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NEWS ARTICLES

New Greenkeeping Director At St Andrews

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New Greenkeeping Director At St Andrews: Sandy Reid has been appointed as the new director of greenkeeping at St Andrews Links. Sandy’s new role at the course, known as the ‘Home of Golf’, is one of the most prestigious roles in golf course management in the world.

An experienced figure in the greenkeeping industry, Reid will make the move from Carnoustie Golf Links where he has worked as links superintendent since 2012.

St Andrews Links chief executive Euan Loudon said: “We are delighted to welcome Sandy to the Home of Golf. He has an outstanding track record at Carnoustie Golf Links, as evidenced by the wonderful condition of the Championship Course for the 147th Open Championship this summer.

“Sandy has a great deal of experience of operating within a multi-faceted golf venue such as ours and shares our commitment to delivering unique and memorable experiences to every golfer. He is passionate about the game of golf and is committed to delivering the highest quality results in golf course maintenance and improvements to all our courses, operations and staff.”

Reid originally hails from Blair Atholl and trained at Elmwood College in Fife before starting his career at Letham Grange. He joined Carnoustie Golf Links in 1997, becoming head greenkeeper of the Championship Course in 2005.

Mr Reid said: “I am extremely honoured and excited to be joining the hard working and dedicated team at the Home of Golf.

“St Andrews Links is the pre-eminent public golf complex in the world and I hope to play a small part in ensuring that it continues to deliver excellence to all golfers and visitors who come to the Home of Golf.”

Over the last decade St Andrews Links has continued to make major investments in its facilities and services. In addition to maintaining seven public courses, St Andrews Links is now home to three clubhouses, five shops and the Golf Academy. It employs just over 400 people in the high season with almost 230,000 rounds of golf played on the six 18-hole courses in 2017.

Reid’s appointment arose following the retirement of incumbent Gordon Moir, who has worked at the venue for more than 26 years and began his tenure as director of greenkeeping in 2000. Reid will take up his new role in December – the same month that Moir will formally retire.

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SALTEX Debut For Net World Sports

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SALTEX Debut For Net World Sports: Net World Sports, an award-winning, sports and ground equipment retailer, will be heading to the NEC in October to exhibit at SALTEX for the very first time. During the event on October 31 and November 1, the Sunday Times Fast Track company will be showcasing a range of own-brand products, including their innovative Alu110 Football Goals, Wembley Line Marking Machines and Removable Ball Stop Net Systems.

Net World Sports is a leading retailer within the industry, offering more than 5,000 quality products, across 20 different sports, to customers in over 100 countries worldwide. From football goals which grace Premier League pitches to nets tough enough to withstand Freddie Flintoff’s shot, Net World Sports supply it all, along with state-of-the-art ground equipment.

SALTEX Debut For Net World Sports

With an award-winning Customer Care team available from 6am – midnight Monday to Friday as well as 9am – 5pm on weekends, Net World Sports can cater to all clubs, local authorities, schools and universities quickly and efficiently. The majority of products are stocked at their single 120,000 square foot warehouse in North Wales and available for next day delivery to the UK, one-day shipping to America and two-day shipping to Australia – a service that’s virtually unheard of in the world of big and bulky sports equipment.

Robbie Hayter, Specialist Sales and Development Lead at Net World Sports comments: “We’re very excited to be exhibiting at SALTEX for the first time this year and partnering with the show as lanyard sponsors. It marks a huge milestone in Net World Sports’ company history and we’re really looking forward to meeting the ground care professionals and learning more about their maintenance requirements to help develop their facilities in the future. Not to mention showcasing our top of the range, industry leading products to them.

“Real ingenuity, incredible skill and advanced manufacturing all play a part when it comes to creating our products. Whether you’re looking for training, playing or maintaining equipment, all of our products have proven performance and look at home in clubs and colleges across the country, from grassroots to Premier League level.”

Net World Sports’ extensive training and playing equipment covers a range of varying sports, from football and rugby to tennis, golf and cricket, whilst their ground equipment covers everything from line marking machines and paint, to portable and permanent team shelters, crowd barriers, boot wiper brushes and pitch dividers.

To date, the ecommerce company has supplied the likes of Manchester United’s AON Complex with exclusive FORZA football goals, Manchester City’s first team training pitch with custom made shelters, The All England Tennis Club and home of Wimbledon with tennis benches and Trent Bridge with custom batting cage nets.

Founded in 2009, Net World Sports has become renowned for its winning combination of quality products, unbeatable value for money and exceptional customer service. Last year, the UK’s number one football goal supplier was the only company to be featured in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100, Profit Track and SME Export Track league tables, placing 85th, 66th and 43rd respectively. The team also competed against eCommerce giants such as AO.com, Made.com and ASOS in this year’s Retail Week Awards, where they were awarded a ‘Mark of Excellence’ for their ongoing international sales success.

You can find Net World Sports at exhibitor stand C107.

For more information, visit: www.networldsports.co.uk

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An Update From Scott MacCallum

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An Update From Scott MacCallum: Most of the major sporting events for the year have concluded, the schools are back and the universities are preparing to welcome back their students.

So what to make of 2018? Well, from a sporting perspective it’s been pretty exciting. The World Cup was exciting, or being a Scot, I’m told it was exciting, with Gareth’s boys exceeding expectations. As it progressed through the knock-out stages, those expectations had shot up again and many thought the 52 years of hurt were going to end.

