International turf experts to headline Adelaide conference

Welcome to this first issue of Australian Turfgrass Management Journal for 2023. I’d like to start by wishing all members and the industry a happy New Year from the Board and team at the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association; I trust that 2023 has started well for all.

The association has hit the ground running and a key focus in recent weeks has been finalising the education program for the upcoming Australian Sports Turf Management Conference to be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 19-22 June. In mid-January we released the full conference program in conjunction with announcing an outstanding group of prominent international and local speakers for this year’s event. Featuring world-renowned turf management experts and practitioners from the USA, UK and Europe who will complement our experienced local sports turf managers, the Adelaide conference is shaping up to be one of the most informative yet.

The first two international keynote speakers confirmed were University of Tennessee weed management expert Dr Jim Brosnan and former St Andrews Links superintendent and current BIGGA president Gordon Moir

Jim is considered by many in the industry to be a world-leading expert on effective strategies for controlling turfgrass weeds, particularly those evolving resistance to herbicides which is a rising issue for Australian sports turf managers. His research has taken him to some of the most prominent golf courses and sporting stadiums in the world to assist with weed management in playing surfaces. We are really excited that Australian turf managers will be able to hear updates on the latest research and cultural practices around this and the ability to share their experiences with him.

Gordon needs little introduction and is a legend of the industry, having spent decades maintaining arguably the most famous turf in world golf and overseeing preparations for the most famous tournament in world golf – the Open Championship. The experience and advice that Gordon has to offer Australian turf managers on both an environmental aspect and also on staff leadership are extraordinary and we cannot wait to hear his insights during his time in Adelaide. I’m led to believe he may also be bringing some copies of his new book – ‘St Andrews: The Greenkeeper’s Tale’ – which he released last year and is reviewed in this edition (see page 72)

Joining Jim and Gordon in Adelaide will be fellow internationals Dr Nathan Walker and Dr Andy Owen. Nathan is an integrated pest management and turf pathology expert from Oklahoma State University, while Andy is ICL Turf and Landscape’s international technical manager. These are the first in a number of speaker announcements that the ASTMA will be unveiling over the course of the coming months in the lead-up to the event.

While the education component of the conference is especially important, a crucial aspect of each year’s event is the two-day trade show. Pleasingly, this year’s event completely sold out over six months ahead of the event, with a number of new exhibitors coming on board. This year’s trade show will cover a 3500 square metre footprint and feature more than 50 of the industry’s leading product and service providers.

Shortly after the release of the conference program and announcement of our international speakers, the ASTMA opened up delegate registration (www.astma.com. au/conference/register-to-attend). ASTMA members can take advantage of discounted Early Bird rates up until the end of February.

Nominations continue to be taken for the National Turf Industry Awards which will be presented on the opening night of the Adelaide conference. Recognition can often be hard to come by and the annual awards represent a perfect opportunity for the industry to acknowledge the successes and achievements of its own.

Nominations can be made for the 2023 ASTMA Team of the Year Award (sponsored by Nuturf), the ASTMA Excellence in Sportsfields and Grounds Management Award (sponsored by Toro) and the ASTMA Claude Crockford Sustainability and Environment Award (sponsored by Syngenta). Nominations for the ASTMA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award (sponsored by Envu) and the two Graduate of the Year Awards (sponsored by Toro) are taken from the various state association award programs.

Looking ahead at the approach for 2023, the ASTMA team will continue to evolve initiatives relating to education and career awareness for the industry and expand its Women in Turf Strategy program through further support and mentoring opportunities, work placements and leadership education. Several of these programs were launched in 2022 with varying levels of success early on and all will be expanded upon this year. There will be several exciting developments for career awareness and talent attraction which will play a significant part of the association’s activities over the 12 months ahead.

The second quarter of 2023 is shaping up to be significant for the association, with a range of announcements set to be released ahead of the conference in June. Following a number of discussions and working with our counterparts across the USA, UK, Canada and Europe, the group of national associations are working through the development of several international initiatives that will be shared and targeted at the continued promotion and awareness of the profession. Stay tuned for more information on these global initiatives throughout March and April.