It certainly has been a challenging year for us all, with the weather affecting our growing season in many ways. In fact it's fair to say that all aspects of our industry have been affected in one way or another.

The prolonged dry spell has been compared to 1976, one of the hottest driest years on record. I remember that year well, I was working on Cocks Moors GC and spent the whole summer hand watering greens just to keep them alive. No doubt many golf courses have struggled to keep their course watered with irrigation systems running on maximum capacity.

Plenty of grassroots playing pitches will also have suffered, especially those with no watering facilities leaving them prone to the weather. Once soils become hydrophobic they repel water and when they are dried it can be difficult to re-wet them. Irrigation water will run off, evaporate and be wasted.

Hydrophobic conditions are often caused by a waxy coating on soil particles. The coating may form as a result of wax eroded from leaves, exudates from roots and fungi, decomposing organic matter and waste products from biological sources. A variety of wetting agents are available to overcome the problem. Without the aid of watering facilities, we are in the lap of the gods, waiting for some much-needed rainfall.

The net result of this ongoing dry weather has left us with many dried-out, bone-hard playing surfaces, with large areas of dead grass and a lot of weeds such as broad leaf plantains. Without doubt it will take time for these pitches to recover naturally. In most cases they will benefit from help in terms of undertaking some renovation work such as scarifying, deep aeration, weed killing and overseeding while soil and air temperatures remain favourable.

However, for many natural soil-based pitches, it is more about the lack of maintenance and understanding about the type of pitches you are managing. Understanding your soils and how to manage them will go a long way to producing a decent playing surface.

The benefits of a having uniform soil texture and good soil structure are:-

• High drainage rates
• Increased root development
• Surface able to withstand wear
• Positive air circulation – healthy microbial population
• Reduced incidence of disease
• Drier surface

Knowledge and understanding of soil physical properties has always been important for professional turf managers when making decisions about maintenance operations and when carrying out reconstruction works. Precise soil knowledge, including information on boundaries between soil types, should result in more efficient use of fertilisers, pesticides and improved management practices - thus ensuring that the final managed outputs result in the production of economically safe, consistent, playable natural sports turf surfaces.

Soils can vary in many ways, both physically and chemically on a local or regional scale. Many factors, including original parent material source, climate, weathering processes, topography or history of the land use influence their properties. This soil variability gives rise to all the different soil types universally classified by soil texture composition. Soil composition (soil texture) is determined predominantly by mineral particles and organic matter content and can be classified by the percentage of sand, silt and clay mineral particle content.

The strength and permeability of any soil is determined by its structure, soil type, drainage capacity and how well it is managed. Soils will perform differently, governed by the amount of water, root mass and air there is in the soil matrix.

Determining soil texture can help you learn about possible restrictions and advantages of the soil. Soil texture is related to weathering and the parent material. The three basic texture classes are sand, silt, and clay, though many soils are a combination of these textures.

In the UK we have at our disposal several organisations that can help us identify what soils we have. One of them is the UK Soil Observatory that provides a soil mapping service that helps identify the predominant parent material soil by geographical location. However, taking a number of localised soil samples from your pitches will easily identify your soil type. Once you have taken some soil samples and sent them off for analysis you will need to test for particle size and nutrient status.

Once you have determined your soil type based on the soil results of giving you a percentage of clay silt and sand using a soil textural triangle you can identify what type of soil you have and how best to manage and maintain it to sustain plant growth.

The finalists have been announced for this year’s prestigious Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards 2018.

This year, celebrating their 10th anniversary, the awards acknowledge the passion, dedication and challenges faced by grounds staff, volunteers and professionals across all levels of sport.

2017's IOG Award winners

“Once again we have enjoyed a bumper number of nominations for the awards, matching last year’s record-breaking entry,” says IOG chief executive, Geoff Webb. “The quality has really been exceptional - with the judges commenting that some of the applications have been the best they’ve seen in the awards’ history - and a host of new nominees have come to the fore, too.”

He continues: “We should applaud everyone who has reached the shortlist - and those who have been highly commended - in an annual event that attracts national and regional TV, radio, social media and press coverage, and acknowledges the efforts of our armies of grounds people who prepare playing surfaces at all levels of sport.”

