Abergele GC Green Keeper Awarded

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Abergele GC Green Keeper Awarded: An Abergele green keeper has beaten competition from all over the UK to win the Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year 2018.

Darren Anderson, master green keeper at Abergele Golf Club clinched the win at The Golf Environment Awards ceremony in Harrogate, Yorkshire for his Tir Gwyllt project near the 3rd hole at the course near Gwrych castle.

Mr Anderson, 41 , said: “Firstly it was about us building an ecology area, the awards obviously encouraged us and we were still entering even though we thought we didn’t have a chance.

Green Keeper Wins Outstanding Environmental Project Of The Year

“I felt immensely proud when it was announced we won, I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what to say, apart from thank you to everyone.”

The project created a wildlife haven on the overgrown site of the former 9th hole, and was a combined effort spearheaded by Mr Anderson with his team including Gareth Jones, Rob Myatt and Greg Howsam, with his wife Sali supplying the name Tir Gwyllt, or ‘wild land’.

The team created owl and bat boxes, a fruit table for butterflies, habitats for door mice and hotels for bees, ladybirds and other beneficial insects with recycled materials.

They also removed overgrown rye grass which allowed native species of orchid to return and planted wildflower gardens to encourage pollination.

After receiving the nomination along with clubs in Scotland and England, Mr Anderson was joined by club directors Terry Hughes, Martin Thomas, and Dewi Roberts for the awards ceremony organised by international sports pitch consultants the STRI Group and organisers of The Open the R & A .

Mr Anderson, a former pupil at Emrys ap Iwan, said: “The whole idea was we wanted to improve our environmental standing and encourage ecology with the resources we had really as we didn’t have money to spend.

“When we found out we made it to the final, we were over the moon and the club directors automatically said they were going along to support the awards, however when I saw the fantastic work the other finalist had done, I warned the directors, please don’t get your hopes up.”

As part of the award, Mr Anderson – a third generation green keeper, originally from Edinburgh – has will visit to Portugal in April for a showcase in environmental approaches to managing golf courses.

A spokesman for Abergele Golf Club said: “It goes without saying that we are extremely lucky to have Darren, the work he has put in to enter for this award and continues to do to maintain these standards makes Abergele Golf Club a Golf Course to be proud of.”

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Soil Biology Brings Rewards

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Soil Biology Brings Rewards: A greens team has seen its maintenance budget double and recruitment increase having introduced a range of soil biology methods across the course.

Harpenden Common Golf Club swept aside its existing greens renovation programme in favour of a less intrusive, environmental one based on applying compost teas, fertilisers, trace elements and zeolites.

Soil Biology Brings Rewards

“The old system of digging up our waterlogged greens twice a year to try to improve drainage had failed,” reports head greenkeeper Sean Brocklehurst, “so we invited an agronomist specialising in soil biology to take a look at the problem.”

Soil Biology Ltd’s Hillery Murphy recommended an extensive programme of boosting the microbial count across the 18-hole private members parkland course in a bid to reduce thatch and strengthen the rootzone.

Now in its fourth year of the soil biology strategy, Harpenden Common is reaping the benefits inside and outside the clubhouse, states Sean. “Poor drainage on the greens made them unplayable sometimes, forcing us to close the course and risking loss of members. Playing surfaces have improved so much that we can stay open year-round, which is great news for everyone here.”

General manager Terry Crump said: “Our key priority is to deliver the best possible course conditions and clubhouse facilities for our members. They will go elsewhere if we cannot provide golf whenever they want it.

“It’s no exaggeration to state that the club might have struggled if we had persisted with our existing maintenance strategy, which relied heavily on chemical and physical treatments.”

Year-round course playability has helped the club double the greens team’s maintenance budget, allowing it to introduce improvements across the site.

Soil Biology Brings Rewards

“We are raising standards off course as well as on to boost presentation around the playing areas,” says Sean, “and we have been able to recruit an apprentice greenkeeper to increase the team to seven. “

Harpenden Common applies Soil Biology products right across the course to raise quality throughout. “The zeolites add structural integrity to the turf and retain then release nutrients over time,” Sean explains, “also encouraging a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the rootzone. Members agree the state of the course is the best it has ever been.”

Hillery Murphy says: “Harpenden Common is a great testimony to soil biology.  Zeolites deliver more consistent results, creating a honeycomb in which beneficial microbes can thrive and metabolise nutrients for the grass plant to take up. This is the future for course maintenance practices.”

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MM50 Chosen For Cricket Squares

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MM50 Chosen For Cricket Squares: After a successful trial, Jamie Foyster – owner of Sportsturf Management, has taken the decision to exclusively use Limagrain’s MM50 grass seed across each cricket square he tends to.

It is safe to say that Jamie Foyster knows a thing or two about cricket squares – he was introduced to the sport at the age of 10 as a player and was then helping to prepare and maintaining pitches by 15 at his local club. This continued over two decades and even though he was working in another job he still continued to work voluntarily on cricket pitches until he had an opportunity to join Sportsturf Management in 2008.

MM50 Chosen For Cricket Squares

Jamie took over the sole ownership of the business in 2012 and it was also at this stage that he first became acquainted with Limagrain UK.

“I wasn’t happy with my existing supplier – the seed just wasn’t performing as I wanted it to. We had an incredibly wet season that year and in the autumn I trialled MM50 on two cricket squares. Very soon it was apparent that the germination rate, the development and the root density was fantastic.

“However, the real test came in the summer of the following year, and for me the wear tolerance and the recovery rate was just superb. That sealed the deal for me and since then I have converted all my squares to MM50.”

