It seems from all the recent news reports we are heading for a second wave of Covid-19. Just how this will affect our industry coming into the winter, nobody knows?

However, I read with interest the news from John Deere that they will not be attending any international turf trade shows in Europe and the CIS during the company’s 2021 fiscal year (1 November 2020 to 31 October 2021). 

This decision could well influence other leading manufacturers to do the same, putting even more pressure on whether next year’s GMA's SALTEX show, which is scheduled to take place March 3-4, will go ahead at the NEC?

There is also the fact that come October the country’s national furlough scheme will be ending. This will leave many companies with a very tough decision about the future of their staff and whether they are able to afford to keep them on?

This again will have a huge effect on our industry and will no doubt impact decisions on whether companies are willing or able to support their national trade shows?

If there is no appetite for shows during this pandemic, where does that leave both industry organisations (BIGGA and GMA) in terms of their operational costs? Both of these shows are the annual cash cows for both organisations.

If this decision by John Deere does lead to other organisations following suit, I fear for the future of these two shows - both in the short and long term. Even post-Covid, will there be the same appetite for the current format of these events?

Sporting progress

There is no doubt this pandemic is continuing to set many challenges in the way we can operate and get on with our daily lives. The priority for many companies is to stay afloat, retain staff and get on with the jobs in hand. As I have said before, the grass, weeds and trees never stop growing! There is always work required to maintain a living status.

This weekend we saw the start of the new Premiership football season, which will no doubt keep many grounds personnel busy for the next eight months. It was great to see Gareth Bale return to Tottenham, a great signing and one that will set the season alight.

Golf clubs seem to be doing well, with many clubs taking on new members, plus the recent spell of good weather has given many of the club greenkeepers the chance to undertake some autumn renovations to help prepare the course for the onset of winter. Plenty of aeration work is being done on greens, tees and fairways.

As for cricket, many club groundsmen have been posting messages on social media platforms regarding the success of their recent end of season renovations - especially aided by the recent good weather. I’m not sure how long this Indian summer will last though?

A chat with Rugby School's James Mead

As I said last week, I witnessed a demo of the Turf Tank One a robotic line marker at Rugby School, which went very well. A full report of the day will be published next Monday.

During my visit I managed to catch up with my good old friend James Mead, who was also celebrating his fifteenth year as head grounds manager at the school. I thought it would be good to find out his thoughts on how the industry has changed in the last fifteen years or so?

I asked James what have been the most significant changes he has seen in the industry in recent times?

James said, “The speed and resourcefulness of the internet, has been one of the most significant changes I have witnessed. The ability to find out information from fellow colleagues via the web and social media streams has been massive in terms of learning new skills and keeping up with the latest work practices. The Likes of TurfPro and Pitchcare and other industry magazines, have also helped enormously.

“This has been coupled with the advancement and provision of a wider choice of machinery and equipment to help us do our job more efficiently. I have consciously over the years, got the school to invest in good quality machinery and equipment. We now have a fine range of mowers and machinery to undertake all the tasks required to produce the high class sports surfaces expected at Rugby School.”

James explained, "It has been a trait of mine ever since I started in the industry, to ensure we have the appropriate machinery and equipment. I remember being one of the first school groundsmen to get a Verti-Drain when they came out in the 1980s whilst working for Kings Edward’s School in Birmingham.

"With so much cricket being played at Rugby School, I even took the opportunity to invest in a Blotter, which has been essential in helping us maintain our cricket playing surfaces."

James continued, “We have a fine range of ride on and pedestrian mowers at our disposal enabling us to cover the grounds efficiently while at the same time producing the right finish we desire for the sports surfaces we are preparing. As for cricket machinery, I am blessed with having some of the best equipment the market can supply. I have even designed my own set of raised covers with extension sheets, that can be fitted easily to enable us to cover up very quickly!”

James went on to say that he believed one of the other main drivers has been the increased supply and range of industry products now on the market. “We now have a greater selection of seed, fertilisers, bio stimulants and soil enhancement products to choose from,” he said. “We also have the ability to apply both liquid and granular fertliser products more efficiently and accurately using advanced spreader and sprayer technologies.

“However, it goes without saying, you are only good as the staff you have. When I started there were six members of the grounds team, we now have nine. Each and everyone of them have stepped up to the plate and brought with them a passion and drive to produce high standards that we as a school have chosen to invest in. The testament to this is the fact none of my staff have ever left since I started.”

