Sherriff Amenity GoGreen at SALTEX 2017

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Sherriff Amenity GoGreen at SALTEX 2017: At SALTEX 2017 Sherriff Amenity will be showcasing two new products in the renowned GoGreen complexed iron range. Visitors to the stand (E060) will also be offered the opportunity to sign-up free of charge to the online Sherriff Academy and find out more about Agrovista’s latest Scottish acquisition – Terra Firma.

Over recent years, professionals in the groundscare and amenity industry have turned to Sherriff Amenity’s GoGreen complexed iron range. Already well known for delivering outstanding results, the GoGreen range boasts the long-lasting iron granules (GoGreen Granules) and in liquid form (GoGreen Plus).

GoGreen Energy and GoGreen Select are the latest products to be added to the unique range of products.

Sherriff Amenity GoGreen at SALTEX 2017

GoGreen Energy is a concentrated bio-stimulant, formulated to assist plant health and relieve stress symptoms in a wide variety of amenity turf situations. It contains seaweed, plant sugars, simple carbohydrates and trace elements that have been specially selected to give optimum results when grass is stressed. The low NPK analysis, complemented by suitable wetting and spreading agents, makes this an ideal component of any turf maintenance programme.

It uses a natural plant-based source of sugars and other carbohydrates that does not require a destructive sterilisation process, such as is mandatory with products containing hydrocarbons derived from animal materials. It can be used all year round and is ideal for large amenity areas or as a pre-game stadia application.

GoGreen Select is a unique complex iron sulphate that may be used as a stand-alone product for rapid greening of turf or more flexibly, as a tank-mix partner with fertiliser and herbicide. Unlike ferrous sulphate and chelated iron, that can react forming precipitate and rendering the spray solution unusable, GoGreen Select is stable and provides a range of spraying options not normally associated with the use of iron.

Visitors to the Sherriff stand will also have the chance to trial the online Sherriff Amenity Academy in which they can sign-up for free. The online Academy has been set up to help improve the UK turf amenity sector stewardship of pesticide and products – keeping the industry up to date with legislation and product information and promoting best practise for all products.

It provides a unique platform for education not only on Sherriff’s products but also on a wide range of areas in turf management. Recognised as the Knowledge Courses, these modules focus on developing skills and understanding of how to manage a sports turf surface.

Throughout the Knowledge Courses, users will gain a greater insight into the methods and operations of certain subjects such as Turf Disease, Product Application, Seed and Turf Pests.

It was recently announced that Sherriff Amenity have joined forces with Terra Firma (Scotland) Ltd – one of Scotland’s largest specialist suppliers to the amenity and local authority markets. The purchase allows the two businesses to combine existing technical expertise and broad product ranges to provide land managers, local authorities, contractors, groundsmen and greenkeepers in Scotland with a full agronomy service, research driven advice, new product innovation and access to an extensive local distribution network.

A number of representatives from Terra Firma will be on the Sherriff Amenity stand to explain how this partnership will benefit those based in Scotland. For any queries or technical advice, members of the Sherriff Amenity team will also be on hand throughout the two day event.

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

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity

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From Greenkeeper To Masters Bid

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From Greenkeeper To Masters Bid: Not many people can call Royal Wellington Golf Club their backyard. Daniel Hillier has more right than most, especially as he mows the greens there, too.

New Zealand’s second-ranked amateur golfer has added the title assistant greenkeeper to his CV, at the very golf course he and nine compatriots will chase a golden ticket into both The Masters and Open Championship this month.

In recent weeks Hillier worked part-time for Royal Wellington’s head greenkeeper John Spraggs and his ever-expanding team, preparing it for the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship from October 26-29. He’s lost count of the number of rounds he’s played there, a short drive from the family home in Whitby.

From Greenkeeper To Masters Bid

“It’s quite nice to know where to put the ball well before the event actually starts so I can concentrate on the finer details. They’ve been very helpful and very understanding of what I’m trying to do with my golf.”

That understanding extends to granting Hillier leave for his final APAC leadup, the Harewood Open in Christchurch starting on Thursday.

Hillier likes the venue for his final shakedown, on the undulating Greg Turner-designed greens which are similar to Royal Wellington’s. Turner was a key figure in re-designing Heretaunga to championship standard, which saw it become the first New Zealand course awarded the APAC.

