Ten Toros for Royal Cromer

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Having seen vast improvements in efficiency since the installation of a Toro Lynx control system four years ago, Royal Cromer Golf Club has now invested in ten Toro machines.

Royal Cromer was one of the first courses in the UK to fully upgrade to a state-of-the-art Toro Lynx control system and course manager Mark Heveran’s experience of it has been such a positive one he turned to Toro machinery when the need arose for some new equipment.

However, Mark says it was Toro’s impressive technological features that really clinched the deal. He says: “The advancement of technology in Toro’s on-board computer systems allows for greater variation in mowing. The speed of our Reelmaster 5510s’ reels can be adjusted according to moisture levels within the grass. This protects the cylinders, makes the mower more adaptable in drought conditions and results in a consistent finish.”

The club’s dedicated MultiPro 5800-D sprayer boasts an on-board computer, which Mark says is “undoubtedly the best piece of Toro equipment” he’s bought. With the on-board computer the operator has more control over the application rate and, from the moment you programme the machine, the same spray rate is maintained. This isn’t even altered by speeding up or slowing down the machine, providing you stay within the parameters of the nozzles.

“Our sprayer also has the optional shrouded boom, a cover that surrounds the spraying nozzles to deflect and protect the flow of spray from the wind which, being a windswept cliff top course on the North Norfolk coast, is a major design advantage for us. This addition gives us 75 percent more opportunities to spray, which is a tremendous improvement and makes our annual chemical and nutrient programme far more achievable.”

The club’s two Workman GTX utility vehicles have become firm favourites for Mark, thanks to their quiet operation and long battery life. “The GTX’s are great,” he says. “They’re really quiet so when the greenkeeping team are out and about in them, players aren’t disturbed by noise. And the longevity of the batteries in a day is superb; you rarely have to recharge them, but when you do it is a quick job as you don’t have to refill them individually, they automatically fill up in one go.”

The Toro equipment has been in use for a full season at Royal Cromer and Mark reports positive feedback: “The sidewinder Reelmaster 3100 comes out on top for its after-cut finish quality on the semi-rough, it really is top-end and the machine’s maneuverability around hazards is what we’re looking for. The lads in my team love the machines as they all have good suspension and provide a very comfortable operator experience. The reliability is superb and, as we’ve had no real problems with them, we will consider investing in Toro again in the future.”

Established in 1888, Royal Cromer boasts sweeping sea views and is in the top 100 courses in the country, with ambitions to rank higher. Mark concludes: “Royal Cromer is an old traditional club with a forward thinking attitude, and we are always striving to drive the course forward to be one of the best. We chose Toro because it is high-tech equipment, by using it we believe we can enhance member and visitor experience and gain a firm foothold in the top 100 courses in the UK, raising the club to be among the elite in the country.”

Town Council Boasts An All-Red Toro Shed

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Only three years ago operations manager Kevin Matthews vowed to turn St Neots Town Council’s existing fleet of machinery Toro red, following the purchase of a CT2120, which impressed with its “superb” quality of cut. In August Kevin accomplished just that with the purchase of two durable Groundsmaster 3400 out-front rotary mowers.

The Council, whose grounds team of nine maintains a range of sites in Cambridgeshire, decided to invest in new machines when assigned more grounds to cover. Kevin says: “We needed something robust and the Toro GM3400 ticks all the boxes”.

Kevin was convinced it would be the machine for the job after attending an onsite demonstration at Reesink Turfcare: “Seeing the GM3400 up close and having Danny Lake [Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare rep] show what it can do made us realise just how brilliant it is. Reesink also managed to loan us a machine while our order was processed, which was an unexpected bonus!”

For Kevin, the main benefits of the machines include low running costs, reliability, ease of operation, ease of maintenance, and operator’s comfort. He says: “The machine is designed with the operator in mind, meaning my employees can be out all day and not suffer from fatigue.”

He goes on to say that with the GM3400s there’s “no need to worry about breakdowns because the reliability and build quality of these machines are second-to-none. Combine this with the back-up service from Reesink and you’ve got a world-leading formula.”

The GM3400s will primarily be used for Cambridgeshire County Council’s roadside verges, where Kevin believes the machines will enable him to do the job efficiently and keep the grass looking beautiful.

When speaking of the CT2120, the first ever piece of Toro kit purchased by St Neots in 2013, Kevin describes the durability and performance of the machine as “superb”. ”One of the reasons we chose this machine was because it’s light enough to be transported by trailer to different sites,” says Kevin.

This time round Kevin opted for the GM3400 because it’s as easy to operate as the CT2120, but it’s also a road-legal machine. He says: “The GM3400 came with a road-legal pack that includes lights and indicators, amongst other things. With this road pack the GM3400s are not far from being cars, and I can relax knowing my employees are safe.”

Before they owned Toro machinery, Kevin and his team were making do with competitor brand machines that weren’t right for the job and having to cut more frequently to compensate. Now, with a Toro fleet tailored to its needs, the Council has improved its cutting programme and reduced running costs too.

