Ben Tilley (Headland GC, president), Troy Jordan (MOPT, treasurer), Peter Lonergan (Coolangatta & Tweed Heads GC), Damian Hough (Adelaide Oval), Mark Findlay (Werribee Park GC) and Dennis Grounds (Royal Canberra GC)
ASTMA PREMIUM PARTNERS
PARTNERS
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PARTNERS
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
PREMIUM PARTNERS
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
PLATINUM GOLD
PREMIUM PARTNERS
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the support of the following premium partner companies
SILVER BRONZE
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support these companies who support your association
LEAD STORY
WARWICK SIGNS OFF ON A HIGH 8
On 8 May 2026, David Warwick, affectionately known across the industry as ‘Poodle’, cut his final fairway and officially called time on a turf management career that has spanned more than four decades. From a novice apprentice at Concord Golf Club to just shy of 25 years at Avondale Golf Club, one of Australia’s most progressive superintendents has achieved more than most across his career, including three of the industry’s most prestigious awards. Following his departure from Avondale, over the past four-and-a-half years Warwick has helped to transform a small Hunter Valley farm property into a spectacular nine-hole golf course in what has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding projects of his celebrated career. ATM editor Brett Robinson visited ‘Oakgate’ during Warwick’s final few weeks to see that handiwork and to reflect upon his time in the industry.
It’s good seeing good people in a good spot, especially after they’ve been through a rough patch. Happy. Content. Smiling again. Laughing. Back to their old self, but just that little bit wiser and with a far greater perspective that comes with a lived experience navigating a challenging chapter in their lives.
In late April I was fortunate to head to the Hunter Valley to catch up with David Warwick. Ever since starting in this caper 23 years ago – thanks LinkedIn for the recent work anniversary reminder (yikes!) – David has been one of those good industry people who I’ve had the privilege to get to know and (hopefully) call a mate. As one of Australia’s more progressive and passionate golf course superintendents, I have always come to rely upon a regular phone call, text or email from David sharing an idea for a potential story, some breaking news or insightful comment and, more often than not, just to hang the proverbial on a defenceless Kiwi.
The trip to ‘Oakgate’, a small private nine-hole establishment 45 minutes from Newcastle which David has transformed from a cow paddock into a golf course over the past four-and-a-half years, was to catch up and reflect upon his career after he officially called time on 42 years in the industry. Over a few beers touring the spectacular 45-hectare property and then over a hearty dinner whipped up by David’s wife Michelle (the seafood pie and mash were Michelin star, as was the Gibson ‘The Dirtman’ shiraz) we were able to reminisce during what was at times an emotional chat. As the saying goes – good people, good food, good times.
Contributors to Australian Turfgrass Management Journal
Volume 28.3 (May-June 2026): Shane Baker (GCSAWA); Connor Blakely (Aquinas College); Christchurch City Council, NZ; Dion Cope (QSTMA); Amy Dingle (AGCSATech); Mark Doyle (STA Victoria); Matt Duff (Coffs Harbour GC); Tim Fankhauser (AGCSATech); John Forrest (Forrest & Forrest Horticultural Consultancy Services); Dr Richard Gibbs; Ben Gibson (The Toolbox Team); Pam Irvine (ASTMA); Keith Johnson (QSTMA); Adam Lamb (VGCSA); Sam Langford (Woodlands GC); Chris Lewis (Terrafirma Turf, NZ); Gary Lisbon (golfphotos.com.au); Bruce Macphee (AGCSATech); Matt McIntosh (Environmental Golf Solutions); Scott Reid (TSTMA); Martyna Synak (Temptress Turf); Simone Staples (ASTMA); Kate Torgersen (Environmental Golf Solutions); Toro Graduate of the Year Award state finalists; Mark Unwin (ASTMA); Tim Warren (TMSA); David Warwick; Rhys Whitling (Lakelands CC, WA).
The industry has certainly given David the best and the worst of times. He served as superintendent at one of Sydney’s most exclusive clubs – Avondale – for the best part of a quarter of a century during which time he became the only superintendent to win all three of the ASTMA’s major awards – the Claude Crockford (2004), Excellence (2010) and Distinguished Service (2021). That success, however, did come at a significant price. He would eventually burn out and it would take him a good year to get himself back in the right headspace before tackling the next major chapter of his career. That role, at ‘Oakgate’, would be just what the doctor ordered and, as you will read, his time there has been the perfect elixir and helped him to see out the twilight of his career on a high. His only regret is that he should have done it 10 years earlier!
As David embarks on the next phase of his life, his place at ‘Oakgate’ has been taken on by another passionate turf manager whose story is equally as interesting. Originally from Poland and now calling Australia home for over a decade, Martyna Synak has had quite the remarkable journey. As you will also read, Martyna has had to battle plenty of challenges and prejudices along the way, but she has persevered and now finds herself managing her own course and rediscovering her “spark” for greenkeeping despite the industry testing her resilience at times.
And finally, while we are speaking of good people, as this edition was nearing completion came the shock news of the passing of another industry stalwart. We have lost some great characters and exponents of the sports turf industry in recent months – Peter McMaugh AM, Greg Smith, Eva Ricci, Ray Dukes and David Sanguinetti – and to that list we can sadly add Ian ‘Chop’ Elphick. Chop, who was just 53 and a father of four, will long be remembered as one of the great personalities of our industry, a man who would give you the shirt off his back and ask for nothing in return. His generosity and spirit of mateship were hallmarks of his character and in honour of that his funeral service at the Gunnedah Rugby Club in late May was attended by more than 1300 people. Among that number was a healthy contingent of course superintendents and turf managers who travelled far and wide for one last shout (pictured above)
I fondly recall Chop and Martyn Black – now there’s a comedy double act if ever there was one – holding court during Gary Dempsey’s farewell in Sydney back in 2018. My jaw and ribs were sore for days after. As Blacky would say, “we laughed like drains”. Chop’s presence will certainly be missed at the upcoming Melbourne conference where I’m sure plenty of stories (and beers) will be shared as we remember one of the good guys.
Enjoy the read and I look forward to seeing you all in Melbourne…
Brett Robinson, Editor
PHOTO: PAUL KANE/GETTY IMAGES
PHOTO: BRETT ROBINSON
WITH MARK UNWIN, CEO
Melbourne 2026: Innovation, performance and leadership
As we move towards the middle of the year, attention across the industry is rapidly turning toward the 2026 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition in Melbourne. Returning to one of Australia’s great sporting capitals presents an outstanding opportunity for turf managers, industry professionals, suppliers and researchers to come together for what promises to be one of the most significant industry gatherings in recent years.
Melbourne is recognised internationally for its sporting culture and world-class venues, and it provides the ideal backdrop for this year’s conference theme of innovation, performance and leadership within the sports turf industry. From stadiums and elite sporting precincts through to golf courses, racecourses, schools and community facilities, the city showcases the diversity and professionalism of modern turf management at every level.
A full 28-page preview of this year’s conference is included in this edition (starting page 34), outlining what is shaping up as an extensive and highly engaging program. ATM profiles the exciting range of speakers, previews the Toro ASTMA Golf Championship at Woodlands Golf Club, highlights the Graduate of the Year Award state finalists and looks at some of the highlights on display at this year’s sold out trade exhibition.
The ASTMA team, together with the team at Golf Management Australia (GMA), have worked exceptionally hard to develop a program that delivers meaningful education outcomes, practical knowledge and valuable networking opportunities for delegates from every sector of the industry.
This year’s speaker line-up once again includes a strong mix presenters, with topics covering turfgrass agronomy, environmental sustainability, facility development, major events, emerging technologies, leadership,
workforce development and facility management. Delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in practical workshops and view the latest innovations, products and services supporting the turf industry at the trade exhibition.
Importantly, the conference is much more than simply an education event. It remains one of the few occasions each year where turf managers from every corner of Australia can step away from the day-to-day pressures of their facilities and spend time connecting with colleagues facing many of the same challenges. The value of those conversations, shared experiences and professional relationships should never be underestimated, particularly at a time when many within the industry continue to manage increasing expectations with limited resources.
The National Turf Industry Awards will again provide an opportunity to recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements across the profession. The quality of nominations each year continues to highlight the remarkable talent, dedication and professionalism that exists throughout our industry. From emerging turf managers through to long-serving industry leaders, the ASTMA Awards remain an important opportunity to acknowledge the individuals helping drive standards and innovation across the profession.
Beyond the conference itself, there continues to be significant work occurring across the association on behalf of members and the broader industry. Workforce attraction and retention remain among the most pressing issues facing facilities nationally. While there are encouraging signs of increased interest in turf management careers in some areas, many venues continue to report difficulties attracting experienced staff and maintaining full operational teams.
The conference will provide a background for the launch of a pre-apprenticeship (Certificate II) program through the ASTMA to help build a talent pipeline for the future, as well as providing opportunities for course staff and volunteers without qualifications to gain some formal education and attain a nationallyrecognised qualification in turf management.
The ASTMA continues to work closely with industry, government and education stakeholders to advocate for stronger workforce support, improved career awareness and expanded training pathways. The promotion of turf management as a skilled, professional and rewarding career remains a key strategic priority, particularly as the demands placed on sporting and recreational facilities continue to grow.
Training and professional development also remain central to our focus. The continued growth of the association’s education and RTO activities is helping provide more accessible training opportunities for members nationally, while supporting the next generation of sports turf professionals entering the industry. Maintaining high standards of education and ongoing learning will continue to play a critical role in strengthening long-term capabilities.
Sustainability and environmental management likewise continue to shape many discussions throughout the industry. Water security, environmental compliance, resource management and community expectations are increasingly influencing operational decision-making across facilities of all types. Encouragingly, presentations to government and advisory committees are received positively in relation to the role turf managers across Australia are implementing in these areas, whilst continuing to deliver world-class playing surfaces.
On behalf of the ASTMA Board and team, I look forward to welcoming many of our members and partners to Melbourne in June for what promises to be an outstanding conference. It will be an excellent opportunity to learn, reconnect, share ideas and continue building a strong future for the industry.
Recognised for its sporting culture and world-class venues, Melbourne provides the ideal backdrop for this year’s conference theme of innovation, performance and leadership in the sports turf industry
on groundBest
ATM showcases some of the best social media posts and images from across the sports turf industry in recent times...
NUTURF
“With ryegrass and product from Nuturf, the pitch at St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill is in stellar condition ahead of their local derby with Riverview this weekend. Nathan (Jobson) and his staff could not be happier with the grounds and deserve the success of their hard work!” (The Joeys’ home deck looking picture perfect in the lead-up to their schoolboys rugby union clash with Riverview, a rivalry which dates back more than 120 years.)
MATTHEW OLIVER
“Magic Round 2026 complete. Nine rugby league matches in four days, starting with the Women’s State of Origin and culminating in one of the biggest weekends on the Australian sporting calendar at Suncorp Stadium. I’m incredibly proud of how the field performed across the weekend.” (Another successful Magic Round navigated by the Suncorp Stadium crew, with the fillip of having the Queensland Government announcing it will be staying there until 2032.)
RILEY JUDD
Lynwood Country Club course superintendent Riley Judd posted the stunning photo above accompanying an employment ad on Facebook in early May as they looked to add a couple of staff to their hard-working crew on the back of rising club membership.
The photo was taken in the depths of winter last July as the crew were out at sunrise preparing the western Sydney course for play, just one in a series of amazing drone images that Judd took that morning.
GLENELG GOLF CLUB
“Our Course Maintenance team has been hard at work over the past few days getting everything ready for the Australian Interstate Teams Matches. The course is in outstanding condition.” (With Glenelg’s redeveloped course fully reopening back in December, it had its first tournament test this past May. Course superintendent Tim Warren and his team delivered immaculate playing surfaces for the country’s premier amateur teams event.)
SUPERINTENDENTS
For the past four-and-a-half years David Warwick has helped to transform a small NSW Hunter Valley farming property, called ‘Oakgate’, into a spectacular private nine-hole golf course
on a high Warwick signs off
In early May, David Warwick officially called time on a turf management career that has spanned more than four decades. From a novice apprentice at Concord Golf Club to just shy of 25 years at Avondale Golf Club, one of Australia’s most progressive superintendents has achieved more than most. But it hasn’t been without it’s challenges. As ATM editor Brett Robinson writes, it has been his most recent project that has helped him to heal after some difficult times and sign off his career on a positive note.
David Warwick isn’t ashamed of getting emotional these days. He happily owns it.
Having retired from golf course management after 42 years in early May, it has been a rollercoaster final few years for a man the industry affectionately knows simply as ‘Poodle’. Rest assured he is in a good place now, but it has been a process and challenged the very fibre of his being and those immediately close to him.
Warwick needs little introduction. He has featured across the pages of this journal’s 27-year lifespan umpteen times, as well as its predecessors. As he quips, people have probably already stopped reading.
The Warwick CV is stacked. He is the only superintendent to have collected all three of the national association’s major awards – the Claude Crockford, Excellence in Golf Course Management and more recently, in 2021, the Distinguished Service Award. The former two were specifically for his work at Avondale Golf Club in Sydney, where he was superintendent just shy of 25 years. The latter was also in recognition of that work, but acknowledging his wider accomplishments and service.
While he never set out to seek such recognition, ask him what those awards mean to him and he wells up. They are among his proudest achievements and enduring reminders of his devotion to a profession that, even now in retirement, still intrigues him.
Warwick’s time in the industry has been marked by some incredible highs but also
some crashing lows. His story is one of extreme dedication and pushing himself to the limit, but tempered with the hindsight that perhaps he didn’t get the balance quite right. Regardless, it has been a celebrated career and one worthy of a few more pages in ATM.
CONCORD GROUNDING
It was almost preordained that Warwick would enter into some sort of career in the golf industry. His father, Brian, was an avid and very good golfer from a young age. He won the NSW Schoolboys title in 1952 and would wipe the dew off greens at Concord Golf Club before caddying the rest of the day.
Three decades later and now a father, Brian dragged his teenage son, David, along to the 1982 Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club. While Warwick Snr was more interested in watching the great Jack Nicklaus stroll the fairways, Warwick Jnr was enamoured by something else.
“I remember looking at the grass and wondering, ‘How on earth do they do that?’,” recounts Warwick. “From that point on I knew I wanted to work on a golf course.”
After doing some work experience at North Ryde Golf Club, Warwick wrote letters to local superintendents to see if he could get work. The first to respond was Bruce Carruthers at Castle Hill Country Club. In his two-page return letter, Carruthers imparted some advice and pointed him to John Odell at Concord.
Odell was a young and passionate superintendent schooled under the legendary
Vince Church at Pennant Hills Golf Club who was focused on boosting the professionalism of the industry. Warwick was put on by Odell as a casual and remembers his first job wickwiping paspalum on Concord’s fairways before heading off to do his afternoon milk run.
Warwick moved into an apprenticeship and ended up spending four years at Concord. By that time Odell was superintendent at Royal Sydney and called Warwick out of the blue offering him a job. He would stay there 12 months, again learning as much as he could from someone who was not only a great mentor but would become a close friend.
From Royal Sydney, as a 21-year-old with stars in his eyes, Warwick then applied and got the assistant role at Bonnie Doon, lasting just nine months before heading to the underconstruction Arundel Hills Golf Club on the Gold Coast. Initially joining as assistant under Mark Couchman, it was Warwick’s first taste of major course construction in what was a very hands on role. It also afforded him the opportunity to meet industry doyen Doug Robinson who was a project consultant.
After construction had finished and Couchman departed, Rob Macdonald came in as superintendent and Warwick would remain assistant under him for a further two years. They would end up lifelong mates and when Macdonald left to take charge at Joondalup in Perth, Warwick stepped into his first superintendent role.
While virtually all courses on the Gold Coast had 328 couchgrass greens, Arundel
Hills had the distinction (and challenge) of having bentgrass greens. Warwick and his crew would constantly battle the heat and humidity, but successfully navigated them through without any major dramas, suffice for needing to spray for pythium around the clock and going in every weekend to check on them. As Warwick laughs now, it put him in good stead for the next 25 years of his career.
Early into his time at Arundel, Warwick tied the knot with wife Michelle and their plan was to stay on the Gold Coast. That changed in 1996. Warwick’s mother Merle was in the latter stages of battling leukemia and they had just had their first son, Jack. Being away from family started to hit home, as were finances.
It was around this time that the job for Avondale Golf Club in Sydney popped up. Warwick put in an application thinking at the very least he might get an interview and with it a free flight down so he could see his mum.
That transpired and then a few weeks later two Avondale Board members flew up to Arundel for what he thought was a second interview. They offered him the job on the spot.
“Managing bentgrass greens in southeast Queensland was a challenge and I think it probably helped me to get the Avondale job as they had similar issues,” reflects Warwick. “Making the step up to superintendent at Arundel was quite a natural progression. I was very enthusiastic and Rob always encouraged involvement. Working with him and Doug was great and I learned so much.”
AWAKENING AVONDALE
Arriving at Avondale, Warwick describes it as like “walking into a golf course maintenance coma”. The layout was tired, there had been little to no investment into the course and some of the maintenance practices were rooted in the past. There were multiple issues
at play – old, round greens design, heavy shade and poor air movement, Poa annua infestation, balls plugging in bunker faces –which many members were quick to point out.
Warwick, however, could see huge potential and set about making plans. Due to the many issues confronting the club, it forced him to look for solutions. A lot of the innovative measures he would eventually employ at Avondale came off the back of delving deep and researching possible solutions to the ‘nth’ degree. As he says, he took a “blinkers off approach” and the results forthcoming helped to put Avondale on an upward trajectory.
Among the first project Warwick oversaw was the installation of a new irrigation system. Already planned prior to his arrival, Warwick had the fortune to work alongside Network Irrigation (John Wright, Stan Burrows and Keith Fowler) as well as Mark Young (then the longserving irrigation tech at Royal Sydney) whose quality of installation and provision for future system expansion ensured its longevity.
To reinvigorate the layout, the club engaged Ross Watson to develop a course masterplan. Initially just a single green, the works quickly expanded and over a number of years just about every aspect of the course was impacted – all greens, tees, fairways and bunkering – with the addition of a new hole carved out of bushland. As part of that, Warwick undertook extensive trials before choosing Penn G2 for the new greens.
Along with those course and infrastructure improvements, Warwick also set about putting in place a range of measures and programs to contend with some of Avondale’s unique agronomic and microclimate challenges. Undertaking a huge amount of research, much of it in his own time, he connected with leading minds across the Australian and US industries to come up with a range of innovations that kept course conditioning at the highest level.
And there were many – couch encroachment barriers around greens; TurfAir subsurface ventilation (the first in Australia) to assist greens drainage and the exchange of air through the profile; green-side fans to improve air circulation; driplines underneath bunker lips to prevent balls plugging in the faces; and injecting low rates of wetting agent into the irrigation system to treat the water not the soil.
To remedy the club’s water quantity problems, Warwick engaged John Neylan and together they developed one of the industry’s most comprehensive water management plans, effectively tracking every drop of water that fell in the club’s catchment to when it went out on the course. As a result of that plan, Warwick would install special side rough irrigation which reduced water use but at the same time improved course conditions.
Similarly, and again working with Neylan as well as Dr Mike Richardson from the
From Warwick’s early days (pictured top left is the crew at Concord GC, Warwick is fifth from right), he has been heavily involved in the industry, whether as Board member of the AGCSA (middle right), a conference presenter (middle left) or collecting major industry accolades such as the AGCSA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award in 2010 (above) and the ASTMA Distinguished Service Award in 2021 (top right)
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University of Arkansas, Warwick facilitated a comprehensive year-long shade study, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, which would indirectly lead him to being among the first Australian supers to experiment with zoysia.
The environment was also a major focus and off his own bat Warwick researched and joined Audubon International. Having been initially knocked back by the club, Warwick stumped up the joining fee under his name, did all the documentation and data collection and got the club certified – the first in Australia. Additionally, through some of the innovations he instituted within the Avondale maintenance facility, a whole new section relating to compounds would be added to Audubon’s certification process off the back of his work.
Elsewhere, Warwick was also involved with the ‘Penn Pals’ – a group of Sydney superintendents who were among the first to use the ‘new’ Penn Series bentgrasses (A1, A4, G2, G6) on their greens. They would have regular meetings to discuss their experiences and provide guidance for others. Some years later, under a similar premise, Warwick started up a Poa annua forum which involved leading superintendents from across Australia and New Zealand who would gather to discuss Poa management in bentgrass greens.
“As I said in one of those Poa forums, we must hang together or else we’ll all hang
individually,” states Warwick of his motivation for starting the group. “No one person is as smart as all of us, so getting people together, working on problems and sharing successes and failures was so important. I loved doing that and they were some of the best education sessions I’ve been involved with.”
They were halcyon days for Warwick, who also during this time served a term on the Board of the AGCSA where he worked alongside inaugural CEO Euan Laird and eventual president Jeff Gambin, another great mate. He was at the cutting edge of course management practices and would regularly present at industry days and conferences on the work he was doing. Through all that, he got to know many interstate and overseas superintendents and leading researchers, and he and Michelle would regularly have them stay at their house, always at their expense.
Warwick’s achievements would also be recognised at national association level. For paving the way with Audubon, he won the AGCSA Claude Crockford Award in 2004 and then, following the many improvement works at Avondale, was bestowed the AGCSA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award in 2010, becoming the first superintendent to win both the association’s primary awards.
“We did so much work,” reflects Warwick. “We were the first in so many areas and we
Friendships and mateship have been some of the most rewarding aspects of Warwick’s involvement in the turf industry. The unstinting support of wife Michelle has also been key
were still doing that up until I left with the likes of Nanobubbles which I still firmly believe is one of the greatest pieces of technology to come along in recent times.
“I can’t really pinpoint one thing that I am most proud of because they all related to each other to give the final result. I guess I’m most proud of the research that went into everything – I’m a bit OCD like that – and the relationships that came about because of the work we were doing. It was a privilege to share that work and have discussions with people from all over the country and around the world.”
‘THAT’S IT! YOU’RE DONE!’
For many years Warwick rode the highs of being a prominent and progressive Sydney superintendent and was well looked after by a club that was reaping the benefits of having their course elevated to an unprecedented level. Indeed, the club celebrates its centenary this year and in the special book which has been published to mark the occasion, Warwick’s accomplishments and influence feature prominently.
But as with most things, the good times don’t last forever. In 2016, Michelle celebrated her 50th birthday and to mark the occasion the Warwicks boarded a cruise ship and headed to the South Pacific for 10 days. It was just what they needed and Warwick felt rejuvenated.
That all changed as soon as the ship sailed back into Sydney Harbour. Almost instantaneously he could feel his chest tighten. Speaking about that physical response almost a decade on, it’s the moment Warwick can now pinpoint as the first sign that something wasn’t quite right at Avondale.
After many good years with wonderful boards and supportive committee members, a few new personalities coming in saw that dynamic shift. Slowly, things started becoming
‘Oakgate’ is routed across an undulating 45-hectare parcel of farmland and boasts TifEagle greens, Santa Ana surrounds and kikuyu fairways
more political and Warwick found himself being placed under increasing duress to do more, despite already running at capacity. It was also at that time he started being subjected to what he calls bullying behaviour by one particular individual.
Rather than speak up, Warwick went into his shell. He knuckled down and worked harder, pulling ridiculous hours. As Michelle puts it, “He started to lose his voice”. Compounding matters, a few things started happening on the course. One summer, ahead of the club’s largest event, the Avondale Amateur, some water quality issues caused significant damage to the greens, a further knock to Warwick’s confidence.
At home things were deteriorating too, not that Warwick could see it. Riddled with anxiety because of the situation at work, he wasn’t sleeping. He started losing weight. Normally very social, he didn’t want to go out. He would also get emotional and teary very easily. More worryingly, he started hiding things from Michelle.
During the last 18 months of his tenure at Avondale, Warwick was that anxious he would throw up almost every morning before
leaving the house for work. Michelle eventually discovered what was going on – it had happened before – and told him that he was going to give notice. Warwick procrastinated, but things came to head not long after when she received a phone call from him one afternoon in an absolute mess. Her response was one of love but blunt – “That’s it! You’re done! Tomorrow you’re giving notice! I don’t care! We’ll figure it out.”
Even talking about it now, more than five years on, Warwick still gets emotional, such was the gravity of a decision he was incapable of making himself, but now with hindsight knows it was the right one for the sake of his health and his family’s.
“It’s like owning a boat,” exclaims Warwick, composing himself. “The best day of your life is when you buy the thing; the next best day of your life is when you sell the thing. Getting Avondale was the best thing to happen to me, but leaving was also the best thing for me.
“I still loved my work, but those last few years were such a grind. I was being ridden into the ground, pushed to my limits when I was already giving everything. I thought, ‘I can take this’, but in the end I couldn’t. I had nothing more to give. I don’t know why I get so emotional about it still, but I guess it’s because Avondale was so important to me.”
