Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

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Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

While ground conditions at Ferndown Forest may fluctuate between extremes of wet and dry, one thing that has remained consistent at the Dorset club for many years is the use of granular feed from Suståne. In a greenkeeping career that may not have been conventional, but has so far spanned more than two decades, Jon Hatt praises not just the reliability of the products but the honest, trusted advice from the Suståne team which helps them to deliver proven results season after season.

Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

Suståne partnership delivers more than just reliable product

The picturesque Ferndown Forest course is characterised by its flat terrain, mature surroundings and two streams that border the property. As a former estate agent, Jon knows a thing or two about property, but admits his knowledge of golf course maintenance was rather limited when he joined Ferndown as a seasonal temp 26 years ago! “I had no greenkeeping training or experience but really enjoyed just learning on the job.” Establishing a career for himself on the course, he stepped into the Head Greenkeeper role nine years ago.

Key to his success, he says, has been building a network of knowledgeable people in the industry – with Suståne playing a significant role. “One of the very first people I met when I started here was Dave Smart, a representative for Suståne. We were already using the products then and the relationship has simply carried on ever since” Jon explains. More recently, Suståne’s Russell Riley has been on hand with trusted advice. “He’s always popped in regularly and is on the phone if I’ve got questions. I know with him I’ll get honest, practical advice and while I’m still learning all the time, that level of trust and support makes a huge difference.”

The longstanding partnership between Ferndown Forest and Suståne has seen their products become a key part of the greens maintenance strategy, with Jon using Suståne 5-2-4+Fe granular as the cornerstone to the club’s nutritional programme. “We apply this roughly every four weeks and it just works” he says. “It greens everything up, keeps the soil supplied with the nutrients it needs and delivers reliable results even with the variable weather conditions.”

Suståne 5-2-4+Fe granular provides a steady, balanced release of nutrients, helping to support consistent growth and plant health without excessive flushes of growth. Its organic-based formulation delivers soil health and dependability throughout the growing season.

“It’s easy to apply and, by now, the whole team know exactly what we’re going to get from every bag.” He concludes, “When you’ve got a product that consistently performs and support behind it that is always willing to help, we have absolutely no reason to look at anything else.”

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How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

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How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

An award-winning golf club near London has won plaudits from bee and butterfly experts by transforming rough into nectar-rich wildflower meadows.

How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

How Nature-Minded Greenkeepers Are Transforming Golf Courses

Featured in a new episode of YouTube series The Green Report by Syngenta – broadcast to mark International Thank a Greenkeeper Day on September 8 – nature-conscious greenkeepers Matt Aplin and Melissa Winkworth at Goring & Streatley Golf Club explain how they have created 7.5 hectares of habitat perfect for pollinating insects.

According to local beekeeper Rob Nickless of Meadow Honey Farm, the golf course, which sits on chalk downland in the Thames Valley, is his most productive cropping site, yielding hundreds of jars of honey and making the club more than £20,000 in revenue, all reinvested into further biodiversity projects.

“Most people expect golf courses to be green deserts,” said Nickless. “Far from it. There are fantastic amounts of flowering plants here and it is beautiful natural forage for the bees.”

Syngenta established Operation Pollinator to address the decline in natural habitats and pollinator numbers. Active in 41 countries, the initiative is estimated to have restored biodiversity across more than eight million hectares of unused land.

Simon Elsworth of Syngenta said: “Pollinators as a group are critical to the environment and for the production of our food. Without pollinators much of the world’s food wouldn’t exist, or would be produced much more inefficiently.

“What Matt, Melissa and the team here have done here is a real exemplar. By taking some areas out of high maintenance and allowing them to regenerate into areas for biodiversity, it reduces the labour requirements and enables the team to spend more time on the in-play areas, creating brilliant playing experiences for customers.”

Like many greenkeepers around the world, the team at Goring & Streatley care passionately about the golf courses they manage and the environment they work in.

Melissa Winkworth, Deputy Course Manager, whose interest in ecology kick-started the biodiversity projects at the club, said: “It’s great to see how far we’ve come and how people have bought into it. Now, we are always looking to see where we can add wildflowers.”

Course Manager Matt Aplin confirmed further projects are planned, funded by sales of honey.

“We look at things completely differently now,” he said. “We’re looking to create an orchard close to the beehives where we are going to plant around 150 apple, plum, pear and cherry trees which will be pollinated by the bees and harvest the fruit to use in the clubhouse.”

The episode release coincides with International Thank A Greenkeeper Day, an annual campaign recognizing the hard work and dedication of turf management professionals worldwide.

The Green Report docuseries recently surpassed 100,000 views, providing a global platform for leading course superintendents to showcase practical environmental stewardship and progressive land management.

The full episode is available to watch now on YouTube.

