An Update From Scott MacCallum

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An Update From Scott MacCallum: Well, as we enter August it gives us a little time to catch our breath, at least before the start of the football season again. Oh yes and the little matter of the Ashes!

What a month July proved to be. We had the English ladies getting to the semi final of the World Cup, and Scotland’s ladies proving that shooting themselves in the foot is not the preserve of the Scottish men!

An Update From Scott MacCallum

We had a momentous Cricket World Cup with England surviving a mid tournament slump to reach a final, which will go down in the annuls as of the greatest cricket, if not sporting, matches of all time – congratulations to Karl McDermott and his team for producing the perfect wicket for bat and ball.

Then there was the return of The Open Championship to the island of Ireland and the dream of a home winner. Shane Lowry was immense, but so was Graeme Beatt and his team who produced a test of golf to match the occasion. It has certainly put Royal Portrush back on the map, and more importantly, the Open rota, and we won’t have to wait another 62 years to see that magical Portrush links put through the ultimate test.

I use sporting events as the landmarks through my life – Ah, that was the year Tom Watson, won at Carnoustie (1975); that was when Aberdeen won the European Cup winners Cup (1983); that was when Scotland last won the Grand Slam (1990).

This year is going to offer up so many new landmarks. And we are not yet two thirds through the year!

Scott MacCallum

Editor

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Vincent Tractors’ New Plant

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Vincent Tractors’ New Plant: Vincent Tractors & Plant are delighted to announce that they are relocating to the former Holsworthy branch of Bond Agri at Unit 1, Neet Way, Dobles Industrial Estate, Holsworthy, EX22 6ES. 

As from Monday 15th July Vincent Tractors & Plant started trading from this new location.  They will continue to supply and service the full range of Kubota Tractors, Groundcare and Construction equipment including a range of agricultural implements and other products within the Vincent Tractors & Plant product range. The full range can be viewed on their website at www.vincenttractors.co.uk.  The new branch includes a showroom and will continue to offer a large range of spare parts as well as provide a dedicated machinery servicing and repair department.

Vincent Tractors' New Plant

Paul Vincent, Managing Director of Vincent Tractors & Plant explained “The opportunity for us to take over the Bond Agri depot was too good a chance for us to miss.  The move to Unit 1 on the Dobles Industrial Estate provides us with a bigger showroom, more office space and a larger workshop.  It means that we can service more machines at once, as well as stock a wider range of spare parts”.

David Stanbury has joined our sales team and will be the Vincent Tractors & Plant agricultural sales representative for the West and North Devon area, his mobile number is 07970 207689.  John Scott (07768 063548) and Nick Vincent (07834 555172) are our Groundcare and Construction sales representatives respectively for West and North Devon.

The Vincent Tractors & Plant telephone number remains unchanged, 01409 251241 and a member of their Holsworthy team will be happy to speak with you.  They look forward to welcoming you to our new branch and showroom in the near future.

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Kelly-Marie Clack Joins STRI Group

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Kelly-Marie Clack Joins STRI Group: STRI Group is delighted to announce that Kelly-Marie Clack has joined the business as a consultant agronomist.

Kelly will be working with a range of sports facilities across the UK delivering STRI’s broad suite of services and agronomic support for clients.

Kelly-Marie Clack Joins STRI Group

She has worked in the amenity industry for over ten years, most recently with AGS where she discovered a passion for soil health and biology.

Kelly said: “I’m over the moon to have joined STRI Group. It’s an exciting time for the business and I’m relishing starting this journey with them. I have lots to learn over the coming months and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Kelly’s appointment is one of several new faces to join STRI Group in the last three months, as the business continues to grow across its global territories. A number of new diverse roles have recently been created and STRI is looking for talented individuals to fill them.

Agronomy general manager, Paul Woodham, said: “Kelly has been on our radar for a while and this is the perfect time to welcome her to STRI Group. Her skill sets and enthusiasm are well suited to our team who work across a diverse range of sports. Kelly’s recruitment has been well received in the industry and she’ll be out meeting clients in the coming months.”