Adds Michelle: “He knew he wanted to do it (resign) but couldn’t make himself do it.
PHOTO: BRETT ROBINSON
David’s confidence had been so eroded he didn’t think he was employable anymore. I remember saying to him someone will offer you a job, even if it’s just cutting rough. You’ve got so many mates in the industry who will look after you, but he couldn’t hear it. When I found out about the vomiting that was it – your health is way more important than any job.”
Continues Warwick: “That’s the biggest regret I have – not getting that work-life balance right. I have always taken my profession very seriously – probably too seriously – and I was always doing a large amount of hours not only at work but outside of it as well. That was just not sustainable.
“The ironic thing about all of this was that while I was going through my own battles, I was also a sounding board for a number of other superintendents who were going through similar issues. I was trying to give advice and check in on them, but not doing it myself!
“So, yes, I guess in hindsight I should have pulled the pin sooner, but everything works out for a reason – this place wouldn’t have been here for a start.”
RECALIBRATING
That “place” he refers to is ‘Oakgate’, a privately-owned nine-hole golf course 45 minutes south of Newcastle. A 45-hectare former cattle farm, it was brought about
five years ago by Steve and Polly Duchen. A member of both Royal Sydney and The Australian, Duchen purchased the property as a weekender but soon formulated plans for something more than just a rural getaway.
Despite being advised to take a break from work after finishing at Avondale in late February 2021, Warwick couldn’t stay idle. Pymble Golf Club superintendent David Stone threw him a lifeline, offering some casual work as part of their greens and bunker reconstruction program. Warwick couldn’t be more grateful for Stone’s support and admits Pymble was “the best thing that could’ve happened to me at that time.”
It was while at Pymble that Warwick was introduced to Duchen who had been told he would be a perfect candidate for his project. Duchen wanted to turn his property into a golf course for friends and family and offered Warwick the opportunity to see out his career doing something very unique.
Over the next four-and-a-half years Warwick would almost singlehandedly transform the property into an incredibly beautiful course with TifEagle couch greens, Santa Ana surrounds and kikuyu fairways.
The next edition of ATM will delve more into the course itself, but suffice to say the project has been the therapy that Warwick has needed to recalibrate and finish his career on
Getting back on the tools during his time at ‘Oakgate’ has been a refreshing change for Warwick
a high. He and Michelle would live on site for four years up until his retirement, enjoying the serenity and the property’s idyllic surrounds at the foot of the Watagans National Park ranges.
“I should’ve come here 10 years ago,” laughs Warwick, who upon retiring has handed over maintenance to Martyna Synak (see next article p16). “It has been such a refreshing change and we’ve had some fantastic people involved who have helped to bring it all to life and achieve a really high level finish.
“It absolutely came about at the right time. I could work at my own pace, I was able to do what I needed without any involvement from committees and had no staff to manage. I had nothing else to think about, so over a period of about two years it helped to clear my head, rewire my brain and get back on track. It took that amount of time to get over Avondale, but I am in a good place now.”
GOOD TIMES AHEAD
While the past five years have been quite the rollercoaster for Warwick, who also had to farewell two key figures in his life within a week of each other late last year – dad Brian and mentor Peter McMaugh AM – he is now ready to embrace the next chapter of his life with Michelle. Last August they became grandparents, with eldest son Jack and wife Lexi welcoming young Teddy (Warwick is now called ‘Poppy Poodle’). Not to be outdone, youngest son Tom got married to Rochelle in the weeks after Warwick’s retirement.
Travel is set to feature prominently in the immediate future, with a two-month trip around the UK and Ireland. The plan is to eventually buy a place near Lake Macquarie, a stone’s throw from ‘Oakgate’. As Synak takes great delight in ribbing Warwick, “You’ll be back.”
“I know I will miss it,” says Warwick when asked how retirement sits with him. “Hopefully I will still have some involvement and stay connected. I’m still fascinated by the industry – the science and the research. It’s always changing and I still enjoy learning about it. And I think that’s the thing that has set me apart – I realised early that I knew bugger all, so I was always researching to build up my knowledge.
“A few years ago I did a presentation on my career for the VGCSA and I titled it ‘A fortunate career’, because it has been. I have been so fortunate to work under and with so many incredible people who have inspired me, educated me and made me a better person. I could never have achieved what I have supposedly achieved without all those people I call friends. But my biggest fortune? That’s Shelly (Michelle). I simply could not have achieved any of this without her.”
Turning ‘Oakgate’ from cow paddocks into a nine-hole golf course has been highly rewarding for Warwick
PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON
mark Martyna makes her
Hailing from Poland but now calling Australia home, Martyna Synak’s turf journey is unquestionably unique. As ATM editor Brett Robinson writes, it’s been one of dogged determination, overcoming prejudices and the importance of self-belief.
When Australian Turfgrass Management Journal first approached Martyna Synak in early 2023 to tell the story of her career, what she sent through was something quite unexpected.
In the first instance, for someone whose native tongue isn’t English, the 8235-word document she penned was simply impressive. Her attention to detail and meticulous answers were second to none. Only Shaun Cross, the former superintendent at Byron Bay Golf Club, can lay claim to contributing a longer and more thorough article for the pages of this journal when he won the 2014 ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award.
But it wasn’t just the length of the article. It was more the journey Synak had been on and some of the very challenging times she had been through which stood out.
From the rural backblocks of her native Poland – a country you’d hardly associate golf with – to plying her trade at championship courses in the US and Australia, Synak’s path in golf course management has been far from conventional. Having arrived in Australia in early 2015, the now 37-year-old has had
to overcome cultural and language barriers, sexism and self-doubt to establish herself as a respected professional in the turf industry.
Since penning her initial article (when she was 3IC at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney), Synak eventually moved into a role with Envu before returning to the tools recently. Starting last October, she has been part of a unique nine-hole course development project in the NSW Hunter Valley, working alongside esteemed superintendent David Warwick.
Having assisted with the final phase of construction and grow-in, Synak has now taken over the day-to-day running of ‘Oakgate’ following Warwick’s retirement (see previous article, p8-15). While the Hunter Valley is probably as far removed from Poland as you can get, being back on the land again is where Synak feels at home and it has helped rediscover her “spark” for greenkeeping.
STUBBORN AND DETERMINED
Synak’s journey into turf began far from any golf course. Born and raised in Frydrychowo, a small village in northern Poland, Synak’s childhood was spent helping out on her parents’ modest farm. They had two pigs,
two cows, a few chickens and ducks, a vegie garden, fruit trees and a 100-hectare forest on their doorstep. From an early age she learned the value of hard work, a defining trait she would carry into her turf career.
Synak’s early ambition was to pursue a career in sports, but after failing to get into the course she was hoping to, her cousin suggested horticulture. What she initially thought would be a fun year as a student while she figured out what she wanted to do, Synak was soon hooked. Her farming background made her studies easy to grasp and before long she was excelling, even earning a scholarship. After three-and-a-half years she completed a degree in agricultural engineering and then moved 300km away to the city of Poznan where she attained a Master’s degree at the University of Life Sciences.
During her summer breaks, Synak and a friend, who was studying architecture, started up their own landscaping and garden design business. While it was nice earning some money, it wasn’t really what she wanted to do. It was then that Synak started thinking about sportsfields as a possible career. However, as
Synak’s exemplary work ethic has won her many admirers across the
PHOTO: BRETT ROBINSON
Arriving in Australia in 2015 and gaining citizenship in 2022, Poland-born Martyna Synak has stepped up to oversee maintenance at the privately-owned ninehole ‘Oakgate’ course in the NSW Hunter Valley
turf industry
there were no formal sports turf management courses in Poland – the only ‘grass’ related courses were to do with farming – she went to a careers advisor for help. That was when she discovered the Ohio International Intern Program (TOP).
While most in Australia know TOP for its golf internships, it also offers a wide range of amenity horticulture and agriculture internships. Synak was going to go down the hort path before spying golf course management which sounded appealing. However, with golf almost non-existent in Poland and having never set foot on a course before, she was quickly knocked back and offered a hort internship instead.
Golf ranks well down the list of popular sports in Poland. Although being the ninth largest country in Europe covering an area of 312,000 square kilometres, it has just 24 golf courses. To put that into context, Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, which measures around 720km2, has roughly the same number.
Not wanting to give up on a golf internship, Synak did her research and got in contact with her nearest course – Sierra Golf Club – just over an hour northeast of her home village. A relatively new facility, the superintendent there
was Swedish who invited her to come and look around. She told him of her US plans and on the back of that was offered a summer job.
Synak quickly threw herself into everything – operating machinery, gaining an understanding of maintenance practices, asking thousands of questions and even taking up the game. Throughout this time she sent regular updates to TOP manager
Mike O’Keeffe about her progress. The added advantage of the Sierra job was that her boss communicated to the staff in English which meant Synak could improve her language skills. With eight months under her belt at Sierra and after plenty of persistence, in November 2012 Synak finally received the news she had been waiting for – she was in!
“I couldn’t believe it,” recalls Synak of her elation when she got confirmation. “My hard work had paid off. I was so proud of myself, that a girl from a small village in Poland could prove herself and deserve to be on the program. It was exciting but also very scary.”
AROUND THE WORLD
Synak landed in the US February 2013 and headed to the prestigious Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina. To say it was a world away from Poland would be an understatement and she was paired up with another intern, New Zealander Thomas Hill. It was her first time away from Europe and the language barrier hit hard. She was also the only female greenkeeper among a crew of international interns – Kiwi, Portuguese, Australian, English, Malaysian – most of whom had more experience and formal training Synak’s first golf course role was at Sierra Golf Club, one of only 24 golf courses in her native Poland
Literally chucked in the deep end, within a matter of weeks Synak was in the throes of helping prepare the course for its annual PGA TOUR event where she rolled greens.
As she started to acclimatise, Synak slowly built up confidence in her greenkeeping abilities and immersed herself both in work and socially as well. Her English improved and she also completed the Golf Course Management and Advanced Golf Course Management certificates that TOP offered with distinction, despite being told not to attempt the latter.
Spending so much time alongside Hill, it was inevitable that the two of them would hook up and together they started to plan the next step in their turf careers. The initial plan was to head to NZ, but visa difficulties (for Synak) saw their attention shift to Sweden. Not knowing what to expect, they landed at the 36-hole Ingarö Golf Club just outside of Stockholm which was (and still is) headed by ex-pat Australian superintendent Craig Koch.
Working the very busy summer season there, which involved multiple course construction projects, was a definitive experience. Still to this day Synak keeps in contact with Koch who became a mentor and sounding board for her and whom she rates as one of the best bosses she has worked for.
After getting her visa approved for NZ, Synak and Hill headed Down Under. She got a job in Mt Maunganui and it was while there that they both volunteered at the 2014 men’s
Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, sparking what would eventually be the next big chapter of Synak’s life.
FINDING HER FEET
In February 2015 Synak and Hill bit the bullet and moved to Sydney. Hill was mates with countryman and then Riverside Oaks superintendent Glenn Gibson-Smith who offered them work. Synak was on a tourist visa so could only volunteer and would have to wait three months for her work visa to be approved.
Shortly after gaining that, she was successful in getting the 3IC role at Oatlands Golf Club. Impressing then superintendent Colin Kinghan, Synak started in August 2015 and would end up spending more than six years there, rising to the role of assistant superintendent and winning over a crew, some of whom initially doubted her.
“I remember walking into the (Oatlands) shed for the first time,” recalls Synak. “It was definitely something new for them to have a female greenkeeper. They were friendly, but after a few conversations one of the groundsmen said to me “It will be another short adventure for you, you won’t last long” It was stressful because it was my first job on my own without Tommy who was always supportive and helpful with the language barrier. But I was brave and made the step up.
“One year into that role and there were changes, with Dominic Yates stepping into
the superintendent role and I was promoted to assistant. It was a scary time for both of us. The club was facing financial difficulties and we had a young team. I think we did well and we were constantly trying to improve the course. We did a lot of projects and went through a lot – storms, bushfires, COVID, irrigation problems. It was a great time in my life. In my speech when I left, I reminded that groundsman of his words that I wouldn’t last. He had tears in his eyes and so did I.”
While at Oatlands, Synak and Hill would go their separate ways which would create some visa hassles for her. However, with the support of Yates and the club, she secured sponsorship and in March 2022 officially became an Australian citizen. It was a very proud moment for Synak – one she is indebted to Oatlands for helping make possible – and to celebrate she got a tattoo of a black cockatoo on her left shoulder. As she jokes, “How much more Australian can you get!”
After farewelling Oatlands, Synak felt she was ready to realise her goal of taking on a 2IC role at one of Sydney’s top clubs. She spent nine months as a senior greenkeeper at The Australian Golf Club in the hope that something more senior would arise, but when that didn’t she applied for the 2IC role at The Lakes. Again she missed out, but was offered the 3IC role instead which she would stay in for two years, her work ethic shining through and playing a key role as the crew delivered the course for the 2023 Australian Open.
Despite her efforts though, Synak could see little opportunity to progress further and soon began to question what direction her career should take. Disillusioned and unsure what to do, she went to a career advisor who suggested becoming a TAFE teacher. In her final months at The Lakes she would start and eventually go on to finish a Certificate in Training and Assessment.
Not long after starting that, she also got the opportunity to volunteer at the 2024 LIV Golf Adelaide tournament. Envu were sponsoring the coffee van that week and after
During her time in Australia, Synak has volunteered at numerous tournaments, including the 2014 (top left) and 2019 (left) Australian Opens at The Australian. She spent six defining years at Oatlands Golf Club in Sydney (above), rising the role of assistant
speaking to their representatives found out they were looking to appoint a NSW territory business development manager. Never one to shy away from a new challenge, Synak decided to dip her toe when offered the job, with Envu providing a supportive environment as she took her first steps in an unfamiliar role. Getting to experience the industry through a different lens would prove invaluable. Her knowledge of chemistry and disease management expanded, while visiting clients afforded her the chance to meet new people and see different facilities. Most significantly, however, she had the very good fortune of being taken under the wing of Envu senior market development specialist Jyri Kaapro who became almost like a father figure.
While a unique experience and one she enjoyed, working outdoors and on the tools was always Synak’s first love and it would be one particular client visit with Kaapro that would ultimately put her back on the path to greenkeeping. As she jokes with Kaapro now, he never should have taken her to ‘Oakgate’, a private nine-hole course 45-minutes outside of Newcastle, and it was very much a case of being in the right place at the right time that would see Synak embark on her next chapter.
ON TO ‘OAKGATE’
In the previous article this edition you will read about David Warwick’s celebrated career and the role he played in bringing ‘Oakgate’ to life following nearly 25 years at Avondale Golf Club. During that initial visit to the course –which at the time had five holes built – Synak was blown away not only by the location and setting, but the amazing surfaces (TifEagle greens, Santa Ana surrounds and kikuyu fairways) that Warwick was producing. Later on, having moved 30 minutes up the road to
Maitland with her fiancé Burt in February 2025, Synak would keep in touch with Warwick as an Envu client and to just talk turf, but then one day came an unlikely proposition.
With plans to expand ‘Oakgate’ to nine holes and with Warwick (58) closing in on retirement, he approached Synak with an offer. He wanted her to come on board to assist him with construction of four additional holes and then eventually take over the running of the course following his departure.
It was a huge risk for Synak. It meant leaving the security and comfort of a large organisation and going alone, but the lure of experiencing construction and getting back on the tools was too good to pass up. Resigning from Envu after 16 months, Synak started at ‘Oakgate’ last October just as construction on
the last four holes was beginning. Working alongside Warwick and the other contractors was very educational and following Warwick’s retirement on 8 May she now oversees all course maintenance operations.
“I thought I was done with greenkeeping,” admits Synak. “I even threw away all my old work clothes. Working at Envu was a really great opportunity for me to get off the tools, still be involved in the industry, but without all the difficulties greenkeepers face every day. During customer visits, I got asked, “What if someone offers you a job back on the golf course?” My response was always a sharp ‘No!’ I’d had enough.
“When I first came to ‘Oakgate’ and saw the property I was like ‘Oh my God, this isn’t for real’. How much work and effort Dave had put into the place, the quality of the turf and seeing where it had come from. Dave planted the seed and when he asked me to come here I thought why not try it and see what happens.
“Working with Dave was so good. He’s like a mate. It was so much fun and there was always lots of banter, but we worked like crazy. He was great at showing me everything, introducing me to everyone, answering all my questions and bringing me on board for the whole experience. For example, I had never stolonised and grown in a couch green before.
“Dave has had such an incredible career and has so much experience, but he was not ashamed to say ‘Oh, I’ve learned something from you today’. It’s rare to hear that from someone who has more than 40 years in the industry. That made me feel pretty good and that it was not only me taking and learning from him, but I could also offer something in return. He trusted me and treated me with great respect and helped bring my spark for greenkeeping back.”
Synak was 3IC at The Lakes in Sydney and played a key role during the 2023 Australian Open
SUPPORT NETWORK
Along with the recent influences of Warwick and Kaapro, Synak has been fortunate to have a number of key mentors across her career. Each have helped to guide her, impart their knowledge and teach her lessons which she has used to help shape her own turf management style which complements an already exemplary work ethic.
Although with Craig Koch at Ingarö for just one season, he helped shaped Synak’s understanding of leadership, teaching her that team morale matters just as much as technical skill. He showed her that the little things – a calming word, a fair approach and treating people as individuals – made a big impact.
At Oatlands, Yates would help Synak to grow into a confident assistant and find her voice. She learned the value of communication, whether with staff, board members or apprentices, and the emphasis on honesty, clarity and inclusion to help create a positive team culture.
It’s those traits that Synak has been imparting in another area which is close to her heart – supporting fellow women in the turf industry – and using her many experiences, both good and bad, to assist them coming through the ranks.
As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Synak’s journey has been far from smooth. Every time she walked into a new shed she felt like she had to prove herself and would work harder just to show that she belonged.
And then there was the objectification. Along the way, Synak has been subjected to some horribly inappropriate comments and approaches and not just from male golf club members while greenkeeping. Disappointingly, there were also similar comments directed her way from members of the turf industry while she was working as a trade rep.
“That has been the hardest part of my time in greenkeeping,” states Synak. Comments like “I didn’t know the club had such goodlooking greenkeepers” or “It’s hot today, you should take your shirt off” or “I like seeing you walking around the course, it makes the view more enjoyable” – and others much worse.
“Dealing with that, sometimes daily, had a big impact on me. I learned to stand up for myself and now I know how to respond to those comments. Everyone who has worked with me knows that I am a hard worker and not just a pretty face. But to then have to deal with the same behaviour working in the trade –some of it from superintendents – it just shows that some attitudes still have a long way to go.”
Such instances make Synak more passionate about being a role model for other women in the industry. She acknowledges there are still structural barriers (women’s locker rooms at some facilities, uniforms etc) and the assumption that course maintenance is ‘men’s work’, but contrary to that she sees the many strengths that women bring to the profession – attention to detail, better care of equipment and reliability.
Having been a regular major tournament volunteer over many years, in 2024 Synak was part of the inaugural John Deere Women in Turf Program (now run in conjunction with Envu) that brought together six female greenkeepers to work at Cobram Barooga Golf Club for the TPS Murray River event (pictured left). The week reinforced Synak’s belief in the power of networking, building friendships and supporting other female greenkeepers.
Synak’s message to aspiring women wanting to embark on a turf career is resolute – “Be brave, stay strong and stand up for yourself. Know who you are, prove yourself with hard work and never be afraid to ask for help” – but admits the industry still needs to adapt more to truly welcome more women into it. “Is the industry ready for more females? Maybe not yet. But it has to be. If we create supportive environments, provide the right facilities and show that women can succeed, the future will look different.”
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
As for her own future, Synak is currently getting to grips with being in sole charge at ‘Oakgate’ and the challenges that come with managing a 45ha site. She gets assistance from enthusiastic owner Steve Duchen, a member of Royal Sydney and The Australian golf clubs, who helps out with mowing, but agronomically the buck now stops with Synak. After a long summer where dam levels got low, over the past couple of months it hasn’t stopped raining. Such challenges all come with the territory of being a superintendent and Synak is looking forward to navigating them and moving the property forward.
“I think I’m ready for the challenge,” states Synak. “Steve is great to work for and as long as he is happy, then I am happy. I don’t have the pressure of having to explain myself to a Board or manage staff. It’s just me and the grass! I’m sure there’ll be turf issues – disease, irrigation stress – but the industry is great and there are a lot of people who can help me.
“Coming here (to ‘Oakgate’) has been the best decision I have made. I am very lucky and fortunate to be here. Dave has created something truly unique and special and I promise to look after it.”
For the past six months at ‘Oakgate’, Synak has worked alongside David Warwick who has become a good friend and mentor
Synak (far left) is a passionate advocate for promoting women in turf and mentoring female greenkeepers
resilience Te Kaha - A symbol of
More than 15 years after Christchurch was devastated by a series of earthquakes, the city now has a prized new multi-use arena – One NZ Stadium at Te Kaha – which officially opened in March. ATM columnist John Forrest tracks the birth of the stadium, its unique engineering and construction and state-of-the-art turf surface.
After four years of construction, the NZ$683 million One NZ Stadium at Te Kaha (main photo) officially opened on 27 March 2026, some 15 years after the devastating February 2011 earthquake severely damaged Christchurch’s Lancaster Park (pictured inset left). Terrafirma Turf’s Chris Lewis (pictured inset below) was stadium turf manager at the time and has played a key role in the development of the new stadium's playing surface
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, with views to the stunning Southern Alps to the west and Port Hills to the east on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. That idyllic setting, however, was forever changed across a five month period in late 2010 and early 2011 when two major earthquakes hit the region.
The first came at 4:35am on 4 September 2010, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake the epicentre of which was about 40 kilometres west of Christchurch at a depth of 10km. However, it was the second one – a magnitude 6.3 earthquake at 12:51pm on 22 February 2011 at the shallower depth of 5km – that caused major devastation, killing 185 people and injuring 6659. In its aftermath, about 3500 homes and 1400 commercial properties had to be demolished, with a further 10,000 homes needing to be rebuilt.
Among the many facilities impacted was Lancaster Park, the city’s iconic rugby and cricket venue. Across generations, Lancaster Park witnessed countless unforgettable moments in New Zealand sport and was the proud home of some of the most dominant provincial cricket and rugby teams in the country’s history – Canterbury.
The venue’s proud legacy was set to continue in 2011 with New Zealand hosting the Rugby World Cup. It was slated to hold seven games across the tournament, including two quarter-final matches. However, due to severe liquefaction caused by the earthquake and the significant structural damage to the stands and ground, Lancaster Park was deemed unsafe and unfit, with those matches moved to other venues in what was a massive blow for the city.
It was ultimately assessed that Lancaster Park was irreparable due to extent of the damage and the fact that it was on ground susceptible to liquefaction. To fill the gap in the city’s sporting landscape, Rugby League Park in the suburb of Addington, south of the city, was redeveloped at a cost of NZ$30 million into a serviceable 17,000-seat arena on an area that was not susceptible to liquefaction. It was always a temporary solution until a decision was made on a permanent replacement for Lancaster Park and as part of those works the existing Lancaster Park surface was harvested and re-used to turf the Addington venue.
On 24 March 2012, the Canterbury Crusaders Super Rugby team ran out for their first game at Addington in what was a hugely emotional and symbolic moment for the city. It would end up being their home ground for the next 14 years.
RISING FROM THE GROUND
Sport plays a huge role in Christchurch culture and the building of a new stadium in the heart of the city was a central component of Christchurch City Council’s Central City Recovery Plan released in 2012. After much consultation, it wouldn’t be until 2020 that the council, in conjunction with the New Zealand Government, finally confirmed the build of a new state-of-the-art, fully-roofed rectangular stadium. The new venue would host not only sport, but other major events such as concerts in an effort to help bring life back to the city.
A site closer to the Christchurch CBD, about 1.2 kilometres from Lancaster Park, was chosen for the new stadium build. The name ‘Te Kaha’, which in Maori translates to ‘the strength’, was gifted to the stadium site, with telco One NZ the new naming rights sponsor.
Commencing construction in 2022, the inside length of the stadium is 232 metres by 190m wide, with a roof height of 47m. Seismic specialists settled on a superstrong concrete ‘raft’ under the stadium using 26,000m3 of concrete in 55 major pours. Inside the concrete
is a spider’s web (4800 tonnes) of ‘Rebar’ (reinforcing bar), a high-tensile steel rod.
In structural engineering, ensuring that a building is safe and functional requires consideration of various design criteria. Two concepts guiding this process are the Ultimate Limit State (ULS) and the Serviceability Limit State (SLS). These methodologies form the foundation of structural calculations and analyses, helping engineers design structures that can withstand both extreme events and everyday usage (Source: DTCE Consulting Engineers NZ, 2026). In the case of One NZ Stadium, SLS-2 methodology, which included advanced requirements, was used to establish construction standards, ensuring the stadium’s design remained functional in the event of another sizeable earthquake.
