Edinburgh, Scotland: March 1 will mark the launch of a major new turf care event in Scotland, with the inaugural Scots Turf Show opening its doors at Hamilton Park Racecourse.

Devised by 17 of the industry’s most influential companies, The Scots Turf Show strives to give back to the Scottish turf community by providing a local event.

It’s estimated that almost 50% of the grounds industry in Scotland, be they groundsmen or greenkeepers working in football, rugby, golf or at schools or councils, have never attended an industry event.

A primary reason for this is the time and cost of travelling to existing exhibitions in England.

Alan Thompson of AllGrass Turf Care had the original idea behind reviving a Scottish turf event.

Thompson said: “In 2019, I went to Richard Heywood at Campey Turf Care with an idea to create an event in Scotland that gave back to the Scottish market.

“There used to be Scots Turf, and we’ve not had it for roughly 15 years. As a result, almost half of the Scottish turf industry has missed out on educational opportunities and seeing machinery that could help them in their day-to-day work.

“Clubs can’t afford to let their staff go to current events, which means two days away from Scotland. Financially they can’t do it, and there are various other reasons.

“We held a trial event in 2019 with seven companies at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club and had 118 people turn out. The clubhouse was probably only big enough for 50, so it was great to see that there was something there.

“After a delay due to Covid we got back to the vision of how big we could make this. We had to bring it back to earth a little because we’d love to have 40 companies there and make it a big grand event, but we want to grow at a steady rate that works for the visitors and companies involved.

“So, this is another step. There’s a market, and there is a demand. This year we have a fantastic venue at Hamilton Park Racecourse. There’s plenty of parking, an onsite hotel, various marquees and live demonstrations outside.

“As well as the 17 companies, we’ll have seminars on one day consisting of 20-minute sessions, so people stay engaged. We have devised everything to benefit those attending, and we’re looking forward to their support so we can continue to provide this for them.”

A significant difference between this event and others on the industry calendar is that The Scots Turf Show is financed by participating companies, including Campey Turf Care, AllGrass, Dennis, SIS Pitches and John Deere.

Campey Turf Care Systems and John Deere are members of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.