Independent judging at each venue will now take place. The winners will be announced Oscar-style at the IOG Industry Awards dinner by host Mark Saggers from talkSPORT radio at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, on Wednesday 31 October - the evening of the opening day of the SALTEX exhibition at the nearby NEC.

The finalists are:

Toro Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year
Tom Bacon, Devonshire Park, Eastbourne; Matthew Skingle, Coventry City FC.

Rigby Taylor/Top Green Young Grounds Person of the Year
Dan Sparks, Bristol Bears (Ashton Gate Stadium); John Wright, Southampton FC.

AMS Volunteer Sports Grounds Team/Person of the Year
Crowborough RFC, East Sussex; David Lane, Oldswinford and Stourbridge Social Cricket Club (Norwood Road), West Midlands.

National Governing Bodies’ Community Sports Club Grounds Team/Person of the Year
Hanwell Town FC, Middlesex; Stanningley Sports & Amateur Rugby League Club, Leeds.
The National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs) award is co-sponsored by the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club), ECB (the England and Wales Cricket Board), The FA (Football Association), the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), the Premier League, the RFU (Rugby Football Union) and Sport England.

Public Sector Sports Ground Team of the Year
Gavin Jones Ltd (Aspire Defence, Project Allenby/Connaught), Surrey; Devonshire Park, Eastbourne.

Bowling Grounds Team/Person of the Year
Burleys (Crouch Bowling Club, East Sussex); Rolls-Royce Leisure Association, Derby.

SCH Supplies Best Managed Artificial Surface of the Year
Beversbrook Sports Facility, Swindon; Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow.

Ransomes Environmental and Ecology Strategy Award
Cardiff University; Forest Green Rovers FC, Gloucestershire.

National Governing Bodies’ Professional Multi-Sports Ground/Facility Team of the Year
Bath Recreation Ground; London Stadium 185; Manchester City FC.

Headland Amenity Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year
Fenner’s – Cambridge University; Warwickshire CCC, Edgbaston.

CubCadet INFINICUT Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team/Person of the Year
Devonshire Park, Eastbourne; Magdalen College School, Oxford.

John Deere Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year

Lingfield Park Racecourse, Surrey; Warwick Racecourse.

Professional Rugby Football League Grounds Team of the Year
Castleford Tigers, West Yorkshire; Leeds Rhinos (Leeds Rugby); Salford Red Devils.

Kubota Professional Rugby Football Union Grounds Team of the Year
Bristol Bears (Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol); Scottish RFU (BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh); Leicester Tigers; Yorkshire Carnegie (Leeds Rugby).

SISGrass Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year (English Leagues 1 & 2, National League, National League North/South, Scottish Championship & Leagues 1 & 2, Ireland & Wales Professional Leagues)
Rotherham United FC; Swindon Town FC.

SGL Professional Football Grounds Team or the Year (Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League)
Leicester City FC; Manchester City FC.

Redexim Charterhouse/Kubota University/College Grounds Team of the Year
Loughborough University; University of Leicester; University of St Andrews, Fife.

Growth Products Independent School Grounds Team of the Year
Abingdon School, Oxford; St Joseph’s College, Ipswich.

International Ambassador of the Year
Jonathan Calderwood, Paris Saint-Germain FC; Phil Fifield, iTurf Management.

The Ransomes/DLF Johnsons Alex R Millar Award - chosen from the outstanding winner across all award categories - and the Special Recognition and the GrassMaster Solutions Lifetime/Outstanding Achievement Awards will be announced on the night.

The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has launched a free-to-use web-based platform created by the Xact Group that aims to ensure golf club employers understand their roles and responsibilities towards health and safety with regard to golf course maintenance.

In 2017, the GTC’s Board of Directors commissioned a review of the highly-acclaimed Health and Safety Guidance Notes and the committee is pleased to announce the release of the updated guidelines.

The GTC first worked together with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 1994 to produce the first edition of the Health and Safety in Golf Course Management and Maintenance booklet. By 2000, the health and safety consultants to the GTC, Jon Allbutt and John Davies, were commissioned to review the materials, in line with the many changes in legislation that were happening at that time.

