Tag Archive for: celebration

#GroundsWeek Returns for 2026: Join the Celebration

/in , , /by

#GroundsWeek Returns for 2026: Join the Celebration: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) has announced the return of its annual awareness campaign, #GroundsWeek, taking place from 23-29 March 2026.

Following a hugely successful campaign in 2025, which reached more than 20 million people worldwide, including audiences in Australia, #GroundsWeek is once again set to shine a spotlight on the professionals and volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the UK’s playing surfaces and green spaces thriving.

#GroundsWeek Returns for 2026: Join the Celebration

#GroundsWeek Returns for 2026: Join the Celebration

Last year’s campaign received widespread support from major sporting organisations including England Football, The All-England Lawn Tennis Club, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Wembley Stadium and England Rugby, helping to amplify the vital role of grounds staff across all sports and community environments.

CHAMPIONING A SKILLED AND ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY

#GroundsWeek is a nationwide celebration of the expertise that go in to creating and maintaining high-quality playing surfaces. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the grounds management industry and encourage a deeper appreciation for the work involved.

The GMA is encouraging everyone connected to the industry – clubs, organisations, professional grounds teams, volunteers and anyone working in grounds care – to take part throughout the week.

DOWNLOAD YOUR GROUNDSWEEK ENGAGEMENT PACK NOW!

To make it easier than ever to get involved the GMA has launched a dedicated #GroundsWeek Engagement Pack, offering a suite of downloadable resources to make involvement simple and accessible. The pack includes social media graphics, editable templates and tools to help individuals and organisations celebrate.

“Grounds teams are essential but too often unnoticed,” said Geoff Webb, CEO of the Grounds Management Association. “#GroundsWeek is our opportunity to change that narrative and celebrate the people who make sport and outdoor spaces possible.

“The incredible reach of last year’s campaign showed the strength of our community when we stand together. In 2026, we’re determined to build on that momentum and shine an even brighter light on the people whose work benefits millions every single day.”

INDUSTRY SUPPORT

#GroundsWeek is proudly backed by GMA Platinum Corporate Supporters Kubota (UK), Howardson Group, ICL Group, MJ Abbott, Premier Pitches, GKB Machines, ISEKI UK & Ireland and Cramer, alongside GMA Gold Corporate Supporters Rada UK, Aquatrols Europe, Redexim, RT Machinery, SGL and Husqvarna UK.

For more information and to download the Engagement Pack, visit thegma.org.uk/groundsweek.

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

Sarah Stirk to lead line-up for BIGGA Celebration

/in , , , /by

Sarah Stirk to lead line-up for BIGGA Celebration: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) is thrilled to announce that renowned TV presenter and journalist Sarah Stirk will host the BIGGA Celebration, held on the opening evening of the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) in January.

Best known for her work with Sky Sports, where she has been a leading voice in golf coverage since 2012, Sarah will guide the evening’s festivities. The BIGGA Celebration highlights the incredible achievements of BIGGA members over the previous year, including the unveiling of the prestigious BIGGA Awards winners.

Sarah Stirk to lead line-up for BIGGA Celebration

Sarah Stirk to lead line-up for BIGGA Celebration

With a career spanning roles at Sky Sports, the BBC, Setanta and Sky News, Sarah has covered DP World Tour and PGA Tour events and interviewed some of the biggest names in golf. A 7-handicap golfer herself, Sarah also champions women in leadership roles within golf, having launched the Women’s Leadership Summit supported by The R&A.

Sarah said: “I’m delighted to be presenting the BIGGA Celebration at BTME in January. It’s an honour to celebrate the incredible work of BIGGA members and I look forward to a fantastic evening in Harrogate.”

Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO, said: “Sarah’s experience and passion for the game make her the perfect host for this landmark event. We’re excited to welcome her to BTME and encourage all attendees to join us for an unforgettable evening in Harrogate’s historic Royal Hall.”

BTME is one of the golf industry’s most influential events and runs for three days at the Harrogate Convention Centre, offering unparalleled networking and educational opportunities. Both BTME and the BIGGA Celebration are free to attend, with registration available at www.btme.org.uk

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.

Headline sponsor revealed for BIGGA celebration

/in , /by

Headline sponsor revealed for BIGGA celebration: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) is delighted to reveal leading turf machinery manufacturer Jacobsen as headline sponsor of the BIGGA Celebration, taking place on the opening evening of the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME).

