Australian Turfgrass Management Journal - Volume 27.4 by ASTMA

Four courses, one team

The National’s ‘team first’ mantra

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Published by the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA)

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The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies

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COVER STORY

WARREN TAKES GLENELG TO NEW HEIGHTS

Glenelg Golf Club’s Tim Warren (pictured inset, above) joined a rare group of golf course superintendents when he collected the ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award on the opening night of the 2025 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney. In doing so it added to his ASTMA Claude Crockford Sustainability and Environment Award from 2022, becoming just one of four in the association’s history to achieve the double. Such recognition has been borne out of a passion and commitment to turf management across more than 30 years in the industry, but especially over the past seven years in charge at Glenelg which he has helped steer through a significant transformation.

Cover: Glenelg Golf Club’s 13th green and (inset) South Australia’s ASTMA Award winners Peter Foreman, Tim Warren and Oliver Davis. Photos: Ben Blaess/Glenelg GC (main image), Brett Robinson (inset image).

Staying the course

Good things come to those who persevere – and also to those who have an exemplary work ethic and aren’t afraid to give things a red-hot crack. Take Tim Warren (CSTM), superintendent at Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide, as an example. I don’t think there was a more popular winner when his name was read out as recipient of the ASTMA’s longest running accolade – the Excellence in Golf Course Management Award – on the opening night of the recent Sydney conference. While the award was primarily in recognition of the wide-reaching works that he has helped navigate Glenelg through in recent years, it was also in some way recognition of Warren’s perseverance during what has been, at times, a challenging and unconventional career journey.

I can still clearly remember my first interaction with Warren. In fact, I still have the interview somewhere on tape (yes, tape). It was February 2009 and it was in the days immediately after the Black Saturday bushfires. His course, Horsham Golf Club in western Victoria, had just been razed to the ground. He recounted that fateful day in palpable detail and you could hear the emotion in his voice as he described setting foot back on course for the first time after being allowed through the emergency services cordon. For someone who has always taken great pride in what he does, it was a devastating blow. True to Warren’s worth ethic, he and his small crew rolled up their sleeves and with an industry rallying around them got back on their feet, albeit slowly.

Warren’s six year stint at Horsham had been preceded by similar hands-on superintendent roles at regional courses Penola, Millicent and Mt Gambier. After Horsham he would spend three years at the 36-hole Adelaide Shores before moving down to Links Lady Bay Resort on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Despite a promising start there, circumstances outside of his control forced him to move. All the while he had been applying for jobs at bigger ‘Group 1’ clubs, but despite getting interviews he never got ‘the’ call. Into his third decade in the industry, Warren was starting to wonder whether he would ever get that opportunity and readily admits at the time he was looking at possibly getting out of the industry altogether.

Contributors to Australian Turfgrass Management Journal

Volume 27.4 (July-August 2025): Adelaide Oval SMA; Craig Anthony (Spring Valley GC); Shane Baker (GCSAWA/Mosman Park GC); Kelly Barnes (Newspix); Robert Biddle (Avondale GC); Ben Blaess (Glenelg GC); Oliver Davis (Royal Adelaide GC); Peter Foreman (Adelaide Oval); John Forrest (Forrest and Forrest Horticultural Consultancy Services); Ben Gibson (The Toolbox Team); Monina Gilbey (Torgersen Gilbey); Ben Hall (The National GC); Marlon Johnston (The Australian GC); Adam Lamb (VGCSA); Ant Lewis (STA Victoria); Jonathan Marrett (People First Stadium); Chris Marsh (ex-UWA Sports Park); Solly Marshall (Kingston Heath GC); Mick McCombe (Maleny GC); John Neylan (SportEng); Jason Perkins (NZGCSA); Ben Tilley (Headland GC); Mark Unwin (ASTMA); USGA; Robert Vincekovic (Glenelg GC); Craig Walker (Devonport CC); Tim Walsh (Yarra Valley Grammar); Tim Warren (TMSA/Glenelg GC); Leigh Yanner (The National GC); Jenny Zadro (STA NSW/Turf NSW).

In what was something of a lifeline, Warren stepped back and took on an assistant role at The Grange in Adelaide under Rowan Daymond. It gave him an insight into how a Group 1 club operated and after just six months, in 2018, the Glenelg job became available. Invited for a first interview, the club told Warren to prepare a PowerPoint presentation. When he asked about the topic, their response was “You choose.”

Having done a number of interviews before and receiving plenty of feedback, Warren decided to change tack. Rather than talk about the course, he decided to tell them ‘his’ story – where he had come from, what he had achieved, his work ethic, the passion he has for turf management and, most importantly, his family – wife Kate, daughter Sophie and son James. Take it or leave it, this was him. The strategy worked because he was invited back for a second interview and in what was a hugely gratifying moment he finally got that call he had been wanting for so long. At last he could sink his teeth into managing a Group 1 club and set about enacting the vision he had presented to them.

And sink those teeth he has. Fast forward seven years into his tenure and Glenelg has gone from strength to strength, embarking on a Course Enhancement Plan which, much like Warren’s career, has also been carried out in a somewhat unconventional manner. Started in the COVID years, the project is now on the home stretch with the final tranche of works taking place to holes 1, 6 and 7. In addition to that, the club has made massive inroads in the biodiversity and sustainability space (as evidenced by their 2022 Claude Crockford Award), while Warren has also built a strong and positive team culture among his staff.

Our lead story this edition looks back on Warren’s many accomplishments at Glenelg which resulted in him becoming one of just four Australian superintendents to achieve the rare Excellence-Crockford Award double. That story kicks off a series of articles which highlight the latest batch of award recipients who were honoured at the National Turf Industry Awards, including dual Crockford recipients Robert Biddle and Mick McCombe. ATM reporter Nick Creely has done a brilliant job compiling in-depth profiles on Graduate of the Year winners Oliver Davis and Jonathan Marrett, and Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award recipient Peter Foreman from Adelaide Oval. He also delves into the unique set up at The National Golf Club, speaking with course manager Leigh Yanner about what winning the ASTMA Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award means for the 56-strong crew. Enjoy the read…

Brett Robinson, Editor

PHOTO: KELLY BARNES/NEWSPIX

PHOTO: ADELAIDE OVAL SMA

THINKING WITH MARK UNWIN, CEO

Sydney 2025 a success as focus now shifts to Melbourne 2026

June saw the Sydney Showground precinct host the 2025 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference, the first time in 24 years that the event had returned to Sydney. With over 1400 people attending and a sold-out trade exhibition, it was a great opportunity for turf managers from all parts of the industry and all parts of Australia to learn, connect and network. This year also saw an increased number of overseas delegates, with attendees from 18 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region making the journey, along with a large number of new exhibitors.

This year’s program had a significant agronomic focus, with international experts Dr Jim Kearns, Dr Chase Straw and Alan Fitzgerald leading a series of technical presentations supported by local turf managers and researchers. We thank all speakers who gave their time and insight and hope their presentations provided delegates with plenty of valuable information to take back with them.

The week kicked off in fine fashion with the crowning of this year’s winners at the National Turf Industry Awards, with some outstanding individual and team contributions recognised on the night. In a very strongly contested year of nominations, the winners were:

l ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award (sponsored by Envu): Tim Warren, Glenelg Golf Club (SA); l ASTMA Claude Crockford Sustainability and Environmental Award (sponsored by Syngenta): Mick McCombe, Maleny Golf Club (Qld) and Rob Biddle, Avondale Golf Club (NSW);

l ASTMA Excellence in Sportsfields & Grounds Management Award (sponsored by Toro): Peter Foreman, Adelaide Oval; l ASTMA Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award (sponsored by Repco Commercial): The National Golf Club, Vic; l ASTMA Golf Graduate of the Year (sponsored by Toro): Oliver Davis, Royal Adelaide Golf Club (SA); and l Sportsfields & Grounds Graduate of the Year (sponsored by Toro): Jonathan Marrett, People First Stadium (Qld).

The ASTMA thanks all those delegates who attended and trade companies who supported the event. With the conference returning to Melbourne in 2026 (Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, 22-25 June) work is already underway to develop the program and activities, which will be held in conjunction with Golf Management Australia.

EDUCATION, PROMOTION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Another two milestones were recently achieved by the ASTMA in relation to our

RTO operations. First, we now have over 100 students enrolled across the Certificate III in Sports Turf Management and Diploma of Sports Turf Management courses, a significant achievement in just two years of operation.

Furthermore, in July the ASTMA received approval to add the Certificate II in Sports Turf Management (AHC21019) to its scope of national qualifications offered. This is a significant step in future plans to support the industry, as it sets up the potential for clubs and facilities to offer pre-apprenticeship programs, Vocational Education and Training (VET) in schools and school-based apprenticeships to students in Years 10 and above looking to engage in sports turf management as a career.

Over the coming months, the ASTMA will be working through development of the Certificate II pre-apprenticeship program for schools and will be engaging each of the state associations and delivering information and support for rolling out the Certificate II program to clubs and facilities that may have local schools and students looking to undertake a VET program.

On the topic of training, pleasing progress has also been made with the association’s Accredited Pitch Curator Program. More than 250 curators have completed Level 1 training over the previous 12 months across several states. Over the course of the next two months, Level 1 training sessions are scheduled for delivery by state associations in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Details of these can be found on the ‘Events’ page of ASTMA website (www. astma.com.au). Further announcements on additional sessions will be updated in the next few weeks across these and other states.

At the State Association Presidents meeting held in Melbourne in May, the topic of industry promotion and attracting new talent into the industry featured heavily, with discussion around attending careers expos to increase awareness.

Following on from that, the ASTMA attended the Melbourne Career Expo held at the Melbourne Convention Centre to promote sports turf management as a career option for students and those seeking a career change. Among 150 exhibitors, the ASTMA teamed up with Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria, Landscape Victoria, Turf Victoria, Arboriculture Victoria and Landscape Architects as part of a ‘Green Industry Career Hub’. ASTMA Board member Troy Jordan (MOPT) also gave a presentation on sports turf management as a career option.

Expos such as this promote career opportunities from employment to education and training in trades, with several state associations indicating an interest in participating in similar events. As part of the May meeting discussion was had around the need to develop industry promotional materials that the states can use when attending these types of careers events. The ASTMA has begun developing some of these materials and will shortly be sending them to the state committees for review and feedback before finalising them.

Finally, the next area of focus for the ASTMA will be delivering the ever-popular Future Turf Managers Initiative (FTMI) in conjunction with Silver Partner Jacobsen. Applications for the 2025/2026 program are now open and will close in early September. This is an outstanding learning and development opportunity for emerging leadership talent right across the sports turf industry. I would encourage all members to find out more about the program and support the up and coming leaders in your team. FTMI application details can be found on the ASTMA website (www.astma.com.au) under the ‘Education’ tab. We look forward to announcing this year’s successful cohort.

The ASTMA attended the Melbourne Career Expo in July as part of a ‘Green Industry Career Hub’

on groundBest (in

Sydney)

ATM takes a pictorial look back at the 2025 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference which returned to Sydney for the first time in 24 years this June.

CULROSS CONQUERS CONCORD

Nudgee Golf Club superintendent Peter Culross created a slice of history in Sydney by becoming the first Queensland superintendent to win the ASTMA Golf Championship. Culross shot a five-over 77 on a superbly presented Concord Golf Club (superintendent Chris Howe) and also helped to anchor Queensland to the state teams title alongside Ben Tilley (Headland GC), Jason Bushell (Rowes Bay GC) and Mick McCombe (Maleny GC). Hagen Faith (Sky Stadium, NZ) won the stableford (39 points) and Thomas North (Royal Hobart GC) won the nett (75). Photos: 1. Concord GC; 2. Peter Culross; 3. Hagen Faith; 4. Tom North; 5. Queensland state team winners; 6. The Toro Red Jacket alumni welcome a new member. 7. Jorjia Hogg’s fairway metal; 8. Mark Findlay’s bunker blast; 9. Zac Wels winds up; 10. Stroke runner-up Brad Foster; 11. Callum Hitching redistributes sand in the 8th greenside bunker.

OVERSEAS AND LOCAL EXPERTS

Substantially bolstering the agronomic content of the Sydney conference were three international guests. The ASTMA was delighted to host North Carolina State University professor and extension specialist in plant pathology Dr Jim Kerns, Rehoboth Beach Country Club superintendent and GCSAA First Green program liaison Alan FitzGerald and Dr Chase Straw who is director of the Center for Sports Surface Research at Penn State University. They were joined by a host of local sports turf managers and experts who discussed everything from golf course redevelopments, stadium management, environmental initiatives, water quality and staff management. Photos: 1. Dr Chase Straw; 2. Dr Jim Kerns; 3. Dr Juliette Tobias-Webb; 4. Alan FitzGerald; 5. Mick McCombe; 6. Steven King (Sydney Showground).

INFORMATION AND INSPIRATION

Australian sports stars Ian Roberts, John Longmire, Harry Garside and Kath Koschel had delegates riveted with their Plenary session presentations which delved into lessons learned in both life and sport, dealing with setbacks and success and managing people and yourself. Koschel’s inspiring story of triumphing over adversity and the themes of resilience, gratitude and kindness was one of those ‘you had to be there’ moments and resonated with all in what was perhaps the highlight of the week. Photos: 1. Harry Garside; 2. John Longmire; 3. Kath Koschel; 4. Ian Roberts; 5. The Graduate of the Year cohort at the National Turf Industry Awards.

new heights Warren takes Glenelg to

Glenelg Golf Club’s Tim Warren joined a rare group of superintendents when he collected the ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award in June. In a career which has spanned 30 years, the past seven has seen him steer Glenelg through one of the most transformative phases in its history.

It was a popular and thoroughly deserved win. Tim Warren, course superintendent at Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide, beat home a strong field to collect this year’s ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award, sponsored by Gold Partner Envu, at the National Turf Industry Awards in Sydney. In doing so, the diehard Richmond Football Club tragic joined a rare club, becoming just the fourth superintendent in the association’s history to have won both the Excellence and Claude Crockford awards, the ASTMA’s two highest honours.

Starting his superintendent career at Penola Golf Club, about 40 clicks north of Mt Gambier in South Australia, over the past three decades Warren has quietly and unassumingly built a reputation as being one of the hardest working and passionate turf managers going around. Along the way he has held the reins at a number of regional golf clubs, where

his ‘have a crack’ mentality to all things turf, married with an unstinting work ethic (often to his detriment – just ask wife Kate), saw him leave his mark.

Up until 2018, however, there was still one thing missing on Warren’s resume – a ‘big’ metro club. After a number of interviews and getting knocked back, it would be Glenelg, one of Adelaide’s premier Group 1 clubs, who would put their faith in Warren to guide them through the next phase of their development. Now seven years into his tenure, Warren has certainly delivered his end of that bargain,

highlighted by overseeing a major four-year Course Enhancement Plan (CEP) which is now nearing completion.

In receiving the award, Warren pipped three excellent finalists in David Somerville (Bankstown GC, NSW), Graeme Andrews (Mt Tamborine GC, Qld) and Des Russell (Cottesloe GC, WA). Warren paid tribute to them before expressing his immense gratitude to those who have been with him on his journey, both across his career and in his recent years at Glenelg.

“First and foremost I’ve got to thank Glenelg Golf Club,” Warren told the more than 250 in attendance at the gala awards dinner. “I’m the fifth superintendent in 98 years to have the honour to be the custodian of this club and I appreciate it every day and it’s why I do the things I do.

“So many people have contributed to this, both past and current staff. Monina Gilbey, our former biodiversity manager, and assistant superintendent Graeme Davidson, who are no longer with us, played key roles early on and helped to set us up for the work we are doing.

“To my current team – husband and wife dynamic duo Adam Fry (assistant superintendent) and Susana Oliveira (senior assistant), (irrigation tech) Dan O’Sullivan, (senior course horticulturist) Ben Rolton, (course administration assistant) Lauren Searle and the whole crew – what we’ve done over the last four years since we started the CEP has been incredible and is a real testament to the quality of my team.

“The way the CEP came to being, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would contemplate doing it how we have done it,

Over the past four years Glenelg Golf Club has undertaken a comprehensive Course Enhancement Plan to modernise and future-proof the course (pictured left is the 13th). Superintendent Tim Warren (above) has played an instrumental part in its planning and delivery

but we had the attitude that we had to do it and do it this way. I have learnt so much off (co-architects) Neil Crafter and Ryan Van Der Veen. We have had some strong conversations at times but it has been such a great experience and the end result is there for everyone to see.

“And finally, to the people who have had to put up with me – Kate and the kids, Sophie and James. Their love, understanding and patience with me – they probably deserve this award more than I do. Their support has meant everything.”

IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES

Warren arrived at Glenelg in late autumn 2018 and as he will tell you he was more than ready. Finally having the opportunity to deliver the vision that he had presented to the Glenelg Board during his interview, he was looking forward to getting to work as soon as he rolled through the gates.

No sooner had he started, Warren quickly identified several key areas requiring attention. The most pressing issues included turf quality and overall playing surface standards, the sustainability and consistency of bunker maintenance practices and an aging and inefficient irrigation system. Included in that were some design elements which required refinement, while the course’s out-of-play areas lacked cohesion, aesthetic value and biodiversity.

From a turf conditioning perspective Warren set about evaluating the greens, looking at the extent of couchgrass encroachment, percentage of Poa annua and the suitability of the existing, older bentgrass variety. The couchgrass surfaces were also

PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON/ASTMA AND BEN BLAESS/GLENELG GC

assessed for Poa annua populations and the elevated levels of organic matter across all playing surfaces.

Addressing these issues required a holistic and long-term approach. To that end, Warren began a review of renovation practices knowing that a more strategic plan was necessary. Early in the process, he engaged University of Adelaide’s Dr. Peter Boutsalis to conduct herbicide resistance testing on a number of Poa annua populations across the course. This work resulted in a targeted control program being developed, which included multiple applications of glyphosate as a postemergent treatment.

While this approach initially caused some collateral turf loss, the early results were highly effective in significantly reducing the Poa population. Building on this, Warren also trialled the effectiveness of fraise mowing, with Glenelg becoming the first in South Australia to adopt it as a routine practice. Engaging local contractors Glenelg Turf Ace (David Rogers), one to three fairways each year were targeted to remove the Poa seed bank and further reduce resistant strains. This multifaceted strategy, combining pre- and post-emergent herbicide control, cultural practices and innovation has been central to improving turf quality across the course.

“It was an interesting first summer,” admits Warren with a knowing smile. “I have never been afraid to get in and have a crack and I’ve lived by that mantra right through my career. We put out a first application of glyphosate and then a combination of bad weather and a late application saw the back nine fairways go backwards quite badly. They had mite damage and were struggling to come out of dormancy from being hit with glyphosate.

“We had a member information night and I explained what had happened and how on the back of the testing we’d done we were trialling a few things because one day we were going to do a greens replacement program. If we were going to have new greens that were free of couch and Poa, we needed to address the Poa issues on the fairways. In order to do that we were going to have to crack a few eggs to make the omelette.

“We spent that summer doing a lot of returfing on fairways, but as a result we had no Poa. We barely had couch, but we didn’t have Poa! But it was a catalyst for introducing these programs where we could holistically renovate, topmake and dethatch heavily along with a rigorous pre-emergent program that we could overlap tightly and get back the Poa back to a percentage where it was no longer a massive issue.

“Yes, you make mistakes along the way, and we did, but if you look at best practitioners that we have in Australia, the one thing they have in common is they will back themselves in and have a go. And that’s what we did.”

Glenelg had historically followed an opportunistic renovation schedule which Warren also reviewed and restructured early into his tenure. Initially, the entire process was condensed into a two-and-a-half-day window. Warren instead devised a split schedule, conducting greens renovations and minor couch areas, tees and fairways work in September, followed by a full renovation of all couch areas in the first week of December.

More recently, over the past two years a full course shutdown for one week in late November has been instituted to allow for a more comprehensive renovation program across all surfaces. During this period, vertimowing, scarifying, coring (various tines) are carried out, along with fraise mowing and other cultural practices.

In regards to the greens, a ‘little and often’ philosophy has been embraced, utilising smaller hollow tine coring, more frequent but lighter dusting and tailoring fertiliser applications based on climate modelling and growth potential analysis. The fertiliser strategy follows a clear principle to provide the turf only what it needs to balance recovery and maintain playability, especially considering the club’s high traffic volumes (since COVID, annual rounds have risen to 70,000).

LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS

With a greens replacement program in the pipeline, in his early months Warren established a bentgrass trial on one of the club’s practice greens. Seven varieties, including the existing Dominant Xtreme, were sown to evaluate their performance under Glenelg’s maintenance practices. Over a near two-year period, each variety was closely monitored, focusing primarily on organic matter accumulation, disease susceptibility and playability. Following this, it was determined that a 50/50 mix of Dominant Xtreme and Mackenzie would provide the best surface.

“You have to make right decision for your club,” explains Warren on their selection process. “A lot of clubs were putting in Pure Distinction at the time and I get it, it’s a great grass. We had it, along with 777, in our trial. We didn’t manage them any differently – we wanted them to fit in with what we knew we could do as a resource. So we carried out our regular dusting, fertility and spraying regimes. When we did our loss on ignition testing, those ultrafine varieties were a good couple of percent higher than anything else. They also had a lot of disease in them.

Glenelg’s new-look par three 11th. The CEP changes to date have been critically acclaimed by the golfing community

“Then it came back to the visual and how they performed. Dominant Xtreme has been the ‘go to’ mix in South Australia for a long time and it did present really well in the trial. But after talking with Gary Dempsey (formerly NSW GC), we also threw in some Mackenzie as a blend. I didn’t mind the fact that we might get a bit of segregation and have that motley look. So that’s the way we went and we are really happy with the blend and the way it handles our conditions.”

With a new blend determined, a 1600m² nursery was established which was later followed by a second similar sized nursery, ensuring there was sufficient turf available to support a full greens replacement when the time came. A 2500m² nursery was also established off site at Bormann Turf at Langhorne Creek, an hour south of Adelaide.

At the time Warren joined Glenelg, the club had well progressed plans to begin reconstruction of the club’s 5th hole. However, after reviewing that, Warren recommended that the club put it on hold. Funds were instead redirected into another area which Warren deemed a much more pressing priority – a new irrigation system.

Those funds were reallocated towards an irrigation installation trial on the practice fairway in collaboration with Rain Bird. It was

BY THE NUMBERS: GGC CEP

l 15 holes completed (last three – 1, 6 and 7 – to be completed by Dec 2025)

l $3.65m project spend (to date). Total budget of $4.3m

l 16,606 in-house labour hours

l 8710m2 of bentgrass laid

l 51 revetted bunkers rebuilt

l Over 16kms of pipe installed

l 650 Rain Bird 700 Series rotors installed

l 309 Rain Bird 5000 Series rotors installed

l 43,703m2 of maxi-roll turf laid

l Over 2kms of Geohex paths constructed

l 5500 plants in ground over five years

Note: Figures shown are up until the commencement of the last phase of works

negotiated with them that they would cover the cost of their IC system plus the design, with the installation carried out in-house by Glenelg staff. The trial period spanned two years and ensured that once the club did eventually pull the trigger on the CEP it had a proven irrigation replacement strategy ready to implement.

Key to that was also having the staff able to complete the work. To facilitate that, experienced greenkeeper Dan O’Sullivan, who expressed an interest in leading the

project, undertook a Certificate III in Irrigation Technology. Paid for by the club, the course equipped O’Sullivan with the skillset required to lead the irrigation system upgrade.

Another key focus area Warren addressed was management of the club’s 93 bunkers. The club had a strong preference for maintaining its traditional revetted bunker style, however, the use of natural turf sod for revetting posed durability challenges, typically lasting only four to five years.

To address this, Warren initiated a trial of synthetic turf tiles sourced from a decommissioned hockey pitch in Melbourne, repurposing it to build trial bunkers in the club’s practice area. The results were impressive, offering a more durable and consistent revetted edge with a natural look, with an expected lifespan of around 20 years.

CEP GREEN LIGHT

For many years, Glenelg had a CEP in documentation but there was uncertainty around how it would be staged, what turf varieties would be used and what upgrades would be made to course infrastructure. In the years leading up to COVID, those unknowns had been proactively addressed with the significant amount of groundwork that Warren and his team had done. With those solutions

LEADERSHIP, ENGAGEMENT AND DRIVING TEAM CULTURE AT GLENELG

Avital part of Glenelg Golf Club’s ongoing successes has been open and consistent communication with members. This includes regular ‘From the Super’s Desk’ updates, in which superintendent Tim Warren provides insights into course management, project progress and seasonal priorities. Just as important is getting out on the course and playing golf with the members in their respective competitions, which provides an opportunity to connect, listen and engage with different groups.

The club uses its social media platforms as a powerful tool to promote not only turf and environmental initiatives, but to recognise the incredible contributions of its volunteers, celebrate staff achievements and provide a behind-the-scenes view of operations. These efforts have helped build a stronger sense of community and shared pride in the course.

Beyond the club, Warren is committed to sharing knowledge and contributing to the broader industry. This includes him regularly presenting at conferences and state meetings, as well as appearing on a range of podcasts to help spread awareness of the work being done out on the course.

Importantly, Warren has been passionate about the encouragement and inclusion of women in the industry. In recent years, the club has proudly had Monina Gilbey, Sophie Hamdorf, Sophie Warren, Susana Oliveira and Lauren Searle work with the course team at Glenelg, more than any other golf club in SA. Their presence has brought fresh energy, new perspectives and a positive shift in the dynamic of the team. It’s something that Warren and the club are incredibly proud of.

Fostering staff and team culture is central to Warren’s management with both external and internal sessions conducted to develop the team. Ben Gibson (The Toolbox Team) was engaged with the aim of assisting the team in setting standards and driving the culture they wanted. Further to this, there has been an encouragement of staff to drive the culture with one example being the ‘Friday Book Club’

(staff punting group) as well as the annual ‘Keepers Cup’ ground staff golf day where staff are taken off site to enjoy golf at a smaller country course.

One of the key examples of going above and beyond in his role has been the commitment to the off-site nursery project at Langhorne Creek. Since the beginning of the Course Enhancement Plan (CEP) over four years ago, Warren has consistently made the hour-long trip to Bormann Turf Farm along with members of staff – what has been affectionately dubbed Glenelg’s ‘Tour de Greenkeeping’ – to harvest, sow, inspect and maintain the bentgrass turf being used to turf the new greens.

With labour issues prevalent across the industry in recent times, Warren has also on several occasions found himself stepping into the role of mechanic when the club has had turnover of staff, coordinating repairs and ongoing machinery maintenance when needed, again proving he takes pride in being hands-on and responsive if challenges arise.

Tim’s support in the broader community extends to helping smaller rural golf clubs. Being a former regional superintendent himself, Warren is always looking for ways

to assist smaller clubs with less resources available. An example of this was donating disused irrigation parts to Bordertown Golf Club, while turf from replaced greens has gone to Sandy Creek, Bordertown, Mawson Lakes, Mt Compass and Tanunda Pines golf clubs.