While much of the guidance and best practice was still relevant, the GTC felt it appropriate to review and update and refresh the look and accessibility of the guidance notes.

The GTC consulted with Chris Hammond, health and safety director at The Xact Group, to build on what has been produced before and help to design and implement a web-based platform. The Xact Group work with BIGGA, England Golf, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf in the build and support of their health and safety online systems and provision of additional onsite health and safety and human resources services to member clubs.

GTC Chairman Alistair Booth said, “The aim of the newly-published guidance notes has been to give anyone at a golf club, or associated with a golf club, an overview of their roles and responsibilities towards health and safety and best practice. They have been moved to a web-based platform, making them easier for everyone to access.

“With increasingly-complex machinery and other tools being used on golf courses, these guidelines are hugely important in ensuring all involved in the management of a golf club understand their specific responsibility in keeping staff and golfers safe. As such, if these new guidelines are followed correctly, they could save lives or at least reduce the risk of serious incidents taking place around the golf course environment.”

The web-based platform is packed full of information and guidance on all aspects of golf course management and maintenance, covering areas such as: roles and responsibilities; legislation; greenkeeping safety; events; clubhouse management; establishing a health and safety management system.

The new website can be accessed by visiting the GTC’s website and clicking on the Health & Safety link. Visitors who require further guidance, such as risk assessments and template documentation, can consult their relevant full guidance Health & Safety website, such as BIGGA, England Golf, Scottish Golf or Wales Golf.

The GTC Work Equipment - Record of Training and Competencies wallchart has been a feature in greenkeeping facilities for a number of years. The wallchart is used to aid with the recording of staff training and competence and will continue to be a useful tool. The wallchart can be purchased from the GTC shop online.

The County Pitch of the Year awards were first established in 2017 to recognise the importance of the quality of pitches for GAA sports, which include Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.

The awards were set up to encourage administrators, officials and groundstaff to produce high quality pitches and to acknowledge those who produce the best playing surfaces and the first year winners were Semple Stadium, Thurles in Tipperary.

Stuart Wilson (left) and Stephen Baker (right) during a pitch assessment visit

The awards for 2018 have recently been completed and were based on two main parts. The initial assessment of pitches was carried out by the referees officiating at each game during the National League from January to April 2018. Five key factors were assessed: grass cover, the condition of the goalmouths, line marking, pitch presentation and playability. The combined scores from the referees’ assessments were used to determine the six best pitches to be visited.

Dr Stephen Baker (Head of Sports Surface Technology, STRI) and Stuart Wilson (Grounds Manager, Croke Park, Dublin) carried out site visits. In a statement, they said "It is important to supplement the scores from the referees with a detailed technical assessment of the quality of each pitch, so the second phase of the work was a detailed assessment of the many factors that influence the quality of pitches. These included the construction of the pitch, the quality of the maintenance programme and the level of use of the pitch.

"Furthermore, to give an objective assessment of the quality of each individual pitch a rigorous system of scoring is needed so that the results can be as objective as possible. Accordingly, a scoring system was developed based on over thirty different factors influencing each pitch and this was combined with a weighting related to the importance of each factor."

Four main components were included in the pitch scoring system:

1. Referees’ marks. Based on average marks for senior games played in January to April.
2. Pitch quality assessment during the technical visit in June 2018. The visits were carried out by Dr Stephen Baker of the STRI and Stuart Wilson from Croke Park in Dublin. Factors that were assessed included ground cover, root development, pitch markings, presentation and various aspects of playing performance.
3. Environmental conditions and usage. The marks for environmental conditions were based on shade patterns and potential air movement both of which affect grass growth and recovery. Usage figures were based on the number of senior matches played in January to May and additional information for the number of games and training sessions this year to the time of the visit.
4. Resources and management assessment. This was based on a range of different components with allowance for the resources available, the management programme, the condition of maintenance equipment and the quality of the pitch records. As summer 2018 had been particularly dry, the response of the staff to the drought conditions was also assessed taking account of the pitch profile and the watering resources that were available.