Once the construction platform was in place, the stadium was built vertically, again taking into account all the specific and unique engineering requirements. The design and construction had to ensure it would move in all the right places – if it were rigid there would be no tolerance for movement.
PHOTO: JOHN FORREST
The new One New Zealand Stadium site is called ‘Te Kaha’, which in Maori translates to ‘the strength’ or ‘enduring strength’. The inside length of the stadium is 232 metres, width 190m and roof height 47m
As part of the stadium's design, seismic specialists settled on a superstrong concrete ‘raft’ under the stadium using 26,000m3 of concrete reinforced with 4800 tonnes of high-tensile steel rod
To cater for this, Buckling-Restrained Braces (BRBs) were installed, with lengths ranging from 4m to 15m. BRBs are essentially like big shock absorbers and were developed by studying earthquake waves most likely to hit the stadium’s specific location in Christchurch. Their use enabled the original tension rods to be replaced with a system that not only absorbs energy but also reduced the roof’s primary steel weight by 1000 tonnes.
As part of stadium’s earthquake tolerance, the seating bowl is separate from the roof, with both designed to move independently without colliding. The roof frame consists of 80 modules, each weighing 75 tonnes. The last two to be installed were at the northern end of the ground and were 37m high and weighed 160 tonnes each. A 1200-tonne track crane (the largest in New Zealand), supported by a 600-tonne track crane, was used to place these last two modules.
The stadium is fully-enclosed with an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof, which is 100 times lighter than glass, allowing light
into the stadium for turf growth (additional light rigs are required to provide sufficient light for plant growth and recovery). ETFE is installed in twin layers that form an air cushion, providing thermal insulation to keep the inside of the stadium 2-4 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature outside.
The stadium has 25,000 permanent seats, but at the northern end there is a concrete platform where an additional 5000 temporary seats can be installed for major sporting events. In full concert mode the venue can hold 37,300, but with this comes the issue of noise which can be a problem due to the stadium's inner city location. Acoustics are important for concert atmosphere and while a 37,000-plus crowd can make noise it is important that it isn’t an echo chamber.
To remedy this, on the west side and high on the walls of the seating bowl, acoustic louvres have been installed which effectively work as high-tech sound traps absorbing and deflecting sound. The sound system has 16 sets of 8-10 speakers, precisely aimed to
deliver the best sound quality. It is believed that with a full house, stadium noise could reach 104 decibels, with the louvres reducing that to 80 decibels for those in nearby apartments.
STADIUM SPEC
One of New Zealand’s most experienced stadium construction project managers and turf experts, Dr Richard Gibbs, was engaged by Christchurch City Council to review the turf surface construction at One NZ Stadium. Gibbs has been heavily involved in the construction of many stadiums worldwide, including Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin which is also fully enclosed with an ETFE roof.
Gibbs moved back to New Zealand from the UK in 2021 specifically for the project and was employed as Senior Project Manager. He was responsible for reviewing the conditions required to grow turf in the new stadium and ensure that technologies and systems were in place to achieve the required outcomes.
Lead construction contractor for the new stadium build was BESIX Watpac. They engaged Sports Surface Design & Management as their specialist turf consultants, with Gibbs acting as the council's representative for all matters relating to the new field of play.
Local sports turf construction and maintenance company Terrafirma Turf, led by Chris Lewis, was engaged as the stadium's field of play sub-contractor. Incidentally, Lewis was turf manager at Lancaster Park when the 2011 earthquake struck (see inset photos page 22) and played a key role in the construction of the Addington ground.
The playing field at One NZ Stadium has been constructed using a conventional sandover-gravel profile to deliver effective drainage, structural stability and turf health under the intense usage expected of an international stadium surface. The total build took four months, with the construction of the field of play requiring more than four stages due to site access constraints.
The profile is made up of:
l A 150mm drainage gravel layer;
l A 140mm unamended sand layer;
l A 123mm amended rootzone layer (sand blended with compost); and
l A 37mm hybrid reinforced natural turf layer.
Across the entire field area, the construction required approximately 3700m³ of sand, forming the foundation of the stadium’s playing surface. The sand was laboratorytested to ensure it met the strict particle-size distribution required for professional sports turf construction. Testing carried out by Sports Surface Design & Management confirmed that
As part of the stadium’s earthquake tolerance, the seating bowl is separate from the roof, with both designed to move independently without colliding. The stadium is fully-enclosed with an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene roof
One of New Zealand’s most experienced stadium construction project managers and turf experts, Dr Richard Gibbs, was engaged to oversee the turf surface construction at One NZ Stadium
the material fell well within the parameters for stadium surfaces and comprised:
l 51.6% medium sand (0.25-0.50 mm);
l 32.5% fine sand (0.125-0.25 mm);
l 12.7% coarse sand (0.5–1.0 mm); and
l Less than 1% silt and clay content.
This carefully graded sand profile provides excellent infiltration capacity, pore space for root development and long-term structural stability, all essential for supporting the hybridreinforced stadium surface.
To produce the final rootzone growing medium, Terrafirma Turf engaged NZ compost specialists Intelligro. The amended rootzone layer was produced by combining sand supplied by Arena Supplies with a fine 5mm-screened compost sourced from Intelligro. The compost component made up about 15 per cent by volume of the final rootzone blend, with the remaining 85 per cent consisting of the high specification sports turf sand.
The blending process was carried out at Intelligro’s mixing facility, where the sand and compost were carefully combined to produce a uniform, amended rootzone product before on-site installation. This controlled amendment rate provided several key agronomic benefits while still maintaining the drainage performance required, including:
l Increased rootzone biological activity;
l Improved nutrient cycling and plant availability;
l Enhanced moisture-holding capacity within the sand profile; and
l Improved early turf establishment. By limiting the organic fraction to 15 per cent, the rootzone retained the high infiltration capacity and structural stability of a sandbased sports turf system while introducing sufficient organic matter to support long-term turf health. This balanced approach ensured the surface met the performance requirements of an elite hybrid stadium pitch, while also providing the biological environment necessary for strong turf growth through the hybrid reinforcement layer.
TURFING TE KAHA
The One NZ Stadium surface utilises a Hatko hybrid turf system, a carpet-backed hybrid reinforcement product out of Türkiye. A total of 10,000m² of Hatko hybrid turf was installed at Terrafirma Turf’s purpose-built turf farm, where the stadium playing surface was grown and prepared before harvesting. From the outset, Terrafirma worked closely with Hatko to evaluate available hybrid turf technologies and determine the most suitable system for the stadium environment.
The hybrid installation process at the farm began by preparing the rootzone surface and applying a 12mm sand cap layer to ensure a smooth, consistent platform. Using purposebuilt tractor-mounted installation equipment, the hybrid turf rolls were then laid across the prepared surface. The rolls measured 3.7m wide and 70m long, allowing large sections of the surface to be installed efficiently.
As each roll was placed, the seams were aligned and the adjoining sections bonded using Hatko’s purpose-made seam adhesive, thus ensuring the full field layout was completed with continuous hybrid reinforcement. Once complete, tractormounted brushing equipment was run across to lift and stand the synthetic fibres upright.
Rootzone sand was then placed and brushed into the backing of the hybrid carpet until an infill depth of approximately 37mm was achieved. With the fibres standing above the sand surface, the profile was then ready for seed establishment, allowing natural turf to grow through the hybrid reinforcement.
The natural turf component of the surface was developed in consultation with PGG Wrightson Turf and Kimihia Research Centre, who assisted Terrafirma Turf in choosing an optimal ryegrass blend suited to the demanding conditions of a hybrid stadium field. The seed mixture consisted of three elite perennial ryegrass cultivars – Soprano, Spartacus and Colosseum – with each cultivar incorporated at a third of the total blend, ensuring a balanced combination of wear, heat and cold tolerance, turf density, recovery capacity and visual presentation. The seed was applied at 400kg/ha, consistent with high-performance sports turf establishment practices, which ensured rapid canopy development and strong integration between the natural grass and reinforcement fibres.
Under standard hybrid turf production conditions, the turf surface is typically grown for about three months before being harvested and installed. However, given the project’s
The surface underwent an intensive seven-week growin period, with mowing carried out every second day using Dennis E-Series walk-behind reel
The One NZ Stadium surface is a Hatko hybrid turf system from Türkiye. A 10,000m2 pad, sown with a blend of three ryegrasses, was grown at Terrafirma Turf’s farm over a nine-month period before being harvested and installed at the stadium last December
mowers
significance and the desire for maximum turf maturity and stability, the grow-in period for this surface was extended to nine months. This ensured the surface was delivered to the stadium in a fully mature and resilient condition, capable of performing immediately under international sporting demands.
Once harvested and transported, the 1.2m-wide x 11m-long rolls (weighing 750kg each) were installed in December 2025. The natural turf area inside the stadium measures 9000m2 (120m x 75m), with the overall field of play area measuring 10,660m2 once the synthetic turf perimeter is factored in.
The surface underwent a seven-week grow-in period, with an intensive maintenance programme implemented to ensure the surface stabilised quickly and achieved optimal playing condition. Terrafirma Turf managed the growin until 19 January 2026, whereupon the management of the field of play was handed over to the Christchurch City Council's Parks Unit. Prior to the handover, both the natural turf playing surface and synthetic turf perimeter were performance tested to ensure they met World Rugby performance standards.
Mowing was carried out every second day using Dennis E-Series walk-behind reel mowers to promote lateral tillering, canopy density and integration between the natural
grass and hybrid fibres. Powerturf, a leading supplier of turf maintenance equipment in New Zealand, supplied both reel and rotary mowing equipment used during this period. This maintenance programme ensured the surface reached a high level of consistency and presentation before the stadium’s first events.
ABOVE AND BELOW GROUND
In addition to the hybrid turf surface, One NZ Stadium also boasts a number of other
innovative features and infrastructure. Primary among those is a SubAir vacuum and ventilation system. Terrafirma Turf installed the SubAir infrastructure beneath the playing surface during the stadium construction works. The system works by moving both water and air through the rootzone profile using a network of large-diameter drainage pipes. Key components of the One NZ Stadium system included:
l 300mm Megaflo drainage pipes, installed at 2.5m spacings beneath the field;
l Collector header pipes (600mm) positioned across the surface;
l A 27m³ air-water separation chamber; and l An 800mm transfer pipe connecting the separation chamber to the stadium’s ventilation plant room.
Water entering the drainage system is transported through the pipe network to the separation chamber, where it is discharged as wastewater. Inside the stadium’s plant room, the SubAir system’s engine can operate in two modes – ‘vacuum’ and ‘pressure’. In vacuum mode, the system actively draws water through the turf profile to accelerate drainage and ensure proper moisture levels are maintained. In pressure mode, the system pushes air upward through the rootzone, increasing oxygen availability and improving root health.
PHOTO: JOHN FORREST
The stadium has 10 mobile misting fans to improve air circulation and keep the turf cool in summer
The ability to actively manage both moisture and oxygen levels within the rootzone has been designed to enhance turf performance and recovery. The system also comes with its own soil moisture and oxygen sensors buried in the pitch. The stadium also has 10 SS50i MP Spraystream mobile misting fans to improve air circulation and keep the turf cool in summer. These are placed around the pitch perimeter and can be operated remotely.
The stadium’s irrigation system has been designed to provide uniform coverage across the entire field of play, ensuring consistent moisture levels for optimal turf health and performance. The system utilises 35 Rain Bird 8005 stainless steel sports turf rotors at 18.7m spacings across the field and 20m spacings up the field.
Based on the irrigation layout design, the system includes a combination of perimeter and in-field sprinkler heads, individually controlled to allow precise scheduling across the surface. This system enables stadium groundstaff to carefully manage soil moisture levels, particularly when combined with the SubAir ventilation system beneath the surface.
Being fully enclosed, the new stadium relies on 14 mobile light rigs to provide supplementary lighting. The 12 Rhenac/TLS-36 rigs and two smaller Rhenac/TLS-18 rigs, used for localised areas such as the players’ tunnel, can cover an area of 3120m².
When the field of play isn’t in use, two weather stations are placed on the field – one at the shaded southern end of the stadium under the solid roof and the other at the northern end under the ETFE. Each weather station records relative humidity, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), total solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature and canopy temperature.
Data from the weather stations and the SubAir soil moisture and oxygen sensors are fed into a central dashboard provided by the POGO system. The system calculates the daily light integral, the total amount of
photosynthetically active light a plant receives in 24 hours. At the northern end of the stadium there is an outdoor sensor measuring PAR, air temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure, enabling comparison of the indoor environment with the outside.
Groundstaff also use portable equipment to measure soil moisture content, surface hardness and surface traction. As with any microenvironment, much will be learned over time about managing conditions to meet expectations and surface requirements. To assist that, a bespoke environmental data warehouse and dashboard reporting system is under development to assist in turf management and stadium operations.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
On 27 March 2026, nearly four years after the initial groundbreaking ceremony was held on the site, One NZ Stadium was officially opened. Kicking off a new era in style, its first major sporting event came across Anzac Day weekend (24-26 April) when it hosted all five Round 11 matches of the Super Rugby
Pacific competition. Fittingly, the Canterbury Crusaders christened the turf with a 35-20 win over the NSW Waratahs. The weekend was a great success, with all involved in the playing surface’s development delighted with its performance. Overall feedback on the stadium was fantastic, with the ground handling the five games in three days without issue.
Three weeks later, on 16 May, the stadium hosted its first concert featuring Six60 and Synthony. A sell-out event, it was a massive milestone for the stadium and the city. The concert involved covering the whole field of play with proprietary turf protection flooring.
Since then, the stadium has continued to host Crusaders home games and on 21 June will welcome the NZ Warriors for their inaugural NRL fixture there against the North Queensland Cowboys. A few weeks after that, the stadium will host the opening match of the inaugural Nations Championship which will see the All Blacks take on France. Later in the year the stadium will host the Kiwis in their Rugby League World Cup match against the Cook Islands, while in November and January the venue will host its first international concerts –Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters.
Following his major involvement with the project, on 6 May Gibbs officially retired from his role as Senior Project Manager with the council as he called time on an incredible 40 years in the sports turf industry. In a LinkedIn post shortly after, Gibbs noted: “Working on the field of play for the One NZ Stadium at Te Kaha has been a true career highlight to finish on – a next-generation venue that reflects just how far our industry has evolved and one I’ve been proud to help shape here in Christchurch.”
Gibbs has been replaced at the council by another of New Zealand’s leading turf experts in Ian McKendry who was formerly with NZ Cricket. Together with Ash Head (council’s Operations Manager Metropolitan Parks Sports Turf) and One NZ Stadium groundstaff Jason Venema (turf manager) and George Signal (senior sports turf curator), they will lead the stadium into what will be a very bright future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Australian Turfgrass Management Journal wishes to thank Christchurch City Council for their assistance with this article, in particular Dr Richard Gibbs who provided technical information on the stadium, and Chris Lewis (Terrafirma Turf) for details on the playing field profile, construction and grow-in. Photographs supplied by Christchurch City Council and John Forrest. For more information on One NZ Stadium, visit onenewzealandstadium.co.nz.
On 24 April 2026, One New Zealand Stadium held its first sporting event, with the Canterbury Crusaders taking on the NSW Warratahs. The stadium hosted all five Super Rugby Pacific Round 11 matches across the ANZAC Day weekend
One NZ Stadium turf manager Jason Venema (right) and senior sports turf curator George Signal (left)
Blakely back in
the game
After playing week-in week-out on some of Australia’s most hallowed turf, former Fremantle Docker Connor
Blakely has found a new passion and purpose since hanging up the boots writes ATM reporter Nick Creely.
Former AFL footballer Connor Blakely has quickly developed a strong reputation in sports turf management since retiring from the game at the end of the 2023 season and it has been a passion borne from generations of core family members and memories from his childhood that hold him together today.
Perth-based Blakely is currently employed as a groundsperson and pitch curator at the prestigious Aquinas College, but his career pathway into sports turf is both unique and inspiring for those looking to make the plunge into the industry. Aquinas College, based in the south Perth suburb of Salter Point, is one of the oldest schools in Western Australia and features several elite sporting facilities.
Drafted with pick 34 in the 2014 AFL National Draft to Fremantle Football Club, Blakely went on to play 78 AFL games at the Dockers, including a Simpson Medal for best on ground in the 2016 WAFL grand final, before being delisted in 2022. A brief stint on the other side of the country as a rookie for the Gold Coast Suns the next year lasted one season before announcing his retirement. He did, however, finish off his career on a high,
winning a VFL premiership with the Suns in his very last game in 2023.
Like many ex-athletes whose career in the spotlight ends abruptly, there’s that inevitable question – ‘What comes next?’ Luckily for Blakely, that question was quickly answered. Much like he did across his near-decade long professional football career, passion and purpose in everything he does remains at the forefront.
Gardening, landscaping and farming were a strong part of Blakely’s upbringing and combining that with a passion for maintaining his own garden through his playing days at the Dockers, the plunge into a career involving sports turf management made logical sense.
“I was lucky enough to be in a position financially to buy my own place in East Fremantle at the beginning of 2018 and the house had quite a nice garden and yard to work with,” explains Blakely. “Sports turf had sparked my interest by taking notice and becoming aware of the different aspects of the space and by learning and asking questions of family, friends and neighbours who took an interest in maintaining their own gardens.
“My grandma and grandad, affectionately known to us in the family as ‘Boss’, had a
wheat and sheep farm in a small country town in the wheatbelt known as ‘Newdegate’, which was where my mum and her two sisters were brought up. They toiled hard for a long time out there and ‘Boss’ was well ahead of the times with an environmentally-focused mentality to his farming practices.
“I have some fond foundational memories going out there and sliding down the sheep shoots and sitting in the John Deere header with the Rossi work boots on each day. There’s certainly some farming and gardening characteristics that have been passed down to mum and then onto me.”
As a professional athlete for nearly a decade, in 2018 Blakely began asking questions of the turf crew maintaining Fremantle’s new state-of-the-art training and administration facility in Cockburn in Perth’s southern suburbs which they had moved into a year earlier.
“I became acutely aware of the fact not all turf and lawns are the same and there is a huge difference between a well maintained healthy surface compared to a weed infested sandy patch of grass,” explains Blakely. “At the time I was playing for Fremantle and the training surface out there was immaculate.
PHOTO:
I started chatting to the turf manager Aaron Crofts who had been there for a little while and then Tony McFadyean, who to this day I keep in contact with from time to time.
“Aaron and Tony, like so many in the industry who I have been lucky to come across, were very generous with their time and showed me around the work shed. It was an eye opener to see all the equipment and products, getting a true insight to what it takes to manage and keep to a high standard the surfaces at the professional level.
“You could say around this point in time I became hooked on the lawns, turf and horticulture worlds which led to the creation of my own business called Blakely’s Backyards (in 2021).”
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
A life-changing trip to the UK for six months during the English summer of 2024 opened Blakely’s eyes to the industry even further just months after his time at the Gold Coast Suns came to an end. Based in Bristol in a place 20 minutes from the CBD called Downend, Blakely played cricket for the local club and helped prepare cricket decks and a regional football (soccer) pitch.
“I was under the guidance and tutelage of club captain Callum Loud, who has a sports turf maintenance business – CGL Turf Care – and is doing some great things within the industry in that part of the world,” explains Blakely. “The club and community were extremely inclusive and willing to help myself and partner Bec during our time in the UK. I could not have hoped for a more supportive club and environment.
“On field we did quite well and ended up winning the league, which was huge for the club and town to achieve promotion into the top league. The club had a proper buzz about it for each home game and by the time 3pm or 4pm rolled around the majority of the boundary rope had people scattered and watching the play unfold.
“The experiences over there were incredibly valuable for me. To play cricket over in the UK was something that didn’t really come to mind while playing football and I didn’t really think I would ever be in a position to do so. But luckily enough a few things lined up nicely while I was living on the Gold Coast and away I went for the English summer.
“On reflection, it gave me a fresh perspective on things away from the professional athlete environment that playing football was immensely demanding but
rewarding at the same time. As with most things, there are positives and negatives to any change and it certainly gave me a feeling of freedom and a new chapter after the AFL journey came to a close.”
Sitting both sides of the fence throughout his life – as both a professional athlete and now as a sports turf management practitioner – has given Blakely a deep appreciation of the sports turf industry.
“It certainly wasn’t something I was fully aware of in my first few years playing (AFL),” says Blakely. “The more my interest in lawns and gardens developed, this coincided with my growing appreciation of the work required to produce top tier surfaces that were played and trained on week in week out.
“I personally think, in general, it is something that’s somewhat under-appreciated and deserves more of a platform to be
Following a 78-game AFL career with both Fremantle and Gold Coast, Connor Blakely has thrown himself into the world of sports turf management
Blakely’s move into sports turf management was sparked by an interest in gardens and lawns (pictured right is his own back yard in East Fremantle) and also asking questions of the turf crew maintaining Fremantle’s Cockburn training facility (Blakely is pictured marking the ground, above left)
A trip to the UK in 2024 further fuelled Blakely’s passion for sports turf. While playing cricket for Downend near Bristol, he also assisted the club captain’s sports turf maintenance business preparing local cricket wickets (left) and a regional soccer pitch (Swindon City, pictured left). Blakely is pictured middle at Old Trafford
recognised by the sporting codes. For example, over in the UK they recognise each year the grounds team and pitch of the year in the EPL and lower levels. Is there an opportunity for something similar to be pushed in some of the sports here in Australia?
“It wasn’t too long ago, in the middle of winter, footy was played on mud pits, impacting the quality of the game for players and spectators. This helps to illustrate the growth in shared knowledge, practices and machinery over the years.
“The people I have had the pleasure of meeting in my turf management career thus far have been extremely accommodating and helpful with their own knowledge and time. I really believe the strength and connection of the industry is why so many feel such passion for it.
“To anyone involved in the industry –awesome work and keep loving what you do. Most of the time there’s rarely any pats on the
back, but there are certainly those who do notice and appreciate all you do.
“From once being on the side of the fence as the athlete and now on the other involved in the turf world, the day-in day-out consistency of showing up and dealing with a myriad of factors impacting on healthy turf has been a challenging yet satisfying experience. The networking and people I continue to meet is a true highlight.”
HONING HIS CRAFT
Blakely is open to any experience, whether in Australia or overseas on golf courses, sports grounds or curating cricket wickets, but he remains committed to his role at Aquinas for the time being where he has continued to develop the passion for pitch preparation that he discovered during his time in the UK.
“Whether it be on a golf course, sports field or school, the variability within the role and connection back to sport itself were
driving factors for me,” says Blakely. “Being able to be the one mowing, line marking and renovating fields and surfaces for participants to enjoy is fulfilling.
“From my firsthand experience of being lucky enough to play on some of the best stadiums in Australia, the importance of producing quality surfaces is front of mind. For cricket, the pitch is where the majority of the game is played therefore that 20m x 3m rectangle is of the utmost importance to be a safe and high quality surface.
“The knowledge and experience I had obtained over the initial years in the residential world has been helpful and transferable to the sports management area, although I still have an incredibly large amount to learn about curating and ground preparation itself.
“A rewarding part of the role (at Aquinas) has been the craft within curating and the slow, gradual and well thought out process it requires. From the initial watering of the surface to give the profile the required moisture, followed by ‘bringing up’ and ‘sealing’ of the pitch to create a firm and well held together surface, each stage is no more important than the next.
“Seeing the players, parents, spectators and umpires enjoying the game is what drives my own passion and desire to create a consistent surface for them to play on.”
CONTINUAL LEARNING
Cementing his desire to continue honing his craft, Blakely is also further educating himself by having just taken up a Certificate III in Sports Turf Management at TAFE. Blakely says he is very motivated to further his knowledge and apply that day to day in his role at Aquinas College. He notes that the industry pathway that is in place, with further certification and leadership development within sports turf management, is something that is very appealing moving forward.
Although only 30 and in the infancy of his sports turf management career, Blakely wants to stay in the industry for as long as he can.
“I can see myself working in the industry for a long time, so where it takes me is an exciting thing to contemplate,” he says. “I like to have goals and aspirations to work towards, no different to when I was a young man with dreams of playing AFL.
“Something that appeals to me about the industry is the opportunity to gain experiences in other parts of the world in curating, grounds work or at golf courses. We are lucky in Australia to have some of the best conditions to work in, yet there are equally stadiums and places around the world that are truly immaculate and rich in history.”
Blakely’s first summer preparing cricket wickets at Aquinas presented many challenges, but he relished the chance to improve his knowledge and turf craft
Since last August, Blakely has been a full-time groundsperson and pitch curator at Aquinas College in south Perth and also recently embarked on a Certificate III in Sports Turf Management through TAFE
Melbourne Welcome to
ATM previews the 2026 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition which returns to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 22-25 June
On behalf of principal conference sponsors Toro Australia and Schweppes, the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), in conjunction with Golf Management Australia (GMA), welcomes you to the 2026 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition (22-25 June).