Clearly, few will be better prepared than Hillier, who beat Danny Lee’s record as the youngest NZ amateur champion at age 17 in 2015 and made an encouraging APAC debut a year ago when 15th equal at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in South Korea.

“Last year was a great experience being in a new place and such a big event it was quite an eye opener for me. It brought out parts of my game I knew I could work on this year.

“I’m feeling really comfortable being on my home track, but it will play completely different to how it usually does: a little bit firmer, the greens will be faster and the pins will be tougher.”

Talking about fast greens, tough pins and blustery winds, Hillier handled it like a pro when he won his first 72-hole Wellington Strokeplay title by a mammoth 12 shots at Shandon last month. He closed with rounds of 65 and 67 for a 10-under total of 270.

Among those in his wake were fellow APAC hopefuls Kerry Mountcastle, his Wellington team-mate, and Ryan Chisnall, who toured with Hillier to some of the big US amateur tournaments this year. Picking his moments to attack the pin on the unforgiving US layouts was Hillier’s biggest lesson.

“I managed to leave them in the right spot for most of the round and it was one of those days where I had a couple of extra putts drop in,” he said of his dominant strokeplay victory.

Hillier, Chisnall, Mountcastle, Luke Brown and Mark Hutson joined the leading Australian players for a weekend camp at Royal Wellington last month and all five Kiwis will tackle Harewood this week too, along with James Anstiss who’s the first US-based New Zealand golfer to arrive.

Australians Travis Smyth (13) and Harrison Endycott (19) are ranked inside the world’s top-20 and are the ones to beat in the APAC. Four Aussies are ranked in the world’s top-40 while US-based Nick Voke (44) is New Zealand’s top-ranked ahead of Hillier (79) and Chisnall (84).

For the first time, the APAC winner in a field of around 120 of the best from Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea and Thailand earns an exemption to the big ones: next year’s Masters at Augusta and Open Championship at Carnoustie.

Said Hillier: “We’ve got 10 guys and there’s some great golfers who’ve played here before. They all know the course and the home conditions. It’s a really good opportunity for the New Zealand blokes to try and get one over the rest of the world.”

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Jacobsen Chosen to Maintain Vietnam’s Newest Golf Course

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Jacobsen Equipment Chosen to Maintain Vietnam’s Newest Golf Course: Textron Specialized Vehicles, a Textron Inc.. company, announced that its Jacobsen equipment has been chosen to maintain Yen Dung Resort and Golf Club, a newly constructed golf course in the Bac Giang province located just 50km North-East of Hanoi in Vietnam.

The course has been designed by Albanese & Lutzke Inc. and the first 18-holes opened on the 20th August 2017. The golf course will expand to 36-holes during the next phase of construction due to take place in 2020. As the only golf course in the province, it is expected to receive heavy traffic particularly from professionals working at the nearby industrial parks.

Jacobsen Equipment Chosen to Maintain Vietnam’s Newest Golf Course

The Club has invested heavily in course maintenance equipment and has purchased nine Eclipse 2 greens mowers, nine Greens King 526 mowers, three GP400 ride-on mowers, five Greens King 526 mowers, three LF570 fairway mowers, two AR522 contour rotary mowers, one AR-3, two Groom Master II bunker rakes, eight HoverKing speciality mowers and two Jacobsen Truckster XD utility vehicles.

Nguyen Nhu Ngoc is the golf course superintendent at the new golf course. Commenting on the construction of the course and the machinery chosen to maintain it, he said:

“We are on the side of a mountain here, so we have had to construct the course as well as infrastructure such as roads and bridges. It has all come together well, and it will be spectacular to play for golfers visiting the area; we are the only golf course in the province.

“I chose Jacobsen equipment because I have used the machinery on my previous course, and I have always been blown away with the results. The quality is good, and the support from our dealer, Shriro Vietnam, is also fantastic. I am confident that all of our needs will be taken care of, and we will be able to provide an exceptional golfing experience here in Bac Giang.”

There are 60 staff members in the maintenance team at Yen Dung Resort and Golf Club who manage an area of ​​190 hectares. There are 138 villas surrounding the golf course for sale, and a hotel on-site.

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com/europe

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Etesia Regional Dealer Events a Great Success

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Etesia Regional Dealer Events a Great Success: Over 50 general managers and sales managers from the Etesia and Pellenc UK dealer network attended the recent dealer conference events which were held at four venues across the country.

