Master Greenkeeper dedicates success to memory of his mother

Master Greenkeeper dedicates success to memory of his mother: The latest member of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) to attain Master Greenkeeper status has dedicated his success to the memory of his mother, who passed away just weeks before he achieved the certification.

David Perdisatt, course manager at Mullingar Golf Club in Ireland, said his mother, Marion, was a “massive supporter” of his career, making it bittersweet that he wasn’t able to tell her when he discovered he had achieved the highest accolade available to BIGGA members.

Master Greenkeeper dedicates success to memory of his mother

Master Greenkeeper dedicates success to memory of his mother

David, 41, said: “Becoming a Master Greenkeeper is a massive milestone in my career and the first person I would have told would have been my mother. She has been so supportive in my career but she passed away last month very unexpectedly, so it was a bittersweet moment.”

David has become just the second Master Greenkeeper based in Ireland and is the 88th to achieve the certification since 1991. The Master Greenkeeper Certificate is awarded to those members of BIGGA who have reached the highest standards of greenkeeping and golf course management.

An R&A Scholar, David has previously worked at Beechpark and Naas golf clubs and in 2016 was a finalist in the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards. He was also the first Irish greenkeeper to participate in the John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme.

Married to Fiona and a father of three, throughout his career David has gained plenty of tournament experience, having volunteered at the Singapore, Dutch and Irish Opens.

David said: “Opportunities to progress never present themselves, you have to go after them yourself and Master Greenkeeper is a process that validates everything you have done in your career. It’s a tough process but in any industry, if you are recognised as a master of your trade, that’s something to aspire to. I have lots of hopes and ambitions for the future and I think being a Master Greenkeeper might be pivotal for my career in the years to come.

“I want to thank BIGGA for everything they’ve done for my career. I lean on them, particularly through the education side. I’m always accessing the website and the resources on there and I just want to say a massive thank you for the opportunity to help progress my career with the Master Greenkeeper certificate.”

David will be presented with his Master Greenkeeper certification at the BIGGA Welcome Celebration, taking place on the opening evening of the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition in January 2023. Registration for the event is free and for more information head to www.btme.org.uk

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New Partnership for Soil Health Products

New Partnership for Soil Health Products: Two companies; one offering over 100 years of established reputation and experience, the other, a newer concern, bringing innovation and the latest ideas, are coming together to provide easy access to a range of complimentary products for turf health, root growth and enabling total soil moisture control, throughout Europe.

Consolidate Turf has a combined experience of over 100 years in the Amenity sector. It provides a perfect blend of first-hand practical experience with a vast knowledge in plant physiology. Products are manufactured at a new state of the art premises along with a 10,000sq ft warehouse that has enabled the company to expand and meet all client’s present turf needs and those in the future.

New Partnership for Soil Health Products

New Partnership for Soil Health Products

Aqua Aid Europe is a young company that has established itself worldwide in the professional sports turf and horticulture industry. In just a brief time it has built a reputation for providing industry leading products for soil health which are now used at many of Europe’s leading sports venues.

By establishing a partnership of mutual co-operation, Aqua-Aid Europe is now the exclusive distributor for Growing Solutions for the whole of the EU Continent.

Hans de Kort, Managing Director of Aqua-Aid Europe describes the reasons behind the new partnership.

“Brexit created several challenges for European end users wishing to obtain certain products from the UK. Our objective is to remove the obstacles that have deterred customers from coming forward, by creating a full-service warehouse in Holland. From here we can ship across Europe within the partner network as well as direct to customers.”

The mix of Consolidate Turf nutrition products combined with Aqua Aid Surfactants and bio-stimulants has proven to be remarkably successful in areas such as football and golf. To facilitate the efficient and uninterrupted supply, Aqua Aid has begun the process of registering all products it handles to the new EU fertilizer regulation, including a CE labelling project to avoid separate registration in all EU countries. This guarantees a smooth process of delivery to all customers.

Paul Benson Managing Director of Consolidate Turf agrees with Hans “It has become increasingly important to have the right partners and network to find the ideal way to the market. Consolidate Turf has become an increasingly important partner for Aqua Aid in the UK. Therefore, by establishing this co-operation between our companies, we believe we have a devised a scenario where everyone in the UK and Europe benefits!”