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New Appointment At Reesink

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New Appointment At Reesink: Rochelle Bedford has been appointed the new marketing manager for Reesink Turfcare.

Overseeing marketing activity for all the turfcare machinery and equipment brands in the Reesink portfolio, Rochelle says it was Reesink’s established reputation, values, great work ethic and ideas sharing culture that appealed to her most about the role, as well as working in a new industry.

New Appointment At Reesink

“Reesink Turfcare is a well-established company and its reputation preceded it,” she says. “With a great work ethic, the values of the company and the way staff are encouraged to share their ideas to come up with new solutions for ongoing projects was an exciting aspect of taking on the role. Plus, my marketing experience with commercial vehicles and dealer network support lends itself well with this new and interesting industry.

“With the marketing machine fully up and running, I was excited to get stuck straight in to see how it all worked. Over the past couple of months, I have seen great potential for how the marketing department can be developed, in supporting the business as a whole and taking it to that next level.”

Rochelle has already recruited another member to the team and Nichola Spinks joins the company as marketing assistant.

Reesink’s marketing department is a vital part of the business, as well as coordinating all of Reesink’s turf marketing programmes in the UK, it also organises all the shows and events the company attends throughout the year too.

Rochelle concludes by saying: “There’s no question there’s definite potential for future growth for the team!”

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Turf Rewards Now Open

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Turf Rewards Now Open: Turf Rewards is now open for 2019 enabling greenkeepers and turf managers to claim their points, and convert them into essential tools for their businesses – to further enhance turf quality and work performance.

This year there are some important new additions and upgrades to benefit from, along with a host of new qualifying ICL and Syngenta products and packages. A new look Turf Rewards website is also easier and faster to see what is available and to make claims.

Turf Rewards Now Open

Operated by ICL and Syngenta, Turf Rewards includes offers to improve turf quality, provide education, aid business management and enhance the environment.

ICL UK Sales & Development Manager, Ed Carter, reported the popular scheme has continued to grow year-on-year: “Not only do people get great quality products, but there’s the opportunity to improve turf management, business performance and the whole team – at no added cost.

“Some of these tools may be difficult to get directly from the turf management budget, but Turf Rewards makes them accessible and affordable.”

Customers simply log their purchases of qualifying Syngenta and ICL products from any authorised distributor on the Turf Rewards website, and points are automatically added to their account.

Glenn Kirby, Syngenta Technical Manager, highlighted that many of the Turf Rewards offers have been selected to improve Integrated Turf Management programmes and get the best results from the qualifying products involved.

“Using tools such as remote sensors and precision measuring devices can help with better decision-making processes. Turf Rewards makes some of the latest technology readily available, without additional club investment.”

This season there is greater emphasis on ITM packages involving ICL nutrition and Syngenta fungicide programmes designed to optimise turf health and surface quality. Some popular products and combinations carry double Turf Reward points to multiply the benefits for customers.

At West Malling Golf Club in Kent, Course Manager, Samuel Young, used his Turf Rewards to claim a Team Scout precision pedestrian sprayer. “The sprayer is great quality and very useful, but it might only be used five times a year, so without Turf Rewards it would be difficult to justify the expenditure. It’s just a great and beneficial scheme,” said Samuel.

New qualifying Turf Reward products for 2019:

  • Ryder
  • H2Pro DewSmart
  • H2Pro FlowSmart
  • Sierrablen Plus Pearl

You can view the Turf Rewards website by visiting https://turfrewards.com/

For more information, please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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Fantasy Football Is Back!

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Fantasy Football Is Back!: The new Premier League season is almost upon us, which signals the return of the Turf Matters Fantasy Football league, sponsored by Dennis & SISIS.

Entry into the league is once again FREE of charge with a share of a £500 prize pot up for grabs.

Fantasy Football Is Back!

