When groundsmanship gets covered in the mainstream media it isn't often the actual people who've worked on the surface who receive the attention. Other than a few 'superstar' groundsman, it can be a fairly anonymous job.

In most cases it's just the fruits of the labour which get talked about. And indeed most coverage, unfortunately, is when things haven't gone according to plan. A muddy pitch, a stale wicket, greens too fast or too slow - you know the sort of thing.

Occasionally turf professionals will get singled out for producing a cracking surface which has added to the sporting drama. But to be honest that doesn't happen all too often. As has been said by wiser people than I, a good sporting surface, like a good referee or umpire, goes almost unnoticed, quietly aiding the occasion.

So monitoring the press this past week for stories of turf professionals making the news, as is my want, there was an unusually high number of guys thrust into the national spotlight. A couple it has to be said, for quite unfortunate reasons.

Firstly, the positive though. It was delightful to read that a self-employed groundsman had scooped £1m on the lottery! Especially nice when the quotes coming from the lucky chap were of how much he enjoyed his job, the friends he'd made doing it and how he'll carry on working. It truly warmed the cockles so to speak!

Next up, and not so positive, was the on-going saga of the sacked Hull groundsmen. These guys have done themselves well so far in their endeavours to gain publicity for themselves - even getting Tweets of support from the Labour leader. This week though, the publicity took a less positive turn.

The Superstadium Management Company (SMC) who sacked the two guys, have now gone public with their defence - which you can read in full via the Hull Daily Mail here.

The SMC says the determined media campaign by the two former groundsmen has forced the company to outline its defence in this public manner.

A statement in the paper said, “Since their dismissal, Mr Harrison and Mr Cook have sought to gather as much media attention as possible and in our view, provided an inaccurate and misleading portrayal of the facts that led to their dismissals. They have appeared on television, radio, social media and they have their own crowdfunding page.

“During this media campaign, they have named individual employees who work for the company and made a number of misrepresentations regarding them and their involvement in the process."

It's most unfortunate that events have come to this. A very public display of in-fighting and claim and counter-claim. And I suspect, we haven't seen the end of it yet.

Finally, and again making depressing reading, was the case of the sacked Derbyshire Country Cricket club groundsman who was convicted last week for carrying out a 'revenge attack' for his dismissal at his old club.

Again making the national press, the story involved Chris Hallam, 33, who pleaded guilty to criminal damage and was handed eight weeks in prison, suspended for a year. Magistrates also forced him to pay £3,000 in compensation.

The vandalism at the county’s headquarters included the slashing of the covers with a knife and pouring liquid into the fuel tank of one of the super-sopper machines.

The damage came after Hallam was dismissed and a matter of hours before Derbyshire’s NatWest Blast victory over Worcestershire Royals on August 18.

A sad story all round. And certainly not how we want to see groundsmanship represented in the media.

I suppose lamenting the lack of positive attention for the profession in the media is always going to be frustrating. And of course, the vast majority of turf professionals didn’t get into the industry to become famous. They are far more concerned with the satisfaction of a job well done rather than fortune and glory.

Well, the fortune part would be OK . . .

Following two days of stiff competition, Nick Machin and Angus Roberts were proclaimed as winners of the 2017 Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards last week.

A selection of the best student greenkeepers in the country descended upon BIGGA HQ at Aldwark Manor in York for the 29th Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards.


L-R: Craig Woodman, Angus Roberts, Nick Machin and Levi Pethick

Returning for its second year was the additional Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award, open to students up to the age of 20.

The winner of the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award 2017 is Nick Machin, 31, of Royal Cinque Ports.

Nick impressed the judging panel, comprised of representatives from BIGGA, Toro and Reesink Turfcare, due to his confidence and the depth of answer he was able to provide to the examination questions, despite such a short time in the industry.

Nick said: “I’m feeling absolutely unbelievable right now. To be honest I didn’t expect this, I just came here thinking I would give it my best shot and what would be, would be. So to end up winning, it is unbelievable.”

