I was sad to hear of the recent passing of Stephen Bernhard who died last week aged 79.

Stephen was a formidable personality, a mover and shaker, who worked tirelessly to take the amenity and sports turf industry forward in many ways. Not only did he build up Bernhard and Company to be a global institution for turf care, he changed and educated the way greenkeepers could improve the quality of their playing surfaces.

Stephen founded Bernhard and Company in the early 1980s and over several decades, guided the business from its roots in precision engineering and horticulture to become a world-renowned leader in turf technology. His philosophy, that success comes from continuous learning, collaboration, and a genuine care for the craft, continues to define how the company operates and serves its customers across the world.

Having met and interviewed Stephen on numerous occasions, I found him to be most knowledgeable and driven to increase the educational opportunities for people working in our diverse industry.

He achieved this in many ways. For more than 25 years, he was actively involved with the BIGGA Delegation, providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for British turf professionals to visit the USA’s GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, in the process mentoring and supporting countless individuals.

Stephen also established the Bernhard Academy in 2019, designed to provide outstanding opportunities for professional growth and knowledge sharing within the turf industry.

His achievements were recognised with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade 2008 - an honour he was immensely proud of. Most recently, at this year’s BTME, Stephen was also awarded BIGGA’s Outstanding Contribution Award, recognising his lifelong dedication to supporting the industry that he so much loved.

For me, while in his company, he always found a way to inspire you and change the way you could do things for the better. I remember fondly a week’s trip to Ireland that Stephen sanctioned, travelling in a truck with Steve Nixon to demonstrate the Bernhards Grinders at several golf courses.

I also remember talking to Stephen about the blazers he made his staff wear - such an iconic talking point. He was certainly one of our industry’s greats – and one of a few that have helped shape the professionalism of our sports turf and amenity industry.

I would certainly put him in the same league of other great stalwarts of our unique turf industry. For me, he is definitely up there with the likes of Harry Brind, Eddie Seaward, Mick Hunt, Walter Woods, and Professor Bill Adams to name a few.

As Steve Nixon said, "His legacy will continue for years to come, inspiring us to uphold the values he lived by every day.”