This year’s conference returns to Melbourne for the first time since 2022 and on behalf of the ASTMA Board and staff we appreciate your attendance and hope you gain plenty of valuable knowledge throughout the week while connecting with others throughout the sports turf management industry.
As is the case each year, this edition of Australian Turfgrass Management Journal (ATM) will be your guide to the Melbourne conference. Across the next 28 pages, ATM highlights the exciting panel of expert speakers
and presentations, previews the Toro ASTMA Golf Championship to be played at Woodlands Golf Club (see ATM reporter Nick Creely’s article with course manager Sam Langford on page 42) and profiles the Graduate of the Year Award finalists (page 56).
Across pages 46-54 we feature the trade exhibition highlights along with a full list of exhibitors and floorplan so you can plan your visit to the two-day show (Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June). Entry to the exhibition is FREE, however, if you are not already a conference delegate you will need to register prior to gaining access to the trade show floor.
Our host venue this year is the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), a landmark venue in South Wharf right in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. MCEC, which opened in 1996, is the largest convention and exhibition venue in Australia and one of the largest spaces in the Southern Hemisphere.
There is underground carparking available with additional car parking nearby at the South Wharf Retail car park. Southern Cross Station is a 10-minute walk to MCEC, or you can take tram routes 96, 109 or 12 to stop 124A Casino/ MCEC/Clarendon Street to the entrance.
The 2026 Melbourne conference week will kick-off on Monday 22 June with the highlyanticipated ASTMA Golf Championship at Woodlands Golf Club in the morning, before the industry comes together that evening for the National Turf Industry Awards Dinner to be held in Crown Complex’s Palladium Ballroom.
The full conference program (page 40) will provide you with all of the room locations and approximate times for Plenary and education sessions, trade exhibition and all catered meal breaks. This year’s traditional Farewell Bash, once again proudly sponsored by ASTMA Silver Partner Greenway Turf Solutions, will be held at Melbourne Public, South Wharf
(adjacent to MCEC) at the conclusion of the conference on the Thursday.
This year’s conference will focus on the knowledge required to meet the future needs of the golf and sports turf management industry with a range of experts providing sessions on leadership, new practices, research, major project delivery and event preparation. Our Plenary session will be held on Tuesday 23 June, with the dedicated Golf and Sportsfield streams on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June, with some sessions combined and also with GMA delegates.
Showcasing the latest in golf and sports turf related products, equipment and services, the trade exhibition covers some 6000m², making it the largest golf and sports turf management exhibition staged in Australia.
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre has been a familiar home of the Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition over the years
FROM THE PRESIDENT…
We return to Melbourne this year for the Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and I am pleased to note we again partner with Golf Management Australia (GMA). This joint venture not only draws more delegates to the conference but also enhances diversity, strengthens relationships and provides a wide array of networking opportunities. I take great pride in welcoming all delegates to Melbourne and I hope you enjoy the week.
CEO Mark Unwin and the ASTMA team have worked hard this year to once again provide diversity in our content for the week. With an array of Australian and international presenters, combined with experiences at the coalface from turf managers across the country, we have a really strong program incorporating presentations on agronomy,
Since the conclusion of the 2025 Sydney conference, we have been curating our lineup of guest speakers and are delighted to welcome some of the industry’s most prolific and respected experts to Melbourne. Here is a snapshot of what to expect across the week...
DANIEL FLYNN
Plenary (Tue 23 June, 8:40am)
Every year the ASTMA brings together a range of domestic and international guest presenters to not only provide a valuable insight into sports turf management practices but also about life, as well as health and wellbeing in general and how they can be utilised in both our work and personal lives. This year’s Plenary sessions will be conducted all day on the Tuesday with a closing keynote speaker on the Thursday afternoon.
The ASTMA and GMA are delighted to have Thankyou co-founder and social entrepreneur Daniel Flynn delivering the opening address of the conference. Daniel co-launched Thankyou in 2008, a social enterprise aimed to end extreme poverty. Thankyou was voted number one by Australian consumers as the most sustainable brand of 2022, ahead of Tesla. Daniel has raised more than $18.1 million to charities from products across the personal care and home cleaning categories sold in Australia and New Zealand.
Daniel is known for leading Thankyou’s unconventionality, consumer-led campaigns and has been recognised in Forbes’ Asia 30 under 30 for Social Entrepreneurship, one of Junior Chamber International’s 10 Outstanding Young People of the World, and was the recipient of EY Entrepreneur of the Year
leadership and success. With the surge of AI technology and integration flooding into the turf Industry, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki will also enlighten us on what the future may hold.
These past 12 months have seen a number of significant turf management projects completed across the country. I am looking forward to listening to the lived experiences of those course superintendents and sports turf managers responsible for coordinating and delivering these major projects.
Once again our trade show has been oversubscribed as we continue to receive tremendous support from our industry partners and provide a vast array of static displays to cover all aspects of turfgrass management. That diversity is enhanced even more this year with additional support from GMA partners. I would like to thank all trade partners for their continued commitment and support of both associations.
(South Region). Daniel has spoken in global forums around the world, most notably being interviewed by former US President Barack Obama. His talk in Melbourne will focus on innovation, social impact and how impossibility is only someone’s opinion, not fact.
LIZ ELLIS
Plenary (Tue 23 June, 9:40am)
Legendary Australian netballer and broadcaster Liz Ellis is another quality addition to our panel of guest presenters. In her prime, Liz was one of the country’s highestprofile elite athletes and a former national captain. She went on to play an incredible 15 continuous seasons with the Australian Netball Team and won three World Championship gold medals, two Commonwealth Games gold medals and four national premierships with the Sydney Swifts. Post-netball, Liz ventured into television, ranging from netball commentary, hosting Olympic and Commonwealth Games broadcasts to more recently hosting The Project and Gladiators on Network 10.
As a much-respected voice in Australian sports media, Liz is a thoughtful advocate for women’s sport and thought-provoking commentator on wider sporting and social landscape issues. In 2009, she became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours and in 2018 was elevated to an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to netball as an elite player and coach through support and advocacy for young women and a contributor to the media industries. Her talk will cover life, teamwork and leadership, with a focus on planning to achieve success.
A great start to the week will be the National Turf Industry Awards dinner, sponsored by Syngenta. This event showcases outstanding achievements in our profession from across the country and provides an opportunity to reunite with our peers and acquaintances.
I would sincerely like to thank ASTMA Platinum Partner Toro Australia and GMA major partner Schweppes for their continued support of the conference and our industry. It is a significant exercise to run an event of this size and we couldn’t do it without them.
I am looking forward to an exciting week and hope that you all enjoy the educational component as well as the networking and camaraderie that comes with an event such as this. Enjoy the week and I look forward to seeing you in Melbourne.
BEN TILLEY PRESIDENT, ASTMA SUPERINTENDENT, HEADLAND GC
DR KARL KRUSZELNICKI
Plenary (Tue 23 June, 11:15am)
Passionate TV personality Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM is sure to engage as a keynote speaker and has been spreading the good word of science in print, on TV, radio and online for more than three decades and is the author of 48 books (and counting). With degrees in physics and mathematics, biomedical engineering, medicine and surgery, Dr Karl is a passionate lifelong learner.
Dr Karl’s dedication and passion to science was honoured with the prestigious Ig Nobel prize awarded by Harvard University in the USA for his ground-breaking research into “Belly Button Lint and why it is almost always blue”. In September 2003, Dr Karl was named Australian Father of the Year, while in 2006 he received the Member of the Order of Australia Award in the Australia Day Honours list. Dr Karl was the recipient of the 2025 NSW Senior Australian of the Year. His Plenary talk will look ahead at advances in technology, robotics, AI and sustainability and how these will affect everyday life, work and sport.
LINDSEY LEIGH HOBSON
Plenary (Tue 23 June, 12:10pm); Combined Streams Workshop (Wed 24 June, 2pm) Melbourne-based businesswoman Lindsey Leigh Hobson is another quality addition to the conference Plenary and will deliver a keynote presentation on Tuesday as well as a Wednesday workshop. Lindsey is the CEO of Future Untamed, a leadership development agency pioneering the integration of human performance with AI-driven technology to
deliver personalised, high impact learning journeys for organisations.
As a 2025 Global Recognition Award recipient for Leadership, LinkedIn Top Voice in Mentoring (2024), National Lead for the Professional Speakers Australia Chapter President Council, and Founder of The Learning and Development Collective, Lindsey spearheads innovation in professional development across Australia and internationally. Her insights are trusted to shape corporations, government agencies and associations into high-performing workplaces where their leadership capability sets the benchmark for industry success.
GARY PERT
Plenary (Tue 23 June, 2pm)
Former AFL player and leading sports administrator Gary Pert is a highly intelligent, articulate businessman who previously enjoyed a distinguished 14-year career in the AFL between 1982 and 1995 in which he played 233 games – 163 for Fitzroy and 70 for Collingwood. He won Fitzroy’s B&F in 1989, was named All-Australian in 1985 and is a member of Fitzroy’s Team of the Century. Post-football, Gary was previously the CEO of both the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club. At Collingwood, Gary financially doubled the club in size and steered the club to three grand finals, including the 2010 premiership under his leadership. He is chairman of both sporting focussed digital marketing companies, Greenroom Digital and Players Voice, and also currently holds a board position with the Heartwell Foundation. His talk will address challenges that organisations and their people face and will focus on the values of excellence,
leadership, discipline and community as well as the importance of goal-setting and feedback.
KURT FEARNLEY
Plenary (Tue 23 June, 3pm)
Champion Paralympian, fundraiser and disability advocate Kurt Fearnley AO will deliver the closing address on the opening day of the conference. Kurt is no stranger to ASTMA audiences having been a keynote speaker at the 2021 conference held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Kurt, who was born without the lower portion of his spine, went on to become one of Australia’s most successful and respected athletes and advocates, with his achievements as a Paralympian, service to people with a disability and fundraising efforts for Indigenous athletics and charitable organisations earning him an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2018. In the same year, Kurt was named as NSW Australian of the Year.
He was also the first athlete with a disability to win ‘The Don’ Award as the Australian sportsperson most likely to inspire the nation. As a former wheelchair racing great, he won three Paralympic gold medals in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and is a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Kurt won over 40 marathons in a career which spanned more than 20 years.
SEAN BELL
Plenary (Thu 24 June, 2:30pm)
World-record endurance athlete
Sean Bell, best known for
INTRODUCING OUR MC…
Renowned Australian journalist Neroli Meadows will be the MC for the Plenary sessions on day one of the Melbourne conference. Neroli has extensive experience in live sport, magazine shows, news and in-depth interviews and is one of Australia’s most sought-after MCs. With over 15 years in the field post studying journalism at Curtin University and completing a Diploma in Broadcasting, Neroli has covered a large number of events, such as Super Bowl LIV from Miami, International cricket, Big Bash League, the 2014 Australian Open and as a courtside reporter for the NBL and Australian Boomers games.
She has hosted or co-hosted numerous shows for Fox Footy and Fox Cricket and was part of ABC’s commentary team for five years before moving to Triple M. She is the host of a podcast called ‘Ordineroli Speaking’ in which she showcases the mental health struggle stories of sports stars and celebrates the resilience in sport.
Neroli is a two-time finalist for the Australian Sports Commission Awards and won the AFL Players’ Association Grant Hattam Award for Excellence in Journalism.
average of 84 kilometres per day and without a
MELBOURNE 2026
18 years of age, an experience that reshaped his perspective on purpose, resilience and mental health. Running became both an outlet and framework in confronting adversity, setting long-term goals and performing when motivation is unreliable. Nowadays, Sean works with leaders, teams and organisations to translate his lived experience into practical insights on sustained performance.
Dr Doug Soldat, a renowned professor and turfgrass extension specialist in the Department of Soil Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will make the trip to Melbourne as our guest international presenter and will deliver a range of education sessions across conference week. Doug’s talks across both days of our education streams will focus on ‘Organic matter management in putting greens’, ‘Understanding wetting agents’ and ‘Optimising PGR programs for cool- and warm-season turf’.
Doug completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Ph.D. in Plant Science from Cornell University in New York. Across the past 20 years, his research and outreach programs have primarily focused on improving turfgrass nutrient and water use efficiency, soil health and the environmental impact of lawn care practices and is currently working
on optimising putting green organic matter through a USGA-funded project. He teaches courses on turfgrass management and general soil science at the University of WisconsinMadison.
ELSEWHERE IN THE PROGRAM…
Across both days of our dedicated Golf and Sportsfield education streams, we have a range of leading experts, from golf course superintendents, sportsfields managers, agronomists, pitch curators and racetrack managers, presenting on a range of topics. They include…
l Tim Warren, superintendent at Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide and 2025 ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award winner, who will talk about the process and challenges of the course’s recent unique redevelopment. (Golf Stream, Wed 8:30am)
l Experienced superintendent Anthony Toogood, from Seven Mile Beach in Hobart, on the incredible construction of Tasmania’s newest links course. (Golf Stream, Wed 12:15pm)
l The ASTMA’s senior agronomist Bruce Macphee, Dr Phillip Ford (Melbourne Polytechnic) and John Neylan (SportEng), who will deliver a joint two-hour workshop on managing sand-based profiles. (Workshop, Wed 8:35am)
l The National Golf Club duo Leigh Yanner and Scott Calder, who will talk about the unique Long Island course design and reconstruction and the incredible set-up across two sites and four world-class courses. (Golf Stream, Wed 9:50am)
l Peter Foreman, turf manager at Adelaide Oval and 2025 ASTMA Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award winner, on managing the turf at one of the country’s most beloved sporting venues. (Sportsfield Stream, Wed 8:30am)
l NT Cricket’s Jake Pavlich, Head of Grounds & Facilities, who will provide an insight into pitch preparation and challenges in the Top End. (Sportsfield Stream, Wed 11:30am)
l Royal Sydney Golf Club superintendent Adam Marchant on overseeing the club’s extensive Gil Hanse course redevelopment in 2024. (Golf Stream, Wed 11:30am)
l Liam O’Keeffe, Senior Manager of Flemington Racecourse for the Victorian Racing Club, on managing one of the country’s most famous racetracks. (Sportsfield Stream, Wed 12:15pm)
l Richard Forsyth, shortly to step down as Director of Courses at Royal Melbourne to return to Metropolitan Golf Club, who will reflect on hosting the 2025 men’s Australian Open. (Golf Stream, Thu 12pm)
l Dr Brett Morris and Dr Chris Gray, from The R&A, on high-quality agronomic strategies. (Combined Stream, Thu 9am)
l Jyri Kaapro (Envu) and Nadeem Zreikat (Campbells) on turf herbicides – how they work and tips on using them. (Sportsfield Stream, Thu 12pm)
l ASTMA agronomist Amy Dingle joins John Neylan to discuss the VGCSA’s bent trials. (Golf Stream, Thu 11:15am)
l Agronomists Tim Fankhauser (ASTMA) and Will Bowden (PGG Wrightson Turf).
Proudly supporting the turf industry
To our customers, suppliers, partners, and industry peers, thank you for your continued support and trust in our team.
2026 AUSTRALIAN SPORTS TURF MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE PROGRAM
MONDAY 22 JUNE
8am: 2026 ASTMA Golf Championship (presented by Toro Australia). Buses depart Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (South Wharf entrance) at 6:45am Woodlands Golf Club
1pm-4pm: Conference registration desk open Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
6:30pm-10:30pm: National Turf Industry Awards Dinner (presented by Syngenta) Palladium Ballroom, Crown Complex
TUESDAY 23 JUNE
Registration Desk open 7:30am-4pm (MCEC). Located opposite trade exhibition hall
PLENARY
MCEC Plenary Room 3
Combined session with GMA delegates
8:15am-8:40am: Conference Opening and Official Welcome Mark Unwin, Paul Vardy and Plenary MC Neroli Meadows
8:40am-9:40am: Leadership - Being remarkable Daniel Flynn
9:40am-10:30am: Planning for success Liz Ellis
10:30am-11:15am: Morning Tea
11:15am-12:10pm: The Next 20 Years: Science, AI and the Human Future Dr Karl Kruszelnicki
Combined final session with GMA delegates 1:45pm-2:30pm: Dealing with leadership headaches James Cronk 2.30pm-3.15pm: Closing keynote Sean Bell
SOCIAL
6pm-8.30pm: Farewell Bash (presented by Greenway Turf Solutions) Melbourne Public
Please Note: Times, topics and speakers listed were correct at the time of this edition going to print.
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soul Sandbelt
Well-travelled and passionate Woodlands Golf Club course manager Sam Langford chats to ATM reporter Nick Creely as he gears up to host the 2026 ASTMA Golf Championship, sponsored by Toro Australia.
Nestled amongst the worldfamous Melbourne Sandbelt quietly sits the Woodlands Golf Club in Mordialloc, a unique slice of land and championship course which is highly regarded for its timeless design, narrow fairways, challenging pure bentgrass greens and strategically placed bunkers.
Its world-class short par 4s and par 3s are legendary and amongst some of the best holes in the country. Making the course all the more unique is the fact that since its establishment in 1913 it has remained relatively unchanged and on the same sandy ground where its historic journey began. While Woodlands might not be hefty in size at 6111 metres, the par 72 course is steeped in golfing tradition.
It’s there that UK born-and-raised Sam Langford calls home every day, passionately plying his trade and utilising his vast experience across the globe to present the course alongside his dedicated crew to a world-class standard, and amongst Australia’s most top-ranked places to play golf.
FULL CIRCLE JOURNEY
Langford’s journey to Woodlands spans across almost a decade-and-a-half of dedication to the industry. He started his journey as a teenager in Lincolnshire, a county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. With an already established passion and love for golf and a desire to travel while working, the greenkeeping industry made logical sense with the two going hand-in-hand.
“As a 16-year-old I just loved golf,” reflects Langford. “I was off four or five (handicap) and then fell into the greenkeeping side of things through work experience at Forest Pines in Lincolnshire, probably about 45 minutes from the famous Woodhall Spa, which is well known, and a Tom Doak design.
“When I got to around 19-20 years old I wanted to travel doing my job after I got my qualification. There was a guy who worked as a consultant for the European Tour and around courses in Europe and one of those was in the Czech Republic. I was 21 when I went there and while based there I was able to get some tournament experience at the Madrid Masters and Madeira Islands Open.
“I did that for a while and ended up going to New Zealand, basically following
Woodlands Golf Club plays host to the 2026 ASTMA Golf Championship for the first time this June. Main image shows the par four 7th, while bottom left is Woodlands’ iconic 5th which is quintessential Melbourne Sandbelt par three course architecture
the seasons. I eventually worked in the Netherlands after that and just got the sixmonth contract and went back to NZ, followed the seasons for a few years while travelling as well which was amazing.”
A desire to come to Australia in 2012, a true bucket-list item, was next on Langford’s life and career agenda. While working at Queenstown Golf Club (NZ), he contacted then Woodlands superintendent Rod Tatt (now superintendent at Mount Lawley Golf Club in Perth) who offered him a seasonal position with a chance of sponsorship. Australia was where Langford had set his sights and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Following seven years at Woodlands, working his way up to an assistant position, Langford made the decision to explore other opportunities before eventually returning to the very place which provided him his first opportunity to live and work in Australia.
“I went through the greens resurfacing at Woodlands at the time and in 2018/19 the assistant job came up at Yarra Yarra Golf Club,” explains Landford. “They were going through the Doak restoration process at the time and it was a great challenge for me. After that I decided I wanted to be a superintendent and started hunting for jobs and I got the super’s role at Heidelberg for a few years.
“The opportunity to return to Woodlands then arose, so it was kind of a full circle moment for me. To come back to a club that helped me so much is great. They helped me get permanent residency so I wouldn’t really be where I am today without Woodlands.”
DIFFERENT CONDITIONS
With decades of experience across the globe, Langford has been lucky enough to work with a range of different grass types, superintendents and across many courses, learning plenty along the way.
“Grass is grass at the end of the day, but you’ve got your warm-season and cool-season grasses and that’s probably the big thing when coming to the Australian courses,” says Langford. “I had a qualification in the UK and then coming to Australia I had the opportunity to do the Diploma which was the exact same level of qualification, but I knew it would stand out more here because there are some differences.
PHOTOS: GARY LISBON/WOODLANDS GC
“In Europe it was all about aesthetics and striping things up, whereas in Australia, while aesthetics are still important, the priority is around the playability of the golf course. With the European courses there was a lot of fertiliser, water and striping up, cutting and mowing every day. Melbourne Sandbelt golf is a lot more about leaner and firmer turf and doing minimal to get the best outcome. That’s what I’ve learnt the most.”
Melbourne’s climate can provide its share of challenges when managing a golf course, but Langford says he has adapted since arriving in the city 14 years ago.
“I don’t mind it. Being from the UK, I’m used to it,” he says. “Autumn is the best time in Australia, but in summer you know a cool change is coming in Melbourne and you don’t get that 2-3 weeks of constant humid heat.”
A UNIQUE COURSE
Langford says Woodlands sits comfortably in the pecking order of famous Melbourne Sandbelt clubs. He believes it has its own uniqueness which makes it a bucket-list club to play for avid golfers who love highly strategic and challenging courses.
It’s had its share of elite and amateur golf tournament history along the way, hosting eight Vic Opens – the first in 1971 won by Englishman and four-time winner Guy Wolstenholme and last in 2007 when Aussie Kim Felton clinched victory.
“I don’t tend to get hung up on the course ratings, everybody has their preferences,” states Langford. “For me, the architecture at Woodlands has stood the test of time and I am excited to be involved in the ongoing improvements alongside our consulting architects.
“Woodlands makes for a different style of golf with its smaller greens. There’s only a hectare of greens so the idea is that they’re flat with undulated surrounds. If you miss the greens you do have a very challenging up and down, so it’s still very much Sandbelt. That’s probably why people say ‘You’ve got to go play Woodlands’, it’s just a different type of golf.”
On Woodlands’ long-term plans to elevate itself further as a course in the future, Langford says improving vegetation is a key focus.
“The club has said that we need to improve the vegetation,” explains Langford. “We’ve consulted some amazing architects,
Michael Clayton and Harley Kruse, to come in and pretty much confirm that and say to focus on vegetation, maybe the odd playing lines here and there, but in terms of course architecture we’re happy with where that sits.
“We want to highlight areas of improved vegetation which we’ve started to do in our Vegetation Management Plan. It’s ultimately a 10-year plan and we’ve started that in conjunction with our lift-and-lay program on the greens.
“In terms of thatch removal, we lift-andlay, not core, the greens and do our minimal maintenance with our solid-tining and dusting. We’ve currently completed holes 1, 10, 19 and 15. We’re trying to do three a year, so we’ll focus on 13 and 14 this year and 7 next year and that’s just based on the age of the greens.
“There was some resurfacing done about 10-12 years ago so there are some that are older than others. We’re just working through which are the oldest and maybe make some improvements too. It’s a good project to be part of and the team gets to learn a lot.”
AN HONOUR TO HOST
Langford says his crew – currently consisting of 15 full-timers, two-part timers and a vegetation apprentice – are ecstatic to welcome some of the sports turf industry’s leading minds (and players) to the course for the Toro ASTMA Golf Championship.
He anticipates the stretch of holes from 3-7 – a complex and challenging mixture of par 3s, par 4s and a par 5 – will make for some fascinating play and highlighted hole 15 as one of the “best straight holes” in the country. Interestingly, leading international golf course architect Tom Doak – who designed the club’s Centenary 19th hole in 2013 – rates the 15th among the best 18 par 5s in the world.
Langford added it was an honour to be able to showcase the venue to some of the country’s most respected superintendents and assistants. “It’s an added pressure I guess to be hosting the championship,” says Langford. “But it’s exciting to have so many people from the industry come out and we can showcase the course and the job our guys are doing. It’s an awesome opportunity for us as a club.”
Langford says preparation for the ASTMA Championship began a month out, but with the turf in strong shape it was all about being consistent and not dropping standards to ensure the course presented the best it could.
“As soon as you find out you’re hosting it and know you’ve got so many supers and assistants coming to play, you start from day dot to try and get everything in place for that sort of day, but in terms of the time of year, the grass isn’t really growing,” he says. “We
Woodlands has a lift-and-lay program on its greens to manage organic matter accumulation. The aim is to complete three greens a year, with 13 (pictured) and 14 to be completed this year
Woodlands is renowned for its small greens and dramatically sloping surrounds. Pictured is the 12th
haven’t really mown fairways since March so the biggest thing for us is bunker maintenance and trying to dress the course up.