The regional conferences provided the opportunity to discuss new trading terms, marketing and training as well as to show the latest products which will be officially unveiled at SALTEX 2017 in November.

The events were held at Leicester, Gloucestershire, Scotland and Manchester. Etesia UK Operations Director Les Malin outlined the programme before delegates were invited outside for a working demonstration of the new products. This was followed up with an overview of the brand sectors and details of the latest product special offers.

Etesia Regional Dealer Events a Great Success

After a refreshment break, details of the new online warranty and parts ordering platforms were discussed along with an overview of the training options available for dealer staff.

The final section included a presentation from Fusion Media’s Managing Director Christopher Bassett (the company’s marketing agency) on the marketing activities for the Etesia, Pellenc and Oeliatec brands over the past twelve months. This also included a Q&A session on what marketing collateral dealers would like to receive.

The evening was brought to a close with an evening meal and drinks with a thank you from the Etesia UK team for attending.

“This was probably the best UK dealer conference I can remember for some time,” commented Les Malin.

“By inviting a small collection of dealers to each regional event was very rewarding. The enthusiasm of the dealers for our new initiatives will hopefully take the Etesia, Pellenc and Oeliatec brands to the new level.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk

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Hybrid Is Pitchmark’s New Line

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Hybrid Is Pitchmark’s New Line: Following trials with a number of the leading Premier League clubs, Pitchmark will be introducing their new Hybrid sports pitch line marker at Saltex, complete with a lifetime warranty.

This is a real breakthrough for turf professionals and their clubs, offering a wide range of benefits compared to traditional methods.  Mark Rodman, Pitchmark Managing Director, has been working closely with groundsmen at top clubs to create a new approach with a product that offers the benefits of both a transfer wheel marker and a spray marker.

Hybrid Is Pitchmark’s New Line

“A large number of top stadia groundsmen use transfer markers for many good reasons,” says Mark, “it’s easier to lift the back wheels up to mark over intersecting lines, there’s balanced weight and groundsmen like to walk slowly, with more control. With a transfer wheel marker you are using the same amount of paint on a pitch no matter how slowly you walk.”

The problems with transfer markers, Mark points out, is that they only tend to coat the leaf-tips of the leaf, and in order to cover more of the leaf to get the required result it is double marked. This can also result in a ‘trenching’ effect due to the continuous heavy weight of the front roller, coupled with the loss of grass coverage due to overdosing of paint. The end result is the paint becomes so thick on the leaf it takes much longer to dry. With many modern ‘hybrid’ pitches requiring regular watering, ‘ghosting of paint over the pitch is highly likely.

The Pitchmark Hybrid overcomes these problems with a three-wheeled spray design for ease of use, especially on intersecting lines where a conventional four-wheeled machine requires awkward manoeuvring over wet lines. The Hybrid feels like a transfer marker: well weighted and perfectly balanced. With a range of nozzles to suit the user, you never use too much paint while still being able to walk slowly.

“The Hybrid cone nozzles give perfect deep leaf coverage, “Mark says: “you only need one pass and, because of the depth of the leaf coverage, the line isn’t cut out fully week to week. It’s based on the proven Pitchmark Eco Club and Eco Pro markers spray system. The thin coating of paint dries extremely quickly so there are no issues with irrigation, rain, or ghosting.”

The Limited Edition UK manufactured Hybrid uses a 12V 14ah SLA battery which gives up to 4 hours from one charge. The clever, highly-engineered front discs act as the front wheel, leaving crisper lines, and wide, low ground pressure solid puncture-proof rear wheels never go flat-and leave less of a mark on the pitch. Designed for use with Pitchmark’s Direct and Ecoline+ advanced low-volume, ready-to-use paints, the Hybrid also features adjustable line width to suit different competitions and goal post widths. Paint is contained in a 25L moulded tank and you can bleed the system into the paint tank for cleaner operation with no wastage. The patent pending Hybrid comes with a lifetime warranty, providing Pitchmark paints are used.  Pitchmark are taking pre-orders now and welcome groundsmen to come along to stand E125 at Saltex where they will be launching the Hybrid alongside their existing range of paints, machines and accessories.

