ICL & Syngenta Launch Ultimate Offers 2017

/in /by

ICL and Syngenta have launched their popular Primo Maxx Ultimate Offers for 2017, which are set to provide turf managers with a combination of great products through a range of extremely cost-effective packages.

Primo Maxx is commonly used on all types of sports and amenity turf because it improves the quality and performance of the turf and encourages root development as well as significantly reducing the mowing requirements. Because of these benefits Primo Maxx has become a fundamental component of many maintenance programmes and so the Ultimate Offer is always most welcome at this time of year.

The Ultimate Offers combines the grass growth regulator Primo Maxx, Sportsmaster WSF water soluble fertilizer, Greenmaster liquid fertilizer AND Syngenta XC nozzles. The packages are designed for use on greens or stadium pitches (Ultimate Offer 1), tees and surrounds or multiple pitch applications (Ultimate Offer 2) or fairways, roughs or larger multiple pitch applications (Ultimate Offer 3).

Available exclusively through ICL distributors until 31st December 2017, the Ultimate Offers can help stretch budgets by saving turf managers up to £4,000 per year.

Each package comprises of:

Ultimate Offer 1 – ideal for greens or stadia applications.
1 x 5 litre of Primo Maxx
200 litre drum of Greenmaster Liquid
13 x Syngenta XC 04 nozzles.

Ultimate Offer 2 – ideal for tees and surrounds or multiple pitch applications
2 x 10 litre of Primo Maxx
18 x 15kg Sportsmaster WSF High N 35-0-14 + 0.13Fe
13 x Syngenta XC 04 nozzles.

Ultimate Offer 3 – ideal for fairways, rough or larger pitch applications
4 x 10 litre of Primo Maxx
36 x 15kg Sportsmaster WSF High N 35-0-14 + 0.13Fe
1 x Syngenta art of application kit (includes 13 x Syngenta XC 04 nozzles, cyclinder, nozzle height indicators plus a podcast/DVD).

Darren Anderson from Abergele Golf Club, who previously purchased Ultimate Packages 1 and 2, commented: “Both packages form an important part of our annual programme. I have found that the Primo Maxx/Greenmaster Liquid combination in Ultimate Package 1 offers excellent consistency within the greens, whilst Ultimate Package 2 helps lower fairway maintenance and improves their performance. The Syngenta XC nozzles are a fantastic extra; they provide even spray distribution, reduce drift and improve spray coverage.”

John Ledwidge, Grounds Manager at Leicester City FC, has also reported excellent results from Ultimate Offers: “At Leicester City, we find them great value for money,” he said. “We apply Primo Maxx throughout the summer as part of our very structured turf maintenance programme applying every four weeks at both the stadium and training facility. We find the balance of the Primo Maxx tank-mixed both the WSF and Greenmaster liquid helps us
manage our mowing regimes and doesn’t compromise the colour or health of the turf.”

Echoing Darren’s and John’s thoughts is Paul Coleman, Resort Superintendent at Dromoland Castle Golf Club in Ireland, who said: “We have a large five-star hotel and estate with reduced staff numbers, so the Primo Maxx and Sportsmaster WSF work brilliantly to give us the high standards demanded by our members and guests year in, year out. We have noticed our fairways are getting thicker and denser, and recovery time from heavy wear and divots has reduced during busy times. Golfers have actually taken time to comment on the improvement in sward density on the fairways and how this has led to an improved ball strike.”

For further information, please contact ICL on 01473 237100. Visit www.icl-sf.co.uk

Central England greenkeepers to enjoy 60 Shades of Green

/in /by

From the launch of a brand new chemical group to a talk about worldwide volunteering opportunities, the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association’s Central England Regional Conference will provide the most up-to-date education opportunities available to the region’s greenkeepers.

The event takes place on Wednesday 1 March 2017 at Kings Norton Golf Club, Birmingham and among the attractions will be Richard Owens of Tillers Turf and his talk on the ’60 Shades of Green’.

Sure to arouse the interests of turf management professionals, the presentation will discuss turf production, case studies, the Golf Environment Awards, and how golf clubs can get involved.

Gaudet Luce Course Manager Andy Laing is vice chairman of the Central Section and said: “While it’s not always possible to take the whole team to BTME, the regional conference offers a great day’s education and networking opportunities for all my staff, enabling them to focus their minds ready for the start of the season without breaking the bank. It’s a great day, and not to be missed.”

Also presenting at the event will be Dr Colin Mumford, technical support manager at Bayer. Colin will explain how the first chemical group to be launched in a decade will give turf managers a new tool in the fight against fungicides.

Graeme Roberts will discuss the benefits of volunteering, while Richard Elwell will discuss how to get the best out of yourself and your golf club for the benefit of both parties.

Dr Kate Entwistle of the Turf Disease Centre will explain how moves towards preventative disease management are necessary in the face of tighter restrictions, and the latest disease species to have arisen.

The Central England Region is the new name for the former Midlands Region, which came into effect at the BIGGA Annual General Meeting, held at BTME this January. The region’s new name gives a better representation of the broad area covered, spanning from the Welsh border in the west to The Wash in the east.

John Deere Classic Voted Tournament of The Year

/in /by

The 2016 John Deere Classic held in the US has been voted the PGA TOUR’s Tournament of the Year. The 46th annual John Deere Classic also received first place awards for Most Engaged Community and Best Social Media Activation from the PGA in December.

