Register For Turf Maintenance Live

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Register For Turf Maintenance Live: Registration for this year’s Turf Maintenance Live event is now open. This showcase from the leading manufacturers and distributors of turf maintenance equipment is being held at the Woollam Playing Fields, Harpenden Rd in St. Albans on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 October.

This year two new companies, Agria UK and Price Turfcare (Ventrac), are joining the established group that includes Ernest Doe & Sons, GKB Machines, Husqvarna UK, Iseki UK, Martin Lishman, Rigby Taylor, Wessex International and Wiedenmann UK.

Turf Maintenance Live Registration Open

This is now the largest Turf Maintenance Live event since its inception back in 2015 with 10 companies displaying an eclectic mix of products for the turf professional. Entrance to the event is free but pre-registration is essential.

Aimed at groundsmen, greenkeepers, contractors, local authority personnel, estate managers and schools as well as amateur and professional sports clubs, the event has an emphasis on working demonstrations and up close inspection of new products for the 2020 season.

BIGGA and IOG members able claim CPD points for their attendance.

Visitors interested in attending the event and seeing the latest innovations and equipment in action can register by completing a registration form online at: https://www.turfmaintenancelive.com/ or email register@turfmaintenancelive.com .

Val Graham, spokesperson for Turf Maintenance Live said: “Emphasis will be on live working demonstrations and product situations rather than static displays, so there’s plenty of incentive to make a day of it.

“We’re indebted to the support from the STRI and our two associate sponsors – The IOG and BIGGA – both of whom will be awarding CPD points to attendees. Starting time on both days is 10.00 with free registration and bacon rolls. Lunch is provided at no charge and those who can’t make the morning can come along grab lunch and do the afternoon session. “

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Reesink To Sponsor College Cup

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Reesink To Sponsor College Cup: Toro and Reesink Turfcare are delighted to announce they will be sponsoring the SALTEX College Cup 2019, managed by the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG).

The SALTEX College Cup is a student-led sports turf challenge, testing teams of students on their turf management knowledge with paper-based questions, a presentation and live test samples. The competition held during SALTEX, the industry’s leading turf management exhibition at the NEC Birmingham from 30-31 October, presents a real challenge to its young contestants but with the promise of big rewards.

Reesink To Sponsor College Cup

To celebrate the inaugural partnership, a once-in-a-lifetime prize with Real Madrid Football Club has been planned. The winning team of the 2019 competition will travel to Spain at the end of February 2020 for an invaluable groundscare work experience placement at the club’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the run up to a major international game.

Working to raise awareness of academic rigour in turf management, the SALTEX College Cup is a fantastic way to reward those dedicated to and passionate about the industry while promoting the importance of education.

Commenting on the challenge, Dan Prest, Head of Member Services – Learning and Consultancy at the IOG, says: “This is a fantastic opportunity for turfcare students to witness the working practices at an elite venue and draw inspiration from Paul Burgess, a respected UK grounds manager. The winning team will have proven their knowledge in the competition and will also be able to add to their practical skills under the guidance of Paul and his team at Real Madrid.”

As companies dedicated to supporting the grounds sector and to encourage younger people into the industry, Toro and Reesink, an official Toro distributor in the UK, have teamed up with the IOG once again, to complement their successful partnership as sponsors of the IOG Young Board of Directors.

Reesink Turfcare’s marketing manager Rochelle Bedford says of the sponsorship: “By sponsoring the SALTEX College Cup, we are demonstrating Toro and Reesink’s long-term commitment to the development of the industry and providing valuable learning opportunities for the brightest young groundsmen out there, which we hope will help them further their careers. Young talent and excellence in the groundscare industry is where the future lies and this latest partnership with the IOG will, we hope, help ensure progression in the sector. We are delighted to be involved.”

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Kassam Pitch Delights Robinson

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Kassam Pitch Delights Robinson: Oxford United manager Karl Robinson has praised the work done this summer to make improvements in the pitch at the Kassam Stadium.

Oxford United’s home game with Peterborough United marks the surface’s competitive debut, following extensive refurbishment during the off-season.

Kassam Pitch Delights Robinson

A good pitch is essential for the way the U’s want to play and boss Robinson (pictured) went out of his way to praise the work commissioned by landlords Firoka.

