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NEWS ARTICLES

MLR Launch The ORN

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MLR Launch The ORN: MLR, the international sports supplementary lighting business, has launched a new lighting rig designed specifically for golf courses – the first of its kind within the sports turf industry.

The ‘Orn’ will be unveiled at STRI’s Research Day on Wednesday 19th September in Bingley, West Yorkshire.

MLR Launch The ORN

MLR has provided mobile lighting solutions to sports arenas since 1998 and has now utilised innovative technologies to develop the ‘Orn’ rig to provide mobile lighting solutions for problematic greens and fairways.

Working with its global distributor, Bernhard and Company, the ‘Orn’ joins MLR’s range of supplementary lighting rigs that service a multitude of sports stadiums.

The Orn is compact and easy to move around the course to spot treat problem areas. It can be disassembled in less than 30 minutes, so it’s easy to store when not in use.

MLR general manager, Hermann Sather, said: “MLR is proud to launch the world’s first supplementary lighting rig designed specifically for golf. There’s a great deal of pressure on greenkeepers to produce quality surfaces all year round, and the Orn can be a crucial weapon in that battle.

“This is our first venture into the golf market, but it won’t be our last. Expect more exciting developments in the near future!”

Steve Nixon, Director for Bernhard and Company, said: “This is an exciting time for Bernhard Company. By combining our strong experience and knowledge of the golf market with MLR technical expertise, we are bringing a unique product that will revolutionise the way turf professionals manage difficult growth areas around their golf course.”

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Student Greenkeepers Win Toro Awards

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Student Greenkeepers Win Toro Awards: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association has announced that Daniel Ashelby from Wilmslow Golf Club has become the 30th winner of the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award, whilst Danny Patten of Lee Park Golf Club scooped the Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award.

Daniel, 25, joins a proud tradition of former awards winners that stretches back to Mark Proctor, who won the very first hosting of the award in 1989 while a student greenkeeper at Portal Golf Club in Cheshire.

Student Greenkeepers Win Toro Awards

The Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards is a nationwide contest hosted by greenkeepers’ association BIGGA and sponsored by turfcare machinery and irrigation manufacturer Toro alongside its official UK distributor Reesink Turfcare.

Each year, a selection of the best student greenkeepers, selected from regional interviews hosted across the country, descend upon BIGGA House at Aldwark Manor in York for the two-day finals of the event, where they complete a variety of tasks.

A second-generation greenkeeper, whose father was course manager at Gatley Golf Club, Daniel impressed the judges with his knowledge and passion for the profession. The presentation he delivered in front of the awards judges showed his dedication to greenkeeping and his eagerness to do well in his chosen career.

Daniel said: “I can’t believe I’ve won it to be honest. There was a really strong line-up and I couldn’t tell right until the end who had won because everybody else was fantastic. I’m absolutely delighted and I’d like to thank Toro, Reesink Turfcare and BIGGA for everything they’ve done this week, it’s amazing.”

As part of his prize, Daniel wins a seven-week scholarship at the University of Massachusetts in the USA, as well as a trip to the GCSAA’s Golf Industry Show in San Diego and a trip to Toro’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

The Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award is open to students under the age of 20 and as winner, Danny receives a two-week work placement at the exclusive Vidauban Golf Club in France, as well as a trip to BTME in Harrogate.

Danny, 20, said: “I’m shocked to have won. I thought I had done a good course walk but wasn’t sure it would be enough. Then when they announced my name to say I had won it was just the best feeling in the world. I’ve been greenkeeping for just over two years so to get this award is really promising for my career and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.”

BIGGA Head of Member Learning Stuart Green said: “Congratulations to Daniel and Danny, who showed outstanding passion and commitment, both during the finals of the awards and at every stage of the competition, to be crowned worthy winners of this year’s awards.

“To be crowned Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year isn’t just two days’ hard work; rather you must dedicate yourself to the greenkeeping profession every day of your working life and so both winners and everyone who made it to the finals should be incredibly proud of their achievements.

“Each year the finals of the competition get harder to judge, which gives me confidence that the future of the industry is in very safe hands.”

The runner-up in the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award was John Scurfield of Morpeth Golf Club.

The runner-up in the Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award was Liam Pigden of Burnham & Berrow Golf Club.

David Cole, managing director of Reesink Turfcare and award judge, said: “Every year the challenge of selecting one winner from each category becomes greater and greater for the judges. This tells us that the greenkeeping baton is being passed to safe hands by virtue of the commitment we see in front of us from students towards their career and personal education.

“Congratulations, not only to the winners and runners-up, but also to the whole group in reaching the final in what is a very competitive awards competition. You are all a credit to yourselves and to your golf courses.”

BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton said: “We call the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards the most prestigious in the industry, but they are only made so by the commitment and dedication to the greenkeeping profession shown by those who have previously enjoyed success in the awards.

“Daniel and Danny join an incredible roster of past winners throughout the awards’ prestigious history, each of whom has done their part in elevating standards in the greenkeeping profession to new heights.

“Our thanks once again go to Toro and Reesink Turfcare for their support in hosting these annual awards, which remain a real highlight of the greenkeeping calendar.”

Applications for the 31st Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards will open in February 2019.

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ICL Scholars Revealed For Continue To Learn

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ICL Scholars Revealed For Continue To Learn: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association and ICL have confirmed the five successful recipients of the third ICL Continue to Learn scholarship.

The ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship offers five BIGGA members the opportunity to attend the Continue to Learn education programme. Taking place at BTME 2019 in Harrogate, the world-leading education programme features more than 250 hours of education, making it the most influential event in the turf management calendar within the United Kingdom.

ICL Scholars Revealed For Continue to Learn

The scholarship, worth approximately £500, comprises three nights’ hotel accommodation and a 15-hour education bundle.

The successful BIGGA members are:

  1. Blair Shearer, assistant greenkeeper, Dunbar Golf Club
  2. Dan Dooley, greenkeeper, Mount Murray Golf Club
  3. David Stewart, deputy head greenkeeper, Walmley Golf Club
  4. Jorge Manso, deputy head greenkeeper, Coombe Wood Golf Club
  5. Andrew Brown, course manager, Boundary Lakes

Sami Strutt, BIGGA’s head of member development, said: “The ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship is a great initiative, providing five BIGGA members with the chance to attend education classes that have been specifically designed with greenkeepers in mind.

“Staying in Harrogate, visiting BTME and networking with like-minded colleagues and peers is a fabulous way to ignite the passion of this great industry for the year ahead. Our thanks go to the sponsor, ICL, for enabling this desirable opportunity.”

Michael Hughes, deputy course manager at Scotscraig, was an ICL Scholar at Continue to Learn 2018. He said: “The scholarship was priceless for me because I knew my golf club couldn’t afford to send me to Continue to Learn. When you add up the cost, including a hotel for the week, what ICL and BIGGA do for anyone in my position is just priceless. Just those few days in Harrogate benefit your career immensely because you take so much away from them.”

Ed Carter, UK sales and development manager for ICL, said: “We are delighted to be involved with the scholarship for the third year running. The feedback we received from previous scholars has been excellent and we hope those chosen for 2019 get as much out of it as the previous 10 did.”

Continue to Learn at BTME will take place at the Harrogate Convention Centre, Crowne Plaza Hotel and The Majestic Hotel from Sunday 20 to Wednesday 23 January 2019. The extensive programme will run alongside BTME, the largest indoor exhibition in Europe for the sports turf industry.

The Turf Rewards loyalty scheme from ICL and Syngenta enables BIGGA members to claim Continue to Learn education vouchers with reward points for buying products that are used on golf courses. For further information visit www.turfrewards.com

For more information about BTME and Continue to Learn, visit www.btme.org.uk

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GTC Release New Training Materials

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GTC Release New Training Materials: The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has released a revised set of best practice learning materials for all levels of student greenkeepers.

Although originally inspired as the underpinning knowledge for the Level 2 qualification, the GTC Board of Directors and the Employer Group championed the revision of the copyright Learning Materials.

These will be made available not only to learners undertaking the Level 2 Greenkeeping qualification, but will also be available to all golf clubs to be used as best practice.

Prepared by industry specialists and based upon best principles and practices for golf course maintenance and management, the copyright materials are divided into eight chapters, ranging from health and safety, golf course preparation and maintenance to preparing a tractor with attachments.

The 327-page publication is available to purchase in digital format to anyone through the GTC’s shop for £150. For more information, see www.the-gtc.co.uk/shop/

All GTC Quality Approved Centres will receive a copy of the of Learning Materials, for use with all sports turf students on the various greenkeeping courses.

The GTC is supported by England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf, The PGA and BIGGA.

GTC Manager Fiona Lyttle said: “Each of the original chapters has been meticulously reviewed and updated by specialists from within the sports turf industry. Following consultations with our Employer Group, it was suggested we incorporate some additional aspects of what a fully-qualified golf greenkeeper should know. With this in mind, we have included more detail on soil science, as well as basic drainage and irrigation. Changes in technology, equipment and machinery have also necessitated an extensive update. The GTC has ensured the materials are suitable for everyone from apprentices to golf course managers with all subjects comprehensively covered.”

For further information on the GTC’s Learning Materials, contact GTC Administrator Emma Willis on 01347 838640 and emma@the-gtc.co.uk

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Reform Launch Metron At Galabau

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Reform Launch Metron At Galabau: Revealed at the recent Galabau Exhibition in Nuremburg for green urban open spaces equipment, specialist bank tractor manufacturer Reform Werke has launched the Metron P48 RC as the first radio-controlled equipment carrier with real hybrid drive. 

Simon Richard, UK Sales Agent for the Reform range says, “Metron’s concept is based on a 48hp Kubota petrol engine powering a generator which supplies energy to the battery pack and the electric wheel motors. The generator also has a direct drive which drives the mechanical front PTO shaft allowing Metron to operate all attachments mechanically.

Reform Launch Metron At Galabau

Control is via a powerful, ergonomic radio hand-set with integrated colour display and a working range up to 400metres .The hybrid drive also allows the Metron P48 RC to operate purely electrically. If more power is required, the petrol engine can be switched on quickly and easily. Permanent all-wheel drive to four same size wheels, low centre of gravity and five different steering modes combine to give optimum slope capability.

A range of attachments such as flail mowers, rotary mowers, snow blowers and ploughs, brooms and much more can be easily mounted and Metron’s compact dimensions and 1,000 kg weight make it is easy to transport  and operate in tight conditions.”

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