BIGGA NEWS
Celtic Manor Resort
hosts prestigious awards as Rudding Park and The Wisley greenkeepers claim top prizes
greenkeeper from Rudding
A
Park Golf Club was celebrating for the second Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year competition in a row as Matthew Milligan secured the prestigious award at grand finals hosted at the Celtic Manor Resort .
Myerscough College student Matthew , 26 , is First Assistant at Rudding Park , the same venue that Jason Norwood was employed at when he won the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award in 2019 .
Joining Matthew in celebrating at the event was Rhian Barton , 22 , of The Wisley Golf Club , who became the first woman to win the Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Award since its inception in 2016 .
This year the finals were hosted for the first time in the championship surroundings of the Celtic Manor Resort , host of the 2010 Ryder Cup . Director of Golf Courses and Estate Management Jim McKenzie MBE welcomed the finalists to the venue with a walk around the Twenty Ten course . Jim then spoke to the finalists about that experience and offered sage advice on how to develop their careers .
With the awards split into two separate categories once again , candidates for the Toro Young Student of the Year Award , who must be aged 21 and under when nominated , undertook an exam and then a hole walk with the awards judges , intended to test
Award winners Rhian Barton and Matthew Milligan
the finalists ’ knowledge in a real world setting . The finalists in the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year main category also completed an exam but in addition were judged via a grass and seed identification challenge , by answering an essay question and by delivering an individual presentation about their careers so far .
The Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards were introduced in 1989 , with an additional ‘ Young ’ category introduced in 2016 . The awards did not take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic , but the reintroduction in 2021 enabled David Cole to participate one final time ahead of his retirement as managing director of Reesink Turfcare in spring 2022 .
David said : “ We knew this year ’ s award was going to be special . Being back after last year ’ s lockdown absence with a fantastic calibre of finalists in the grand setting of Celtic Manor Resort , plus a course walk around the Twenty Ten Ryder Cup course and after-dinner speech , both by Jim
50 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | Winter 2021