Apprentice wins national award

/in /by

An apprentice has received an award for golf greenkeeping.

David Stewart, who trains at Pershore College, won young greenkeeper of the year at The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) third annual BIGGA Awards.

Mr Stewart, 23, is deputy head greenkeeper at Walmley Golf Club in Sutton Coldfield.

BIGGA chief executive officer Jim Croxton said: “2016 was an incredible year for David as he took on no less than four different roles at his club.

“He took it all in his stride and alongside that he managed to get out, volunteering at tournaments and providing excellent support for the Young Greenkeepers’ Committee.

“David also worked extremely hard to provide participation opportunities for our younger members within the Central England region.”

Each year, the awards recognise outstanding greenkeeping performances, with entries being received from courses all over the country.

Mr Stewart, who is now on a level 3 apprenticeship, said: “Going up on stage was so nerve wracking.

“I feel over the moon as there are so many up and coming good young greenkeepers.

“Just to be nominated was unbelievable and to actually win is incredible.

“To have this kind of recognition from your colleagues makes this a career defining moment.”

BIGGA Chairman Les Howkins, course manager at The Richmond in London, said: “Congratulations to all the worthy winners of this year’s BIGGA Awards.

“These talented greenkeepers have demonstrated outstanding commitment and ability, not just this year but throughout their careers, and so it is great that we have been able to honour them with these awards.

“All the finalists were fantastic and show how, at every level and across the country, there are passionate greenkeepers who are a credit to the association, the greenkeeping industry and to themselves.”

To read the original article, click here

Five year guarantee on Terra Rake tines

/in /by

With immediate effect, all spring tines for new Wiedenmann Terra Rake purchases come with a five year breakage guarantee. One of Wiedenmann’s top selling machines, the Terra Rake recently introduced a folding frame which led to the development of the ‘double size’ 3.4 m and 4.6 m versions making a total of five in the range.

At speeds of up to 15 km/ hr these long foraging steel tines rip out thatch and bring clippings or embedded debris like leaves and twigs to the surface. Ideal for golf courses and large estate grounds the Terra Rake is often used in tandem with the Wiedenmann Super 500 and 600 3-in-1 mower collectors to provide an optimum rough management system

The tine guarantee is on the 1.7m, 2.3m, 3.4m and 4.6m models as well as the 1.7 m electric trailed version.

For more information visit www.wiedenmann.co.uk

John Deere expands Gator factory to meet demand

/in /by

The first major expansion in 30 years at the John Deere Horicon Works factory in Horicon, Wisconsin, USA has resulted in a new 388,000ft2 facility for manufacturing the company’s popular Gator utility vehicles. The expansion has added about 80 new jobs – around 70 in the assembly area and 10 new salary positions – bringing the total workforce to 1100 employees during the peak season.

“The expansion is a huge boon for the community, employees and the factory,” said Horicon Works factory manager Steve Johnson. “Now we’ll put each utility vehicle on our assembly line and it will not come off until it is built exactly the way the dealer wants it, ready for shipment worldwide – it places everything under our control. We’ll be able to serve our dealers and customers better, improve the overall quality of the vehicles, and make our operations more efficient.”

Previously there were two different factory operations working on Gator utility vehicles. The expansion now brings both the assembly and shipping operations to Horicon Works. Production began at the new facility in December and the move is scheduled for completion by March 2017.

“This investment shows our employees that all their work and effort to make this a great business from a safety, quality, and delivery standpoint is great for them as well. They’ve really helped us earn this opportunity to grow the business,” Steve Johnson said.

Horicon Works dates back to 1911 when Deere bought the factory from Van Brunt Manufacturing, a maker of horse-drawn grain drills and other farm machinery. Original buildings at the site, located in downtown Horicon, were built in 1865. Over the past century, Horicon Works has manufactured a broad range of farm and recreational equipment, including bicycles and snowmobiles – the tagline ‘Nothing runs like a Deere’ originated with the snowmobile line in the early 1970s.

In 1963 Horicon built the first 110 lawn & garden tractor, signalling the company’s first move into the turf market worldwide, and eventually settled into the current mix of products. Today, in addition to the extensive Gator utility vehicle range, Horicon makes premium lawn tractors including the X300, X500 Select and X700 Ultimate Series, and a wide range of attachments such as snow blowers, rotary mower decks and blades.