Publications, Patents and Inventions

Agrostis founder, Tim Lodge, has written extensively on sports surface technology in the industry press throughout his career, building on his research work which itself generated numerous academic publications.  He is also the inventor of the 'Golf Green Smoothness Meter' (Pat. No. GB2442787)
​

Industry Puplications

​Recent published articles in the industry press include...
​
Turfgrass seed - could it be more helpful? - Mar 2017
Is natural turf losing out? - Sep 2016
How green is the industry? - Apr 2015
Natural turf golf greens - Are the on the way out? - May 2015
Natural grass pitches can be a winner at Qatar World Cup - Aug 2014
​No interest in old fashioned research - Jan 2014
​One size does not fit all! - Nov 2013
​Soakaway systems - A grand unifying theory Aug 2013
Agrostis and endophyte technology in grass seed - June 2013
Jumpers for goalposts - Apr 2013
​STARSS in their eyes? - Aug 2010
Pasture management - May 2009

Academic Publications

​Tim Lodge has the only fine turf maintenance and construction oriented PhD in the UK.  This was acquired in 1994 from the University of Leeds with a thesis entitled ‘The Construction, Irrigation and Fertiliser Nutrition of UK Golf Greens'.  This is available in the Edward Boyle Library at the University of Leeds.  The funding for this research was provided by The R&A.

Other work with which Tim was involved and which led to numerous publications includes the ‘Golf Standards Project’ – a nationwide survey of scientific aspects of golf green form and structure (1994 to 1995), also funded by The R&A.

Lodge T A & Pilbeam D J (1994) A method of classifying the quality of golf green turf. Science and Golf II. Proceedings of the World Scientific Congress of Golf. (Ed. A.J. Cochran & M.R. Farrally), E. & F.N. Spon, London 419-424.​
​
Thirteen papers in J. Sports Turf Res. Inst. between 1990 and 1996.  These papers may be obtained from appropriate academic libraries and are available online through the Turfgrass Information File at Michigan State University.  Their titles include :
​
  • Sand Golf Greens - Cover and botanical composition. (1990)
  • Sand Golf Greens - Rootzone chemical composition. (1990)
  • Construction, Irrigation and Fertiliser Nutrition of Golf Greens - Botanical and reflectance measurements after establishment and during the first year of differential irrigation and nutrition treatments. (1991).
  • Construction, Irrigation and Fertiliser Nutrition of Golf Greens - Playing quality assessments after establishment and during the first year of differential irrigation and nutrition treatments. (1991).
  • Construction, Irrigation and Fertiliser Nutrition of Golf Greens - Golf ball behaviour. (1992).
  • Construction, Irrigation and Fertiliser Nutrition of Golf Greens - Soil moisture content and evapotranspiration rates. (1992).
  • Construction, Irrigation and Fertiliser Nutrition of Golf Greens - Porosity, moisture release characteristics and infiltration rates. (1993).
  • Construction, Irrigation and Fertiliser Nutrition of Golf Greens - Botanical and soil chemical measurements over 3 years. (1993).
  • Technical Note: - An apparatus for measuring green ‘speed'. (1992). 
  • A survey of golf greens in Great Britain - Soil properties. (1995).
  • A survey of golf greens in Great Britain - Sward characteristics. (1995).
  • A survey of golf greens in Great Britain - Questionnaire data on the performance and maintenance of greens. (1995).
  • A survey of golf greens in Great Britain - Playing quality. (1996).

Also, from a Previous Life:
Davies, W.J., Metcalfe, J., Lodge, T.A. & da Costa, A.R. (1986). Plant growth substances and the regulation of growth under drought. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 13, 105 - 125.

Smoothness and Evenness of Sports Turf Surfaces

.These qualites are essential features of most sports surfaces.  Tim Lodge invented a device for the measurement of golf green smoothness - the Lodgemeter.  The patent for this was filed on 22 October 2005 and was granted to the inventor on 9 June 2010 (Patent No. GB2442787).  The Lodgemeter represents a completely new idea in the field of golf playing quality assessment and we continue to refine and optimise the design.

​We have also developed a device for measuring the evenness of sports surfaces.  Although this is a Sport England requirement for example for football pitch appraisal, the method recommended to determine this we believe is less than satisfactory.  Our device gives a much more reliable numerical statement of the degree of evenness of any surface.
Picture
The first prototype of ‘The Lodgemeter’, patented device for measuring the smoothness of golf greens