A greenkeeper who
spends his spare time supporting the homeless and another who saved the life of
a golfer who suffered a heart attack on the course are among the finalists of
the brand new BIGGA Awards 2019.
The BIGGA Turf
Management Exhibition returns this January, with more than 5,000 turf managers,
greenkeepers, golf club owners and industry decision makers expected to visit
the Harrogate Convention Centre to engage with the innovative new incarnation
of Europe’s premier turf management event.
One of the
highlights of the exhibition will be the BIGGA Welcome Celebration sponsored by
Jacobsen, where the winners of the prestigious BIGGA Awards will be revealed.
Hosted by Naga
Munchetty and supported by some of the industry’s leading names, the awards
recognise the year’s outstanding performances from association members.
The finalists of the BIGGA Awards 2019 are:
Championship Greenkeeping Performance of the Year
sponsored by Rigby Taylor
Stewart Duff and the
team at Gullane Golf Club for preparing and maintaining the course during the
Aberdeen Standard Investments Men’s and Ladies Scottish Opens 2018
Craig Earnshaw and
the team at Harleyford Golf Club for preparing and maintaining the course
during The Matchroom Sport Championship on the PGA EuroPro Tour.
Matthew Wharton CGCS
MG and the team at Carolina Golf Club for preparing and maintaining the course
during the 2018 United States Mid-Amateur Championship just a week after the
club was hit by Tropical Storm Florence
Outstanding Contribution of the Year sponsored by
Jacobsen
Jack Percival,
Chipstead Golf Club, for work with the homeless
Amanda Dorans,
Dundonald Links, for volunteering in greenkeeping and ecology
Carl Flavell,
Hickleton Golf Club, for his efforts in saving the life of a golfer who
collapsed on the golf course
Greenkeeping Project of the Year sponsored by Baroness
Ian Brown and the
team at Skipton Golf Club for the renovation of the course
Sean McLean and the
team at Princes Golf Club for the renovation of the Himalaya course
Stuart Imeson of
Dunstanburgh Castle for the Bunker Camp initiative while also stepping up to
the manager role at the club
BIGGA Chief
Executive Officer Jim Croxton said: “This year we’ve undertaken a complete
restructure of BTME with new halls, new innovative ways to get involved with
the exhibition and an expansion of Continue to Learn, our world class education
programme.
“In addition to
that, we’ve also refreshed our awards categories for the BIGGA Awards, which
grow in popularity each year. We believe the new categories better provide more
opportunities to recognise those BIGGA members who have done incredible work
throughout the previous year.
“I’m delighted that
we received an excellent set of nominations from all over the country and
beyond. Each of the nine finalists would be extremely worthy winners of the
awards.
“Congratulations to
each of the nine finalists and I look forward to seeing them all at the BIGGA
Welcome Celebration in Harrogate.”
BTME runs from
Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 January 2019 and the expanded show will see an
increase in available exhibition space of around 25% on 2018. There will be a
range of new initiatives, such as Golf Course Construction Live, a New Products
Area and a Member Wellbeing Area.
The BTME smartphone app
is the comprehensive guide to the exhibition and is available to download now
through the Apple Store and Google Play.
You can register online now for BTME or
head to www.btme.org.uk for more
information.