AWARDS

Based on the scores from the referees and the site visits, the results for 2018 were as follows:

Winners: Kilkenny – Nowlan Park

Nowlan Park, Kilkenny

Runners up: London – McGovern Park, South Ruislip

Highly commended:

Carlow – Netwatch Cullen Park
Roscommon – Dr Hyde Park
Tipperary – Semple Stadium, Thurles
Wexford – Innovate Wexford Park

Over 130 cricket groundsmen made their way to Cheltenham College for the second ever Dennis and SISIS’ Cricket Pitch Renovation Day, which featured a mix of thought provoking indoor presentations and outdoor practical demonstrations.

The event, which was supported by Boughton Loam, CricketWorld.com, Stuart Canvas, Limagrain UK, Lister Wilder, Poweroll and Headland Amenity began with an introduction from Robert Jack (Dennis and SISIS) and Eric Woodmason from Gloucestershire Cricket Board who gave a fascinating insight into his role as clubs and programmes officer for the north of the county.

Alex Vickers, turf consultant, was first up to discuss principles of decision making for autumn renovations & profile reading. Alex proceeded to offer some great renovation tips which was supported by visual slides and in particular he urged all attendees to plan ahead and avoid guess work. He advocates that gathering evidence prior to forming renovation decisions was key and advised groundsmen to understand the importance of what is happening beneath the square rather than focussing just on the top.

As a leading contractor, Keith Exton of Perfect Pitches UK, was perfectly placed to deliver his seminar on end of season renovations - a contractor’s overview. Keith was keen to emphasise just how integral timing is to cricket pitch preparation and warned the audience not to overlook the significance of measuring moisture content.

Both Keith and Alex went on further to discuss various renovation techniques such as aeration, top-dressing, seeding and applying loam, and both were also unanimous in the importance of taking core soil samples.

Following the presentations, delegates were introduced to the Soil Core Clinic. In this feature Keith was joined by Ian Smith (St Albans School Turf Consultant) as they proceeded to examine a number of soil profiles which were brought to the event by delegates. The samples were projected onto the big screen and Keith and Ian discussed how each could potentially be improved.

A complimentary lunch signalled the halfway point before delegates made their way outside for the outdoor practical demonstrations which took place on two squares and the cricket outfield.

The three workshops focused on a variety of techniques that would be beneficial for cricket groundsmen and saw an impressive fleet of machinery carrying out tasks such as aeration, seeding, brushing, top dressing and scarifying.

Adam King, head of grounds at Radley College, brought other members of staff along with him and found the day extremely worthwhile. “I’ve brought along five lads with me today and we’ve been treated to some great indoor talks and outdoor demonstrations. Generally, I find these days useful in respect of networking but it’s also a nice release for my members of staff who have been incredibly busy for the last six months on the cricket squares. It has given them the day off; they have been able to watch the machines in action, learn something new and they will absolutely take something away.”

Echoing Adam’s thoughts was Gordon Gill, contractor and head groundsman at Bath Cricket Club, who felt it was refreshing for his members of staff to gain a greater insight into the industry.

“I’ve come along to introduce my two staff members to the networking that goes on, plus they can see the machinery first hand, they can speak to other people in the trade first hand, and suddenly they find they are not alone anymore. It’s been a great exercise for them.”

Eric Woodmason rounded off the day by suggesting that events like these are not just beneficial to the groundsmen but also claimed that they have a positive impact on the sport of cricket. “My main desire out of this is that club groundsmen gain experience and knowledge of what they need to do on their grounds and hopefully that their grounds will improve as a result. This in turn, will get more people wanting to play cricket because if there is a good ground to play on, cricket becomes even more enjoyable.”

The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has welcomed British Sugar TOPSOIL as the association’s latest Education Supporter.

A division of British Sugar PLC, the company is the UK’s largest supplier of topsoil to the landscape and amenity industries. In becoming an Education Supporter, British Sugar TOPSOIL will aid BIGGA in its aim to improve the continuing professional development and educational opportunities available to each of the association’s almost 6,000 members.

Andy Spetch of British Sugar TOPSOIL

British Sugar TOPSOIL’s national manager, Andy Spetch, said, “Over the 20-plus years I’ve been involved in the topsoil industry I’ve made a conscious effort to support industry associations and their members.