“We have fescue surrounds which are a pleasure to work with. They complement the small green complexes and act as an extension of the greens surface. We enjoy getting the greens and surrounds firm and fast through the dry periods, watching golfers struggle to hold the green and having them pitch it on to the fescue first, which makes for a challenging approach. This obviously isn’t possible year round but our cool-season fescue surrounds enable us to produce great surfaces through the winter months.”
RED JACKET CONTENDERS
The ASTMA is excited to welcome a very strong field to Woodlands for this year’s championship, presented in conjunction with Platinum Partner Toro Australia.
Nudgee Golf Club superintendent Peter Culross returns to defend the title he won last year at Concord Golf Club, but will have plenty of competition from his fellow Red Jacket holders. South Australian duo Ben Hallam (Tea Tree Gully GC) and Jordan Sherratt (South Lakes GC) will lead that charge, with Hallam gunning for his second title and Sherratt a
third. Shaun Page (Southern GC) will also be looking to add a second title, while 7 Mile Beach’s Anthony Toogood could create history and claim an unprecedented fourth title.
This year’s stroke field contains no less than five ‘+’ markers – Hallam, Brad Foster (Tura Beach CC), Craig Bevan (Palm Beach GC), Sean Daines (Beerwah GC) and Connor McLennan (Mount Lawley). Foster and Daines
COMING SOON
have multiple club championships to their names, while Canadian McLennan was once a professional. A total of 21 players have handicaps under 3, making this one of the more formidable fields assembled in years.
The ASTMA Golf Championship tees off at 8am on Monday 22 June, with buses departing the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (South Wharf entrance) at 6:45am.
Introducing Lynx® Drive and Spatial Adjust™, smarter irrigation management, wherever the job takes you. From real-time mobile irrigation control to data-driven watering recommendations, Toro helps you make faster, smarter decisions with confidence.
Woodlands’ fescue surrounds perfectly complement the bentgrass greens and ensure firm, fast playing conditions
exhibits Prize
The trade exhibition across the Wednesday and Thursday of the Melbourne conference will cover an impressive 6000m2 of floorspace. ATM checks out some of the new products and promotions set to feature during the week.
2026 MELBOURNE CONFERENCE SPONSOR
TORO
Stand 40
ASTMA Platinum Partner Toro Australia is excited to introduce the GreensPro® e1700 greens roller at the 2026 ASTMA and GMA Conference & Trade Exhibition. This heavyduty, all-electric greens roller is engineered to deliver exceptionally smooth, consistent golf greens while boosting operator efficiency and productivity. Powered by Toro’s advanced HyperCell® Lithium-ion battery technology, the GreensPro e1700 delivers reliable power and performance.
“When it comes to productivity, superintendents are going to see a significant increase in what they can achieve with the GreensPro e1700,” says Brian Goodridge, product marketing manager at Toro. “From the wider rolling width to the SmartHitch™ transport, it’s designed for maximum efficiency and helping teams cover more ground faster. The virtually silent operation is also a gamechanger for those essential early morning rolling shifts.”
The SmartHitch™ Integrated Trailer replaces traditional separate trailers or pullover drawbars, improving the speed and ease of transport. The simple drive-up system allows the GreensPro e1700 to efficiently connect to a transport vehicle without the operator exiting the machine. Operator comfort and control are enhanced through new intuitive joystick controls, which allow users of any experience level to easily manage speed and direction with point-and-go steering. These controls also include an advanced pass alignment function that ensures uniform, repeatable results with the push of a button.
The power behind the GreensPro e1700 is the Toro HyperCell Lithium-ion battery technology. The standard two-battery configuration is capable of providing enough runtime to easily roll more than 18 holes.
ASTMA GOLD PARTNERS
SYNGENTA
Stand 26
SPIIO™ Soil Sensors are changing how turf managers build performance from the ground up – by making the unseen measurable.
Instead of relying on broad weather apps or labour-intensive spot checks, SPIIO™ delivers precision, with site-specific insights into the conditions that matter most beneath the surface.
The sensors collect data every hour and the resulting data is accessible on your phone or computer, anywhere, anytime. Setup is straightforward – subscribe, connect and bury the sensors to begin turning raw conditions into actionable decisions. Each compact unit (180mm x 47mm x 48 mm) captures four key
The GreensPro e1700 greens roller will feature on the Toro stand at the 2026 Melbourne exhibition
measurements – temperature (-20 to 70°C), moisture, salinity and light. Sensors can be installed at varying depths (signal permitting) and are designed for longevity, with a battery lifespan of 3-5 years.
The real value is then in what the data enables. With historical trends, custom thresholds and property-level views, turf management teams can fine-tune irrigation scheduling, evaluate rainfall coverage and uniformity, guide cart or player traffic decisions after rain and measure the effectiveness of soil flushing to manage salinity. Soil temperature trends can also support bettertimed preventative insect, weed and disease programs, while light data can inform shade studies to improve growing environments.
The SPIIO™ dashboard adds hyperlocal GPS weather – forecasted within 5.2km² – featuring ET, pest risk, dew point, wind, humidity, precipitation and more, with hourly widgets and customisable, colour-coded alerts. It’s a modern toolkit for meeting rising performance expectations with confidence. Scan the QR code for more information and visit the Syngenta stand at the ASTMA conference.
JOHN DEERE
Stand 30
Get ready to move your game forward with John Deere’s expanding lineup of golf equipment! From reducing inputs to lowering environmental impact, John Deere is helping turf managers maintain high-quality playing surfaces while operating more responsibly. Precision technologies such as GPS-equipped ProGator™ sprayers and spreaders allow operators to target applications with greater accuracy. This reduces overlap, minimises chemical use and helps protect surrounding areas, supporting both cost efficiency and environmental outcomes.
Alongside precision application, John Deere continues to innovate in equipment designed to lower impact on the course and the community. The 185 E Cut™ and 225 E Cut™ electric walk-behind greens mowers deliver consistent quality of cut with significantly reduced noise, allowing work to be completed with minimal disruption.
Building on this range, the new 2775 E Cut™ electric triplex mower will be introduced in Australia and New Zealand later this year. Designed for greens, tees and fairways, it offers quieter operation, reduced maintenance requirements and eliminates the risk of hydraulic leaks. The result is a cleaner, more controlled approach to turf care with less impact on the environment and the operator. Together, these innovations enable a more sustainable approach to course management, reducing inputs while improving efficiency and overall performance. Visit your local John
Deere Golf Dealer today to see how we can enhance your course or come by our stand at the Melbourne trade exhibition to see how we can move your game forward.
ASTMA SILVER PARTNER
KRESS
Stand 64
The Kress Voyager autonomous mower will be showcased at ASTMA 2026 on Stand 64, giving turf professionals the opportunity to explore advanced unmanned mowing technology engineered for professional turf environments.
Designed for sports turf venues, councils and large-scale sites, Voyager represents a practical evolution in how routine mowing tasks can be delivered. Operating autonomously within defined areas, Voyager delivers consistent cutting performance without the need for an on-board operator, allowing mowing activities to continue reliably while skilled staff focus on higher-value work.
For turf managers facing pressure around labour availability, site coverage and operating budgets, unmanned mowing offers
a pathway to measurable operational savings. By reducing the hours required for manual mowing, Voyager supports more efficient use of labour resources, lowers reliance on overtime or contracted services and enables teams to manage larger or additional sites without increasing headcount.
Voyager has been designed to integrate seamlessly into existing maintenance programs, complementing conventional equipment rather than replacing it. Its electric operation contributes to lower running and servicing requirements compared to traditional petrol-powered alternatives, while also supporting sustainability goals through reduced emissions and quieter operation in sensitive environments. As automation becomes an increasingly important part of modern turf management strategies, Voyager demonstrates how intelligent, unmanned solutions can deliver real efficiency and cost benefits alongside consistent turf presentation.
Delegates are encouraged to visit Stand 64 to see Voyager up close and discuss how autonomous mowing can support operational savings, scalability and long-term turf management objectives.
Designed for sports turf venues, councils and large‑scale sites, the Kress Voyager autonomous mower represents a practical evolution in how routine mowing tasks can be delivered
The John Deere 2775 E Cut electric triplex mower will shortly land in Australia and New Zealand
ASTMA BRONZE PARTNERS
CENTAUR ASIA PACIFIC
Stand 12
Excess moisture remains a key challenge in maintaining consistent playing surfaces. At this year’s Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition, Centaur Asia Pacific will be showcasing Hydrowick, a drainage system designed to deliver effective results with minimal disruption.
Using a 25mm heat-treated fibreglass element, this drainage system applies strong capillary action to draw water out of waterlogged profiles. Its internal stainless steel mesh core carries water efficiently without the need for gravity fall, offering a clear advantage over traditional pipe drainage systems.
Installed through a narrow sandbanding process, the system forms a direct pathway for surface water while reducing common issues found in conventional drainage. The process is quick and minimally invasive, with surfaces typically ready for play within 24 hours.
Proven results show drainage performance on poorly drained playing surfaces can improve by over 70 per cent compared to conventional methods. Visit our stand to discover how Hydrowick can improve drainage efficiency and maximise available playtime across your turf surfaces.
COLIN CAMPBELL (CHEMICALS)
Stand 1
PoaCure, drones and GPS sprayers… what do these three technologies have in common? At Campbell Chemicals we have a vision for PoaCure to be used across broad areas of turf and to be affordable. This has been our vision since 2018 and PoaCure allows us to bring this to the turf industry.
We have been trialling and demonstrating the power of PoaCure with drone mapping technology with Droneland and utilising the John Deere GPS sprayer to spot treat Poa areas with PoaCure. This technology allows turf managers to control Poa with brand new chemistry at an affordable price as well as reduce the amount of chemical use overall. So come past our stand (No.1) and have a chat about PoaCure and other solutions we offer.
ALSO EXHIBITING…
ADE TURF EQUIPMENT
Stand 63
Visit the ADE Turf Equipment stand (63) to find out more about the new Allett Omnia 22, the most precise, manoeuvrable and versatile machine in the Omnia range, designed for fine turf environments where accuracy, consistency and finish are critical. Purpose-built for groundskeepers and sports turf professionals who demand exceptional results, the Omnia 22 (pictured below) performs a wide range of turf care tasks with ease – including mowing, verti-cutting, scarifying, brushing, raking, hollow-tine aerating and sorrel rolling – making it an indispensable tool for year-round turf management.
With a 22-inch (560mm) cutting width, it is ideally suited to bowling greens, cricket wickets, golf greens, tees and surrounds and high-end ornamental turf where turf health and strong stripes are demanded. Built on the same advanced platform as the larger models, Omnia 22 delivers professional performance in a lighter, more compact form, without compromise. Available Australia-wide through ADE Turf Equipment. Contact Jack on 0448 777 001 or email jack@adeturf.com.au.
AQUATROLS COMPANY
Stand 54
The Aquatrols Company, a global leader in surfactants and specialty technologies for the professional turfgrass market, is pleased to announce its attendance at the ASTMA Conference and Trade Exhibition in Melbourne. The event marks an important milestone for Aquatrols, as the company uses the show to introduce a selected range of products from its hydration and nutrition portfolios to the Australian market.
Developed to help turf professionals maximise the efficacy of every drop of water and every input applied, these solutions support more consistent moisture management to help promote and maintain healthier root systems whilst helping to produce stronger and more resilient highperforming playing surfaces.
“From tank to target, our products are designed to help turf managers get more from their water and inputs,” says Alan Pierce, International Account Manager. “We are excited to engage directly with Australian turf professionals and to bring our proven hydration and nutrition technologies to this important market.
Visitors to the Aquatrols stand will have the opportunity to meet the team, explore the product range, and learn how Aquatrols’ solutions are used on golf courses and sports turf venues around the world. For more information, visit www.aquatrolscompany.com.
Bartlett Manufacturing will be showcasing TurfRise™ Growth Covers at the trade exhibition in Melbourne
BARTLETT MANUFACTURING Stand 84
Bartlett Manufacturing will be showcasing TurfRise™ Growth Covers at the Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition in Melbourne. Designed for professional sports turf applications, TurfRise™ is a purpose-built growth cover engineered to accelerate germination, improve strike rates and strengthen early root development. The proprietary mesh construction combines black and clear monofilament strands, helping warm the soil while still allowing optimal light transmission. Fully permeable to rainfall and irrigation, TurfRise™ supports consistent establishment without water pooling.
Independent trials conducted by AGCSATech in 2026 have demonstrated up to 67 per cent greater early growth and significantly improved root depth compared to traditional covers, supporting faster recovery timelines and earlier return to play. TurfRise™ has been used across a range of Australian sports turf settings, supporting ground staff in achieving consistent establishment results under varying conditions.
Conference attendees can visit the Bartlett Manufacturing stand to see the product firsthand, discuss application methods and learn about supply options in Australia and New Zealand. For turf managers planning renovation, repair or overseeding programs, TurfRise™ provides a practical solution to improve outcomes and reduce downtime.
BROWN BROTHERS ENGINEERS Stand 66
Brown Brothers Engineers Australia is committed to delivering high-quality pumps and custom engineered pumping solutions to meet the diverse requirements of the turf and golf course markets. Visit us on Stand 66 to find out more about our custom trailer mounted solutions. Engineered with precision and tailored to your unique needs, our innovative trailer-mounted pump set (pictured below) offers an alternative to the way you manage irrigation on the move and provides a cost-effective solution to flood mitigation.
We installed a custom solution at a floodprone golf course in southeast Queensland. After enduring recurring flooding events that damaged the course and, more recently,
washed away it’s pumping infrastructure, our team engineered a mobile pumping system fitted onto a trailer. Despite subsequent flooding, the course immediately reaped benefits. With just two people, the pumps were relocated in 15 minutes by hitching the trailer to a vehicle and towing to higher ground.
Typically, a custom-mounted booster set features a Lowara e-SV Series pump renowned for its hydraulics and IE2 high-efficiency motor. Complemented by an INCA control panel, our solution offers optimal system control and flexibility. Designed for practicality and ease of use, installation is seamless while the quickrelease electrical connection to the control panel enables fast and safe shutdowns as well as quick transportation, allowing sports turf managers to relocate the entire pump unit to higher ground within minutes.
CAMPEY AUSTRALASIA
Stand 71
Launched in 2022, Campey Australasia is pleased to confirm it will be once again exhibiting at ASTMA 2026.
This expansion by Campey Turf Care Systems has strengthened our presence in Australasia, bringing the high-performance machinery and customer service Campey is known for worldwide. By partnering with established local dealers such as Fernland, Mexted Sports Turf and Turfmate (Stand 72), customers across the region can access some of the world’s most respected turf maintenance equipment.
At ASTMA 2026, we’ll showcase a broad range of proven favourites and new additions, built to solve turf maintenance challenges across natural sports pitches and golf courses. The line-up includes scarifiers, brushes, rakes, drag mats and sprayers, including the Campey Uni-Scratch, UniRake, Campey Speedresser and the ML Sprayer.
Campey Australasia is led by export sales manager Nick Brown, who will attend alongside our dealer network. Together, they’ll explain how we operate and share practical guidance to help you address your specific turf maintenance needs. By working closely with dealers and customers and investing in export development, Campey has earned the trust of greenkeepers and groundsmen worldwide. Visit www.campeyaustralasia.com or contact Nick Brown at nick@campeyturfcare.com.
DRONELAND
Stand 10
Droneland is proud to showcase its advanced turf management and aerial data solutions in Melbourne. Our services are built to address critical pain points in the management of turf assets and site features. Droneland services aim to reduce inefficiencies in maintenance programs, limit reactive decision-making, and provide clear, actionable data. By leveraging drone technology alongside integrated data analysis, Droneland delivers highly accurate, repeatable insights across open spaces and sporting fields. Our outputs include high-resolution mapping (surface models and contours); plant health analysis; moisture variability; plant stress and wear patterns; weed identification with infestation calculations. The Droneland platform presents this data in a clear, intuitive format, enabling immediate understanding and application. Our focus is on translating complex datasets into practical outputs that turf and open space managers can rely on with confidence. Reporting is both precise and accessible, allowing teams to optimise irrigation, fertilisation, turf recovery and renovation scheduling with greater efficiency and certainty. This extends to playground and tree audits, where aerial inspections provide clearer, more consistent records. Our capture methods improve the efficiency and effectiveness of asset monitoring and compliance.
At the conference, we will demonstrate how our solutions integrate seamlessly into existing maintenance programs, reducing guesswork and improving resource allocation. We will also showcase recent project outcomes across elite and community facilities, including Poa weed mapping case studies,
12 Centaur Asia Pacific 14 Repco Australia 24 Dint Golf Solutions 29 Advanced Seed 32 ICL Specialty Fertilizers
32 K&B Adams Turf 34 PGG Wrightson
35 Sustainable Machinery
38 Kubota Australia
39 Tru-Turf
41 Greenworks Commercial 43 Hunter Industries
52 Lawn Solutions Australia
65 David Golf & Engineering
67 All Power/Powerup
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49
Adama ALSO
EXHIBITING…
Trimax 3 Franklin Electric 4 BA Group Australia
5 Colbrook Industries
6 Leemco Piping Solutions
7 Turfcare Australia
8 Agrion Crop Solutions
9 Sundew Turf Care Solutions
10 Droneland
13 Hydrosight
15 Blue Pacific Minerals
18 Farm Concepts
19 Sharper Solutions
25 Indigo Specialty Products
27 Statewide Turf
28 Victorian Sports Group
31 Fieldquip
36 Plasson Australia
42 STIHL
44 SkimTurf Management
45 Nutrien Water
46 Turf Breed
47 HR Products
48 Arbortech
49 Turf Metrix
50 Rainbow Enviro
51 Multikraft Probiotics Australia
53 StrathAyr
54 Lamberti Australia/Aquatrols
55 Environmental Golf Solutions
61 Parklink
62 Euroturf
63 ADE Turf Equipment
66 Brown Brothers Engineers
prescription mapping and targeted spraying applications. Visit our stand to see how we can streamline your operations, enhance decisionmaking and elevate turf performance.
ENVIRONMENTAL GOLF SOLUTIONS
Stand 55
Environmental Golf Solutions is excited to debut CourseTrackR at the 2026 Australian Sports Turf Management Conference and Trade Exhibition, a first-of-its-kind platform developed by the industry, for the industry. Purpose-built for golf course operations, CourseTrackR is a practical mapping, tracking and reporting tool designed to help clubs keep clearer records of what is happening across their property, reduce manual admin and make day-to-day course activity easier to capture, review and share.
68 Trench It - Terraway Attachments/Sammut Ag
69 Duramega
70 Robologic
71 Campey Australasia
72 Turfmate
73 Positioned
74 Marnick Turf Machinery
76 MowMaster Turf Equipment
78 Wayrobo
79 Forewarned (Blind Shot)
80 McMahons
81 GreenPro
82 The Toolbox Team
83 Precision Control Australia
84 Bartlett Manufacturing
85 HG Turf Group
86 Shenzhen JAYU Gardening Machine Co.
87 Green Turf
88 Wacker Neuson
89 Grundfos
90 Oasis Turf
91 Helix Hydro
93 Denaiyou Intelligent Tech.
94 Star 8 Australia
95 Signature Systems
96 Nake Sports Turf Machinery
97 Metalform Ag
98 Nano Bubble Technologies
100 Turf Group Australia
GMA AREA
G2 Hostplus
G3 Secom
G4 Dot Golf
G5 Callaway
G6 Country Club
At the Environmental Golf Solutions stand, attendees can see how CourseTrackR brings course works, follow-up actions, biodiversity records, project areas, reporting and storytelling into one simple, map-led workspace. Course staff can capture the work they are already doing – from planting and habitat care to tree works, weed management, irrigation follow-up, projects and infrastructure – with mapped locations, notes, photos and due dates linked directly to the relevant activity on course. CourseTrackR also helps clubs build a living record of change over time, using
G7 Sporte Leisure
G8 SENPOS
G9 MiClub
G10 Northstar
G11 Solucio
G12 Savage Bull
G13 Transform Golf Shops
G14 Clubcar
G15 Shield Training
G16 Titleist
G17 De Bortoli Wines
G17a Swing Factory
G18 GBAS
G19 Toro/Harper Turf Equipment
G20 A2Z Golf
G22 Pariter
G21 Bidfood
G23 Golf Genius
G24 First Choice
G25 Good Drinks
G26 Rabobank
G27 The Golf Travel Agency
G28 Avenue
G29 Golf Loot
G30 Ace Society
G31 Future Golf
G32 Golf Now
G33 Risk Essentials
G34 Glfn
G35 Hunter Technologies
G36 T&S Signcraft
G37 Risk Profilers/BeHeartSmart
G39 TRUE Linkswear
Note: Floorplan/stand numbers correct at time of publication. For any updates/changes please refer to the conference app
historical imagery, evolving site records and environmental context to make progress easier to see, review and communicate.
For superintendents, general managers and committees, the platform turns day-to-day course activity into clearer internal records, committee-ready summaries and stakeholderfriendly updates without rebuilding documents from scratch each time. Conference attendees are invited to visit the Environmental Golf Solutions stand to see CourseTrackR in action and discuss how it can support course management, reporting, member communication and long-term stewardship. https://www.coursetrackr.com/.
HYDROSIGHT
Stand 13
In Melbourne we are proud to present our new Hydrosight TDR soil sensor, designed to provide even more accurate and
reliable underground soil data for irrigation management. The sensor (pictured above) measures soil moisture using Time Domain Reflectometry technology, helping users understand how much plant-available water is actually present in the soil. This allows irrigation decisions to be based on real underground conditions rather than estimates, weather assumptions or manual checks.
The new TDR sensor is built for demanding environments such as golf courses, sportsfields, racecourses, farms and public open spaces. It is fully waterproof and suitable for underground installation, keeping it protected from machinery and foot traffic.
Compared with traditional soil sensing methods, TDR technology performs well across different soil types and conditions. It is especially useful in more challenging soils where accurate moisture measurement can be difficult. The sensor also supports different probe lengths, giving users more flexibility for various rootzones and installation needs.
Data is sent wirelessly to the Hydrosight platform, where users can view information in real time. The sensor can also be connected to irrigation controllers, allowing irrigation to be adjusted or skipped automatically when the soil already has enough water. This helps reduce water use, improve turf and crop health and lower the need for manual inspections. With the new TDR sensor, Hydrosight continues its mission to help customers use water wisely and make every drop count.
MULTIKRAFT
Stand 51
Multikraft is bringing a new level of biological performance to modern turf management through the Natural NRG System – a practical approach built around nutrition, resilience and growth.
Backed by more than 25 years of European research and over a decade of Australian manufacturing, Multikraft combines advanced microbial technology with stable nitrogen delivery to help turf professionals achieve stronger, more consistent playing surfaces. At the centre of the system are two flagship products developed specifically for the Australian turf industry and which will be on display at the Multikraft stand in Melbourne.
SuPr Turf delivers controlled-release nitrogen, iron, carbon and biological inputs designed to improve nitrogen efficiency, extend colour response and reduce the volatility commonly associated with traditional fertiliser programs. Turf NRG focuses below the surface – supporting soil biology, root development, nutrient uptake and long-term turf resilience through a concentrated blend of beneficial microbes and bioavailable nutrients. Together, they form the foundation of the Multikraft Natural NRG System – helping turf managers move beyond short-term responses toward healthier, more durable turf performance.
A recent 12-month independent validation program demonstrated the strength of this approach, with the venue achieving the ICC’s highest possible surface rating. As biologicals continue to reshape the future of turf management, Multikraft is focused on delivering systems that are scientifically validated, commercially practical and proven under Australian conditions. Visit Multikraft at Stand 51 and come say ‘G’day’ to the team.
NAKE TURF MACHINERY
Stand 96
Nake Turf Machinery is proud to introduce a breakthrough in turf technology at this year’s Melbourne exhibition – our Ride-On Greens Roller and Topdresser. This self-propelled powerhouse (pictured top right) is the only equipment on the market engineered to roll the green and apply topdressing simultaneously in one seamless, ride-on operation.
The perfect sequence for superior greens, our unique system follows a ‘roll first, sandafter’ logic, providing a more stable and level surface for sand application. By rolling the turf immediately before the sand is dispersed, the machine ensures a perfectly level foundation, allowing for more uniform sand distribution into the turf canopy in a single pass. This synchronised sequence maintains consistent green firmness while filling voids efficiently, getting your course ‘play-ready’ faster than ever before.
The ergonomic ride-on design reduces labour fatigue and maximises productivity across all 18 greens. Completing two essential tasks in one pass significantly minimises the mechanical footprint on your most sensitive surfaces. This equipment is not just an evolution, it is a total reimagining of green maintenance efficiency. We invite all attendees to join us at Stand 96 and experience the future of turf care firsthand. Exclusive showonly discounts and priority delivery slots will be available for orders confirmed during the event.