Since the formation of Turf Management South Australia (TMSA) a few years ago, which saw the SAGCSA and STA SA associations merge, Warren has played a key role and is currently serving as president. That role has been a meaningful way for Warren to give back to an industry that’s given him so much and enables him to not only support current industry professionals but also inspire the next generation of turf managers. One of the highlights has been working on potential career days for school students and the successful roll-out of Glenelg’s inaugural First Green Program events in August.

Facilitating events like Glenelg’s unique ‘Grazing the Course’ dinner have also stood out for Warren. This collaboration, that began with Gilbey’s vision, continues today and helps connect the community. By partnering with a member, a noted chef who specialises in native cuisine, the club has been able to show how golf courses can be hubs for sustainability, culture and local engagement.

Warren regularly updates members on course management activities, project progress and seasonal priorities – as well as the occasional

Staff culture and engagement has been a key focus for Warren during his tenure at Glenelg. Simple things like their annual golf day, where they play for ‘The Keepers Cup’ has helped to instil a sense of fun and enjoyment outside their everyday work

stunning photo

PHOTO: MONINA GILBEY

effectively in place, what the club needed was the green light and it was through a stroke of good fortune, ironically due to COVID, that a solution landed in their laps.

Course architect Ryan Van Der Veen has amassed an impressive resume over the years. Chicago-born, Van Der Veen began his time in golf course construction with respected US course architect Pete Dye as a shaper and construction manager, most notably working on the construction of Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. After his time with Dye, Van Der Veen joined Greg Norman Golf Design where he would spend 19 years as a senior design associate and principal shaper on many of their international projects. In 2019 he went out on his own, setting up Van Der Veen Designs.

At the time of the global pandemic, Van Der Veen and his Australian wife were travelling around Australia. When they got to Adelaide, borders all over the country started closing, effectively trapping them in South Australia.

Van Der Veen initially picked up a bit of work with The Grange, but Glenelg saw a prime opportunity to secure his talent and skills and bring him on board.

Van Der Veen, together with long-time club architect Neil Crafter, Glenelg life member and SA golf icon Bob Tuohy and Warren, forensically reviewed the previous iteration of the CEP and came up with a vastly different concept design. As Warren admits there were some robust discussions around what the eventual plan would look like, but a design was eventually agreed to and Van Der Veen was officially employed by the club as co-architect and project manager.

“We were so fortunate to get Ryan,” says Warren. “The skill set that he has brought and what he has been able to do – and how quick he works and gets things done – he has been the backbone of the whole process. I have learnt so much off him during this time and while we’ve had some strong discussions at

times, his work speaks for itself. I’ve now got to make sure we do that work justice and get some decent turf surfaces.”

The CEP works kicked off in late 2021, with the 18th hole completed first. From there, over the next few years, Warren and his team would systematically work on one hole at a time with the aim of completing four a year, all while maintaining the remainder of the course for members. O’Sullivan was in charge of the irrigation installation, while former Scottish assistant Graeme Davidson played a key role in teaching the crew how to reconstruct the revetted bunkers prior to departing in 2023.

The hole-by-hole approach continued until the winter of 2024 when the club decided to ramp up the project and complete multiple holes simultaneously. That started with holes 15-17, before holes 8 and 9 were worked on in the early part of this year. The last tranche of works got underway in July on holes 1, 6 and 7, with the aiming to have those opened by the start of summer. Once that final phase is completed, the focus will then shift to upgrading the club’s practice facilities, although planning is still in the early stages.

The final phase of the Glenelg CEP began in July withholes 1, 6 and 7 the last to be worked on. Pictured is the newly-turfed 7th green (left) and revetting works on the greenside bunker

MASSIVE ACHIEVEMENT

While Warren admits that staggering the works like they have was probably an unconventional way of doing things, the work that that has been completed has been critically acclaimed by both members and the outside golfing community. Glenelg now enjoys an Australian Golf Digest ranking of 32, its highest ever ranking, with conditioning its highest-ranking criterion. The top 100 flags, which Digest gives

out as part of the rankings, hang framed inside the Glenelg lunchroom as a reminder to the staff of what they have achieved.

“It’s probably the complete opposite to the way you should do things, but because of our circumstances we made the decision to do it in house and do it hole by hole,” explains Warren. “It has been a hard slog at times – for myself, the staff and the members – but I’ve always had the attitude – if there’s a problem

in front of us, we’ll get stuck in and have a crack and do whatever it takes. Maybe we went into it a bit naïve at the start with how much was going to be involved, but overall I think it has been a wonderful opportunity for the staff to develop their skills. We are on the home stretch now and it will be a massive achievement for the crew once it is all finished.

“There have been so many proud moments throughout the project. I think the biggest thing for me is how we have been able to pull it all together on the budget that we are working with ($4.3 million). The fact that we have been able to keep the remaining holes in play and to the standard that members expect has also been very satisfying.

“Combined with all the work we have done with our agronomic practices – renovations, spraying – I believe our turf surfaces are now in a good place. I’m really looking forward to construction finishing and knowing that we will be able to focus on that detailed conditioning in order to take them to the next level.”

Editor’s Note: ATM wishes to thank Glenelg Golf Club general manger Robert Vincekovic for his assistance with this article.

GLENELG’S EYE ON IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY OUTCOMES

Through Tim Warren’s leadership and with the help of some key personnel along the journey, Glenelg Golf Club has prioritised community engagement and knowledge sharing, using its social media platforms to promote environmental initiatives and connect with golf and turf industry.

Through a grant from Green Adelaide (Land Management Board), Glenelg has partnered with other Group 1 clubs within Adelaide to establish a biodiversity connectivity project, which enhances environmental outcomes and fosters collaboration between the four clubs.

The approach to chemical use has shifted to a more holistic and targeted strategy. Rather than relying on broadacre spraying, an adoption of increased spot treatment and manual techniques, such as dabbing wintergrass across the couchgrass surfaces and new bentgrass greens along with spot spraying of rough areas to preserve indigenous plantings. While these methods are more labour-intensive, it has allowed Glenelg to significantly reduce overall chemical usage, aligning with its long-term sustainability goals and environmental values.

In alignment with the commitment to sustainability and modern technology, Warren has also made significant advancements in Glenelg’s equipment replacement strategy through a partnership with John Deere. The club has prioritised its approach to the transition to electric-powered machinery and lithium battery technology. The longer-term aim

is to reduce the club’s carbon footprint and operating noise while supporting a cleaner, more efficient maintenance fleet.

A major step forward has been the introduction of GPS-guided spray units. This technology has already had a noticeable impact on chemical use, particularly on tees, greens and surrounds. By adopting GPS spraying, Warren is aiming to achieve annual chemical savings of 25-30 percent in the application of inputs, thanks to more precise

application, reduced overlap and better tracking. Looking ahead, there are plans to expand this capability across the fairways, with the goal of acquiring an additional GPS unit to manage those areas.

WATER FOCUS

The next critical phase for Glenelg will be focused on water supply and management. Work is already well underway in to connect to recycled Class A water via the GlenelgAdelaide Parklands system, which conveniently runs right past the club’s front entrance. Warren is also is working closely with SA Water to potentially gain access to potable water for use in a shandy mix, which will significantly enhance the ability to manage water sustainably across the course.

In parallel, there has been an implementation of staged upgrades to the Aquifer Storage and Recovery system (ASR) and its infrastructure, aligned with a comprehensive preventative maintenance plan. This long-term approach is critical for ensuring the reliability and efficiency of Glenelg’s irrigation supply.

The improvements to the irrigation system, and particularly the installation of the Rain Bird IC system has been substantial. Previously, close to $100,000 was spent annually on irrigation maintenance, including labour, parts and repairs. With the new system, that cost has become negligible. In fact, irrigationrelated maintenance has been reduced by 90 per cent with the club no longer having to service the old system.

Using new technology like GPS-guided spraying equipment and installation of a new irrigation system has resulted in extensive efficiency improvements and reduction in maintenance and product costs

PHOTO: BEN BLAESS/GLENELG GC

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claim Claude Avondale, Maleny

For the third time in its 30-year history, the ASTMA Claude Crockford Sustainability and Environmental Award was shared by two progressive superintendents and their clubs.

Sunshine Coast’s Maleny Golf Club and Sydney’s Avondale Golf Club were jointly bestowed the Australian golf course industry’s highest environmental accolade at the 2025 National Turf Industry Awards held in Sydney in June. In front of a large audience at a gala dinner held on the opening night of the Australian Sports Turf Management Conference, Maleny superintendent Mick McCombe (CSTM) and his Avondale counterpart Robert Biddle received the ASTMA Claude Crockford Sustainability and Environmental Award, sponsored by Platinum Partner Syngenta. It was the third time in the award’s 30-year history that dual winners were announced after also being shared in 2003 and 2005.

For McCombe, the recognition had extra significance. It was his second major ASTMA award after taking home the Excellence in

Golf Course Management Award in 2016. In doing so, he joined a rare group of fellow superintendents who have achieved the Crockford-Excellence double, including current ASTMA president and former boss Ben Tilley (Headland GC, Qld), David Warwick (formerly Avondale GC, NSW) and Tim Warren (Glenelg GC, SA), the latter of whom was also honoured in Sydney (see previous article)

“It really is an honour to receive this environmental award,” McCombe said after accepting the award from Syngenta’s Paul Jackson on the night. “It’s an honour for the club. We’re a small club and it’s super important to be sustainable and care for the environment in our particular area.

“I couldn’t achieve this without some good guidance. I’ve got some very qualified environmental experts in Dr Max Whitten and Dr Penny Edwards, and implementing these initiatives would not be possible without my greens director Rob Bailo. Rob does all the heavy lifting, as does my course team who are a very strong band of volunteers. They all work tirelessly on this vision and I’d like to thank Maleny for enabling me to act on my vision of sustainability and achieve our goals of environmental excellence.”

For Biddle and his team at Avondale, the 2025 award continues their leading environmental work sustained over a long period of time. This year’s award was the second time Avondale has claimed the Claude Crockford, an industry first, after previous superintendent David Warwick received it on behalf of the club at the 2004 national conference in Melbourne.

PHOTO: BRETT ROBINSON

“It’s an honour to win this award and it’s an honour to be up here and share it with Mick and his team,” said Biddle on the night. “I can’t do anything without the support of the club, committee, the board and my fantastic team. They are the ones doing all the hard work.”

REGIONAL RESOURCEFULNESS

For McCombe, winning the Claude Crockford has little to do with personal achievement. Instead it’s all about the club, the Maleny community and the land itself – a recognition that Maleny’s careful balance between sport and stewardship can be a model for the industry.

Located just 1.5km from the Maleny CBD in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, the 18-hole layout that has matured over the past decade is a wonderful blend of playability and natural beauty. To the south and east, the Obi Creek and riverine rainforest form a lush green border, while to the west and north, open fields and pockets of native bushland create an expansive rural feel.

Within the course boundaries lie two freshwater wetlands, vital habitats that are both scenic features and ecological assets. The Glasshouse Mountains frame the southern horizon, while rolling fairways weave through a carefully preserved landscape dotted with mature native ‘farm’ trees and new plantings of native species.

Since arriving as superintendent in 2014, before the first couchgrass green had even been stolonised (the front nine would open in 2015), McCombe has lived and breathed the Maleny story. From its inception, Maleny has

sought to integrate golf into the environment, not impose upon it, and helping to drive that ethos has been McCombe. His role has extended well beyond the typical demands of turf management and golf course maintenance and he has helped to shape policy, source grants, lead construction projects and embed sustainability into the club’s operational layers.

A key feature of Maleny’s environmental credentials is its involvement with the epar Connect 2.0 Audubon Certification Scheme. McCombe is a certified epar Connect administrator and, under his guidance, Maleny became one of the first six clubs in the world to implement the program. Epar Connect 2.0 goes beyond compliance, integrating environmental stewardship, safety systems and climate-positive practices into daily operations. The certification aligns Maleny with the principles of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program to ensure environmental management best practice at their facility.

SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION

Maleny’s environmental reputation rests on tangible achievements, with a raft of projects and initiatives undertaken over the years. Together with the support of management and the members, McCombe has been able to successfully deliver these projects, helping to elevate the club’s environmental credentials. The projects have included:

Endangered butterfly habitat program:

Working with Dr Max Whitten, McCombe initiated plantings of specific host plants to support several rare and endangered butterflies including the Richmond Birdwing, Ornate Ochre skipper and Regent skipper. A total of 250 plants (100 Aristolochia praevenosa vines, 100 Lomandra spicata shrubs and 50 Wilkiea macrophylla seedlings), funded by the members, were placed along the forest margins of holes 7, 13 and 14, with planting days fostering community involvement.

Since opening in 2015, Maleny Golf Club in the Sunshine Coast hinterland has sought to integrate golf into the environment, not impose upon it, with McCombe helping to drive that ethos across all areas of their operations

Opposite: Rob Biddle (Avondale GC, left) and Mick McCombe (Maleny GC, right) were announced as joint winners of the ASTMA Claude Crockford Sustainability and Environment Award at the June conference

Southern Wetland rehabilitation: Though technically outside the club’s lease area, the Southern Wetland has been a focal point for McCombe. He engaged stakeholders to commission a feasibility study and concept plan from environmental consultancy Water and Carbon, laying the groundwork for a longterm rehabilitation project that will benefit both the ecosystem and course aesthetics.

Nesting boxes for wildlife: The surrounding rainforest, largely planted in 2000, lacks mature tree hollows. McCombe initiated the installation of nesting boxes to provide critical shelter for birds, possums and other native fauna, enhancing biodiversity in the area.

Course construction: In 2023-24, McCombe delivered two complex construction projects –a 19th hole with double green, revetted bunker and dual fairway and a complete rebuild of the 1st green – and integrating both with the sensitive neighbouring Southern Wetland. Working largely in-house and with volunteers, both projects were completed within tight time frames and budget (approx. $60,000).

Winning the Crockford Award serves as a platform for Maleny to share its story that even a relatively small, volunteer-driven club can lead the way in the sustainability space

Recycling and resource reuse: McCombe’s sustainability mindset also extends to materials. Up to 4000 bottles and cans are recycled each month, along with cardboard, via the Containers for Change program. Old farm fence posts have been repurposed into new tee signage, while synthetic turf from old tennis courts has been used to revet bunkers.

Unique infrastructure: Two French-designed EcoFlo waterless toilets were installed on the 6th and 14th holes. Entirely off-grid, they reduce water consumption and environmental footprint. In addition, to address visibility hazards on blind tee shots, McCombe, together with Bailo and landwatch Inc, co-developed the Blind Shot™ system – a solar-powered motion camera with red light warning setup – with Maleny the first club in Australia to adopt the technology.

Fairway irrigation using recycled water: McCombe played a key role in securing a $163,500 government grant for a $230,000 fairway irrigation system using recycled water from the Maleny township. The project has improved turf coverage, reduced dust and enhanced nutrient cycling.

Path network upgrades: With over $130,000 in grant funding, a new all-weather concrete path network was designed and implemented, providing year-round golf cart access and minimising erosion during wet periods.

Integration with the landscape: One of McCombe’s enduring contributions has been ensuring the course design remains in harmony with its natural setting. Where possible native plants have been introduced to integrate with the surrounding native vegetation. Existing native ‘farm’ trees were preserved during course construction, while native grass gardens and hedges have been introduced to blend infrastructure into the landscape. Invasive weeds around wetlands have been controlled using specialised allterrain machinery (Ventrac).

Education and safety focus: From Maleny’s inception, McCombe has recognised that environmental stewardship thrives when the community is informed and involved. His initiatives include writing and speaking about the club’s sustainability journey in local media, hosting volunteer planting days and habitat

Recent projects at Maleny include a new 19th hole and a complete rebuild of the 1st green (pictured), integrating both with the sensitive neighbouring Southern Wetland

Recycling initiatives at Maleny include repurposing old farm fence posts into new tee signage (above) and using synthetic turf from old tennis courts for bunker revetting (top)

creation events. McCombe’s approachable style has helped win over sceptics, turning early doubts about golf’s environmental impact into active support from members and locals. Maintaining a spotless safety record for staff and volunteers has also been a high priority for McCombe, with no serious injuries during course construction, a testament to careful planning and training.

McCombe’s winning of the Crockford Award follows his Superintendents Environmental and Safety Excellence Award bestowed upon him by the GCSAQ at the Queensland Golf Industry Awards in late 2024. Such back-to-back honours reflect a sustained period of achievement and leadership on McCombe’s part, while for the club the recognition serves as a platform to share its story that even a relatively small, volunteer-driven club can lead the way in the sustainability space.

AVONDALE’S LIVING LABORATORY

Nestled in a secluded enclave of Sydney’s northern suburbs, Avondale Golf Club is a private 18-hole Group 1 course which is blessed with one of the most spectacular natural settings in the harbour city. Surrounded by native bushland, it provides vital habitat for a rich diversity of flora and fauna, one which the club has striven to protect and enhance for the best part of the past three decades

Paving the way in the early days was former superintendent of 25 years David Warwick and since his departure in 2021 Robert Biddle has taken up the baton and continued to advance Avondale’s environmental focus.

Central to Avondale’s success is its ‘Environmental Policy for the Course

Maintenance Department’, a guiding document that shapes every operational decision. While many golf clubs have sustainability statements, Avondale’s policy is a working blueprint that actively drives change. The policy commits the course team to:

l Compliance with all environmental legislation while striving to exceed minimum standards;

l Sustainable land and water management practices, including the use of monitoring systems to inform maintenance decisions;

l Habitat protection and biodiversity enhancement, with programs to preserve and expand native vegetation;

l Responsible chemical management, including reduction strategies, safe storage and application protocols; and

l Member and community education, using signage, events and reports to build awareness of environmental projects.

Perhaps the clearest demonstration of Avondale’s environmental credentials is its certification under the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. This international recognition is awarded to courses that meet rigorous standards across a number of key areas – wildlife and habitat management, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, water quality management, environmental planning and outreach and education.

Avondale is the only golf course in New South Wales to hold Audubon certification and in 2024 Biddle led the club through a successful recertification audit, exceeding all criteria. The recertification process required detailed reporting of environmental achievements since the club’s last review. For Avondale, these included substantial water quality initiatives, habitat creation projects and infrastructure upgrades. Highlights included:

Water quality and conservation: Water quality testing was expanded beyond the irrigation dam to include other on-course water bodies, improving the course management team’s understanding of their ecological health. Aerator pump systems in the irrigation dam were upgraded for better servicing access and year-round water circulation.

A concerted effort was also made to target irrigation efficiency – such as adjusting sprinkler arcs away from vegetation areas and increased hand-watering – to reduce wastage. Staff also transitioned 600m² of managed turf to native vegetation on the 14th hole, eliminating irrigation in that zone and conserving significant water volumes.

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In collaboration with Ku-ring-gai Council, Avondale Golf Club has adopted the ‘Woody Meadows’ native garden strategy for its clubhouse landscaping, replacing exotic species with natives

Vegetation and habitat management: Environmental Golf Solutions was commissioned to develop a Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) aimed at increasing biodiversity and enhancing golfer experience. Specialist bushland regeneration contractors Toolijooa and Waratah Eco Works were also engaged in various capacities, providing site visits for weed control and seed propagation from endemic species for replanting projects. A flora and fauna assessment was completed by ecological consultancy Land Eco, identifying plant communities, threatened species and management priorities. Native vegetation areas were extended to reduce mowing and spraying in out-of-play areas.

Chemical use reduction and soil health: Across the summer of 2024/2025 insecticide applications for Argentine stem weevil were reduced, cutting spraying by a month compared to previous years through improved pest monitoring and higher tolerance thresholds. Biddle initiated annual soil microbe analysis on greens to explore beneficial microbial activity as a natural defence against turf pests and diseases.

Infrastructure upgrades: Designs for a new chemical/fertiliser storage and mixing facility, fuel depot and machinery wash-down bay were done in collaboration with Becerra Architects, pending council approval. The upgrades will enhance worker safety and environmental safeguards.

Community engagement and education: Articles have been published in both state and national magazines (NSWGCSA and ASTMA) on Avondale’s environmental management. Elsewhere, in collaboration with Ku-ring-gai Council, the club has adopted the ‘Woody Meadows’ native garden strategy for its clubhouse landscaping, replacing exotic species with low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly natives. Interpretive signage (pictured above) has also been used throughout the course to educate members about environmental projects and sustainability principles.

Research site: Avondale isn’t just a haven for golfers – it’s also home to northern Sydney’s largest microbat population. Biddle has partnered with local council authorities on a regional microbat management strategy, with recent surveys confirming the club’s critical ecological value.

In parallel, the course has been a valuable research site for the University of Sydney, where studies on fauna behaviour and nest predation have yielded important ecological insights. Wildlife cameras deployed for these projects have also recorded rare species, further underscoring the biodiversity significance of the property.

Case study: A project case study submitted as part of the Audubon recertification process was the naturalisation of the right side of the 14th fairway. This out-of-play area was previously maintained as turf, requiring mowing, irrigation and pest management. Biddle’s team, working with their vegetation consultant, converted 600m² of this managed turf to indigenous native plantings. The benefits have been significant – reduced water use, lower maintenance costs, increased habitat for native wildlife and enhanced visual appeal. With the groundwork now laid, there is scope to expand the project by another 200m² in the future.

UNWAVERING COMMITMENT

A hallmark of Biddle’s environmental leadership at Avondale is his use of digital mapping to document and visualise sustainability indicators across the entire course. This interactive digital sustainability map showcases a wide range of initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including wildlife protection, habitat enhancement, erosion control, green infrastructure and water management. In tandem, Biddle has developed a detailed a Sustainability Register to track land management practices and promote transparency and accountability.

In winning the Crockford Award, Avondale has again been acknowledged for its overriding philosophy that a golf course can be both a world-class sporting venue and also a guardian of biodiversity and a living laboratory.

As NSWGCSA president Leon Hennessy, summed up in his award nomination letter: “Rob exemplifies the highest standards of environmental stewardship and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to sustainability in golf course management. His achievements reflect a forward-thinking approach that integrates best practices, innovative systems and membership engagement to protect and enhance the natural environment of Avondale golf course.

“Rob’s dedication to sustainability is evident in every facet of his work. His ability to blend science, technology and community engagement to protect the environment makes him a standout candidate for this award.”

Blessed with one of the most spectacular natural settings in Sydney, Avondale Golf Club’s surrounding native bushland provides a vital habitat for a rich diversity of flora and fauna

Avondale Golf Club’s commitment to environmental management is as strong today as it was 30 years ago

PHOTO: AVONDALE GC/GARY LISBON

As Adelaide Oval turf manager since 2021 and spending almost three decades in the sports turf management industry, Peter Foreman epitomises the rewards that can happen with some old-fashioned grit and hard work

fore Pete to the

As ATM reporter Nick Creely discovers, working at one of Australia’s most iconic and historic sporting venues, the Adelaide Oval, is a privilege that ASTMA Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award winner Peter Foreman is not taking for granted.

Peter Foreman’s integral role as turf manager at the iconic Adelaide Oval is allencompassing, consuming and vitally important to ensuring the world-class facility can host a magnitude of sporting, cultural and entertainment events all year round. It requires intricate knowledge of his surroundings, the sports turf management industry and a passion for the craft which knows no bounds. Without turf managers like Foreman, who has cut his teeth around the globe for near-on three decades, spectators, athletes and broadcasters simply wouldn’t be in the blessed position they are in.

Foreman’s talents were officially recognised recently when he was bestowed the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association’s (ASTMA) Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award at the 2025 National Turf Industry Awards. Foreman received the award, sponsored by association Platinum Partner Toro, on the opening night of the 2025 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney. He joined a strong list of recent winners since the award was first struck in 2021 and admitted he was quite taken aback by the honour.

“I absolutely did not see it coming,” he said with a chuckle. “My boss Damo (Head Curator Damian Hough) told me I was going up to the Sydney conference under the

impression we were nominated for the teams award. He told me to head up there and, if we were lucky enough to win, I’d go up and accept it on behalf of the team. When The National Golf Club was announced as the winner, I’ll be honest – I was a little relieved I didn’t have to get up on stage.

“But when they started going through the Excellence in Sportsfields Award I didn’t really think much of it until they started honing in a little bit on Adelaide Oval. I thought something might be happening and I was lucky enough to win it and obviously I’m really grateful.

“It’s a huge honour to win an award like that. I was only just saying to the team not long ago that I can only do it with the support of those around me. It’s an all-encompassing job and yes while it’s a reflection on me, it’s also on the whole team at Adelaide Oval.”

FROM GOLF TO SPORTSFIELDS

Foreman has been working at Adelaide Oval since its major redevelopment in 2013-14 and as the stadium’s turf manager since 2021. His role includes presentation and delivery of the main playing surface, leading and mentoring a team of 10 including junior and apprentice turf professionals. He also manages the surrounding heritage-listed parklands, precinct landscaping, neighbouring No.2 surface, cricket practice facilities and lawn and artificial tennis courts.

PHOTOS: ADELAIDE OVAL SMA, BRETT ROBINSON

But even though he rarely gets a chance to sit idle, such is the cut-throat nature of his role, Foreman is appreciative of how lucky he is to work at one of Australia’s most historic and iconic facilities which is also revered as one of the most recognisable stadiums in the world.

“I’m extremely lucky to work here and you pinch yourself coming in every day,” Foreman said. “You kind of go through your workday and don’t think much of it, but when you leave and come back, especially on those game days, everyone’s just pumped to be here. It’s an exciting place to work and it’s so iconic which makes it a bit more special.”

It wasn’t by luck or pure chance that Foreman landed the gig at Adelaide Oval. It was hard-work, sacrifice and a lot of movement and learning which instilled in him the experience at a turf management level.

Prior to his work at Adelaide Oval, Foreman mostly worked on golf courses, starting out as an apprentice in 1998 at Belair Park Golf Club, a public course now closed down in the Adelaide Hills. After four years learning the craft, he took the plunge overseas and applied for The Ohio Program, spending a year in New York, then Gleneagles in Scotland before moving to Sandy Lane in Barbados at a golf club on the island’s West Coast.

The quiet call for home came eventually and he landed at Metropolitan Golf Club on the world-class Melbourne Sandbelt, working there for three years under Richard Forsyth. But wanting to return to Adelaide, an opportunity as foreman at Glenelg Golf Club was too hard to pass up. Back in Adelaide, Foreman then worked at Football Park (formerly AAMI Stadium) before eventually landing on the doorstep at Adelaide Oval.

With decades plying his trade in golf clubs before the transition into sportsfields, Foreman believes his prior experience was beneficial in making the move, utilising the same skills but tinkering things slightly.

“Working in sportsfields is not as microfocused as a lot of the golf courses are, but in terms of the mowing, renovations, turf management practices, it’s all kind of similar and I was able to bring all my skills across but tailor it to sportsfields,” he said. “It’s been so enjoyable to experience something different.”

