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.

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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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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Greentech Goes For GKB

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Greentech Goes For GKB: Greentech Sportsturf is one of Scotland’s leading sports turf contractors and specialists in design, construction , renovation and maintenance of sports surfaces. There’s an impressive list of fields of play the company has worked on, including Gleneagles, Hampden Park and Oriam sports performance centre. It follows then there is a need for quality equipment which is right for the job when you’re maintaining sports turf, both natural and synthetic, across Scotland and handling projects throughout the UK and Ireland. Greentech invested in two GKB machines, the Quick Clean and Rotobrush after seeing them at the Saltex exhibition and following demonstrations set up by Tom Shinkins, Operations Manager at GKB.

“We looked at the whole market in synthetic turf cleaners and renovators but in the end it wasn’t hard to choose. The GKB machines are far and away a quality build and do the job they’re designed to do better than the others we tested.” Says Greentech’s Synthetic Turf Manager, Ewan Peddie. Due to the weather conditions Greentech had to wait until early May before being able to start treating synthetic surfaces and the machines have endured a punishing schedule in the catch-up.

Greentech Goes For GKB

The GKB Quick Clean has been noted for its powerful in-depth cleaning of all types of synthetic turf pitches Greentech have been working on. It’s easily hitched and the synthetic turf brush casts infill material and contamination onto a vibrating screen. Coarse dirt is removed to a collection container while dust and other lightweight dirt is absorbed by a suction unit with a dust bag. The result is a quality finish after cleaning at high speed with a reliable machine that is fully height adjustable.

Brushing the edges of synthetic turf pitches is important and generally it’s where the most persistant contamination will be found in the form of moss and algae settlement. Greentech put their GKB Rotobrush to work with good effect from the extra rigid bristles and report a deeper, more effective brush in areas where normal brushing and cleaning are not sufficient. They found the Rotobrush ideal for working with and restoring the technical characteristics of the synthetic surfaces they were cleaning, while removing the contamination.

“We’re constantly moving around covering maintenance on synthetic sports surfaces of a wide variety, from Local Authorities, to schools and main sports venues,” says Ewan, “and the GKB machines are ideal, especially for the speed at which we need to work.”

For more information, visit: www.gkbmachines.com

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Football Club Bemoans Vandalism

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Football Club Bemoans Vandalism: Damage to football pitches at Awamoa Park in Oamaru is something the young players who use the fields should not have to contend with, Awamoa Football Club president Twyla Kingan says.

Speaking to the Otago Daily Times yesterday she confirmed at least one vehicle entered the park on Friday night, at the intersection of Awamoa Rd and State Highway 1, and did several burnouts on and around one of the park’s several playing surfaces.

The damage to the home of the Awamoa Football Club’s junior players, which resulted in large chunks of grass and earth being gouged out of the ground, was met with dismay by Mrs Kingan who said it was not the first time the park had been targeted by vandals.

”It’s disappointing … you look around on Saturday morning at the park and you see a good hundred kids out there enjoying playing with their friends. It’s unfortunate they get hampered by the damage.

”The most damage was just off the pitch and some in the middle of the pitch … you don’t want to see kids tripping up.”

While consideration was given to moving some games to the Oamaru Showgrounds, where Meadowbank United is based, all fixtures went ahead as planned after minor groundkeeping work.

Earlier this week, the club discussed, with the Waitaki District Council, the possibility of installing wooden bollards and chains to keep vehicles out of the park, which Mrs Kingan hoped would deter vandals.

Sergeant Tony Woodbridge, of Oamaru, said cases of parks and reserves being intentionally damaged by vehicles happened ”once or twice a year” and police were investigating Friday night’s incident.

Police were reviewing CCTV footage and the offenders would be prosecuted if located, he said.

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