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Pellenc stands out above the rest

Pellenc stands out above the rest: Tony Chalkley, General Manager of D. Horne Services, has explained why he chose Pellenc above other brands of battery-powered equipment.

“For anyone that is considering changing to electric equipment I would certainly recommend Pellenc,” said Tony. “The products have been 100% in every single way.”

  1. Horne Services, based in Girvan on the Ayrshire coast, offers a comprehensive range of external grounds maintenance and management services to a diverse client base which includes sports facilities, housing associations, educational establishments, and the corporate and private sector.
Pellenc stands out above the rest

Pellenc stands out above the rest

As the company continues to grow in both stature and reputation, Tony believes that it is essential to keep looking to the future and that is where battery-powered technology comes in.

“Over the past six months we’ve been looking for alternatives to our machinery which was using fossil fuels,” said Tony. “It is important to us as a company to be able to promote zero emissions, and there are so many other benefits to using electric equipment.

“We contacted our local Pellenc dealer, which is Agrovista Amenity, and they very kindly setup a demo. We then went away and researched other battery-powered products on the market, but we were so impressed by the demonstration that we felt the Pellenc equipment would be best for us.”

Over recent years, Pellenc has gained market recognition by offering a unique range of ‘zero emission’ battery-powered tools, thanks to the development of Lithium-ion ultra-high-performance batteries.

The extensive Pellenc product range features an impressive portfolio – from chainsaws, pole saws and hedge cutters to grass strimmers, brushcutters, blowers and mowers and Tony claims that the benefits are huge.

“It is important when you are doing grounds maintenance that you look after the customer as best you can,” he said. “We work very close to offices and main buildings, and it is essential to be able to cut grass, strim, and maintain the areas as best we can without disturbing the client. The Pellenc equipment enables us to do this because it is so quiet.

“Another reason for moving over to the Pellenc equipment is because fuel prices are escalating and going through the roof. As a small company we needed to diversify and look for other opportunities to be able to do the job and do it more economically. The savings that we are making compared to fossil fuels, is a significant amount.”

Tony’s Pellenc fleet features Rasion mowers, Helion hedge-cutters, Excelion strimmers and Airion blowers – and he can’t imagine ever switching back to petrol-based machinery.

Pellenc stands out above the rest

Pellenc stands out above the rest

“These Pellenc tools easily go on for hours on end with a full battery life,” he said. “You don’t get the vibrations, they are lightweight and easy to use, and we’ve never had any issues whatsoever. The difference between this equipment and petrol-based machinery is night and day.”

Pellenc offers an industry leading four-year commercial warranty for all batteries and a three-year warranty for all tools.

Pellenc is distributed exclusively in the UK by Etesia UK.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.pellencuk.com

You can watch an interview with Tony by clicking – https://youtu.be/r7cwT8hhais

You can also follow Pellenc on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @PellencUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Delta Turf Care partners with Mow-Sure Training

Delta Turf Care partners with Mow-Sure Training: Delta Turf Care is pleased to announce that they have entered into a strategic partnership with Mow-Sure Training Ltd to provide Lantra Certified Training for their customers across the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

This Partnership is part of Delta’s strategy to promote learning and development of turf technicians and spray technicians in the regions as well as creating a training hub to help promote and create more opportunities for technicians to join the turf industry in the Middle East.

Delta Turf Care partners with Mow-Sure Training

Delta Turf Care partners with Mow-Sure Training

The Training courses provided to customers will consist of Grounds Care Machinery Maintenance or PA 1,2 & 6 Sprayer training depending on customer requirements. The training courses will be conducted on a quarterly basis with individual assessments per candidate prior to the next training course.

Four of Delta’s technicians had recently completed their Lantra Turfcare Machinery Certification as part of a yearlong training course which included quarterly assessments by a qualified assessor.

The technicians from Delta Turf Care, Delta Irrigation and Garden & Farm in Saudi Arabia completed their last training and assessment at the Delta Turf Care facilities in Dubai. This put’s Delta in a unique position with the only Lantra Turfcare Machinery certified technicians in the Middle East.

