The Belfry played host to the second Turf Science Live on 26 July, an interactive event that showcases the latest research, development and technological innovations in turf agronomy.
Organised and run by Everris (formerly named Scotts) and Syngenta, the educational day of presentations and practical demonstrations was attended by 96 golf course managers, head greenkeepers, turfgrass consultants and contractors.
Small groups of delegates spent half an hour at each one of seven learning stations discovering more about turfgrass seed development, the art of application, irrigation management systems, the science of stress, optimising greens for performance, the latest electric greens mower technology and converting annual meadow grass greens to bent grass greens using the Graden.
The technical teams at Everris and Syngenta worked with Course Manager, Kenny McKay, and industry specialists Complete Weed Control, Rain Bird,Harper Adams University College, STRI, Jacobsen and Kensett Sports to provide a hands-on experience that brought learning onto the golf course.
Chris Sealey, course manager at Chippenham Golf Club, was attending his first Turf Science Live. He said the format was a great way for turf managers to learn: “It was a really enjoyable and informative day. I found the station about turf stress, presented by Dr John Reade and Harry Mbah, particularly interesting.
“I work at a course with red clay greens, so springs for me are very difficult, but this year we’ve gone from dry and cold, to dry and hot with little rainfall, so the turf has stayed stressed and I’ve hit a time of the year when I want it to be actively growing. They explained about stress, its impact on turf and how to alleviate it, as well as showing us about some practical solutions to help manage performance under difficult environmental conditions.”
Neil Ballingall, golf course superintendent at Fairmont St. Andrews, made the journey south to the West Midlands fromScotlandto attend his first Turf Science Live. He has visited theUSon technical trips and enjoyed the opportunity to attend a technical event within theUK. “Everything I’ve learnt today will help me when I return to my golf course,” he confirmed. “I much prefer this interactive format to sitting in a seminar, it was great to get out on to the superb course here at The Belfry.”
Everris www.everris.com
Syngenta www.greencast.co.uk