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Final spots to exhibit at SAGE

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Final spots to exhibit at SAGE: Spaces to exhibit at SAGE, the UK’s biggest outdoor trade show in the sports and grounds maintenance industry, are being booked up fast, with excitement building for this summer’s show. In partnership with Weibang, GRASS, and BioCircle, SAGE is returning for what is set to be a landmark event in the grounds care calendar.

Back for its third year at the stunning Three Counties showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, SAGE will take place on the 19th and 20th of July 2023. With plans for increased numbers of exhibitors, conferences, and stalls, this year’s event is set to draw in more visitors than ever before and be SAGE’s biggest exhibition yet.

Exhibiting at SAGE is unlike any other grounds care event. SAGE understands what exhibitors and visitors want from events: interactive, hands-on experiences.

While many other exhibitions have been moved indoors, SAGE believes that demonstrating kit is an integral part of grounds care and maintenance exhibitions. This is why it provides the unique opportunity to demo and test equipment, no matter the size. To achieve this, SAGE offers unrivalled value for money, providing each exhibitor with their own demo space alongside their stand from as little as £14 per m2.

As well as unmatched outdoor demo spaces and unbeatable prices, SAGE is also leading the way in sustainability. This year, sustainability is its key message, with organisers recognising the need to create an exhibition that leaves as little impact on the environment as possible.

Implementing ‘We are green’ practices, in line with the sustainable guidelines set out by Eventex, SAGE hopes to use its platform to inspire a greener approach in the event industry, bringing together like-minded, revolutionary thinkers, and setting a more sustainable precedent for future exhibitions.

New sustainable measures include free water refill stations, sustainable lanyards, beer barrels instead of bottles, hired glasses to cut out single-use plastic, eco-friendly cleaning products, as well as much more. GRASS, one of SAGE’s official green partners, will also be on hand to advise on tailor-made best sustainable practices for businesses.

Running alongside SAGE will be the brand-new Green Business Expo, where businesses will have the chance to share sustainable solutions, attend expert-led conferences, and network with other eco-conscious companies. With both exhibitions on the same site and free for visitors to attend, SAGE is expected to attract an engaged, diverse audience looking for sustainable grounds care options.

Mark Tomlinson, chairman of GRASS, shared why he has partnered with SAGE: “As an exhibitor, I value an outdoor show and the space SAGE offers to bring live working demonstrations to the industry.

“This is exactly what the industry has asked for.”

Join the growing list of exhibitors who are eager to be a part of this year’s event.

For more information, or to book exhibition space, please visit sportsandgrounds.events or contact Vicky Panniers vp@sportsandgrounds.co.uk.

Find out more about the green measures at SAGE 2023 here https://sportsandgrounds.events/sustainability/

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New bermudagrass delivers total package

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New bermudagrass delivers total package: Pure Seed and Atlas Turf International announced the introduction of Sun Queen, their newest seeded bermudagrass for the golf, sports field, and landscape markets. This new release from the breeding program of Pure-Seed Testing, Inc. delivers the total package in elite seeded bermudagrass, with reliable growth, maximum protection, and advanced playability and appearance.

“Pure-Seed Testing developed Sun Queen using germplasm obtained from Mississippi State University,” said Dr. Melodee Fraser, director of Pure-Seed Testing, Inc. East.   “It has demonstrated wide adaptability by exhibiting excellent turf performance in multiple trial locations over a range of environments and management conditions. Sun Queen is well-adapted for sports turfs, golf courses, parks, lawns, and amenity turf areas.”

New bermudagrass delivers total package

New bermudagrass delivers total package

Consistently ranked as a top establishing bermudagrass in NTEP trials, Sun Queen provides rapid grow-in. From there, the durability of Sun Queen takes over with extreme wear tolerance, demonstrated through leading results in trials for performance under traffic stress at the University of Tennessee. And when injury does occur, Sun Queen’s aggressive growth delivers quick recovery.

The harshest turfgrass challenges are no match for Sun Queen. As its name implies, Sun Queen withstands extreme heat without sacrificing performance. Adding further sustainability, it offers dependable drought tolerance. The powerful protection of Sun Queen continues with proven disease resistance.

The total package would not be complete without advances in aesthetics and playability. Sun Queen features a beautiful dark green color, refined leaf texture, and early spring green-up. Combine these attributes with excellent turf quality and density, and Sun Queen produces a better and more beautiful playing surface.

For added assurance during the grow-in stage, Sun Queen is protected by PureCoat+™ water absorbent seed coating. PureCoat+ guards the seed against environmental pressures and provides faster germination, quicker establishment, and improved water efficiency for stronger, healthier plants.