REWARDING ROLE

Coming to Adelaide Oval at such an important time in the stadium’s history, Foreman has been there and done it all. Adelaide Oval’s well-documented redevelopment, which saw a complete transformation of the stadium’s surfaces, surrounds and grandstands while retaining its unique historical charm, has

With the advent of the Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions business arm, Foreman has taken over the day-to-day management of the Adelaide Oval

been integral in the stadium gaining more global recognition. Its playing surfaces are undoubtedly some of the most revered and admired in the sporting world. The stadium is now one of the busiest too and hosts 64 event days per year, including AFL, cricket, concerts and international sporting and cultural events.

Some of Foreman’s most significant achievements and two standout examples of his commitment to excellence include his delivery of the AFL Gather Round and the Matildas v China PR fixture in 2024 (read more on these events on page 26). Adelaide Oval has also hosted several AFL finals across his tenure, the AFLW Grand Final in 2019 and is iconic for hosting one of the most-sought after Test matches every single summer.

Foreman admitted it can be a complex procedure requiring meticulous preparation to turn over the stadium’s surfaces to cater for different sporting codes and cultural events – each with their own unique requirements

and regulations and often within a matter of 24 hours. But watching the turf team come together and continue to deliver time and time again fills him with tremendous pride.

“All the changeovers from sports and events can be really challenging, but they’re also really rewarding,” he said. “We’ve had changes from AFL, soccer, State of Origin, Wallabies, World Cup qualifiers, concerts, International Rules and the Test matches every year which is something we absolutely love doing. We started the day-night Test matches here when Australia played New Zealand and we hosted an A-League grand final in 2016. I can’t single out one event that’s been the most enjoyable but there’s many things we do here which myself and the team are very proud of.”

KEY PLAYER

Foreman’s role has shifted somewhat in recent years as the Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions (AOTS) arm of the business continues to

Winning the ASTMA Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award was an unexpected and humbling experience for Foreman (centre). He is pictured with Toro’s Laurence Bingham (left) and Mark Johnson (right)

playing surface

KEY

PROJECTS AND RECENT WORKS: ADELAIDE OVAL

Since taking the reins as Adelaide Oval turf manager in 2021, Peter Foreman has played a key role in delivering some of the venues biggest events and projects...

AFL GATHER ROUNDS

l The inaugural Gather Round in 2023 saw six games held at Adelaide Oval across four days in April. Immediately preceding the season, 10,000m2 of turf was replaced following the Ed Sheeran concert in late February, with only an 11-day turnaround before the venue’s first premiership game.

l Following its success, the AFL confirmed that South Australia would continue to host Gather Round for another three years, with Adelaide Oval as its centrepiece.

l With Adelaide Oval Head Curator Damian Hough consulting overseas for the ICC T20 World Cup as part of Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions (AOTS), in the lead up to 2024 Gather Round (pictured above) Foreman managed the turf requirements. This involved meticulous pre-season planning and strong communication between team members to execute effectively. Across the five Gather Round games, the team was split into night and day shifts, with the night crew finishing after games at 2am and the day team starting at 7am.

l No corners were cut with casual staff brought in to do extra divot repair, daily maintenance so that the grounds team could focus on cutting, marking and aerating. A mini renovation of the surface was carried out after Gather Round.

AFL/MATILDAS/AFL CHANGEOVER (MAY 2024)

l Following the Port Adelaide-Carlton AFL Thursday night clash on 30 May 2024, Foreman and his team turned the ground around in less than 24 hours to host the Matildas v China PR fixture the following night.

l Foreman worked closely with Football Australia to agree on pitch preparation time, with the pitch ready by just after lunchtime Friday. This required the team to work overnight – washing out AFL line markings, removing goal posts, cutting the surface to the required height for soccer and then infrastructure and ground set up. Additional challenges included rain on Friday afternoon and navigating AV and pyrotechnic setup for the Matildas;

l The team worked through the Matildas game and until 2am to get the ground back to AFL ready ahead of the following week’s commitments. All this was achieved with a reduced and more junior team. Foreman assigned individual tasks to each team member in line with their skillset.

(Pictured below is the night shift team, from left, Marcus Kightley, Phoebe Lawrence, Dillon Burns, Liam Dowling, William Harvey, Benjamin Emery, Liam McGeough, Mitchell Bennett and Foreman)

l Innovation was front of mind with the changeover. Goals were put on a wheeled trolley to enable easier movement.

P!NK/AFL TURF REPLACEMENT (FEB-MAR 2024)

l About 3000m2 of turf was replaced immediately following the P!nk concert on 27 February. Installation was managed fully in-house by the Adelaide Oval and AOTS team, overseen by Foreman, with a twoweek timeframe between the concert and the venue’s first AFL fixture on 17 March.

NORTHERN MOUND RECONSTRUCTION (OCT 2024)

l For the first time following Adelaide Oval’s major redevelopment across 2013-14, in 2024 the iconic Northern Mound (‘The Hill’, pictured below) was reconstructed;

l Existing organic matter was excavated out to 100mm, with 230 tonnes of fresh sand imported and area returfed with TifTuf;

l Works were strategically timed ahead of the summer of cricket and the area was used throughout that season before getting its true test ahead of football returning. 2025 Gather Round saw 20,000 people use ‘The Hill’ across five games in four days.

PHOTO: JOHN MONTESI

take off. Headed by the stadium’s head curator and ASTMA Board director Damian Hough, the AOTS team is taking its work domestically and internationally, providing turf curation, management, construction and repair consultancy to sporting grounds and organisations, such is its reputation.

One of the most complex projects the AOTS team has undertaken came during the recent ICC T20 Men’s World Cup in the West Indies and United States where they delivered 10 drop-in pitches and trays. Six of those trays were designed and manufactured in Adelaide and shipped to Florida in late 2023 before the wickets were constructed and eventually transported to New York in April 2024. Foreman says everyone has stepped up to the plate as Adelaide Oval’s services go global while also retaining its status as one of Australia’s most exquisite sporting precincts.

“It definitely has changed things. Damo is the overarching manager of Adelaide Oval and AOTS and John Trenorden (JT) is running AOTS as operations manager, so my role has expanded a bit more with Damian and JT being away so much to focus on that,” Foreman said. “Damo still focuses on us here at Adelaide Oval but he’s across both and touches base with myself and JT regularly to make sure everything is running smoothly.

“It has allowed guys like Todd Heinrich, our assistant curator, more time out in the middle with the pitches and a lot of the other staff have taken the next step up in their careers as a result and have enjoyed that.”

Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority Chief Executive Officer Nick Addison is adamant that one of the reasons why AOTS has established so quickly and flourished is because of the key role that people like Foreman has played.

“[When we formed AOTS], at the outset Damian and I were clear on one core principle – that this new venture must never compromise the high standards we set for Adelaide Oval,” said Addison. “We knew that would be possible simply because we had a strong team with people like Pete.

“Stepping up, Pete demonstrated an immediate flair for leadership, mentoring junior groundstaff and apprentices who were also required to take on more responsibility and complex tasks. He led by example and lived our values of pride, innovation, collaboration and fun, resulting in a strong team culture. He delivered several significant projects with a reduced team and his collaboration and communication with all stakeholders for these high profile events was excellent.

“Pete has been instrumental in developing the team to the point where we have been able to successfully establish the AOTS business, all while maintaining world-class standards at Adelaide Oval. He is one of the core reasons why this model works.”

Central to that is Foreman’s attention to detail and his reputation for unwavering commitment, high standards and meticulous recordkeeping. But it’s also the growth, development and leadership that he has shown over the last two years which has stood out according to Addison and ultimately led to the Adelaide Oval grounds team voting him as their Employee of the Year this past April and then nominating him for the national award.

Although shying away from such recognition, Foreman remains focused on the day-to-day operations at Adelaide Oval while also being passionate about training the next generation of sports turf management professionals. He believes work experience is crucial to obtaining the skills needed to thrive in what is a highly rewarding industry.

“I’ve said this to a few work experience kids here that getting good work experience somewhere, whether it’s in a golf club, Adelaide Oval or the MCG, is important,” he said. “Showing interest, asking questions and working hard, that’s pretty key.”

bottle = 1 ha

Adelaide Oval recently hosted a British & Irish Lions Tour match on Saturday 12 July before quickly turning the ground around for the Port Adelaide-West Coast AFL clash the following day

The National’s

team ethos

The National Golf Club is undoubtedly one of the most unique set-ups in Australia, with four distinctively different courses operating across two sites and a combined crew of 56. Nick Creely speaks to course manager Leigh Yanner about his team’s continual excellence which was recognised at the recent National Turf Industry Awards.

The National Golf Club’s turf management team epitomises what greatness can be achieved when a collective vision and a genuine passion and love for the industry come together. It’s undoubtedly one of the most unique golf clubs in Australia, unparalleled in terms of its sheer size and turf management staff, who all operate under a “team-first” mantra dedicated to providing members and guests with a world-class experience.

Across two different sites and four distinctively different courses in Victoria –three at Cape Schanck (Old, Moonah and Gunnamatta) on the coastal Mornington Peninsula and the Long Island course in Frankston – its layouts are stunningly designed and meticulously maintained by 56 turf management staff each and every day, rain, hail or shine.

The four courses are managed by superintendents Tony Gordon (Moonah and Gunnamatta), Scott Calder (Old) and Simon

Page (Long Island), with the golf course manager Leigh Yanner overseeing operations to bring together the team to present a suite of layouts that are perennially ranked within Australia’s top 50.

The National’s continual excellence in the industry was recently recognised with the turf management team taking out the ASTMA Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award, sponsored by association Bronze Partner Repco Commercial. Calder, who accepted the award on behalf of the club

at the National Turf Industry Awards held at the start of the recent Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney, described the team as one full of “passion”.

“Even though at The National we have four courses over two sites, we are one team, and the ability of our team is matched by their passion and for setting up special projects, whether it be moving around our courses or for renovations,” Calder said. “I’d also like to thank our CEO Matthew Corby for nominating us and our Board and members for supporting us.”

The National became just the second Victorian team to win the award since it was first struck in 2021 after an incredibly successful and hectic past 12 months, with several key projects, redevelopments and events exemplifying the turf team’s unwavering commitment to excellence.

Yanner, the man overseeing the entire operation, said the award was recognition for

The National Golf Club collected the ASTMA Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award at the recent Sydney conference. Main image shows the sprawling Cape Schanck site with the 18th green of the Old Course bottom right. Pictured inset is Old Course superintendent Scott Calder (left) accepting the award from Repco Commercial’s Michael Hull

his proud and dedicated team who deserved all the credit for coming together as one and delivering four courses to the golfing fraternity which have been revered and admired for decades.

“It’s one of the proudest things we’ve ever been part of,” he said. “We’ve achieved something that’s truly special. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate to the whole turfgrass community the uniqueness of The National and how the team can all come together and achieve something truly remarkable.

“You go to a lot of golf courses all around the world. They have similar designs and the grass varieties are the same, but each one of our golf courses is a priority and all unique. We don’t have a priority A, B or C course, it doesn’t matter what the rankings say, each course is our main priority.

“It was more of an award for all the staff for their hard work and for us to showcase to our membership at The National how lucky they are to have a crew to look after their courses the way they are. In time, it will have more recognition and proudness from everyone. The award was something we discussed internally and we wanted to showcase to the rest of the community how good a job our staff do and how proud we are of them.

“It was more to thank the crew for their passion and the time they give up. We like to think we are the highest quality in our trade.”

PHOTO: WILLIAM WATT/CONTOURS AGENCY

The dedication, skill and innovation of The National’s 56-strong crew help to uphold the club’s reputation as one of Australia’s most progressive turf management establishments and premier golfing destinations

PHOTO: BEN HALL/THE NATIONAL GC

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

But what makes The National such a cohesive unit considering the vast amount of personalities, skillsets and ideas flowing across the two sites?

“What makes a good team is everyone’s little individual traits and what skill they can bring and then as a manager it is to find that skill, utilise it and marry up people to their skills to make up their strengths,” Yanner explained. “The big unique thing here at The National across the four courses is they are all completely different, even at the [Cape Schanck] site with the three courses. There’s different grass varieties and different microclimate zones to consider.

“Then at Long Island it’s different again – a different location, it’s slightly remote to [the Cape Schanck site], you’ve got that more inner-city type lifestyle compared to the coastal lifestyle on the Peninsula – but there’s a lot of sharing of ideas, machinery and selective equipment. It’s all one big operation.

“The operation is so different when you compare The National to another high profile golf club. There are some similarities but our strength is our numbers. We have to rely heavily on the management teams of each course and the individual skills each team member brings to each course.

“We have to be a team ultimately and we all have to play our role and that’s the critical thing. We do that very well and it’s a credit to everyone.

“In a perfect world you could tell someone they were on the Old Course for the day or at Long Island for the week, but everyone has their own comforts and friendships and it’s something you have to be mindful of. That system works well on paper but there’s difficulties that come with that. You want people to fall in love with the idea and concept and be part of it and that’s what we try and do.

“Overall we’re one team and how that team is made up comes down to a lot of little things.”

TIMES ARE CHANGING

Yanner said one of the most fundamental aspects of what makes The National such a special team is understanding each team member’s individuality and what makes them tick, particularly working with newcomers or staff who are from different generations or backgrounds.

“The industry has changed a lot. The new demographic and staff coming in are similar ages to my children and it’s interesting how they see things with social media and all that and how it influences their life,” Yanner said.

“When I first moved down to the Peninsula unemployment was quite high and there were a lot of young families. It was a cheap place to relocate. All that’s changed. We’ve got Melbourne prices now and more people are coming down here to retire, so the demographics have changed.

“A lot of them are coming in now as a second career. We have to engage with them and have a respect for who they are and their abilities they can bring and work with them. It’s changed a lot and it’ll continue to change.

“Our surfaces have gotten a lot better though but training methods are changing and the use of technology now to assist in the jobs is a big change. A big part of the next generation of the team is the ability to understand electronics as well.”

SETTING THE BAR HIGH

Alongside the day-to-day operations of The National across the two sites – whether it be managing mowing heights, surface firmness, bunker conditioning or green speeds – each course retains its individuality and operates under a masterplan, developed and reviewed regularly in consultation with the original course designers and superintendents. But long-term planning and meticulously thinking about what’s next is driving The National forward into the future and ensuring they don’t remain stagnant.

Alongside delivering the final event of the PGA Tour of Australasia calendar on the Gunnamatta Course in 2025, The National team has also been busy over the past 12 months with a range of projects. These have included renovating the rooftop putting green, upgrading cart paths across the Moonah and Gunnamatta courses and constructing a new par three 19th hole on the Moonah Course. The team also supported over 100 club events, demonstrating their adaptability, collaboration and professionalism.

OCM Golf’s reimagining of Long Island, which fully reopens early 2026, is set to offer The National’s members with yet another world-class layout which the maintenance team is looking forward to delivering

PHOTOS: THE NATIONAL GC

Four courses, two locations, one team… members of the Cape Schanck crew (left) who look after the Old, Moonah and Gunnamatta courses and (right) the Long Island crew

PHOTO: WILLIAM WATT/CONTOURS AGENCY

But ever since The National added Long Island to its stable in 2015, when members of Long Island Country Club and The National voted in favour of a merger to create the first 72-hole private golf club in Australia, it’s been a work in progress to bring the course in-line with world-class standards.

The Long Island course redevelopment is understandably high on the club’s priority list. The ambitious renovation by OCM Golf, which has been in construction since 2023, includes major reshaping works, rebuilding all the greens, tees and bunkers, turf establishment and integration of new irrigation, drainage systems and recycled water infrastructure. The project will ultimately aim to improve turf quality as well as add more native vegetation and wildlife habitats.

Yanner said his hard-working team can see the light at the end of the tunnel with the Long Island build and were buzzing to see the final product in all its glory.

“The construction at Long Island is quite a unique scenario. There’s been a lot of work by our staff and the OCM team on the ground out there. It’s an amazing concept and how it’s all evolving, just with those one to two percenters that are being done where someone plays it they don’t think about,” Yanner said.

“From the start of the construction was the start of a new vision for Long Island. From the time the first bit of soil was turned over it was a different mindset. The interesting thing there is we’ve been in 100 per cent construction mode so that mindset will have to be completely switched over to a maintenance mindset which requires a different level of preparation.

“Entirely brand new surfaces, everything larger, bigger, greater, with not necessarily more staff, so the vision has to be a brand new game plan. There’s a lot of work in our minds

in how we’re going to prepare the course but until you’re up and fully running we don’t know how long 18 fairways or greens will take to cut.

“Importantly, we’ve got the support of The National to achieve this which is always a good start. They work with us to achieve what we want to do, but a project like this is a concept and you don’t really know what you’re going to get, but in saying that that’s who we are, we adapt.”

Yanner said it was important to remain focused on day-to-day operations but the team had a clear vision of where it wanted the two sites to head in the future, with the Long Island redevelopment indicative of their ambition.

But a lot of forward planning and acting on their visions come down to the staff available with sports turf and golf clubs, much like any other industry, going through ebbs and flows of changes.

“A lot of it is a crystal ball and working with these visions,” Yanner said. “It’s trying to work together a two, three-year plan to evenly spread that capital across the four courses and what is required. I’m working ahead with the superintendents but I rely heavily on them for their visions for the future with their courses. It’s what makes them all individual because each course is completely different.

“To go to the next level with these visions it does come down to staff levels. Since Covid, golf has increased quite considerably, our numbers haven’t decreased, we have the same expectations but more people are out there enjoying the golf course, so there’s more divots, bunkers, damage, pitch marks, wear and tear on greens. You can have the most up to date machinery, but if you haven’t got the people to operate it it won’t matter.”

PROUD AS PUNCH

While Yanner couldn’t single out a specific moment or time during the past 12 months which stood out the most, seeing the amount of work done by the team each day has been satisfying. But seeing the Gunnamatta course in its full glory at The National Tournament in March was one the staff took great pride in.

“There’s no question bringing the team together for the tournament was terrific,” Yanner said. “We were very fortunate to have enough bodies and equipment to prepare the entire course in three hours but then make sure the other two courses were ready for play as well, in addition to maintaining the construction works at Long Island as well. Nothing got compromised and we achieved it.

“We always have a lot of projects here and they come up really quickly. There’s probably not one proud moment, there’s many that make up the whole scenario.”

PHOTO: BEN HALL/THE NATIONAL GC

The National crew operate under a ‘team-first’ mantra dedicated to providing members and guests with a world-class experience. Pictured is team member Amy Veale cutting greens during the PGA tournament

Royal Adelaide Golf Club greenkeeper and recently adjudged ASTMA Graduate of the

Davis kicking

goals

Promising footballer Oliver Davis’ rise through the ranks as a greenkeeper has been rapid and was capped off recently when he won the ASTMA Graduate of the Year Award. As Nick Creely writes, the Royal Adelaide Golf Club crew member is only just getting started.

Life can be a bit of a juggling act at times for budding sports turf management professional Oliver Davis. By day, you will find the enthusiastic young man plying his craft as a recently-qualified greenkeeper at the famed Royal Adelaide Golf Club, while his evenings and weekends are spent in the midfield for South Adelaide in the SANFL as a promising Australian rules footballer coming through the ranks.

It’s a life dominated by sport. Early starts and late finishes are a common theme of his day-to-day life, but it’s all interweaved with an unyielding passion for his craft. As he passionately describes, he “wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Davis’ dedication at Royal Adelaide Golf Club, under the tutelage of course superintendent Nathan Bennett, hasn’t gone unnoticed with the 23-year-old recently adjudged Australia’s top golf course turf

management apprentice at the recent National Turf Industry Awards held during the 2025 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney.

Davis collected the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association’s (ASTMA) Graduate of the Year Award, sponsored by Platinum Partner Toro Australia. In doing so he edged out a strong list of fellow state finalists to become just the second graduate from a South Australian club to win the award in its 30-year history. His fellow finalists included Zac Amer (Port Fairy Golf Links, Vic), Dylan Buttigieg (Windaroo Lakes GC, Qld), James Courtney-Bennett (Lake Karrinyup CC, WA), Brad Guthmann (Monash CC, NSW), Dylan Kingston (Launceston GC, Tas) and Zac Wels (Tura Beach CC, NSW – representing ACT).

“It’s a huge honour and I think going forward it gives me great confidence with my career in the industry and it opens up a few avenues to go down,” Davis said. “I met some really good people (at the Sydney conference) that I’m sure I’ll stay in touch with for the rest of my career, so that’s been a really positive takeaway from winning the award already.”

LOVE FOR GOLF THE SPARK

Originally from Tasmania, Davis made the bold move to South Australia to give it a proper crack in the SANFL and see where his footy took him, with the hopes of attracting the eye of AFL recruiters. It was from there a passion for sports turf management as a potential

PHOTO: KELLY BARNES/NEWSPIX

Year winner

Oliver Davis is also a highly promising footballer with South Adelaide in the SANFL

career option went from just a thought to a genuine reality.

“It wasn’t something I had aspirations in growing up or anything to be honest. I moved from Tassie across to Adelaide purely for my footy, to give that a red-hot crack and was kind of working at the club I was at,” a reflective Davis said. “I finished up there, moved on to another club and had to find some full-time work. I sat down and knew I just really loved my golf so I had a bit of a scan around. I stumbled across a land conservation gig at Glenelg Golf Club, I saw (superintendent) Tim Warren and he saw some potential in me in turf management.

“Royal Adelaide were hiring for a greenkeeper position in 2021 and Tim put my name forward for the role and I haven’t really looked back since. It honestly wasn’t something I was planning on getting into it, but I guess my love for golf steered me there and from there my love for sports turf and the industry took off.”

Davis said since joining the hard-working crew at Royal Adelaide he had learnt so much about the sports turf industry and has had a hands-on approach when it comes to construction and tournament preparation which he believed he thrived working on.

“I’ve been lucky enough to do some construction work, we re-did the 10th hole and it was good fun,” he said. “This summer just gone we did the 8th and 9th holes and we’ve got some really exciting projects in the near future. Every year we’ve also got the SA Classic which is fun to be a part of. The culture and camaraderie we’ve got between us at the club makes it easy to go to work every day.

“My bosses Nathan Bennett (superintendent), as well as (assistant) Andrew Fraser and (foreman) Dave Meadows have taught me a lot about the industry. The knowledge and experience they’ve got has been great for me and it’s shaped my career to date. Nathan has been a great role model and invested a lot of time in my career. I’m always continuing to learn, listen and grow every day as a greenkeeper.”

Tim Warren, superintendent at Glenelg and recipient of the ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award on the same night in Sydney, was another mentor Davis paid tribute to for helping guide him.

HIGH PRAISE FOR RTO

Davis was one of the first students to complete his Certificate III in Sports Turf Management through the ASTMA’s training division and encouraged all budding sports turf managers to not hesitate in giving it a go. The benefit for up and coming professionals like Davis, who completed his course last November, is the ASTMA courses for both the Certificate III and Diploma are open all-year round, meaning that

students can enrol and commence study at any time throughout the year.

“It was great and I got heaps out of it,” he said. “The fact the ASTMA came in and provided the Cert III for South Australia apprentices, it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to get straight on that. Nathan (Bennett) was a huge advocate for this, particularly for me.

“Some of the things we learnt compared to what we were learning were so much more specific and detailed to what we actually do. In the long-term, I definitely think the more they run the course it’ll just get better and better and find little ways to improve it. It’s a great thing the ASTMA has done in South Australia.”

A LIFE CONSUMED BY SPORT

Davis lives “right in the middle” of Royal Adelaide (located in Seaton, roughly nine kilometres from the CBD) and the South Adelaide Football Club which plays out at Magain Stadium in the suburb of Noarlunga Downs. He is regarded as one of the rising stars of the SANFL after previously dominating at junior football level for Tasmania, even captaining the state U19 side. In 2020, Davis

took out the Matthew Richardson Medal which is awarded to the Tasmanian State League’s best under-23 player. It’s a lifestyle Davis said took time to adjust to – working early mornings at the golf club and often not getting home until dark – but he takes it all in his stride.

“I won’t lie, it can be tough at times, there’s been some long days by the time you start work in the morning and finish training in the evenings,” he said. “The support around me from the golf club, Nathan and South Adelaide has been great. They’ve made me get the best out of both my passions. Being able to manage my time is important.”

While he is unsure where his career will take him, remaining in the sports turf industry, particularly in the hard-working caper of golf course turf management, is his priority moving forward, but the potential of becoming an AFL player is not off the table.

“I’d prefer to stay in golf and see where that takes me, but I’m not closed off to getting involved in stadiums and grounds at some stage as well,” he said. “I’ve got a pretty deep passion for golf at the moment and really enjoy that aspect of the industry.”

“It’s a huge honour and I think for me going forward it gives me great confidence with my career.” –Oliver Davis on winning the ASTMA Graduate of the Year Award

Davis (front row, third from left) celebrates with his fellow ASTMA Graduate of the Year finalists and Toro representatives at the National Turf Industry Awards dinner in Sydney

“The connection to sport and the community is great. For me nothing beats working with a team and seeing the results of your efforts on game day.” –Sportsfields and Grounds Graduate of the Year recipient Jonathan Marrett

Marrett’s Carrara

connection

Jonathan Marrett’s passion and commitment to his craft in sports turf management has been fostered by the deep connection that exists between sport and community. Without those dedicated professionals who spend long hours preparing and maintaining playing surfaces, whether at the elite level, in small regional towns or anywhere in between, sport simply wouldn’t exist, or at the very least function and thrive.

Marrett, since joining the industry nearly four years ago, is indicative of the opportunities that can present itself working in sports turf and was recently rewarded for his swift rise up the ranks. The Queenslander, who completed his apprenticeship at People First Stadium on the Gold Coast – the home base of professional AFL club the Gold Coast Suns – was crowned the Sportsfields and Grounds Graduate of the Year at the National Turf Industry Awards held in Sydney in June.

Sponsored by ASTMA Platinum Partner Toro Australia, the award recognises the hard work and endeavour of the industry’s apprentices who have decided to pursue a

People First Stadium qualified groundsman Jonathan Marrett has been thriving since joining the sports turf industry almost four years ago. As Nick Creely writes, his commitment and skill recently saw him named the Sportsfields & Grounds Graduate of the Year.

career in sports turf management. Marrett beat home a class field of fellow state finalists to become just the second graduate from Queensland to win the award in its 15-year history. Marrett’s fellow finalists included Dylan Benfield (Garangula Polo, NSW – representing

ACT ), Nathan Hitch (Scotch College, WA), Jorjia Hogg (Newcastle Council, NSW), Sean Howard (Victoria Racing Club, Vic), Tom Jolly (D&D Curators, SA) and Latisha Smith (Waratah/Wynyard Council, Tas). Marrett said he was chuffed to be handed the prestigious honour, recognising the quality of professionals entering the industry.

“Winning Graduate of the Year is certainly a massive honour,” he said. “My reaction was excitement and surprise, especially given the calibre of graduates and state representatives. On speaking to each of them and getting to know them a bit I was really struck by everybody’s experiences and backgrounds. What winning the award means to me is acknowledgment that I’ve made a solid start to my career, and it encourages me to keep moving forward and learning.”

