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St Andrews milestone

May 13, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Yvonne Alexander

St Andrews milestone: One of the most prestigious golf courses in St Andrews is preparing to mark a significant milestone. The recognition surrounds a key member of staff at The Duke’s who has spent the last two decades providing a world-class experience at the only heathland course at the Home of Golf. It also accompanies […]

Boost your wellbeing

May 13, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Fay Clarkson

Boost your wellbeing: Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May), wildflower specialist Seedball is looking at how nature and wildlife can improve mental health and wellbeing. It has long been considered the case that gardening and tending to plants are effective ways to relieve stress and improve wellbeing, and this connection is […]

St Andrews milestone

May 13, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Yvonne Alexander

Boost your wellbeing

May 13, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Fay Clarkson

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

St Andrews milestone

May 13, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Yvonne Alexander

St Andrews milestone: One of the most prestigious golf courses in St Andrews is preparing to mark a significant milestone. The recognition surrounds a key member of staff at The Duke’s who has spent the last two decades providing a world-class experience at the only heathland course at the Home of Golf. It also accompanies a tranche of investments at the well-regarded venue.

A lot can happen in 20 years, as anyone visiting the five-star Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa will confirm. The Duke’s, for instance, has matured gracefully since opening 26 years ago, undergoing a detailed revamp in 2006 that included upgraded drainage and bunker changes alongside the unveiling of three stunning closing holes.

St Andrews milestone

Overseeing that evolution has been Ayden Roberts-Jones, who started at the resort as senior PGA assistant in 2002. Now manager of The Duke’s, he has been integral to the continued development of the golf operations and more recently supervising the introduction of a new fleet of buggies.

“The Duke’s was my introduction to Scottish heathland golf and I was captivated by it,” he said, recalling his debut at the resort. “We went through a lot of changes during those early days which were dramatic but certainly enhanced the course and its playability. We’ve now engaged in a programme of improvements that will take The Duke’s, once again, to another level in terms of delivering a world-class golfing experience.”

Roberts-Jones confirmed the completion of a detailed winter maintenance schedule by The Duke’s greenkeeping team, whose numbers have increased by 50% in less than a year. The programme of works, he explained, also included changes to the stunning par 4 10th. This, along with a new portfolio of photography, means the carefully maintained course, which is also part of the prestigious collection of Kohler championship courses, is set for a summer to remember.

“As well as completing an extensive winter programme of upgrades, the greenkeeping team has also finished tweaking the right-hand side of the fairway of #10 creating a new landing area which provides different options off the tee. It’s exciting – we’re pushing forward with our service delivery and marketing initiatives which include new imagery of the course. It highlights the ambition of the team at The Duke’s to deliver the most manicured golf experience in St Andrews.”

He continued: “The expansion of the greenkeeping team means the consistency and playability of the course has gone up a notch. It means we can maintain each hole more frequently and provide the attention to detail that our guests expect from a five-star resort.”

In the latest round of golf course ratings, The Duke’s has been ranked #15 in Golf World’s Top 100 Best Golf Resorts in Great Britain and Ireland (May 2021). Also, at the annual Scottish Golf Tourism Awards, the team at the Old Course Hotel were winners of the Best Large Hotel category.

The Duke’s will play a central role in the recently announced Old Course Hotel Pro Am which will bring together championship courses at The Home of Golf in an exciting format for both amateurs and professionals. The inaugural Old Course Hotel Pro Am will take place between 21-23 September 2022.

“The changes we’ve brought in recently are part of a much wider plan to deliver continued improvements across all departments at The Duke’s,” said Roberts-Jones. “Being part of a team with such a dedicated approach to securing enhanced service levels year on year makes me extremely proud.”

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Boost your wellbeing

May 13, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Fay Clarkson

Boost your wellbeing: Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May), wildflower specialist Seedball is looking at how nature and wildlife can improve mental health and wellbeing.

It has long been considered the case that gardening and tending to plants are effective ways to relieve stress and improve wellbeing, and this connection is increasingly being recognised by science. In fact, Sky News reported people who garden daily have wellbeing scores 6.6% higher and stress levels 4.2% lower than those who do not garden at all. Quite simply, a connection to nature has proven benefits for mental health, and this can be enjoyed even without a garden – the simple act of growing something from seed can increase this feeling of connecting with the natural world.

Boost your wellbeing

Seedball makes it easy to grow wildflowers from seed, no matter how much space is available, or how much experience a person has of gardening. The company believes that the benefits of growing should be available to everyone, so has developed a range of products to make it accessible to all.

Each seed ball acts as a mini ecosystem so the seeds can germinate and grow with very little help. Every ball has between 30 to 100 seeds depending on the variety, and contains clay to protect it from birds, ants and other predators. Peat-free compost is also added to provide nutrition and a small amount of chilli powder is used to deter slugs and snails from eating the young shoots. There are a wide variety of seedballs available, and they can all be thrown onto soil or compost in a garden bed, pot or planter during the Spring or Autumn.

Here are some of the ways the easy ways Seedball can help you encourage wildflowers, wildlife and nature into your life:

Wildflower Tins

RRP: £6.00

Seedball has a variety of compact tins , which are bursting full of 20 balls ready to be grown, the perfect amount for a small flower bed. They are also a great choice for those living in urban environments, with limited outdoor space as the seeds can be sprinkled into three – five medium sized pots to create a wildlife haven on a balcony or terrace. Each seed ball contains approximately 30 seeds with a variety of wildflowers included. Wildflower tins have multiple varieties including the Bee Mix, Urban Meadow and Butterfly Mix, all that wildlife will just love!

RRP: £8.00 – £12.00

For those looking to create a wider patch of wildflowers, Seedball has a variety of Grab Bags. For generously sized gardens and outdoor spaces, the larger Grab Bags, each containing 100 seed balls are perfect, making it easy for anyone to create a larger wildflower patch or multiple smaller areas within an area. These bags are available in different varieties, such as the Bee Mix, Foragers Mix and Annuals Mix, each including a variety of wildflowers, which make growing a beautiful field of colour simple and uncomplicated.

For further flexibility, Seedball also has a range of Single Flower Grab Bags, each containing 50 seed balls of a single flower, allowing people to design their garden, balcony, patio or terrace, whether it be a plant pot bursting with blissful bluebells, or a garden bed filled with the hugely popular poppies. With over 20 varieties to choose from, there is something for everyone, with wildflowers including buttercups, red clover, chamomile and yarrow.

Meadow Pots

RRP: £20.00

The Mini Meadow pots are the all in one gift set for anyone who loves gardening or new plant growers as they provide a simple and easy way to create a wildlife haven. Everything needed comes supplied in the 100% recyclable box, including the 12 seed wildflower balls, along with a set of three biodegradable and compostable bamboo pots and saucers and peat-free coir discs. All you need to do is add water, and you are ready to watch the flowers grow! The pots are best positioned outdoors, on a windowsill, and can be set up at any time of the year. There are three varieties available, the Bee Mix, Butterfly Mix and Garden Meadow, all with a different combination of seeds.

Find out more about how Seedball is helping encourage wellness and wellbeing at https://seedball.co.uk/about/.

You can also find Seedball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

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St Andrews milestone

Boost your wellbeing

St Andrews milestone

Boost your wellbeing

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

St Andrews milestone

Boost your wellbeing

Boost your wellbeing: Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May), wildflower specialist Seedball is looking at how nature and wildlife can improve mental health and wellbeing.

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