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New course manager at The Grove

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New course manager at The Grove: The Grove today, in its 20th anniversary year, announced the important appointment of William Evans as its new Golf Course & Estates Manager.

William returns to The Grove for a second time – he was previously Head Greenkeeper between 2008 and 2011 – to lead the award-winning agronomy and gardens teams at the five-star, luxury Hertfordshire estate that features a Kyle Phillips designed championship golf course.

New course manager at The Grove

New course manager at The Grove

Over the past six years, William has enjoyed a highly-successful period in Bahrain as Director of Agronomy at the Troon International-managed Royal Golf Club. In his time in the Middle East, he was recognised as 59club’s International Greenkeeper of the Year on two occasions.

Brad Gould, Director of Golf at The Grove, commented: “William is a dedicated and highly motivated turf manager, and proven leader of people, and we are thrilled to have him back at The Grove.

“His industry experience and goal-focused approach to his work will be of huge benefit to our operations and he will undoubtedly help us to further enhance and develop what is an already exceptional, award-winning product.”

The Grove boasts one of the finest golf experiences in the UK thanks to its Top 100-ranked golf course and impeccable customer service. It also recently announced a host of investments in its golf experience that will be completed for its celebratory 2023 season.

These include an extension to the much-loved Stables Bar, enhancements to the outdoor terrace and courtyard, and significant renovations to the Locker Rooms, Stables toilets and Halfway House.

The Grove is also one of the first venues in Europe to unveil a grass-tee TrackMan Range solution on its practice facility, and is set to become the first venue in Europe to offer golf cars with music when a new fleet of high-spec Club Car vehicles, complete with Bluetooth speakers, is delivered.

On re-joining The Grove, William Evans said: “I relish the opportunity to manage such a vital part of The Grove’s business and I know I will be blessed with a truly fantastic team around me to reach even greater heights. One of The Grove’s USPs is the year-round pristine conditioning of its golf course and this will continue to be a key objective as we move forwards.”

Situated 18 miles from central London, The Grove is the only venue in the UK to have hosted a World Golf Championship (WGC) event – won by Tiger Woods in 2006. It also hosted The British Masters in 2016.

Beyond its pristine fairways and greens, The Grove’s 18th-century Mansion houses 25 rooms and suites as well as the uniquely-designed Lounges. There is also the thoroughly modern West Wing with a further 189 deluxe, superior and family rooms. Many of these rooms have balconies and terraces looking over immaculate formal gardens.

For further information: www.thegrove.co.uk

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ISEKI Dealer opens new Depot

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ISEKI Dealer opens new Depot: ABA Groundcare based in the South West of England have expanded once again with another new depot opened recently on Woodward Road, Tiverton. 

Following the closure of MST, former Devon Agricultural dealership, in 2022 due to cash flow issues, Jamie Hutchings, the owner of ABA Groundcare seized the opportunity to expand his business and opened up a branch in Tiverton.

ISEKI Dealer opens new Depot

ISEKI Dealer opens new Depot

Jamie Hutchings said: “We established the business in 2014 in Dorchester. We built up in that region and then looked to expand. I got to know Scott Struthers from MST and dealt and traded with him regularly. I offered him a job many times, but he always said no. Then we heard what was happening with MST and stepped in and offered five former members of the staff including Scott, a job at our new premises in Tiverton, totalling over 200 years experience.”

He said that employing skilled staff was an issue in every trade, and he was thankful that he could find five skilled new members willing to carry on working together.

“It was an easy decision to make,” he said. “They wanted to stay together working and very quickly decided they were happy to join my company.”

The Tiverton branch offers servicing and parts, supply garden machinery, agricultural vehicles, and quad bikes from the likes of Stihl, Yamaha, Husqvarna and Stiga to name a few, alongside the specialist ISEKI ground care unit.

“We are continuing to offer a service which customers of MST now miss here in Tiverton,” Jamie said. “It’s also a great central location as you can get anywhere reasonably quickly in Devon from here.

“It’s a service-led business, but we sell as well,” Jamie explained. “We are here to look out for our customers; any sales are a bonus. Scott Struthers, previous sales rep for MST, has built up excellent relationships with customers in the area, it is great to have him on board to continue offering the same service.”

“I come from an engineer’s background, so every product we sell has been chosen because it’s a good quality product, easy to work on and reliable. It’s not just about selling product; it’s about selling decent products, and that’s why we partnered with ISEKI because there’s nothing better.”

