Greenkeeping & Course Awards
BIGGA - Golf Environment Awards -
Season 2006
Reay GC is 'BIGGA's' best Golf Course in Scotland
Ian Ross receiving the BIGGA plaque.
Ian Ross the Vice Captain of Reay Golf Club travelled to the BTME Exhibition in Harrogate in North Yorkshire to accept the BIGGA Golf Environment Award for Reay Golf Club for 2006. The Competition is sponsored by Ransomes Jacobsen a turf care machinery manufacturer, Course Care a Turf Management Company, Scotts and Syngenta. These are all companies with a proven track record for Environmental sustainability and for whom environmental solutions form the core of their business.
Reay Golf Club proud winners of the Scottish region have worked tirelessly over the last few years to be in this position to earn the accolades as the best in Scotland and are keen to improve in 2007 with the target being the British title. For the first time in its ten year history the BIGGA Golf Award was won by a Scottish Club, Brighouse Bay Golf Club near Kirkcudbright who scooped the prize with one of the most holistic and deserving entries ever. The standard is very high and Reay GC is committed to a superb entry for the 2007 competition. Of interest with a link to the north the award for the North of England went to St.Annes Old Links who's Course Manager is Stuart Hogg who was previously Course Manager at Fortrose & Rosemarkie GC
Reay Golf Club has now produced a guide to the environmental and conservation management at Reay sponsored by Bill McIntosh and his business Parsaver Golf. Successfully launched at Harrogate and receiving wide acclaim the Guide will shortly be available at the Club for those interested. Thanks also to Iain Ednie of Highland Travel Inns for his kind sponsorship. The guide has been well received generating a wealth of interest in Reay GC and where it is, with many stating a wish to visit Caithness to play on the Reay Links.
Ian Ross the Vice Captain of Reay Golf Club accepting the BIGGA Golf Environment Award for Reay Golf Club for 2006
Reay Golf Club is very proud to announce that following Highly Commended awards in 2004 and 2005 we have gone to the very top in 2006. BIGGA is the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association and Sponsors the awards in a national Competition in Britain & Ireland as well as Europe. The assessment of the golf courses in contention for awards is carried out by the STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) on behalf of BIGGA and the R&A.
Course facing the 17th hole and clubhouse.
In 2006 Reay Golf Club is delighted to announce it has won the Competition as the best Golf Course in Scotland and follows in the footsteps of such illustrious names as St.Andrews and Carnoustie for this much coveted title. This is a massive boost for the club bringing International recognition not only for Reay Golf Club but for the County of Caithness and is to be much treasured. The Competition is very fierce and the top award means a lot especially with the limited resources the club has, pitted against clubs with massive budgets and manpower resources. Brighouse Bay GC has won this title for the last two years and has been very difficult to dislodge.
In January the Club will be presented with the award at the BTME Exhibition in Harrogate where the International Golf Media will be present and Club Captain Graeme Dunnett will accept the award for the Golf Club. This award will put Reay Golf Club into the International Arena and the Club is grateful to Mr Geoffrey Minter of Sandside Estate, who owns the course, for his continued support throughout the year. Graeme Dunnett has driven the Environmental Policy and Management of the Golf Club and Course and special mention has to be made of James Macadie the Greenkeeper for his outstanding effort in nurturing and maintaining the golf course to such high standards. Alf Mackay has managed the course and his hours of unstinting devotion to the course are well rewarded. Chris Hobson has also been instrumental in the Club winning the award with his preparation of the entry and ensuring we met all the relevant environmental criteria and the introduction of the Composting System and Eco-Management.
Already the Club is planning and preparing for further success taking steps through the winter to defend the title and to make a serious challenge for the British and European Sections in 2007. A Wildlife and Environmental Interpretive board is being prepared for display at the Club along with an Environmental and Conservation Booklet and any offers of Sponsorship to assist the Club in the 2007 Competition will be very gratefully received.
In 1998 Donald Steele the Internationally renowned Golf Course Architect said 'It was a great delight to visit Reay Golf Course and admire a Links that is as natural as any I have ever seen. It is a wonderful example of a classic Links with typical wiry turf, a fast running character, a glorious setting and quite excellent greens. It must be preserved at all costs for its authentic value.' Praise indeed from such an authority and the Council and Members of the Club determined to maintain and protect this exceptional natural asset on Sandside Estate and this wonderful award is recognition of years of endeavour in looking after such a fabulous golf course. Hopefully this will attract many Golfers from near and far around the globe to come and play golf at Reay and enjoy the many other delights of Caithness.