DRIVING AMBITION

Sports turf wasn’t always the career plan for Marrett, who first landed a job in the event logistics team at People First Stadium in 2018, the same year the Gold Coast hosted the Commonwealth Games. But it soon became

apparent turf was his true calling, bringing together two passions into one exciting future.

“Over the course of a couple of years of working AFL, cricket and major events and assisting the groundstaff, I got a close-up look at what went into preparing and maintaining elite playing surfaces and the transition between events,” he said. “This captured my interest and inspired me to get into sports turf. In 2022 when the position of horticulture and logistics apprentice opened up, I jumped at the opportunity and ended up graduating in 2024.”

Deeply ingrained in the industry, Marrett now spends his days doing a wide variety of tasks including machinery maintenance, monitoring turf health, turf maintenance and nutrition, operating the irrigation system, maintaining the surrounding gardens and grassed areas and preparing the field of play, as well as game day operations. He says he is right where he wants to be but still harbours ambitions to maximise on the opportunities that exist while still learning.

The Olympics are coming to Brisbane in seven years, with People First Stadium a chance to play a part in the Games, especially if cricket is included. But Marrett has ambitions to play his part regardless of which venue he can contribute to.

“I love working at the stadium with this team so I’m right where I want to be. I am looking forward to continuing studying and getting stuck into the Diploma,” he said. “I want to capitalise on every opportunity I can to learn and keep growing my skill set. Further into the future I’d like to have an involvement in the preparation and operation of an Olympic venue for the Brisbane 2032 Games.”

Since taking on the opportunity as an apprentice in 2022 at the Carrara-based precinct, which hosts AFL, AFLW and is occasionally used for Big Bash League cricket matches, international Twenty20 matches and concerts, Marrett has thrived in the environment of preparing the surfaces to different guidelines, rules and processes.

“The summer of 2022/23 was very busy,” he recalled. “The stadium hosted AFLW matches and finals, international T20 and Big Bash cricket, Guns ‘N’ Roses, a music festival and Harry Styles concerts. With all that content came a great deal of coordination and planning to transition the drop-in wickets and goal posts in and out as well as renovation and recovery of both the main field and training field. Experiencing all that and learning from some of the best operators in the business was amazing, and a snapshot of what working in a multi-use sports venue is like.”

LISTENING AND LEARNING

Marrett said since taking on his apprenticeship he had learnt a lot about how the industry had an ability to bring people from all walks of life together.

“The biggest thing I’ve learnt would be the importance of teamwork and support,” he said. “I’ve certainly benefitted from the support of my work mates and from good leadership during my apprenticeship. I’ve also seen how connecting to a larger network of professionals to share information and experiences benefits everyone.”

Marrett described the turf industry as a unique one where no two days are the same.

“There are always opportunities to develop new skills and knowledge,” he said. “The connection to sport and the community is great. For me nothing beats working with a team and seeing the results of your efforts on game day. The variety of work is fantastic and really engaging. Working with different sports and their specific requirements but also from one day to the next I might be working on the mowers to auditing the irrigation, marking out the field or collecting soil samples.

“The connection to sport is great. Working in sports turf management has deepened my enjoyment of both watching and playing sport, knowing the work that goes into the preparation of turf surfaces and surrounding green spaces. Certainly the most satisfying part to me is when the work is done and the stage is set for the players to take the field.”

Working in a world-class sporting and entertainment facility certainly has its advantages, with Marrett praising the likes of People First Stadium curator Kerry Betihavas for his guidance and support as well as various others within the industry.

“Kerry gave me the opportunity to join the team as an apprentice and has been incredibly supportive and generous with sharing his knowledge and experience,” he said. “He’s a great example of leadership, adaptability and working under pressure. As well as Kerry I’ve got to thank my workmates Ben Greenaway and Brandon Coles for sharing their knowledge and ongoing comradery, Eddie Bennett and Steve Buttigieg at Tafe Queensland and Lachlan Roache at STA Queensland.”

Marrett has thrived in the environment of preparing People First Stadium for its many different sports and events

Marrett (front row, second from left) with his fellow Sportsfield and Grounds Graduate of the Year Award finalists and Toro representatives at the National Turf Industry Awards dinner in Sydney

‘standard’ The Oakmont

In June, five Australian golf course management staff joined a huge volunteer corps for the 125th US Open at Oakmont Country Club. ATM looks back on their time at one of the most revered – and feared – ‘major’ venues.

Inside the maintenance facility at Oakmont Country Club, hanging from the rafters, is a huge banner emblazoned with the words – ‘The Standard IS THE Standard’. It is the maintenance team’s rallying call – a mission statement about their commitment to excellence, being accountable and delivering the best possible surfaces for ‘championship play’.

Also hanging proudly are two other banners – ‘THE HOUSE THAT FOWNES BUILT’ and another that simply states ‘BUILT DIFFERENT’. The last banner certainly rings true. Oakmont is like few other golf courses in the world and this past June its unique layout and playing surfaces were on show for the 2025 US Open, the 10th in its history.

Oakmont is unashamedly different, a philosophy that goes right back to the aforementioned Henry C. Fownes, who at the turn of the 20th Century founded Oakmont and designed a golf course (his one and only)

that was truly uncompromising. Guided by a mantra that “a shot poorly played should be a shot irrevocably lost”, his layout quickly became known as one of the toughest in the game. Indeed at one point, the course boasted an incredible 330 bunkers and it is said that if Fownes witnessed a bad shot go unpunished, then a bunker would soon appear in that spot. Its toughness – characterised by narrow fairways, penal rough and slick greens – has been a badge of honour that the club has worn with pride across the decades and why the USGA has taken the US Open there more than any other course in the country. While not for everyone, the Oakmont membership understands their course’s identity as a true test of golf.

It’s a feature that the USGA openly embraces as well and one of the key reasons why Oakmont was confirmed as its first ‘anchor site’ for future USGA championships (it is slated to host the 2033, 2042 and 2049 US

Opens). Although several other venues joined Oakmont on that list (among them Pebble Beach and last year’s host Pinehurst No.2) there was a specific reason why it was the first. The USGA asked players where they wanted to win most, with the overwhelming majority coming back in favour of Oakmont. Physically and mentally, tee to green, rough and bunkers, if you win at Oakmont you have earned it.

USGA CEO Mike Whan summed up what Oakmont is all about at the start of tournament week this year and what it meant to have their flagship tournament there: “We believe in the words ‘golf’s toughest test’. And if you believe in that, you’re going to be coming back to Oakmont regularly, and we do. [To give you some perspective], 1385 players have played a major championship on this venue, and 27 of them finished their four days under par, just two per cent. That’s quite a test out there.”

The 2025 US Open would also be a test for a different reason. In 2023, renowned course

architect Gil Hanse led a major historical restoration of the layout to bring it back into line with Fowne’s original design. Following the US Open at Oakmont in 1953, the club embarked on a major tree planting program to beautify the course, but by the 1990s excessive tree growth had significantly altered the course’s strategic intent and was also causing major turf issues. The club therefore began a concerted tree removal program, with more than 10,000 trees felled over the following couple of decades. The Oakmont greens had also changed over the years, with constant topdressing and sand splash from bunker shots resulting in greens becoming more bowl-shaped than the slick table-tops they had once been.

When the Oakmont Board commissioned Hanse, the only thing they told him was – “You better not make this any easier”. And he didn’t. Working from original photographs, aerials and club archives, Hanse and his team would: l Expand greens by around 2,200m², reinstating lost hole locations and reconnecting the putting surfaces with adjacent hazards.

l Renovate three hectares of bunkers, reshaping edges, restoring sand lines and ensuring hazards would once again gather slightly offline shots. As part of that, the famous ‘Church Pews’ complex between the 3rd and 4th holes was expanded and lengthened, with an extra ‘pew’ added. l Expand fairways by 8ha and lengthen the course by 210m with new or extended tournament tees.

Outside of the architectural changes, Oakmont also made some infrastructure investments. A new two-lane bitumen access road (previously unsealed) now runs around the entire perimeter of the property to assist with tournament builds, while the maintenance facility footprint was doubled in size with a new 6000-foot mechanics shed, spray shed and washdown bay.

FLYING THE AUSSIE FLAG

Among all the banners, university emblems and country flags which hung from the Oakmont rafters this year was the Australian flag, in acknowledgement of five Australians who made the long trek to Oakmont which is on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Joining the more than 200-strong volunteer corps (from 17 countries and 119 different clubs) were Craig Anthony (superintendent, Spring Valley GC, Melbourne), Shane Baker CSTM (superintendent, Mosman Park GC, Perth), Marlon Johnston (assistant superintendent, The Australian GC, Sydney), Solly Marshall (senior greenkeeper, Kingston Heath GC, Melbourne) and Craig Walker (superintendent, Devonport Country Club, Tas). For Anthony, Baker and Johnston, this year’s Open was something of a reunion. Anthony and Baker were volunteers when Oakmont last hosted the tournament in 2016, the same year that Johnston was an intern and living in a room in the attic of Oakmont’s

famous clubhouse overlooking the 18th green. Baker too was a former intern there back in 2004 and it would be his third US Open after also volunteering in 2007.

“Oakmont means everything to me,” states Baker. “I lived there for a year and have been back more than 10 times since. I always say I wouldn’t be where I am as a turf manager and as a person without Oakmont and the time I spent there. To be able to go back there for one of the biggest tournaments in the world, catch up with old friends and workmates from over 20 years ago was an opportunity I was never going to miss.”

Adds Johnston, who was invited back as a former intern: “The impressive part I noticed was that the culture and the ‘whatever it takes mentality’ still existed as it did when I was there in 2016. In Pittsburgh, the people are built on hard work and grit and it is displayed through their sporting franchises and their success. If you’re involved in that culture, you’re all in and you drink the juice!”

For Anthony, his motivation for returning was twofold: to see first-hand the impact of the Hanse restoration and to reconnect with the agronomic detail required to present some of the best Poa annua surfaces in the world. That latter part was the reason for his 2016 trip, when he was then superintendent of the East Course at Royal Melbourne.

Up until 2021, Anthony had worked his entire career at Royal Melbourne, with a significant focus on eradicating Poa from the unique Suttons Mix bentgrass surfaces. Knowing that one day he’d potentially have to manage a Poa surface, gaining that experience at Oakmont proved invaluable when he eventually got the superintendents role at Spring Valley where the greens are predominantly Poa

That is about to change, however, with Spring Valley recently embarking on an

PHOTO: USGA

Oakmont Country Club (pictured is the 14th) hosted its 10th US Open in mid-June, the most of any course in the US. Inset: The Aussie contingent at Oakmont (from left) Craig Walker, Craig Anthony, Shane Baker, Solly Marshall and Marlon Johnston

In 2023, architect Gil Hanse led a major historical restoration of the Oakmont layout, including expanding the greens by around 2,200m² and reconnecting them with adjacent hazards. Pictured is the driveable par four 17th

OCM Golf redevelopment which will include converting the greens to a monostand of Oakley bentgrass. Being at Oakmont gave Anthony a chance to see the Hanse changes and hear from the man himself as part of a presentation he made to the crew about how and why they were made.

For Marshall and Walker, they both received the news that they were heading to Oakmont while working at last year’s Australian Open at Kingston Heath. While it would be Marshall’s first ‘major’, Walker would be backing up having volunteered at Pinehurst No.2 last year, a trip funded by his winning of the ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award in 2023.

TOURNAMENT MACHINE

Under the direction of superintendent Mike McCormick (who was first assistant for the 2016 US Open) and director of agronomy Max Claassen, Oakmont’s tournament

crew numbered a jaw-dropping 250 – 200 volunteers plus Oakmont’s permanent crew of 50. Compare that to Pinehurst No.2 last year where the tournament crew was 150.

With long hours and a demanding schedule, especially with the inclement weather that came into play (more on that later), the volunteer experience was impressive with little expense spared. Among the volunteer support included:

l Accommodation and transport – hotel stays, shuttles to and from the course.

l Meals and break facilities – catered breakfasts, lunches and dinners; food trucks; fridges stocked with drinks and ice creams; coffee stations.

l Rest and recreation – sleeping quarters nicknamed ‘The Squirrels’ Nest’, a games room with golf simulator, cornhole boards, massage chairs, TVs and couches.

l Education – regular agronomy talks and presentations.

l Uniform and equipment – multiple sets of tournament clothing, wet-weather gear, headlamps, battery charger, drink bottle, Bluetooth headphones and even pocket knives.

“In 2023, when we hosted an extremely successful Australian Open at The Australian, we made the volunteer experience high on our priority list,” states Johnston. “For some people they’ll only ever experience one of these events in their lives and that is exactly what the Oakmont team did for the 2025 US Open – it was on another level! The scale of these operations and the meticulous detail and organisation required to execute is almost impossible to describe to people unless you see it in the flesh.”

For the tournament, the course was divided into zones, each with a ‘captain’ responsible for task allocation, quality control and timing. These captains were often past Oakmont assistants or current superintendents from other clubs, ensuring leadership continuity and high standards. The morning shift began at 3am, with the evening shift usually finishing around 10pm.

The Australian contingent were spread across a number of different tasks. Given his substantial knowledge of Oakmont, Baker had one of the plum jobs as part of the fairway crew. While a team of five five-gang mowers handled the bulk of the fairway mowing tee to green on each nine, Baker piloted a lighter triplex unit, doing six passes at the start of fairways and six passes in front of the approaches to help keep the larger mowers off those areas. He also filled in some of the tighter areas around fairway bunkers and cut the whole of the 8th fairway – Oakmont’s 300yard par 3 – as it was the wettest. When it was too wet to mow, he switched to bunker raking, divotting duties or squeegeeing.

Anthony was part of a six-person tees mowing crew (comprising four Oakmont staff and two volunteers) working a mix of front and back nine tees across each day. Tees were single cut mornings and double cut evenings. Anthony was also part of the rough mowing crew one day pre-tournament and unexpectedly featured in a viral USGA social media post showing him manhandling a rotary mower while cutting a step grass bunker face. The post attracted over 4.5 million views on ‘X’, a USGA record.

Johnston was part of the approaches and collars team, double-cutting and rolling each morning and evening, while Walker was stationed with the 30-strong rough team using backpack blowers morning and night to stand up rough. On wet days, his role also shifted to topdressing player walkways. Marshall

PHOTO: CRAIG WALKER

Devonport CC superintendent Craig Walker, pictured in front of the famous ‘Church Pews’, was part of a 30-strong team armed with backpack blowers morning and night to stand up Oakmont’s notoriously thick rough

PHOTO: SHANE BAKER

A look inside the Oakmont shed which housed a tournament crew of 250 for the week, including 200 volunteers from 17 countries and 119 courses

was initially assigned to rake the back-nine bunkers but that evolved into a quality control role, following the rakers to correct any imperfections and ensure uniform presentation.

TALE OF THE TURF

Oakmont played as a par 70 at 6741m, with a typical US Open set-up which emphasised accuracy and punished misses without mercy. The following regimes were undertaken on the wall-to-wall cool-season playing surfaces:

l Greens: Poa annua cut at 2.1mm. Double cut each morning and triple cut each evening with 20-30-year-old, 6-blade Jacobsen PGM hand mowers, equipment kept in service because their weight, cut quality and operator control suits Oakmont’s needs. Greens were rolled 6-9 times daily with Salsco units, depending on speed and firmness targets. Greens stimped at 15’-16’ for the Open, compared to around 14’ for member play. Firmness, measured with the USGA device, peaked at a reading of 350 on Friday afternoon before rain softened the surfaces.

l Approaches and tees: Both a Poa annua/ bentgrass mix, the approaches were double cut at 5mm and double rolled (Salsco) daily. Tees were cut once in the morning at 6mm and twice in the evening.

l Fairways: Also a Poa annua/bentgrass mix, mown morning and evening at 8mm and occasionally rolled in the evening when weather allowed. Each nine had roughly eight staff – five to mow the fairways, one each doing the intermediate and cut out lap and another cutting the start of the fairway, before the approaches and other fill in work around bunkers.

l Rough: A Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass and Poa annua mix cut at five inches before the tournament and up to six inches during the event. Inside-the-ropes sections were hand mown with rotary walk-behinds three times during tournament week to reduce wheel marks from larger ride-on equipment. The rough mowing crew numbered more than 40 at times and it

The Kentucky bluegrass/ryegrass/Poa rough was cut three times during tournament week with a fleet of more than 40 rotary walk-behind mowers to reduce wheel marks from larger ride-on equipment

Oakmont’s pure perennial Poa annua greens were double cut each morning and triple cut each evening at 2.1mm. They were also rolled up to nine times daily and stimped between 15 and 16 feet

was estimated that each member would walk about 26km in the process. Staff with backpack blowers, like Walker, were used ahead of and behind the mowers to stand the rough upright and conceal passes. Adding to the preparation and presentation challenges this year, the lead-up to the Open saw Pittsburgh record one of its wettest springs on record. Saturated profiles altered mowing schedules, restricted machinery access in certain areas and affected turf aesthetics, particularly the fescue which could not achieve the intended browned, wispy contrast to the verdant green turf surfaces.

On the Friday of tournament week, a thunderstorm dropped 40mm in under an hour, suspending play. Sunday brought another 20mm mid-round, with staff mobilised to squeegee water from fairways and approaches. Thanks to upgraded bunker construction during the recent restoration, the hazards remained intact which was a notable contrast to the washouts of 2016 which was also rain-affected.

“That was one of the highlights for me,” reflects Walker. “Seeing the work that was put in after the rain and the course bounce back so brilliantly by the start of play the next day was something to behold. Despite all the rain, the turf surfaces were as good as you would find anywhere in the world. The bentgrass fairways, although soft, were extremely tight. The Poa greens were incredible and looked just as good at the end of play as they did at the start of the tournament. Rumour had it that the approaches were stimping at 11 and they looked just as good as the greens. Anything short of the greens would funnel back into the same area, which is what the USGA wanted.”

UPHOLDING THE STANDARD

For the Aussie quintet, the 2025 US Open was another significant milestone in their careers and afforded them a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow greenkeepers from across America and around the world, all of whom were there with the similar goal of helping prepare some of the most talked-about surfaces in golf.

For Baker the week was a little more personal. He was able to reconnect with many friends and former colleagues, some of them roommates from his 2004 intern days. Among them were David Delsandro, who would go on to be Oakmont superintendent from 20172023, and present day US superintendents David McCafferty (Metropolis CC, NY) and Josh Pope (The Olde Farm, Virginia). There was even one crew member still there from when Baker was an intern – Steve Buynak –who has been at Oakmont 48 years!

While it was a long way to go to fluff rough for the week, Walker did get to meet a few big names. As well as getting the chance to talk strategy with Australian professional Cam Smith – who poignantly noted that the absence of trees at Oakmont now made it challenging to know what shape shot to hit off the tee – he also got an insight into the 2026 US Open.

Stationed alongside Walker for the week was one of the assistants from next year’s host venue Shinnecock Hills, with superintendent Jon Jennings also on site across the week. Jennings told Walker that preparations were well underway, with the addition of 10 new ‘black tees’ and narrowing fairway widths.

Beyond the championship-level agronomy, the week reinforced the values of adaptability and camaraderie and how, as Marshall puts it, “anything is possible and anything can happen” in tournament golf. While the event will be remembered for its weather challenges, JJ Spaun’s remarkable 65-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to seal his maiden US Open title – and not forgetting Anthony’s starring role in a viral social media post – for the Aussie contingent it was a rare chance to contribute to Oakmont’s one-of-kind ‘standard’.

“Oakmont’s conditioning, especially the greens, is something that I admire and when you have the chance to see it for yourself, it is too good an opportunity to pass up,” says Anthony. “When you have the chance to work in tournaments of this level, the ability to mix with superintendents and turf professionals from around the world is so mutually beneficial.

Concludes the newbie of the group, Marshall: “I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it was going to be a great week and a great experience for my career. Being in the bunkers, I was fortunate to meet a lot of new people, among them some industry-leading superintendents from all across America.

“The highlight of the week, and what blew me away the most, was the scale of everything and how big it was – the number of people, the quality of the people working there and how much equipment they had. When it comes to a major championship there is no messing around – the week was next level.”

PHOTO: SHANE BAKER

PHOTO: USGA

Mosman Park’s Shane Baker, in shorts (spot the Aussie), helps squeegee water off the 18th fairway after 20mm fell in the final round

Proven long lasting weed and insect control

Spring

Japan 2025 ITRC

John Neylan reviews the 15th International Turfgrass Research Conference held in Japan in July.

The International Turfgrass Research Conference (ITRC) takes place every four years and brings together researchers, agronomists, extension specialists and turf managers from around the world. The ITRC provides the opportunity to hear about the latest in turfgrass science and research from leading researchers. This year was the 15th ITRC and was held in Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan. The ITRC conference was last held in Japan (Tokyo) in 1989 and was the springboard for turf research in that country and my first ITRC experience. Congratulations need to go to International Turfgrass Society (ITS) president Hideaki Tonogi, the ITS directors and all of those that worked tirelessly to run such a smooth conference.

Attending such an international conference provides numerous opportunities to hear about the most recent turf research and to interact with the researchers. This year there were 120 presentations across multiple streams, 81 full papers and 48 short communications published in Vol. 15 of the ITS Research Journal, along with 83 poster presentations. A total of 47 manuscripts were submitted to Crop Science and Agronomy Journal.

The end product is an incredible amount of information to absorb and to assist other turf

researchers, agronomists and turf managers. The biggest challenge is planning each day to work out what sessions and individual presentations to attend. Fortunately, all of the papers are published in the journals and readily accessible for future reference.

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

The keynote presentations covered a broad range of topics with a focus on turfgrass research in Japan. The most pertinent to Australia was a presentation by Maria Strandberg (pictured below) of the Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environment Research Foundation (STERF). Her session was on the importance of international research collaboration. Given the global challenges to turf presented by climate change, it was highlighted that research needs to be more collaborative and have a more global perspective.

It was announced that there have been three research projects approved and funded by STERF, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and The R&A. The projects are on water conservation, integrated turf management and climate change. The projects will be multidisciplinary and from my interpretation most relevant to the Northern Hemisphere.

While the collaborative initiative will have relevance to Australia, it needs to be acknowledged that we are very different due to climate, grasses, maintenance techniques and strategies and pests and diseases. While we can take useful information from research in other regions, we do need to have the ability to undertake site-specific trials in Australia.

STERF, USGA and The R&A are funding these research projects to the tune of about ₤800,000. In Australia we need Golf Australia, the Australian Football League, the National Rugby League and Cricket Australia to step up and to start funding some serious research. It is important to note that the research is not just to help the elite sports areas but those at community level and the 2nd and 3rd tier golf courses. To date, Australian research has got by through the efforts of golf course superintendent associations and the sports turf associations.

PHOTOS: JOHN NEYLAN

Other keynote addresses provided a history of turfgrass culture in Japan and highlighted the ITRC Conference held in Tokyo in 1989. There was also a presentation on the history of schoolyard turfing for popularisation in Japan, an important initiative to increase greenspace in a heavily urbanised environment. The final keynote was on the genetic characteristics of zoysiagrass and highlighted the diversity, distribution and importance of zoysiagrass to the Japanese turfgrass industry.

PRACTITIONERS SEMINAR

There was a full day Practitioners Seminar designed for turf managers and consisted of both research and commercial presentations. In this session there was a very good overview of the research by Dr. Scott McElroy (Auburn University) into autonomous mowing. I’m not sure if the equipment is quite right for Australian golf courses just yet, however, it certainly has potential for other broad-acre areas such as parks and gardens and possibly sportsfields. In an age of staff shortages, autonomous or semi-autonomous mowing may be a longer-term answer.

While the technology is advancing rapidly it still needs to prove itself to turf managers. A couple of key ‘negatives’ highlighted were that the mowers need to have a safety margin and won’t necessarily mow all of the mowable area and therefore will still require a human input. The other issue that has been a constant since robotic mowers were first postulated in the early 1950s is the public liability.

There was a detailed paper presented on managing soil carbon with the focus on sand dusting and the relationship with organic matter content, surface firmness and green speed. The researcher, Dr Doug Soldat (University of Wisconsin), used a variety of test methods including the FieldScout TruFirm device, Clegg Hammer and USGA GS3 ball.

The take home message from the presentation was that when dusting with sand the ‘little and often’ approach that matches growth is the key and a slightly finer sand can be used compared to the construction sand used. It was also noted that you need to be careful of what tools are used to measure the results and to make sure that the same tool is used at each assessment for consistent data.

Precision spraying and the use of AI technology was another key area explored as a means of improving weed control and minimising the use of herbicides. The research of Dr Wendell Hutchens (University of Arkansas) on the fundamentals of real time pest detection and precision spraying provided

an insight into what the future management of weeds may look like.

As the detection technology gets better, data processing speeds increase and the refinement of spray applications, it is expected to greatly reduce herbicide use. This is an area that is attracting a lot of research and funding in an environment where there are increasing concerns around the use of pesticides.

TURFGRASS DISEASES

The research into turfgrass diseases is a constant with about 15 papers presented on turfgrass diseases during the ITRC with dollar spot the pathogen of most interest. Dollar spot (Clarireedia spp.) is the most economically important disease of golf course turfgrass in temperate climates. One interesting fact is that due to climate change, dollar spot has now found its way into the Nordic countries.

From an Australian perspective, dollar spot is of little concern where there are good preventative fungicide programs in place. However, it does highlight that in Australia we have different concerns with diseases and there is a need for more localised research.

To me, the most interesting of the disease research papers were those that focused on spring dead spot (Ophiosphaerella spp.). While spring dead spot (SDS) is less of a problem in Australia compared to 25-30 years ago, we are battling to control a number of the ectotrophic root infecting (ERI) fungi in couchgrass, of which SDS is but one pathogen.

In the research work that the Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association (VGCSA) is undertaking, the main concern is the damage caused by BF1 fairway patch (Phialocephala bamuru) and its possible control. The presentations on SDS highlighted some key factors that are pertinent to the ongoing research of BF-1 including:

l Determining the optimum soil temperature for growth;

l How temperature relates to the effective application of fungicides; and

l Fraise mowing of infected areas combined with fungicide applications as a method of control.

As was noted by Dr Jim Kerns (NC State University) at the recent Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney, when treating root pathogens the solubility of the fungicide also has a significant impact on whether the fungicide can be moved to the site of infection. We still have a lot to learn in an Australian context and therefore the need for more focused research.

There was a paper discussing the pesticide-free suppression of Microdochium nivale using non-synthetic products. Given the severe restrictions on the use of fungicides in the UK and Europe, the research indicates that there may be non-fungicide alternatives that will provide adequate control. We are lucky in Australia that we haven’t yet been put under the same pressures with respect to the use of pesticides as the European and UK countries.

In Australia, BF-1 (fairway patch) is well known in Cynodon sp. and its hybrids. An interesting paper was presented on the occurrence of the disease in hard fescue (Festuca brevipila) and the laboratory and field trials undertaken to identify possible fungicides to control the disease.