On running the business during the pandemic and cost of living crisis, he added: “The ground care business hasn’t been too badly affected, other than the supply of goods.

“People still need the machinery; they still want to be in their gardens, so other than the cost of everything going up, we’re in a fairly strong place.

“If customers are not buying from you, they’re going to want what they’ve got repaired and serviced. I don’t think we will see too much problem, but we will try and keep the costs down and try and weather the storm.”

Commenting on the change Scott Struthers said: “it’s the best outcome for me and my customers, I have built up such good relationships with so many in the Devon area and to be able to continue to build on this with such good support and service from ABA Groundcare is the ideal outcome for me.”

David Withers, managing director of ISEKI, added: “It’s exciting for us. We’ve been trading with Jamie, ABA Groundcare for many years and have a great relationship, which makes it easier. We know Jamie; we know he is really customer focused and dedicated to the service side of the business, which is what customers really want.

“As well as that, you’ve got a group of people who we would’ve lost all of that industry knowledge if Jamie hadn’t stepped in to do what he’s done. It’s great for the customers in the area who will get great backup support, and we’ll get more exposure going forward. It’s excellent for Jamie to be able to expand his business.

“It’s a win for Jamie, a win for us as a manufacturer and great for the staff there who could have ended up without roles or having to do something that they’re not experienced in, it would have been a shame to have lost that.”

Andrew Parr, a former MST staff member, now working at ABA Groundcare, said: “I worked for MST from the year dot, with almost 40 years of employment. It was such a shock when MST announced it was closing. It was a great shock to everybody because MST has been a part of Tiverton for many years. The old depot was built in 1962 and started as Twose in Halberton.

“I saw a lot of changes over the years, and now it’s just lovely to continue providing a service in Tiverton with our customers, working with five former MST staff, and being around familiar faces.

“Jamie is a good boss, he is driven, and we have the backing of ISEKI, which is a great product.”

Another former MST staff member, Sue Westlake, is now ABA Groundcare’s officer administrator. She said: “Having been made redundant at MST, we were lucky enough to know Jamie, who was looking for new staff, so it fitted in nicely with us.

“The end of MST happened very quickly, although it didn’t surprise me. In a way, it was a relief that it happened, but sad. I worked for MST for over 40 years, so seeing what was happening was a shock.

“It’s lovely to be able to come and work here now. We have a great camaraderie, and we look forward to doing well here and the company succeeding.”

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DLF want to hear from you

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DLF want to hear from you: As part of their extensive research and sustainable seed programme, DLF are inviting Turf Managers around the country to participate in a short survey to identify the variety and prevalence of fungal turf disease activity.

Input is required from all areas of fine and sports turf management, with the results helping to shape future developments of more tolerant seed varieties.

DLF want to hear from you

DLF want to hear from you

With the altering climate and changes to maintenance practices, there is a fear that new fungal diseases could appear or that known ones could become a more serious threat to turf quality. Therefore, to fully understand the current situation and provide solutions to the new challenges on the horizon, DLF would like to hear from you on your experience of recent disease activity. Feedback is sought from golf courses, winter sports facilities, schools/community surfaces, racecourses, polo grounds, amenity spaces and turf producers.

The link to the survey can be accessed here and should take no more than five minutes to complete: https://forms.office.com/r/XCHEfvmxT3

The fungal disease survey is just one of several research programmes currently underway across DLF’s global network, looking to create high performance, sustainable seed mixtures. Thanks to the incorporation of cultivars that improve turf quality and are kinder to budgets and the environment, without reliance on water and chemical inputs, DLF are providing solutions that deliver a sustainable surface without a compromise in visual merit or performance.

Findings from previous DLF trials are already proving pivotal in the field, including the identification of 4turf® and diploid perennial ryegrass varieties with enhanced tolerance to Brown Patch.

Incorporated into the Johnsons J Premier 4Turf 25 mixture, Head Groundsman at Reading Football Club Chris Last said, “July through to the end of September is our main disease pressure season and I could not be happier with how J Premier 4Turf 25 dealt with both Brown Patch and Grey Leaf Spot. We applied only one fungicide throughout the summer, when the GLS started to gain some momentum in early September, and while we unfortunately lost some diploids in the affected areas, the tetraploids held on and meant that to the untrained eye it was difficult to see where we had the fatal disease. Throughout the rest of the window, the enhanced plant health and strength meant I could treat disease with biologically friendly and cost-effective measures such as citric acid, phosphite’s and turf hardening fertilisers instead of using fungicide.”

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