Tag Archive for: Competition

Joe Simpson wins BIGGA photography competition

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Joe Simpson wins BIGGA photography competition: An ethereal image of life at Ipswich Golf Club has seen talented amateur photographer and greenkeeper Joe Simpson announced as the winner of the annual BIGGA Photographic Competition for the third time.

Joe’s image was chosen by the judging panel as the overall winner with the results of social media voting also taken into account. The stunning shot shows greenkeeper Pete Dunnett mowing the 5th fairway of the Purdis Heath Course as the autumn sun breaks through the morning fog.

Joe Simpson wins BIGGA photography competition

Joe Simpson wins BIGGA photography competition

Joe, who took up photography 10 years ago and also won the competition in 2020 and 2022, said: “I honestly can’t believe that I’ve won the competition three times. The standard of the photo entries grow year-on-year, so it’s become incredibly competitive, which makes winning for a third time even more special.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt when it comes to photography is that you don’t always need the perfect weather conditions to get your best shot. For this reason, I take photos throughout all four seasons at various times of the day, so I have a diverse selection to choose from for the competition.”

Sponsored by Syngenta, 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 have been selected for the annual BIGGA calendar and winners also chosen in the categories of Greenkeeping, Landscape and Wildlife.

  • Landscape: Kevin Irving, greenkeeper, Carlisle Golf Club
  • Greenkeeping: David Ball, greenkeeper, Thetford Golf Club
  • Wildlife: Craig Sinclair, greenkeeper, Camberley Heath Golf Club

You can view all 12 images selected to form the BIGGA Calendar 2025 on the BIGGA website.

As overall competition winner, Joe has won a DJI Mini 2 SE Drone and a framed print of his image, to be presented at the BIGGA Celebration on the opening evening of the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition in January 2025.

Each of the category winners receives a £150 Love2Shop voucher.

Karl Hansell, BIGGA Head of Communications and Content, said: “As the days darken and the year draws to a close, our annual photographic competition is a stunning reminder of the beautiful environment that greenkeepers are privileged to work in every day. Joe Simpson is an exceptional photographer and his winning image sparks the imagination with its rays of sunlight coming down from the heavens onto a greenkeeper who is hard at work, preparing the course for another morning’s play.

“Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who voted on social media. Thanks also to our valued sponsors at Syngenta.”

Sarah Hughes, Syngenta Business Manager, said: “The BIGGA Photographic Competition entries have once again captured the incredible hard work that greenkeeping teams put into producing immaculate playing conditions, as well as the amazing biodiversity and wildlife that thrives around well-managed golf course environments.

“It’s rewarding to see the amazing pictures published in the calendar, along with associated seasonal tips and agronomy advice. Congratulations to all who entered and the category winners.”

BIGGA’s Annual Photographic Competition will return next year and the competition is already open for entries. Head to the BIGGA website to find out more and get involved.

Registration for BTME 2025 including the Continue to Learn education programme is open. The event takes place from 19 to 23 January 2025 and you can find out more by heading to the BTME website, www.btme.org.uk

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Midwinter Norfolk morning wins photo competition

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Midwinter Norfolk morning wins photo competition: A drone image showing the beautiful but harsh conditions faced by greenkeepers throughout winter has been revealed as the overall winner of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) Annual Photographic Competition 2023 sponsored by Syngenta.

Thetford first assistant greenkeeper and BIGGA member David Ball’s image was chosen by competition judges as the overall winner, with the selection committee also taking into account the results of a public vote, held across BIGGA’s social media accounts.

Midwinter Norfolk morning wins photo competition

Midwinter Norfolk morning wins photo competition

The image was taken by drone in January 2023 over Thetford’s 5th hole at around 7.30am. It shows sunlight breaking through the clouds as a layer of mist rolls into shot. The fairways and surrounding trees are crisp with a layer of frost.

David said: “We greenkeepers are privileged to experience these times of day that most people don’t get to see during their working hours. I was just lucky and in the right place at the right time on this beautiful morning. It is such an honour to win this award, so thank you to BIGGA and Syngenta.”

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 winners also chosen in the separate categories of Greenkeeping, Landscape and Wildlife.