From a social media standpoint, the John Deere Classic’s Facebook page generated more than 150,000 ‘likes,’ more than any other event page on the PGA TOUR last season. The 2016 event also had 38,000 combined followers on Twitter and Instagram, the second-highest on the TOUR.

“The John Deere Classic is thrilled to have been honoured in this way,” said tournament director Clair Peterson. “The Tournament of the Year Award represents the great work of the board of directors, staff, our 1700 incredible volunteers, our 491 participating charities, and our steadfast and supportive title sponsor John Deere, whose commitment to corporate citizenship is a core principle of the company.”

“This is an incredible honour, and I want to thank our many employee volunteers, whose support is integral to the tournament’s success,” said Mara Sovey Downing, Deere’s director of global brand management and corporate citizenship. “Our partnership with the PGA TOUR provides a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate Deere’s commitment to our community and the golf industry.”

PGA TOUR chief tournaments and competitions officer Andy Pazder praised the 2016 John Deere Classic, which helped raise a record US$10.54 million for charity and produced a champion in Ryan Moore who had nine top 10 finishes and clinched the final point in the US team’s victory over Europe in the Ryder Cup in 2016.

A seven-year extension to John Deere’s title sponsorship of professional golf was recently announced by Deere & Company, the PGA TOUR and the John Deere Classic tournament, which took effect at the end of 2016. The agreement includes sponsorship of the John Deere Classic and multiple designations for John Deere in the TOUR’s Official Marketing Partner programme.

As a result of this new agreement, John Deere will celebrate 25 years as a PGA TOUR title sponsor in 2022. The company retains its designations as official golf course equipment supplier to the PGA TOUR and the TPC network, official landscape product supplier to the PGA TOUR, and official golf course equipment leasing company. John Deere equipment is used at all TOUR-owned TPC facilities.

Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 226 countries and territories in 32 languages. The 2017 John Deere Classic will be held from July 10 to 16 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Sherriff Amenity Launch Marathon TCR Fertiliser

/in /by

Sherriff Amenity has announced the launch of Marathon Turf Core Renovator, which is the latest addition to the popular range of Marathon fertilisers.

For a number of years, turf managers have reaped the benefits of Sherriff Amenity’s range of Marathon fertilisers – The Marathon Sport range of extended release fertilisers provide long-lasting, balanced growth on golf greens fairways, tees, surrounds, sports fields and ornamental lawns maintained at a height of 10mm and above. In addition to this the Marathon Golf range offers excellent longevity for fine turf areas, including golf and bowls greens.

It delivers a denser sward with deeper, healthier rooting but without the need of drastically increasing labour inputs.

The Marathon Sport & Golf range is characterised by a balance of nutrients, the analyses of each product being geared to a specific growth stage or season. With five existing products in the Marathon Sport range – Autumn, Pre-Seed, Spring, Summer and Lawn Mini Pack and three products in the Marathon Golf range – Spring, Summer, and Autumn – there truly is a solution for every requirement, no matter what the time of year.

Marathon TCR is the latest addition to the range and will be of particular interest to those who want to aid the recovery of turf after periods of stress and renovation work. It contains a mixture of nitrogen sources to provide both immediate and prolonged growth for recovery so that playing surfaces can be quickly returned to use.

This is an extremely versatile product that can be used on all areas of the golf course as well as sports turf pitches and ornamental lawns that need re-vitalising.

Key Benefits of Marathon TCR

  • Rapid recovery from essential maintenance
  • Helps deal with the stress and abrasion caused by re-filling core holes
  • Fast green-up of damaged turf
  • Ammonium nitrogen content allows use in cooler conditions
  • Simple and cost-effective

Sherriff Amenity has established a reputation as the industry leading supplier of professional products and specialist advice. The company’s commitment to research and development enables them to continuously provide innovative new products, ideas and solutions to their customers, year on year.

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

Successful Use of 3G in Non-League Stadia

/in /by

The success of Sutton Utd in reaching the fifth round of this year’s FA Cup has once again brought attention to the use of 3G in Football Stadia. Since Sutton Utd installed a FieldTurf Vertex pitch in 2015 they have achieved great success both on and off the pitch.

On top of their unprecedented FA Cup run, Sutton Utd have also achieved promotion to the National League and seen the Gander Green Lane pitch used as the venue for the England C U21 International Trophy match. Paul Fairclough, the England Manager, commented after the match, “Having played Slovakia U21’s and trained at Sutton United’s new 3rd generation pitch, it was the best surface I have seen, and this includes all those pitches I have ever come across in Europe as well”.

The financial benefits of installing a 3G pitch are well known but what has been most refreshing has been the positive reaction from media, players and managers to the way the pitch has played. The unique design of the Vertex surface improves both the aesthetics and playability of the pitch and coupled with the shockpad underneath ensures optimum levels of player comfort and safety.

Following the success of the Sutton pitch, the Vertex system has also been installed in the Stadia of Maidstone Utd, Slough Town FC, Harrogate Town FC, Tamworth Utd, Eastbourne Borough FC and Haringey Borough FC. The feedback from all these facilities is equally as positive and more and more clubs are now looking at installing a 3G pitch at their ground.

It is critical that clubs who are thinking of installing an artificial pitch are fully informed in all aspects of synthetic turf. With this in mind, FieldTurf is supporting construction partner S&C Slatter in running an education workshop with industry experts covering everything from testing requirements, maintenance, business models, funding options and pitch technology.