STATEWIDE TURF
Stand 27
StateWide Turf is a leading provider of sports turf construction, renovation and maintenance services across Victoria. StateWide Turf operates as a vertically integrated business delivering end-to-end solutions across sports turf, civil works, irrigation and water infrastructure, providing a complete, onestop service offering for councils, clubs, racecourses and major sporting facilities. Our core services include:
l Sports ground construction, renovation and maintenance.
l Golf course renovation, construction and ongoing maintenance.
l Irrigation design, installation and water management solutions.
l Racecourse track construction and renovation.
l Civil works, drainage and sub-surface water management.
With strong local knowledge supported by national capability, our focus is on delivering high-quality, performance-driven outcomes. We are here to support the Melbourne market with reliable, technically driven solutions across all aspects of sports turf and infrastructure. Come by our stand (No. 27) to see how our services can support your operations.
RAINBOW ENVIRO
Stand 50
Come and join Paul Jackson and the Rainbow team at Stand 50 for the official global launch of Rainbow Enviro – a new business dedicated to delivering trusted solutions for turf, landscape, vegetation management and environmental professionals. We invite golf course superintendents, sports turf managers, local government professionals, contractors, and industry partners to visit the stand and be part of this exciting milestone.
As the global launch event for Rainbow Enviro, this is your opportunity to learn more about our vision, meet the team behind the business and explore the latest product developments designed to support performance, protection and healthier environments. To help celebrate the launch, we’ll also have a range of exclusive giveaways and merchandise available throughout the event. We look forward to welcoming you to Stand 50 and celebrating the beginning of the Rainbow Enviro journey together.
SHARPER SOLUTIONS
Stand 19
Come by the Sharper Solutions stand in Melbourne and take advantage of fantastic show specials on Bernhard grinders and Sisis equipment, running until 30 September. Purchase the Bernhard Express Dual 3000MC and Anglemaster 3000MC as a package for just $88,500 (incl GST), saving $5K. Similarly, package the Sisis Veemo Mk2 scarifier and Sisis Litamina 1200 sweeper/debris collector for the special show price of $68,000, saving $4K. www.sharpersolutions.com.au.
SKIMTURF
Stand 44
SkimTurf™ Management is an advanced satellite-based agronomy platform designed to support precise, data-driven turf management for golf courses. The platform enables golf course superintendents to monitor key agronomic indicators across the entire property, including soil moisture, nutrient content, vegetation health and turf stress, without the need for on-course hardware installation. By combining satellite remote sensing technology with AI-powered diagnostics, alerts, reporting and mobilefriendly tools, SkimTurf™ helps turf managers make faster and more informed decisions while improving operational efficiency.
A major advantage of SkimTurf™ lies in its ability to transform agronomic insights into actionable field applications. Through its “Prescriptions” module and integration with the John Deere Operations Center™, superintendents can create precision prescription maps based on specific turf conditions and transfer them directly to GPS-enabled sprayers. This allows for highly targeted and variable-rate applications of fertilisers, wetting agents, plant growth regulators, biostimulants and other inputs. As a result, golf facilities can reduce unnecessary product use, optimise water and fertiliser consumption, improve labour allocation and achieve more consistent playing conditions. By enabling precise management rather than generalised applications, SkimTurf™ supports environmental stewardship while helping courses maintain high-quality turf conditions. Leading facilities such as Desert Mountain Club are already leveraging the technology to improve precision, evaluate turf performance and optimise resource management. If you want to learn more stop by our stand in Melbourne (No.44).
SOIL SCOUT/TURF METRIX
Stand 49
Come and see the revolutionary HAPPI100 –the world’s first wireless underground oxygen sensor. Because oxygen is life. Now you can measure it. Key Soil Scout features include:
l Totally wireless – no cabling or trenching.
l Battery-powered and maintenance free – enjoy up to 20 years of battery life, the most cost-efficient solution available.
l Get live data for oxygen, moisture, water balance, temperature and salinity.
l Measure soil at any depth – Soil Scout sensors can be deployed at various depths, providing flexibility in monitoring.
l Scalable network – easily extend coverage across large or multi-zone areas.
l No cellular signal required at sensor locations – the sensors operate effectively in dead zones, with all data relayed via radio repeaters the Base Station’s 4G connection.
l Rugged design – built to withstand the demands of sports and farm environments.
l Web dashboard access – use an intuitive interface to view live soil data, track trends, compare zones and identify patterns. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from any browser-enabled device.
l 100 per cent compatible with Toro Lynx and Intellidash, with a 10-year warranty.
STIHL
Stand 42
Visit the STIHL stand to learn more about our latest commercial solutions, including the FSA 200 and the BGA 250
With the powerful FSA 200 battery brushcutter, professionals in garden and landscape maintenance or in public enterprises can mow larger lawns very effectively and conveniently, even in noise-sensitive areas. The ergonomic bike handle (mowing handle) supports comfortable working when cutting tall grass and weeds. The folding clamp makes it quick and easy to adjust the bike handle to the ergonomic position that suits you.
With a mowing circle of up to 450 mm and the powerful EC motor, you have the ideal conditions for efficiently caring for green areas with the STIHL FSA 200, particularly when mowing grass and scrub. The optimised, ergonomic control handle allows you to set the speed to three levels to work as efficiently as possible while saving as much energy as possible.
The STIHL BGA 250 battery leaf blower is the world’s most powerful handheld blower over its entire battery life – ideal for professional horticulture and landscaping applications. With the STIHL BGA 250, the blowing power remains constant over the entire battery life and does not decrease during use. The handheld blower is suitable
for quick, short applications, for example after trimming hedges or removing leaves, as well as for cleaning work in building management. The blower is very easy to manoeuvre and pleasantly quiet, so that you can clear up leaves, green cuttings and dirt quickly and efficiently even in noise-sensitive environments.
SUNDEW TURF SOLUTIONS
Stand 9
Sundew will be showcasing a new generation wetting agent pellet technology designed specifically for professional turf managers. Developed and manufactured in Australia, the Sundew range delivers rapid, effective soil moisture management through a unique water-soluble pellet system designed for use with standard hose-end and spray equipment. The convenient pellet delivery platform allows fast deployment and highly efficient application across golf greens, sports fields and other high-performance turf surfaces.
The Sundew range consists of three targeted formulations. SUNDEW CORE provides foundational wetting performance to improve water infiltration and restore uniform soil moisture in hydrophobic profiles. SUNDEW AMINO combines advanced wetting technology with supplemental amino acids to support rapid turf recovery during periods of heat and moisture stress. SUNDEW ROOT+ incorporates rootzone support technology designed to improve root performance, water uptake and overall turf resilience.
Conference attendees visiting the Sundew stand will be able to see the pellet system firsthand and discuss how the Sundew range can be integrated into preventative moisture management programs, stress recovery strategies and rootzone performance programs for elite turf surfaces.
TURFBREED
Stand 46
Visit Nathan Tovey at the TurfBreed stand to experience two premium turf varieties engineered for elite sports field performance
– IronCutter Hybrid Bermuda and Kenda Kikuyu. IronCutter Hybrid Bermuda is a high-performance hybrid offering exceptional density and deep root systems for superior drought tolerance and wear resistance. It establishes quickly, maintains a fine, darkgreen finish at low mowing heights and performs reliably in extreme conditions.
Kenda Kikuyu delivers exceptional durability and rapid recovery for high-traffic sports applications. With four times the rhizome density of standard kikuyu varieties, it provides outstanding wear tolerance, vigorous winter growth and excellent drought resistance while maintaining year-round colour vibrancy. Our team will be on hand to discuss custom turf solutions tailored to your venue’s specific requirements.
TURF GROUP AUSTRALIA
Stand 100
Turf Group Australia will use ASTMA 2026 to introduce a new operating system for professional turf. Built for the people responsible for keeping courses, venues, facilities and open spaces moving every day, the platform brings the critical layers of turf operations into one connected environment – planning, task management, team visibility, applications, compliance, reporting and procurement. This is not another generic job management tool. It is being developed specifically around the way modern turf teams actually work – across crews, sites, seasons, weather windows, event pressures, budgets and compliance requirements.
Positioned as “The Operating System for Professional Turf”, the platform is designed to deliver greater operational visibility, accountability and control across the entire operation, while reducing the fragmentation created by spreadsheets, paper processes and disconnected systems. The platform has been
developed to help simplify daily execution while improving oversight, communication and consistency across teams and sites.
At the Turf Group Australia stand, visitors will be able to experience live operational walkthroughs and preview how the platform manages recurring works, operational scheduling, spray and fertiliser logging, workforce coordination and reporting across single and multi-site operations. Turf Group Australia will also be discussing post-conference onsite walkthroughs, pilot opportunities and the broader vision for connected turf operations across golf, sport, education, local government and commercial turf management.
WAYROBO Stand 78
This year in Melbourne, Wayrobo is proud to introduce a breakthrough in maintenance efficiency - our Autonomous Bunker Rake Robot. Built to operate seamlessly while the course sleeps, this innovative technology ensures your bunkers are tournament-ready before the first tee-off, drastically reducing manual labour requirements and ensuring high-precision consistency.
While the unit is currently in its exclusive launch phase, we are inviting all conference attendees to visit our stand for a first look at the product’s capabilities. Although the physical robot will not be on the floor, our team will be available to provide in-depth technical briefings and discuss how autonomous solutions can be tailored to your course’s unique topography.
As part of this, we are now establishing a priority list for future on-site demonstrations. By visiting our stand and registering your interest, you will secure a spot in our upcoming demo roadmap. Don’t miss this chance to be among the first in the region to transition toward a smarter, more autonomous future.
aspirations National
The country’s leading sports turf management graduates will line up in Melbourne with the industry set to recognise 14 of its outstanding achievers at the 2026 National Turf Industry Awards. The respective golf and sportsfields and grounds Graduate of the Year Awards will once again be presented in partnership with ASTMA Platinum Partner Toro Australia, with two of the most highly anticipated awards of the evening handed out after an intense 48 hours for the finalists. Judging will take place the day before the awards ceremony, with all 14 graduates – seven from each category – presenting to a panel of experts before being asked a series of questions to test their turf management knowledge. The ASTMA, together with the respective state associations, wish all the finalists the best for the judging and for the awards night itself. This year’s finalists are...
ATM
reporter Nick Creely profiles the contenders for this year’s Graduate of the Year Awards, sponsored by Toro.
ASTMA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR - GOLF
HARRISON ALLARDYCE
Busselton GC | GCSAWA
Harrison began his sports turf management career as a teenager at the highly esteemed Busselton Golf Club and has blossomed in his role since. He was drawn to
the hands-on nature of turf management and wanted a career connected to sport rather than following a traditional school pathway. He hasn’t looked back since. Now employed as the foreman at Busselton, he is heavily involved in irrigation which is an area of great interest due to its technical aspect of course management and something he takes great pride in overseeing.
Outside of his work at Busselton, Harrison volunteered as part of the crew at the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club in 2024 and 2025 where he was exposed to a course of world-class calibre and provided valuable insight into highlevel course preparation.
“What I value most about turf management is the lifestyle it offers – early starts, working outdoors and the satisfaction of presenting a course to an exceptional standard for members and visitors alike,” says Harrison.
South Australian finalist Max Clark (Kooyonga GC) volunteered at the 2024 Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club
PHOTO: BRETT ROBINSON
NATHAN BAKER
Byron Bay GC | QSTMA
An appreciation of sports turf and wanting to contribute to providing high quality playing surfaces saw Nathan begin his career as an apprentice greenkeeper at Byron Bay Golf Club. At the far north coast NSW venue, Nathan’s eyes were instantly opened to the industry, the challenges faced on a daily basis, the places it can take you and the incredible people you meet along the way.
Nathan has been exposed to different environments throughout his short career so far, moving to Kingston Heath on the Melbourne Sandbelt for a season in 2024. During his time there he was part of the crew that hosted the Australian Open. In 2025, Nathan jetted off to Crownwood Club in Sweden, an exclusive private course under construction where he contributed to the establishment and grow-in phase of the new facility, gaining valuable experience in construction, agronomy practices, adapting to different climates and developing his knowledge of C3 grasses. Nathan has since returned to Kingston Heath and will be part of the crew for the 2026 men’s Australian Open.
“I have loved every minute of my journey so far and am driven to continue learning, improving and challenging myself as I work towards becoming a better sports turf manager, with the ambition of becoming a superintendent one day,” Nathan says.
MAX CLARK
Kooyonga GC | TMSA
Max’s journey in sports turf management began in 2021 at North Adelaide Golf Course as a horticultural apprentice after growing up in the country where he developed a strong connection to working in the outdoors after exposure to farming and viticulture. With his father a keen golfer, Max spent a lot of his childhood on the course which sparked an early appreciation for the environment and a curiosity for turf care. After establishing himself in the wine industry postschool and a brief stint at university, Max took the opportunity at North Adelaide.
Max has plenty of elite tournament experience having been a volunteer at the 2024 Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club and most recently playing a significant role when his club hosted the Women’s Australian Open this past March. He has been appointed leading hand at Kooyonga and completed two industry qualifications all while gaining exposure to emerging turf technologies. In his current role, Max assists with daily
course setup, team coordination, irrigation management and chemical applications. “I most enjoy the dynamic nature of the work and the satisfaction of consistently presenting the course at a premium standard,” says Max.
JAG CLARKE
Coffs Harbour GC | NSWGCSA Jag has been a part of the furniture at Coffs Harbour Golf Club since 2019 after advancing from a casual position to completing his matureage apprenticeship in September 2025. Sports turf management was always of interest to Jag who used to play as a junior at Coffs Harbour from 10 to 16 years of age and enjoyed watching major tournaments such as the Masters and admiring the work of those that maintain immaculate, world-class courses.
At Coffs Harbour, Jag works alongside a dedicated team of greenkeepers that work diligently every day. He enjoys sharing knowledge with his colleagues and learning from his supervisors who have provided training and guidance as part of his progression to spray technician. A recent
career highlight for Jag was being awarded the NSWGCSA Vince Church Graduate of the Year Award, something he is immensely proud of.
“The things I enjoy most is preparing the course in the early morning so it is in the best condition possible when the golfers arrive, and undertaking massive projects such as green reconstructions,” says Jag. “It is rewarding to be a part of and see the end result of a large project that required hard work and dedication over a long period of time.”
JESS MACLAREN
Devonport CC | TSTMA
Jess began her apprenticeship as a greenkeeper in October 2022 at Riverside Golf Club in Launceston after a career change at 26 years of age after gaining a qualification in cookery. Deciding she wanted to do something active and in the outdoors, Jess discovered sports turf management and when she saw the job advertised it ticked all the boxes. Growing up in Scotland, she already had an appreciation of golf courses, often holidaying at St Andrews.
Victorian finalist Will Savickas (left) and Queensland representative Nathan Baker (right)
Kelly Fagents, from Perth’s Trinity College, has had the opportunity to volunteer at a number of major events, including the 2024 Australian Open at Kingston Heath
Jess has developed plenty of tournament experience when her club hosted the Tasmanian Amateur and the Tasmanian Junior Masters. She has also helped complete a bunker redevelopment project, which involved digging out all bunkers, reshaping some and installing new drainage before filling with new sand. After completing her apprenticeship in 2025, she began working for Devonport Country Club as a leading hand, overseeing daily management of the Riverside course which Devonport now manages.
“My favourite part of turf management is renovation season,” says Jess. “Everyone works together, whether it’s on the ProCore, scarifier, or sand spreader, with the collective goal of revamping the course… then waiting to see the results of everyone’s hard work.”
WILLIAM SAVICKAS
Barwon Heads GC | VGCSA
Prior to launching his sports turf career in 2022 at Barwon Heads Golf Club, William was involved in a landscaping apprenticeship before making the transition. He started playing golf at the time and became fascinated watching the greenkeepers working on his local course, sparking his interest in taking it on as a career. He was eventually given the opportunity to work at Barwon Heads, and alongside that has volunteered at 13th Beach Golf Links for the Vic Open and the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
As VGCSA Apprentice of the Year, William recently completed a week of work experience at Tara Iti and Te Arai Links in New Zealand. He is currently working as a qualified greenkeeper at Barwon Heads and is enjoying helping new turf managers make their own journey as enjoyable and rewarding as his has been.
“My journey so far has been incredibly rewarding, giving me the opportunity to work
with an amazing team under the leadership of superintendent Craig Molloy and assistant Bobby Wallace,” says William.
BRODY SCHOFIELD
Gold Creek CC | ACTSTMA Brody’s journey began on October 7 2022 at Harden Country Club in NSW where he was introduced to the science behind golf course maintenance and learned what goes on behind the scenes, things he never noticed as a golfer. His passion comes from a love of the outdoors, hands-on work and golf, providing him the opportunity to combine all three while working in a fun environment.
A major highlight of Brody’s career so far has been winning the ACTSTMA Graduate of the Year Award. Another highlight was completing his qualification at 18 years of age and moving to Gold Creek Country Club to continue growing his career. Currently holding the position of course foreman at one of Canberra’s busiest public access courses, Brody is involved in all course operations alongside superintendent Simon Snedden.
“What I enjoy most is seeing the results of the work put in throughout the week and watching the course come together in the best condition possible,” says Brody. “I’m still learning and developing every day and I’m excited to see where this career takes me.”
SPORTSFIELDS AND GROUNDS GRADUATE OF THE YEAR
KELLY FAGENTS
Trinity College | STA WA
Kelly discovered the sports turf industry while completing qualifications in horticulture, conservation and land management. While attending an
open day at Araluen Botanic Gardens she met the late Eva Ricci, a highly respected WA turf industry advocate, who sparked her passion to go down the turf career path. She began her apprenticeship at Trinity College in Perth back in 2022 and has enjoyed combining her passion for sport and the outdoors.
One of the highlights of her apprenticeship has been the opportunity to volunteer at major events, such as the 2023 Women’s World Cup at AAMI Park which gave her an insight into FIFA’s high-performance standards. Kelly also volunteered at the 2024 Australian Open at Kingston Heath Golf Club, facilitated by the ASTMA, gaining valuable exposure to the unique demands of maintaining a championship golf course.
In her current role at Trinity College Kelly is responsible for preparing and maintaining over 10 hectares of playing fields for PSA sport, as well as the college oval and surrounding grounds. “I’ve always enjoyed a wide range of sports and I love working outdoors,” says Kelly. “The physical nature of the role is something I thrive on.”
TOBY HENDERSON
Department of Parliamentary Services | ACTSTMA
Having been actively involved in sport from a young age, Toby commenced an apprenticeship at Australian Parliament House in February 2023. Toby has developed a strong appreciation for highquality turf surfaces at sporting clubs and schools throughout his childhood and that early exposure played a significant role in shaping his decision to pursue a career in sports turf management.
Toby’s time working at Australian Parliament House has been both rewarding and diverse, providing a range of memorable experiences, include receiving an award from the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House in recognition of turf presentation during the 2024 Royal visit, as well as contributing to the preparation of the sports field for the annual politician State of Origin event.
Upon completing his apprenticeship, Toby was honoured to receive the Certificate of Excellence in Sports Turf Management from the Canberra Institute of Technology and was also offered an ongoing position within the turf team at Australian Parliament House where is now progressing into a three-month placement as an irrigation specialist.
“What I value most about working in the turf industry is the variety and challenge that each day brings,” says Toby. “The dynamic nature of the work continues to motivate me and I am committed to building a long-term career in this field.”
Tasmanian finalist Jack Pearce cut his teeth at Devonport Country Club before moving to Burnie City Council
JACK PEARCE
Burnie City Council | TSTMA
Jack, who resides on the northwest coast of Tasmania, is currently working for Burnie City Council as a greenkeeper, maintaining West Park Oval which hosts Australian rules football and cricket matches. His journey in sports turf management began in 2022 at the Devonport Country Club after returning from living in the UK and has rapidly risen through the ranks. In his current role as a greenkeeper, he is responsible for preparing the surfaces for both cricket and football.
Jack takes tremendous pride in preparing sporting surfaces and gains great enjoyment in working outdoors. “What I enjoy most about the management side of things is the ability to be my own boss – for example, ordering products, communicating with sales representatives and trusting in the process I’ve been taught,” Jack says.
TOBEY PHILLIPS
Brisbane Racing Club | QSTMA
After spending time as a volunteer at a local baseball field in Newmarket, Brisbane, Tobey discovered sports turf management and a passion for the industry blossomed. That led to him undertaking an apprenticeship with the Brisbane Metropolitan Touch Association under grounds manager Robert Watkins. Over two years, he developed skills in daily maintenance, irrigation, drainage, renovations and facility programming within a small-team environment, allowing him to gain hands-on experience across all areas of the site.
Tobey also spent time working casually at The Gabba which he still does today, gaining valuable experience in elite-level venue preparation and event operations.
He eventually moved to Nudgee College to work within a larger team and facility, further developing his knowledge and skills before joining the Brisbane Racing Club as a turf surfaces attendant at Doomben Racecourse. Tobey enjoys the challenge race days, trials and constant events bring each day. “Working in racing has been a big change but the people around me have given me valuable insight into producing safe and fair racing surfaces while meeting stakeholder expectations,” Tobey says.
MATTHEW REINHARD
Melbourne Grammar School | STA Vic
After leaving the finance industry in search of a more hands-on and rewarding career, Matthew chose sports turf management. Currently employed at the Melbourne Grammar School, managing the main oval, cricket wickets and lawns, Matthew is enjoying the responsibility that comes with managing high quality sporting surfaces and the satisfaction of seeing the direct results of his work each day.
A major achievement of Matthew’s career so far was being named the Melbourne Polytechnic Apprentice of the Year across all trades, as well as helping prepare surfaces for historic sporting fixtures such as the Cordner-Eggleston Cup football match and the Melbourne Grammar School versus Sydney Grammar School cricket match which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year.
“I’ve enjoyed how approachable and supportive people in the industry are,” reflects Matthew, who is currently studying his Diploma of Sports Turf Management. “Everyone is willing to share knowledge and offer advice to help you develop. Turf management has given me a real sense of purpose and direction and I genuinely enjoy coming to work each day.”
ANTONY WEARNE
STA NSW | Royal Sydney GC
A latecomer to the sports turf management industry, Antony has decades of experience behind him, firstly working cutting grass for his own business straight out of school and then spending more than two decades as a horticulturist across NSW. Antony eventually landed at Royal Sydney Golf Club and joined the Horticultural team for five years before switching to the club’s Northern Area team where he now helps manage 15 grass tennis courts, two bowling greens, two croquet lawns, seven synthetic grass courts, as well as feature lawns. He also helped on the newly constructed ‘Championship Course’.
During his time working at Royal Sydney, Antony has immersed himself in general maintenance, seasonal renovations, machine maintenance, setting up for play and has learnt about the importance of time management. Antony has a desire to continue his studies and gain his Diploma in Sports Turf Management and earn an irrigation qualification in the future.
“I enjoy being able to learn and improve every day,” says Antony. “Not every day goes the way I want, but it is how I learn and improve myself which is what I enjoy. Learning from experienced industry professionals has been extremely rewarding.”
SAM WORLEY
Adelaide Oval | TMSA Sam’s journey to sports turf management wasn’t straightforward, but his career has always been underpinned by a love of sport, particularly cricket. A qualified personal trainer, Sam was inspired to pursue turf management when watching the Adelaide Oval grounds team during the 2021 Ashes Series. A chat with head curator Damian Hough set him on the right traineeship pathway and he joined the team as a casual with no prior industry knowledge.
Sam showed an immediate aptitude for the skills required of an Adelaide Oval groundsperson – strong initiative and problemsolving, an ability to work both independently and collaboratively, attention to detail and a real feel for how best to make an impact without losing sight of the big picture. For these reasons, he was asked to travel to Florida to support Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions in its work for the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup.
Other highlights for Sam have been maintaining the practice nets ahead of Test matches and rebuilding a wicket block from scratch at his old high school. Sam is a proud ambassador for the industry and Adelaide Oval and is motivated by the part he plays in maintaining the its world-class reputation.
QSTMA finalist Tobey Phillips is currently a turf surfaces attendant at Brisbane Racing Club’s Doomben racecourse
Trial sites have been established in Victoria, New South Wales (pictured is the Berry site pretreatment) and Queensland to evaluate PGR usage on a range of warm-season turfgrasses
PGR trial
update
AGCSATech agronomist Amy Dingle provides an update on the Hort Innovation-funded trial on the use of plant growth regulators in warm-season turf production.
One of the latest research initiatives arising from the Hort Innovation funding program is ‘TU24003 –Plant Growth Regulators in On-Farm Turf Establishment’. The project has been developed to provide turf producers with greater confidence in the use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) within commercial production systems, while also delivering variety-specific guidance on turf tolerance and response.
In addition to assessing plant safety and performance, the trial aims to identify potential improvements in turf quality and presentation, alongside opportunities to reduce production inputs and maintenance requirements through the strategic use of PGRs.
The AGCSATech team is leading the project, which has now progressed from the
initial establishment phase into a program of regular growing season applications and monitoring. Trial sites have been established across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland to capture a range of climatic conditions and production environments representative of the Australian turf industry.