MM50 possesses exceptional shoot density along with tolerance to close mowing making it particularly suitable for cricket squares. This superior mix contains the perennial ryegrass cultivars, Venice, Alison and Malibu, which are renowned for providing a great sward for cricket use. As Jamie reports, other key features of MM50 include fast recovery from wear and damage and high disease resistance.

It is products such as MM50 which is a direct result of Limagrain’s continual investment into research and development. The company is a major supporter of research partnerships with universities and institutes which will continue to help provide new varieties through plant breeding giving groundsmen and greenkeepers solutions in future turf management.

“Products and technology have come such a long way in the past decade,” says Jamie. “Machinery, seeds, fertilisers, you name it – they have all advanced massively. For example you just have to look at germination rates now compared to a few years ago. In this respect I would have to single out HEADSTART® GOLD seed coating.”

MM50 Chosen For Cricket Squares

MM50 is treated with HEADSTART® GOLD – Limagrain’s unique seaweed based seed treatment which helps to ensure rapid and even germination. This tried and tested grass seed treatment helps the seed get off to the best possible start – making it ideal to use in the less than favourable conditions that can sometimes be found on cricket pitches during renovations.

HEADSTART® GOLD is perhaps at its most beneficial when it comes to the fourteen squares that Jamie and his team carry out renovations on each year. In addition, they maintain a further eight squares all year round  – Jamie’s work has quickly caught the eye.

“Others have seen how well MM50 has performed on our squares and they have since started using it. To be honest, I recommend MM50 all the time now and quite a lot of clubs and schools I know of have switched to it.

“It’s just a tremendous package all round from Limagrain. Richard Sheppard (Amenity Seed Sales Specialist) will often come and see me, to see how everything is going and offer advice and support. I don’t even have to ask for that but it is a great service to have.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity

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New Turf Rewards

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New Turf Rewards: ICL and Syngenta have confirmed some exciting developments and an increased selection of rewards for the Turf Rewards loyalty scheme in 2018. 

Turf Rewards provides the opportunity for customers to earn points from purchases that can then be exchanged against a fantastic selection of agronomic or turf related items and learning opportunities.

New Turf Rewards

Turf managers across the UK and Ireland have been benefiting from the scheme since its creation five years ago and it continues to grow significantly year on year.

2018 sees the addition of some exciting new rewards added to the extensive range of items already on offer. The scheme can provide a great way to enhance education, improve operations and boost team morale. It can also help budgets go that much further.

New rewards for 2018 include:

  • Beepol Hive and Villa
  • 3M Peltor WS Protac XP Headset
  • iPad Pro 12.9” 64BG
  • MacBook Air 13.3” 128GB
  • £150 Machine Mart voucher

An updated and improved Turf Rewards website is now live, the site has a similar feel to the previous version but has some impressive new features such as product trackers and promotion trackers, designed to help end users maximise the number of Turf Rewards points that can be collected. Extra points for promotions will now be automatically be added to user’s points totals.

ICL and Syngenta have also announced that a new Turf Rewards App will be available to download shortly from both the App Store and Google Play.

The all new app will feature the same tracking bars as the website. To improve efficiency and speed up the claim process Turf Rewards users can now upload their invoices as proof of purchase (blanking out any information not relevant to the claim, including prices and other products not relevant to Turf Rewards). The app will make the verification process very easy and the current points total will be available at a touch of a button.

If you would to find out more about Turf Rewards visit www.turfrewards.com or contact the Turf Rewards team directly by emailing info@turfrewards.com

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Industry Award Brings Big Benefits

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Industry Award Brings Big Benefits : The Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award, which is now in its 29th year, is recognised and respected across the greenkeeping industry for discovering the most promising talent in the country, thanks to the support of the profession’s college lecturers.

Here we speak to John Millen, sportsturf tutor at Plumpton College, someone who has witnessed firsthand the benefits of a student being nominated and winning the acclaimed award:

Industry Award Brings Big Benefits

“I have nominated a student most years I have been a lecturer and that’s more years than I care to remember! There are plenty of good reasons for this. To start with the award generates career interest and that’s something I wholeheartedly support. I think more needs to be done to push greenkeeping as a viable career option and this is one way to do that.

“It’s also a positive way to promote the college. It’s important for students coming into college to see the success and recognition of their course peers and be confident that their college is going to support them too, in any way it can. I believe being consistently attributed to such an award as a nominator will attract more people to the course and college.”

This year was the first year that the award had opened up nominations to employers, and having been a course manager himself for many years, this is a development John welcomed.

“I think of this industry as one big family; we all play a part in supporting the next generation, nurturing them and helping them achieve their goals. As such I don’t think it makes a difference who nominates the student, it’s just important that we all keep spotting the talent and not assuming someone else will.”

In fact, this year’s winner, Nick Machin, was nominated by his employer, the course manager at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, a decision supported by John as Nick’s lecturer at Plumpton College. David Cole, managing director of the award sponsor Reesink Turfcare, reiterates: “This year’s winner Nick didn’t just prevail through his own efforts, but through the support of his employer and educators. Nick has benefitted from the excellent support of his employer and we are pleased to recognise Plumpton’s important influence on his career to date. It’s a successful combination.”

Not only has John been a lecturer and a course manager, but he was also chairman of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) in 1994, so it goes without saying that anything developing the profession of greenkeeping is a good thing in his eyes. “Education and training are paramount in any industry, no matter whether you are fresh out of college or, like me, decades into your career,” he says.

With the paid-for prize of a scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, which consistently ranks in the top 100 of The World’s Most Innovative Universities, for the winner and a trip to the Golf Industry Show in America for the student and nominator, there’s huge benefits at stake here, as John confirms:

“Having been to the show as a result of one of my nominations, I can vouch that it’s an incredible show; the learning experiences, whether you are a lecturer or employer, are fantastic and well worth the application form!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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