Ten fungicides were identified in the laboratory that inhibited P. bamuru growth and they were then evaluated in field trials. While the fungicides were effective in vitro, the field efficacy was poor and requires further research. This work is similar to work undertaken by Dr. Percy Wong and highlights the challenges of getting fungicides to the site of infection.

Opposite page: The zoysia japonica fairways at Asama Kogen Country Club, one of a number of venues visited during the Technical Tour day held as part of International Turfgrass Research Conference in Japan

A strong Australian contingent of more than 30 attended the recent ITRC in Japan. Among them were (from left) Doug Agnew, Craig Burleigh, Matthew Steven, Steven Hewitt, Barry Proctor, Nic Douglas, John Neylan, Saxon Rohrlach, Michael Freeman and Shane Greenhill

SUSTAINABLE MAINTENANCE

There were various papers presented under this relatively broad topic which provided some interesting insights into turf management. Measuring organic matter in putting greens as a routine management technique was discussed in detail with the techniques used being of particular interest.

It was suggested that soil moisture measurements should be used to determine where to sample the green. That is, the wetter areas should be treated as a priority due to the relationship between organic matter and moisture retention. It was also suggested that multiple plugs need to be taken from each green tested.

There was a paper on how management costs influence golfer perceptions of turfgrass quality and playability. It was a detailed project to determine if turfgrass quality and playability perceptions of golf course fairways changed after participants were informed of management costs. In short, players did have a modified opinion (let’s say more realistic) once they were made aware of the costs involved. The conclusion was that informing

players about management costs may improve the rate of turfgrass acceptability when there are reduced management inputs. It is all about good communication.

From a sportsfield perspective there was a paper on the management of the turf at Sapporo Stadium (Hokkaido, Japan). The unique aspect of this field is that it is a roll in/ roll out field (see photo top left, opposite page) The field is 120m x 85m and weighs 8300 tonnes and takes six hours to place inside the stadium. It consists of a 200mm sand profile with subsoil heating and a perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass surface. It is an amazing feat of engineering and agronomy with an intensive nutrient management program with data collected over 22 years.

A non-agronomy paper that was presented in this stream was a case study on the recruitment and retention of women into the turf industry. This is a pertinent topic in Australia where the percentage of females working in turf is extremely low. The author highlighted that there are numerous barriers that prevent fixing the shortage and diversifying the workforce.

in the

A case study approach was used to assess the recruitment and retention of women by surveying woman involved in golf course maintenance. Results indicated a lack of exposure to the turfgrass industry for recruiting women, as well as insufficient mentorship and significant harassment events for those already in the industry. It does provide the Australian turf industry with some food for thought.

TURFGRASS PHYSIOLOGY

Anything to do with turfgrass physiology tends to be highly technical as much of the research is at the cellular level. The research presented in Japan primarily focused on improving tolerance to heat and drought stress. One researcher has been undertaking research into the molecular mechanisms regulating heat tolerance in cool-season turfgrasses (this paper was heavy going!) as a means of developing germplasm with greater heat tolerance through breeding and biotechnological methods.

Dr. Mike Richardson (university of Arkansas), who presented at the 2017 Australian Turfgrass Conference, has undertaken extensive research into the light requirements of cool- and warmseason grasses. He presented on research into improving the shade tolerance of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass putting greens. The results demonstrated that the shade tolerance of ‘TifEagle’ can be improved through the use of the PGR trinexapac-ethyl. This work was reported in the 18 July 2025 edition of the USGA Green Section Record.

TURFGRASS WATER AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT

Turfgrass water use is an ever-increasing important topic of research. Interestingly some of the research was still quite basic in the search for the optimum or minimum crop factors for bermudagrass. The bermudagrasses were quite old, seeded cultivars and it does make you think whether the bermudagrasses (couchgrass) we have in Australia continue to be superior in terms of water use and drought tolerance.

There was a paper comparing the use of satellite data for managing irrigation programming against soil moisture sensorbased irrigation scheduling. The conclusions were that generally, the satellite-derived soil moisture data underestimated soil moisture variability when compared to PS 6000 (Toro Precision Sense) measurements and indicated a greater moisture uniformity than present.

Nagano U Studium is home ground to J-League Division 3 side AC Nagano Parceiro. It is a sand-based playing field with Kentucky bluegrass surface

Segregation

Penncross greens at Asama Kogen Country Club. Inset, superintendent Takayuki Ito discusses his course management practices

High bicarbonates in irrigation water is a common concern in many water supplies in Australia. A research project that compared high bicarbonate water with acid treated water found that the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) data for plots irrigated with highbicarbonate water amended with acid exhibited higher Ksat values than those irrigated with high-bicarbonate water alone. However, it was also concluded that these changes did not negatively impact turfgrass performance. It does raise the question in Australia as to whether we overstate the impact of high bicarbonate water. As noted above, future research needs to include long-term monitoring to assess the effects on soil physical and chemical properties, as well as turfgrass performance.

TECHNICAL TOUR

The Technical Tour is a great opportunity to observe turf and turf maintenance in the host country. It is always of interest to discuss turf with the turf managers and golf course superintendents and to observe grasses that we are both familiar and unfamiliar with in a very different climate. There was a choice of several tours, with a combination of golf courses, sports fields, stadia, racetracks and gardens to select from. I had the opportunity to visit Asama Kogen Country Club, Sania Park Sugadaira sports park and Nagano U Stadium. Course superintendent Takayuki Ito provided an overview of the Asama Kogen Country Club. The golf course opened in 1990 and is a membership-based course with a total of 560 members as well as many green fee players. The golf course operates from early March to late December with about 30,000 rounds over this period. The course is 18 holes with the fairways, roughs and tees being Japanese lawn grass (Zoysia japonica) and Penncross bentgrass on greens. The green we inspected was providing an excellent surface with the typical segregation that occurs in old Penncross greens (see photo opposite page) A turf plug was taken and the soil washed away so we could see the roots. For a green of this age, the root system was excellent.

Sania Park Sugadaira is a major sports complex. Groundskeeper Motoki Sakurai explained that the Sugadaira Kogen area is a cold highland 1200m-1400m in altitude and the playing fields are used from about April to November each year for athletics, soccer and rugby. In winter the facility also serves as a cross-country ski course!

Sugadaira Kogen is said to be a sacred place for rugby and dates back to 1931 when the Hosei University Rugby Club visited for a training camp. The fields are used by numerous teams and hosts around 1000 games every year. The turf is Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue on a USGA profile.

At Nagano U Studium, head groundsman Shigeru Aoki explained the maintenance of the field. The field was completed in 2015 as one of the facilities within the Minami-Nagano Sports Park and is next door to the main venue used for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. The objective of the construction was to meet the requirements of the J-League (Japan’s professional soccer league) Division 1.

The field is sand-based with subsoil drainage and Kentucky bluegrass turf. The stadium was designed to maximise the natural light and improved air flow through the use of ventilation louvers installed under the north and south ends of the field. The louvers are closed during match day. They also have two light rigs to provide supplemental lighting.

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATION

Among the more than 420 registered delegates from 27 countries that attended the ITRC there was an excellent representation from Australia, including a number of Victorian golf course superintendents. Among them were Michael Freeman (Huntingdale GC), Steven Hewitt (13th Beach), Barry Proctor (Riversdale GC), Nic Douglas (Cranbourne GC) and Shane Greenhill (Sorrento GC), as well as Metropolitan Golf Club duo John Mann (superintendent) and Hamish Buckingham (assistant).

The ITS is a volunteer organisation and at the end of the conference it announced the appointment of its officers and directors for the 2025-2029 cycle. The 2029 ITRC will be held in Canada, with University of Guelph Turfgrass Institute director Katerina Jordan elected as new ITS president.

Also confirmed were the appointments of Nadeem Zreikat (Colin Campbell Chemicals) and Dr Brett Morris (The R&A) as ITS directors. They replace Dr Chris Lambrides (University of Queensland) who was Australia’s representative across the last two terms. Will Bowden (PGG Wrightson Turf) was elected as New Zealand’s representative. As an industry we need to support Nadeem and Brett’s endeavours in promoting the activities of the society. For more information on the ITS, visit https://turfsociety.com.

One of the ITRC presentations focussed on the management of the playing surface at Sapporo Stadium which has an 8300-tonne roll in/roll out field

Sania Park Sugadaira is a major sports complex and between April and November its fields are used for athletics, soccer and rugby. In winter the facility also serves as a cross-country ski course due to its 1400m altitude!

PHOTO: NIC DOUGLAS

The 2025 ITRC included 120 presentations, 81 full papers, 48 short communications as well as 83 poster presentations (pictured)

Opened in 1965, McGillivray Oval is the University of Western Australia’s 27-hectare multi-sport facility in Perth. It caters for all manner of sports including cricket, rugby union, AFL, soccer, baseball, tennis, hockey and athletics

UWA Marsh pulls stumps at

For the best part of 50 years, Chris Marsh’s presence around the grounds of the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth has been a constant. Over the decades you would usually have found him behind a mower, on a roller or deep in thought over a specific turf management challenge or project. Just recently, however, the UWA surfaces no longer have their long-standing custodian watching over them.

In mid-July, Marsh officially pulled stumps after an impressive 48 years with the university, signalling the end of one of the longest-serving and most respected careers in turf management in WA. In an era when few remain in one role for a lifetime, Marsh’s career is a study in passion, loyalty and quiet leadership across an ever-evolving industry.

Marsh’s time in the turf began, fittingly, through his love of sport. A handy cricketer for Claremont-Cottesloe and a keen footballer

ATM columnist John Forrest pays tribute to Chris Marsh, one of the true stalwarts of the Western Australian sports turf industry, who recently retired after a long and celebrated career.

playing for University, it was in 1968 while on holiday from his architecture studies at the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University) that he got his first curatorial taste.

Fast-forward to New Year’s Eve 1976 and Marsh would swap a drawing board for a mower, accepting a role on the grounds crew at UWA’s Crawley Campus under the guidance

of well-known gardener George Munns. The first assignment Munns handed him was to design a mowing program, which perfectly blended his architectural eye with horticultural precision.

A year later, in 1977, Marsh moved to what would eventually become his backyard –McGillivray Oval or what is now known as UWA Sports Park, the university’s 27-hectare multisport facility. With three clay wickets to tend to there, he found a mentor in WACA curator Roy Abbott whose ‘keep it simple, stupid’ philosophy would resonate with him right throughout his career.

Under Abbott’s watchful eye, Marsh would hone his skills on turf wickets, also spending time preparing decks and the outfield at James Oval on the main UWA campus a few kilometres away. That facility would be used by many future state and national representative cricketers, including the likes of Graham Wood and Chris Rogers. Marsh even prepared James Oval for an impromptu cricket match in 1984 which featured a touring Elton John and Aussie legends Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh!

The pressure to maintain world-class standards was high, but Marsh thrived in the environment. He even rebuilt the James Oval wicket in 1990, a move that didn’t go down well with the local spin bowling cartel of the time who liked the more than 60 years of organic accumulation in the profile!

AT HOME AT MCGILLIVRAY

In 1981, Marsh, his wife Sandy and their young son Thomas moved into the curator’s cottage at McGillivray. Living on-site wasn’t just convenient – it forged a deep connection with the ground and that proximity became a key to Marsh’s high standards. He could observe day-to-day changes, anticipate issues and stay in tune with the needs of one of Perth’s busiest multi-sport venues. From early-morning irrigation runs to late-night encounters with hoons, Marsh was always present – both figuratively and literally.

As a humorous aside, on one occasion where he did catch a vandal doing doughnuts on the wickets one Friday night before a game, rather than calling police, Marsh demanded the offender return the next morning to apologise to both teams for the inconvenience caused. The young man did, with fear in his eyes and, hopefully, a lesson learned.

One of Marsh’s concerns in his early days was the rate of pay given that ‘turf management’ wasn’t recognised as a trade even though horticulture was. Marsh talks fondly of the work of Lin Hambleton and Jim Clements in putting together an industry-based qualification that could be completed at night school. Marsh would go on to complete his qualification in 1989, taking home the C.H. Bailey & Son Shield for best student. Not only was this personally rewarding but it also supported Marsh in his case for better pay and recognition within the industry.

Though finishing his days at UWA as ‘Senior Technician Grounds’ and overseeing the contract maintenance of the venue in the latter part of his tenure, Marsh was far more than just a title. He was a mentor, manager, problem-solver and quiet leader for the UWA Sports Park team. He built lasting relationships with staff, with one in particular standing out.

Englishman Rob Thompson had to overcame countless roadblocks as an international student to complete his Certificate III in Sports Turf Management. However, with the support of Marsh he was able to complete his studies and went on to also receive the C.H. Bailey & Son Shield in 2008. Thompson

would move on to construct the new Fremantle Dockers training facility at Cockburn before becoming head curator at Hale School.

Son Thomas also worked alongside his father at McGillivray for 15 years. His dad’s strong work ethic rubbed off and many at the university didn’t realise they were related. The younger Marsh would eventually move on and has had a very successful career in mining.

Marsh’s true skill, however, lay in delivering elite playing surfaces for a wide variety of sports. McGillivray was and still is home to many sports and hosts everything from cricket, rugby union, AFL, soccer, baseball, tennis (grass and clay courts), hockey (grass and synthetic) and athletics.

The West Coast Eagles, Fremantle Dockers, Western Force and Perth Glory have all trained on the surfaces that Marsh and his team have produced over the years. Touring international teams would also want to train there due to the quality of the surfaces. The list of teams and events McGillivray has hosted

over the years is a reflection of Marsh’s talent for managing turf and the oval’s resilience. Among some of the more unique events were the Golden Oldies World Rugby Festival in 1991, a Silverchair concert in 1997, the 2002 World Lacrosse Championship and World U24 Ultimate Frisbee Championship in 2018.

Marsh mastered the art of overseeding warm-season grasses with cool-season ryegrass, ensuring excellent winter coverage. He managed wear patterns, trained club staff and liaised with elite teams. His ability to provide such good surfaces came down to a clear understanding of the requirements for each sport. His presentation for rugby and AFL surfaces was excellent and whenever there was an issue – like damage being caused by a scrum machine – his ability to quickly problemsolve but also communicate a solution calmly and articulately won him many admirers.

UNIQUE PROJECTS

Over the years Marsh would undertake numerous projects at UWA, with his investigative and commonsense approach seeing him deliver solutions and innovation. This is what made Marsh a leader in his field and one who many in the industry would turn to for advice. On the flip side, Marsh himself was never too proud to seek advice if he had a problem that he was unable to resolve.

One of the more complex projects Marsh tackled during his time was the refurbishment of the venue’s unique cinder-based grass athletics track. Originally constructed when the ground first opened in the mid-1960s, the 400m-long track has eight circular lanes and 10 straight lanes in addition to the usual assortment of field event infrastructure (long jump pits, discus and shot put circles and javelin runways). It is one of the few cinderbased tracks left in the world and is renowned across Australia as being one of the best grass surfaces for running on.

After 48 years overseeing McGillivray Oval, now known as UWA Sports Park (above), Chris Marsh (right) retired this past July

PHOTO: NEARMAP

It was a love of cricket that got Marsh into turf management and in his early days at McGillivray he was mentored by WACA curator Roy Abbott

The cinders used for the base are the end result of burning coal in coal-fired power stations. Back in Marsh’s early days there were a number of these plants around the place, including one in East Perth on the banks of the Swan River. The cinders/spoil would be barged across to a dump at Burswood (effectively where Optus Stadium now sits) and Marsh fondly recalls how he and his staff would take the work ute there and shovel the cinders into the tray by hand before repeating the process back at McGillivray.

When the original cinder supply source disappeared, Marsh set about finding an alternative supply. Marsh sought the advice of

former West Coast Eagles high performance manager Glen Stewart as to what was required for the track. Armed with that knowledge and after a lot of research, he was able to track down a compatible material from Muja Power Station, 22km east of Collie. A load of cinders was transported more than 200km to Perth and used to revamp the track. It received glowing praise when it was used as a warmup facility for a World Masters Athletics event, with many calling it “the best grass track in the world” at the time.

Marsh was also instrumental in UWA Sports Park becoming the first major recycled water user in metropolitan Perth. Previously

relying on bore water to irrigate the surfaces, Marsh was able to source treated water from the neighbouring Subiaco Wastewater Treatment Plant which was used to irrigate 18 of the ground’s 27 hectares.

With McGillivray being such a heavily utilised facility – people are there from first light right through to the end of evening training – having the new recycled water meant a change to their allowable watering window. Application could only be between 9pm and 1am to allow time for the water to dry on the leaf before morning use started. To facilitate that, Marsh increased the mainline diameter from 150mm to 300mm and upped mainline pressure from 600kpa to 700kpa.

To determine the application rate, catch cans were used to measure the applied water and, subsequently, the amount of nutrients being applied. This information assisted in Marsh designing his nutrition and irrigation programs. One of the most significant outcomes of his monitoring over the first year was that the Marsh’s practice of irrigating early in the season, which often drew criticism, was backed up with science to show that it was indeed best practice.

STAYING TRUE

With Marsh having now stepped away from UWA Sports Park, he leaves more than just the fields behind – he leaves a legacy. It isn’t easy to cover off fully the extensive career of a leader in our industry like Marsh, one who was highly skilled, passionate and humble.

Despite a number of offers over the years, he never left UWA. Not for the WACA, not for the MCG, though his skills would have been welcome at either. Instead he preferred the expanse and variety that McGillivray Oval (and James Oval) offered him. McGillivray bore Marsh’s signature every day – a blend of precision, care and quiet pride – and the WA sporting community certainly owes him a debt of gratitude for that.

Editor’s Note: In 2015, when McGillivray Oval celebrated its 50th anniversary, Marsh was interviewed as part of the UWA Historical Society’s Oral History Program. Across three interviews, Marsh recalls the history of the grounds, the improvements in turf management during his time and the challenges of preparing surfaces at a high use venue. He also provides anecdotes about the odd, unusual and amusing incidents he and his family witnessed while living in the curator’s cottage. The interviews can be accessed through the following link https://collected.uwa. edu.au/nodes/view/557.

One of the more complex projects Marsh oversaw was the refurbishment of McGillivray’s unique cinder-based grass athletics track, lauded as one of the best grass running tracks in the country

Marsh developed a reputation for being a leader in his field, mentoring, managing and constantly improving the UWA playing surfaces, including reconstructing the James Oval wicket in 1990 which made local headlines

its

Headland Golf Club has a formalised Vegetation Management Plan in place for continuity in its vegetation and out of play areas. All plants are sourced from local nurseries and are documented as endemic/indigenous plants of the Sunshine Coast

green edge Headland hones

In the first of a continuing series of articles looking into environmental initiatives at Australian golf clubs, Kate Torgersen and Monina Gilbey visit Headland Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast.

Welcome to the first in a new series of articles we will be compiling for Australian Turfgrass Management Journal which will explore the vital environmental work happening within golf clubs across Australia. This series will highlight the dedicated individuals and innovative projects that are transforming these clubs into havens for biodiversity and models of sustainability.

To kick things off, we catch up with current Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA) president Ben Tilley (CSTM) who is superintendent at Headland Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast. Headland is one club making significant strides in environmental management and its commitment stems from a long-standing passion for sustainability and biodiversity, reinforced by continuous education and a proactive approach to ecological stewardship.

Driving this commitment has been Ben whose personal affection for all things environmental goes back to the early days of his career. Indeed, when he was at nearby Beerwah Golf Club back in the early 2000s, he was among the first group of superintendents to win the ASTMA’s Claude Crockford Sustainability and Environment Award.

In this article we hear from Ben about how he and his team are engaging their members in environmental initiatives, their innovative cane toad control methods and the club’s beloved ‘Hotel Habitat Tree’. Headland’s journey offers valuable insights and inspiration for how golf courses can contribute to a healthier planet.

How many staff do you have at Headland?

There are 11 of us when we are all here plus a contract mechanic who does our maintenance one day a week. We have one dedicated staff member, Kieran Macdonald, for our vegetation

work who will generally assist with morning setup then move onto vegetation work which equates to about 25-30 hours a week. We also have a group of regular volunteers on Friday between 7am-9am that assist us on the course (except when it’s raining). They also help with bulk mulching and plant outs when required.

What is your motivation for implementing sustainability and biodiversity projects?

I have always had a bent for environmental sustainability and biodiversity right back to when I was superintendent at Beerwah Golf Club. I have also had exposure to countless education sessions at ASTMA conferences over the years which further reinforced my mindset that sustainability and biodiversity are an integral part of my responsibility in the management of the course. This has led to me to guide the club towards embracing our initiatives and supporting this area of our maintenance with our operating budget.

Do you have a formal plan? Yes, we have a Vegetation Management Plan (VMP). In 2023 we engaged Kate Torgersen (Environmental Golf Solutions) to present a formalised plan for continuity in our vegetation areas. All our plants are sourced from local nurseries and are documented as endemic/indigenous plants of the Sunshine Coast.

Following some detailed site inspections with Kate, as well as member information sessions, a detailed plan was presented to our Management Committee and accepted as our guide for future vegetation management and plantings. The plan is an ever-evolving document that will be our guide for at least the next 10 years.

We also engage an arborist to annually assess our trees across the course through a Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) Report and offer guidance as to ongoing health and provide maintenance practices for our management. These practices can range from light pruning, branch removal to pruning for habitat or in some cases tree removal. All our green waste is either mulched or tub ground and recycled back on course. Both the VMP and VTA are funded in our annual budget.

Why are these projects important? I feel our environmental projects are important to promote diversity on our course. We have a green space predominately surrounded by houses and a unique opportunity to promote a healthy diverse green habitat. Hopefully our projects contribute to and enhance that diversity and in some cases provide an environment to promote a space for rare and endangered vegetation.

Does the committee and your members see the importance as well? I see my role as superintendent as providing leadership to the club around environmental management. With the acceptance of our VMP, the Management Committee has committed to funding our initiatives in this area.

As with any initiatives, there will always be different points of view and it is no different at Headland Golf Club. I have many members that are supportive of our initiatives and those that don’t necessarily support what we are doing. There is also the need for acceptance of patience in allowing our work to develop and mature over time as well as accepting the change in the style and form of vegetation, compared to previous incarnations, and the associated benefits that our initiatives bring.

How do you engage your members and promote your environmental initiatives? A considerable amount of work that we have done has been quite transformational in many areas and promotes itself most of the time. Our members do engage with us regularly

when we are working in various areas and are always ready to offer their opinions either way on whether we have achieved our desired outcome or not.

As we move through more areas across the course there is member acceptance that we are continuing to enhance the golf course both visually and environmentally. We also offer some clarity and plans on proposed projects via internal club emails to keep our members as informed as we can.

What are some of the environmental initiatives you have undertaken at Headland? Our projects to date include: l Implementation of the Vegetation Management Plan involving, but not restricted to, conversion of out of play monograss stands and weed-infested areas to diverse endemic vegetation areas. l Promotion of leaving dead trees, safely pruning and converting to habitat trees.

Headland has released 500 silver perch into one of its dams to help control floating weed populations of red azolla and lemna (duckweed), reducing the need for herbicide applications. Pictured is superintendent Ben Tilley

Headland staff member Kieran Macdonald oversees vegetation work around the course

Headland has a group of regular volunteers who assist on course and with bulk mulching and plant outs

ENVIRONMENT

l Mulching and planting out of open space areas to reduce mowing costs.

l Placing nesting boxes throughout the course.

l Promoting Persicaria attenuata as a monostand around Dams 4 and 5 to provide habitat as well as nutrient stripping to improve water quality.

l Releasing 500 silver perch in Dam 2 to control floating weed populations of red azolla and lemna (duckweed), reducing the need for regular seasonal herbicide applications.

l Bacteria inoculations into Dam 2 to aid in nutrient stripping.

l Becoming a part of the Golf Fore Nature project on iNaturalist to identify and record vegetation across the course.

l Working with Sunshine Coast Regional Council to control fox populations.

l Managing pests like cane toads.

We saw a TikTok video of you involved in the ‘Cane Toad Challenge’, a partnership with the University of Queensland. Can you tell us more about that? I was first alerted to the ‘Cane Toad Challenge’ by a long-term member John Hammond who was really instrumental in building the traps and placing them in strategic positions across our dams. While he played golf he was always alert to clusters of toad eggs and would move the traps accordingly. Specific protocols were required with regard to egg disposal and recording etc.

We had good success with that program but we all have observed the resilience and adaptability of cane toads to survive and colonise and it is a constant battle. Although I still have the traps, there has been an easing of that program for a little while now.

When we visited the club, we were really impressed with your ‘Hotel Habitat Tree’. Can you tell us about it and who lives in it? The ‘Hotel Habitat Tree’ on our 8th hole (pictured above) is one of the first and most successful habitat trees that we have left on the course. It’s about 11-years-old now and has eight different levels of accommodation. The ‘penthouse’ hollow has always been the domain of lorikeets, while in the other hollows we have seen possums, sugar gliders and cockatoos over the years. Our arborists will sporadically use their cable inspection camera to visually inspect the hollows. The tree also aids as a line of play guide for many of our members as the fairway does rise significantly which creates a blind shot – if golfers launch their shots at the tree their balls should feed down to position ‘A’ in the fairway for them.

What has been your biggest challenge in regard to your environmental initiatives?

My biggest challenge of all was the initial promotion of the VMP and acceptance from members that have previously been involved in our ‘garden’ maintenance and their perception of what ‘looks good’. Any change will always initiate push back on the new direction and some of the chat around that push back tended to influence other people’s views which was not conducive to promoting a positive vibe around our new ‘agreed’ direction. Once we had received support from the Management Committee it was then a matter of holding firm on our direction and committing to the process.

I did have conversations with some key influencers within the club which aided in settling some of the negative comment down. Most of my other initiatives have been supported at either a Course Committee or Management Committee level and provided I have a justifiable recommendation we have been able to implement them.

Do you have any advice for other golf clubs? If a superintendent is looking to initiate environmental objectives, I would recommend they reach out to their peers for guidance and also seek some qualified advice from consultants/professionals in the field. There are myriad articles online and in industry magazines that can be researched, or sometimes it might be a single post on social media that triggers something for you to try. Just start on a small scale and achieve your desired outcome. This should then allow you to springboard off that success and expand initiatives into other areas of management across the course.

In terms of vegetation, seek to develop a Vegetation Management Plan that can be an evolving document to guide the club. Embedding environmental initiatives into your club’s strategic plan or Course Standards Document also allows you to plan future projects and make allowances in your operating budget to support those initiatives.

What are your future environment and sustainability goals? I am currently in a holding and establishment pattern with our initiatives. We have long-term goals for allowing our vegetation areas to mature and take effect and they are a work in progress. The initiatives that we have across the course are working for us and I need to keep developing them and allocating funding through our annual budget to allow them to progress and prosper. We still have quite a few areas that we need to improve particularly with our VMP and we’re looking forward to working towards our end goal.