As part of his prize, Nick wins a seven-week scholarship at the University of Massachusetts in the USA, as well as a trip to the GCSAA’s Golf Industry Show in San Antonio and a trip to Toro’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

Angus, 19, of Roxburghe, was crowned winner of the second Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award. The judges said that for someone so new to the industry, Angus showed incredible depth of knowledge and a great passion for the industry.

Angus said: “I’m absolutely over the moon. I can’t quite believe it. Hopefully this is just a stepping stone as there’s so much going on, I’m really excited about what the future holds.”

As part of his prize, Angus wins a two-week work placement at the exclusive Vidauban Golf Club in France, as well as a trip to BTME in Harrogate.

BIGGA Head of Member Learning Stuart Green said: “Congratulations to Nick and Angus, who both showed incredible knowledge and passion for their chosen careers, which made them worthy winners of these prestigious awards.

“Today’s awards finals are the culmination of a huge amount of hard work, not just for the judging panel who have travelled the length of the country meeting many talented applicants, but also for those finalists have shown incredible dedication to get themselves to this stage.

“They should all be incredibly proud of their achievements, and through their efforts I am certain they will help elevate the greenkeeping industry to new levels of professionalism.”

The runner-up in the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award was Levi Pethick, of Stoneham.

The runner-up in the Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award was Craig Woodman, of Bramshaw.

David Cole, managing director of Reesink Turfcare and award judge, said: “Toro and Reesink are proud to sponsor these prestigious awards for the 29th year in support of the education and training of today’s greenkeepers, and would like to congratulate Nick and Angus, and all those who won through to the national finals, for their achievement.”

BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton said: “It is clear from the impressive roster of previous winners of the Toro Student Greenkeeper awards when I say that success in this competition can propel you to the very top of the profession. The award in itself isn’t what achieves this, rather to be crowned winner you have to show incredible dedication to your own education and development, and these are the attributes that open doors to the fantastic opportunities this unique career offers. The awards are recognition of this hard work and determination, and so I congratulate Nick, Angus and all the finalists and wish them the very best in their future careers.

“Our thanks once again go to Toro and Reesink Turfcare for their support in hosting these annual awards, which remain a real highlight of the greenkeeping calendar.”

Applications for the 30th anniversary of the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards will open in February 2018

After being selected as the official mower at the two most recent FIFA World Cup’s in South Africa and Brazil, Dennis Mowers will be the mower of choice for the 2018 tournament in Russia.

The Dennis G860 cylinder mower will have the task of preparing pitches when the 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks-off in June 2018. Almost all of the stadiums used throughout the tournament will have their pitches maintained by the G860 and that includes the venues selected for the latter stages of the tournament.



The stadiums hosting the quarter finals, the semi-finals and the final itself have been confirmed as the Luzhniki Stadium, Saint Petersburg Stadium, Kazan Arena, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Samara Arena and the Fist Stadium Sochi - and all of these pitches will be prepared by a Dennis G860, while some will also utilise the Dennis Premier in conjunction with the G860 for matchday preparation.

Last tournament, these final games attracted worldwide audiences of up to 3.2 billion people, and it is for this reason, among others, that the G860 has been selected, according to Steven Rienks, managing director of Queens Grass, who are the official Dennis dealer in Russia.

“Quite simply, the main stadiums chose the G860 because of the quality and the presentation it offers. They all want that perfect stripe which the G860 provides because they know it will be watched by a worldwide audience,” says Steven.

“For the past ten years Russian clubs have been using turf maintenance equipment from Dennis and 70% of the Russian Premier League teams have either a G860 or Dennis Premier mower. Many groundsmen over here know of their quality and their robustness - they know that they can use them for a diverse range of maintenance tasks without ever having any issues.

“In Russia, the weather is not ideal - for instance, in one area we only have around 60 days of sunlight over the course of a year, and the interchangeable cassette system really helps with maintenance procedures in a difficult climate.

“In my opinion I’m always delighted to supply Dennis equipment to our clients because it guarantees the quality our clients expect from us,” said Steven.

Nathan Scarff, Head Groundsman at Derby County FC, has revealed that a range of ICL products have helped him achieve his main target of hosting more games at Pride Park Stadium without compromising on the quality of the pitch.