BIGGA’s free-to-attend welcome event is held in the Harrogate Convention Centre and is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of BIGGA members from throughout 2023. Hosted by a golfing celebrity, the BIGGA Celebration with Jacobsen is an opportunity to celebrate everything that’s great about the greenkeeping industry, which is key to growing a thriving sport for years to come.

Headline sponsor revealed for BIGGA celebration

Headline sponsor revealed for BIGGA celebration

BTME is the premier turf management exhibition in Europe and provides BIGGA members and the wider sports turf industry with an unmissable mix of exhibition, Continue to Learn education, conferences and legendary networking opportunities.

At the BIGGA Celebration, the association will reveal the winners of the BIGGA Awards 2024 as well as recognising the latest life members, Master Greenkeepers, the FTMI Class of 2023, BIGGA Photography Competition winner and others.

Jacobsen is the UK-based division of Textron Specialized Vehicles, a leading global manufacturer of machinery including golf cars, utility and personal transportation and professional turfcare equipment. Its vehicles are found in environments ranging from golf courses to factories, airports and theme parks.

BIGGA’s Head of Business Development, Lauren Frazer, said: “I am incredibly proud to welcome Jacobsen as headline sponsors of the BIGGA Celebration. BIGGA members do extraordinary things every day of their working lives and this event is an opportunity for the association to celebrate their achievements. The BIGGA Celebration is a wonderful event that is growing in popularity each year and I’m thankful to Jacobsen for their incredible support.”

Jacobsen’s International Marketing Manager Adam Underwood said: “The significance of BIGGA’s role within the greenkeeping industry and their vision of elevating the recognition of association members for their exceptional contributions as custodians of the game of golf, align seamlessly with our core values at Jacobsen Fine Turf Mowers. We take great pride in our longstanding sponsorship of the Future Turf Manager’s Initiative and we eagerly anticipate extending our support to the industry by sponsoring the BIGGA Celebration at BTME in Harrogate.”

For more information, visit the BTME website.

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.

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

/in , /by

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore: Canmore Golf Club is celebrating 125 years with delivery of the industry’s first and only fairway hybrid mower, the Reelmaster 5010-H from Toro.

It’s quite the achievement to reach your quasquicentennial milestone and Canmore Golf Club in Dunfermline, Fife decided to combine that with also making it the year they chose distributor Reesink Scotland to help address several problems it was experiencing, all of which were solved thanks to this brand-new budding relationship and one of Toro’s most revolutionary inventions: the Reelmaster 5010-H.

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

Golf course manager Graeme Holland, who has been overseeing operations at the club for over 30 years, explains the decision-making process: “It was time to make some changes. We needed to reduce fuel consumption and noise pollution and just felt the time was right to go the hybrid route for environmental reasons, and we needed a dealer we could rely on.”

Recognised as the industry’s first and only fairway mower with a true hybrid drive system, the Reelmaster 5010-H represents an absolute breakthrough in technology and is a big highlight in the turfcare machinery journey towards electric power. And now two are part of Canmore’s arsenal.

Graeme continues: “The reliability is there with Toro. They test the machines a lot more than the competition so they’re a lot more user-friendly and easier to work with. They have similar controls as the greens machines and that means we can swap machines with no issues. Sometimes we don’t even need to call in a mechanic because we can work out the problem ourselves as they’re so intuitive.

“The price of fuel is horrendous right now so any savings we could make and redistribute to other parts of the golf course were most welcome. We’re saving around 20 percent on fuel now and that works out to be quite a substantial figure on the total cost of ownership.

“Three quarters of the course is surrounded by houses, so noise was an issue when we started work in the mornings. Now we carry on with our routine as normal but with less disturbance. Pollution-wise, they’re a lot cleaner than diesel and of course there’s no risk of hydraulic oil spills.”

Graeme further comments on the performance of the Reelmaster and how he had some reservations at the start:

“We have a lot of slopes to cut so we needed a fairway machine that had four-wheel drive and enough power to get the job done,” he explains. “I was a bit sceptical as the 5010-H only has a 25hp engine but with the batteries also producing power, it’s more than enough and we can safely work in any conditions on the course. We’re getting a very consistent cut throughout and thus there’s a much better level of play on the fairways.”

The decision to change dealers came into play as the service the club was receiving from its previous dealer was not up to par with Graeme’s standards. He comments: “The overall experience is better with Toro and Reesink. The service department at Reesink Scotland, from the reps to the mechanics, is brilliant. Their back-up and knowledge of the machinery is fantastic – they know everything there is to know. Their service van holds maybe fifty common parts that we would use, so all it takes is a quick call and they’ll have whatever it is we need ready the next day.