Headland Golf Club and Ben’s proactive approach to environmental management, from their detailed VMP to hands-on projects like the Cane Toad Challenge, clearly demonstrates the significant impact golf clubs can have. Their story underscores the importance of leadership, community engagement and a long-term vision for sustainability.

Our profile series aims to highlight environmental efforts and encourage further action within the golfing world and beyond. Please contact us (monina@torgersengilbey. com.au or kate@envirogolf.com.au) if you would like to be involved in Golf Fore Nature, or if you have some projects you would like us to feature in ATMJ.

Headland is part of the Golf Fore Nature project on iNaturalist which helps to identify and record flora and fauna across the golf course

The ‘Hotel Habitat Tree’ on Headland’s 8th hole is one of the club’s first and most successful habitat trees

all in Walsh goes

Having started out in golf, a love for cricket took Tim Walsh’s turf management career down the sportsfield path. After six years at Hailebury College, since April 2023 he has been grounds and landscapes manager at Yarra Valley Grammar in Melbourne

Ben Gibson catches up with Tim Walsh who for the past two years has been the grounds and landscapes manager at Yarra Valley Grammar.

Every leadership profile that we do in Australian Turfgrass Management Journal is unique and I have a running joke with editor Brett Robinson where I tell him that each edition’s profile is one of the best yet. I’m positive that after reading this edition’s offering, on Yarra Valley Grammar Grounds and Landscapes Manager Tim Walsh, you’ll agree with me that it is one of the most detailed and insightful profiles we have had grace these pages.

Although a relative latecomer to the industry, Tim has risen quickly up the ranks. Starting out in golf, over the past decade he has made the switch to sportsfields within a private school environment. Across both sectors, the now 41-year-old has been fortunate to work under some of the industry’s best practitioners, taking little bits from each and shaping them into his own unique leadership style. While Tim admits he is still learning all the time, he is forever grateful for

the influence they have had on him and how they have helped to shape his near 15 years in the industry to date.

Since April 2023, Tim has been in charge of operations at Yarra Valley Grammar in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs, leading a team of nine that looks after the school’s expansive sports grounds and landscaped areas. It is set to be an exciting few years coming up for the team with tender documents shortly going out for a multi-stage redevelopment of the school’s sporting fields starting in 2026.

TIM WALSH – CAREER

2023-present: Grounds and landscapes manager, Yarra Valley Grammar. 2016-2023: Assistant curator, Haileybury College.

2012-2016: Apprentice greenkeeper/ qualified greenkeeper, Huntingdale GC. 2010-2012: Apprentice greenkeeper, Yarra Valley CC.

Having played a key role in the project’s planning, it is just one of the many facets of being a sports turf manager which Tim revels in. As you will discover reading his profile, working in turf affords Tim the opportunity to combine two things he is passionate about –sport and being outdoors. He gets to be out in the elements, working with his hands, staying active and contributing to the success of games and events from behind the scenes. As he will happily tell you, it is more than a job, it’s a lifestyle and one that fits him perfectly…

How did you end up in turf? Did you choose turf or did it choose you? Honestly, I think it was a bit of both. Turf kind of found me, but at the same time all the signs were there from early on – I just didn’t realise it straight away! I’ve been involved in sport for as long as I can remember – footy, cricket, golf, you name it I gave it a crack. I wasn’t just playing for the sake of it. I genuinely loved everything about it. Whether it was a weekend match or just a casual hit with mates, I found real joy in being active and spending time outside. I was always drawn to the open spaces, the fresh air and the atmosphere of a sporting environment. That connection to sport and the outdoors became a big part of who I was and how I saw the world.

From a young age, it was clear to me that I was never going to be good enough to make a living playing sport, but I didn’t want to walk away from it either. That’s when the idea of turf management started to make sense. It offered me the perfect way to stay involved in

the world I loved, just from a different angle. I could still be on the field, not as a player, but as someone who helps create and maintain the playing surfaces that make sport possible. So, in a way, turf definitely chose me and once I stepped into it I knew I’d found the right path.

Tell us about the journey that has led to your current role at Yarra Valley Grammar? My path in turf management began a little later than most, as a 26-year-old mature-aged apprentice. I started at Yarra Valley Country Club in Bulleen under Glenn Miller. We had a tight-knit crew of just four, looking after a diverse range of facilities including a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, a bowling green and extensive grounds and gardens. It was a great introduction to the industry – hands-on, fastpaced and incredibly varied.

During my second year, I applied for an apprenticeship position at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. It was a long shot given the prestige of the course and the number of applicants, but I was lucky enough to be shortlisted for an interview. While I ultimately didn’t land the role, it was a real turning point for me. It felt like a missed opportunity and it lit a fire in me to push harder.

A few weeks later, I received a call from Michael Freeman at Huntingdale Golf Club. He’d been in touch with Richard Forsyth, who kindly passed on my name. Michael invited me in for a chat and when he offered me the chance to finish my apprenticeship there I jumped at it.

Those first six months were a steep learning curve. The standards, expectations and pace were next level, but I loved it. We had a strong team of greenkeepers, all around the same age and stage of life, and we really gelled. Many of those guys have gone on to take leadership roles themselves, which says a lot about the culture and calibre of the place.

Still, something was missing. Cricket had always been my number one sporting passion and when I was originally looking for apprenticeships I couldn’t find any opportunities as a curator. So I chose golf, but always with the hope that a role working with wickets would come up down the line. After four great years at Huntingdale, it finally did.

A position came up at Haileybury College for an assistant curator under Stephen West. Up until that point, I had never considered working in a school environment. But I was keen, applied, got the interview and got the job. I loved it straight away. Finally, I was working on wickets and I was all in. I spent six years at Haileybury, surrounded by a great team, and eventually worked my way up to 2IC.

It was during this time I really started to focus on developing myself, both personally and professionally. I enrolled in the ASTMA’s

Future Turf Managers Initiative (FTMI) to grow my leadership skills and push myself further. About half way through the FTMI, the grounds and landscapes manager position at Yarra Valley Grammar was advertised. I saw it as a big challenge and the right next step. I threw my hat in the ring, went through a series of interviews during a personally challenging time and was fortunate to be offered the role.

I’ve now been at Yarra for over two years and I can genuinely say I love it. It’s a role that lets me bring together all the things I’m passionate about – sport, the outdoors, turf management and leadership. It’s been quite a journey getting here, but every step has shaped who I am and how I approach the job.

What is at the top of your priority list as a leader? Without a doubt, people. Turf is what we do, but people are what make it all work. I see my role not just as someone who manages grounds and landscapes, but as someone who helps others grow, build confidence and move toward their own goals. I genuinely believe that one of the best parts

of leadership is the opportunity to help others become the best version of themselves. I was a late starter in the industry, so I know what it feels like to be learning on the run, trying to find your place and purpose. That’s shaped how I lead – I don’t pretend to have all the answers and I’m not afraid to admit when I don’t know something. But I am always willing to have a go, to work alongside someone and to lift them up when they need it.

There’s a saying I really connect with –“If you’re not moving forward, you’re going backwards.” I try to bring that mindset into every day. Whether it’s offering guidance, sharing what I’ve learned or just making sure the team feels supported, I want to keep things progressing – for everyone.

Through the FTMI program, I was introduced to the work of Simon Sinek by my mentor Greg Askew (cheers Greg). One of Sinek’s ideas that really stuck with me is the belief that no matter how long someone is with you – whether one or 10 years – they should leave better than when they arrived. That philosophy really hit home for me. If I can create an environment where people learn, grow and leave with more than they came in with, then I’m doing my job as a leader.

I also think it’s important to remember how easy it is in this industry to lose your passion if you’re not challenged or supported. Turf management is a brilliant career – we get to work outside, be part of sport and build spaces that matter. But it’s not without its tough days. Part of my role is to help people rediscover that spark when it fades and make sure they don’t just get stuck going through the motions. At the end of the day, if my team is learning, enjoying their work and feeling like they’re moving forward, then that’s a win. That’s leadership to me.

What size team do you have at Yarra Valley Grammar? I lead a team of nine, including myself. It’s a well-rounded and hardworking group made up of two dedicated turf specialists, two gardeners, two logistics team members, two all-rounders who can

The Yarra Valley Grammar team is responsible for maintaining about 27.5 hectares across the school’s grounds

Working under head curator Stephen West at Haileybury’s Keysborough campus, Walsh honed his knowledge around sportsfields and wicket preparation

float between areas as needed and a garden apprentice who’s learning the ropes and growing quickly. Together, we’re responsible for maintaining about 27.5 hectares across the school grounds. That includes sporting fields, ornamental gardens, lawns and everything in between. It’s a big space and the workload is pretty constant year-round, especially with the range of sports and events we support throughout each school term.

The team’s diversity is one of our biggest strengths. Everyone brings something different to the table and we rely on strong collaboration to keep things running smoothly. Whether it’s preparing turf wickets, maintaining highstandard playing surfaces, managing large garden areas or handling logistics for school events, every role plays a crucial part in the presentation and functionality of the campus. It’s a busy operation, but I’m proud of the way the team works together. We take a lot of pride in what we do and it shows in the quality of the spaces we deliver for the school community.

What does great leadership mean to you? It all starts with communication. If you can communicate clearly, honestly and consistently – with your team, your peers and other stakeholders – you create a culture of trust and respect. People feel more confident and connected to their work when they understand not just what’s happening, but why it’s happening.

That doesn’t mean sugar-coating things or just telling people what they want to hear. In fact, I think some of the best leadership moments come from having the harder conversations, provided they’re handled with integrity and openness. When people know you’re being upfront with them – whether it’s praise, feedback or direction – they are more likely to buy in and feel valued.

Good communication also helps bring people together toward a shared goal. It makes people feel seen, heard and part of the process, which ultimately improves morale and performance across the board.

So for me, leadership isn’t about having all the answers – it’s about being honest, approachable and consistent. If you can build that kind of environment, you empower your team to do their best work and grow as professionals.

Who has influenced your career and how? I’ve been fortunate to have a number of important influences throughout my journey, both inside and outside the turf industry. First and foremost, my wife, Taya, has been my

biggest inspiration outside of work. She’s been a constant support through all the ups and downs. She’s a great sounding board when I need to talk something through and she’s not afraid to challenge me or play devil’s advocate when it’s needed. That honesty has helped me grow not just professionally but personally too. Within the industry, I’ve been lucky to learn from some outstanding people at different stages, with each leaving a lasting impression:

l Glenn Miller, who gave me my start at Yarra Valley Country Club, taught me the value of enjoying work. He made the job fun, which is something I’ve never forgotten and try to carry into my own leadership style.

l Michael Freeman at Huntingdale Golf Club showed me what it means to have a strong work ethic and hold yourself to a high standard. He pushed me to raise the bar and taught me how to take pride in the details.

l Stephen West at Haileybury was pivotal in developing my knowledge around sports fields. His technical expertise and calm, measured approach had a big influence on how I now plan and manage surfaces.

l And through the FTMI program, Greg Askew (pictured left) helped shift my thinking entirely. He taught me that leadership in turf isn’t just about grass, it’s about people. That was a mindset change I really needed at the time and something I try to live by every day now.

What is the biggest mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it? There have been plenty! I’m a firm believer that if you’re not making mistakes, you’re probably not learning. Turf is a hands-on industry and with that comes a fair share of lessons, some harder than others.

“I’ve been at Yarra Valley Grammar for over two years now and I can genuinely say I love it. It’s a role that lets me bring together all the things I’m passionate about – sport, the outdoors, turf management and leadership.” – Tim Walsh

Walsh’s involvement in the Future Turf Managers Initiative, where he was mentored by Greg Askew (pictured), proved a pivotal moment in his development

One that really sticks with me happened while I was mowing fairways. I was operating a reel mower and came just a little too close to a freshly installed concrete footpath. I still swear I only clipped it with one reel, but somehow all five cutting units ended up with broken welds and needed to be replaced. It was one of those moments where your stomach sinks immediately – the repair bill didn’t help either! To this day, I still get nervous mowing around concrete edges.

The real lesson came from ‘why’ it happened. I was in a rush, trying to save time and took a shortcut that I knew probably wasn’t worth the risk. That incident reinforced something I’ve carried with me ever since – no matter how busy things get, taking shortcuts rarely pays off. Slowing down, doing things properly and keeping a clear head, even under pressure, always leads to better outcomes. Mistakes are part of the job. What matters is how you respond, what you take from it and how you use it to become better. That’s the mindset I try to instil in the team now too.

What do you feel your biggest career achievement is and why? One of the moments that stands out most in my career happened on my very first day at Yarra Valley Grammar. I remember walking out onto the sports fields, looking around and thinking to myself, ‘What have I signed up for?!’ The scale of the challenge was obvious and it was a little overwhelming if I’m being honest.

That moment sparked a journey that’s been more than two years in the making. Since then, we’ve worked hard to assess the needs of the site, develop a clear plan and advocate for long-term improvements. Now, I’m proud to say, the school has committed to a full-scale sportsfield redevelopment over a two-year period, with the project about to go to tender.

For me, that’s an incredibly meaningful achievement. It represents a huge vote of confidence from the school – not just in the need for the work but in me as a professional. To have been part of initiating, justifying and planning such a major transformation is something I’m genuinely proud of. The vision is to deliver top-tier sporting facilities that will serve the school for years to come and knowing I’ve played a lead role in that is hugely rewarding.

Beyond just surfaces and soil, though, it’s about what these new fields will offer

Starting in 2026, Yarra Valley Grammar’s sportsfields will undergo a staged redevelopment over a two-year period to improve playing conditions, especially during winter. Walsh has played a key role in the project’s planning

future students. I love the idea that the next generation will have access to the kind of facilities that can help them pursue their sporting dreams, whatever they may be. Helping create that opportunity and building something lasting is what makes this project my proudest achievement so far.

What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges facing the turf industry? What sort of action do you feel is needed? Two stand out most clearly to me – staff retention and managing consumer expectations. First, keeping good people in the industry is becoming increasingly difficult. The rising cost of living, coupled with wage rates that often don’t reflect the skill and dedication required, means it’s tough to attract and retain talent, especially at the entry and mid-level positions. Unless you’re in a leadership role, it can be a real challenge to make a sustainable career out of turf management. This puts pressure on the entire industry because experienced, passionate people are our greatest asset. Without them, maintaining the quality and standards we strive for becomes much harder.

Second, the level of scrutiny on our playing surfaces is intense. Everyone wants the best possible field or pitch to play on every week and that’s exactly what we aim to deliver. But natural turf is just that – natural. It’s subject to the whims of weather, heavy use, budget

constraints and a host of other factors beyond our control. When things don’t go perfectly, it’s often the curator who bears the blame. Whether it’s a low cricket score where the pitch is blamed instead of the batters, or players are slipping because they didn’t wear the right boots for the conditions, it’s the ground’s fault. And rarely is that criticism balanced with an understanding of the challenges we face.

The reality is that sports played on natural turf will always have some variability and issues. These are part and parcel of working with a living, breathing surface. What concerns me is that these challenges aren’t always well defended or explained to the wider public. We need to do a better job educating players, coaches, administrators and spectators about what goes into managing turf and the factors that affect playing conditions.

Addressing these challenges means investing more in people – offering better pay, career development and leadership opportunities – to keep skilled professionals in the game. It also means improving communication and advocacy around the realities of turf management, so expectations are more realistic and our role is better understood and respected. If we can tackle these issues head-on, I truly believe the turf industry will continue to thrive and evolve, delivering great playing surfaces and rewarding careers for years to come.

How do you juggle the pressures of work, family life and looking after yourself? Honestly, I’m still figuring that one out! Juggling work, family and self-care is a constant learning process. I’m incredibly fortunate to have a loving wife and three beautiful children – Maggie (6), Elroy (4) and little Freddie (20 months). Recently, Taya returned to work from maternity leave and is now working from home, which has added a whole new layer to the juggle. Family will always be my number one priority, no question.

I’m also very lucky to have fantastic support at work. My boss, Jane Macneil (our corporate services manager), really understands the importance of balance and is always encouraging us to get it right. Having that support from her and the school’s executive makes a huge difference – it helps me manage the pressures of the job alongside everything else.

If I’m honest, I tend to put myself third on the list and that’s something I’ve been consciously working to improve over the last few years. I get immense enjoyment and satisfaction from both my home life and my work life, but with three young kids and a managerial role there aren’t many daylight hours left just for me.

That third ball – looking after myself – is often the one that gets dropped the most. It’s a work in progress and I try to remind myself that self-care isn’t selfish; it’s necessary to be the best partner, parent and leader I can be. Taking even small moments for myself helps recharge my energy and keeps me grounded.

What is a job outside the turf industry that you’ve had and what did you learn from it? I’ve had quite a few jobs outside of turf over the years, everything from being a brickie’s

labourer, working in warehousing and logistics, doing deliveries, hospitality roles, through to housekeeping, waterproofing and even a stint as an overseas cricket professional. Each role came with its own set of challenges, but also some really valuable lessons. The biggest takeaway from working across so many different industries is that hard work and clear communication matter everywhere. No matter the job title or environment, showing up with a strong work ethic and being able to communicate well with others will always serve you well.

I also learned that every workplace, no matter how different on the surface, faces similar challenges – personality clashes, poor communication, inconsistent leadership or lack of direction. Learning how to manage those dynamics and navigate through them taught me a lot about teamwork, leadership and resilience. It also made me appreciate the value of a healthy work culture and how important it is to create an environment where people feel respected, supported and understood. Those early roles helped shape the way I lead now. They gave me a broader perspective, kept me grounded and taught me to never take a good workplace for granted.

What do you do for fun? I’m all about getting out and about with the family. Any chance we get to head off on an adventure and make memories together we take it. With three young kids it’s never boring and I love seeing the world through their eyes.

Sport still plays a big role in my life too. I’ve recently laced up the boots again and started playing footy in the Over 35s Masters for Parkdale (go Vultures!) It’s been awesome getting back out there, being part of a team again and having a crack each week. There’s a great sense of community around it and it’s

a great outlet physically and mentally. I also really enjoy a round of golf – I’ll never say no to a hit. I don’t claim to be a pro by any stretch, but it’s one of those games where even one good shot can keep you coming back for more. If someone’s ever up for a game, I’m there!

Travel is another passion of mine. I was lucky enough to spend two years overseas in my younger days and it taught me so much about life, people and myself. Now, I’m really keen to pass that love of exploring on to my kids. Even if it’s just short trips for now, I think it’s so valuable to show them there’s a whole world out there.

And finally, I just love catching up with mates. I’ve got a great group of friends, including a few dads I’ve met through my daughter’s school. We’re all in the same stage of life and understand the chaos, so it’s always a good time when we get together. Whether it’s a backyard BBQ, a few beers or just catching up for a laugh, it’s something I really value.

What is something no one in the turf industry would know about you? I used to be a pretty handy tenpin bowler when I was younger! I captained the Victorian Under 21 team and at one stage had a collection of seven bowling balls! One of my proudest moments was bowling a perfect 300 game – a memory that still gives me a buzz. In 1997, I was crowned the Tenpin Australia Junior Boys Champion and the trophy still sits proudly in my office. It always gets a good reaction and is a great icebreaker when people spot it.

Finally, any advice for younger staff in the turf industry looking for their next opportunity or building their careers? Take every opportunity that comes your way – you never know where it might lead. Some of the best moments in my career have started with simply saying ‘yes’ to something new or unexpected.

Make genuine connections in the industry. It’s a close-knit community and building relationships can open doors, provide support and fast-track your development in ways you might not expect. I’ve had people speak up for me in rooms I wasn’t even in, all because of a connection or impression made earlier in my journey.

Keep pushing yourself to learn – not just about turf, but also about yourself, your leadership style and how you work with others. Don’t be afraid to ask why – it’s how you grow your knowledge and challenge the status quo. And most importantly, don’t fear making mistakes. I’d much rather see someone have a go and get it wrong than not try at all. That’s where the real learning happens.

Oh, and one last bit of advice I always give – if you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re late!

“Family will always be my number one priority... With three young kids life is never boring and I love seeing the world through their eyes.” Team Walsh (from left) Elroy (4), wife Taya, Maggie (6), Freddie (20 months) and Tim

ASTMA CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The ASTMA Certification Program aims to formally recognise the skills of its members and the critical role they play in the sports and recreation industry. We congratulate the following members who have achieved certification and can proudly use the ‘Certified Sports Turf Manager’ designation after their name...

Tim Allen The National Golf, Belgium

Dean Bailey Rosanna GC, Vic

Shane Baker Mosman Park GC, WA

Brett Balloch Anglesea GC, Vic

Ed Barraclough Cardinia Beaconhills GC, Vic

Brenden Benad (Manly GC, NSW)

Nathan Bennett The Royal Adelaide GC, SA

John Berthon St Georges Basin CC, NSW

Justin Bertovic Burwood Council, NSW

Shane Bisseker Tablelands Council, Qld

Leon Blacker (Northbridge GC, NSW)

Robert Bloom Fernland, Qld

Andrew Boyle GTS, Vic

Justin Bradbury Camden GC, NSW

Nathan Bradbury Nuturf, NSW

Harry Brennan Dubbo City Council, NSW

Brendan Brown The Sands, Torquay Vic

Fraser Brown Lake Karrinyup CC, WA

Hamish Buckingham Metropolitan GC, Vic

Chris Burgess Yarrawonga Mulwala GC, Vic

Greg Burgess K&B Adams, Vic

Jason Bushell Rowes Bay GC, Qld

Aaron Cachia Toronto CC, NSW

Malcolm Caddies Kai Tak, Hong Kong

Stuart Campbell

Brad Carey Riversdale GC, Vic

Patrick Casey Royal Perth GC, WA

David Cassidy The Cut, WA

Brian Cattell Wagga Wagga CC, NSW

Peter Cawsey Eastwood GC, Vic

Paul Chalmers Tamworth JC, NSW

Brenton Clarke Settler’s Run G&CC, Vic

Jeremy Collier Mars Stadium, Vic

Dan Cook GTS, NSW

Lincoln Coombes K&B Adams

Phillip Cooper GTS, NSW

Dion Cope Redland Bay GC, Qld

Mick Cornish Cazaly’s Stadium, Qld

Shaun Cross Byron Bay GC, NSW

Joshua Cunningham All Outside, NSW

Rowan Daymond The Grange GC, SA

Luke Diserens Northbridge GC, NSW

Nicholas Douglas Cranbourne GC, Vic

John Downes Regional Turf and Hort, Qld

Mark Doyle Hume City Council, Vic

Cameron Dunn Woolooware GC, NSW

Peter Dunn Federal GC, ACT

Tim Fankhauser ASTMA, Vic

Chris Fiadino Pymble GC, NSW

Peter Fitzgerald Belmont G&BC, NSW

Aaron Fluke Castle Hill CC, NSW

Matthew Foenander Keysborough GC, Vic

Jason Foster Tropics GC, Qld

Jason Foulis HG Turf, Vic

Peter Fraser

Adam Fry Glenelg GC, SA

Jake Gibbs Elanora GC, NSW

Charlie Giffard Pacific GC, Qld

Cameron Hall City of Glen Eira, Vic

Gareth Hammond Terrey Hills GC, NSW

Brendan Hansard Kew CC, NSW

Dean Hardman Indooroopilly GC, Qld

Nick Harris Wentworth Club, UK

Marcus Hartup Brisbane GC, Qld

Mitch Hayes Living Turf, Qld

Martyn Hedley Landscape Solutions, Qld

Matthew Heeps Evergreen Turf, Vic

Luke Helm Meadowbrook GC, Qld

Tony Hemming Element Sports Turf

Mark Hooker Royal Auckland & Grange GC

Tim Hoskinson NQ Turf Specialists, Qld

Ian Howell Bonnie Doon GC, NSW

Rhys Hunichen Atlas Golf Services Vic

Nick Jeffrey St Joseph’s College, Qld

Mark Jennings Racing Victoria, Vic

Steven Johnson Al Mouj Golf, Oman

Daimon Jones Living Turf, SA

Jason Kelly Royal Fremantle GC, WA

Nick Kinley Wembley GC, WA

Dylan Knight

Blaine Knox

Lance Knox Busselton GC, WA

Steve Lalor Townsville GC, Qld

Nick Launer Keysborough GC, Vic

Ben Lavender Newington College, NSW

Jason Lavender Beenleigh RSL & GC, Qld

Matt Legge Brookwater G&CC, Qld

Dean Lenertz K&B Adams, NSW

Dean Lewis Thurgoona CC, NSW

Josh Leyland Box Hill GC, Vic

Nathan Lindsay Marrickville GSCC, NSW

Peter Lonergan CTHGC, NSW

Andrew Lothian Sanctuary Cove, Qld

Ben Lucas Tocumwal GC, NSW

Toby Lumsden STRI Australia

Bruce Macphee ASTMA, Vic

Stephen Mallyon Never Stop Water, NSW

Garry McClymont Twin Waters GC, Qld

Nick McClymont Twin Waters GC, Qld

Mick McCombe Maleny GC, Qld

Tony McFadyean Mosman Park GC, WA

Christopher McIvor Helensvale GC, Qld

Paul McLean Maroochy River GC, Qld

Peter McNamara Ashgrove GC, Qld

Ryan McNamara Rosanna GC, Vic

Brett Merrell Merrell Golf Consultancy

Daniel Metcalfe Beverley Park GC, NSW

Kieran Meurant North Sydney Oval, NSW

Jack Micans GTS, NSW

Ben Mills Hawks Nest GC, NSW

Craig Molloy Barwon Heads GC, Vic

Colin Morrison AIMU P/L, Vic

Damien Murrell Merewether GC, NSW

James Newell Magenta Shores G&CC, NSW

Kelvin Nicholson Global Turf

Matthew Oliver Suncorp Stadium, Qld

Shaun Page Southern GC, Vic

Luke Partridge Nuturf, SA

Mick Pascoe Trump Int’l Malaysia

Ben Payne Peninsula-Kingswood CGC, Vic

Michael Pearce RACV Torquay GC, Vic

Jeff Powell Ballarat GC, Vic

Keegan Powell The Sands Torquay, Vic

Luke Primus Deakin University, Vic

Shaun Pritchard PEGS, Vic

Shaun Probert Ryde Parramatta GC, NSW

Greg Puckeridge Turf & Landscape, Qld

Peter Rasmussen STRI, Hong Kong

Scott Reid TasTAFE

Lachlan Ridgewell Blacktown ISP, NSW

Marcus Saddington Greenlife Group, Vic

Brett Saggus BRG Legend Hill, Vietnam

Wesley Saunders Dreamland GC, Azerbaijan

Robert Savedra Wesley College, Vic

Cameron Smith Sanctuary Cove G&CC, Qld

Gary Smith Wodonga TAFE, NSW

Jacob Smith The Coast GC, NSW

Thomas Smith Waterford Valley, Vic

Mathew Soles NSW DPHI

Liam Somers Whaleback GC, WA

Clinton Southorn Troon International

John Spraggs Royal Wellington GC, NZ

Daniel Stack Windaroo Lakes GC, Qld

David Sutherland The Ridge GC, NSW

Lee Sutherland St Michael’s GC, NSW

Shay Tasker Carnarvon GC, NSW

Aaron Taylor Cronulla GC, NSW

Heath Taylor Blacktown ISP, NSW

Shaun Taylor Warragul CC, Vic

James Thomas Bayview GC, NSW

David Thomson Bermagui CC, NSW

Colin Thorsborne Parkwood Village, Qld

Ben Tilley Headland GC, Qld

Dallas Voss Grass Up, Vic

Michael Vozzo Fertool, Vic

Earl Warmington Newcastle GC, NSW

Tim Warren Glenelg GC, SA

Trent Webber Ballina G&SC, NSW

Scott West Cheltenham GC, Vic

Shannon White Baileys Fertilisers, WA

Joshua Willard Oaks Cypress Lakes, NSW

Issac Wojewodka Camden GC, NSW

Simon Wood Sth Metropolitan TAFE, WA

Paul Wright City of Canning, WA

Tim Wright K&B Adams, Vic

Rob Young Liverpool GC, NSW

JACOBSEN’S LITHIUM-POWERED ECLIPSE 2 ELITE WALK-BEHIND HITS AUS MARKET

Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd has launched the Jacobsen Eclipse 2 ELiTE walking mower, combining Jacobsen’s renowned cut quality with a fully electric, lithium-powered drivetrain. Powered by Samsung SDI lithium batteries, the mower operates quietly, reduces maintenance and eliminates greenhouse gas emissions.