You can call 01454 776666 or email sales@pitchmark.com to arrange a demo. www.pitchmark.com

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Suppliers Welcome EU Decisions On Controlled Release Fertilisers

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Manufacturers of controlled release fertilisers have welcomed the voting through of key amendments to the EU Fertilisers Draft Regulation at a committee of the European Parliament.
Proposals suggested the polymer “shall be capable of undergoing physical, biological decomposition, such that most of it ultimately decomposes into carbon dioxide (CO2), biomass and water. It shall have at least 90% of the organic carbon converted into CO2 in maximum 24 months, in a biodegradability test.”
Suppliers Welcome EU Decisions On Controlled Release Fertilisers
The amendment changed this to: “48 months after the end of the claimed functionality period of the fertilizing product indicated on the label, and as compared to an appropriate standard in the biodegradation test.”
Polymers other than nutrient polymers may now be included for improving the stability of the CE marked fertilising products.
Another amendment was CE marked product containing polymers other than nutrient polymers shall be exempted “under the condition that the polymers are solely used as binding material for the fertilising product and they are not in contact with the soil”.
ICL marketing manager Dave Steward said: “The change is what we all wanted and we have been told that the arguments and the support that the UK gave was instrumental in making these amendments.”
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Etesia Choose SALTEX As Platform To Launch Greener City Equipment

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Etesia Choose SALTEX As Platform To Launch Greener City Equipment: Etesia will be launching their range of Greener City Equipment on stand C050 at IOG SALTEX 2017, which includes a range of environmentally-friendly battery-powered pedestrian and ride-on rotary mowers.

Environmental protection and a commitment to sustainable development in general have always been among Etesia’s key concerns, even before they became the latest buzzwords.

That is why Etesia have developed their own philosophy called Bio Concept. It is reflected in the fact that environmental protection is addressed in all areas of the company and at every stage in the life of their equipment.

Etesia Choose SALTEX As Platform To Launch Greener City Equipment

Taking centre stage at SALTEX 2017 will be the Buffalo 124 HVHPX four wheel drive ride-on mower and the Bahia M2E electric ride-on mower. The Buffalo 124 HVHPX is fitted with a 124-cm overlapping cutting deck and a 23-hp two-cylinder Briggs and Stratton Vanguard engine, and has a high hourly mowing output of up to 15,000 sqm. per hour.

The Bahia M2E is the world’s first fully electric ride-on cut and collect mower. Featuring all of the benefits of its petrol ‘brother’ which has made the Bahia a user favourite, with the added advantages of no odour, zero emissions, low noise, low vibrations, reduced maintenance costs and reduced health and safety issues for operators. This model has been developed around the chassis of the petrol-powered Bahia models and effectively has the same compact look with a cutting width of 80cm and grass box capacity of 240 litres. Power comes from 4 acid/lead batteries producing 48V, 115 ah and conveniently located under the operator’s seat which can be re-charged within six hours via a 16amp 200v power socket.

Also on show will be the complete range of battery-powered pedestrian mowers from the N-Ergy range. With mowers from 41cm-46cm cutting widths, push and single speed available, there is a mower suitable for everyone.

The exclusive Duocut cutting deck on the N-Ergy range is the perfect combination of 100 % collection and 100 % mulching decks. A very high collection performance thanks to the smooth inside of the deck. A full opening of the exit of the ejection channel which is favourable to the removal of grass cuttings without clogging in a 50-litre box – even in extreme weather conditions.

Completing the Greener City Equipment range on show is the revolutionary Donky 100% electric wheel barrow, which is available with a range of attachments to tackle a wide variety of jobs.

Visitors to stand C050 will also get the opportunity to see the new Bahia Hydro 80 MKHP4 E-Connect ride-on mower before it’s official launch in 2018.

New product brochures ahead of the 2018 season will also be available.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk  where you can also find more information on Pellenc which is sold exclusively in the UK by Etesia UK.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Etesia UK on Twitter @EtesiaUK and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/EtesiaUK. You can also view the latest Etesia videos by visiting www.youtube.com/EtesiaUK.

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Lynx Control For A Links Course

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Lynx Control For A Links Course: Easy Toro irrigation for Portmarnock’s challenging Links course

The 27-hole private members club, Portmarnock Golf Club, has updated its previous irrigation system with a Toro Lynx control system and 1,220 Toro Infinity Series Sprinklers across the site. Irrigating the challenging course is now easy thanks to round-the-clock access to course conditions via apps synced to the new Lynx control system.

