European Turfgrass Laboratories is accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) in the field of Geotechnical (Putting Green Materials), Certificate No. 903-01.

Year round play has led to ever increasing demands on golf courses and sports grounds. Nearly fifty years ago, the United States Golf Association (USGA) began research into the best construction for golf greens, to facilitate maximum play and satisfactory grass growth. Sport has become increasingly more popular throughout the world. High levels of play on golf greens, and other sports surfaces, have contributed to increased wear, especially during wet conditions in winter. The use of sand as an ameliorating material has become widespread for rootzones in order to ensure a free draining growing medium. Sand is used in a range of sports surfaces and sports grounds.

Golf course architects have increasingly used the USGA guidelines as the construction specification for golf greens. It is the only well documented and researched system. However, not all greens are built to a preferred specification, and incorrect mixtures or inadequate monitoring have led to some spectacular rootzone failures in recent years. It is therefore extremely important that consistent and accurate testing is undertaken, in order to minimise problems which may be encountered in the formation and mixing of rootzone materials for golf greens. This is equally true for other sports surfaces such as football and rugby pitches. In early 1996, individuals from three leading agronomy companies anxious to provide accurate testing facilities for golf and other turf-based sports formed European Turfgrass Laboratories, ETL.

ETL staff

Sharon Bruce is the lab manager and she is assisted by her team of Carolyn Rutherford (supervisor) and lab technicians Nicholas Cram and Lee Dawson.

COMPANY mission

The formation of European Turfgrass Laboratories is perhaps the most important development in Europe for golf course and sportsturf construction in the last century. Construction standards will continue to develop, as will the need to accurately assess those standards. European Turfgrass Laboratories will intend to be at the forefront of materials testing and to provide a quality service to the golf course and sportsturf industries.

ETL accreditation

Sharon Bruce with A2LA Certificate

European Turfgrass Laboratories is accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), and is on the USGA list of approved laboratories. This involves a two yearly visit from an A2LA assessor to review our quality procedures and ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) compliance. The USGA endorse the use of accredited laboratories for testing to their recommendations. ETL also participates in the USGA Green Section Proficiency Testing Program. This is a quarterly control exercise, involving laboratories throughout the world. These features ensure that ETL has a quality control system equal to any testing laboratory in the world and remains one of the leading centres for rootzone material testing.

CONTACT us

European Turfgrass Laboratories
Unit 58
Stirling Enterprise Park
Stirling
FK7 7RP
SCOTLAND

Tel: +44 (0) 1786 449195
Fax: +44 (0) 1786 449688
Email: info@etl-ltd.com