The Eclipse 2 ELiTE reduces noise for bystanders by up to 60 per cent compared to petrol models, eliminates the need for hearing protection and cuts hand-arm vibration by 40 per cent. With no petrol engine, it also removes the risk of fluid leaks that can damage turf.

The Eclipse 2 ELiTE’s programmable frequency-of-clip system adjusts reel speed based on ground speed, delivering doublecut quality in a single pass. The fully floating head design follows contours independently from the front roller and rear drum, ensuring a consistent cut even on undulating ground.

Available in 18” and 22” fixed or floating head and 26” fixed head configurations, the Eclipse 2 ELiTE can be configured to meet all walk mower applications including verticutting. Zero-maintenance batteries, onboard diagnostics and fewer moving parts simplify servicing. Optional accessories include LED lights, bi-directional groomers or brushes and even verticutting units for added versatility.

“It has been proven in the field for eight years as the Eclipse 2, so really it was always ready for lithium,” says Ransomes Jacobsen’s

global product manager Lee Kristensen. “Last year at the Paris Olympics we had 21 of these units cutting the greens for two weeks.”

Host venue Le Golf National worked with Jacobsen over an 18-month period leading up to the two Olympic golf events to electrify most of its fleet that would be used during the Games. That began with trialling an SLF1 ELiTE fairway unit at the 2023 Open de France and comparing it against their conventional fairway mower, followed by an all-hands trial in early May 2024.

In total, Le Golf National had an impressive fleet for the Games – 21 Eclipse 2 ELiTE walkbehind mowers, eight SLF1 ELiTE fairway mowers and 24 Cushman Hauler Pro-X ELiTE mower transport and utility vehicles. They also had four AR1 ELiTE semi-rough mowers and two TR1 ELiTE fairway surround mowers which Jacobsen had converted to electric specially for Le Golf National.

For more information on the Eclipse 2 ELiTE mower, visit www.jacobsen.com.

SYNGENTA LAUNCHES GREENCAST CONNECT

ASTMA Platinum Partner Syngenta has released its new GreenCast Connect mobile app (pictured right) that delivers real-time insights and advanced tools for smarter turf and landscape management. GreenCast Connect is a cutting-edge mobile app designed to enhance the way turf and landscape professionals manage their

operations, aiming to streamline decisionmaking, optimise resource use and help managers meet the highest standards of quality. GreenCast Connect features include:

l Forecasting – provides accurate weather data to help plan turf management activities based on site specific environmental conditions;

l Tracking – monitors and predicts disease, weed and pest threats, with additional models available in the advanced version for more comprehensive insights;

l Scouting – allows users to capture photos and notes onsite to track turf health and growth;

l Alerting – stay informed with timely alerts. Receive customisable notifications on severe weather events, pest risks and changes in soil conditions; and

Powered by Samsung SDI lithium batteries, the new Jacobsen Eclipse 2 ELiTE walk-behind mower operates quietly, reduces maintenance and eliminates greenhouse gas emissions

l Sensing – collects real-time data from soil sensors, including moisture, salinity, light and temperature.

Available for download from the Apple or Google Play platforms, GreenCast Connect offers three levels of access. The free Basic tier features site-specific weather and pest alert tools. The Advanced tier paid version includes enhanced pest alerts and Growing Degree Day (GDD) trackers, while the Pro tier integrates with Spiio soil sensors to provide an all-in-one digital agronomy solution. The app’s customisable dashboard ensures that essential data, predictions and recommendations are always at users’ fingertips.

Contact greencast.au@syngenta.com or your local Syngenta territory sales manager for more information on the Greencast Connect App and how to upgrade to the Advanced Plan or the SPIIO Pro Plan.

HUSQVARNA ROLLS OUT NEW GOLF, SF&G ROBOTIC RANGE

ASTMA Silver Partner Husqvarna has announced the Australian launch of its most advanced robotic mower range for commercial use. The new Automower 580L EPOS (pictured main image above), 580 EPOS (pictured inset),

560 EPOS and 535 AWD EPOS models, which were on display at the recent Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney, deliver intelligent, wire-free mowing designed to meet the demands of golf courses, sports facilities and public green spaces.

Built from the ground up with a focus on performance, power and efficiency, the four new robotic mowers offer features such as precision GPS navigation, boundary wire-free mowing and selectable cutting patterns. These

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

MASTERSON TAKES ON SYNGENTA TSM ROLE

Experienced turf industry professional Paul Masterson (pictured) has joined ASTMA Platinum Partner Syngenta’s Turf and Landscape (T&L) division as Territory Sales Manager for NSW/ACT. Starting his new role on 2 June, Masterson will work alongside colleagues Dean Mosch (National Sales Manager, T&L) and Michael Bradbery (Technical Services Manager).

Masterson joins the Syngenta team from Landscape Solutions where he worked closely with turf managers and golf course superintendents. He began his turf management career as an apprentice greenkeeper, progressing to the role of superintendent where he served for five years. He has also held senior positions including Customer Service Manager – Turf at Australian Agribusiness, Sales Manager at Green Horticultural Group and various other key sales management roles within Toro Australia and Globe Australia. Masterson also holds formal qualifications in business management, turf management and marketing.

“We are very fortunate and privileged to have someone with Paul’s experience join our team based out of Sydney,” says Syngenta’s Business Manager T&L ANZ Paul Jackson. “Paul has a history of exemplary

customer service and along with his practical and technical knowledge he will be a great asset for Syngenta T&L and our customers and partners throughout NSW and ACT.” Masterson can be contacted on 0428 451 685 or email paul.masterson@syngenta.com.

K&B ADAMS LURES LINCOLN

ASTMA Bronze Partner

K&B Adams has appointed experienced former golf course superintendent Lincoln Coombes (pictured) to its Queensland sales team, effective from 28 July. Coombes began his career as an apprentice greenkeeper before becoming course superintendent at RACV Cape Schanck Resort on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula where he served for eight years. He then moved north to RACV Royal Pines Resort where he held the position of superintendent for 13 years.

During his tenure there, Coombes oversaw seven Australian PGA Championships and five Australian Ladies Masters tournaments. Notably, he also served as grow-in superintendent during the construction of the new-look championship course between 2014 and 2015. After leaving there last September, Coombes took on the superintendent role at the nine-hole Boomerang Golf Club located in the Gold Coast hinterland.

capabilities enable effortless and efficient turf management, designed to save time, reduce carbon emissions, cut operating costs and elevate turf quality for commercial users.

“The demand for smarter, autonomous turf management solutions is growing and these models represent the next leap forward,” says Husqvarna Australia brand manager Sarah Jenkinson. “Husqvarna has drawn on decades of innovation to launch a platform that delivers flexibility, precision and a premium cut.”

“We are delighted to have Lincoln join our team in Queensland,” says K&B Adams Director Mark Eardley. “His extensive experience and strong commitment to industry excellence align perfectly with our company values and our ever-growing footprint in Queensland.” Coombes can be contacted on 0447 021 444 or email lincoln@ kbadams.com.au.

JAMES JOINS LSA

Caine James (pictured) has recently joined ASTMA Bronze Partner Lawn Solutions Australia (LSA), working within the sports turf sector and as program manager overseeing turf certification with AusGAP. James has built an extensive career over 30 years spanning turf management, project management, sales and product development. His most previous role was as operations manager of parks, open space and sportsgrounds at Maitland City Council in the Hunter Valley, where he spent six years overseeing the maintenance and construction of numerous sports grounds and turf wickets. Working with LSA, James’ expertise will be in delivering turf solutions that meet the demands of sportsfields and training grounds, using newly developed AusGAP certified turf cultivars like TifTuf hybrid bermudagrass. James can be contacted on 0420 418 744 or email caine@lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au.

AROUND THE TRADE

The Automower 580L EPOS is geared towards golf course turf maintenance and comes equipped with a low-cut disc enabling cutting heights down to 10mm. The powerful cutting, wire-free operation and selectable mowing patterns makes this model ideal for mowing fairways and roughs. This model is optimised for maximum uptime with remote start options.

The Automower 535 AWD EPOS is also created for golf course turf maintenance, designed to excel in rough, hilly and undulating terrain with a capability of handling slopes of up to 70 per cent. It is built to deliver a perfect cut (30mm-70mm) in difficult-to-reach areas including rugged edges and roughs.

The Automower 580 EPOS is primarily designed for sports fields with its powerful cutting motor and large area capacity. It operates wire-free, enabling easy installation and maintenance. This model provides an additional layer of flexibility for sports turf management, catering to specific needs of turf height (20mm-60mm) and playing conditions. Furthermore, it comes with remote start capabilities to maximise uptime.

The Automower 560 EPOS is tailored for sports and facilities management, optimised for maximum uptime with remote start options, providing enhanced flexibility. It also features wire-free mowing with selectable patterns and a flexible front wheel axle making it a reliable choice for large and complex landscapes.

Sales for the four new robotic mowers start in August 2025. A ‘Reference station’ will need to be purchased as part of the commercial installation. To make an enquiry or to book a demonstration, visit www.husqvarna.com/ au/support/make-an-enquiry.

LIVING TURF LAUNCHES NEW-LOOK MYRESULTS

As part of a strategic upgrade to its digital offerings, ASTMA Silver Partner Living Turf recently launched its new and improved myResults product, the new engine at the heart of the company’s redeveloped Turf Forensics 2.0 platform. First launched in 2009 to digitally connect sales agronomists and turf managers through testing and reporting, myResults has been rebuilt from the ground up to meet modern needs.

Leveraging the latest in cloud-native architecture and intuitive design, the reengineered platform empowers users to:

l Mobilise and interpret all test data (soil, water, disease, nematodes and more);

l Build agronomy plans directly in the app;

l Receive product recommendations and check inventory; and

l Generate spray records and automate compliance workflows.

Whether managing a sports field, golf course or open green space, myResults aims to put total agronomic control in the palm of the turf manager’s hand. As the nucleus of Turf Forensics 2.0, myResults integrates with the base package and current offers:

l myHub – a dynamic landing page for single login access to all Turf Forensics apps, featuring interactive maps, alerts and subscription overviews;

l myAdmin – a back-office tool for agronomists to manage client accounts and reports remotely;

l myClimate, myProgram and myApply –modules enhancing site-specific insights and application precision.

To support the rollout of the new platform, Living Turf has included an in-app FAQ section, a series of short walkthrough videos and additional customer support from the company’s team members.

“myResults represents phase one of three major digital releases planned in 2025,” says Living Turf Executive Chairman Rob Cooper. “As our Turf Forensics 2.0 platform evolves, the benefits for turf managers, agronomists and greenkeepers will only grow. If myResults is the benchmark, the future of turf management is not only bright – it’s better connected, datadriven and easier to manage than ever before. And perhaps best of all, myResults is free for all Living Turf clients conducting analytical testing through us.”

For more information about myResults, visit www.livingturf.com.au.

The Redexim Carrier is a versatile, self-propelled unit designed to operate with a wide range of Redexim units, including Verti-Drains

CARRIER, ECLIPSE 2 ELITE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH NUTURF

ASTMA Silver Partner Nuturf continues to lead the way in turf management innovation, bringing two groundbreaking machines to Australia for the very first time.

Now available through Nuturf, the Redexim Carrier (pictured above) is a versatile, selfpropelled unit designed to operate with a wide range of Redexim units including Verti-Drains, seeders and more. With a 31hp engine, low ground pressure and a 475kg lift capacity, the Carrier is a versatile solution for highperformance turf maintenance.

Also new to the market is the Jacobsen Eclipse 2 ELiTE, a fully electric walk-behind reel mower designed for professionals who demand precision, sustainability and quiet performance. It’s powered by a Samsung SDI 50AH lithium battery that comes with an industry-leading five-year battery warranty, giving turf managers confidence without compromise. (See page 60 for more details on the Eclipse 2 ELiTE.)

Contact your local Nuturf rep today to book a demo or visit www.nuturf.com.au.

ENVU’S EARLY ORDER PROGRAM RETURNS

Following its outstanding success last year, ASTMA Gold Partner Envu is again running its Early Order Program in 2025. Building on last year, this year’s program has been crafted to deliver greater value to trusted partners and end-users. With a sharpened focus on savings, dedicated support and proven performance turf managers have come to expect from Envu, the 2025 program features specially discounted pricing across selected products.

The Early Order Program offers a perfect opportunity for golf and sports turf facilities to align their business with Envu’s leading portfolio, stretching budgets further with savings of up to 30 per cent on a range of insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and nematicides. For more information on the program and to view the suite of Envu products, visit www.au.envu.com/turf-andornamental-management

BLACKSTONE PERENNIAL RYE LANDS AT ADVANCED SEED

Blackstone perennial ryegrass is now available through ASTMA Bronze Partner Advanced Seed. Originating from Mountain View Seed in Oregon, USA, Blackstone is an ideal perennial ryegrass for all fine turf needs.

Blackstone has excellent turf quality, ranking third in the NC State University winter overseeding trial. Blackstone exhibits a very dark green colour which it retains throughout the season. In addition, Blackstone establishes well, providing quality cover quickly. Blackstone was bred for improved transition both into and out of the overseeding season. Also, its controlled growth during the season means fewer mowings and less clippings.

Blackstone readily establishes on loosened bare soil or after verticutting existing turf for renovation and overseeding. For typical new seeding applications, apply at a rate of 3-4kg/100m2 with periodic reseeding at 2-3kg/100m2. For overseeding dormant warmseason grasses, use a higher rate.

Blackstone maintains density for visual appearance and durability and will form a tight knit turf under a broad range of soil types

and environmental conditions, from full sun to medium shade. It will mow cleanly at heights of 1/2” and above. Blackstone can be maintained at fairway cutting heights when appropriate management practices are observed. For more information on Blackstone perennial ryegrass, visit www.adseed.com. au, phone (03) 9462 0340 or email sales@ adseed.com.au.

SGL EXPANDS LED GROW LIGHTING RANGE

Global leader in pitch management solutions SGL has expanded its LED grow lighting systems range with the LED60, LED30 and LED10 compact models. Developed and produced entirely in-house, these new products allow SGL to cater even more precisely to the needs of grounds teams, offering compact, user-friendly solutions for every situation. The introduction of the LED60, LED30 and LED10 ensures that a suitable lighting solution is available, whether for quick repairs in tight corners or broader turf recovery in high-wear zones.

SGL undertook extensive research and development to optimise its existing LED product range. The result is a new line of lightweight, compact units built for frequent and efficient operation. A slim construction, combined with smart leg design and strategic SmartBox placement, ensures minimal

shadowing beneath the unit and superior, uniform light distribution in all climates. The separation of light and heat, an important function of LED grow lighting technology, is now available even in the smallest units, increasing efficiency while saving energy. Although launched simultaneously, the LED60, LED30 and LED10 are distinct products, each designed for specific pitch conditions.

l LED60: Designed to cover 60m², it is the largest of the three compact models and is ideal for high-wear zones such as goalmouths. Compared to its predecessor, the LED50, the LED60 (pictured above, left) maintains the same compact dimensions while delivering 10m² more coverage. This is made possible by a custom-engineered lens that ensures optimal light distribution. With a state-of-the-art LED efficiency of 3.9µmol/J, it delivers more light with less energy and is nearly 100kg lighter, making handling and deployment significantly easier. Despite its enhanced performance, the LED60 is available at a lower price, offering exceptional value.

l LED30: Covering 30m², the LED30 (pictured above, middle) offers the same features in a smaller format. It’s well-suited for targeted recovery across the pitch, providing flexibility for teams who want precise application in a compact unit.

SGL has expanded its LED grow lighting systems range with the LED60, LED30 and LED10 compact models

l LED10: The most compact unit model, the LED10 covers 10m² and is perfect for fast recovery in specific high-wear zones such as corners. Its two-leg rear design with wheels makes it especially easy to handle and reposition.

All three units are supported by SGL’s data management dashboard, TurfBase, which enables users to register lighting hours, remotely turn units on and off, or schedule timers to optimise the microclimate 24/7. For more information on SGL’s new range, visit www.sglsystem.com.

KRESS CHARGING AHEAD

ASTMA Bronze Partner Kress has released the Kress Commercial KAC843 4-Port Extended Charging Case (pictured), built to meet the high-power demands of green space professionals. This efficient solution rapidly charges up to four Kress

batteries, keeping teams powered through the most demanding tasks. Whether loading up with multiple CyberPack backpack batteries for extended fieldwork or preparing CyberCapsule batteries for use with the CyberLite charger, the KAC843 streamlines operations with sequential high-speed charging.

Charging performance is optimised with the KAC843. A single 4.0Ah CyberPack battery reaches full charge from 0 to 100 per cent in just 12 minutes (four in 48 minutes), while an 11.0Ah CyberPack takes 25 minutes (four in 100 minutes). The 25.0Ah CyberCapsule charges fully in just 90 minutes. Such performance minimises downtime and ensures a steady supply of energy in the field.

The KAC843 works best when paired with the Kress Commercial 30A CyberPlug Charger or integrated into the Kress Commercial CyberTank system, delivering optimal compatibility and performance. To learn more, visit Kress.com.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

GILERD’S ALLPOWER MOVE

ASTMA Bronze Partner Allpower/ PLP Golf and Turf recently welcomed Guy Gilerd (pictured) as new Queensland area manager. Gilerd, who started his career in the Air Force as a ground technician, has continually worked to upskill himself throughout the years working as a maintenance technician and field service technician for several companies. Gilerd is factory certified by brands such as Kawasaki, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, Stihl, Walker Mowers and Toro and the new role with Allpower/PLP Golf and Turf sees him transition from technician to area manager.

“Guy has taken to the role like a duck to water and we are very excited to see him flourish in this position,” says Allpower national golf and turf manager Shaun Glading. “His technical expertise along with a Diploma of Management and infectious personality have made him a welcome addition to the team.” Gilerd can be contacted on 0413 732 561 or email guy. gilerd@rgs.com.au.

SKICKO NEW HUSQVARNA BDM

ASTMA Silver Partner Husqvarna recently appointed Patrick Skicko to its professional team as Business Development Manager –Commercial, Golf and Sport. Skicko makes the moves across from Brandt where he was a territory manager for just over a year. In his new role he will be supporting Husqvarna’s commercial customers throughout Victoria, Tasmania, WA, NT and SA. Skicko can be contacted on 0474 978 105 or email patrick. skicko@husqvarnagroup.com.

NEW STRI ROLE FOR LUMSDEN

STRI Australia has appointed Toby Lumsden (CSTM) as a sportsturf consultant. With over 32 years’ experience in professional turf management across elite sports including cricket, AFL, soccer, rugby, bowls, croquet and tennis, Lumsden brings a wealth of global expertise and passion to STRI Australia and its various projects.

Lumsden’s career has taken him to some of the world’s most iconic venues, including the MCG and Lord’s Cricket Ground. For more than six years, between 2017 and 2023, he was also head curator at Dubai Sports City and the International Cricket Council Academy in the United Arab Emirates. During that time he oversaw preparations for two IPL tournaments and a T20 World Cup.

SPORTENG APPOINTS POULTNEY

Sportsfield design and engineering company SportEng recently appointed Mathew Poultney (pictured) as a new Field of Play Consultant based in Brisbane. Poultney, a former course superintendent at Green Acres Golf Club in Melbourne prior to moving to Queensland a number of years ago, joins SportEng after more than three-and-a-half years as a technical agronomist with Australian Agribusiness.

Poultney, who has a Master of Agricultural Science (Turf Management), brings over 35 years’ of experience across the turf industry, including turf agronomy, sportsfield construction, research and consultancy both in Australia and overseas.

FAN SYSTEM UPGRADE FOR COOLTOPS CANOPIES

Cooltops, the original fanned canopy, has rolled out a new fan speed controller giving machinery operators total control. Whether you need the fan at full speed to keep dust or bugs from reaching you or just a low speed to keep you cool on hot days, Cooltops has you covered. This is available as an upgrade kit for those who wish to upgrade their Cooltops.

Manufactured in the USA, the Cooltops Canopy is a specialised sun canopy (pictured)

EARSMAN NEW TRIMAX QLD REP

Trimax Mowing Systems recently welcomed Nathan Earsman as its new sales representative for Queensland. With industry experience and commitment to customer service, Earsman is well-positioned to support clients in the region and help introduce solutions like the recently released OptiAdjust system (see page 67 for more on this) to a broader audience. He can be contacted on 0467 333 305 or email nathan.earsman@ trimaxmowers.com.au.

SYDNEY CONFERENCE TRADE SHOW COMPETITION WINNERS

Congratulations to the following individuals who won promotion competitions and giveaways at the recent Australian Sports Turf Management Conference Trade Exhibition in Sydney:

l Peter Cawsey (superintendent Eastwood GC, Vic) received a $200 Visa card for guessing how many seeds were in the jar on the Advanced Seed stand. Cawsey’s winning guess was 230,000.

l Andrew Banning (superintendent, Shelley Beach GC, NSW) will be winging his way to Thailand after his name was drawn out in Turfcare Australia’s ‘Win a Trip to Thailand’ competition. Thanks to Floratine and Turfcare Australia, Banning will play golf at two world-class courses and attend a sports turf education day, all complete with return airfares and four nights’ accommodation.

l Gavan Hewitt (Central Coast Council, NSW) won the Grundfos Prize Wheel competition and takes home a Weber Baby Q Premium.

that protects the operator from the sun and also keeps the operator cool and dust-free. Cooltops’ unique ability to draw cool air from above combined with its powerful fan system helps limit operator fatigue and discomfort in hot dusty conditions. The Cooltops Canopy is easily adapted to most brands of machinery and is offered in two sizes (35” x 41” and 43” x 51”) and multiple colours. For more information on the Cooltops Canopy range, email sales@cooltops.com. au or call 0419 615 755.

ALLSAW AT THE CUTTING EDGE

The ALLSAW BA200X Cordless, a groundbreaking tool engineered to redefine efficiency and precision in Australian turf management, has arrived at Arbortech. This cutting-edge device, powered by the DEWALT 54V FLEXVOLT system, offers an unparalleled combination of capabilities, making it an indispensable asset for golf courses, turf installers and groundskeepers alike.

Setting the tool apart is its unique dual functionality. The kit includes premium ‘Turf Blades’ for clean and precise turf cutting (pictured above right), ensuring immaculate results for all surface maintenance needs. Also included is a specialised ‘Wood Blade’, designed for effectively cutting in-ground tree roots, as well as a ‘GP Blade’ capable of cutting asphalt, brick and masonry materials.

With the freedom of cordless operation and a Quick Switch Blade system, the ALLSAW BA200X helps to streamline productivity. Contact Arbortech to learn more about the ALLSAW BA200X Cordless. Visit www. arbortechtools.com/au, email arbortech@ arbortech.com.au or call (08) 9249 1944.

GRUNDFOS’ SMARTER, SIMPLER WAY TO CONNECT

Grundfos has reimagined its remote monitoring platform, formerly known as Grundfos GRM, into a more powerful and intuitive solution – Grundfos Connect (pictured below) Designed for water utilities, irrigation managers and service providers, the new platform offers a plug-and-play experience with expanded monitoring capabilities.

As Grundfos continues to invest in digital innovation, Grundfos Connect represents a major step forward in smart water management. With enhanced trending tools,

users can now track pump starts, flow curves and operational patterns in real time. The system also enables remote pump isolation, allowing operators to respond to issues without needing to be on-site, minimising downtime and reducing operational costs.

Setup is simple – a compatible CIM gateway (such as CIM 550), a standard data SIM and onboarding via the Grundfos Service Portal. Within hours, systems are online and fully integrated.

A strong advocate for the new Grundfos Connect platform is Bryan Ranger from AllRange Electrical Services, who manages the pump systems at Sanctuary Cove’s two golf courses. Having transitioned from the earlier GRM system, Ranger has seen firsthand the benefits of the upgraded platform. “Grundfos Connect gives us full visibility and control,” explains Ranger. “We can monitor, isolate and respond to issues remotely, saving time and giving our clients peace of mind.”

For more information on Grundfos Connect, visit www.grundfos.com/au.

SMART DROP CERTIFICATION FOR IRONCUTTER BERMUDA

IronCutter elite hybrid bermudagrass has recently attained the Water Conservancy’s ‘Smart Drop Certified’ mark. ‘Smart Drop Certified’ (formerly Smart Approved WaterMark) was set up during the droughts of the early 2000s and is designed to recognise and reward technologies and services that reduce water use and promote sustainability.

IronCutter entered testing in the Australian market in 2021 and has found application in domestic and sports turf markets. Bred in Oklahoma, IronCutter has proven itself as a rugged performer in Australia’s unique climate with its outstanding colour, ability to cope with extreme temperatures, low thatch profile and, now, Smart Drop certification. Complete with a soft fine-leaf, it’s proving itself a leading choice for home lawn lovers and sports turf managers.

“TurfBreed is continuing independent, scientific assessment of IronCutter in a range of applications, as the nationwide roll out of the grass continues,” says TurfBreed’s Services Manager Nathan Tovey. “Moreover, in the independent testing required to achieve the Smart Drop certification, IronCutter proved it could match competitor turf’s water usage claims, breaking the monopoly on water-savvy turf options and giving homeowners and businesses alike an exciting new option.”

Key features of IronCutter include:

l Bred on the cold plains of Oklahoma where it was selected for its ability to withstand harsh winters while still being a top performer in warmer climates;

l Establishes and covers quickly from sprigging, with a vigorous lateral growth habit and spreading stolons which gives it excellent wear tolerance and recovery;

l Performed exceptionally well in the US National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), outperforming similar hybrid bermudagrass varieties in a number of critical categories (such as wear recovery, cold tolerance, and pest resistance).