James says he is proud of what they have achieved at the school. “Since I have arrived,” he told me, “we have managed to upgrade all the playing surfaces to county standard surfaces, especially the cricket ground. We now host Warwickshire county games each year.” He said they also have future plans to improve the rugby pitches in the Close with the installation of some drainage and automated irrigation systems to help improve their quality.”

James has worked in the industry for forty plus years, fifteen years of which have been at Rugby School. James said of these past fifteen years, “These have certainly been the most productive in terms of raising standards.”

With effect from 17 September 2020 HRN Tractors Ltd has been appointed by Kubota (UK) Ltd as a full-line dealer for Scotland across its six depots.

HRN have featured in the industry news this summer, having recently announced their split from John Deere following 40 years.

The dealership will now represent Kubota construction equipment for all of Scotland, whilst its agricultural products will be available for depots north of Perth, with groundcare and professional turf products for the region north of Dundee.

“This appointment reinforces Kubota’s commitment to its customers and the market,” explained David Hart, managing director of Kubota (UK). “As a full-line dealer, HRN Tractors will be in a strong position to make the future investments required in facilities, technology and staff, to actively support our customers across agricultural, groundcare and construction sectors.”

HRN Tractors was established by the Barclay family in 1980. In addition to its extensive dealership activities, the family also farms across 2,000 acres of combinable crops and is home to the pedigree Harestone herd. With its head office at Insch, they have depots at Turriff, Kinloss, Muir of Ord, Caithness and Balbeggie.

“HRN is delighted to have received the Kubota franchise,” says Hamish Bruce, dealer principal of HRN Tractors. “It supplies us with a wide range of agricultural, construction and groundcare products to sell to our growing customer base. We believe that Kubota has massive potential for market growth in Scotland, and that HRN and Kubota have a very bright future together.”

Walton Heath Golf Club signed its first five-year agreement with Toro for its fleet of greenkeeping machinery.

Front right, club chairman Alastair Wells with Reesink's regional manager Larry Pearman. From back left: Reesink Turfcare’s area retail sales manager Mike Taylor, course manager Michael Mann and club secretary Stuart Christie (Photograph taken February 2020, before social distancing.)

Discussing the deal, club chairman Dr Alastair Wells said, “Having a fully modern fleet means we can maintain the courses to a very high standard.

"For example, the uniformity of cut and reliability are always going to be better with new Toro machines, plus there are financial benefits. With a package deal we can retain cash as the cost is spread out over five years, which was one reason why we made the switch from buying machines on an annual basis.

“With such a large investment to consider, the decision to go with Toro wasn’t made lightly as we wanted to provide our highly valued course manager Michael Mann and his team the best possible equipment. We had machinery demonstrations from a number of leading brands, however it became clear that Toro was the way to go. Toro and Reesink Turfcare are such reputable companies for one but added to that is the fact that Toro equipment is first class.”

The fleet deal includes four Toro Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420s, two Groundsmaster 4700-Ds, four Reelmaster 6700-Ds and a further two Multi Pro 5800-Ds, three Workman HDXs and one Workman MDX.

“Toro really suits the terrain here,” continued Dr Wells. “We’ve been happy with the service from Reesink and Toro before, so it made sense to invest in a brand we know and trust.”

With the new deal spearheaded by course manager Michael Mann, this significant investment in Toro is only one part of the club’s efforts to improve and develop the course.

“The two courses here at Walton Heath are highly regarded across the country, in part due to the great tournament history they have, but also because of our continuous efforts to make improvements,” continues Dr Wells. “Since 2000, nine hectares of pure heath land have been restored and more recently we’ve brought in architects Mackenzie and Ebert to review both the Old and New course. This new agreement with Toro and Reesink is just the start of further development in the club, which we believe will see improved results.”

Reesink’s Jon Cole, branch manager - South East, added, “We are delighted to have cemented our long-term relationship with Walton Heath Golf Club following the club’s due diligence process. Our local representative, Mike Taylor, supported by the Reesink South East team engaged in a busy evaluation process with Michael Mann and his team at Walton Heath. So after the hard work put into the selection process, we are immensely pleased to have the club reconfirm their confidence in us and the Toro brand.”

According to a report in the Milwaukee Business Journal, on Tuesday last week, a U.S bankruptcy court judge approved Briggs & Stratton’s plan to sell the company to private equity firm KPS Capital Partners

The report says that, depending on when the sale is completed, Briggs’ unsecured creditors will receive 7-10 cents on the dollar.

The paper also states that the legal team working for Briggs & Stratton and its unsecured creditors committee said the sooner the sale is transacted, the more money will be available.

