Origin Welcomes New Seeds and Turf Product Manager

Origin Welcomes New Seeds and Turf Product Manager: Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) is pleased to announce that Luke Hunt has been appointed as their new Seeds and Turf Product Manager, effective Monday, 19th May 2025.

Luke brings over two decades of industry experience, a strong technical background, and genuine enthusiasm for turf and seed, making him an exciting addition to the business.

Origin Welcomes New Seeds and Turf Product Manager

Origin Welcomes New Seeds and Turf Product Manager

Luke joins OAS from Barenbrug UK, where he was the Amenity Business Development Manager responsible for managing a portfolio of distributor accounts and helping bring new research-led products to market.

With a career that spans 24 years, including a decade spent as a greenkeeper, Luke has a reputation for his practical knowledge, strategic thinking, and collaborative approach. He has extensive experience across both grass and wildflower seed markets.

Luke will work closely with the wider OAS team to advance the company’s seed strategy. He will also play a key role in developing innovative and sustainable products that support customer-led initiatives, integrated supply chains, and marketing campaigns in line with the company’s longer-term strategic goals.

Commenting on the appointment, Jayne Leyland, Portfolio Director for OAS, said, “I am delighted to welcome Luke to Origin Amenity Solutions. His depth of experience and technical expertise are clear, but his passion for the industry and his ability to connect with customers stand out. I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact he will make.”

Luke Hunt adds, “I’m genuinely excited to join the OAS team at such a progressive and forward-thinking time for the business. Origin’s values around sustainability, innovation, and strong customer relationships resonate with me. I’m looking forward to working alongside a passionate and knowledgeable team, building on the existing momentum, and helping to evolve the seeds and turf offering to deliver real value for our customers and the environments they manage.

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A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature

A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature: A Trilo Multipurpose is proving to be exactly that, by name and by nature, for the team at Highfield and Brookham School.

Delivered in February 2025, the M3 was brought in to replace an existing Trilo S3 vacuum sweeper enabling Grounds Manager Jasper Marks and the team to not only conduct leaf clearance, but also scarification and cut and collect tasks around the 500 acres of school grounds and estate.

A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature

A Trilo proves multipurpose in name and nature

Jasper took over the head role in 2022, having worked at the co-educational school as a groundsman since 2019, and is currently supported by a team of three grounds staff and a part-time gardener. On the border of West Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, the site is densely tree-populated which meant that the Trilo machine had always been a firm favourite on the fleet. This opinion looks set to stay with their latest purchase, bringing new-found versatility and productivity to maintenance tasks around the calendar.

He explains, “The S3 was a fantastic machine, robust and efficient, which would be used for leaf collection, road sweeping and general clearance of clippings and debris over the autumn and winter months. I then discovered the Multipurpose M3, which was capable of doing everything the S3 could, with the addition of flail and scarifying shafts to cut or scarify and collect all with one unit. It’s transformed the Trilo into a machine that we can fully utilise all year round.”

While only a matter of months since the M3 was installed by dealers Lister Wilder and Trilo’s Jeremy Vincent, it is already demonstrating its key trait – versatility! “We have a 9-hole golf course on the estate where the Trilo has been used to assist with cut and collect of the roughs. The large 3m3 hopper means we can cut for longer without having to make as many trips to our green waste area to empty. It’s keeping us productive, for longer.” Jasper continues, “After that, we equipped it with the scarifier shaft for use on our sports pitches. We previously hired a machine for this which often meant we were scarifying in less than idea conditions. Now we can do it ourselves whenever the weather or play schedule allows which will bring huge improvements to pitch quality.”

“What also really impressed me was the service we received from Jeremy. While the machine, in principle, is not wildly different from the S3 we were using before, no corners were cut with the handover & installation to ensure the team were confident and would get the very best out of the machine.”

“We traded in one machine and gained three in return, but needed to find no extra space in the shed as the footprint is near enough identical” he added. “It’s going to become a pivotal part of the team as we continue to drive up standards for our students and wider community to enjoy.”

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Support Greenkeepers tackling driest spring in 70 years

Support Greenkeepers tackling driest spring in 70 years: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) is calling on golf clubs and golfers across the UK to support their members as we face our driest spring for decades.