Simply create your team at https://fantasy.premierleague.com and then register your details with us here to enter. Upon completion of the entry form we will send you our unique code which will allow you to join the league and take part in the competition.

PRIZES

Prizes will be issued at the end of the season in the form of Love2shop high street vouchers:

POSITION PRIZE MONEY
1st Place £250
2nd Place £100
3rd Place £50
4th Place £25
5th Place £20
6th Place £15
7th Place £10
8th Place £10
9th Place £10
10th Place £10

Good luck!

Vandals Cause Grass Pain

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Vandals Cause Grass Pain: Volunteers at an East End football club have blasted vandals who repeatedly trash its pitch for five years.

Cosmos Football Academy, in Tollcross, which trains kids as young as four-years-old, raised concerns with Glasgow City Council about the repeated problems.

Vandals Cause Grass Pains

The club says that as well as smashing glass bottles on and near the pitch, teenagers have been ripping up the grass with their quad bikes.

There are also problems with dog fouling on the area which is leased to the club and is not public ground. The swing parks at either end remain public property.

Groundkeeper Billy McNaught said: “The park is subjected to vandalism from kids on motor and quad bikes who rip up the grass.

“We don’t have a problem with them using the park – we just ask that they respect it.

“We are asking the council for signs to be put up across the park telling people to look after it.”

Club secretary Claire Lindsay also highlighted problems with gangs of youths loitering during training and intimidating coaches and players.

Most of the issues seem to come with young people who are early to mid-teens.

She said: “We want the public to know that this is a leased park – it is not a public park.

“We train kids from four to 12-years-old but most of the problems we have are with 14 to 16-year-olds.

“When you are training the kids, you can hear the youths at the other end of the park. Their actions cause a lot of damage to the grounds – it isn’t fair.”

The club is currently on an annual lease from City Property, run by Glasgow City Council, but hopes to get at least a 10-year minimum lease which would help bosses apply for grant funding to maintain the facility.

Mr McNaught added: “If we do get a 10-year lease we can get the park fenced off and shower and changing units installed provided we were successful in getting a grant.”

Councillor Thomas Kerr visited the pitch to try and help find a solution for the club.

He said: “I got in touch with the officers to see if they could arrange a visit. There had been some email correspondence, but I thought it would be better to visit and see the issues first hand.”

A spokesman for the council said: “We had a very positive meeting with Cosmos and agreed to a number of actions that we hope will help them run football on their pitch. We will be putting up signage to make it clear the pitch is for the sole use of Cosmos to make it easier for them to manage the space.

“Nearby drainage gullies will be cleaned out to help protect the pitch from the risk of flooding and we will enhancing the cleansing operation around the

park.

“Community Enforcement will increase patrols to address anti-social behaviour in the area and also we’ll undertake some other bits of general maintenance that will help improve the overall environment.

“Cosmos deserve a lot of credit for the work they have done to improve their pitch and to encourage young people to get involved in football in the Tollcross area.

“This is the kind of community-driven initiative that can really make a difference to an area and we will be supporting their efforts as much as possible.”

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Ireland To Host 2026 Ryder Cup

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Ireland To Host 2026 Ryder Cup: The Ryder Cup will return to Ireland in 2026 when Adare Manor, in County Limerick, hosts the biennial contest between Europe and the United States for the first time.

Ryder Cup Europe – which comprises the Managing Partner the European Tour, the Founding Partner the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, and the PGAs of Europe – today announced the five-star resort will follow in the footsteps of Whistling Straits in Wisconsin (2020), Marco Simone in Italy (2022) and Bethpage Black in New York (2024) as the venue for golf’s greatest team contest.

Ireland To Host 2026 Ryder Cup

It means The Ryder Cup will be staged in Ireland for the second time, 20 years after The K Club hosted the 2006 contest when Team Europe – under the captaincy of Ian Woosnam and featuring three Irishmen who would go on to captain Europe over the next decade; Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley – memorably defeated the United States by a record margin of 18½ – 9½.

