ASOOTY WINNER NAMED

Peter Pattenden, spray tech at the Cheshire championship golf resort, Carden Park, has won the title of Amenity Sprayer Operator of the Year. 

Peter’s ASOOTY award presentation was made as part of the BIGGA industry awards at BTME in Harrogate last week (21 January 2025), along with the competition’s other finalists, Sarah Phillips of Complete Weed Control (South & Central Wales) and Mark Sippitt of Top Grass UK.

The ASOOTY awards highlight best practice and experience in the challenging role of ensuring accurate application on all amenity surfaces.

Sponsored by ICL and Syngenta and managed by the Amenity Forum, the awards seek to share top tips and advice that will raise the standards of spray application across the amenity industry.

The ASOOTY judges particularly praised Peter’s commitment to complete a comprehensive checklist of mechanical and practical points before every application, including calibration of the sprayer and assessment of the specific requirements for any products being used.

“Although only a relatively young age, Peter ably demonstrated a deep understanding of the principles of sprayer mechanics and operation, along with the implication of how any changes could impact on application,” reports Syngenta technical manager, Sean Loakes.

“He also showed an excellent awareness of the environmental aspects of good sprayer operation that will mitigate any impact of off-target spray drift or over application. His commitment and attention to achieving accurate application was exemplary and makes him a great role model for other sprayer operators to learn from.”        

The judges also highlighted how Peter had embraced new technologies in a move towards precision application to ensure more of the products hit the intended target, as well as adopting digital tools including sprayer set up advice, turf management Apps and application record keeping.