Following some exceptionally wet recent winters, the spring of 2025 has brought a stark contrast. According to the Met Office, rainfall across many regions has been at historic lows. Wales recorded its driest March since 1944, while East Anglia experienced its second-driest March on record. With May showing little improvement, greenkeepers are under extreme pressure to maintain playing surfaces amid growing turf stress.

Support Greenkeepers tackling driest spring in 70 years

Support Greenkeepers tackling driest spring in 70 years

David Byron, Head Greenkeeper at Thorndon Park Golf Club in Essex, said: “It’s very, very dry. It’s the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years. We’ve had almost no rain, and what we have had has come in just one hit.

“In our fairways, we’re down to about 3–4% moisture content. Normally, you’d want 10 to 15% for the grass species we have.”

These conditions are presenting major challenges for turf recovery and maintenance. Areas without irrigation, such as fairways, are suffering, while teams attempt to preserve greens and tees with limited water resources.

Royal Aberdeen’s Course Manager, Richard Johnstone, said he had recorded just 11mm of rainfall between April and early May: “We’re experiencing extreme weather patterns. There’s no longer a balance. Instead, we’re seeing one extreme or the other – either constant pouring rain or complete drought.

“There doesn’t seem to be much consistency anymore, and that presents some big challenges.”

Paul Woodham, The R&A’s Agronomy Lead for Europe and the UK, noted that warm days combined with cold nights have disrupted seasonal growth, resulting in stressed grass and delayed recovery from winter damage.

Clubs are encouraged to communicate openly with their members, sharing insight into current conditions and course management strategies. Transparent engagement and social media updates are key tools to foster support.

“Our advice to clubs is to engage in professional dialogue with your Course Manager, set agreed objectives and show open support for your team of greenkeepers,” said BIGGA’s CEO Jim Croxton.

“They will be much more motivated and determined to overcome these challenges with strong support from their members.”

“As course managers, it’s our responsibility to communicate and educate,” said Johnstone. “We need to use various channels like social media, blogs, and other platforms to help people understand the current conditions and our management approach.”

For more information about BIGGA and its various activities including how to become a member, visit www.bigga.org.uk

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Where there’s a Will

Where there’s a Will: Think of Ilkley and the first thing that comes to mind is probably the famous old song ,“On Ilkley Moor Bah’t ’At” and the fact that Ilkley, of the many lovely towns and villages in Yorkshire, is perhaps the most archetypal of them all.

Incidentally, did you know that the “translation” of “On Ilkley Moor Bah’t ’At” is “On Ilkley Moor Without a Hat”? I didn’t know that either.

Where there’s a Will

Where there’s a Will

Anyhow I digress. Ilkley has been in the news a couple of times lately. It was named as the best place to live in the north of England and secondly, Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club is where you can now find not only the GMA Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team of the Year, but also the GMA Grounds Manager of the Year.

Now it may be that you are in the market for a new pad in the north of England, but I’m reckoning that given that you are reading Turf Matters, you will be more interested in the achievements at the tennis club.

For first time GMA Award entrants, the team, which was entered by General Manager Chris Harrison, achieving the two accolades, especially as they were pitted against the most famous tennis club the world, is quite remarkable. Particularly so for the unassuming 31-year-old Head Groundsman, Will Rigg, who joins a very exclusive club of top Grounds Managers who have collected the award.

It would be fair to say that the Ilkley delegation arrived at Anfield Stadium for the Awards Dinner more in hope than in expectation. I know this because when I arrived at the stadium and exited my Uber they were the first people I bumped into and we chatted all the way to the fifth-floor function room.

Having established who they were, and that they were up against Wimbledon for their award, Will told me that he hoped that it might come down to how they managed their budget rather than simply judging Ilkley against the iconic All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.

We finished off by my saying, “Well, if you do win, I’ll come down and visit.” Three hours later I was checking how long it would take me to drive to Ilkley.

“As we got closer to our award being announced I started to get a little more confident, but then I noticed the Wimbledon guys and they’d brought a full table, and come a long way, so maybe they knew something!” recalled Will.

Where there’s a Will

Where there’s a Will

“When our name was read out we all went crazy. It had been a good team night already, but to have won was just fantastic.”