The judge's approval of the plan allows Briggs and KPS to proceed with the transaction they announced July 20 when the manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ronit Berkovich, an attorney for Briggs, told the Milwaukee Business Journal that the sale will be completed the week of September 21st.

The report went on to say that $35-$45 million in funds will be available to the unsecured creditors, yielding 7-8.4 cents on the dollars, according to Rob Start, attorney for the creditors committee. If the funds reach close to $50 million, that figure could go up to 10 cents on the dollar, he added.

According to the report, "Briggs financial performance has improved since July 20 when the company filed for bankruptcy, which will provide more cash than the company and its advisers initially assumed, Berkovich said. Also, the company received regulatory approvals sooner than anticipated, which helps accelerate the deal, she said."

The way clear for KPS acquiring Briggs & Stratton follows first, Generac pulling out of bidding for the company's assets - followed by an unsecured creditors committee failing to file an objection to the transaction by the September 10th deadline.

GGM Groundscare say they are taking their dedication to being an eco-friendly organisation to the next level and are committing to improve their green credentials even further.

The Colne-based organisation says that over the lockdown period the business took stock and investigated ways to enhance their environmental awareness, undertaking several new measures including investing in renewable energy, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions and helping improve air quality locally.

GGM's two new electric vans

The move came after the company completed a full energy and environmental audit and joined the Chamber of Trade’s Green Rose programme, and are currently working towards the ISO14001 environmental standard.

Chris Gibson, managing director said, “GGM Groundscare recognise that, as with every organisation, our business activities impact upon our environment in terms of both our routine operations and our development. As a responsible and environmentally aware organisation, we acknowledge that we have a commitment to help protect the environment in every way we can.

“To this end, we’ve undertaken a range of measures to improve our already excellent green credentials. We are committed to ensuring our operations take into account the impact on the environment by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and to incorporate long-term strategies for efficiency into our Environmental and Sustainability policy planning and development, with the goal of achieving ISO14001 Certification on the pathway ultimately to carbon neutrality.”

The company says the new drive includes the addition of two new electric vans to their fleet and will they will replace the existing vehicle fleet where appropriate with electric vehicles which will be used for supporting service and hire customers. GGM say this move is calculated to save 30 tonnes of carbon in the first year, reducing the carbon footprint as well as improving air quality in the local community. In addition, the business has installed electric vehicle charging units which are offered to customers and suppliers free of charge.

The business has also invested in Solar Photovoltaics Technology (Solar PV Panels) with the support of the Chamber’s Low Carbon grant programme which will improve energy and environmental efficiencies. The company says that investing in solar energy allows them to dramatically reduce their CO2 emissions whilst also reducing costs and assisting them in meeting environmental and sustainability targets. In addition, GGM decided that they would benefit from upgrading the current lighting system, which would lower energy consumption and additionally install lighting controls to further reduce excess energy consumption by using motion / light sensors and timing controls, along with LED lighting.

The business has also undertaken several additional green initiatives which they believe will have a positive impact on employees' health and wellbeing, as well as the environment. At Colne, showers and a secure bike rack are being installed with the support of Lancashire County Council’s Connecting East Lancashire initiative, which the company hope will encourage take up of their cycle to work scheme. Plus at Haydock a wild flower oasis has been created to encourage biodiversity and provide an area for the team to take a break and help maintain good mental health.

Chris Gibson concluded, “GGM are proactively investing in greener initiatives to minimise our carbon footprint and demonstrate to our customers, suppliers, employees and the local community that we care about the local environment.

“We’re proud of the progress that we have made so far and we will constantly strive to improve in every way we can”.

Club Car has agreed a long-term extension with St Andrews Links Trust.

St Andrews Links has received 48 new Club Cars for the operation of its seven public courses, which includes the world-famous Old Course, a 29-time Open Championship venue.

The fleet, delivered and serviced by local dealer Carryway, includes Tempo hire carts, Carryall utility vehicles and the Transporter series for taking golfers between the Links Clubhouse and the Old Course first tee.

The Tempo models are fitted with Visage, the company's fleet management connected car technology which monitors the condition of the fleet, maintains course boundaries and allows staff to communicate directly with the vehicles.

An official supplier of the European Tour and Ryder Cup, Club Car has been the official supplier of St Andrews Links since 2016.

