SALTEX Registration Open

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SALTEX Registration Open: Event organisers have announced that visitor registration for SALTEX 2018 is now officially open at www.iogsaltex.com.

SALTEX 2018, Europe’s largest annual event for groundscare professionals, takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, on 31 October and 1 November and visitors can now register their attendance for free via the newly-designed website.

SALTEX Registration Open

The new website has been built to provide the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality throughout, allowing both visitors and exhibitors to access all the information they need in preparation for SALTEX 2018.

The site is compatible with many browsers and all mobile devices meaning that visitors and exhibitors alike will have easy access to the site and stay informed with the latest show news and exhibitor event previews. With over 230 exhibitors signed up to date, visitors to the website will see an extensive exhibitor list complete with individual profiles – each containing relevant information on products, services and show offers.

SALTEX Registration Open

Visitors will also be able to find out more about new and exciting show attractions as well as popular features such as Learning LIVE – SALTEX’s free and all-encompassing education programme; Outdoor demonstrations – which take place directly outside the SALTEX halls 6, 7 and 8; the SALTEX College Cup – a national student-led sports-turf challenge; Pathology & Soil Science LIVE – allowing visitors to look in detail at the symptoms of some common turfgrass fungal disease problems; Ask the Expert – a team of 10 IOG regional pitch advisors providing free pitch care advice; the Job Clinic –  a chance to receive specific career advice and find out all the latest job opportunities from industry expert Frank Newberry, and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) 10th annual Industry Awards celebration.

SALTEX exhibitors will notice some improvements to the portal, which is an indispensable tool for maximising event presence and making connections with potential customers in advance of the show. All of the exhibitor forms, such as the Health and Safety Declaration and the Risk Assessment Form, have now all been digitalised, meaning that exhibitors can fill out the relevant forms online without having to print them off.

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX via the website – www.iogsaltex.com. Visitors will receive a confirmation email with their badge to print and take along to the show, to gain free entry.

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Vandals Damage 16 Golf Greens

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Vandals Damage 16 Golf Greens: Within the next few days, test results should reveal the chemical that vandals used to damage 16 greens at a popular golf course in Skagit County.

A swear word was also spelled out in the grass on one of the holes at Swinomish Golf Links.

Vandals Damage 16 Golf Greens

Employees believe the vandal or vandals picked their targets here carefully. The greens closest to the clubhouse are covered by surveillance cameras and were not hit.

“It’s stupid. I don’t why people vandalize. It doesn’t make sense to me,” said golfer Walt Matye.

“Very disgusting. Just like graffiti and that, there’s no point. It doesn’t accomplish anything except make matters worse,” added his cousin, Marshall.

Sometime within the past week, the vandals trespassed on the 100-acre course overnight and sprayed some type of grass-killing chemical on most of the greens, investigators told KOMO News. A swear word was also left behind on hole 11.

“It had to be a very involved process. One that was thought out. And for them to have access to the course by either driving or bringing this stuff with them is something that was well planned out,” said Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

Tests are now being performed on the damaged grass and soil to try to figure out what chemical the vandal or vandals used.

If the chemical damaged the soil, it’s possible the course may have to temporarily close until expensive repairs can be made, employees said.

A temporary closure would be a huge hit considering the time of year.

“These individuals knew what they were doing. They know golf. They know the peak season. They know that the majority of the income produced by golf courses in the northwest is right around Memorial Day to Labor Day,” Cladoosby said.

Right now, this course is still playable.

Employees have drastically reduced rates for players because of the damage left behind.

“It just takes a few people to ruin it for the majority of the people to have a good time,” said Marshall Matye. “I guess the only thing they think about is themselves.”

The course does have insurance, employees said. But it’s possible the damage could climb to more than $500,000, they added.

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

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World Cup Turf Made In Britain

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World Cup Turf Made In Britain: This summer’s World Cup final will be on plastic grass for the first time in history – and England are guaranteed to play a part. It’s all because the surface at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, where the match is to be staged on July 15, is one of six venues in Russia using a “hybrid” pitch made up of real and synthetic grass made by a British firm.

The new surfaces were developed in CumbriaThis summer’s World Cup final will be on plastic grass for the first time in history – and England are guaranteed to play a part. It’s all because the surface at the Luzhniki and installed at the national team’s training centre St George’s Park in 2015, giving Gareth Southgate’s men plenty of practice on the turf.

World Cup Turf Made In Britain

If England finish top of their group in the first round, they will have to play two knock‐ out stage matches on hybrid pitches in order to reach the final.

Their final group stage match will also be played on one of the new pitches.

George Mullan, chief executive of developers SIS Pitches, said: “Having trained on it, it is going to help the England squad.”

The synthetic surface was developed by SIS Pitches at its headquarters in Maryport, Cumbria.

Mr Mullan added: “It’s the first time a World Cup final has been played on anything but all‐natural grass and we’re honoured to have been chosen to install it.

“We have come so far to get this system to the pinnacle of world sport.