Guy Kinnings, European Ryder Cup Director, said: “We are delighted to announce The 2026 Ryder Cup will be staged in Ireland at Adare Manor which is a world class venue, both in terms of the golf course and the wider resort facilities.

“Today’s announcement would not have been possible without the support of An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Irish Government who are in receipt of our grateful and heartfelt thanks. Months of careful negotiation behind the scenes have seen us arrive at this point and we could not be happier to be able to take golf’s greatest team contest back to Ireland.

“Equally in receipt of our appreciation are Adare Manor owners JP and Noreen McManus and their entire team at the magnificent County Limerick venue. JP has shown unwavering support for golf and the European Tour over many years and we are delighted that Adare Manor will be the venue to showcase the next chapter in Ireland’s Ryder Cup story in seven years’ time.

“Aside from having provided three Captains over the past four editions, in addition to world-class talent such as Rory McIlroy, Irish players such as the late Christy O’Connor Jnr, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy, Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley are intrinsically linked with providing Europe’s winning moments over the years.

“Added to that the fact that Irish golf fans are rightly recognised as some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the world, as was shown during Shane Lowry’s emotional Open Championship triumph at Royal Portrush on Sunday, there was no question in our minds that the time was right.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “This is a tremendously proud day for everyone at the European Tour and everyone associated with the island of Ireland and Irish golf. When we started the discussions with both the Irish Government and Adare Manor on this entire project they promised to deliver, and they have both done that today.

“Over the past few weeks we have seen truly wonderful golfing occasions at both Lahinch and Royal Portrush and I know such memorable scenes will be repeated in seven years’ time at Adare Manor. Ireland has golf in its DNA and especially in relation to The Ryder Cup.”

Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar T.D. welcomed the announcement stating: “I am delighted that Ireland will be the host of The Ryder Cup in 2026. It is great news for Ireland, and for County Limerick and the west of Ireland in particular.

“This news comes at the end of an historic week for golf on the island of Ireland, following the hugely successful hosting of the Open Championship by Royal Portrush Golf Club, and the historic victory by one of Ireland’s most popular sporting heroes, Shane Lowry.

“Shane’s victory is one of many great achievements by Irish golfers, not just in Major Championships but also in The Ryder Cup. Over the years, Irish captains and Irish players have played a huge role in the success of the European team.

“I am sure that when The Ryder Cup comes to Adare, we will see many more great sporting memories created, and great sporting friendships forged. It will be a fantastic occasion for everyone on the island of Ireland, and for the many visitors from both sides of the Atlantic who can look forward to another great Irish welcome.”

Commenting on the announcement, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross T.D. stated: “The passion of Irish people for golf across the island is well known and that was reinforced by the fantastic crowds at last Sunday’s Open Championship in Portrush and the joy at Shane’s great victory. Hosting The Ryder Cup here will be a great occasion for Irish golf and Irish tourism. The Ryder Cup in 2026 will be a must go event for golf fans when we expect thousands of overseas visitors to come to Ireland.”

The news was further welcomed by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin, T.D. who stated: “It’s been a fantastic week for golf in Ireland following Shane Lowry’s heroic win in Portrush. The announcement of The Ryder Cup for Ireland in 2026 is further great news and is a wonderful honour for all of us in Ireland, North and South. It’s a special honour for the people of Munster, a province steeped in sporting culture, where this marvellous global event will be embraced by the people to make 2026 the greatest ever tournament in the history of The Ryder Cup.”

JP McManus, owner of Adare Manor, said: “I am delighted that the prestigious Ryder Cup will return to Ireland. We were very happy that Adare Manor was chosen as the venue for this world renowned tournament in 2026 and we look forward to welcoming our worldwide visitors.

“It is a wonderful tribute to the many great Irish golf ambassadors and success stories Ireland has had in golf over the years and a nice follow on from Shane’s momentous Open win on Sunday in Portrush. The nation was behind Shane, it was a great achievement and very well deserved.