Danny Campbell, St Andrews Links commercial director, said, “We pride ourselves on working with the very best suppliers and since appointing Club Car as official supplier to the Home of Golf in 2016, their commitment to providing the highest quality of vehicles and service support has ensured we can deliver enjoyable and memorable experiences for every golfer at the Links as well as our teams who use them on a daily basis.

“We look forward to building on our recent success with a long term extension of our relationship with Club Car which will enable us to maintain the impeccable standards of service for the thousands of golfers who visit the Home of Golf each year.”

Kevin Hart, Club Car’s sales director, Golf, EMEA said, “It has been a pleasure to provide a top-class service and develop a trusted relationship with St Andrews Links Trust over the last four years, and we are delighted that that connection will continue."

A BUSY SEPTEMBER
Plenty for the turf professional to consider

ROADMAP FOR RUGBY
Plan for grassroots

GEARING UP FOR WINTER WORKS
Planning should be in hand

TIME TO PLAN RENOVATIONS
Sward will be in need of some TLC

WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT THE WEATHER?!
Grassed areas looking stressed

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
Opportunities and challenges aplenty

BUSY TIMES FOR TURF PROFESSIONALS
Short turnaround between seasons

BUDGET STATEMENT
The bane of the turf professional's life

NICE TO BE BUSY AGAIN
Getting out and about

CRICKET IS BACK!
Refreshing to see

LITTER LOUTS
What can be done?

INVESTING IN OUR FACILITIES
Vitally important right now

WEATHER STIMULATING PATHOGENS
Prevalence of turf diseases

TIMES ARE CHANGING
True value of parks highlighted

GREEN IS THE COLOUR
Much needed rain

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED
We're entering a new phase

A GRADUAL RECOVERY
Impressive response from our sports turf industry

FIRST STEPS TO NORMALITY
Golf courses reopen

MOVING ON TO THE NEXT PHASE
Of the pandemic

HOW ARE WE COPING?
After six weeks of lockdown

PARKS AND OPEN SPACES TO THE RESCUE
During the Covid-19 crisis

KEEPING OUR RESOLVE
During the lockdown

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB
As best and as safely as we can

TIME TO REFLECT
Our pace of life has changed dramatically

TESTING TIMES AHEAD
Grasping the effects on our industry

UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
Covid-19's impact on our sector

SWITCHED ON TRADE DAY
Makita launch 30 new products

WHO SAID WE ONLY CUT GRASS?!
It takes years to acquire all the turf professional skills

TIME MARCHES ON
New month to hopefully bring much needed sunshine and drying winds

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY
Come again another day!

THE PLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE
What can we do to help?

SPRING HAS SPRUNG
Essential renovations

CELEBRATING 2020
Amenity Forum making plans

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

TIME TO GET FIT
Our industry can help tackle the growing obesity crisis

WINTER WORKS AND SHOWS
Plenty to occupy in January

LOOKING AHEAD
What might 2020 hold in store?

View all of 2019's blogs here

View all of 2018's blogs here

ON TEST
EGO STX3800 strimmer with RTX2300 Rotocut head

A SECTOR FACING IMPORTANT TIMES
Review of the National Action Plan

PARKS MATTER
The role of public parks in the recovery: a discussion paper

A UNIQUE SPORTING VENUE
Wormsley private estate

A BTME OUTDOORS?
A good bet for the industry

PARKS NEED APPROPRIATE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
Q&A with Philippa Reece, Parks and Foreshore Manager at Adur and Worthing Council

CRICKET LOAM
What does it mean?

A HERCULEAN EFFORT TO GET PARKS BACK TO NORMAL
Q&A with Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council’s parks and ground manager

ON TEST
STIHL battery products

TURFGRASS STRESS MANAGEMENT
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidants during biotic and abiotic stress in turfgrass plants

AUTUMN DISEASE MANAGEMENT
The coming months are going to prove very difficult

THE ABUSE OF PARKS . .
Is the abuse of society

WHY PARKS MATTER?
A statement from the Parks Management Forum to the Prime Minister

THE 21st CENTURY PARKS MANAGER
Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial

EAT, SLEEP, CUT, REPEAT!
Cricket under covid

TIME FOR A SINGLE SHOW?
Debate brought back into focus

A CHALLENGING TWO MONTHS
Running golf design projects from home

PRESSURE SITUATION
Cementing the reputation

A CLUB TO BE PROUD OF
10 years at the helm of Olton GC

GAME CHANGERS IN TURFCARE
The day the Lord's outfield reconstruction proved its worth

THE ESSENCE OF ESSENTIAL
Finding a sensible way forward on defining "essential maintenance"