“British Sugar TOPSOIL has attended BTME for many years and by becoming an education supporter, we are able to formalise our relationship with BIGGA and provide more learning and development opportunities for all of the association’s members.

“As a company we are really keen to help develop the next generation of greenkeepers and have in the past offered bursaries to support training and further education. I hope that we’ll be able to do more schemes like this as we seek to become more established within the golf industry.”

BIGGA Business Development Manager Lauren Frazer said, “British Sugar TOPSOIL clearly shares BIGGA’s commitment to raising standards and providing educational opportunities across the industry and so we’re delighted Andy and his team has come onboard as a BIGGA Education Supporter. We look forward to working closely with the team in future.”

The Toro Co has announced that earnings for its third quarter have advanced from their position last year.

The company's earnings came in at $79.01 million, or $0.73 per share. This compares with $68.40 million, or $0.61 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.66 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters.

The company's revenue for the quarter rose 4.4% to $655.82 million from $627.94 million last year.

Richard M. Olson, Toro’s chairman and chief executive officer said in a statement, "As anticipated, we saw strong demand for our walk power and zero-turn mowers as our residential business rebounded nicely after the slow start to spring."

He continued, "The success of new products also helped bolster sales in our landscape contractor businesses, which drove professional segment revenue growth for the quarter. New products like the Exmark Radius, the Toro TITAN HD and the new diesel-powered zero-turn mowers in our landscape contractor businesses, have been well received by customers.

"Looking ahead, both our BOSS Snowplow and residential snow businesses have strong orders in hand and are well positioned for the coming season."

Golf courses can now sign up to join the Syngenta Operation Pollinator initiative quickly and easily, with an instant online form.

Over 100 golf courses across the UK have already joined Operation Pollinator - which Syngenta says helps to demonstrate the positive actions of the greenkeeping community, and their clubs, to make courses more attractive to pollinators and players alike.

Paul Worster, Minchinhampton GC Course Manager is a strong advocate and champion of the Operation Pollinator initiative

The initiative encourages the use of rough and out-of-play areas of the course to create habitats attractive for pollinators and other biodiversity and establishing important ecological assets.

Glenn Kirby, Syngenta Turf Technical Manager, enthused that it’s a fantastic good news story that, collectively, creates a powerful message to shout about the good golf courses do for the environment.

“Operation Pollinator recognises that every course and situation is different. It provides tips and guidance to help, where it's applicable to your course and situation; but there is no prescriptive management practices.”

He highlighted that most courses are already undertaking practices that meets Operation Pollinator objectives. “It simply asks that you manage rough and out of play areas in a way that encourages wildflower food resources and habitat for pollinators to breed and overwinter,” Glenn added.

By joining Operation Pollinator there are a wealth of resources to help communicate what you are doing - to players within the club and to the local community as a positive message of your activities.

It also have the chance to meet and share experiences with other like-minded greenkeepers and get tips for what works in similar situations.

Paul Worster, Golf Courses Manager, at Minchinhampton Golf Club in Gloucestershire, is a strong advocate and champion of the Operation Pollinator initiative.

“Operation Pollinator demonstrates to players, public and regulators that the golf industry is an outstanding beneficial environmental asset - and that it is voluntarily contributing a huge amount to the protection and enhancement of biodiversity across the UK.”

He urges greenkeepers to be proud of what they have already achieved, and how they can further enhance the ecological value of courses in the future.

Through Cupar based Double A Trading, Dundee City Council have taken delivery of a Reform hydrostatic, 4 wheel drive, 70hp H7X bank tractor.

FraserCrichton from the city council said, "We have had a Reform for fifteen years and it has proved to be a real workhorse across our grassed areas, including large areas of sloping terrain. Based on that performance we had no hesitation in adding the Metrac H7X model to our fleet."

Simon Richard, UK agent for the Reform range, adds, “The 4 cylinder H7X covers all eventualities for the amenity, utility, contractor and golf sectors. A range of optional implements, combined with Metrac’s light footprint and ‘crab-steer’ mode for working on sloping terrain at up to 45 degrees, give a multitude of work options from the one machine, while also addressing operator health and safety issues.”