 2018, during which Deere will continue to be designated the Tour’s official supplier of golf course maintenance equipment which includes mowers, tractors and Gator utility vehicles.

Under the terms of the agreement, LET tournaments – including The Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in September 2019 – will be supported by John Deere equipment through the company’s European golf dealer network. Deere officials will also continue to work closely with the LET’s agronomists, with the goal of helping to produce better quality playing surfaces across the continent.

John Deere Partnership Renewed

The announcement was made by LET chairman Mark Lichtenhein on the John Deere stand at BTME 2018 in Harrogate on Tuesday January 23, together with John Deere’s global turf marketing director Manny Gan and European turf sales & marketing manager Carlos Aragones.

“We are delighted that John Deere has decided to extend its relationship with the Ladies European Tour for the next two years, beyond The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles,” said Mark Lichtenhein. “This is a testament to our enduring partnership since 2006 and demonstrates the alignment of our brands and our joint objective to ensure a bright future for the women’s game.”

Carlos Aragones added, “We are also delighted that what has already proved to be a fruitful relationship with the Ladies European Tour is continuing to grow. The strength of the John Deere brand is based on the quality of our products and customer service, and we are very proud to be associated with both the LET and The Solheim Cup.”

The Solheim Cup is the highlight of the women’s professional golf calendar, when the best women golfers from Europe and the United States compete for this prestigious biennial trophy. The next tournament takes place on the world-famous PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland from September 13-15, 2019.

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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