Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States: The coveted 2016 HSBC Golf Business Forum Innovation Award, which recognises the industry’s most creative and dynamic individuals, has been presented to Glen Black from Air2G2.
The HSBC Golf Business Forum at the Marriott Sawgrass Resort and Spa brought together international golf industry executives and decision makers for the largest and most significant golf business gathering in the world which was being held in the United States for the first time.
A resident of nearby Jacksonville in Florida, Black was presented with the award at the HSBC Golf Business Forum Gala Dinner, having been selected by a panel of 10 industry experts including Giles Morgan (Global Head of Sponsorship & Events, HSBC), Asian Golf Industry Federation Chief Executive Officer Eric Lynge, Dr Paul Hawkins (Founder/Creator, Hawk-Eye Innovations), Andrea Sartori (Global Head of Sport, KPMG) and Joe Beditz (President and Chief Executive Officer, National Golf Foundation), beating the competition from a short list of five from more than 50 entries.
Commenting on becoming the first American winner in the award’s history, Black said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be here at the HSBC Golf Business Forum and humbled to be included in the short list for the award, let alone take away the prize.
“We’re really proud of our innovative approach to agronomy and truly believe our product has changed the landscape of the business and being recognised like this means a lot to us. One of our aims is to bring our product into the forefront of every groundskeeper, agronomist and owner’s mind and hopefully this recognition will help us achieve that.”
The Air2G2 aerification machine, manufactured by Jacksonville’s GT AirInject, Inc, revolutionises how turf managers on golf courses, sports fields and at landscape companies think about aerification practices.
The Air2G2 injects air into the soil profile and is the only machine on the market today that utilises air injection technology, allowing for healthier turf and immediate access instead of a delay for recovery with the usual plugging process.
Air2G2 is distributed internationally and is used at more than 80 world-class golf facilities such as Medinah, Muirfield Village, Oakland Hills, Ridgewood and Royal Dornoch and at top sports facilities for the US Military Academy, Chicago Cubs, Manchester United Football Club, Boston Red Sox and Green Bay Packers.
The Asian Golf Industry Federation was an Allied Partner of the HSBC Golf Business Forum.