About Sports Turf Consulting

Noel achieved qualifications in Amenity Horticulture and Sports Turf Management at Norwood Hall College of Horticulture, 3 “A” levels at Kingston College (while working time as a Head Groundsman at a prestigious Public School).  From 1988-92 Noel returned to full time academic study graduating with an Honours Degree in Biological Sciences (Ecology) attending Lancaster and Oregon State Universities.  Later Noel studied Business Management with the Open University MBA programme as a post-graduate. On the other side of the lecture rostrum Noel successfully lectured in Sports Turf and Greenkeeping Management, Ecology, Business Management and Contract Management at Higher Education (to BTEC, undergraduate and post graduate (M.Sc.) level) taking delight in helping others fulfil their academic goals and further their careers. Noel has successfully provided in-house training with clients to broaden the staff skills within teams.

Noel’s career path includes experience as a Groundsman and Head Groundsman and as a post-graduate in consultancy working for Lancaster University, Gillespies Landscape and Ecology, ADAS, STRI, Grass Science and TurfTrax.  Noel established Sports Turf Consulting in 2003.  It is estimated that Noel has completed in excess of 4000 site visits covering Golf, Bowls, Cricket, Croquet, Lawn Tennis, Hockey, Football, Rugby, La Crosse, Polo, Racecourses, and even some important celebrity ornamental lawns.  Noel has a proven track record optimising maintenance programmes of turf professionals to help achieve strong improvements on their sports grounds and golf courses which has consequently benefited careers of professional Groundspersons and Greenkeepers.    Noel has successfully project managed construction and drainage projects of various types with the largest project valued at £6M creating 14 football pitches re-developed as part of the Olympics in 2012 and a variety of other construction and drainage projects.  To learn more about these successful projects please explore this site.

Noel is widely recognised through the sports turf industry for his work and his educational articles which have appeared in in Greenkeeper International, Greenkeeping (formerly Greenkeeping News), The Groundsman, Pitchcare, Golf Business, etc.  He has delivered papers and seminars at a variety of national level conferences including the Institute of Groundsmanship, Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management, Hurlingham Polo Association, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Training Seminars, BIGGA “Continue to Learn” etc. and regional events such as the GCSA, IOG branch meetings, BIGGA events, etc. and he is engaged by the Trade to support their educational roadshows and events.

Noel’s expertise and background enables his membership of the Register of Independent Professional Turfgrass Agronomists (RIPTA), the Chartered Institute for Horticulture and the Royal Society for Biology. Noel is recorded on the BASIS Professional Register (Amenity).

Whilst Noel’s list of achievements in the industry is significant it doesn’t convey the strong dedication and excitement he gains from engaging in projects and problem solving to help clients achieve their full potential both on the ground and with their staff and teams.  His job satisfaction comes from getting great results and seeing those involved in that process feel positive about their role in that process too, indeed he views that motivation and pride as essential in creating the teamwork necessary to bring about successful project outcomes.

Technical Agronomy is only part of the service offered and in reality it is rare that a client needs just sports turf agronomy advice, usually there are other issues around management, finance, organisation of human and material resources, human dynamics, Change Management, etc., which require addressing to optimise a facilities performance.  This holistic approach to the whole challenge facing clients in both turf science and management can be crucial in optimising results.  Each client has unique needs in this respect; for some it is only about turf, in others the turf cannot progress without some element of management change.

For further information on Sports Turf Consulting Ltd’s services please contact Noel MacKenzie directly at:

Telephone: +44 (0)7739 505862
Email: info@sportsturfconsulting.co.uk