With assistance from an industry-based project reference group, a total of 13 turf cultivars were selected across several key warm-season turf species commonly used in commercial production. These included hybrid couch, buffalo, kikuyu and zoysia varieties. Species selection varied slightly between states to reflect the cultivars most commonly produced within each region (see Table 1 opposite for the full list of cultivars).
The trial has been established as a randomised block design, with each turf variety including untreated control plots and three
separate PGR treatment rates. This allows for clear comparison between treatments and helps identify how each variety responds to different PGR application rates. The PGR being evaluated throughout the trial is trinexapacethyl (Primo 250EC).
Initial applications were undertaken across all trial sites in February 2026 using lower label application rates. This cautious approach was adopted to assess any potential varietal sensitivity or phytotoxic response. Follow up applications were made in April at low, midrange and high label rates for each species to assess response.
Initial data collected following the first applications included turf quality, turf density, seedhead suppression, Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), turf height and phytotoxicity.
RESULTS
Early results demonstrated that the PGR was performing as anticipated, with noticeable suppression of vertical growth across the majority of turf species. Effective seedhead suppression was also observed, particularly within the couchgrass cultivars.
Importantly, initial assessments at the lower rates, identified minimal phytotoxicity or adverse turf response across the trial sites, providing confidence to proceed with a second round of applications at the higher end of the registered label rates for each species.
For research purposes, elevated application rates were applied to selected species during late March and early April
PHOTOS: AMY DINGLE
2026 to assess varietal tolerance and identify potential phytotoxic responses under more intensive growth regulation programs. Early observations from these treatments have already highlighted varying levels of sensitivity between varieties. These responses will assist in refining application recommendations and establishing optimal operating ranges for individual turf cultivars.
Assessments will continue throughout the winter period to determine whether PGR applications influence turf performance heading into dormancy, as well as their impact on spring recovery and green-up. Regular applications are expected to recommence during September-October 2026, with exact timing dependent on soil temperatures and seasonal growing conditions within each state.
Throughout the duration of the project, Growing Degree Days (GDD) will be recorded at each site and compared against calendarbased scheduling to provide additional guidance for growers using either method to determine application frequency. This will help identify which approach more accurately reflects turf growth patterns across different environments and improve the practicality of future recommendations for PGR use.
Further assessments planned for the next season will expand the dataset to include clipping volume, sod strength and harvest quality, root development and thatch accumulation. At this stage, results remain preliminary, with the trial continuing into early 2027 and full findings expected to be released in Autumn 2027.
While the data is still being consolidated, several interesting trends have emerged across the trial, although these will require further confirmation in subsequent assessment cycles before final conclusions are drawn. The observations include...
BUFFALO VARIETIES: Some sensitivity was evident at the higher label rates, however, overall turf quality remained acceptable, with only minor and temporary discolouration recorded. Some varieties showed little to no statistically significant phytotoxicity even at the higher application rates.
COUCH VARIETIES: Only limited phytotoxicity has been observed within some couch varieties, with symptoms primarily occurring at the higher application rates at the Victorian trial site. Where present, this response was also associated with a temporary decline in turf quality.
Initial applications were undertaken across all trial sites (pictured is the Queensland site) in February 2026 using lower label rates to assess potential varietal sensitivity or phytotoxic response. Follow up applications were made in April at low, mid-range and high label rates for each species to assess response
TABLE 1: TURF CULTIVARS INCLUDED IN PGR TRIAL CULTIVAR STATE
IronCutter (couch) NSW, Vic, Qld
Santa Ana (couch) Vic
Tahoma 31 (couch) Vic
TifTuf (couch) NSW, Vic, Qld
Wintergreen (couch) Qld
Kenda (kikuyu) Vic
MU2/Eureka (kikuyu) NSW, Vic
Prestige (buffalo) Vic
Sapphire (buffalo) NSW, Qld
Sir Walter (buffalo) NSW, Vic, Qld
Stampede (buffalo) NSW, Qld
Empire (zoysia) Qld
Sir Grange (zoysia) NSW, Qld
Zoysia Australis (zoysia) NSW, Qld
A strong relationship has also been observed between increasing PGR application rates and improved seedhead suppression, with higher rates generally providing the greatest level of control. As expected, increased application rates also resulted in greater suppression of vertical turf growth across the couch varieties.
KIKUYU VARIETIES: The kikuyu varieties showed increased sensitivity at the higher application rates at the Victorian trial site, although overall turf quality remained acceptable with only minor and temporary loss of colour observed. Vertical growth suppression was also effective, with a clear relationship identified between increasing PGR application rates and reduced turf height.
In contrast, the NSW site showed minimal response, with no statistically significant phytotoxicity or suppression of vertical growth observed, even at the higher rates. These differences highlight the potential influence of environmental and climatic conditions on PGR performance and turf response.
ZOYSIA VARIETIES: The zoysia varieties have generally shown a greater response to the higher PGR application rates compared to
the other turf species included in the trial. At the higher treatment levels, some reduction in turf quality was observed, along with temporary discolouration and minor leaf tip burn in several plots. These early observations suggest zoysia varieties may benefit from a more moderate application approach, although further assessments will be required to confirm these trends.
Initial findings from the trial are already providing valuable information on the tolerance of individual turf varieties to PGR applications. These early observations reinforce the importance of developing varietyspecific recommendations for commercial turf production. Regular applications are planned to recommence in spring, with ongoing monitoring and further updates to be provided as the trial progresses.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the turf research and development levy, contributions from the Australian Government and co-investment from the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association. Hort Innovation is the growerowned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture. The AGCSATech project team would like to acknowledge the valuable support provided by the project reference group, Syngenta and participating turf producers in establishing and maintaining the trial sites.
Water has always shaped golf course management. But as Kate Torgersen and Matt McIntosh write, in Australia it is increasingly shaping the future licence of the game itself.
For golf course managers and staff, water is not just a simple input. It affects turf health, playability, renovation planning, vegetation strategy, member expectations, costs, compliance, staffing, machinery use, chemical inputs, public perception and, increasingly, a club’s ability to show it is managing land responsibly. That pressure is only growing.
Golf Australia’s Golf Course 2030 strategy document identifies climate, resources and regulation as three major drivers forcing the industry to adapt to ensure optimal conditioning and playability are achieved. The report notes that climate extremes are increasing the challenges facing turf and vegetation managers, including higher temperatures, lower cool-season rainfall across many parts of southern Australia, more time spent in drought, more intense rainfall events and increased reliance on irrigation water, chemicals, machinery and funds.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s drought reporting tells a similar story. For the 36 months ending April 2026, rainfall was below average across most of the country. It also notes that southern Australia has recorded
below-average April to October rainfall in 26 of the last 32 years from 1994 to 2025.
For golf clubs, that means the question is no longer simply how do we keep the course green? The more important question is how do we protect playability, reduce reliance on scarce water and show members, councils, regulators and the wider community that golf is using water wisely?
A WHOLE-OF-COURSE ISSUE
Water efficiency is often discussed through irrigation. GEO – Sustainable Golf, the USGA and other international bodies consistently point to irrigation audits, system uniformity, improved turf selection, recycled water, rainwater harvesting and naturalisation as major levers for reducing water use and cost. But water resilience is bigger than irrigation.
A golf course is a living landscape. It captures, stores, filters, loses and reuses water every day. Design, vegetation, soil structure, drainage, mowing lines, dams, wetlands, turf selection and tree placement all influence how much water a course needs and how well it holds onto what it receives.
This is where golf has an opportunity to shift the conversation.
The public often sees golf through a narrow lens – green turf = high water use. But the reality is more complex, with many Australian clubs already use recycled water, stormwater, groundwater, dams, bores or multiple water sources.
A 2020 Australian Golf Industry Council research report showed that more than 40 per cent of golf clubs nationally had a formal water management plan in place, while around twothirds either had, or were exploring, alternative water sources. The most common longer-term alternatives being pursued included access to recycled water plants, new bores, on-site recycling plants, stormwater pipes and dam construction.
Importantly, the research also showed that many clubs were already implementing practical, shorter-term water-efficiency measures, including:
l Use of wetting agents (65%);
l Less frequent watering (59%);
l Installation of more efficient sprinkler heads (50%);
l Changing to less water-dependent turf types (33%);
l The above were in addition to reducing the scope of turf areas requiring irrigation.
As water becomes more precious, golf clubs will increasingly need to show that they are not just consumers of water, but careful managers of landscapes that provide recreation, green space, habitat, stormwater function and community value
This matters because it shows golf’s water response is not new. The industry has been adapting for some time. But as climate pressure, allocations, costs and public scrutiny increase, the need to make that work more visible, current and clearly communicated is becoming more important.
RESTRICTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS
Water pressure is not experienced evenly across Australia. A Melbourne Sandbelt club, a King Island course, a Perth facility, a club along the Murray or in South Australia may all be managing very different water sources, allocations, climate patterns, soil profiles and community expectations.
In WA, the issue is particularly visible. The State Government has already recognised a future with less available groundwater, with golf courses encouraged to participate in the Waterwise Golf Program. The program focuses on training, design, efficient irrigation, water budgeting, soil management and alternative water supplies so golf courses can reduce demand while protecting playing quality.
Similar pressures are now being felt in parts of northern Tasmania, King Island and SA, where dry conditions, allocation limits and water security are becoming increasingly important considerations for course planning.
NATIVE VEGETATION AS PART OF THE SOLUTION
Planting more indigenous vegetation is not a silver bullet. Poorly planned vegetation can create shade issues, root competition, maintenance problems, playability impacts and member resistance. But done properly, native vegetation can become an important part of a club’s water strategy.
Vegetation planning should be seen as part of the broader course management system, not as a separate environmental add-on. The aim is not simply to ‘plant more trees’ or ‘make rough look natural’. The aim is to identify where vegetation can reduce inputs, support playability, improve landscape function, strengthen biodiversity and help the course adapt to harsher conditions.
A naturalised carry, a revegetated drainage line, a wetland edge, a no-mow zone or a locally-sourced planting area is more than ‘environmental works’. It can be a visible demonstration that the club is managing land, water and habitat with long-term intent.
Many clubs have already implemented practical waterefficiency measures, but as climate pressure and public scrutiny increases, the need to make that work more visible is even more important
WATER QUALITY MATTERS
Water strategy is not only about quantity. Golf courses often contain dams, wetlands, drains, creeks and low points where runoff collects. What happens in these areas affects irrigation performance, visual quality, habitat value and community perception.
Organic matter, sediment, nutrient movement, algal blooms, bank erosion, poor edge vegetation and stagnant water can all create problems. Better vegetation around water bodies can help filter runoff, slow water movement, reduce erosion, improve habitat and support better water quality over time.
Water bodies on golf courses are often viewed first as irrigation storage, drainage assets or hazards within the playing strategy. But wetlands and waterways can also provide important habitat for flora and fauna, particularly in urban and peri-urban landscapes where golf courses may form part of a wider green corridor.
This does not remove the need for sound agronomy or water testing, but it broadens the way clubs think about water. These places can become part of the course’s water resilience, biodiversity value and public-facing story.
BETTER RECORDS, BETTER DECISIONS
As water pressure increases, clubs will also need to improve how they record and explain their water use. Many clubs already collect important information – bore readings, dam levels, pump activity, irrigation volumes, water quality results, rainfall, restrictions, allocation limits, recycled water use or stormwater capture. But this information is often across spreadsheets, irrigation systems, emails, whiteboards or individual staff knowledge. That can make it harder to compare periods, identify trends, prepare reports or clearly explain what is changing over time.
Utilising new technology platforms to assist data collection and making the information easier to consume and share is important. In a future where allocations, restrictions,
climate pressure and public scrutiny are likely to increase, better records will become part of good course management. They will also help clubs show the work already being done to use water carefully and support wider environmental outcomes.
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
While the technical work is important, it is but half the challenge. The other half is communication. Golfers have been trained over time to associate green with good. But in a drying, warming climate that expectation will need to keep shifting. Firm, healthy and playable surfaces may not always be lush. Roughs may be drier. Some areas may be deliberately naturalised. Visual change may be a sign of good management, not neglect.
This is where clubs need to bring members, committees and communities along for the journey. A vegetation management plan, water plan or sustainability initiative should not sit in a folder. It should be explained visually and practically – what is changing, why it matters, how it protects the course, how it supports playability and how it reduces risk.
For the public, this is even more important. Golf courses occupy large and visible parcels of land. As water becomes more precious, clubs will increasingly need to show that they are not just consumers of water, but careful managers of landscapes that provide recreation, green space, habitat, cooling, stormwater function and community value.
The future requires better irrigation systems, stronger data and mapping, improved water budgeting, climate-appropriate turf, alternative water sources, recycled water (where available), better dams and storage, better soil management, thoughtful vegetation planning and clearer communication.
Australian golf has shown it can adapt. The next phase is about making that more visible, measurable and strategic. And when the next question from members or the public about whether golf is doing enough, the answer should be ‘Yes – and here is the evidence’
PHOTO: BRETT ROBINSON
It’s almost 18 years ago to this edition when a fresh-faced Victorian apprentice by the name of Rhys Whitling sat nervously during the awards dinner at the 2008 Australian Turfgrass Conference in Melbourne. As that year’s VGCSA representative for the AGCSA Graduate of the Year Award, the Safety Beach Country Club greenkeeper, who had just celebrated his 21st birthday, awaited the winner being announced alongside four other equally nervous finalists drawn from across the country.
Although the trophy wouldn’t go his way that evening, it was nonetheless a significant achievement so early in his career and a portent of things to come for Whitling. Eighteen years on and now 22 years into his sports turf management career, Whitling still has the same passion for the profession and thrives being a part of it. Indeed, if you look back at the other graduate finalists that year, only Whitling has gone on to become a course superintendent.
A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since that conference. Safety Beach Country Club, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, rebranded a few years back and is now known as ‘The Valley’, while for Whitling he now finds himself and his young family on the other side of the country. After rising up the ranks across a number of Melbourne clubs, in 2021 a shift
the craft Whitling’s passion for
ATM columnist Ben Gibson chats to Lakelands Country Club
superintendent Rhys Whitling about his unique journey in sports turf management and his philosophies on leadership.
2011-2015: Superintendent (Amstel Park Golf Club, Vic)
2011: Assistant superintendent (Amstel Park Golf Club, Vic)
2008-2010: Assistant superintendent (Safety Beach Country Club, Vic)
2003-2008: Apprentice Greenkeeper (Safety Beach CC) – named VGCSA Golf Turf Apprentice of the Year in 2008
west for family reasons has seen him embark on a new chapter of his career, most recently as superintendent of Lakelands Country Club, 30 minutes north of the Perth CBD. Just 18 months into that role, we caught up with the 39-year-old to reflect on his career path and approach to managing the course and crew…
How did you end up in turf? Did you choose turf or did it choose you? I definitely fell into it. Like most in the industry, school wasn’t really fulfilling what I needed in life. As a 17-year-old, sport-obsessed young man, I found myself staring out the window most days and doing everything possible to get myself out of the classroom. If I wasn’t playing sport or socialising I wasn’t really interested in being there.
I had lined up some work experience doing some landscape construction in Year 11 in the hope that I may get an apprenticeship out of that. In the end, he didn’t have anything going but mentioned that the golf course where he lived (Safety Beach Country Club) was looking for an apprentice. At this stage I don’t think I’d ever stepped foot onto a golf course let alone knew anything about what was involved. Like most I probably thought you just drove around on a golf cart all day, which is still a common answer I get if I ask people what they think I do (boy was I in for a shock!). I went for the interview and got the job. I finished Year 11 and started the next week after school finished and here we are 22 years later.
Tell us about your journey that led to you being the superintendent at Lakelands Country Club? I began my time at Safety
Beach in December of 2003. In what was a relatively low budget course with only four staff members and a fantastic gaggle of volunteers, I was thrown straight in the deep end. In those small teams you really have no choice but to learn and learn quickly. I think I cut greens on my second day on the job. I was fortunate enough to slide into the 2IC position there in the fourth year of my apprenticeship and completed another two years there.
An opportunity presented to join the team at Ranfurlie Golf Club as a senior groundsman. This was a slight sideways step and was more centred around getting to a larger scale operation. Ranfurlie was only nine years old so to be able to be a part of a maturing golf course and see the architecture surrounding it was extremely eye-opening.
During that period both Ranfurlie and Amstel were under the banner of Australian Golf Course Management which had the maintenance contract for Ranfurlie, Amstel Golf Club (Park Course) and Morack Golf Club.
The position of superintendent became available during that period and I was fortunate enough to get my first opportunity in charge
there. It was a fantastic place to cut my teeth. It had an horrific old hydraulic watering system, Poa greens, mixed fairways and Santa Ana tees. It certainly taught me a lot about Poa management as a desired species and just how adaptable it is.
At that stage Amstel Park had already been sold to a property developer (and has since been developed) and due to the closing date getting closer I was forced to
plan the next step in my turf management journey. I was fortunate enough to land the assistant superintendent position at Peninsula Kingswood at the Kingswood site in Dingley. Getting to a Sandbelt golf club was always something I had strived for and Kingswood certainly did not disappoint. We co-hosted the Australian Amateur in 2017 which was my first real taste of tournament prep and I loved every minute of it.
Opposite: Lakelands Country Club sprawls across a 70 hectare site about 30 minutes north of the Perth CBD in the suburb of Gnangara. Pictured is the par three 7th
Whitling has been Lakelands superintendent since January 2025. Whitling is standing in front of the club’s ‘Merv Cashford Maintenance Facility’ which features a mural dedicated to the Lakelands life member. Cashford was a long-standing volunteer, with the mural painted to honour him and all those who dedicate their time to the club
During my time at Kingswood, the redevelopment at PK (Peninsula Kingswood) was in full swing. I was very fortunate to see the transformation that was being undertaken for 12 months or so and played a small part in some minor construction work there. One thing I will say about that is that I have never seen a harder working group of people as the staff that constructed and grew in the masterplan work at that site. The dedication and passion that everyone involved showed was second to none and is wholeheartedly the reason that place is what it is today.
With the closure of the Dingley site imminent, I again started looking around and the assistant role became available at RACV Cape Schanck Resort in 2017. They had just begun the construction of the new resort and some minor works on course were about to
get underway with the construction of the new 9th green, chipping area and driving range. We hosted the Victorian PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019 and I was also fortunate enough to be involved in the preparations and tournament week for the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort in 2017.
As life often does, it threw a bit of a curveball our way and we (myself, wife Geraldine and daughter Ava) found ourselves relocating to the other side of the country in Western Australia due to some family health issues.
I landed the position of nursery supervisor for HG Turf Group and was based out of Optus Stadium in Perth. I started there in May 2021 and it was an eye-opening experience to say the least. From the AFL Grand Final that year,
to operating the cricket wicket transporter and constructing two hectares of HG Turf Group’s Hero Hybrid ready-for-play turf, I experienced and learnt a lot of things I have never ever fathomed possible in the turf industry. But there was always a feeling that something was missing and that was the love of golf course maintenance.
I was offered the role of 3IC at Royal Perth Golf Club in 2022. Royal Perth was in the process of engaging architects for a course masterplan. I was promoted to assistant in 2023 and Stage 1 of the masterplan began in June 2024. The superintendent position at Lakelands Country Club then became available in December 2024. I was offered the position and started there in January 2025 and am currently 18 months into my tenure.
What is at the top of your priority list as a superintendent? Providing a quality experience for anyone and everyone who steps foot inside our facility day-in day-out with the resources we have at our disposal. Another priority of mine is to always be progressive in my thinking. Being open to learning new techniques, products and remaining up to date with new technologies that assist me and my team to better our facility. I don’t think we can ever fully understand everything we do on a daily basis, but collecting and collating data to help us achieve consistency can be extremely beneficial.
What size team do you have at Lakelands?
We have a current crew of nine and included in that is a full-time mechanic who splits his time equally between the workshop and course. I’m very fortunate to have a quality team of staff who I inherited. They are very passionate about their jobs and have a vested interest in the club with two of them being full playing members and part of the pennant teams. In the
Aside from his current role at Lakelands, one of Whitling’s career highlights was being part of HG Turf Group’s Optus Stadium team which prepared the venue for the 2021 AFL Grand Final. Whitling is second from right
Since arriving at Lakelands, Whitling says he has inherited a great crew who are open to
past 18 months the staff have been incredibly open to change and trying some new things and I, like most course managers, simply couldn’t do the job I do without them.
What does great leadership mean to you?
I think all the great leaders in any team/ environment are ones who can bring people together to achieve the desired outcome. As individuals, we are all so completely different in how we need to be managed. One shoe most certainly never fits. I think having the ability to be flexible, listen and sometimes put other people’s ideas and thoughts first is a huge part in making people feel involved and appreciated and part of a team.
It’s a very tough industry to be a leader in because no one ever blames the assistant or the apprentice if the course is no good, but to take away people’s ability to think for themselves just because I think something has to be done a certain way just doesn’t work. We aren’t robots – well, not yet – but trying to turn staff into them just simply isn’t the way.
Who has influenced your career and how?
I don’t think there has been one specific individual who has influenced me in my career but I have certainly taken a lot of different aspects of leadership from every part of my
work/life. I’ve worked at six golf courses and a stadium and not one of those managers has done something the same way. Not one of those managers has managed people the same way. I think the philosophy of treating people how you yourself would want to be treated and being open and honest goes a huge way to being a good leader.
What is the most valuable piece of technology you are using in your turf management arsenal at the moment and why? It would have to be our John Deere GPS sprayer. We have been able to reduce our chemical use by 20 per cent per application after upgrading from a pretty old unit. It’s always interesting watching staff spraying fairways while using the auto track with no hands on the steering wheel.
The benefit of knowing that no matter who you have spraying surfaces and no matter how much they overlap, the result is exactly the same, so it certainly makes life a lot easier. I have said to the guys that have only ever sprayed with the GPS unit that they will be in for a shock if they had to go back to a foam dobber or older model spray tank!
What is the biggest mistake you have made and what did you learn from it? I’m maybe not trying hard enough but I haven’t really made any huge mistakes yet and I’m certainly not planning on it! Probably my worst one was leaving a diesel cap off a 5800 and spraying a few runs on a fairway.
What do you feel is your biggest career achievement and why? Certainly my current role as course superintendent at Lakelands
Originally from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Rhys Whitling made the move to Perth with his young family – wife Geraldine and daughter Ava – in 2021
Country Club. Being trusted to look after a 70-hectare private facility is an absolute privilege. I have over 1000 members who spend their hard earnt money to keep our facility busy. They spend their spare time here and are proud enough to bring family, friends or colleagues here, which certainly is never lost on me. In terms of tournaments/events, being part of the 2021 AFL Grand Final is pretty hard to beat.
What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges facing the turf industry at the moment, and what sort of action do you feel is needed? I’m sure I’m not the only one who will say this, but certainly staff retention and finding experienced qualified staff is extremely hard. I suppose what many people don’t realise is how skilled our qualified individuals have to be in such a niche trade.
Whenever you say to someone you have spent seven years (for a Diploma) studying to get your qualification to “cut grass” they can’t
believe it. We are up at the crack of dawn, in the pouring rain or scorching heat, and you can nearly make the same money stacking shelves at Woolworths!
The pay in the industry needs to be looked at and I’m sure that would be a major step in the right direction for staff retention, especially in today’s climate. I know as a manager it’s easy to just hire casuals to replace staff, and I understand sometimes it’s the only way, however, it’s certainly not helping the situation.
How do you juggle the pressures of work, kids, family life and looking after yourself? My wife and I have always been very good at sharing the workload. Obviously, I’m out of the house before anyone else is awake. Geraldine does office hours so she will do the morning school run and I always make sure I’m there for school pickup. Obviously, there are times when things pop up and we are very fortunate to have a fantastic group of family and friends who can help when need be.
I always have the chance to take my daughter Ava to work in the afternoons if I have to pop back in for checks. She’s always loved going for a drive around anywhere I have worked and it makes it a lot easier if she understands what I do when I am away during those busier times.
What do you do for fun? I’m a sportsman. I still play cricket and I tried to make an AFL comeback a few years ago. Thinking I was still a young and fit 18-year-old, I ended up pinging a calf! Safe to say footy has taken a back seat for now. Other than that, I’m into my cars.
What is something no one in the turf industry would know about you? I’d say most people wouldn’t know I have a pet axolotl! Well, it’s my daughter’s but I’ve been lumped into the care/maintenance of it!
Finally, any advice for younger staff in the turf industry looking for their next opportunity or building their careers? I will always say to everyone not to be afraid of moving around and seeing different sites/courses and apply to volunteer for tournaments. I think experiences in the industry are what make you and set you up where you want to be in the future.