Green Keeper and Helpers at the double - Season 2005
Reay GC do it again and get even 'BIGGA'
Reay Golf Club are delighted to announce an award for the Golf Course.
James MacAdie - Green Keeper
For the second year running Reay have received a "Highly Commended" Award in the BIGGA Golf Environment Competition, which is a National Competition. Lee Penrose of STRI came all the way up from Yorkshire to do the assessment and was very enthustiastic about the quality of the course particularly the Environmental Management and commented that the greens were the best natural links greens he had seen in years.
BIGGA is the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association and to win an award from them is much treasured. The assessments are carried out on behalf of BIGGA by STRI who are the 'Sports Turf Research Institute' and to be recognised is also very much valued. To be highly commended by STRI is a great achievement and a milestone in the development of Reay Golf Course. The Club Council is implementing a plan of management for the course and wants to meet our obligations to the Course, its natural environment and its natural heritage working in association with and taking advice from Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Golf Environment Group. We are also pleased to accept free agronomy from the R&A in conjunction with the SGU and are being used by the R&A as an example of how to manage a links course properly.
The fact that Reay has won this award for a second time and also the fact that we are in line for one of the top awards in 2006 is testament to the effort of three men at Reay with the full endorsement of the Council of Management. The most important being James Macadie our Greenkeeper who is the man who is out in all weathers tending and nurturing the course with great care to present it in such wonderful condition. The Greens Convenor is Alf Mackay who has researched painstakingly the specific management of Links Golf Courses and has adopted best practice for James to follow. The management by Alf has received many accolades and in particular the chemical free nature of his husbandry to preserve the naturalness of the course. The proof of Alf's management lies in the undisputed quality of the Golf Course. Last and by no means least Chris Hobson who has put a great deal of effort into our competition entry and to all the Environmental aspects of the course in particular our grass composting management system for recycling grass clippings. We also need to mention Evan Sutherland who has produced a record of all the flora and fauna on the course and taken thousands of photos to record the course heritage. If we are able to carry out a few minor recommendations and improvements then a top award in 2006 is a strong possibility which will certainly put Reay and Golf in Caithness on the National Map and hopefully attract visitors from near and far. Work is already well under way in preparation for the 2006 competition.
Quote from Secretary:-
"The most valuable asset of any Golf Club is its course and to get such recognition on a National platform from bodies such as BIGGA and the STRI is indeed a great honour for the Golf Club and truly reflects the quality of what we think is an outstanding Golf Course and a great achievement when you consider the other major courses nationally that we were up against and have beaten, and who have much greater financial resources and manpower to maintain their courses. Reay has won this award with very limited resources and thanks our founder members for their vision and foresight over a hundred years ago for using such a great natural resource so well to produce a veritable gem for golfers to enjoy today. Donald Steele the Internationally renowned Golf Course Architect said it was the best natural seaside links he had seen and should be protected in its present condition at all costs. We are naturally very proud to bring this award and recognition to the County of Caithness. Our members take it for granted and enjoy it whilst visitors are overwhelmed at the quality of the golfing challenge they find here. It is very nice to be rewarded for all the effort that goes into presenting an enjoyable golfing experience for anybody who plays here."
2005 Certificate awarded to Reay Golf Club
Green Keepers recognition - Season 2004
Reay go for 'BIGGA' things
This summer for the first time Reay entered the British & International Golf Green keepers Association (BIGGA) Golf Environment Competition.
Basically, we have been judged on our commitment to the environmental management of the golf course on the following 'Committed to Green' criteria;
James MacAdie - Green Keeper
- Nature Conservation
- Landscape and Cultural Heritage
- Water Resource Management
- Turfgrass and Pest Management
- Waste Management
- Public Access and;
- Awareness and several others.
The results were published in the December issue of 'Greenkeeper' and we didn't win BUT we were in the top 27 of the hundreds of clubs in England, Scotland and Wales who entered.
How do we know we were in the top 27? Because we had a follow up visit to our entry from Len Penrose one of the two judges.He was so impressed by our entry he took aholiday to visit the course. We even managed for him to land a salmon on the Thurso River! The efforts of Roger Martin and James MacGee were very much appreciated and we have been urged to enter next year.
The winning course was Minchinhampton Golf Clubnear Stroud in Gloucestershire. They have two 18 hole golf courses with 10, yes 10, full time greenkeepers. It seems that they are about to move their composting project indoors! and then use the outdoor area as a reed bed to filter the machine wash-off water. The ScottishRegion winnerwas Brighouse bay Golf Club.
report provided by Chris Hobson
2004 Certificate awarded to Reay Golf Club
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