Tag Archive for: million

POGO Reaches 100 Million Samples

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POGO Reaches 100 Million Samples: On August 8th, Scott Ellis, Golf Course Superintendent at Wellshire Golf Course in Denver, CO, recorded the 100,000,000th POGO sample. A milestone for Scott, Wellshire, and the entire POGO community.

Wellshire is a Donald Ross designed public course approaching its 100th anniversary. As one of the few public-access Ross courses in the U.S., and the only one west of the Mississippi, it carries a rich legacy while serving a high-volume, modern golf audience. With more than 10,000 rounds each month, precision turf management isn’t optional; it’s essential.

POGO Reaches 100 Million Samples

POGO Reaches 100 Million Samples

Scott has relied on POGO since 2021 to gain deeper, actionable insights across his property. Beyond moisture measurements, he uses POGO’s data-rich sampling and GPS integration to map the entire course including pins, irrigation infrastructure, utilities, hydrants, and more. One of the biggest advantages for his operation is how intuitive the platform is for the whole crew. Even team members with limited turf background can open the app, see exactly what needs attention and where, and take action immediately. That clarity has streamlined communication, improved consistency, and helped ensure nothing is missed.

On a busy public course like Wellshire, water stewardship and playability go hand in hand. With POGO’s data guiding daily decisions, Scott can optimize irrigation, eliminate unnecessary watering, reduce wilting risk, and keep greens performing under heavy play.

When asked how it felt to be the one who took the 100 millionth sample, Scott summed it up simply: “Great!” He added, “I tell everyone, if you’re not using POGO, I feel like you’re a little behind the curve.”

POGO’s journey began with its very first recorded sample on April 4, 2015, at Sherbrooke Golf and Country Club in Florida. Since then, millions of samples from turf professionals worldwide have built a powerful foundation for smarter, more sustainable turf care, helping teams like Scott’s turn data into decisions every day.

To mark the occasion, we created a special plaque for Scott Ellis as a thank-you for his dedication and for trusting POGO as part of his turf program. Reaching 100 million samples is a shared achievement made possible by superintendents, sports turf managers, and crews who put POGO’s insights to work.

Congratulations, Scott! Here’s to the next 100 million.

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GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost

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GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) welcomes the UK Government’s announcement of at least £400 million for new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities across the country.

This significant funding package recognises the vital role that high-quality sports infrastructure plays in supporting participation in communities across the country. It also reflects the collective efforts of the wider sporting sector, including the often-unsung work of grounds management professionals and volunteers.

GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost

GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost

As the leading not-for-profit membership organisation for the grounds care sector, the GMA is at the forefront of improving the quality and safety of playing surfaces across the UK. Since the launch of the Pitch Advisory Service in 2014, the GMA has carried out over 50,000 pitch inspections in England, working alongside National Governing Bodies (NGBs) as well as local authorities and volunteers to raise standards and improve playing surfaces.

The Pitch Advisory Service now extends across Wales, providing practical guidance and development that helps clubs and communities get the most from their facilities.

Geoff Webb, Chief Executive Officer at the GMA, said: “We welcome the government investment as a real boost for grassroots sport. Over the past decade, the Pitch Advisory Service – working hand in hand with national governing bodies and local volunteers – has helped transform the quality of many community pitches across the UK. This funding allows us to continue that vital work, ensuring clubs and communities benefit from well-maintained facilities that inspire more people to play and stay in sport.”

The GMA’s impact is amplified through its long-standing partnerships with NGBs of sport, including The FA, Rugby Football Union, England and Wales Cricket Board, Rugby Football League and many others. These collaborations are central to the delivery of national sport development strategies, ensuring that grounds management is embedded in every effort to grow participation and improve player experience.

A key example of this is the recently launched Premier League Pitch Standards Framework – a resource developed in partnership to help Premier League clubs assess and improve the quality of their playing surfaces, ensuring consistency, safety of players and longer-term sustainability.

Beyond technical support, the GMA plays a central role in training and upskilling the grounds management workforce all the way from volunteers at grassroots clubs to full-time grounds staff at elite venues. Through a wide range of accredited qualifications and online learning, the GMA helps ensure that grounds staff have the knowledge and confidence to deliver safe and high-quality playing surfaces.

A key driver of this progress is SALTEX, Europe’s cutting-edge grounds management show. As a free-to-attend event, SALTEX enables the GMA to reinvest monies back in the sector, helping fund training, resources, subsidised memberships, GMA Industry Awards, #GroundsWeek and other initiatives that directly benefit sport.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, said: “Sport tells our national story in a way few other things can – uniting communities, inspiring millions, and showcasing our nation on the global stage. This major backing for world-class events will drive economic growth across the country, delivering on our Plan for Change. Coupled with strong investment into grassroots sport, we’re creating a complete pathway to allow the next generation of sporting heroes to train and take part in sport in communities across the UK.”

With the backing of this new government funding, and the continued engagement of the industry through events like SALTEX, we’re well placed to drive further improvements that benefit grassroots sport and communities across the UK.

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Magic million for JCB

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Magic million for JCB: JCB has marked a major manufacturing milestone with the production of its one millionth engine.

Production started in 2004 at JCB Power Systems in Foston, Derbyshire, and expanded to JCB India in 2010 with the opening of a dedicated plant in Ballabgarh, Delhi. From three engines a day 20 years ago, JCB now produces around 500 a day, becoming a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of diesel engines and is now pioneering development of hydrogen combustion engines.

Magic million for JCB

Magic million for JCB

Today JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford paid tribute to the JCB teams around the world who have played a part in the engine’s success. Lord Bamford said: “To have made one million engines in 20 years is quite some achievement. This really is a significant moment for our teams around the world, a real achievement. The JCB engine is very well respected around the world for its reliability and very well appreciated by our customers. JCB machines work in dirt and hot and cold climates, and from the moment they go to a customer, they are working hard and doing a full day’s shift. The engine really is the beating heart of that reputation for reliability.

“It was a major decision at the time to make our own engines and I was directly involved in that; it has paid off and I’m very pleased we made the decision. As we hit the milestone of producing one million engines, the time is right to acknowledge the part my played father in the design, not only of this engine, but other engines which he designed with other people in the past. My father died in 2001 so our engines were running as prototypes by that time, and he had a lot to do with it. I’m thankful he was involved in this engine so many years ago.”

JCB Power Systems’ engines have been instrumental in helping set world records – firstly when the JCB Dieselmax streamliner, powered by two JCB engines, became the fastest diesel-powered car in the world in 2006 when it reached a speed of 350.092mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, USA – a record that still stands. In 2019, JCB’s Fastrac tractor stormed into the record books as the world’s fastest tractor with a speed of 135.191 mph – thanks to JCB’s 7.2 litre, 6-cylinder Dieselmax engine.

A team of more than 150 engineers is currently engaged in developing hi-tech hydrogen combustion engines for use in JCB machinery as part of a £100 million investment. More than 120 engines have come off the production line so far and many machines powered by these super-efficient engines are currently undergoing evaluation.

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16.1 million social posts reveal golf’s great divide

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16.1 million social posts reveal golf’s great divide: Syngenta today publishes the findings of a pioneering social media listening project analyzing 16.1 million mentions of golf to learn what people say about the sport as well as their experiences of the game.

Golf & Social Media: The Great Divide, free to download from www.syngentagolf.com, has been produced in conjunction with global market research firm Ipsos and, using its Artificial Intelligence enabled Synthesio platform, explores key conversations and customer reviews, providing insights on why people play golf in two leading golf markets: the United States and the United Kingdom.

16.1 million social posts reveal golf’s great divide

16.1 million social posts reveal golf’s great divide

As well as identifying the most talked about topics online (professional golf 20%, personal experiences 16% and equipment 13%), the interactive report highlights important themes, including:

  • News drives conversations: Donald Trump and controversial topics such as LIV Golf supercharge online activity, but create negative sentiment, impacting golf’s reputation
  • Experiences drive interactions: while news about golf is negative, mentions of experiencing golf are positive, with posts on Instagram generating 41% of all interactions, engaging golfers and non-golfers alike
  • You’re either a golfer… or you’re not: real or perceived, golf still faces a challenge with exclusivity, and prospective players need to feel they are joining an inclusive community to be able to perceive themselves as golfers.

By analyzing customer reviews and understanding what motivates people to play golf, two clear customer profiles emerged: Insiders and Outsiders.

With both groups playing or attracted to golf for different reasons, golf faces a challenge – and an opportunity – to generate business growth by meeting the needs and expectations of both customer profiles.

Mark Birchmore, Head of Global Marketing for Syngenta Turf and Landscape, said: “This is the first major market study we have undertaken since publishing our findings highlighting a $35 billion market opportunity to grow female participation.

“What’s changed since then ­– and over the decade since we have been publishing customer insights reports as part of our Syngenta Growing Golf campaign – is the exponential rise of social media and its multiple channels of influence. Working with Ipsos and using AI to analyze millions of posts has enabled us to take a deep dive into social media and extract key insights and solutions for golf.

“As with all our reports, the purpose is to help golf courses better understand customers and use the insights for business growth.”

Golf & Social Media: The Great Divide is published today at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, and will be followed throughout the year by supplementary studies into key topics including Gender, Diversity, Sustainability and Golf Entertainment.

DOWNLOAD Golf & Social Media: The Great Divide

To receive market insights and success stories of individuals and businesses transforming golf, visit Syngenta Growing Golf: http://www.syngentagolf.com

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Mowing a million to fund raise

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Mowing a million to fund raise: Groundsman Mo Robson is mowing one million steps to raise money for children with life-limiting conditions.

Read the full article from Northampton Chronicle here

Mowing a million to fund raise

Mowing a million to fund raise

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