All of this has transformed the work lives of the grounds team at St Neots Town Council and, thanks to their reliability and performance, Kevin feels certain he will continue to invest in Toro machines exclusively.

Toro Keeps London Stadium In Top Condition

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London Stadium 185, the company in charge of managing the Stadium at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, has welcomed four new Toro machines to its fleet, as the much-loved venue permanently reopens.

A subsidiary of VINCI Stadium, the operating company saw the new Toros delivered in early June this year; around the same time London Stadium officially re-opened.

Formerly known as the Olympic Stadium, the venue was temporarily open to the public during the summer of 2015, hosting major sporting events such as the Rugby World Cup and the Diamond League Meeting. This year, the arena has been transformed into a multi-use venue, becoming the new home of West Ham United FC and the National Competition Centre for athletics in the UK.

With lots of activity going on, Greg Bolton, Head Groundsman at London Stadium 185, says he’s been busy putting his new Toro Reelmaster 3100 mower, Multi Pro 1750 sprayer, ProCore 648 aerator and Workman GTX utility vehicle to good use.

Working around what’s been a big transitional phase at the Stadium, Greg and his team of three groundsmen have two grass pitches to maintain; a community pitch with a running track outside the stadium and the main pitch inside the stadium.

“When I joined the company it was still a building site and the pitches weren’t able to be seeded until June, after we’d hosted a big AC/DC concert,” says Greg, who joined London Stadium 185 in April this year.

“At the end of July we then hosted the London Anniversary Games, which saw the likes of Usain Bolt training here in preparation for the Rio Olympic Games 2016. And then we had West Ham’s UEFA Europa League qualifying round in August. So there’s been plenty to prepare for!” he adds.

Of all the machines, Greg says the Multi Pro has particularly impressed him: “It’s easy to use, speedy to spray and offers fantastic flexibility. We use it for spraying a multitude of chemicals and there have been no issues with it blocking up,” he notes.

“The ProCore is also great and a machine that I’ve actually used before in previous roles,” adds Greg, whose groundsman career has seen him work at Fulham Football Club’s Craven Cottage and Reading Football Club’s Madejski Stadium. “I’ve used the ProCore at the last three venues I’ve worked at. It’s a simple-to-use machine that’s equally effective for spot areas and the entire pitch.”

Being happy with the Toro ProCore in the past, Greg not only opted for the same machine again when joining the London Stadium 185, but decided to add an additional three Toros to his existing fleet too.

“The deputy head groundman and I chose the new machines. We looked at other brands, but agreed Toro was the best.

“We’re very happy in our decision, not just because we’ve had great machine performance, but also because of the customer support we’ve experienced. Danny Lake [Toro grounds sales manager at Reesink Turfcare] and the guys in the workshop have been fantastic, with communication and their efficiency in getting back to me being brilliant,” he concludes.

As the only venue in the UK able to host both world class football and athletics events, Greg and his team have a big job on their hands, but one that’s been made both quicker and easier with the help of Toro.

Big savings on Polaris

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Polaris has announced a range of major savings to be had for a limited period. Customers buying the new Polaris Sportsman 570, the latest version of the world’s best-selling ATV, can save as much as £1000.00. on the Recommended Retail Price. Anyone looking for extra creature comforts with the Polaris Mid-Size Ranger can save over £500 on the price of a half cab. The Sportsman 570 boasts a powerful 44hp engine, loads of storage space and with the different models there’s the choice of Electronic Power Steering, Active Descent Control and a full-size version to legally carry two people.

Right now the Sportsman 570 can be bought for £5,263 which means a saving of over £730, whilst members of the NFU, NFUS and UFU enjoy an additional 5% discount, for a price of only £4,999 and a saving of nearly £1000.00. There are offers available on the other models as well.

For those of you looking for the comfort of a HALF CAB for the Polaris Mid-Size Ranger Side by Side you can save over £500. For just £499 you get the Half Cab, a fixed glass windscreen, Pro-Fit sport roof, poly rear panel, a wiper kit and battery connection kit. There’s also the option of a tip out windscreen upgrade in place of the fixed windscreen for just £276. All the prices quoted are excluding VAT and terms and conditions do apply. These are some great savings but they won’t be around for long:

The offers run from 1st February to 31st March 2017 before reverting to full prices. Contact your nearest Polaris dealer for full details.

Greetham Valley wins top Environmental Award!

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Environmental Golf Course of the Year at the prestigious national Golf Environment Awards ceremonial dinner in Harrogate last week, hosted by the Sports Turf Research Institute.
To be considered for the finals, Golf Clubs are shortlisted for a site visit, with four nominees from each category selected to attend the awards dinner. The categories are: Environmental Golf Course of the Year, Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year and Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year. Long term sponsors of the awards include Farmura Environmental, Ransomes Jacobsen, Syngenta, Tillers Turf, Wiedenmann and BIGGA.

