Quality synthetic golf greens by Lifestyle Turf
Hole in one; Paul Ammoun & Gav Koroneos,
co-founders of Tour Greens Australia. [Picture: Ellen Smith]
Paul Ammoun likes nothing more than a hit of golf. These days he plays
off 16 but at his best he has boasted a handicap of 12. So, when he could see an
opportunity to combine business and pleasure he jumped at it.
Mr Ammoun had a varied career, working as a labourer, running a bakery, sales and
buying a Trade Exchange licence.
But while reading a golf magazine he spotted an advertisement for a synthetic grass
green. Later, when he followed up the ad, he was disappointed with the quality.
"I thought it looked like it was nothing more than a carpet that you laid out in
the backyard," he said.
But it got him thinking that there was potential for synthetic greens, especially
in times of drought when people struggle to keep real grass alive. Mr Ammoun searched
the internet to see what was available here and overseas. He eventually developed his
own version of a synthetic grass.
"I started doing a couple of spots in my own backyard and I was really happy with
it," he said.
In the meantime, Mr Ammoun had converted his mate Gav Koroneos to the idea. Mr Koroneos
was his accountant and they struck up a business partnership. "Gav said it sounded like
a terrific idea and we shook hands and went into partnership," Mr Ammoun said.
He said golf fans were keen to get their own backyard greens. While many were small,
others were as big as 300sq m. "We just started growing through word-of-mouth and the
synthetic lawn side of the business started to grow," he said.
Their company, Tour Greens Australia, got a contract to install and maintain synthetic
lawns for a childcare chain and domestic and school business started to take off. Mr
Ammoun said there clearly was a market for their product.
Mr Ammoun said once they were established they started to push the commercial side of
the business.
But he admitted there was resistance among some golf traditionalists about synthetic
golf greens. Frankston's Centenary Park Golf Club has just installed a synthetic putting
green which is thought to be the first of its kind in Australia at a championship length
course. Mr Ammoun said as a result of the Frankston job, which was commissioned last month,
he had golf courses interstate ringing up.
Mr Ammoun described the synthetic green as the centerpiece of a par-three hole at the
public access course.
"Golfers will quickly find out that the ball reacts on landing just as they would expect,"
he said.
The synthetic putting green requires no watering, sanding, coring, weeding, or feeding. He
said an 18-hole golf course in Northern Queensland was considering the synthetic option
because its real greens had died. Another in Northern New South Wales, which relied on the
golf course as an attraction at its resort, also had asked for a quote. Tour Greens, which
is based in Tullamarine and Keilor, employs sub-contractors to install the product. Mr
Koroneos also continues to run his accounting business. "Gav looks after the business,
accountancy and budgets and I do the marketing, sales and quoting," Mr Ammoun said.
"It is a wonderful economic solution to spiraling costs associated with maintaining and
watering grass," he said.
For further information contact:
Lifestyle Turf
phone: 03 9335 5995
fax: 03 9335 1622
web: www.lifestyleturf.com.au
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