Advance Grass Solutions is very pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Knowles and Matt Le Brun to their in-field technical team.

Jonathan, a former greenkeeper at Rufford Park Golf & Country Club moved to Myerscough College as a lecturer in the early 2000’s, completing an array of sports turf qualifications which culminated in a postgraduate doctoral degree researching the incidence and potential benefits of a symbiotic fungi that naturally inhabits turfgrass.  Specifically, the endophyte. 

Latterly, he has been based from home managing the apprenticeship arm of the college, visiting golf, football clubs and private schools, expanding training provision and contacts across the Midlands.  

Sam Honeyborne, MD at AGS said ‘’Jonathan has been on our radar from some time and I’m very pleased that he has joined as we head into our third year. He is well known in the area, having already visited many of our existing customer base. His technical background will compliment the business and in turn offer first class product support within our added value model”.  

Jonathan has written several articles into greenkeeping and sports turf related industry magazines, as well as having research work published in conference proceedings with the European Turfgrass Society.  

Jonathon Knowles

He will be managing Nottingham, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and the West Midlands, as well as expansion into Lincolnshire.   

Matt Le Brun

Matt Le Brun joins in a new role as Business Development Manager (Sports Turf) with a brief to continue AGS’s progress in professional football, colleges and private schools.  

Matt has worked at both manufacturer and distributor level, as well as gaining vital practical experience as a groundsman and trainer in an industry career spanning over ten years.  

Phil Garrod, UK Sports Turf Manager said ‘’The sports turf division is growing from strength to strength and its vital we invest to maintain our high customer service standards as well as growing our geographical footprint. Matt is an established technical manager with a good following. His last role was all encompassing giving him the sort of experience that will allow him to develop further and support the business for years to come’’.  

Matt Le Brun said ‘’I’m very excited to be joining AGS. I have kept a watchful eye on their progress in the past two years, from both an agronomic service and product development perspective. Their wide range of exclusive lines and pipeline of new technology made my decision very easy. I very much look forward to contributing to further success in years to come.’’  

Advance Grass Solutions is a leading provider of agronomy services, products and customer 

support throughout the UK, with loyal customers from lawncare and small bowling clubs to Ryder Cup venues and Premier League football clubs. 

They provide a UK exclusive range of high-quality products including: Growth Products, Sustane Natural Fertilizers, Polyon controlled release technology, in addition to well-known UK based suppliers such as DLF Trifolium and Aquatrols. Their staff hold industry recognised qualifications such as BASIS and FACTS alongside honours degrees in sports turf, soil science and sustainable land management disciplines.