“We’re always extremely busy as we’re a small club with just about one of every machine. So, if one goes down, we need that quick turn-around to allow us to keep things always moving. Reesink fits the bill for that, and we couldn’t be happier we made the switch especially in such a key year in our history.”

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

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.

Emotional BTME celebration

/in , /by

Emotional BTME celebration: A turf educator known as the ‘grandfather of greenkeeper education’ and credited with helping establish training opportunities for those working on golf courses was recognised on the opening evening of the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME).

At the BIGGA Welcome Celebration with AMS Robotics, Dennis Mortram, 75, was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award sponsored by Bernhard and Company. Dennis is a former tutor at Reaseheath College in Cheshire and was one of the first to recognise that greenkeepers would require industry-specific education if they were to elevate the profession and raise standards of golf course maintenance. He also played a key role in the establishment of the Master Greenkeeper certification.

Emotional BTME celebration

Emotional BTME celebration

A tribute video is available to view here.

BTME is the UK’s leading exhibition for those in the golf greenkeeping and sports turf industries and is taking place in March for the first time in the trade show’s 33-year history. The traditional curtain-raiser of the exhibition is the BIGGA Welcome Celebration sponsored by AMS Robotics and hosted by television presenter Naga Munchetty.

At the event a number of other awards were handed out to BIGGA members who have done extraordinary things throughout their careers or shown wonderful commitment to supporting the association and its members.

The team at Loch Lomond Golf Club was awarded the Greenkeeping Project of the Year Award sponsored by Baroness. With almost 2 metres of rainfall each year, Loch Lomond is a challenging place to build a golf course. David Cole MG and his team have overseen a project that has been described as the largest golf course construction in UK golfing history. Using innovative techniques that included placing a sand cap across the entire course, the team rebuilt the entire golf course over a period of four winters. More information is available here.

The Championship Greenkeeping Performance of the Year Award sponsored by Origin Amenity Solutions was won by the team at Clevedon Golf Club following the hosting the Wright-Morgan Championship on the EuroPro Tour in 2021. The event was only Clevedon’s third professional event in its 130-year history but despite their relative inexperience and a modest operating budget, Course Manager Richard Ponsford and the team produced a golf course that was described by the EuroPro’s tournament director as by far the best presented venue of the year. More information is available here.

Also recognised at the BIGGA Welcome Celebration sponsored by AMS Robotics were:

  • The winners of the Excellence in Communications Awards with Campey Turfcare Systems were revealed to be John Rowbottom of Woolley Park Golf Club (New Media), John Milne of Garmouth & Kingston Golf Club (Outreach) and Shaun Cunningham of Prestonfield Golf Club (Innovation and Thought Leadership).
  • Stuart Taylor, formerly course manager at Glasgow Golf Club, received Life Membership of BIGGA.
  • The Amenity Forum Sprayer Operator of the Year Award was given to Jason Garlick of JMG Amenity.
  • BIGGA’s latest Master Greenkeepers received their certificates. They were Matthew Aplin, Alan FitzGerald, Greg Fitzmaurice, Richard Johnstone and Paul Brett.
  • The audience watched a conversation with Bryn Roberts, deputy head greenkeeper at Padeswood & Buckley, who recently returned from delivering aid to the Ukrainian border.
  • Jonathan Wood of St Andrews Links and winner of the 2021 BIGGA Photographic Competition collected his prizes including a frame print of his winning image.

Dennis Mortram said: “I’m emotionally drained. What we did back then was as a team and I have so many people to thank, who are as deserving as me to be up on this stage. Thank you to everyone for this honour, it is amazing.”

David Cole MG, course manager at Loch Lomond Golf Club, said: “I must admit that I feel like the four years of the project have taken their toll on me so I got quite emotional when Naga announced us as the winners. I’m so proud of the team and I really wanted them to get recognition for what they achieved. I will be indebted to my team until the day I die because they were there 12 hours a day, seven days a week for four years in a row.”

Richard Ponsford, course manager at Clevedon Golf Club, said: “I couldn’t believe it. Ganton and West Lancs are amazing venues and I thought we were just there to make the numbers up. From the team that I have every day at Clevedon to the volunteers, we couldn’t have done it without any of them. For the players to say that the course is up there with the best is something special.”

BTME 2022 continues until Thursday 24 March 2022 at the Harrogate Convention Centre. Registration is free and available at www.btme.org.uk

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.