Having accepted their award, they all returned to their table to relax and enjoy the moment.

“Not having been at the Awards before I didn’t know about the Grounds Manager of the Year, as there are no names released in advance. When it came to the announcement someone at our table joked and said that they’d be saying my name. Ten seconds later my name was read out.

“I’d say my heart dropped a little bit. It was a huge shock and a complete surprise. Then when I looked at the trophy – which had already been engraved – and saw those who had won it before, I just couldn’t believe that my name was right there beside them.”

Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club may have been an outsider going into the competition but having visited the club, you can easily see why the work of Will and the other two full-time members of the team, Peter Crowther and Jamie Teale, found favour.

Surrounded by a host of wonderful houses that make Ilkley such a sought-after place to live, the club has facilities the envy of most clubs in the country. There’s a gym open from 6am to 10pm coupled with fitness studios and there is a regular flow of its 1,800 gym members throughout the day.

There are 13 grass tennis courts, three outdoor acrylic and five indoor acrylic courts, two astro courts, squash courts and a padel court to accommodate the 1,000 racquet sport members.

There is also a café on the first floor looking over the site. Overall, there are around 3,000 members. When I was there it was during the Easter Holidays and there were dozens of young children, some trying a sport for the first time, all excited and enthusiastically taking in the experience.

Will studied Sports Business Management at Leeds Metropolitan University – now Leeds Beckett – but like many before, and after him, discovered that a degree doesn’t necessarily open the particular door that you’d like it to. The door that did open was that of Waitrose and post uni he was working at the Otley store stacking shelves.

Will was, and probably still is, a decent semi-professional loose head prop and a previous General Manager of the tennis club, who he knew from his time at Otley Rugby Club, asked if he fancied the job as Assistant Groundsman. So, nine years ago, he arrived at the club and started learning the ropes from his old boss, Richard “Lordy” Lord who sadly died suddenly just over three years ago.

“He was my boss and became a friend for six years, I learned a lot off him about grass, managing courts and life!”

Where there’s a Will

Where there’s a Will

When “Lordy” died, Will moved from Assistant to Head Groundsman.

“I’ve continued to build up my knowledge base while on the job really. I’ve got my spraying certificates, but I’ve just learned the agronomy side of things through working on site and getting advice from people in the industry, including Mark Ferguson when was at the STRI,” said Will, name checking Mark, who, ironically, is now on the Wimbledon staff.

He has also attended grass court seminars at Wimbledon while, amazingly, he is currently taking his Level 2 in Sports Turf Management.

Level 2 in Sports Turf Management. However, Chris Hunter, of the GMA, who came in to judge the club for the Awards, said that he is actually operating at Level 3 or 4 levels, which is less surprising.

So what was it about Will that marked him out as a potential Grounds Manager of the Year leading a Tennis Grounds Team of the Year? Let’s ask the man himself.

“I’m organised, I like to be on top of everything. If our tournament is in eight- or nine-weeks’ time, we don’t want to wait until three weeks out to get a job done. The guys know what they need to do and what is expected of them. They are like me, they want to get things done and we don’t like to be sitting around doing nothing. We want to do the best job we can and if that means staying an hour or two later, they have a pride in their work and are happy to do it, even though they don’t get paid any more.”

Being such a northerly lawn tennis club has its obvious issues, but there is one challenge that presents itself at Ilkley which doesn’t necessarily come because it is so far up from the Watford Gap. It’s the River Wharfe.

“The river is just 10 metres behind us and can flood. We actually flooded on New Year’s Day and we got two feet of water on the grass courts and the grounds resulting in major clean ups. It was the first time in three or four years,” said Will, adding that the upside of being close to the river is that they can take irrigation water from it during dry spells.

The highlight of the year for the club, its members and Will and his team is the annual Challenger Tour event, the Lexus Ilkley Tournament which, as a pre-Wimbledon warm up event for men and women, always attracts a strong field. Last year’s winner, for example, was Belgian, David Goffin, who was an established figure in the world’s top 10 for a number of years. The 2017 women’s champion, Magdaléna Rybáriková, followed up with by reaching the semi finals at Wimbledon a short time later.

Where there’s a Will

Where there’s a Will

“We erect 1,800 temporary seats around our Centre Court and have six match courts and five practice courts in play.