Portmarnock Golf Club not only offers golfers a stunning view of Velvet Strand beach, but the William Chalmers Pickeman, George Ross and Mungo Park designed course makes the most of the natural terrain to keep players on their toes. Links manager of ten years Gary Johnstone also thrives on the challenges presented by the course, saying it: “keeps the job interesting.”

Lynx Control For A Links Course

So when the club’s cable network started to degrade, leaving the old irrigation system unreliable, those at Portmarnock Golf Club saw it not as an obstacle but an opportunity to update the system to suit the course down to a tee.

Gary explains: “We looked at all the irrigation products on the market over a two-year period to find out which company had the best products to suit our needs, and Toro was the clear winner.”

He continues: “Local contractor Aquaturf Solutions Ltd installed our Toro irrigation system and carried out the work over six months with minimum disturbance to the course, in a very professional manner.”

According to Gary, setting up the new system was simple: “With Lynx, it’s easy to set up specific irrigation programmes to meet the needs of Links turf.”

Gary’s favourite aspect of the new system is the accessibility: “The control system is easy to operate and can be accessed anywhere via apps, allowing us to monitor the course’ water needs at all times. This gives us greater control over our irrigation management, as real-time adjustments can be made to give turf the right amount of water.”

The 1,220 Toro Infinity Sprinklers installed course-wide have impressed too: “The Infinity sprinklers have so many good points: their ease of operation, that you can access the top of the sprinkler for repairs, and they are future proof,” says Gary.

“Before, it was difficult to keep the course up to Championship standard with our failing irrigation system. Now irrigation is easy thanks to Toro and we can focus on the challenges ahead, such as hosting the Amateur Championship in 2019, knowing the grass plants will be healthy and play will be great.”

For more information, please visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Textron Golf Chosen at Hogs Head Golf Club  

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Textron Golf Chosen at Hogs Head Golf Club: Hogs Head Golf Club, a brand-new course located in County Kerry, Ireland, has chosen equipment from Textron Golf (Jacobsen®, E-Z-GO® and Cushman®) to maintain its surfaces.

The course replaces Skellig Bay Golf Club and has been built in the picturesque town of Waterville, with golfer’s able to enjoy spectacular views of the Irish coast and Atlantic Ocean. Local dealer Broderick Grass Machinery demonstrated and delivered the new machinery.

The machinery purchased by the Club includes three LF577 fairway mowers, one AR522 rough mower, one AR-3 rotary mower, two GP400 greens mowers, two Eclipse 322 greens mowers, 10 Greens King mowers for tees and greens, a Jacobsen Truckster, two ISEKI tractors, 20 E-Z-GO RXV ELiTE Freedom golf cars and a Cushman Hauler PRO.

Textron Golf Chosen at Hogs Head Golf Club  

David Daly is the golf course superintendent at Hogs Head Golf Club. Commenting on the opening of the new course, and the equipment purchased, he said:

“This is a very exciting time for everyone involved in this project. We started construction in March 2016 where we used 150,000 tonnes of sand to cap all playing areas with eight inches of sand. The course will play firm, fast and dry all year round. It has been an eye-opening experience, but the results speak for themselves.

“We chose equipment from Textron Golf because Jacobsen was recommended by Michael Murphy at Waterville Golf Links, and I have used the machines in the past and they have always been very good. The technology on the Eclipse is the best you’ll find, and it also provides us with a fantastic quality of cut. I am also very impressed with the LF577; it now takes us half the time to cut the fairways than it used to on the old course.

“A crucial part of the decision-making process was the relationship with the dealer and the back-up support we would receive. This is where Brodericks, and our local dealer Pat Geaney, really made our minds up for us. The companies both provide the best service around, and I know I can have parts delivered the same day if needed. I’m very happy with the equipment from Textron Golf, and the support from our dealers.”

Niall Moran is the general manager at Hogs Head Golf Club, and was responsible for the purchase of the new E-Z-GO ELiTE Freedom golf cars. He said:

“Investing in these golf cars was a no-brainer for the Club. They deliver the best performance, save us the most money by reducing electricity bills, and are light on the course which prevents damage. We have put a lot of resources into course maintenance equipment, so we want to ensure that the surfaces are protected as much as possible, and the new golf cars provide us with this. We’ll be using them on the golf course and for transporting people from the hotel to the course and vice versa.”

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com/europe

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