Tag Archive for: Scott

An Update From Scott MacCallum

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An Update From Scott MacCallum: You catch me as I’m gazing out of the living room window and the weather is absolutely gorgeous. Sunny, calm, warm, there’s even a slight heat haze. Not what I expect from here, certainly while still in February. Last year – the opposite. Cold, ice, temperatures barely reaching zero.

Now to an extent, while we enjoy what we have now, it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. It shouldn’t be like this. Here in Scotland we’ve just broken a temperature record for Feb which has stood since the 1890s. It is a further example of how climate change is now a part of our every day lives.

An Update From Scott MacCallum

While like every rational human being I worry about it, it doesn’t impact my day to day living the way it does for you guys, the nation’s turf professionals. Traditional schedules for maintenance practices go out of the window and while you may have previously been still in the middle of winter maintenance work you are now having to cut grass.

Going forward, it is going to require a much more flexible approach to turf maintenance – not to mention your working attire during the winter months. Shorts in February! –  and those who adapt best will be rewarded with the best surfaces all year round.

I’m not suggesting that we should revel in our traditional winter weather but at least it was consistent.

Let’s enjoy this while it lasts but think about how it may shape things to come.

Scott MacCallum

An Update From Scott MacCallum

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An Update From Scott MacCallum: Well, that’s the main exhibition season over for the next 11 months. With Saltex and BTME coming so close together, particularly with the festive period slap bang in the middle, it is probably the most intense time of the year… for the likes of us that is who don’t have sports pitches and golf courses to look after.

It was great to see so many people at both shows taking advantage of what the two shows have to offer – new products, professional development and mingling with like minded people. From a personal perspective it was also lovely to see how well Turf Matters – both the magazine and the website – is being received by its readership. So many people stopped Sinead and I to compliment us on Turf Matters and it makes us both believe that we are moving in the right direction as a title.

An Update From Scott MacCallum

We do care about what you want from your trade media and try to ensure that whatever we do is relevant and of interest to you. We will continue to produce well written, well presented features for you, as well as acting as a conduit for all the news and views from throughout our wonderful industry.

As I write, and look out of the window, we are in the middle of the coldest snap of the year. At least I hope it’s the middle and not just the start of a prolonged period of sub zero temperatures and all that that brings.

It’s at times like these that we all yearn from those heady days when the shorts are out and our knees are sunburnt. Hang in there guys and gals. It’s only a few months until spring!

Scott MacCallum

Scott MacCallum Christmas Update

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Scott MacCallum Christmas Update: It seems like only a blink of an eye when we were saying. Goodbye to 2017 and welcoming in 2018 and now we are back doing the same but one year on.

However, looking back 2018 was a pretty action packed sporting year.

Ireland clinched a Grand Slam in the Six Nations and went on to defeat World Champions later in the year. The Six Nations is truly one of the stand-out events on the calendar and the quality of the venues and the pitches are fine examples of how far not just stadiums but pitch maintenance have come in the last 10 years.

The Winter Olympics, perhaps, didn’t need the expertise of turf managers, but piste and ice preparation is an art in itself.

The World Cup in Russia was a triumph. The feared issues didn’t materialise and the Russian population welcomed everyone with open arms. An example of how sport can cut through the, let’s use the word “nonsense” with pervades so many other areas of life.

The World Cup caught the imagination, thanks to the progress of Gareth Southgate and his team.

It might have been the fact that no-one can really dislike Gareth and his team were much more open and accessible than previously, but even in Scotland, where I watched the matches, there were cheers when England scored and progressed through the rounds.

An end to the 52 years of hurt may have been a step too far for those of us on the northern side of Hadrian’s Wall though.

Many UK companies were involved in the World Cup which, in itself, is testimony to the quality of product and service we  are lucky enough to enjoy here.

It is sad but a true that it was good news that most of the other great sporting events were carried off – once we waved goodbye to the Beast from the East and welcomed a summer to remember – without any adverse headlines relating to the quality of the playing areas. Wimbledon, various Test series, Cheltenham and Aintree, The Open at Carnoustie and too many more to list here.

There is always a chance that adverse weather and disease can impact upon sports surfaces but the advances in both the products and the skills of the turf managers has seen those chances reduce over the years and excellence is now commonplace.

We have another exciting year ahead of us in 2019 and on behalf of Tim, Sinead, Marie and myself I wish you all the very best for the new year and for the festive time over the next few days.

Scott MacCallum

Editor

An Update From Scott MacCallum

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An Update From Scott MacCallum: It’s now a month since many of us converged on Birmingham for Saltex, met with friends and colleagues and left promising to keep in more regular touch. A regular touch which in many cases will be repeated for the next time at the same time and place next year!

It is a truism that life gets in the way of an awful lot – friendships being among the more unfortunate casualties so while an annual meet up at Saltex may be a little too long a gap, at least it happens.

An Update From Scott MacCallum

Of course, business was the reason we were at the NEC and the number of follow-ups from the many leads taken at the Show will have already been completed thus proving the benefit of face to face encounters.

As we head into December I know that it is a particularly busy time for all groundsmen and greenkeepers. Winter programmes at golf club and cricket grounds will be well underway and while the fact that, with golf in particular, tree management work can be unseen by the members leading to jokes about overused dartboards, much of the success of the work carried out in the out of season periods is responsible for a less stressful time next spring and summer.

For those working in football and rugby the festive period is particularly action packed with many games played in weather that it particularly unsuited to recovery or remedial work. It’s not just the players who look at Christmas with a feeling of dread!

What I would say is that whatever you are working on at the moment – Good fortune!

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October Update From Scott MacCallum

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October Update From Scott MacCallum: SALTEX Week always has a different feel to it than the other 51 weeks of the year. There is a feeling of anticipation about catching up with friends and colleagues from the other end of the country – if not the other side of the world, while knowing that, at the same time, you can top up on your professional development and key into the latest developments in the industry at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.

October Update From Scott MacCallum

Sinead Finnin and I will be out and about both days. We will be filming videos with exhibitors and visitors to show people who couldn’t make it to Birmingham just what they are missing.

So, if you see us don’t hesitate about saying hello. We are always keen to meet with our readers and partners within the industry and if you have ideas of thoughts on Turf Matters we would be keen to hear them.

I hope you have a successful time at IOG SALTEX whether you are there for two days or can free up the time for one day, or part of one day. Let’s face it a little time is better than no time at all.

Best wishes

Scott MacCallum

Editor

Turf Matters