“It is a fantastic week and we have marquees up and our café is for the sole use of the players,” said Will, who augments the team with four temporary staff over the period.

The set up is retained for a period after the tournament for a series of outdoor concerts. This year, for example, Scouting For Girls and DJ Chris Moyles will be appearing at the club.

For general agronomic advice and, in particular, in the lead up to the tournament Will works with Tom Wood, of Agrovista, on putting a programme in place and it is the MM50 seed which is now used on the courts.

While maintained to the highest of standards, Will does try and bring them to a peak for the tournament.

“I’d say they are at their best for that week. You want them to be the right hardness, looking the right colour and playing as they should and we do keep the members of Centre Court for a period in the run up to the tournament.”

With the trophies sitting proudly in the club trophy cabinet and congratulations from members coming on a regular basis, Will and his team are in the fortunate position of being appreciated in roles which often come unsung and unrewarded.

But what dreams and aspirations did Will have when, just recently graduated, he was turning up every day at Waitrose to work?

“I’d have hoped to have been doing something with my degree but, looking back on it, I probably didn’t know what I wanted to do even then,” he said.

But nine years on, the new GMA Grounds Manager of the Year is well established in an industry that he enjoys, in a job that he loves and with a CV which will always stand out in a crowd.

DSV UK Takes Top Spots in BSPB Turfgrass Seed Rankings

DSV UK Takes Top Spots in BSPB Turfgrass Seed Rankings: DSV UK has made a major breakthrough in the turfgrass sector, with three of its perennial ryegrass varieties now ranking among the top ten in the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) Turfgrass Seed Booklet.

Notably, two of these varieties have taken the top two positions in the highly regarded sports table (S1) for perennial ryes—marking a significant achievement for the company.

DSV UK Takes Top Spots in BSPB Turfgrass Seed Rankings

DSV UK Takes Top Spots in BSPB Turfgrass Seed Rankings

The new rankings place Euromagic at number one, followed closely by Flannel at number two. Additionally, Reybann has secured a spot in the top ten, reinforcing the strength of DSV’s breeding programme. While Eurogala, another standout variety, ranks just outside the top ten at number 12, its versatility across multiple tables—including lawns, greens, cricket, golf, and bowls—makes it an exciting commercial prospect.

Sam Horner of DSV UK emphasised the significance of these results: “When people look at this booklet, the sports table is the one everyone wants to top. We’ve always had good breeding, and this proves that our material is now the best in these trials.”

The BSPB Turfgrass Seed Booklet is widely regarded as a key reference for industry professionals selecting the best-performing grass seed varieties. The sports table, in particular, carries significant prestige within the turfgrass sector, making DSV’s achievement even more impactful.

“This kind of result doesn’t happen often,” Sam continued. “We’ve been at the top of the table before, but to come straight in at number one and number two—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment. It speaks volumes about the quality of our breeding programme and the strength of the DSV portfolio.”

The introduction of DSV’s EuroGrass range of grass seed has also elevated DSV’s profile. The products in the EuroGrass portfolio have quickly gained recognition, becoming a preferred choice for sports turf and amenity managers who seek reliability and superior results.

One standout feature of DSV’s varieties is their strong genetic colour, which is becoming increasingly important in modern turfgrass selection. High-end facilities and stadium environments now prefer a darker green aesthetic, as it enhances the visual appeal of playing surfaces under natural and artificial lighting.

Flannel, in particular, boasts excellent dark summer greenness, making it especially desirable for stadiums and televised events. “As good as certain other cultivars are, some tend to be on the paler side, which can be a turnoff for top-tier venues,” Sam explained. “We believe we can offer something genetically darker, delivering both performance and a more camera-friendly appearance.”

The results are based on independent data from the BSPB Turfgrass Seed 2025 booklet and highlight the advancements in DSV’s diploid material. This success further cements DSV’s reputation as a leader in sports turf breeding and innovation.

DSV has been supplying industry-leading cultivars into the UK seed trade for the past 40 years, but to many, it remains a relatively new name in the turfgrass sector. However, these latest rankings demonstrate that DSV is not only competing with the best but also setting new benchmarks in performance.

Please visit www.dsv-uk.co.uk/products/amenity for more information.

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