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
2001

HOW TO LOOK AFTER A GOLF COURSE WITH NO GOLFERS
Fundamental to the survival of almost all courses, if not of the game itself

RAIN STOPPED PLAY WOULD BE WELCOME
. . along with ‘lunch is being taken early’

PHYSICAL CONTROL OF TURFGRASS PESTS
An urgent problem

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL
Opportunity to embrace new methods

ENVILLE ON THE UP
Major investments taking place

GREEN FLAG AWARDS 2019
A great success

U.S PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT SHOW EXCELS
Buoyant GIE+EXPO

LEGACY OF THE SOLHEIM CUP
At Gleneagles

A DAY OUT WITH THE LADIES
Behind the scenes at the Solheim Cup

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY'S EDIBLE GARDEN SUCCESS
2006 - present

HAIL THE GRASS MASTERS!
Boorish media comments about pitch quality are wide of the mark

CONTRACTOR SEES MULTI-DISCIPLINE SUCCESS
360 Ground Care serving professional facilities

BUSY TIMES
Judging the Green Flag Awards

TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
What does it all mean in managing turf surfaces?

UNDER PRESSURE
Dry weather conditions continue to keep turf managers focused on moisture management

EDDIE SEAWARD
Death of Wimbledon’s influential grounds manager

MAJOR NEW IRRIGATION PROJECT
At Top 100 classic Berkhamsted Golf Club

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE HATTERS
Investment paying off at Kenilworth Road

ELIZABETHAN RESTORATION
At Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

WHAT IS BIOPHILIA?
The vital impact of parks and green spaces on health and well-being

WORM CONTROL
Without carbendazim

THE TRUE COST OF PETROL
Battery-powered outdoor power tools are now turning the heads of professionals

SANDS OF TIME
Sand-based pitches are now the norm in professional sports

WHY DO WE DO THE RIGHT THING?
We must maintain industry standards

CHASING GRASS PERFECTION?
11 things you need to know . . .

MAINTAINING STANDARDS
Q&A with BASIS ceo, Stephen Jacobs

STRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
Hosted at research trial grounds in Bingley

THE MECHANIC
Leicester City FC invest in new role

LORD'S 'GRASS-GUVNOR' TO RETIRE
Mick Hunt bows out after 49 years

HOLLOW CORING & DEEP SCARIFICATION
Is it really necessary?

There are over 27,000 urban greenspaces in the UK, with more than half the UK population regularly making use of them. The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited the wider debate over public and private greenspace, yet they remain an area underfunded and often in need of innovation and development.

A recent landmark report has been commissioned by Friends of the Earth. The report exposes how widespread green space deprivation is, how it is an issue of racial injustice as well as concern from a public health perspective, and what needs to be done to fix the problem. It also showcases great examples of community led initiatives.

Friends of the Earth has for the first time mapped the availability of green space for people living in communities across England. This has been achieved by bringing together data on public green space, garden space, and open access land such as mountain, moor, heath, down or common land, and combining it with neighbourhood population data, including information on ethnicity and income.

Their analysis reveals a marked disparity in access to green space and particularly a strong correlation between green space deprivation and ethnicity.

The stand-out finding is that if you are a person of black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) origin you are more than twice as likely as a white person to live in areas in England that are most deprived of green space. 42% of people of BAME backgrounds live in England’s most green space-deprived neighbourhoods, compared to 20% of white people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed existing inequalities, including those covered in the report. These have already been well documented, for example in the ground-breaking Marmot Review of health inequalities in England, and more recent work by The King’s Fund.

Shortly before the pandemic, Health Secretary Matt Hancock spoke about the need to address inequalities:

“Tackling this postcode inequality matters to this government. It’s what we mean when we talk about ‘levelling up’. The underlying factors are a complex interaction between demography and economy. But because healthcare inequalities are geographically concentrated, it means we can take a targeted approach.”

Friends of the Earth say they have produced this report to:

• Make the case for proper and sustained funding to raise both the quantity and quality of green space, especially in areas that lack it, so that the undoubted benefits flow to everyone.
• Provide data and evidence to empower the many local champions of green spaces across England.
• Influence the development and application of new green space standards by Natural England and others.
• Propose how protection and provision of green space would aid numerous central and local governmental aims, from health and community to land use and environment.
• Showcase examples of innovative approaches and good practice to illustrate the potential for action and to inspire change.

The report makes for eye-opening reading. I recommend visiting their main website to access and use the map they produced or download the full report (PDF) - which you can do here.