Tag Archive for: Lay

Meg Lay Named Young New Zealander of the Year

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Meg Lay Named Young New Zealander of the Year: GMA NextGen is proud to announce that its Co-Chair, Meg Lay, has been named Young New Zealander of the Year at the prestigious Waitangi Day Gala Ball, held at the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel in London. 

The award was presented by the His Excellency Hamish Cooper, NZ High Commissioner to the UK, Rachel Glucina, President of The New Zealand Society, and Richard Dawson the Head of ANZ Bank UK & Europe, and recognises outstanding young Kiwis making a meaningful impact both abroad and at home.

Meg Lay Named Young New Zealander of the Year

Meg Lay Named Young New Zealander of the Year

As part of the honour, Meg was presented with a korowai, a traditional Māori cloak symbolising mana and respect, along with a personal letter from the Prime Minister of New Zealand, in which he said: “What a fantastic achievement: from farming in Christchurch to being the first female grounds woman at Lords ‘s Cricket Ground. You should be rightly proud of your achievements,”

Meg was selected for her groundbreaking contributions to the grounds management industry, including becoming the first female groundsperson at Lord’s Cricket Ground and her leadership in forming the first all-female grounds team at the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Her work as part of GMA NextGen has also been instrumental in promoting innovation and inclusivity within the profession.

The selection process for the prestigious award was highly competitive, with nominations evaluated by a distinguished panel including the NZ High Commissioner to the UK, President of The New Zealand Society and Head of ANZ Bank UK & Europe. Meg’s achievements and leadership stood out among the candidates.

“It is an incredible honour to be recognised in this way,” said Meg Lay. “Receiving the korowai and a letter from the Prime Minister was deeply moving. I am proud to represent New Zealanders making a difference around the world, and I hope this inspires more young people to pursue careers in grounds management.”

The Waitangi Day Gala Ball is an annual celebration of New Zealand culture, heritage and excellence, bringing together the Kiwi community in the United Kingdom. This year’s event highlighted the achievements of the next generation of New Zealanders on the global stage.

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Lay of the Links gets updated at Cabot Highland

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Lay of the Links gets updated at Cabot Highland: For Cabot Highland’s Course Manager James Hutchison a new course build, world-class golf conditions to maintain and a reputation to uphold are all part of the day job. Luckily, with a Toro Total Solution agreement, he has a fleet of Toro machinery, a new irrigation system and back up support from Reesink Scotland to make the job easier.

The Castle Stuart course has long been a Toro customer with both Toro machinery and irrigation maintaining the acclaimed links in Inverness and now the new Old Petty course, designed by renowned architect Tom Doak, will be too.

Lay of the Links gets updated at Cabot Highland

Lay of the Links gets updated at Cabot Highland

James comments: “There are over eight Cabot-managed courses across the world using Toro, but we still did extensive research and testing when it came to deciding what would work best for our new course and how to bring the latest technology onto our Castle Stuart course.

“With so much riding on the opening as well as maintaining Castle Stuart’s position in the top 100, we knew we needed Toro’s finest cutting equipment to guarantee success and allow us to continue competing for our place.”

The latest machinery order, which includes four Toro Reelmaster 3555-D mowers, two Greensmaster TriFlex 3420 mowers, a ProCore 648s aerator, ProPass 200 topdresser and Multi Pro 5800 with GeoLink have all been chosen with the specifics of the new course front and foremost says James.

When it comes to the decision of which irrigation system should be installed on the new Old Petty course, James opted for the Lynx Central Control System with Infinity sprinklers.

“We open officially in April 2026 and we’re currently growing the grass,” James explains. “For the delicate stage we’re in, precision is key, and Toro has delivered that from the 2000 pop up sprinklers with targeted watering with negligible water waste to the combination of the lightweight Reelmasters and the hybrid TriFlexes with no risk of hydraulic leaks.

“We’re about to start topdressing using the ProPass and 5000 tons of sand and spraying in wetting agents. The accuracy of the GeoLink with sprayer means we’re not wasting a drop of the expensive product; it’s all going exactly where it needs to and not putting the grass under unnecessary stress due to over spraying.”

Also aiding in the period of growing in the grass was the irrigation system says Robert Jackson, Division Manager at Reesink Hydro-Scapes: “We needed to be able to establish the grass species quite quickly. Having the correct irrigation system with the correct control and application meant we could assist in the whole process. With the input of the installer and consultant and Reesink’s experience on the irrigation products we were able to make sure the client achieved what they required from a system.”

By choosing Toro from Reesink Scotland, James is guaranteed the back up and support from the UK distributor: “We have a team of 23, which will go up to 30 next year with the requirements of the new course in mind, so we need to know the equipment can support them,” he says. “We don’t need any downtime or delays for repairs and Reesink’s support to our on-site mechanic will be a vital service.”

Mike Turnbull, Reesink Scotland Branch Manager, comments: “We are delighted to be chosen to partner Cabot Highland at the highly prestigious courses at Castle Stuart. We look forward to meeting and exceeding James’ expectations with the Toro machinery and support their whole business from our new depot near Elgin.”

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