Nathan is entering his third season with The Rams after a hugely successful start to his current role. He was crowned the Sky Bet Championship Groundsman of the Season for the 2015/16 campaign and was one of two Head Groundsmen who were highly commended last season.


Nathan Scarff, Head Groundsman at Derby County FC

However, with the pitch at the Pride Park Stadium in arguably the best condition it has ever been, Nathan and his team won’t be resting on their laurels.

“We are targeting getting more games in the stadium,” he says. “In my first year here we got an extra four games on and the following season we got an extra four games on top of that. This year we are hoping to get around six extra games without compromising on the quality of the playing surface.

“The new pitch construction, which was installed last season, combined with quality products, has enabled us to do just this, and I’m feeling confident for the upcoming season.”

Ever the perfectionist, when Nathan started his new role, he was determined to find a range of products that would be most beneficial to the pitch at Pride Park Stadium and there was only one way to find out.

“When I first started here we used four different fertilizer suppliers and monitored them based on the reaction of the plant, the longevity of the product, the value for money - in terms of the amount we needed to get the reaction and how much it was costing. We experimented for most of the year - which included trial boards in which we treated one area while leaving another un-treated, and we did half pitch treatments – we carried out a number of different trials. All of the results just led us down one road - ICL.”

After a season of rigorous testing, Nathan was ready to look ahead to a new season in which he would incorporate a range of ICL products into his turf maintenance programme.

“During the renovation period and immediately after seeding, I’ll use a tank-mix consisting of Qualibra and SeaMax – just to get the best possible germination and early establishment. Four weeks later we will verticut and overseed to get any little gaps that may have been missed, particularly in the areas where we struggle to get any sunlight, and then we’ll add another application of Qualibra and SeaMax,” he said.

ICL say the unique combination of SeaMax and Qualibra work together to give turf the best possible start. Qualibra - a wetting agent, creates ideal soil and turf rooting conditions to make better use of available moisture and irrigation. Particularly beneficial during the growing-in period, Qualibra achieves great results when applied to the seedbed to accelerate the germination and establishment of new seedlings. Complimenting Qualibra is Sportsmaster WSF SeaMax from ICL. Boasting over 75% of active seaweed content, SeaMax has been proven to significantly improve turf colour and quality.

Independent trials have revealed that SeaMax helps the plant produce longer roots, a greater root mass and improves the quality of growth.


Emma Kilby (ICL Technical Area Sales Manager) with Nathan

“Following the growing-in period, when we get to the four or five week stage, we start to apply a tank-mix consisting of Primo Maxx, Vitalnova Blade, Sportsmaster WSF soluble fertiliser and SeaMax,” says Nathan.

“We will continue to apply this mix every three weeks until October or November depending on how the weather goes for us. We then pick it up again in February or March and continue until the end of the season.

“Towards the end of last season I applied ProTurf 20.0.7 , which I had never used before, and I remember calling Emma Kilby (ICL Technical Area Sales Manager) asking why she hadn’t pushed me harder to use it! She had previously recommended it before but for some reason I didn’t go ahead.

"She always offers me superb advice and I guess it shows that she’s not a pushy salesperson but this product is the best fertilizer I have ever used. It was fantastic and the benefits of the Polyhalite with the calcium and the magnesium were amazing – especially on a pitch that is naturally going to leach those nutrients more quickly. The longevity we got out of it was excellent, the reaction was brilliant and the value for money was exceptional too.

“I had pretty much a full season to try and figure out the correct products to use on this pitch and I’m there now.

“For me, I’m not going to jump head first into a full-on programme on a basis that data from somewhere else is really good. It’s got to be my research, my trials and my data showed me that ICL is the way forward for us.”

Progreen, national suppliers of agrochemicals, fertilisers, seeds, application equipment and training, have recently confirmed they are expanding their fertiliser training program further to include the FACTS Certification (Turf) Course for Golf and Sports Turf starting in January 2018.

This course follows on from the success of other BASIS courses that they have run in the past including the BASIS Amenity Course (Invasive and Injurious Weeds).

