First Ever Sports Field Training Day in Saskatchewan!

By Sports Turf Canada staff,

We cannot say enough about how welcomed and appreciated we were in Saskatchewan for this initial event, both by the attendees, our hosts and our supporters.

Saskatchewan Sports Field Training Day
Wednesday, July 24th, 2019
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK

The stunning grounds of the University of Saskatchewan were quite the treat for attendees, along with the endless lunch buffet. Our day began with some networking with other sports turf professionals and suppliers in the industry where lots of great conversations were heard. We then had a warm welcome from both the City of Saskatoon’s Sharon Leach and the University of Saskatchewan’s, Troy Linsley and Gift Marufu.

Gift then provided an overview of the composting efforts at the University and their application on their sports fields. We certainly learned a lot of new information. Attendees then heard from two experts in the field, Jason Pick of Olds College, AB and Tab Buckner of the Township of Langley, BC. Both presentations on both natural and synthetic turf maintenance practices kept everyone’s attention and allowed for additional discussions throughout the rest of the day.

90% of attendees indicated that part of the reason for their attendance was for the natural turf presentation. Terry Ormrod of Toro Irrigation provided an on-field workshop immediately following lunch and kept the questions and inquiries coming.

A big thank you to our afternoon demonstrators and exhibitors who provided us with an understanding of dethatching, line painting, automowers and the products and services that are available to sports turf professionals. Thank you also to mother nature who kicked up a storm in the morning while we were inside but brought out the sunshine in the afternoon for our on-field learning.

Thank you to our very generous industry suppliers that attended. They were very informative for our attendees and provided a wonderful level of service. At the end of the day as attendees and supporters were leaving, we were often told that we should come back again next year. Nothing makes us happier than to hear that we are meeting the needs of the sports turf industry. We greatly appreciate everyone who made this event such a success.

Discussion / Demonstration topics included:

-Compost systems and their applications
-Synthetic turf key maintenance practices
-Natural turf best cultural practices
-Advanced strategies in turfgrass management
-Irrigation: wiring and wire troubleshooting
-Dethatching demonstration
-Line painting demonstration
-Automower demonstration
-Variety of products and services available to the industry

Who Attended?

-61 Delegates (from 16 Different Municipalities, Academic Institutions / Boards & Golf Courses)
-3 Informative Speakers
-6 Industry Supplier Companies

"A huge thank you to our hosts for this first ever Sports Field Training Day in Saskatchewan!"