  • Landscape: Alistair Morrison, head greenkeeper, Durness Golf Club
  • Greenkeeping: Peter Meek, greenkeeper, Bath Golf Club
  • Wildlife: Elliot Walters, greenkeeper, Robin Hood Golf Club

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

A downloadable version of the calendar for use on your desktop background is available here.

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton said: “BIGGA members work in some spectacular environments and each year the judges struggle to separate the entries, such is the quality of submissions. It’s always fascinating to see how the public votes when we post the finalists on our social media channels.

“David Ball’s entry stood out to us as it showcases the beautiful golf course at Thetford at a time that golfers will rarely see it – deep in the depths of winter – yet there are greenkeepers present, putting in the hard work that makes golf possible when warmer weather returns.

“Congratulations to all the winners and thank you once again to our valued sponsors at Syngenta.”

As overall competition winner, David has won a DJI Mini 2 SE Drone and a framed print of his image to be presented at BTME 2024, the greenkeeping community’s annual gathering in January.

Each of the category winners receive a £150 Love2Shop voucher.

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 2024 and the associated Continue to Learn education programme is open. The event takes place from 21 to 25 January 2024 and you can find out more by heading to the BTME website, www.btme.org.uk

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Winner of DLF BTME competition

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Winner of DLF BTME competition: Rhys Butler, Links Manager at Royal St. Davids Golf Club in Wales has been announced as the winner of the DLF Sustainability Seed competition held at BTME 2023. Regional Technical Manager Stuart Yarwood MG recently visited Rhys to present the prize of a Greenstester – the perfect tool for monitoring speed, trueness and greens performance.

The winner was randomly selected from those that entered across the three-day event, with Rhys the recipient of a Greenstester – a simple monitoring tool supported by the R&A. When used on a regular basis, the Greenstester can provide a bank of meaningful data relating to putting performance, yielding information on firmness and speed that can be tracked and monitored over time.

Winner of DLF BTME competition

Winner of DLF BTME competition

On receipt of his prize Rhys commented, “BTME this year was a really informative and enjoyable experience and to win this competition is just the icing on the cake. On top of the Greenstester which will be used by my team to track greens performance, it was great to catch up with Stuart and talk all things links turf on his visit.”

Together with testing visitors on some of the new cultivars and changes to mixture formulations across the Johnsons Sports Seed and MM Seed ranges, the questionnaire was also designed to find out the most pressing topics currently experienced in the industry, which will be used to shape future research and education programmes available from DLF.

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Misty morning wins photo competition

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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

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

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

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EGO blows away the competition

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EGO blows away the competition: Outdoor battery-powered equipment specialist, EGO Power Plus, has expanded its range of blowers with the industry’s most powerful handheld blower to date. Outperforming other leading petrol-powered and battery blowers, the LB7650E enables a maximum propulsive force of 26n and a max airspeed of 195mph.

Offering a run time of up to six hours on a single charge, the blower joins the EGO Professional range for those working on large and demanding gardens.

EGO blows away the competition

EGO blows away the competition

Engineered to outperform petrol power when in Boost Mode with a maximum volume intake of 1,300m3/h, and equipped with a variable thumb selector, users can get more power at the touch of a button to blow away stubborn debris.

Designed with user comfort in mind, this lightweight machine with enhanced ergonomics makes for an easier day of work in the garden. The redesigned variable speed trigger, boost switch and speed dial simplify useability and give the operator complete control of the power they need.

The blower comes with easy to install large blowing tubes included as accessories, its round nozzle is ideal for moving leaves and other debris in large volumes, and the flat nozzle can be used to move wet leaves, stones and other hard-to-shift objects ensuring that users are prepared for any task.

Vince Brauns, Group Product Manager at EGO Power Plus said: “Out of all garden tools, petrol leaf blowers are often the most contentious, not just for their fumes but for their volume too. With the LB7650E, we’re not just expanding our Professional range, we’re also providing a battery-powered leaf blower that outperforms the power of petrol, poses no risk to the environment, and has a lower impact on its operator’s health. Professional gardeners will be able to complete jobs easily, quickly, and quietly in a way that a petrol leaf blower could never allow.”

The LB7650E can be equipped with any EGO 56V Arc Lithium battery, coupled with a high-efficiency brushless motor, users can expect reliable power and greater run times for emission-free gardening with reduced noise and vibrations.

To learn more visit: https://egopowerplus.co.uk/ 

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