Marinus Koekemoer, Regional Manager of Delta Turf Care said: “We are excited to be working with Mow-Sure and Lantra to provide local training oppertunaties for technicans and spray technicians.  The partnership strengthens Delta Turf Care’s portfolio of high-quality turf care solutions, and further solidifies our position as a partner well placed to meet the needs of our customers. We are always looking to improve the services and products we can offer to our customers, and we believe this new partnership will significantly help to do that. We look forward to expanding the value-added training portfolio to the region.”

Ian Sumpter, Managing Director of Mow-Sure said: “Having worked with Garden & Farm, Delta’s sister company in Saudi Arabia for many years there is already a strong relationship. The partnership further strengthens this bond and ensures that Mow-sure and Lantra can deliver our training through the most reliable partners in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. I am look forward to supporting Delta Turf Care as they continue to invest in development of technicians and spray technicians in the Middle East.

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Turf Tank sales team expanded

Turf Tank sales team expanded: Sales of the Turf Tank One Robotic line-marker from Danish robotics company, Turf Tank, has been steadily increasing over the past 12 months, so much so that a new regional sales manager has been appointed for Scotland and Northern England.

Alan Donaldson, 48, married with children, is based between Glasgow and Edinburgh, perfectly situated to reach every part of his area with relative ease.

Turf Tank sales team expanded

Turf Tank sales team expanded

Although from a different sector of business, Alan has an industrial background with extensive sales experience, and will be looking to transfer some of that knowledge of working face to face with customers, finding solutions in a variety of different scenarios, to his new role out in the field. He has just completed an intensive first hands-on training period with UK Sales manager Matt Murray in Ireland, followed by technical training and an introduction to the rest of the company during a week at the Turf Tank headquarters in Denmark.

“I am delighted to be joining such a young and forward-thinking company.” Said Alan “It’s a breath of fresh air to be part of a company, which is open and honest and inclusive with what they are wanting to achieve. I feel I have come in at the perfect time. I see the momentum growing and I am delighted to be a part of this exciting project. Everyone I have met is obviously committed to the company and very enthusiastic about the future.

UK Regional Sales Manager for Turf Tank, Matt Murray is delighted to have Alan on-board. “Alan has a natural ability to work in sales” said Matt “This coupled with an extremely deep passion for sport, makes him the ideal candidate to join us.”

Alan’s addition to the team signals a positive shift towards further expansion as the company continues to develop their business infrastructure in the UK and Ireland to serve a wide range of customers from professional football clubs to grassroots sports clubs, plus educational establishments, local authorities, and contractors.

To learn more about the Turf Tank One or book a demo with Alan, please contact him here: alan@turftank.co.uk

For those based in the Midlands UK, please contact Matt Murray matt@turftank.co.uk or Alex Robinson alex@turftank.co.uk for southern UK.

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Makita’s garden redemption has launched

Makita’s garden redemption has launched: Leading power tool manufacturer Makita UK has launched its hugely popular winter cordless garden redemption promotion. With the purchase of selected products, end users can claim FREE LXT and XGT products, making this an attractive deal for those looking to start or expand their existing Makita cordless kit.

Makita’s latest garden machinery promotion gives end users the chance to claim ether a free 5.0Ah (BL1850B) 18V LXT Battery, or two free 5.0Ah BL1850B 18V LXT Batteries, or a free DMR110N DAB+ Job Site Radio with the purchase and registration of a wide selection of its leading LXT outdoor garden products – including cordless blowers, hedge trimmers, split shafts, chainsaws and more.

Makita's garden redemption has launched

Makita’s garden redemption has launched

Makita has also extended the promotion to offer a free 2.5Ah (BL4025) 40V XGT Battery to those who purchase selected XGT 40VMax outdoor equipment, including chainsaws, hedge trimmers, post-hole borer and even the latest 40VMax XGT Telescopic Pole Saw.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita UK said: “We are delighted to offer our valued customers a fantastic choice of free products this winter with our latest cordless garden product redemption. Claimants can purchase from a range of over 40 selected LXT products to receive 18V LXT batteries or a DAB+ radio, and 16 selected XGT products from our 40VMax XGT line up to receive the XGT battery.”

Makita’s latest redemption offer will run until 31st December 2022. Customers who have purchased any of the qualifying models from an authorised dealer between 01.10.22 and 31.12.22 should register their purchase online within 28 days of making their purchase to claim their free product. On successful application, customers will receive their free gift after 30 days.

