Be in it to win it

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Be in it to win it: Entries for the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards 2024, the industry’s most recognisable and longest standing awards for student greenkeepers, are now open.

One of the key prizes awaiting the winner of the awards is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study at one of the world’s most innovative universities.

Be in it to win it

Be in it to win it

There are extraordinary benefits to attending the online course at The University of Massachusetts Winter School for Turf Managers, says Toro and Reesink Turfcare who between them cover the costs of all the prizes.

“We always knew the prizes for this award needed to carry weight and this one has a century-long legacy behind it,” explains Alastair Rowell, managing director, Reesink Turfcare. “By sending the winner on this course we are investing in the promise they demonstrated in the awards process.

“The nine-week course brings significant benefit to the winner and the club they work at. They will learn to convey concepts that are essential to producing and maintaining high performance turf, with an emphasis on enivironmetal stewardship, input reduction, efficiency and fiscal responsibility.”

It’s easy to see how this is one of the biggest prizes available in the industry: the course fees alone amount to almost $3000 including tuition and all course materials; an all-exenses paid trip to America to visit the Toro headquarters, research and development facilities and manufacturing plant, plus a one-week work placement at a golf club at home or abroad.

James Gaskell, winner of the 2022 award who has recently completed the course, says: “It is a great learning tool to advance your knowledge and it always stands out on a CV. It has been the most insightful and enjoyable learning experience.”

If that wasn’t enough to convince student greenkeepers to enter the awards, there are plenty more! The awards provide the opportunity to meet and compete with the best student greenkeepers in the country and network with influential industry leaders. Participants can increase skills and knowledge to enhance professional development and build lasting relationships in the greenkeeping community, too.

As Alastair concludes: “That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the investment we make in these student greenkeepers. There are also international trips for the young award winner too, plus prizes for the runners up and those who endorse the winners’ applications. It’s an investment worth making in the futures and potential these young people demonstrate.”

The finals for the 2024 event will be held at Oulton Hall in Leeds. Apply online at bigga.org.uk/education. All appplications need to be endorsed by your college tutor/assessor or employer. Closing date for entries is Friday 12 April 2024.

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50 years of excellence

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50 years of excellence: Irish Farm & Garden Machinery (IFGM) celebrates 50 years of business this year. The company, one of Europe’s leading independent distributors of outdoor power equipment, remains family owned and run, now managed by second generation Paul Butterly (Managing Director), and brother Kieran (Technical Director). Although retired, Mum (and co-founder) Eileen, continues to pop into the Dublin office around three days a week – just to ensure that the business continues to operate smoothly.

“We’re thrilled to have reached this milestone” says Paul. “This is a tough industry and the fact that we’re here in 2024, bigger and stronger than ever, is simply amazing”.

50 years of excellence

50 years of excellence

Asked how IFGM has successfully navigated multiple recessions, turbulent trading conditions and technologically driven changes in consumer demand over the past 50 years, Paul says: “We’ve always focused on keeping the company very nimble and this gives us a lot of flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions. We’ve been careful in the rate of our expansion, gradually building the business over time, only working with the very best brands in the industry. No matter what is happening in the economy, people will always buy quality product that offers the best value-for-money.”

In 2006, the business purchased U.K distributor Claymore Grass Machinery, now known as FGM Claymore, an acquisition that greatly extended the reach of the company. In 2022, the business was awarded U.K distribution rights for ECHO which, following the appointment in Ireland a few years earlier, made IFGM the third largest ECHO distributor in Europe.

The team at IFGM celebrated the anniversary during a special event held on the 28 February in Athlone. Dealers from all over the country, alongside special guests from Briggs & Stratton and Yamabiko, joined the Butterly family to celebrate this important anniversary.

Paul gave a special presentation that covered the history of the company, sharing anecdotes alongside the major milestones that made up the IFGM story. There were congratulatory video messages from garden machinery suppliers in New Zealand, Japan, and Italy, alongside special in-person presentations from Briggs & Stratton and Yamabiko.

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Success with Suståne at Watford

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Success with Suståne at Watford: Three formulations of Suståne Natural Fertilizer have been credited with their role in the ongoing success of the maintenance operation at Watford Football Club.

Forming the base of the nutritional programme at both the Vicarage Road stadium and the club’s London Colney training ground, a combination of Bolster Granular 4-4-4+3Fe, 1-1-1 Soil ReGen® and Suståne 4-6-4 have delivered consistent results to the satisfaction of the club and grounds team alike!

