Staff

Blair Cornthwaite

Senior Designer (GradDipRurStud)

Blair joined SSDM in 2011 and has 30 years of practical experience in the golf and turf industries and brings a significant amount of experience in warm season turfgrass management to the consultancy. He has spent the bulk of his professional career working with couchgrass, seashore paspalum and zoysia grasses on golf courses in Asia.

Blair is the Senior Designer for SSDM and provides CAD drawings and design documentation, including earthwork modelling using Autocad Civil 3D. Blair also manages the SSDM laboratory providing material and nutrient analysis (MLSN) for golf and sports turf use.

Mike Robins

Sports Turf Consultant

Mike has 18 years of experience across turf, landscaping and project management. The majority of Mike’s experience has been in the construction and management of sportsfields and he has a particular passion for the sport of cricket. Mike is currently leading the SSDM team on the design and delivery of sportsfield upgrades for the Christchurch City Council and has undertaken a number of Cricket Field assessments for New Zealand Cricket.

Mikhail Marinich

Turf Consultant (PhD- Agricultural science)

Mikhail Marinich joined Sports Surface Design and Management in April 2023 to provide technical and practical support in design services with his vast experience in the landscaping design industry. Mikhail has a PhD in agricultural science, with his research on turfgrass selection and breeding for use in drought environments in Russia.