“I am confident that the people of Ireland will get behind The Ryder Cup and take the opportunity to showcase Ireland on the world stage and ensure that The 2026 Ryder Cup will be an outstanding success.

“I hope the many tourist, golfing and business organisations will work together to identify all the opportunities for the benefit of The Ryder Cup, the Irish economy and across the south west community.”

Since Ireland last hosted The Ryder Cup in 2006, the biennial contest has extended its reach as one of the world’s leading sporting events.

Last year’s Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in France attracted more than 270,000 fans on course across the week – the largest attendance for a Ryder Cup held in Europe – with record social media engagement of more than 22 billion impressions globally.

The Ryder Cup also boosted economic activity in France by €235.7million – a significant increase compared to the £106 million of economic activity generated in Scotland in 2014 when Gleneagles hosted the contest.

Adare Manor, which was extensively renovated two years ago, hosted the Irish Open in 2007, a tournament won by Padraig Harrington two months before he went on to clinch the first of his two successive Open Championship titles at Carnoustie. The Irish Open was staged again at Adare Manor the following year in 2008 when Englishman Richard Finch triumphed.

The venue has also hosted the JP McManus Pro-Am in 2005 and 2010 and is scheduled to do so again next July, with confirmed participants already including Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods.

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Fairways Create Unique Training Feature

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Fairways Create Unique Training Feature: Scottish contractor, Fairways Sportsgrounds, has helped the organisers of the sell-out Celtic FC Festival, create a training academy at Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus (SEC).

The first ever Official Celtic FC Festival runs Friday, July 26 – Sunday, July 28 with thousands of fans expected.  Two indoor pitches, one of 1200 m² and the other 400 m², using the latest non-infill AstroTurf Soccer Zero XI 30 carpet, have been created in a custom built arena. The new surface will be home to the Celtic soccer academy which will feature ‘train & play’ sessions, plus a host of family events throughout the weekend.

Fairways Create Unique Training Feature

Dave Gibson, Fairways Sportsgrounds’ Contracts Director, said:

“This is an indoor pitch with a difference. Event team PSP Media commissioned a top-of-the range surface which will measure up to high use, and then after the weekend, it will be lifted and used elsewhere.”

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AMS Renew Belrobotics Agreement

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AMS Renew Belrobotics Agreement: Earlier last week, Belrobotics CEO Emmanuel Bois d’Enghien visited AMS Robotics HQ to renew contracts, naming AMS Robotics as their exclusive UK distributor for the next five years.

AMS Robotics had already been the UK distributor for the past six years, incorporating the robot technology into their own automated maintenance solution.

Together AMS Robotics and the Belrobotics brand have been experiencing growth year on year. With the recent release of the new connected line models and the upgrade in technology – it is only set to continue. The new models are more robust, quieter and simpler to maintain. The connected line also comes with an app for your smartphone, GPS mapping, a maintenance history and a web portal for the operator to manage.

AMS Renew Belrobotics Agreement

Recent AMS installations include the driving range at Golf Kingdom based in Romford, who will be utilising the new connected line. Not to mention many of AMS’s current sites have upgraded their original classic line machines to the new spec and have really began to experience the benefits the new technology has to offer. This coupled with the support offered by AMS makes the already simple solution to managing your green area even simpler.

Throughout the visit several group meetings were held in which discussions were based around what direction AMS should be taking the business in the future in order to make the most of the huge potential growth the UK market has to offer. The forecast graph that was presented indicated that the UK has so far and could potentially continue to experience the most growth out of all distributing countries worldwide.

“There is such a huge gap in the UK’s market for Belrobotics robots. More and more organisations are coming to us wanting to know how the robots will benefit them. There are endless opportunities at the moment for us at AMS Robotics and we are really looking forward to the next five years.” – Phillip Sear Managing Director of AMS Robotics.

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