Get involved

Golf clubs and sports facilities interested in joining Operation Pollinator can register at: https://turf.syngentaturflandscape.com/en-gb/operation-pollinator

To watch all episodes of The Green Report and access case studies on sustainable golf, visit syngentagolf.comsyngentagolf.com

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Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

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Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Manufacturer of compact multifunctional loaders, Avant Tecno, have announced the appointment of Charlies Ag & Turf as a new authorised dealer, strengthening their coverage and customer support across Wales.

Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Avant Tecno expands UK coverage

Through the new partnership with the Welsh supplier of agricultural and grounds care machinery, Avant Tecno are able to provide a better service to customers, improving local sales and aftersales support, increasing machine availability and strengthening parts and service coverage within the Mid Wales region.

“Charlies Ag & Turf has built an excellent reputation within the agricultural, grounds care and machinery sectors, with a strong customer-focused approach that aligns closely with our values at Avant. This new appointment represents an important step in strengthening our dealer network and further improving the support, accessibility and customer experience we provide across the UK” says Raimo Ala-Korpi, Managing Director of Avant Tecno UK.

Due to the growing demand of Avant loaders and attachments across British agriculture, equestrian, landscaping, construction and municipal sectors, the company has sought to invest in stronger regional representation by expanding their UK dealer network.

“We’re pleased to be joining the Avant Tecno dealer network and adding their world-renowned, multifunctional loaders to our fleet! Stocking various of their attachments that are purpose-built for specialist task, Avant machines offer outstanding versatility and will help enhance productivity for both our agricultural and turf customers” says Harry Jones, Territory Sales Manager at Charlies Ag & Turf.

Founded in Finland in 1991, Avant Tecno are the world’s first producer of the compact loader – a multifunctional machine built to tackle a wide range of tasks with ease and efficiency.

With over 200 attachments designed to meet the needs of their customers, Avant loaders support productivity across construction, plant hire, agriculture, landscaping, equestrian and property maintenance applications.

Part of the Charlies Stores Group, Charlies Ag & Turf Ltd are a dealer of agricultural and turf products, operating from their depot in Coed Y Dinas, Welshpool.

“Welcome to the Avant family Charlies Ag & Turf, we look forward to working together to continue growing the Avant brand throughout Mid Wales and beyond!” concludes Raimo.

For more information about Avant Tecno, visit https://www.avanttecno.com/uk

For more information about Charlies Ag & Turf, visit https://www.charliesagturf.co.uk/

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Grounds Manager

Grounds Manager

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Cowdray Park Polo Club, West Sussex

Grounds Manager

Grounds Manager

Cowdray Park Polo Club is seeking an exceptional and experienced Grounds Manager to lead the management, development and long-term strategy of its internationally recognised polo grounds.

Home to some of the most important polo played in the UK, including The British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup, Cowdray has a longstanding reputation for excellence. The quality, consistency and safety of our playing surfaces are fundamental to that reputation.

Reporting to the Managing Director, this is a senior management position with overall responsibility for the Club’s polo grounds, agronomic programme, grounds team, machinery, irrigation infrastructure and departmental budgets.

The Role

We are looking for an accomplished turf professional who can combine outstanding technical expertise with strong leadership and strategic thinking.

Key responsibilities will include:

  • Developing and delivering a long-term agronomic strategy for all Cowdray polo grounds
  • Ensuring playing surfaces achieve the highest standards of performance, consistency, presentation and safety
  • Leading, developing and motivating the grounds team
  • Planning annual maintenance, renovation and improvement programmes
  • Managing departmental budgets and long-term capital expenditure
  • Overseeing machinery, irrigation, drainage and grounds infrastructure
  • Driving sustainable turf management, soil health and responsible water use
  • Maintaining robust health & safety standards
  • Advising Club management on ground conditions, availability and recovery programmes
  • Preparing grounds to an exceptional standard for major tournaments, including hands on work where required, particularly the Cowdray Gold Cup

About You

You will ideally have a recognised qualification in Sports Turf Management, Agronomy, Horticulture or a related discipline (NVQ Level 3 or above) and significant experience managing high-performance natural grass surfaces.

Experience of polo grounds would be highly desirable, but we particularly welcome applications from experienced professionals working within golf, racing, equestrian sport, football, cricket or other elite natural-turf sporting environments.

You will bring strong knowledge of soil science, turf nutrition, irrigation, drainage and machinery alongside proven people-management, budgeting and planning skills. Above all, you will have a genuine passion for producing exceptional natural playing surfaces and the ambition to continually improve them.

Why Cowdray?

This is a rare opportunity to lead the grounds operation at one of Britain’s most prestigious polo clubs, taking responsibility for the long-term development of internationally recognised playing surfaces within the unique environment of the Cowdray Estate.

Location: Cowdray Park Polo Club, West Sussex
Salary: Competitive remuneration and benefits package, commensurate with experience
Contract: Full-time, permanent

To apply: Please submit your CV and covering letter outlining your relevant experience and suitability for the role; enquiries@cowdraypolo.co.uk