For more information on the promotion and its terms and conditions, visit: www.makitauk.com/redemption.

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Sustainable Saints

Sustainable Saints: Southampton Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is the first club in the Premiership to invest in Toro’s all-electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 riding mower. It has purchased two, has plans to order two more – and according to head groundsman Graeme Mills – it won’t be long until other clubs follow suit.

Like more and more clubs in the Premiership, Southampton FC has an all-encompassing sustainability strategy. Called the Halo Effect, the thinking is that by making the right choices now, it paves the way for a better tomorrow – and one crucial aspect is clean energy.

Sustainable Saints

Sustainable Saints

And if there’s one thing the Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 brings to the equation, it’s clean energy, as Graeme, who has been at the club for almost 30 years, explains: “It was a big investment for Southampton FC to purchase the two Toro eTriflex mowers and I personally believe this shows our commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of the company. I think it will encourage other clubs to follow suit. When I was looking into the Toro eTriflex, there were a number of other clubs doing so too.

“Battery technology has advanced in recent years, sometimes people are put off by battery-operated equipment – what if it runs out half-way through the job? It’s not like you can just add more fuel to get it going again! I had concerns myself at first, but I have been extremely impressed with the battery outputs of the Toro – they are more than sufficient to cover our daily workload.”

But it wasn’t just ticking the box for clean energy from a reliable, high-performing energy source, Graeme had another problem on his hands – noise pollution. “With the old diesel machines, we were getting noise complaints when using them first thing in the morning, at weekends, or on bank holidays,” he explains. “The complaints were from local residents and coaching staff using the pitches close to where we were working. The Toro eTriflex mowers are very quiet when being operated and no noise means no complaints.”

Positive feedback from the team of 12 who are using the machines as the main cutting units for the nine pitches at the Staplewood training ground includes how the fitted rear roller brushes don’t seem to get any grass debris drop off the cutting units, even on damp wet mornings, and how there is easy access to all the grass boxes.

Graeme goes on to explain how he plans to bring further sustainable choices into his department: “As a department that uses grow lights, undersoil heating and irrigation systems, it can be hard to tick all the sustainability boxes but changing from diesel machines to electric/battery operated equipment is a way for us to reduce our carbon output.”

As a customer of Toro’s and distributor Reesink’s for a quarter of a century, the combination of the two is well-suited to aid Graeme in his journey to build a more sustainable fleet, with an extensive range of battery-powered equipment to choose from. And Graeme is clearly happy to continue buying clean: he has his eye on some battery-powered pedestrian equipment to join the other two e-TriFlex machines planned.

To talk to someone about Toro technology and how the Toro range could suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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Misty morning wins photo competition

Misty morning wins photo competition: A greenkeeper heading down the 2nd hole at Ipswich Golf Club on a misty morning has been revealed as the overall winner of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) Annual Photographic Competition 2022 sponsored by Syngenta.

Ipswich greenkeeper and BIGGA member Joe Simpson’s image was the unanimous choice among the competition judges and also received the most likes when put to a public vote across BIGGA’s social media accounts.

Misty morning wins photo competition

Misty morning wins photo competition

BIGGA’s annual photographic competition is a celebration of the wonderful golfing landscape and the role greenkeepers play in shaping it for golfers and the wider public to enjoy. Twelve images were selected in total for the annual BIGGA calendar, with golf courses represented including a nine-hole course on the north coast of Scotland through to next year’s Open Championship venue.

As overall competition winner, Joe has won an Insta360 Ultra HD action camera worth £429.99 and a framed print of his image, to be presented at BTME 2023, the greenkeeping community’s annual gathering in January.

Three category winners were also chosen, with Tom Wright of Clevedon Golf Club winning the Greenkeeping category, Craig Sinclair of Camberley Heath Golf Club winning the Wildlife category and Martyn Taylor of Wallasey Golf Club winning the Landscape category. Each of the category winners receive a £150 Love2Shop voucher.

Joe is now a two-time champion, having previously won the competition in 2020. He said: “I’m really surprised to have won as I thought the quality of all the photographs that got shortlisted was fantastic with some really strong contenders.

“I think it’s a fantastic competition and I love entering and try to encourage others to enter as well. Greenkeepers are really lucky because we’re up in the early hours and get to see some fantastic sights and this competition is an opportunity to share them.”