An Update From Scott MacCallum

Glasgow’s European Championships were a success while I don’t recall any of the regular sporting calendar highlights letting the side down in the football, rugby, tennis, golf, cricket, horse racing. That said, Andy Murray’s non appearance at Wimbledon did reduce excitement at SW19, but we are going to have to get used a life post-Andy going forward I’m afraid to say.

But the point I was going to make was that, as far as I can recall, there were no negative headlines from a turf management side of things.

No complaints from disgruntled losers, no injuries directly attributable to a surface, no Head Groundsman or Course Manager being named and shamed in public. That’s not to say that everything went perfectly in every instance.

Of course, things went wrong. You don’t need highly talented people in position if everything were to go swimmingly on every occasion. You guys are paid to resolve problems, but to do it, more often than not, quietly, efficiently, without fuss and without headlines.

Looking forward it’s hard to see how the quality bar can be raised much more but we can probably look to attain the same standards with fewer chemical applications – both for environmental reasons and the fact that it is likely that we will see costs rise as we stumble through Brexit.

On an artificial turf perspective the Rubber Crumb issue will continue to run. A six month consultation process on reducing acceptable levels of carcinogens has just started and I just hope that the safety of the end user – groundsman and sportsman – is placed before cost when a final decision is made.

So as greenkeepers start planning their winter programmes and groundsmen continue to turn out super surfaces in all conditions I wish you all well going forward.

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Mark Harrod At Molineux

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Mark Harrod At Molineux: Wolverhampton Wanderers FC’s Premier League campaign is underway after winning promotion last season, and have kicked off with upgrades at their Molineux Stadium home, which include new match goals.

Leading sports equipment manufacturer Mark Harrod Ltd delivered and installed the socketed goalposts, nets and net support posts ready for Wolves’ first home game of the 2018-2019 season, against Everton FC.

Mark Harrod At Molineux

“Once Wolves had been promoted to the Premiership, we began upgrading various elements at Molineux to meet higher-level requirements ready for the new season,” said Head Groundsman Wayne Lumbard.

“Our match goalposts were showing their age so I turned to Mark Harrod Ltd for help. They surveyed the site and delivered and installed brand new replacements ready for our first home fixture on the Saturday. They are the cherry on top of the cake and compliment the Desso Grassmaster pitch laid a year ago.

“Every Premiership club has to conform to set criteria for stadium provision,” Wayne explained. “Goal nets have to be uniform white and grounds teams can only mow match pitches from goal to goal or across their width, for example.”

The aluminium powder-coated white 24ft x 8ft match goalposts form part of a package of provision for the Midlands club that includes warm-up goals for their pioneering Sir Jack Hayward training ground and academy base nearby.

With its host of pitches, including three equivalent Desso Grassmaster full-size surfaces, the training base hosts a season-full of competitive matches across the U7 to U18 age groups.

Mark Harrod At Molineux

“Wolves has enjoyed a long and happy association with the company stretching back many years,” added Wayne, who moved into post nine years ago.

The training centre includes Mark Harrod Ltd’s Ball Stop net system, freehanging 420S Box Nets and aluminium 1m x 1.2m Target goals. “The latest warm-up goals will help limit wear and tear in the goalmouths,” he said.

Mike Bugajski, Mark Harrod Ltd Head of Sales, noted: “The old Molineux match goals had passed their sell-by date. Under their programme of improvements, Wolves needed new ones in time for their first home game of this Premiership season and we were more than happy to oblige.”

Wayne adds: “I’ve known Sean Wallett, Mark Harrod Ltd’s managing director, for many years and can rely on the company to supply a premier service for what is now a Premier club. If I call Sean about something, he will come here the same day.”

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Tennis A Priority In London Transformation

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Tennis A Priority In London Transformation: A long term masterplan is set to take place in a London borough, and the redevelopment of Tennis courts is the top priority.

The London Borough of Hounslow’s planning committee approved Gunnersbury 2026 in January 2016 to unlock the potential of sports facilities at Gunnersbury Park – with tennis courts the first priority and a new indoor community sports hub.

Tennis A Priority In London Transformation

Essex-based ETC Sports Surfaces has completed the eight outdoor tennis courts with floodlights, while the sports hub is scheduled to open in summer 2019.

ETC worked alongside Zaun Ltd, who manufactured and supplied 414m of 3m high Duo6 Advantage tennis sports fencing with six single leaf gates and two divider fences with a central 3.5 m wide walkway between courts.

Zaun’s Advantage tennis court fencing system can withstand heavy use with a 42.85mm x 200mm twin wire mesh pattern that won’t let balls through yet allows a great view of on-court action.

It offers better whole-life value than chain-link fencing, which is easily cut with pliers for unauthorised use, and deforms quickly when people lean against it.

Ten grass football and rugby pitches, four cricket pitches and two full-size 3G artificial grass pitches with floodlights are also planned.

Gunnersbury Park, jointly owned by Hounslow and Ealing councils, features one Grade I listed and one Grade II listed Georgian mansions, as well as many historical buildings all set within the stunning community park.

The site is undergoing major transformation since the councils secured two grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2014 to overhaul the museum and make major improvements to the park landscape.

The aim of the project is to transform Gunnersbury Park into a sustainable, high quality public space that serves the local community.  The plans include the creation of a diverse mix of culture, heritage, events, sports and recreational activity to add to a rich history that the councils want to preserve.

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