Success with Suståne at Watford

Success with Suståne at Watford

As one of the worlds most widely-researched organic ranges, Suståne’s tried and tested portfolio for winter sports plays an important role for grow-ins and renovations – providing long lasting soil builders and sources of plant nutrition that specifically encourage rapid root development, superior growth and ongoing plant protection. It’s here that Watford Grounds Manager Scott Tingley has cited the successes of Suståne, with both the Bolster Granular 4-4-4 + Iron and Soil ReGen® playing an important part in post-renovation recovery.

“We’ve been using Suståne products at both of our sites for the last seven seasons. Bolster Granular 4-4-4+3Fe is applied primarily at renovation time, due to the addition of Mycorrhizae.” Derived from biologically stable ingredients and containing both water soluble and slow-release sources of nitrogen, Bolster Granular provides a formulation of organic nutrients, beneficial microbiology, plant bio-stimulants and a powerful blend of mycorrhizae to promote greater root access to soil nutrients and water. The addition of 3% chelated iron enhances colour and rapid root development, while seaweed extract, humic acid and compost-based microorganisms deliver plant health and strength for all turf grass situations.

Alongside Bolster Granular 4-4-4+3Fe, Scott applies Suståne’s Soil ReGen following full or partial renovations – a soil conditioner that reduces compaction, increases water and air infiltration rates while also improving the nutrient and water holding capacity. “This helps us to incorporate lots of valuable nutrients such as Zeolite, Biochar, Mycorrhizae and Humates at a critical time, when the plant is wanting to root and develop.”

“Throughout the playing season, we switch to Suståne 4-6-4 organic slow release, to replenish our sand dominant constructions with a rich supply of humus and other essential nutrients. We’ve found this to contribute to increased rooting and a strong, healthy plant more resilient to disease and turf pathogens.”

The results at both sites speak for themselves – seeing the Watford team regularly recognised for outstanding pitch quality. Scott concludes, “We put a large part of our success as a grounds team down to the benefit of using Suståne products.”

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Enhancing Ganton Golf Course

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Enhancing Ganton Golf Course: Simon Olver, Course Manager at Ganton Golf Club in North Yorkshire, and his team, have spent the last few years transforming all areas of the course. He explained how alongside some significant course shaping projects, a range of products, especially Attraxor®, are playing a pivotal role in maintaining the course to the highest standards.

Having started his greenkeeping career at the age of 16, Simon’s commitment to excellence led him to the position of Head Greenkeeper by the age of 19. Two decades later, he embarked on a new challenge at the prestigious Ganton Golf Club, a world-class course, ranked number 8 in England, with a rich history of hosting major competitions.

Enhancing Ganton Golf Course

Enhancing Ganton Golf Course

Ganton’s commitment to sustainability aligns with Simon’s vision, aiming to create a pristine environment which is favourable for traditional golf while minimising their carbon footprint. In the pursuit of this goal, Simon acknowledges the challenges posed by the abundant options and choices available. However, he firmly believes in the principle of ‘less is more,’ advocating for a streamlined approach to product selection.

Enter Agrovista Amenity, a key supplier for Simon’s diverse needs. Their extensive portfolio simplifies the decision-making process and among their standout products, the plant growth regulator, Attraxor® has gained prominence. Attraxor® not only optimises turf quality via excellent turf growth regulation and Poa annua suppression but also promotes root growth and enhances colour.

“Attraxor® has proved to be a fantastic addition,” said Simon. “Our aim is to minimise Poa annua in our surfaces as much as possible, while allowing us to achieve our goals. We apply it to our greens every 29 days, starting with lower application rates in spring and increasing to higher application rates in the main playing season, in line with increasing growth rates.

We then lower application rates as we approach the end of the season with decreasing rates of growth. This provides very good growth control, while allowing us to promote a healthy environment for the finer grasses over any annual meadow grass. It has delivered more consistent results across all the grass species, compared with similar products I have used in the past.”

Enhancing Ganton Golf Course

Enhancing Ganton Golf Course

Simon also explained how wetting agents play an integral role at Ganton.

“For the past three years we have used ICL’s TriSmart on our tees, greens, and approaches. It has been very reliable, and it allows us to deal with dry conditions and hydrophobic areas. We also use Revolution from Aquatrols, at various levels of concentration to improve the soil structure and it helps to utilise the moisture within the soil. The beauty with Revolution is that it allows the moisture to drop very low without areas becoming hydrophobic.”

As well as reporting positive results from the products, Simon praised the support and level of service he receives from Agrovista Amenity.

“We have got a very good relationship with the company, and this has strengthened over recent years working with my Agrovista Amenity specialist, Tom Wood, who is available to provide product support, such as new technologies, application rates, information on product performance in various conditions and any regulatory changes we need to be aware of.”

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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