“The quality of SIS grass will ensure the pitches are resilient in all conditions. It’s much more durable and stable than the pitches of the old days.

“I’m sure the 2018 World Cup final is one we will all remember.”

The pitches consist of 95 per cent natural turf reinforced with synthetic fibres which are stitched into the ground to a depth of seven inches using a laser‐guided system.

It took just seven days to instal the Luzhniki Stadium surface with “injection roller” machines worth £500,000.

A special air system has also been installed which can remove excess water from the playing surface in just three seconds via underpitch pipes that can blow hot or cold air depending on the climate.

The synthetic grass was made in Dundee, Scotland, at a factory before being shipped to Russia.

Former FA head groundsman Alan Ferguson will be in charge of maintaining the £1million Luzhniki Stadium pitch during the tournament.

Ipswich‐based Mr Ferguson will be in charge of a six‐strong ground staff team including two other Britons and three Russians.

Mr Ferguson was formerly in charge of the Wembley Stadium pitch and the turf at St George’s Park, where the England team are training ahead of the World Cup.

The Luzhniki Stadium will host the opening ceremony and the opening game, along with a semi‐final match and the World Cup final.

The hybrid surfaces have also been installed at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, the Mordovia Arena in Saransk, the Kaliningrad Stadium, the Rostov Arena and the Cosmos Arena in Samara.

In the group stages alone, 30 of the 32 countries taking part in the tournament will play on the revolutionary pitches.

There are 12 venues in all spread across Russia.

The same hybrid pitch has already been installed by Championship side Derby County, as well as at training grounds at top clubs including Fulham and Chelsea. The 2018 World Cup begins on June 14.

England, captained by Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane, begin their quest for glory in Group G alongside Belgium, Tunisia and Panama.

England have been training at St George’s Park this week ahead of their final warm‐up games as the countdown to the tournament continues.

The Three Lions face Nigeria at Wembley on Saturday and Costa Rica at Elland Road in Leeds on Thursday before heading to their base in Russia on June 12.

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Allett Scores At World Cup Venues

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Allett Scores At World Cup Venues: British manufactured Allett Mowers are the choice of the majority of the FIFA World Cup football venues in Russia. Allett is by far the top selling pedestrian mower brand for the very prestigious competition, supplying a total of over one hundred and eighty-five units of mowers and accessories across eight stadiums and thirteen official training grounds.

The process of taking Britain to Russia and winning the mower business for the World Cup venues started about two years ago when Allett’s Export Sales Manager, Dave Allett, made a series of presentations at two seminars and demonstration days. Allett’s Russian distributor Unisaw followed this up by investing in demonstration machinery and carried out more demonstrations at the stadiums and training grounds. Unisaw are a particularly strong dealer and it was the combination of Allett products and Unisaw’s supply and support that resulted in success.

Allett Scores At World Cup Venues

“I recently participated at a wonderfully well-run and attended seminar in Moscow, all organised by Unisaw” says Dave, “and took the opportunity to present Alexander Markin, the CEO of Unisaw Group, with two awards, one for outstanding sales achievement – Russia was our biggest single export market last year – and the second for service excellence.”

Dave attributes this great British success story to the products being chosen for their ease of use and high performance, which makes them ideal for sports turf surfaces, coupled with the exceptional sales efforts of Unisaw. “We offer a comprehensive solution: high-quality equipment for the care of football fields and constant service support, and our partnership with Allett is a very important part of this. Our company has all the necessary skills and takes great responsibility. We are ready and willing to share this with the stadiums, both before and after the games. Our specialists will work very hard on a special schedule, travelling to the facilities to assist at any time.” Says Alexander Markin, CEO of Unisaw Group. The main mowers supplied to the stadiums and training grounds are the Allett C34, together with cartridge accessories, the Regal 36, Buffalo 34 and RM34 models. The Allett C34, in the Allett professional mower range and powered by the Honda GX200 engine, offers in one machine the capability of performing up to eight different turf tasks. The cartridge head options include a six or eight blade cutting cylinder, powered scarifier, verticutter, brush, sorrel roller, turf rake and scarifier.

The Regal is regarded by groundsmen around the world as the ultimate large area dedicated mower for sports grounds, cricket pitches and other large grass areas. Hydrostatic forward and reverse drive with infinitely variable mowing speeds, power steering and compatibility with an optional trailing seat, combine to make it the prime choice for precision mowing with sharp, defined stripes on the turf.

The RM34 is a rotary stadium mower, which was designed around feedback from stadium groundsmen, with a full width rear roller to produce perfect pitch stripes. The twin contra-rotating blades and high lift system vacuum speedily and efficiently lifting debris, providing busy grounds staff with greater capability in the post match clear up, and for mowing higher when grass is being grown in.