For more information on IronCutter, visit the product page at www.turfbreed.com.au.

SMARTER AERATION FOR GOLF COURSE WATER BODIES

Water body management solutions provider Parklink has produced a short, informative white paper designed specifically for golf club managers, superintendents and greenkeepers to determine the best aeration solution for onsite dams.

Murky water, algae blooms, odours or insect problems are more than just eyesores for golf clubs and they can impact both

The ALLSAW BA200X Cordless kit comes with a range of blade options, including turf cutting blades

reputation and bottom line. Aeration plays a critical role in preventing and solving these issues, but what is the right solution? The white paper, which can be downloaded at https:// whitepaper.parklink.solutions, discusses:

l What to consider before choosing an aeration system;

l Aerator types and how they work;

l Practical tips based on dam size, shape, depth and your golf course goals; and

l How to reduce reliance on chemical treatments with biological solutions. Parklink provides comprehensive water quality solutions tailored for both the public and private sectors. From freshwater ponds, dams and lakes to industrial and council wastewater Australasia-wide, Parklink delivers proven, leading-edge technologies to enhance water quality.

For more information on Parklink services call 1800 PARKLINK or email info@parklink. com.au to chat with a water expert.

TURFCARE’S TRIPLE TREAT

Turfcare Australia showcased three new Floratine products at the recent Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney – Birdie premium turf pigment, Blackout algae and moss killer and OMG!!!, an enzyme-powered thatch management product. Birdie is a versatile turf pigment that delivers immediate visual improvement and long-lasting colour enhancement, without relying on nitrogen. Designed for professional turf managers, Birdie helps amplify chlorophyll production, creating a deeper, more uniform green while masking blemishes and uneven growth.

This advanced pigment technology supports turf health by extending greening in winter, accelerating spring recovery and offering a clean, vibrant finish for golf greens, surrounds, sports fields and other high-visibility turf areas. Birdie is particularly effective during cooler months when natural colour fades or when turf is under stress.

Unlike traditional colourants, Birdie is formulated for uniform coverage and fast drying, with minimal risk of tracking or phytotoxicity. It can be used on its own or tank-mixed with other foliar products, making it a flexible tool in any turf program. Whether you’re prepping for tournaments, improving presentation or simply want a standout surface year-round, Birdie delivers professional results without compromise.

A specialised turf treatment only available through Turfcare Australia, Blackout is formulated to effectively target algae and moss without harming desirable turf species. Wet, shaded or poorly drained turf areas are prime conditions for algae and moss growth. Not only do these invaders look bad, but they also create slick, compacted surfaces and restrict turf development. Blackout gets to the root of the problem, working quickly to eliminate algae and moss from the soil and surface, allowing the turf to recover, breathe and thrive.

Applied as a liquid treatment, Blackout is ideal for greens, collars, surrounds, walkways and sportsfields where moisture build-up or poor airflow creates ideal conditions for moss to take hold. Early users have reported visible improvements within days – less slip, better turf colour and a cleaner surface profile. Blackout is not a fertiliser or band-aid but a powerful management tool that solves a common problem with precision and reliability.

OMG!!! from Floratine is a breakthrough enzyme solution for turf managers looking to reduce thatch and improve turf health without the disruption of mechanical removal. OMG!!! contains concentrated cellulase enzymes that rapidly break down dead plant tissue, converting clippings and organic debris into usable nutrients.

Thatch build-up can suffocate turf, restrict moisture movement and increase disease pressure. OMG!!! targets the cellulose in thatch layers, promoting healthier soil biology, better nutrient cycling and a stronger, more balanced rootzone. It’s ideal for golf courses, sportsfields and high-wear turf areas where organic matter builds quickly.

Applied as part of a regular maintenance program, OMG!!! works best when soil temperatures exceed 15°C. Treated areas should be kept moist to activate the enzymes and care should be taken not to mix with harsh chemicals. The result is improved turf performance without the need for aggressive renovation or scarifying.

To learn more, contact Turfcare Australia on (02) 4571 6444, email sales@turfcareaus. com.au or visit www.turfcareaus.com.au.

NEW MODEL TOW-A-TARP

Mentay Steel-Fab Constructions has released a new model of its popular Tow-a-Tarp (pictured). Powered by a 6.5hp Vanguard engine, the Tow-a-Tarp measures 2.3m wide x 3m long x 2m high with a barrel width of 2m. Boasting fully remote operation, it comes with roadworthy wheels and axle and suits car, ATV or tractor towing. For more information freecall 1800 037 075 (Australia only), (03) 5339 5004 or visit www.mentay.com.au.

HG HOSTS HYBRID FIELD DAY

HG Turf Group recently hosted a Hybrid Grass Field Day and live demonstration at Hosken Reserve, Melbourne, attracting over 110 attendees from local councils, sporting organisations, consultants, and contractors.

As Australia’s leading provider of hybrid grass technology, HG Turf Group supplies the majority of the country’s major stadiums and is at the forefront of addressing growing pressure on natural grass fields at local level due to increased population, increased sports participation and usage.

The event featured a detailed presentation by Erik Kinlon, who outlined the different types of hybrid technologies – including Xtragrass, SISGrass and HERO Hybrid Grass – and their applications and benefits. Andrew Morrow from SportEng also shared insights on how specifying hybrid grass, early in projects, can improve performance in high-wear areas.

Delegates then moved to the field for a live demonstration of SISGrass installation (pictured above) by HG Turf technical manager David Birch who showcased the innovative technology behind the system. HG Turf also displayed their Xtragrass ‘ready to play‘ hybrid solution as well as some of the installation and maintenance equipment used to manage hybrid grass. For hybrid grass enquiries, contact info@hgturfgroup.com.au.

TRIMAX OPTIADJUST RAISING THE BAR

Trimax Mowing Systems continues to lead the charge in turf innovation with the launch of OptiAdjust, a new feature now available on the Trimax Pegasus S5 mowing deck. Unveiled at the recent Australian Sports Turf Management Conference in Sydney, the system was met with enthusiasm from turf professionals across

Australia, highlighting its potential to change the way mowing operations are approached. With OptiAdjust, mowing heights can now be quickly changed from the comfort of the tractor cab. Controlled via the Trimax Connect app on iOS or Android, the system replaces manual adjustment with an intuitive, app-based interface that dramatically reduces downtime and improves consistency across mowing jobs.

Early adopters have praised the significant operational efficiencies, noting how the ease of adjustment has streamlined daily routines

across varied turf conditions. Even those initially hesitant about the technology have quickly come on board, thanks to the system’s simplicity and immediate benefits in the field. By removing manual adjustment barriers and enabling rapid, accurate control over mowing heights, Trimax’s OptiAdjust system streamlines operations and improves surface outcomes. It’s a practical innovation that speaks directly to the needs of today’s turf professionals.

For more information on the OptiAdjust system, visit www.trimaxmowers.com.au.

Trimax’s OptiAdjust system enables operators to adjust mowing heights quickly and efficiently from the tractor cab

NZGCSA

Greetings from a wet and wintry North Island of New Zealand.

Following a very dry summer for most of us in the North Island, the law of averages has struck and we find ourselves in the midst of a very wet winter. Mount Maunganui, where my golf course is situated on the east coast, has recorded over 700mm of rain over the last three months. One extreme to the other!

At this time in NZ a lot of us seek out finer weather and I have been extremely fortunate to have just arrived back from a five-week overseas holiday (I have exceptional staff that allow me to take that sort of time away from my course). On my travels I visited Perth, the UK and Singapore on the way home. All that time away and I only managed to visit one golf course in Lincolnshire in England – well, it was a family holiday after all!

A highlight of the trip was a visit to the magnificent Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London (I am a lifelong and some would say long-suffering Spurs fan). Unfortunately there was no turf to be seen – it was tucked away nicely under the grandstand as they were setting up for a concert. I did, however, get a first-hand view of the stadium with a guided tour and what a magnificent venue it is. Next time I plan to visit in season when I can see the green stuff!

Upon arriving back, the focus quickly turned to attending the Central North Island Fine Turf Seminar (FTS) in Rotorua. The Central association put on a great event and some 130 greenkeepers/turf managers and over 70 trade representatives enjoyed two days of turf and tales. The speaker list was varied and extremely interesting and among the Australian contingent was Mark Parker from NSW Golf Club in Sydney. Mark gave two great talks on the course redevelopment at La Perouse and on the variable sand depth that they built into the new green profiles. Very interesting stuff and what a spectacular setting NSW GC is. Both FTS organiser Jason Laing and MC Phil Tataurangi expressed that it is certainly an epic golf course to play and one of their favourites.

Undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the FTS was the awards dinner on the Monday night. Handing out the NZGCSA Awards is always one of my favourite parts of being association president.

Our first award for the night was the NZGCSA Excellence Award, sponsored by Parkland Products. Parkland Products have been a valuable sponsor of this award for many years and this year new managing director Richard Todd unveiled a new trophy for the winner. At this point I would also like to acknowledge and thank long time MD and

John Spraggs (centre) receives his NZGCSA life membership from NZGCSA president Jason Perkins

and fellow NZGCSA life member Peter Boyd

Above: Spencer Cooper receives the NZGCSA Excellence Award from Perkins; Above right: Gordon Trembath (centre) is bestowed the NZGCSA Distinguished Service Award; Right: Grant Saunders from St Andrews GC receives the NZGCSA Environmental Award

founder of the company, Chris Todd. Chris has recently retired and has been a huge benefactor and supporter of the turf industry in NZ. The NZGCSA would like to wish him well in his retirement.

As the name suggests, the Excellence Award recognises a superintendent who has demonstrated all round excellence in his role. The judging process is extremely thorough and there was no doubt that this year’s winner was a worthy recipient, with Spencer Cooper of Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary adding his name to a prestigious list of past winners.

The next award was the NZGCSA Environmental Award, sponsored by PGG Wrightson Turf. This award recognises a golf club that has the most environmentally sustainable practices and management in place. This year’s winner was St Andrews Golf Club in Hamilton. Course superintendent

Grant Saunders has long been an advocate for the environment and sustainable practices, so recognition with this award is just reward for him and the St Andrews team.

The evening’s next award was one that the NZGCSA only gives out every couple of years. The Distinguished Service Award is given by the NZGCSA to an individual in our industry who has gone above and beyond in their career and has made significant contributions to the clubs they have worked for and the associations they have served. And in this instance, they’re a really good bugger too! Gordon Trembath has been in the industry for over 40 years with notable stints at Omanu, Mt Maunganui and Hastings

Top:

(left)

(right);

golf clubs. Gordon has held the position of president of both the Central North Island Turf Managers Association (CNITMA) and Hawkes Bay Turf Managers Association. Gordon has also served on the Board of the NZGCSA and it was therefore fitting that we honoured him on the night for his unstinting service to the industry.

The final award and, for me, the best part of the evening was announcing the NZGCSA’s 11th life member – Royal Wellington Golf Club superintendent John Spraggs. John has been a practising greenkeeper since 1978. He has served the Taranaki, CNITMA and Wellington associations and been president of both CNITMA and Taranaki. John has been involved in organising numerous seminars and conferences over his career.

TMSA

It has certainly been a busy first half of the year for TMSA and we are just back from the recent ASTMA conference and trade exhibition in Sydney which included the National Turf Industry Awards. As an association we couldn’t be prouder of all our winners who have been profiled earlier in this edition. Our winners were:

l ASTMA Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award: Pete Foreman (turf manager, Adelaide Oval SMA);

l ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award: Tim Warren (superintendent, Glenelg GC); and l ASTMA Graduate of the Year: Oliver Davis (Royal Adelaide GC).

We would also like to acknowledge Thomas Jolly (D&D Curators) who proudly represented TMSA as one of seven state finalists in the Sportsfields & Grounds Graduate of the Year Award. We would also like to recognise the below nominees who were finalists in the ASTMA Sports Turf Management Team of the Year Award: l The Grange Golf Club – superintendent Rowan Daymond and his team; and l Adelaide Oval SMA – head curator Damian Hough and his team.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge such great support from employers in putting forward so many great nominations this year along with our respective state award category sponsors (Living Turf, Nuturf and John Deere/Metropolitan Machinery).

It has been a busy period for the association with membership and sponsorship renewals going out along with a number of key events. If you haven’t joined yet we encourage you to do so and support our association.

The Wellington Turf Managers Association awarded him life membership in 2022. Across his career he has trained over 30 apprentices in nearly 50 years as a practising greenkeeper. John has been involved with golf for most of his life and was recently awarded life membership by Wellington Golf. He also continues to be involved at the national level as a New Zealand Golf selector.

John is a larger than life character who has never been one to shy away from expressing his thoughts and sharing his experiences with colleagues and offering advice where he sees fit. John has an immense passion for greenkeeping and golf and has given so much back to us all and any association or club he has worked for. His record of achievement and involvement in turf and golf in general I

believe is second to none. His dedication and commitment to everything that he has done is a measure of the man that he is.

Bestowing the life membership upon John was a fitting highlight in what was a great few days in Rotorua. Speaking in the days afterwards, John said: “It (the award) caught me off guard a little, but I was very thrilled and honoured to accept the life membership. It was an awesome night. That’s three life memberships now in the past couple of years, but this one (NZGCSA) holds a special place. Those organisations I really enjoy helping and giving back to and I still do what I do because I love it.”

TMSA recently hosted a sold-out ‘Walk & Talk’ session at Unley Oval, drawing 60 attendees from across the turf and open space industry, including strong representation from local councils. The morning began with a BBQ breakfast thanks to Matt Sampson and Dave McCourt (City of Unley), followed by a presentation from Steven Shepherdson (Team Leader Open Space) outlining the key design features and challenges of the oval’s redevelopment.

A Q&A session with Sturt Football Club SANFL League coach Marty Mattner, facilitated by Matt, highlighted the strong collaboration between turf managers and sporting clubs in maintaining community sports facilities. The session concluded with a walk on the oval to explore surface management practices in more detail. TMSA thanks the City of Unley, our speakers and all who attended for their ongoing support.

As this edition was going to print, we were looking forward to our annual Turf Seminar taking place on Wednesday 6 August at Morphettville Racecourse. The event featured an outstanding line-up of guest speakers, including Adam Lamb (VGCSA president and superintendent of Commonwealth Golf Club), Mellissa Bradley (SA Water), Jim Brosnan (University of Tennessee), Mark Burchell and Mitch Wallis (Droneland Australia) and Marty Synan (Racing Queensland).

Ben Hook hosted the day, with keynote speaker Nathan Lyon delivering a feature presentation. Our valued sponsors also had their products on display, providing plenty of opportunities for members to network and engage throughout the day. A full report on the day and photos will be in the next edition.

TIM WARREN PRESIDENT, TMSA

JASON PERKINS PRESIDENT, NZGCSA

TMSA hosted a sold-out ‘Walk & Talk’ session at Unley Oval in July, drawing 60 attendees. Pictured (from left) were presenters Matt Sampson, SANFL coach Marty Mattner (Sturt FC) and Steve Shepherdson

COMING TO A HALT: TOOWOOMBA’S CITY GC FAREWELLS STALWART SUPER

Having just notched up 31 years at City Golf Club in Toowoomba in early July, course superintendent John Halter officially hung up the hole cutter for the last time on 25 July, bringing to an end a long and celebrated tenure at the Queensland club.

“It’s been an incredible journey – full of wonderful people, challenges, laughs and unforgettable memories,” Halter posted on LinkedIn. “I’m proud of the work we’ve achieved and the relationships built along the way. A heartfelt thank you to all the team members I’ve worked with over the years, as well as the many trade reps, suppliers, businesses and colleagues across the turf industry. Your knowledge, support and good humour made the job easier and enjoyable.

“As I close this chapter, I look forward to spending more time with wife Judy and the family, travelling and seeing where this next season leads. Here’s to new beginnings – and to all the people who made the last 31 years so memorable, thank you.”

Halter, a near 25-year member of the ASTMA and former Board member of the GCSAQ, initially did an apprenticeship as a mechanic through the Toowoomba Regional Council, undertaking further studies to become an ‘A grade’ mechanic. After heading up the workshop of a local earthmoving company and spending a short stint in the civil construction sector, Halter spied City Golf Club’s ad for a mechanic and was duly appointed in 1994. Loving the change of environment and appeal of turf management, Halter enrolled himself into TAFE to gain his greenkeeping qualifications. He would eventually be appointed assistant superintendent and took over the top job there in early 2009, spending more than 16 years in charge.

During his time as superintendent, Halter and his team prepared the club’s kikuyu fairways and bentgrass greens for a total of 11 Queensland PGA Championship events between 2009 and 2020. The highlight came in 2015 when Kiwi Ryan Fox collected the title, finishing ahead of Cameron Smith in what was one of the strongest fields the Qld PGA had

ON THE MOVE…

COREY BUDDEN: Departed as superintendent The Sandhurst Club, Vic.

WESLEY COCHRAN: From assistant superintendent Riverside Oaks GC, NSW to superintendent Richmond GC, NSW.

DAN COOK: Resigned as superintendent The Australian GC, NSW.

THOMAS FOSTER: The 2022-23 FTMI graduate has been appointed assistant superintendent at Noosa Springs GC, Qld.

witnessed. Following that success, the PGA extended City Golf Club’s hosting rights before eventually moving the tournament to Brisbane. Halter also had to oversee the clean-up and reinstatement of the course following the 2011 southeast Queensland floods which severely impacted a number of clubs along the Brisbane River. Despite being 700m above sea level and inland from Brisbane, Toowoomba was among the first area to be affected.

In 2014 Halter won the GCSAQ’s Superintendent Achievement Award which was bestowed at the Queensland Golf Industry Awards. The award recognised his dedication to the exemplary presentation of the course for the PGA events, as well as significant course changes via the club’s master plan.

“I certainly love what I have achieved since working for the club, starting out as the mechanic, going back to TAFE, gaining my certificate and progressing to superintendent – I never dreamt anything like this would’ve happened,” reflects Halter, who served four years on the GCSAQ Board. “I have been blessed to have a supportive family, especially my wife Judy, who knows a lot more about turf, pests and diseases than some of my staff!”

PAUL MCLEAN: Appointed superintendent Maroochy River GC, Qld marking a return to Australia after spending the past 16 months working in Singapore and Vietnam.

SHAUN PATTERSON: After 17 years with the Australian Turf Club in Sydney, including being racecourse manager at Rosehill Gardens, Patterson has taken on the racecourse manager role at Moonee Valley.

MARK WILLIAMS: Resigned as superintendent Richmond GC, NSW.

TURF NSW

The launch of NSW’s first independent Erosion and Sediment Control Site was held at the end of June with over 80 people in attendance. This site has been funded under the Turf Industry Flood Recovery program and is designed to demonstrate a range of erosion and sediment control options, including natural turf. The site, located in Richmond, also has 12 turf variety plots.

The launch was attended by a several different industries and the demonstration was managed by the team at the International Erosion Control Association Australasia (IECAA). We welcome anyone to visit the site and utilise it for training staff on erosion control or to inspect the turf plots.

The outcomes of the Flood Recovery Programs are available on the Turf NSW website. These include flood preparation and management manuals, multiple reports and research and a variety of video resources.

We are excited to again be hosting our Women in Turf event in September and look forward to bringing together women in the turf production industry to network and learn from each other and our presenters. More information can be found on our website.

As we start to move out of winter, here’s hoping there is some good weather ahead and a strong growing season. Turf NSW is here to assist growers as well as the wider sports turf industry in NSW, so contact us if you have any questions or are looking for a local supplier.

ZADRO EO, TURF NSW

John Halter has farewelled Toowoomba’s City Golf Club after 31 years, including the past 16 as superintendent

JENNY

STA NSW

The traditional seminar season has again proven to be a busy time for the industry. At STA NSW we held a Sports Turf Solutions Event in May at Valentine Sports Park, home of Football NSW. This event saw smaller groups rotate through different stations during the day, allowing them time to connect with the presenter and get solutions and information specific to their sports turf surface. The feedback from delegates, sponsors and presenters was very positive and we will continue to develop this concept.

It was great to have the ASTMA conference back in Sydney at the end of June and we were extremely pleased with the response to the STA NSW Apprentice Day at the conference. This event saw around 85 apprentices from across NSW be part of the conference at no cost to themselves and be able to attend the equipment demonstrations, trade exhibition, presentations and venue tours (pictured above right) at three venues.

It was a great success and one that we hope is continued in future years in other states. The apprentices were able to connect and learn from industry leaders and discover the opportunities available in the industry. We are grateful for the support of the ASTMA, Toro, K&B Adams, Colin Campbell Chemicals and Turf NSW for their sponsorship of the day.

We would like to acknowledge our state representative at the Graduate of the Year Award – Jorjia Hogg from Newcastle City Council. Jorjia is such a great ambassador for STA NSW and the industry. As the awards dinner was a local event, we were pleased to have a full table of STA NSW representatives

STA VIC

STA Victoria would like to congratulate Sean Howard from The Victorian Racing Club on being named the 2024 Graduate of the Year. Sean did a great job representing Victoria at the national awards held during the recent Sydney conference and we applaud him on his successes to date.

With the focus still on education, STA Victoria was excited to again offer fully funded student diploma scholarships. These scholarships are aimed to encourage turf professionals to move from Certificate III in Sports Turf Management into Diploma studies. The course itself is designed for professionals aiming to further their career, incorporating both turf management practices and managing teams and individuals within the workplace. The applicants interviewed this year were of a high quality and represented a wide array of sectors in turf management. The selection panel were suitably impressed with

there to support Jorjia. She then spent the week with the other golf and sportsfield graduates soaking up the conference experience and making the most of all the networking opportunities.

Many thanks also to Joel Toogood at Accor Stadium who arranged for Jorjia to

the individuals who presented and noted that they each should be commended on their efforts. After much deliberation, Hamish Lloyd (Caulfield Grammar, Wheelers Hill campus, pictured right) and Aaron Blanch (Whitehorse City Council, pictured left) were rewarded as the successful recipients.

spend a few days working at the stadium during the State of Origin decider (pictured above). We are very excited about Jorjia’s future and we look forward to supporting her.

Applications for a Diploma scholarship are now open with interviews to be held in early 2026. Students can apply via the sponsorship application form, which includes the selection criteria, and can be found via the STA website www.vicsportsturf.asn.au.

As this edition was going to print we were about to hold our annual seminar at Flemington and we will include a full wrap of this event in the next edition. Our next major event will be the popular Pitch Preparation Day which is scheduled for 23 September at Wesley College, Glen Waverley. This day also acts as the practical component of the Level I and Level II Accredited Curator Program administered by the ASTMA. Also, keep an eye out for our upcoming ‘Masterclasses’ which are free for association members.

ANT LEWIS VICE-PRESIDENT,

STA VIC

JENNY ZADRO EO, STA NSW

VGCSA

After a well-earned winter break, hopefully for most, marked by cooler weather and a chance to reset, spring should be on our doorstep soon, bringing with it longer daylight hours and green shoots and tips with welcomed anticipation for the busy season ahead. Across the nation, no doubt the hum of mowers will slowly return and some cobwebs and plenty of dust gets blown out of them, hoses are nearly being rolled back out and teams are preparing to dial things up.

We’re pleased to report that the winter months were both productive and collaborative for the VGCSA committee, with strong engagement across events and continued the momentum in professional development and education workshops.

This year, along with some regular workshops, we also introduced specialised workshops designed to meet the evolving needs of modern turf teams. These hands-on sessions were open to all staff and focused on practical and strategic skills, including:

l Cutting units – Fundamentals and advanced techniques;

l Revegetation and sustainable course practices;

l Budgeting and financial planning for current or aspiring superintendents;

l Irrigation systems – Introduction and advanced operation; and

l Sprayer setup and calibration – Core fundamentals

A big thanks to the venues, presenters and sponsors who have supported these

GCSAWA

Perth’s slow start to the rainy season has ended with 56mm in May, 138mm in June and currently at over 200mm for July with just a few days remaining. More than 100mm of that July total fell in just a few days late in the month which well and truly put us above the July average of around 145mm. At my course, Mosman Park, which is nearer the coast than the BOM station situated at Mt Lawley, we had 240mm for July.

For those who attended the national conference in Sydney I hope you all had a great time. The numbers through the door for the trade show looked good and it was great that a number of WA superintendents and turf managers were able to make it across.

Congratulations to Cottesloe Golf Club superintendent Des Russell, winner of the GCSAWA Superintendent of the Year Award earlier in the year, who was a finalist in the ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award. Congratulations also to our Graduate of the Year representatives James Courtney-Bennett (Lake Karrinyup

workshops. We are committed to expanding these learning opportunities as we continue to prepare our next generation of turf managers. It has been fantastic to see such strong attendance and enthusiasm to all of our VGCSA meetings for 2025. As this edition was going to print, we had an excellent turnout at the late July Country Meeting at Yarrawonga Mulwala (more on that in the next report) and we’re looking forward to carrying that momentum through to our final meeting of the year in September at Riversdale Golf Club. Finally, it was great to get up to Sydney for the recent ASTMA conference. Congratulations to all involved for bringing it together.

ADAM

LAMB PRESIDENT, VGCSA

CC) and Nathan Hitch (Scotch College) for flying the WA flag. We trust that you got a lot out of the week in Sydney.

Around the traps here, Royal Perth Golf Club started the second and biggest stage of its course redevelopment in June and seeing it first-hand recently things are coming along very nicely. Last year’s work has grown in nicely and we even witnessed an albatross on the 3rd hole, the first one since it reopened! Port Kennedy is continuing with its masterplan works, while Nedlands is looking to complete the second half of its greens replacement program later this year. Wembley Golf Complex, which is now home to new superintendent Nick Kinley, has also made inroads in the planning for future works there.

As this edition was going to print, the GCSAWA was gearing up for the biennial Margaret River Conference. Numbers were looking great and we couldn’t have been happier with the lineup of speakers, headlined by Adam Marchant (Royal Sydney GC), Blair Christiansen (Eden Park, NZ) and, all the way

from Scotland, Sandy Reid (St Andrews). All three were joined by local superintendents, GMs and sponsors presenting to around 80 registered attendees. Blair and Sandy were also spending a few extra days in Perth visiting some of the city’s best turf facilities. The GCSAWA AGM was also being held that week and I look forward to reporting on both more in the next edition.

On a personal note, over winter I managed to get six weeks off work for a bit of a holiday. I was lucky enough to see some amazing golf courses over that time in Hong Kong, Chicago, volunteered at the US Open at Oakmont (see article earlier in this edition), Barbados and finally Sydney. It was my first time in Sydney seeing courses, so a big thanks again to Anthony Mills, Adam Marchant, Mark Parker and Marlon Johnston for your time and tours. There’s no better industry to be in with the contacts and new friends you can make.

The VGCSA has had strong turnouts at its recent education days and seminars, including the course staff education meeting at Cranbourne GC (top) and irrigation systems workshop (above)

SHANE BAKER PRESIDENT, GCSAWA