He said: “The pitch at the Kassam is one of the best I’ve seen for a long time. The investment from Firoka and everybody at the stadium has been more than ever this year.

“I think they understood where we were at and what our complaints were.

“You have to give credit where it’s due and the pitch is magnificent.”

United have also made changes to one of the pitches at their training ground to make it as close to a carbon copy as possible.

He said: “The groundsman (at the Kassam) came to the training ground to test the ball bounce and the thickness of the grass.

“We do want one pitch here which is almost a replica of the Kassam.

“We can have the same dimensions and grass length, so the two groundsmen are working well together.

“It’s something the top teams do and it’s not always something that happens the further you come down.

“It’s little things that can add to us being a better club moving forward.”

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Pitch Damaged After Concert

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Pitch Damaged After Concert: Pundit Michael Stewart has revealed his dismay at the condition of Hearts’ pitch after the club hosted an Edinburgh Festival concert a week ago today.

The damage appears to have been done when the stadium was the venue for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra on August 3. It saw a crowd of more than 15,000 arrive in Gorgie to witness the official opening of the world renowned arts festival.

Pitch Damaged After Concert

Hearts laid the state-of-the-art hybrid pitch at a cost of £1m in March and Stewart took to Twitter to register his displeasure at it’s apparent poor health.

He said: “What a crying shame the Tynecastle park looks like this.

“Have spoken with the groundsmen and thankfully they seem to be comfortable that the park will recover and quickly. Fingers crossed.

“£1million spent last year on this park and it was tremendous. The groundsmen deserved huge credit and now it looks destroyed before the league campaign has even started here.”

Hearts released a statement on Tuesday after pictures emerged on social media showing the apparent extent of damage done to the pitch by the Festival event.

The statement said: “Prior to agreeing to host the concert, we took advice from a number of expert sources, including the companies involved in laying the pitch.

“Our pitch consultants, STRI Group, were contracted to advise and manage the pitch protection process on our behalf, working throughout with our own groundstaff.

“We have always known that the event would have an impact on the aesthetics of the pitch, however, there would be no impact on its playability.

“In short, there have been no unforeseen issues relating to the pitch and the first team will train on it, as usual, on Friday.”

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Adlington Turn To DLF

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Adlington Turn To DLF: Cheshire’s Adlington Golf Centre has recently undergone major construction works to create a brand new 9-hole par 3 course.

With a new bypass rendering the old site non-viable it was back to the drawing board for Owner & Managing Director David Moss. One thing that hasn’t changed however is the choice of Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures, from DLF, which are delivering strong coverage as they prepare to open the course to the public.

Adlington Turn To DLF

Open to players of all ages and abilities, Adlington Golf Centre comprises of a 40-bay driving range, 9-hole pitch and putt and a 9-hole par 3 course, a site totalling 125 acres that is seeded wall-to-wall with mixtures from DLF. “When we built the previous Par 3 course in 2003, we used seed from DLF and that’s where my working relationship with John Hughes really began” explains David. “With the new course constructed as a like-for-like replacement, John and I decided to stick with the same mixtures we had used previously in order to minimise the changes in both playability and appearance.”

MJ Abbott Ltd commenced the major works in May 2018 and by October, it was ready for seeding – with Johnsons Sports Seed, J Rye Fairway and J Green mixtures. “While these are the same mixtures as we’ve used before, we now benefit from the improved cultivars thanks to the DLF breeding programme. J Green has always given us fast, true greens while the Rye Fairway mixture has proven to be very hard-wearing on the high-traffic areas. Both have continuously delivered strong colour for fantastic presentation. We are delighted with how the ‘grow-in’ phase has progressed, with reps, suppliers and the course architect alike, all commenting on the impressive coverage and appearance.”

“We have also incorporated some DLF Wildflower mixtures into the outlying habitat areas to add colour, diversity and interest.” Here, John recommended a bespoke mixture of Species Rich Grassland plus Wildflower. David concludes, “With years of consistent results under our belts across the two courses and driving range, there was no question that we would turn to DLF to deliver the reliable results we needed on this project. The seed coming through strong, once again, means we’re on track for opening the new course this August.”

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