Progreen say they felt it was important to continue to support the much needed demand for suitable Amenity qualifications courses.

Louise Boothman, Business Manager for Progreen said, "We are repeatedly told as an industry that the Amenity Sector needs to improve its perceived lack of professional education choices against other land based sectors such as Agriculture, but all too often courses are few and far between. The (BASIS) FACTS Course for Sports Turf sits naturally with Progreen not only as suppliers of fertilisers, but also because we feel that training and education within our industry is a priority at all levels and that we need to support this."

The Golf and Sports Turf fertiliser course is a professionally recognised qualification developed by BASIS and aimed at experienced advisors and producers of sports turf. It aims to develop understanding of the requirements of sports turf, the effects of fertilizers (organic and non-organic) as well as the environmental issues around turf nutrient planning.

Timings for the course have purposely been set in January and condensed into five days, broken up into two parts to allow those involved in the industry minimal impact at work. The FACTS Golf and Sports Turf Course is one of the many recognised qualifications that BASIS offers those in turf and other land-based professions and is just part of the range of City and Guilds - NPTC, LANTRA and bespoke continual professional development courses that Progreen can offer.

In 2005 Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, one of London’s top private members club in Richmond-on-Thames, completed an all-in machinery purchase with Toro, making the club’s shed 100 percent Toro red for the first time.


The Royal Mid-Surrey team, plus representatives from Toro and Reesink Turfcare, the UK distributor of Toro, were out in force to celebrate the club’s machinery replacement deal

2017 marks the club’s 125th anniversary and coinciding with that the club board was presented with a proposal to purchase 18 new turfcare machines by course manager, Gavin Kinsella, which they unanimously decided to action.

Gavin, who has been at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club for ten years and heads up a team of 16 greenkeepers who maintain the club’s two 18-hole courses, says: “We have an extensive fleet and place huge demands on each machine, so it’s important to have a regular replacement programme. We replace the machines based on their hours of work and general condition. It so happened that the purchase coincided with our 125th anniversary year, which brings with it a packed calendar with celebratory events planned for every month of the year, and in many cases multiple competitions in a month.”

With two 18-hole courses to tend, each offering two very different tests of golf, Gavin needs to know he can rely on the machines to give a true cut.

He says: “We have 18 USGA spec greens on the JH Taylor Course and a reputation as one of the best golfing experiences in London to uphold. Both the JH Taylor and Pam Barton courses offer fast true greens and that has been the case since the club opened in 1892.

"With so many years of golfing history to maintain it’s essential we can rely on the kit to get the job done.”

Kubota has further strengthened its UK dealer network with the appointment of Hunts Engineering Ltd as a Kubota tractor and groundcare machinery dealer for Shipston On Stour, as well as covering Coventry, Evesham and Stratford.


Hunts Engineering Ltd

Hunts Engineering Ltd will initially stock Kubota’s GR1600 II and GR1600ID range of ride-on mowers, as well as an RTV X900 utility vehicle and compact tractors. Although the working relationship is still very much in its infancy, Kubota say there is a great confidence that this new dealer partnership will grow the Kubota market share of all groundcare products across the region.

Peter Hunt, Managing Director at Hunts Engineering Ltd, started out as an agricultural engineer before establishing the business with Julie Hunt in 2007. Having been an agricultural engineer for so long, Hunts Engineering Ltd boasts a purpose built workshop with a team of engineers to ensure that servicing and parts are at the heart of the company.

Peter commented: “We are very excited to be working in partnership with such a prestigious company as Kubota. In addition to the great machines they manufacture, it was their commitment to aftersales care that we were really impressed with.

“Service and aftersales care is a big focal point for us and has been the driving force behind the success of our business. It’s great to be working with a company that shares these same values and I’m looking forward to what the future has in store.”

Adrian Langmead, Groundcare Business Development Manager, added: “Our dealer network is the lifeblood of our business and we are thrilled to be working alongside Hunts Engineering Ltd who share the same passion for excellent customer service as we do. I’m sure this is the beginning of what will become a very fruitful working relationship.”