I think nowadays most managers are extremely supportive of their staff upskilling themselves or taking opportunities when they present themselves to move up the career ladder. I certainly don’t think I would have the knowledge or the confidence to do what I’m doing now if I’d spent 22 years at the same golf course. So be sure to take yourself out of your comfort zone and test what you’re really made of.
Providing a quality experience for all those who step foot on the course is the top priority for Whitling at Lakelands
“Being trusted to look after Lakelands is an absolute privilege. Having over 1000 members who spend their hard earnt money here is never lost on me.” – Rhys Whitling
JACOBSEN UNVEILS ALL NEW OPERATOR CABIN FOR ALL-SEASON WORK
ASTMA Gold Partner Jacobsen has revealed its new and improved Operator Cabin
Featuring the SureAir AC system, panoramic visibility and the ultimate ergonomic layout, the new cabin transforms the mower unit into a highperformance, all-season workspace. By designing for visibility, comfort and control, Jacobsen has gone beyond a standard cabin and delivers the operator’s command centre.
The SureAir AC system features a highpowered front-mounted cooling condenser which pulls through clean undisturbed air and keeps out dust and debris. The rear-mounted upgraded evaporator separates the intake from the cooling for optimal efficiency. Together these deliver 42 per cent higher airflow and 33 per cent more powerful cooling than previous models, through six directional vents.
The operator cabin features an asymmetric curved front windshield delivering panoramic visibility, while enhanced acoustic insulation ensures low cabin noise levels, supporting a quieter workday. The cabin features an enhanced ergonomic layout, with the exclusive pillar-mounted driver display offering unmatched visibility and critical data access.
Designed around the operator for seamless control and reduced fatigue, it also features adjustable seat, armrest and steering wheel support for optimal posture and operator comfort. A side window in the cabin opens partially for extra ventilation without compromising cabin integrity and can be fully extended by removing the safety pin.
It boasts a low-profile cabin height, adding just 1.97” (5cm) to overall machine height vs ROPS. In doing so it maintains a sleek silhouette while delivering full protection and comfort. The roof design also naturally sheds debris and allows easy access for servicing.
Additional key features which come standard include cabin climate heating, heated front screen and air suspension cloth seat,
plus dual amber warning beacons, exterior mirrors, sound reduction kit, rear view mirror, cup holder, netted storage pockets, sunshade, speakers, wiring and antennae ready for aftermarket audio unit. Optional work and road lights are also available.
TORO IRRIGATION OFFERINGS
ASTMA Platinum Partner Toro Australia has introduced Spatial Adjust, a first-of-its-kind software tool that provides streamlined, precision irrigation controller for golf courses. Coming soon, this innovative software was developed through an exclusive partnership with TerraRad and integrates exclusively with the Toro Lynx Central Control platform.
Spatial Adjust eliminates the need for manual labour in moisture monitoring and sprinkler adjustments. The software uses turfRad smart sensors, which are installed on Toro equipment to map soil moisture levels in real time as the turf is being mowed. This realtime data is captured by Spatial Adjust and transmitted to the Toro Lynx Central Control platform.
Toro has also unveiled Lynx Drive – a completely reimagined, mobile-first approach to golf irrigation software. Designed specifically for golf course superintendents, the all-new Lynx Drive is now available for order. With Lynx Drive, superintendents can immediately respond to changing conditions, shifting weather and unexpected emergencies all from a mobile device. Designed for easy use on smartphones and tablets, the streamlined layout of Lynx Drive highlights the features used daily to optimise irrigation management. The intuitive display includes larger text and high-quality images with bright colours for enhanced visibility and detail.
CAMPBELL’S COUP
ASTMA Bronze Partner Colin Campbell Chemicals has added to its turf team with the appointment in May of Matt Holmes (pictured) to the role of Business Development Manager. Holmes has over 20 years’ experience in the turf market, mostly in chemicals with companies such as Adama and Syngenta, but also some time with Turf Australia as Industry Development Manager and with EHS consultancy firm epar.
“We are pleased to welcome Matt to the Colin Campbell Chemicals team,” says Nadeem Zreikat, Turf National Sales Manager. “His vast experience across all facets of turf, ornamental and industrial vegetation management will no doubt be of great assistance to our customers and help us grow and solidify existing relationships nationally.”
Holmes started his new role on 7 May and can be contacted on 0418 710 129 or email matt@campbellchemicals.com.au.
Toro’s Spatial Adjust is a first-of-its-kind software tool that provides streamlined, precision irrigation controller for golf courses
Jacobsen’s all-new Operator Cabin sets a new benchmark in ergonomic design and comfort
Come and talk turf with us. STAND 11
ASTMA TRADE SHOW & CONFERENCE 23–25 JUNE 2026
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STA VIC
The Sports Turf Association (Victoria) successfully hosted its 2026 Field & Demonstration Day at Casey Fields in late April, bringing together turf professionals, councils, contractors, schools, sporting organisations, golf clubs and industry suppliers for one of Victoria’s premier sports turf events.
Held at the outstanding Casey Fields sporting precinct, the event featured 23 exhibitors showcasing the latest developments in sports turf machinery, irrigation, chemicals, turf varieties, line marking, technology and maintenance solutions. Attendees were treated to live demonstrations, interactive displays and static equipment exhibitions throughout the day, providing valuable hands-on learning and networking opportunities for the industry.
Exhibitors participating in the event included: Advanced Seed, Droneland, Greenway Turf Solutions, HG Turf Group, Hunter Industries, Daisy’s Garden Supplies, K&B Adams, StrathAyr, Sunshower, Envu, ADE Turf Equipment, Mentay, Brandt, Dawn Mowers, Turfmate International, Nuturf Equipment Solutions, Abel Sports, Tiny Mobile Robots, Lilydale Instant Lawn, Kress, TurfBreed and Turf Group Australia.
The day highlighted the rapid advancement of technology and innovation within the sports turf sector, with attendees able to see live machinery demonstrations and discuss operational efficiencies, sustainability initiatives and maintenance practices directly with suppliers and manufacturers. Demonstrations included autonomous technology, irrigation systems, turf renovation equipment, line marking solutions and sports field maintenance machinery operating in realworld conditions.
The event attracted a strong attendance from sports turf managers, grounds staff, local government representatives, golf facilities and contractors, reinforcing the importance of industry collaboration and professional development opportunities within Victoria’s sports turf industry.
STA (Vic) thanks all exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers and attendees who contributed to the success of the day, with special appreciation to Casey Fields and the City of Casey for hosting the event at one of Victoria’s leading sporting facilities. We look forward to seeing you all at the MCG on 22 July for our next event –the Annual Sports Turf Seminar.
VALE DAVID SANGUINETTI
The past and present committees of the TGAA/ STA Victoria were deeply saddened in May to announce the passing of the association’s inaugural secretary and one of its five founding fathers, David Sanguinetti. David (pictured
below, second row from the back, far left, above a young Phil Ford) played an integral role in the establishment of the Turf Grass Association in Victoria in 1989 while employed with Trinity Grammar School (TGS) .
David served on the committee for six years, helping to build the strong foundations that has enabled the organisation to grow and thrive to this day. His vision, commitment and dedication during those formative years helped shape the association, while his passion for the industry left an indelible mark on those who worked with and beside him.
David’s contribution to the profession extended well beyond his service to the association. It is difficult to overstate the impact he had through his extraordinary dedication to TGS, where his service spanned almost six decades and left an enduring legacy that will continue to benefit generations to come.
David commenced his career with TGS at the Kew Campus in 1968 as school curator/ groundsman, a role he held until 1980. In that period he worked with his father-in-law, the legendary Bill Vanthoff, the former head curator at the MCG. During this time, he established a reputation for hard work, pride in his craft and an unwavering commitment to maintaining exceptional grounds.
In 1980, David took on the significant responsibility of overseeing both the Kew site and the school’s newly acquired property in Bulleen. Between 1980 and 1982 he was instrumental in the development of the Bulleen site into the outstanding facility known today. His vision, expertise and hands-on approach were central to shaping the ovals to sit above flood levels, designing the swale drains, and establishing much of the site infrastructure that remains in place today.
From 1982, David moved to the Bulleen playing fields full-time as curator, overseeing the maintenance and development of the 25-hectare site for the next 27 years until his retirement at the end of 2009. Under his care, the grounds flourished, reflecting the pride, professionalism and exacting standards he brought to his work each and every day.
Despite retiring, in 2010 David stepped into the role of caretaker, a position he held right through until his passing. For a further 16 years, David remained a constant and reassuring presence at Trinity’s now-named Marles Playing Fields, opening and closing the gates seven days a week, keeping a watchful eye over the grounds he helped create and supporting the next generation of curators as they continued his work.
David’s contribution cannot be measured simply in years of service, although nearly 58 years is remarkable in itself and a tenure that’s unlikely to ever be eclipsed at Trinity. His true legacy lies in the spaces he built, the standards he set and the care he showed for both the grounds and the people who followed in his footsteps.
He will be remembered not only for his extraordinary dedication and expertise, but also for his steadfast presence, quiet humility and the immense pride he took in his work. David leaves behind a lasting legacy within both the STA and TGS and will be deeply missed by all.
MARK DOYLE PRESIDENT, STA VICTORIA
More than 20 exhibitors showcased the latest developments in sports turf machinery and technology at the STA Victoria 2026 Field & Demonstration Day held at Casey Fields in late April
The inaugural TGAA Victoria committee
TSTMA
The Tasmanian Sports Turf Managers Association’s (TSTMA) annual conference once again proved to be a standout event, with 147 delegates attending the 2026 event held at Country Club Tasmania just outside of Launceston. The event brought together turf managers, industry suppliers, educators and sports turf professionals from across the state for a day of networking, professional development and celebration of industry achievements.
Tasmania experienced a warmer and drier autumn period leading into the conference, with above-average temperatures and extended sunny conditions providing excellent growing weather across the state. These favourable conditions allowed facility managers to present playing surfaces at an exceptionally high standard heading into the slower growth and typically wetter winter months.
The conference program featured an outstanding lineup of guest speakers, including Tim Bailey (Southside Racing), Hayden Mead (Kingston Heath GC) and Matt Oliver (Suncorp Stadium), all of whom shared their insights and experiences managing some of Australia’s leading turf facilities.
Delegates were also treated to excellent weather for the event, creating ideal conditions for the highly anticipated course walk and inspection of the new course construction project at Country Club Tasmania. Led by golf course architect Robyn Gibson, the walk provided a great insight into the design philosophy, construction methods and future vision for the development. The visit generated strong discussion among attendees and showcased the exciting investment occurring within Tasmania’s golf and sports turf sector.
The conference also celebrated outstanding achievements through our annual awards. Jack Pearce (Burnie City Council) won the Sportsfield Graduate of the Year, while Jessika Maclaren (Devonport CC/Riverside GC) received the Golf Graduate of the Year Award. Industry excellence awards were also presented, with Brad Marsh (Kingston Twin Ovals) taking out the Excellence in Sportsfield Management Award. Anthony Toogood was recognised for his exceptional work at 7 Mile Beach, receiving both the Excellence in Golf Course Management Award and the prestigious Phil Hill Award for Excellence in Turfgrass Management.
The TSTMA AGM was also held, with Marcus Pamplin retained as president. Members reflected positively on another strong year for the association, with continued growth in membership, industry engagement and educational opportunities across Tasmania.
The full TSTMA committee is:
l President: Marcus Pamplin (Bellerive Oval)
l V-president: Craig Walker (Devonport CC)
l Treasurer: Ryan Smith (The Baker Group)
l Secretary: Scott Reid (TasTAFE)
l General committee: Andy Byard, Mack Blazely (Launceston GC), Tom Filtness (Kingston Beach GC), Tom North (Royal Hobart GC), Trent Smith (West Tamar Council) and Ollie Beswick (All Turf Tas) The success of the conference highlighted the strength of the Tasmanian industry and the important role the TSTMA plays in supporting professional development, collaboration and recognition across all turf sectors.
SCOTT REID SECRETARY, TSTMA
TSTMA Graduate of the Year Award winners Jessika Maclaren and Jack Pearce with Marcus Pamplin
The TSTMA state conference in May included a course walk of the redeveloped Country Club Tasmania layout
VGCSA
Our 99th AGM at 13th Beach Golf Links, sponsored by Husqvarna and Toro Australia, was a successful event. Host superintendent, Steven Hewitt, was able to turn on a magnificent autumn day and the course was, as usual, in tip-top condition. Brett Balloch (Anglesea GC) took out the Powell Trophy, sponsored by Husqvarna (best stroke score), Tony Gordon (The National GC) won the Toro Cup (best stableford score) and, for the second year running, Paul Reeves won the President’s Shield (best trade score).
Following the AGM proceedings, I was very pleased that we retained the same committee members, with just a slight shuffle of the deck. Jeff Powell stepped away from the vice-president role but stays on committee, Nic Douglas moves from treasurer to vicepresident and Brenton Clarke moves from the general committee to treasurer. The full committee confirmed at the AGM was:
l President: Adam Lamb (Commonwealth)
l Vice-president: Nic Douglas (Sandhurst)
l Treasurer: Brenton Clarke (Settlers Run)
l Secretary: Tay Wilson (Kooringal GC)
l Committee: Nick Launer (Keysborough GC), Geraldine O’Callaghan (Sandringham Links/RMGC), Jeff Powell (Ballarat GC) and Keegan Powell (The Sands, Torquay)
Following the AGM came the news that Keegan Powell had accepted a new superintendent’s position in Tasmania and he will unfortunately have to vacate his position on the committee. We certainly wish him all the
GCSAWA
Perth had a quick tease of an early winter with 78mm of rain officially falling on 28 March but some courses recorded well over 100mm in their gauges. Since then, however, we had just 30mm in April and just 10mm so far as we head into the final week of May. Some long dry spells and mid-20 degree days have kept the pump stations on and ready.
The large rainfall day was the day of the WA Golf Industry Awards Night, so it was reason for a double celebration for superintendents in the room. Mount Lawley and Kalgoorlie cleaned up, taking home half the awards on the night. The rain did hamper some of the night with pre-drinks being moved inside and not overlooking Optus Stadium as had been planned. But all in all it was another successful awards night with 550 people in the fully booked out room.
Award winners Harrison Allardyce (Busselton GC) and Rod Tatt (Mount Lawley GC) will be representing the association in the National Turf Industry Awards finals at the Melbourne conference and it looks like a fairly
best for his very exciting opportunity, and he will be missed by the VGCSA.
At the conclusion of the lunch, we made three VGCSA award announcements. William Savickas (Barwon Heads GC/the Gordon TAFE) picked up the Apprentice of the Year. The Trade Recognition Award went to Paul Woloszyn from Rain Bird Australia and Shane Greenhill (Sorrento GC) was presented the Superintendent Recognition Award.
As we draw closer to our greatly anticipated Country Conference at Yarrawonga, plans are coming together beautifully for what promises to be a golf course managementfocused program of the highest calibre. We are very much looking forward to welcoming VGCSA and NSWGCSA members, interstate and international guests and sponsors to a
large contingent of superintendents, GMs and clubhouse staff are making their way across from WA for the event.
The previous day we held the Trade Challenge Golf Day at the fully revamped Links Kennedy Bay. It was the first sighting of the course for most of us and Mark Bilsborough and his team are to be commended for the rebuild and presentation on the day. A big thanks to those country and interstate guys who made the trip to Perth for the two events.
It’s been a busy couple of months for a number of clubs around WA with the ProAm series just finishing up the southern loop before the pros travel north for the last part of the series. It started in Dunsborough and the southwest early May before a number of Perth courses hosted events, with Karratha, Port Hedland and finally Broome to come.
In other course works happening at the moment, Mandurah CC, Lake Karrinyup CC and The Western Australian GC are all doing full irrigation installs this winter, while Royal Perth commences the third and final stage of a full course renovation in early June.
series of sessions headlined by some of the most prominent and respected names in the international turf industry.
This will be a landmark event for the association and one which will help shape the direction of our future meetings. We look forward to seeing good numbers attending and an amazing opportunity to network. That event, to be held from 3-5 August, will be followed on 8 September by our final education meeting of the year at Huntingdale Golf Club.
We are looking forward to the upcoming ASTMA conference in our home state and hoping we can turn on a magnificent week of Melbourne winter weather for all attending.
The next GCSAWA event is the AGM which this year will be held on Monday 17 August at Mount Lawley Golf Club. The day consists of breakfast, 18 holes of golf, lunch and the AGM. More information will be sent out shortly, but please pencil this important day in your diary.
Myself and a couple of other superintendents went over to Tasmania recently for a week of golf and AFL. The new 7 Mile Beach course is amazing and with the land cleared for the next course and clubhouse plans in place, it’s going to be a busy but exciting time for the team down there. We also played the three courses at Barnbougle which is as enjoyable as any golf I’ve played anywhere. Thanks to Anthony Toogood and Rod Hinwood for the catch ups and chats.
With even more courses in the works, the upgrade of UTAS Stadium and the Devils about to enter the AFL, I can see Tasmania becoming a favourite destination for a few days away of golf and footy. See you in Melbourne.
SHANE BAKER PRESIDENT, GCSAWA
ADAM LAMB PRESIDENT, VGCSA
13th Beach superintendent Steven Hewitt leads a course walk during the recent VGCSA AGM
The 2026 calendar year has started strongly following the agreed merger between the GCSAQ and STA Queensland. A newly-formed committee has been actively engaged in delivering a comprehensive program of industry events and educational opportunities across Queensland.
The year’s first event, the Turf Machinery and Renovation Day, was held in February at Oxley Golf Club and hosted by course superintendent Luke Nolan. The day featured a broad range of turf machinery demonstrations and included an educational seminar presented by Dr John Kaminski from Penn State University, focusing on ERI and water quality management.
This was followed by a successful educational event at Southport Golf Club in late March, hosted by course superintendent Stuart Moore, which continued to strengthen engagement and professional development opportunities for industry members.
In April, a Sports Field Day was conducted at Langlands Park (Totally Workwear Stadium). The event focused on line marking techniques, winter field preparation and discussions surrounding Olympic-ready stadium presentation and maintenance standards. Particular thanks to Zane McPhail from Viscom Signs who, as well as giving a presentation, painted the new QSTMA logo onto the ground (pictured above).
During the day, Tobey Phillips (Brisbane Racing Club) was announced as the QSTMA Sports Turf Graduate of the Year and will now represent the association in the national final at the Melbourne conference. He joins Nathan Baker (Byron Bay GC) who was earlier announced as our golf graduate finalist.
In early May, Nudgee Golf Club (superintendent Peter Culross) hosted a Nuturf educational day. The event further contributed to the association’s commitment to providing practical and technical learning opportunities for members.
At the time of this edition going to print, we had three additional events scheduled prior to the Melbourne conference. These included:
l A GTS Day at Kooralbyn Valley, scheduled on the eve of the opening State of Origin match;
l A Living Turf mini-conference to be held on Magnetic Island at the end of May; and
l An educational day at Keperra Golf Club in early June, focusing on the agronomic importance of sharp reels and equipment performance.
Following the Melbourne conference in June, the association will continue its
active events calendar with several initiatives already planned. These include a managers/ superintendents day, a walk-and-talk around the Olympic golf course precinct, an irrigation and spray application day at Ballymore (the home of Queensland Rugby) and additional ERI and mite management days on the Sunshine Coast.
The year will conclude with the Queensland Golf Industry Awards, recognising and celebrating excellence and achievement within Queensland’s turf industry. The committee extends its best wishes to all award nominees and acknowledges the continued support and participation of members throughout what has already been a productive and successful year for the industry.
KEITH JOHNSON PRESIDENT, QSTMA
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QSTMA held a Sports Field Day at Langlands Park in late April, with around 50 members attending
TMSA
As we move into winter, activity across the association begins to ramp up, with a busy calendar of events alongside planning for the year ahead.
In preparation for the ASTMA conference in Melbourne, we recently completed judging for our Graduate of the Year awards. Interviews were conducted across both golf and sports turf categories, and once again the calibre of this year’s presentations made the judging process particularly challenging. After careful consideration, we were pleased to announce that the 2026 winners were:
l Sportsfields & Grounds: Sam Worley (Adelaide Oval SMA)
l Golf: Maxwell Clark (Kooyonga GC) Both recipients have demonstrated outstanding potential and we are confident they will represent South Australia with distinction at the ASTMA National Turf Industry Awards in Melbourne. We sincerely thank Living Turf and Nuturf for their continued support and sponsorship of these award categories.
Following significant work led by TMSA executive officer Marie Cunningham, we are proud to have officially launched our new website – www.turfmanagementsa.com.au. The platform provides a central hub for members, featuring key information on sponsorship
VALE IAN ‘CHOP’ ELPHICK
T he Australian sports turf management community was shocked in May to learn of the passing of one its true characters with the death of Ian Elphick (pictured). Affectionately known across the industry as ‘Chop’, the larger than life turf manager and former superintendent at Gunnedah Golf Club, had been unwell for a number of months. True to his selfless nature, he kept his predicament quiet from the broader industry, with only those immediately close to him knowing the full extent of his condition.
The NSWGCSA announced on its Facebook page on mid-May that Elphick had been placed in palliative care, with the sad news coming through on Friday 22 May that he had passed. Elphick (53) is survived by his wife Leanne and their four children Christopher, Sam, James and Annie.
Born and bred in the NSW township of Carroll, about 20 minutes east of Gunnedah, Elphick’s turf management career began as an apprentice at Gunnedah Services & Bowling Club (now Club Gunnedah) in the early 1990s before going on to become the head greenkeeper there. He would go on to start up his own business – Chop’s Turf &
opportunities, events and registrations, as well as resources for careers and education within the turf industry.
The Pat GC hosted our fourth Industry Golf Day on Monday 11 May with 22 teams competing in an Ambrose competition for the Cooper’s Cup. The event was strongly supported by Cisgenics, our drinks cart sponsor, and our hole sponsors K&B Adams, KUBpower, Living Turf, Maxima, Metropolitan
Irrigation – and would also became involved with the local golf club in a casual capacity before taking over as its superintendent for a number of years. Elphick was a long-standing member of both the NSWGCSA and ASTMA and more recently he served on the Board of the NSWGCSA.
As well as a passion for turf management, Elphick’s enduring legacy was the way in which he was always the first to lend a hand and help out others. He regularly volunteered his time, whether at tournaments helping with course preparations or behind a barbeque feeding the crew, and could always be relied upon to lift the spirits of everyone through his infectious personality and booming laugh.
Having volunteered during the 2018 men’s Australian Open at The Lakes where he was part of the fairway mowing crew, he returned for the 2023 Open, this time bringing his barbeque down on a trailer and setting up in the maintenance compound where he fed the crew for the week. Former NSWGCSA president Nathan Bradbury fondly remembers the time Elphick brought a whole pig and a spit to an association education day and cooked for everyone!
Long-time friend and current Coffs Harbour Golf Club superintendent Matt Duff,
Machinery, Sunnyside, Think Water and Waterpro.
Appreciation to West Beach Parks superintendent Mike Bosley for his pre-event support, and to assistant superintendent Jason Churchill for his help on the day. Pro Shop thanks to Bradley Hall and James for their on course assistance.
Lunch and presentations were held at the Westward Ho GC and we appreciate the efforts of club manager Colin Anderson and his team for the great hospitality. And a special shout out to Adelaide Oval’s Damian Hough and Pete Foreman for the Lucky Door Prize, won by Luke Cousins from Glenelg Turf Ace.
Congratulations to our hole winners and to the top three teams which were Mawson Lakes GC, The Grange GC and Living Turf.
Planning is well underway for the Turf Seminar at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday 18 August, with an exciting speaker lineup now being finalised and several standout presentations already locked in.
With the new financial year approaching, membership renewals and fresh sponsorship opportunities are just around the corner with details to be released shortly.
TIM WARREN PRESIDENT, TMSA
who started his apprenticeship at Gunnedah Golf Club in 1994 when Elphick was head greenkeeper at the bowls club, had his good mate along for the ride when the club hosted the 2025 Australian Women’s Classic last March, an LET-sanctioned event. True to form, Elphick pitched in to help reinstate the course after it was trashed by storms, with his forever positive outlook (and barbeque skills) keeping morale high.
There was a huge outpouring of emotion across the turf industry following the news of Elphick’s passing with Australia Agribusiness’s Craig Paget summing up best the thoughts of many turfies who had been fortunate to know the great man. “He brought a smile to so many faces, was a wonderful turf manager and ambassador for the industry,” wrote Paget. “Always there to help anyone.
A quintessential Australian that brought the country to the city, whenever he attended an event or volunteered at tournaments. He will be missed.”
Elphick was farewelled at a huge memorial service held at Gunnedah Rugby Club on Friday 29 May. More than 1300 were in attendance, including a large number of turf industry colleagues who made the trip to pay their last respects to an industry legend.
The Mawson Lakes GC team collected the Cooper’s Cup at the TMSA’s Industry Golf Day at The Pat GC in May
