Dr Colin Mumford
With wide-ranging experience and qualifications in the amenity and sports turf sector, Colin has a role that’s largely focussed on advising industry professionals with general management best practice advice and he’s the first port of call if there’s an issue, disease, or insect problem.
Colin has worked in the amenity sector in some capacity since 1987, where his first introduction to turf maintenance was clearing trees from Chingford Golf Club, after the storms of 1987. Since then he’s worked in greenkeeper roles at The West Essex Golf Club on the outskirts of London, North Weald Golf Club in Essex, Bungay & Waveney Valley Golf Club and Southwold Golf Club in Suffolk, gaining industry qualifications, including BASIS, along the way.
At aged 30, he became a mature student to improve his turf management qualifications. Over an extended period of study he achieved graduate and post graduate qualifications in turf management, and completed an Engineering Doctorate in irrigation and soil management on racecourses. Since gaining these qualifications he’s had various posts within the industry. These have included technical officer for the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute, and technical manager for artificial surface specialists Sweepfast.
Colin has a good understanding of regulatory issues, and because of his background and technical knowledge, he’s well placed to offer valuable guidance on how changes to the regulatory environment impact greenkeepers and groundsmen.
Colin believes that more stringent criteria for crop protection products encourages companies like Envu to be more innovative in their future approach, and the new Turf Solutions team is part of this. “We’re a specialist team advising end users about how regulatory changes affect them on the ground, and we offer sound, sensible recommendations relating to integrated practices. In addition to this we’re also looking to future proof our products and services to support professionals going forward.
Colin concludes “My ultimate view is that the regulatory changes we’re seeing are of great benefit to our industry, and the Turf Solutions team at Envu is in a position to offer advice and support to turf professionals, through our ‘problem-solving’ led approach.