Most of the eight Russian stadiums such as Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-don, Ekaterinburg and Saransk, to name but a few, ordered three Allett C34’s and two Regals each. Sochi Fisht stadium has four Allett C34’s, two Allett Buffalos and four Allett RM34 mowers. The Unisaw supplied training fields took thirty C34’s and fourteen RM34’s between them. In all, a major British export coup for Allett Mowers. 01889 271503 www.allett.co.uk

FIFA World Cup 2018 Stadiums Supplied by Allett Mowers

  • Rostov-on-don
  • Kaliningrad
  • Saransk
  • Ekaterinburg
  • Samara
  • Volgograd
  • Sochi Fisht

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

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Q&A With… Paul Armitage

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Q&A With… Paul Armitage: General Manager at Le Golf National-venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup.

What brought you to Le Golf National and how long have you been here?

I got the job at Le Golf National in May 2014, and started in September 2014. When I saw this job come up, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by, so I decided to apply for it; it’s the kind of job that comes up once in a blue moon. I’ve been working in France for more than 20 years now, mainly in the golf industry. This role seemed like a natural career progression, and the prospect of being involved in hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup, and the Olympic golf competition in 2024 is very exciting.

Q&A With... Paul Armitage

Biggest challenge you’ve faced during your time here and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge was to change the culture and the mindset of the club. Le Golf National is 25 years old now, and there were a lot of habits and routines to shake up when I arrived. I wanted to focus the staff on the fact that we are a Ryder Cup destination, the fact that our customers expect high standards and the fact that we have one of the best golf courses in the world. I needed them to realise that we had to achieve those high standards every single day.

What does it mean to Le Golf National and to France to be hosting the Ryder Cup this year?

For Le Golf National, it’s an honour and a privilege to be hosting the Ryder Cup. However, without the tenacity of the French Golf Federation throughout the bidding process and all the way now, we couldn’t do it alone, so all credit must go to them. For the country, it is a huge deal. Pascal Grizot, who is the president of the France 2018 Ryder Cup committee did a fantastic job of accomplishing his vision of bringing the Ryder Cup to France and gaining support from the government as well as local support. Pascal made it into a nationwide bid. You can feel the excitement in the media around the event. With the announcement of Tiger Woods as the US team vice-captain, there’s an even bigger buzz, and the enormity of the event really hits home. It’s very exciting, and a huge honour to be involved.

What is the best piece of advice you could give to anyone wanting to become a general manager at a golf club?

You must love people. It’s not enough to be a passionate golfer, you must have the customer service skills and the ideas and drive to grow the business. It’s important to communicate well with staff, and to motivate them, and it also helps to take time out to speak with customers and ask if they’ve enjoyed their experience.

How does your relationship with Jacobsen benefit the club? What is your attitude when it comes to turf maintenance equipment?

We have a very long and happy relationship with Jacobsen; we have used the brand at Le Golf National for a very long time. To be able to keep the agreement in place, and develop it even more, throughout the Ryder Cup is a huge bonus for us. The golf course is the most important thing, and if you look at some of the remarks on social networks, the standard of the greens, tees and fairways comes out on top, and is commended time and time again. Without the correct resources, we can’t do that. The turf maintenance equipment is key, and we are very happy with the Jacobsen kit, and so are the greenkeeping team we have here.

Can you describe a typical day for a general manager?

No. Every day is different. That’s what makes it so much fun. At Le Golf National, we have three different courses, which offer a diverse offering to our customers. In turn, there is a lot of variety and different aspects to my job. With the Ryder Cup, the 2024 Olympic Games, the French Open, Paris Legends, and other events like that, it adds another dimension, so no two days are the same!

Q&A With... Paul Armitage

What do you do when you’re not working?

I love eating, sleeping, drinking red wine, spending time with my family, and cooking!

What’s your favourite Ryder Cup moment?

The miracle at medina. I got to the golf course early on Sunday morning, slightly depressed about the scores and the task Europe faced. However, there was something about the golf course that morning- it was chilly, windy, and there was nobody there. There weren’t many Americans there, and everybody was supporting Europe. To experience that day at Medina and see that European team turn things around and win the Ryder Cup was amazing.

10 Quick-fire Questions

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

I wanted to be a golf TV camera man!

Who is your role model?

My dad is my role model. He’s a very honest and hardworking man and has been a great source of advice throughout my career.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Work hard, play hard.

Most admired sports person?

Not everyone’s favourite, but Nick Faldo.

What annoys you most?

Jealousy.

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? 

Le Golf National! Where else would you want to be?!

 If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

Cook. It takes so much time to do it well!

 Do you have any hidden talents?

Singing. It’s hidden because I don’t sing often, but put me in front of a karaoke machine, and I’ll sing all night.

 What job would you be terrible at?

Working in a hospital and seeing sick people- I would be awful at that.

What skill would you like to master?

I’d love to learn to play a musical instrument; either the piano or even to be able to read music.

One thing you do to motivate yourself?

Think about bananas. When I used to play bad golf, I was introduced to Sophrology, which is the idea that when things aren’t going your way, you should think of something that makes you feel happy… so I think about bananas!

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