Greetham Valley was awed to be a joint finalist in their category with none other than Carnoustie Golf Links, The Carrick on Loch Lomond and Whitley Bay Golf Club. The Environmental Golf Course of the Year award recognises venues which demonstrate environmental best practice, enhancing their own local ecology and improving habitats whilst maintaining the very best in playing surfaces. All the finalist venues were showcased on the evening and the outstanding efforts all had made were clear.

Adi Porter, Greetham Valley’s Course Manager, said “We knew we had done very well to be in the final but really thought we didn’t stand a chance, with such prestigious golf courses, known for their excellent ecological projects, being strong contenders. The owners, Robert and Dee Hinch and I were just thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of the ceremonial awards dinner in exalted company – when we were announced as the winners of the main award of the evening, we were totally shocked and overwhelmed! And what we greatly appreciated were the genuine congratulations from everyone at the ceremony, many of whom seemed as delighted for our outstanding achievement as we were!” Robert and Dee were keen to pay tribute to the whole team at Greetham Valley, saying “We all work together to tackle and achieve environmental best practice and we are absolutely delighted to have this recognised at such a prestigious awards ceremony.”

STRI ecology consultant, Sophie Vukelic, said: “For 22 years the Golf Environment Awards has highlighted the biodiversity value of golf courses around the UK, rewarding the people who manage the land as sustainably as possible, for both golf and wildlife. Greetham Valley greatly impressed the judges with their whole team’s initiatives in creating an environmentally sound, sustainable golf resort, implementing innovative techniques in their determination to promote ecological best practice throughout the venue. Huge congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s awards, you truly are the future of golf course management.”

Aiming to reduce the carbon footprint and increase biodiversity across Greetham Valley, staff in all departments – greenkeeping, kitchen, housekeeping, administration, F&B, maintenance – all play their part in numerous ‘eco-projects’ as does the long term sustainability investment by the Hinch family.

Over the years, Course Manager Adi Porter has implemented many of the ecological initiatives which helped win the award, including: greatly reducing chemical usage by introducing an integrated management programme for the control of pests, disease and weeds using holistic techniques, creating an improved habitat for wildlife; becoming part of Operation Pollinator – “the golf industry’s chance to save UK bees” – creating wildflower meadows and a solitary bee tower; erecting a series of nesting boxes for birds and bats; constructing a reed bed and 17 new ponds, populated with fish, which have attracted a diversity of flora and fauna; building wildlife-friendly drystone and log walls and a bug hotel for hibernation and shelter; erecting birdfeeders, feeding towers and bird hides, creating a floating bird island.

Adi adds “One of the most dramatic chemical usage decrease has been that of nitrogen – quantities from tee to green have more than halved. On the greens we were using 250kg per hectare/per year and over the past 8-10 years this has been just 100 kg hectare/year. On the fairways, a granular nitrogen feed treating 30 hectares at a cost of £12k per annum was the norm, now a liquid feed is applied more accurately to only 18 hectares – with reduced nitrogen inputs the cost is now £6k per year. The result is virtually zero nitrogen leaching through the soil profile and into the water courses, without compromising on course presentation quality.

Moisture levels in the greens are carefully and accurately monitored and irrigation applied in just sufficient quantities to keep the greens alive. This has reduced not only water usage but also the amount of electricity used to drive the irrigation pumps – and much of the irrigation water comes from grey water – rain run-off from our buildings.

We have created more areas of natural grassland (now approximately 20 hectares) for wildlife to thrive. This has also saved us one day per week of cutting rough = 40 litres of fuel per week saving, for approx. 24 weeks, total 192 man hours + 1120 litres of fuel. In addition, we used to mow both sides of the stream banks, all the way along its length. We now leave many areas long and cut just once annually, this has helped increase our water vole population.”

Some of the Hinch family’s long term environmental investments include the installation of two huge biomass boilers, powered by woodchip, which provide heat and hot water for most of the complex. Since 1990 over 26,000 trees have been planted across the estate; all felled trees are re-used, by chipping the brash for pathways, splitting logs for the woodburners in the Clubhouse and the holiday cottage; some chippings feed the biomass boilers. In addition, a 40kwh solar panel power system has been installed and LED lighting is fitted throughout the complex. Rainwater is recycled into the irrigation system, more sustainable and efficient sanitary equipment has been installed in public areas, whilst the machinery wash-down system is an environmentally sealed recycling loop. The resort’s holiday Lodges were purchased from a company which sources the timber from sustainable Norwegian forests.

Across the complex, cleaning and housekeeping supplies are eco-friendly; vegetable food waste from the kitchen is composted along with grass cuttings and leaves from the golf courses and grounds and the wood chip ash from the boilers – this rich crumbly compost is then used by the greenkeepers across the estate; two thirds of rubbish produced is recycled including glass, plastic and paper, as is engine oil from the workshop, fryer oil from the kitchen and ink cartridges and paper from the offices. Truly a team effort in sustainability and the Environmental Golf Course of the Year award is very well deserved!