You can view all 12 images selected to form the BIGGA desktop calendar on the BIGGA website.

BIGGA’s Annual Photographic Competition sponsored by Syngenta will return next year, so greenkeepers are encouraged to get snapping now to be in with a chance of winning more great prizes.

Registration for BTME 2023 and the associated Continue to Learn education programme is open. The event takes place from 22 to 26 January 2023 and you can find out more by heading to the BTME website, www.btme.org.uk

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ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch: An ICL integrated turf management programme is helping Millwall Football Club’s new stadium pitch get off to the best possible start.

Steve Chalk has been at Millwall FC for nearly 12 years and in that time he has worked his way up to the position of Grounds Manager. Steve oversees all three of Millwall’s sites, and works alongside Stadium Head Groundsman Charlie Burrage, Steve explained the importance of having a new pitch installed.

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

“With most pitches now being hybrid, we felt we were falling behind,” he said. “We would be OK until late October / November time but then the majority of grass coverage would be gone during the winter period.”

Two years ago, a new hybrid pitch was installed and Steve saw this as an opportunity to explore and implement new products.

“We thought the time had come to bring everything under one umbrella and just use products from one supplier,” said Steve. “For us it was about making things as simple as possible and using one company seemed the best way forward. We decided that this company would be ICL and therefore we worked with Craig Lalley (ICL Technical Area Sales Manager) to devise a bespoke integrated turf management plan.”

Many turf managers have benefitted from an ICL ITM programme and Steve is no exception.

“With the new stadium pitch, we wanted a ITM programme that ticked all the right boxes. It helps us with moisture management and rooting, base feeds, and conventional fertilisers.

“All the products are proven and tested, and quite simply the programme makes our lives easier,” continued Steve. “It is peace of mind, and we know that we will have no problems with the products. I’m not saying products from other manufacturers are bad, but we just know that the ICL products have a proven track record. We use them and we know what we get from them.

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

ICL ITM programme kick-starts new pitch

“For us, we wanted someone with the knowledge and experience to advise us on a suitable programme – we get this from ICL. When we speak to Craig we know he is going to give us the best advice for our situation.

“Furthermore, it is nice for the Millwall Football Club board to see the great results and see the pitch in an excellent condition. They put their faith in us and back us with investment, and in turn they have been rewarded.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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Agrovista Amenity Sponsors BALI Award

Agrovista Amenity Sponsors BALI Award: Agrovista Amenity, a leading industry supplier of amenity, landscaping, and horticultural products, is proudly sponsoring the Grounds Maintenance – Limited Public Access category at the BALI National Landscape Awards.

Now in its 46th year, the BALI National Landscape Awards is the largest landscaping award ceremony in Europe. It provides the industry with a platform in which to showcase and improve their business and celebrate their achievements both within and outside of the industry.

Agrovista Amenity Sponsors BALI Award

Agrovista Amenity Sponsors BALI Award

Nurture Landscapes, specialists in grounds maintenance, winter gritting and interior and exterior plant display services, won the 2022 Grounds Maintenance – Limited Public Access category for its work at Winnersh Triangle Business Park in Reading – a thriving business community with wellbeing at its heart.

Winnersh Triangle has extensive biodiversity plans in place and works closely with Nurture Landscapes claiming that the landscaping team “go above and beyond to create areas on the park to encourage new wildlife to join the park community.”

Each area around the park attracts different habitats and species and a variety of bird boxes were installed in the autumn. The boxes are suitable for blue tits, great tits and cole tits too.

Agrovista Amenity is a key supplier to Nurture Landscapes and Ed Smith, Landscapes Team Manager was quick to congratulate the award winners.

“We’re delighted that Nurture Landscapes has won the award in this category. It is an exciting landscaping project and the Nurture team have worked hard to deliver exemplary standards at Winnersh Triangle.

“We are very proud to sponsor this award. Agrovista Amenity is passionate about helping to shape the future of the landscaping industry. We now look forward to celebrating this year’s National Award winners and being among the first to find out if Nurture Landscapes win a Principle Award.”

The 46th National Landscape Awards ceremony will once again be held at the iconic JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London on Friday 2 December 2022.

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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