Wentworth Club has taken delivery of a new fleet of custom-made Precedent i3 golf cars from Club Car.

The Precedent i3 golf cars, delivered to the iconic venue by official Club Car distributor Caddy Cars, feature bespoke designs, including premium leather seats, alloy wheels and bag covers on the back to ensure a unique customer experience.


L to R: Kevin Hart, Sales Director Golf for Club Car Europe, Middle East and Africa and Stephen Gibson, CEO at Wentworth Club

The vehicles are used by members across the venue’s three courses, the West, the East and the Edinburgh.

Stephen Gibson, CEO at Wentworth Club, said: “We pride ourselves on our ability to offer our members an unrivalled level of service, so it is critical that the companies we choose to work with can live up to our high expectations.

“The prestige of the Club Car brand, its European Tour heritage and the quality of its vehicles, as well as the high standard of customer service we receive from Philip and the team at Caddy Cars, ensure all of our specific requirements are met and enables us to deliver a world-class experience to the members.

“We have already received a number of positive comments from members on the ride quality and the comfort of the seats, so our decision to choose Club Car has most definitely been vindicated.”

In addition to the bespoke vehicle design, the Precedent i3 is also fully-integrated with Club Car’s interactive touch screen ‘connected’ technology, Visage, which is designed to provide a successful fleet monitoring tool, while also ensuring the ideal customer experience for the golfer.

Kenny MacKay, Director of Golf Courses & Grounds at Wentworth Club, commented: “Golfers playing at high end venues now expect golf cars to be interactive, to provide accurate shot and hole information and even message other members when out on the course. The Visage system from Club Car is the perfect solution.

“For the operations team, Visage means that we are now able to monitor where the vehicles are on the course and update action zones from the office with the click of a button. We are also able to tell when a member is about to finish their round, so one of the team can greet them as they come off the course, which just adds to the overall experience.”

Alongside the fleet of Precedent i3 golf cars, Club Car has also provided Wentworth Club with a number of utility vehicles, which are utilised by the course rangers.

Kevin Hart, Sales Director Golf for Club Car Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “Wentworth Club has staged some of the biggest tournaments and hosted many of the game’s greatest players, so it is a true honour for this iconic venue to have chosen Club Car as its golf car and utility vehicle supplier.”

The countdown to Europe’s largest annual turf management event has officially begun, marked by the opening of online visitor registration.



SALTEX 2017 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 1-2 November, and has already attracted over 250 exhibitors - a number that’s set to grow further in the weeks leading up to the event. Confirmed to return are a number of leading brand names spanning the whole turf management industry including manufacturers and suppliers of world-class products and services for the maintenance of pitches, grounds, landscaping, parks and estates.

SALTEX will also once again boast unique show features such as:

• Learning LIVE - an all-encompassing free-to-attend education programme offering grounds and open space practitioners across all disciplines, volunteer as well as professional, the chance to increase their CPD points.
• Outdoor demonstrations - providing an opportunity to see a number of products in action directly outside the SALTEX halls 6, 7 and 8.
• The SALTEX College Cup - a national student-led sports-turf challenge sponsored by Ransomes.
• Pathology & Soil Science LIVE - allowing visitors to look in detail at the symptoms of some common turfgrass fungal disease problems.
• The Young Groundsmen’s Conference, sponsored by Rigby Taylor and Top Green - an ideal opportunity for young people looking to advance their career in the groundscare industry
• Ask the Expert – free pitchcare advice from the IOG’s team of regional pitch advisors based on the IOG Hub
• The IOG Industry Awards - the UK’s biggest celebration in groundsmanship held on the evening of the first day (1 November) at the National Motorcycle Museum.
• NEW for 2017! The Job Clinic – the chance to receive one-to-one advice from industry expert Frank Newberry on how to progress your career, write a compelling CV and perform well in an interview situation.

Located in the centre of the UK, whether you are travelling from overseas or within the UK, the NEC is incredibly easy to get to by car, rail or air.

SALTEX 2017 is free to attend. To register your attendance and beat the queues visit www.iogsaltex.com

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook - www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX