Tag Archive for: Wins

Green-tech Announces Back-to-Back Wins

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Green-tech Announces Back-to-Back Wins: Green-tech is delighted to announce that they have been named Supplier and Service Provider of the Year at the 2025 Pro Landscaper Business Awards.

The awards ceremony, held in London on Friday, April 25th, celebrated the very best of the landscaping industry. Now in its seventh year, the Pro Landscaper Business Awards recognise companies that consistently raise the bar in professionalism, innovation, client service, and commitment to the sector’s future.

Green-tech Announces Back-to-Back Wins

Green-tech Announces Back-to-Back Wins

Following their 2024 success as Pro Landscaper’s Employer of the Year, this latest win reinforces Green-tech’s reputation as the leading supplier and service provider to the landscaping industry.

Pro Landscaper’s judging panel praised Green-tech’s 2025 award entry for demonstrating “a strong commitment to industry leadership, sustainability and client satisfaction, with well-documented initiatives and impressive client retention.”

Commenting on the win, Green-tech’s Managing Director Kris Nellist said, “I am thrilled to have won this award. To be recognised two years running at the Pro Landscaper Business Awards — first as Employer of the Year, and now as Supplier and Service Provider — is an incredible achievement and a real testament to the dedication and passion of the Green-tech team. Strong leadership, sustainability, and looking after our clients are fundamental to everything we do, and I couldn’t be prouder to see that recognised by the judging panel.”

Green-tech’s recognition at the Pro Landscaper Business Awards highlights its commitment to excellence across every part of its operation. 2025 is a year of further innovation with ambitious plans to strengthen its urban tree planting and closed-loop irrigation solutions, reinforcing its dedication to encouraging sustainability and enhancing green spaces in urban environments.

For more information about Green-tech please visit www.green-tech.co.uk

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Corey Finn Wins Department Head Award at Yas Island Ruwad Awards

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Corey Finn Wins Department Head Award at Yas Island Ruwad Awards: Corey Finn, Cluster Director of Agronomy for Viya Golf Abu Dhabi, has been honoured with the prestigious Department Head Award at Yas Island’s Ruwad Awards. 

This accolade celebrates exceptional leadership and excellence in departmental management, celebrating Corey’s’s instrumental role in overseeing golf course operations and ensuring top-tier conditions for world-class events such as the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links.

Corey Finn Wins Department Head Award at Yas Island Ruwad Awards

Corey Finn Wins Department Head Award at Yas Island Ruwad Awards

With over eight years of experience working within Aldar golf facilities, Corey has been pivotal in managing world-class golf courses, including Yas Links Abu Dhabi, ranked the number one course in the Middle East and Africa region. His expertise in sustainable agronomy and tournament preparation has set new benchmarks in golf course management, ensuring the highest standards for prestigious international events like the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Corey played a crucial role in hosting the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, a key tournament in the DP World Tour’s season-ending playoff series. Under his leadership, Yas Links consistently met the highest standards required for professional play, enhancing both the quality of competition and the global reputation of Yas Island as a premier golf destination.

The Ruwad Awards, launched by Miral, celebrate the outstanding individuals and businesses that contribute to the growth and success of Yas Island as a global destination. This recognition highlights Corey’s dedication to innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence, reinforcing Yas Island’s position as a premier location for world-class sporting events.

“I’m truly honoured to receive this award,” said Corey Finn. “It’s a recognition of the passion and dedication I put into my work, and I’m incredibly grateful to be acknowledged among such talented professionals in the industry.”

In addition to this award, Corey’s contributions have been widely recognised, including winning the 59club Agronomy Team of the Year award for Best Conditioned Golf Course at Yas Links in 2021 and Yas Acres Golf & Country Club in 2022. Over the years, he has also mentored and empowered team members, fostering the next generation of turf management professionals.

The Ruwad Awards ceremony took place at Hilton Abu Dhabi, Yas Island, bringing together leading professionals, influencers, and industry experts to celebrate excellence and achievement in the businesses that shape Yas Island’s success.

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Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire

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Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire: Edgmond Bowling Club has been awarded the title of Best Kept Green in Shropshire 2024, a competition sponsored by leading turf maintenance brands Dennis and SISIS.

The accolade marks a milestone for the club, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and highlights the dedication and skill of its greenkeeper, Peter Leath.

Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire

Edgmond Bowling Club Wins Best Kept Green in Shropshire

The Best Kept Green competition was launched in 2021, in response to the remarkable efforts of bowling clubs and their greenkeepers during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative, supported by Dennis and SISIS, aims to improve the standard of greens across the county, recognising the hard work of greens teams and providing them with valuable feedback to enhance their maintenance programmes. Each year, the competition grows in popularity, with a record number of clubs entering in 2024—a testament to the ongoing improvements in bowling greens throughout Shropshire.

Peter, a greenkeeper with 47 years of experience, joined Edgmond Bowling Club just before the pandemic and quickly found himself responsible for the care of the green, which was in need of attention. Reflecting on those early days, he recalls, “The green was in quite a bad condition. During Covid, I spent a lot of time managing to feed it and improve its health.”

Drawing on his greenkeeping background, Peter implemented a rigorous maintenance routine, including verticutting and aerating the green, to encourage healthy growth. He also invested in a SISIS Supaturfman, using it up to 16 times a year. His efforts have paid off, with Edgmond’s green now widely praised for its smoothness and playability. “There have been a lot of really positive comments about the green,” Peter said.

Edgmond Bowling Club’s win this year, tied on points with Cleobury Mortimer but edging ahead thanks to a perfect 10/10 score for the roll of the woods, is a fitting tribute to its 50th anniversary.

Peter’s attention to detail is key to the green’s success. He spends around 240 hours a year maintaining it, mowing three times a week in the summer and continuing regular care even through the winter months. His advice to other greenkeepers? “Make sure your mower is adjusted correctly, and cut the grass consistently. It makes all the difference.”

Phil Scott, Chairman of the Shropshire Crown Green Bowling Association, praised Peter’s work and spoke about the growing success of the Best Kept Green competition. “We started these awards to recognise the often-overlooked work of greenkeepers in our county. Since the competition began, the standard of greens in Shropshire has improved dramatically.”

DLF’s Stuart Yarwood, a well-known expert in the industry and a key supporter of the Dennis/SISIS educational seminars, was part of the judging panel. He visited the top ten greens and provided invaluable advice to clubs on how to further improve their playing surfaces.

Looking to the future, the Shropshire Crown Green Bowling Association, in collaboration with Dennis and SISIS, plans to continue supporting greenkeepers with initiatives such as forums, educational days, and factory tours. “We’ve set up new initiatives to keep the momentum going. We’re already planning to take all the greenkeepers who entered this year to the Dennis and SISIS factory for a tour, and we’re looking at adding new categories like ‘Most Improved Green’ or ‘Best Newcomer’ for next year,” Phil explained.

Further information about the range of maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on X @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK and www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest Dennis and SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers and www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery.

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Inveraray Castle wins Historic Houses Garden award

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Inveraray Castle wins Historic Houses Garden award: This prestigious national award, presented annually since 1984, is designed to recognise the importance of some of the country’s most spectacular gardens with outstanding horticultural and public appeal. The award is voted for by members of the public who judge the gardens based on a variety of factors that contribute to their enjoyment. The announcement was made at the Historic Houses National AGM in London on Tuesday 12 November 2024.

Inveraray Castle is an eighteenth century turreted castle, seat of the Clan Campbell and home to the Dukes of Argyll. The gardens at Inveraray are home to the Duke and Duchess who have spent joyous times with family and friends over the years. They enjoy the changing of the seasons and the ability to present and share the gardens with their 85,000 guests who come to visit the castle every year.

Inveraray Castle wins Historic Houses Garden award

Inveraray Castle wins Historic Houses Garden award

The gardens have reflected the times, and each Duke has taken a keen interest in ensuring that the legacy evolves throughout the years with many different species of plantation and horticulture. The garden covers sixteen acres, of which around two acres are formal lawns and flowerbeds, the remainder being park and woodland. Extending to 180 hectares, they form one of the most important designed landscapes in Scotland.

The climate in Argyll, with its yearly average rainfall of 230cms, is ideally suited to rhododendrons and azaleas, which flower in the gardens from April to June. Conifers also grow well in the acidic soil of a high rainfall area, as can be seen by the fine specimens such as cedrus deodars, sequoiadendron wellingtonia, cryptomeria japonica, and taxus baccata. The borders on each side of the central path are known as the ‘Flag-Borders’, the paths having been laid out in the shape of Scotland’s National flag, the St. Andrew’s Cross. These borders, outstanding in the spring with beautiful Prunus ‘Ukon’ and Prunus subhirtella, are underplanted with an interesting mixture of rhododendrons, eucrypyias, various shrubs and herbaceous plants, giving interest all year round.

Ben Cowell, Director General of Historic Houses, said: “Inveraray Castle is a must-see destination for so many tourists to Scotland. We are thrilled that members and supporters have chosen to make it the 2024 Garden of the Year, and hope it encourages many more visitors to seek it out in 2025. They won’t be disappointed – the beautiful gardens are the perfect setting for Inveraray’s distinctive towers and turrets.”

Orlando Rock, Chairman, Christie’s UK, said: “I am thrilled to congratulate Inveraray Castle on being awarded the Historic Houses Garden of the Year Award. The stunning gardens, spanning 16 acres of formal lawns, flowerbeds, parkland, and woodland, are a true reflection of the timeless beauty of Inverary and the dedication of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their amazing gardening team. For generations, the Campbells have shaped the evolving legacy of this remarkable landscape, offering a serene and ever-changing sanctuary where family, friends, and nature come together in perfect harmony. This well-deserved recognition celebrates not only the beauty of Inverary and its gardens, but the enduring passion and vision that has shaped them over the years.”

Helen Gallagher Buchana, Visitor Experiences Manager at Inveraray Castle, said: “We are delighted that the gardens team have received this prestigious award. They work with great passion, loyalty, and dedication in all elements, creating the beautiful colours, tranquil environment, and space for our visitors to enjoy relaxation.”

Belcombe Court, in Bradford-on-Avon, is the Judges’ Choice this year. When owner Paul Weiland purchased the estate back in 1992, the gardens were in a state of disrepair. Over the next 30 years, Paul restored the gardens to its former glory with many contemporary additions that impressed judges.

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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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