Merry Christmas from Turf Matters!

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I’m tempted to ask where these last 12 months have gone but I then step back and take a look at the strides Turf Matters has made over the last year, both digitally and with our bi-monthly hard copy. It is fair to say we have packed quite a bit in and we’ve needed every single one of the days the year gave us.  

For a start there wasn’t a monthly newsletter this time last year. We started these at the beginning of 2017 and we have been delighted at how well they have been received. So thank you for being one of our faithful readers, and thank you too, to everyone who has featured within our digital pages!

I also hope that for you the past year has been one you will be able to look back on fondly. It is fair to say there have been many hurdles to overcome for us individually, and for the country as a whole, but as a nation we are a resilient bunch, and that’s especially true in our particular sector. We seem to possess an ability to get things done no matter what is put in our way whether that be weather, budget cuts or whatever else may be on the end of the next telephone call.

I think we do all need a rest so have a peaceful festive holiday, if work commitments allow and if you are working over the next couple of weeks, I hope the weather is kind.

We are looking forward to building on the progress we made in 2017 and I hope that for you, as much as it does for us – Turf Matters.

On behalf of Loz, Tim, Sinead Marie and myself have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Scott MacCallum

Editor

FTMI Volunteers At The Ryder Cup

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FTMI Volunteers At The Ryder Cup: Jacobsen and BIGGA have selected a group of Future Turf Manager Initiative (FTMI) graduates to assist the course maintenance team during the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in France.

One delegate from each FTMI in the past five years has been selected to volunteer at the event, with one more person due to be chosen from the FTMI class of 2018.

FTMI Volunteers At The Ryder Cup

The chosen BIGGA members are:

  1. Leigh Powell, Windlesham Golf Club (FTMI Class of 2013)
  2. Peter Moore, The Wentworth Club (FTMI Class of 2014)
  3. Gavin Neill, St Andrews Links Trust (FTMI Class of 2015)
  4. Richard Johnstone, Nairn Dunbar Golf Links (FTMI Class of 2016)
  5. Adrian McCullough, JCB (FTMI Class of 2017)

Jacobsen and BIGGA have worked closely with Alejandro Reyes, Golf Courses and Estates Manager at Le Golf National, to provide this potentially career-defining opportunity for BIGGA members for the very first time.

Next year’s delegates were recently announced, and the 20 BIGGA members selected to take part will attend the three-day event at Jacobsen’s HQ in Ipswich from 6-8 March 2018.

Aimed at up and coming greenkeepers who want to make the leap to Course Manager, FTMI focuses on personal and professional development. The FTMI programme utilises the expertise of leading Course Managers, dynamic trainers and industry experts to mentor and educate the next generation of industry leaders.

In 2018, The Ryder Cup will be held in Continental Europe for only the second time in its history. Le Golf National will be hosting the biennial match on its spectacular L’Albatros course. Alejandro and his team of approximately thirty greenkeepers have completed extensive renovation work in the lead up to hosting the event. Renovation work has included a brand-new drainage system capable of draining 90mm of surface water within three hours on all playable surfaces, fibre optics have been installed for on-course connectivity and many holes have been completely renovated.

During the Ryder Cup, which takes place between 28-30 September 2018, 180 members of staff, including 140 volunteers, will be manicuring the golf course to ensure that the playing surfaces are in pristine condition for the duration of the matches.

Situated around 20 miles south west of Paris, the spectacular course is one of the best in the world for spectators and is consistently ranked in Europe’s top ten courses. Le Golf National has hosted the French Open every year, except for two years, since 1991.

Commenting on the unique volunteering opportunity, Director of International Golf Sales at Textron Golf, Andre Andrade, said: “We feel privileged to be able to offer FTMI delegates the experience of volunteering at the Ryder Cup. It is a huge event, and one I am sure they will remember for the rest of their lives. This opportunity is testament to the close working relationship that Jacobsen has with Le Golf National, and we thank the team there for allowing us to make this happen. Jacobsen is very proud to be an official supplier to the 2018 Ryder Cup, and we look forward to taking the lucky FTMI delegates with us to France next year.”

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton said: “It may only be six years old, but FTMI has already proven to be an incredible success, with many of the programme’s graduates going on to secure management roles, and the association is extremely grateful to Textron Golf for their continued investment in BIGGA members.

“I’d also like to thank Alejandro Reyes for enabling this incredible opportunity for six FTMI graduates. The 2018 Ryder Cup is sure to once again be a passionate, hard-fought competition, and with an estimated 500 million viewers worldwide in 2016, the course will no doubt be under closer scrutiny than any other in history. I wish Alejandro the greatest success, and I hope that our guys are able to help the home team achieve their goals in whatever way they can.”

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Dennis & SISIS At STMA

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Dennis & SISIS At STMA: Dennis and SISIS are heading to Fort Worth, Texas, to showcase a range of industry leading turf maintenance equipment at Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) Conference and Exhibition on 16-19 January 2018.

As the Dennis and SISIS brands continue to gain widespread recognition in the USA, the annual STMA Conference & Exhibition is fast becoming a firm date in the diary for the British manufacturers.

Dennis & SISIS At STMA

In an impressive line-up, Dennis will be showcasing its G860 dedicated cylinder mower, complete with a range of interchangeable cassettes and visitors will get the opportunity to find out more about the newly launched Spring Tine Rake cassette. Operators already have a plethora of options through the G860’s interchangeable cassette system, which includes scarifiers, verticutters, brushes, spikers, slitters and six or eight bladed cutting cylinders; and the Spring Tine Rake will provide them with even more versatility.

This new cassette contains 42 springs with 12mm spacings that can be used for the removal of dead turf matter, cleaning the surface and helping to stand grasses up. As with all of the cassettes, they can be changed easily with no tools.

Visitors to the Dennis and SISIS stand will be pleased to see the SISIS Javelin Aer-Aid 1500 tractor mounted vertical action aerator, which recently gained rave reviews from the STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute). This popular machine injects air directly into the root zone speeding up the aeration process, moving air uniformly throughout the root zone for complete aeration and not just where the tines have penetrated the surface. Those operating the Javelin Aer-Aid have the flexibility to alternate tines for other operations such as hollow coring prior to top dressing. Other benefits include a fast forward speed for excellent productivity, minimal maintenance and a smooth and quiet operation.

From natural turf to synthetic, there will be solutions for all at STMA. Take the SISIS Brush-Pro for example. This ride-on brushing system comprises of a pair of mid mounted oscillating units and three rear mounted brush units that that have been specifically designed for maintaining synthetic surfaces. The Brush-pro offers maximum manoeuvrability and operator comfort with features such as an electric start, hydrostatic drive for forward/reverse and its brush combinations – oscillating for thorough periodic work and rear mounted brushes for routine frequent work which cause less compaction than conventional drag brushes.

Also featuring prominently on the stand will be the SISIS SSS1000 – a tractor mounted sweeper which can be pulled by any machine. There are no tools required for the adjustment of the brush or the angle of the draw bar and to make storage easy the draw bar lifts to an upright position. With an aluminium hopper with stainless steel mesh, any infill that is collected when using the machine is returned back down to the surface leaving it free from contamination of debris.

For the versatility of carrying out tasks on both turf and hard porous surfaces then the Singleplay implement mounted frame may well be of interest. This single pass maintenance system accepts a variety of implements such as the 1.8m Flexicomb and the 1.8m Straight Brush – both of which will be on show at STMA.

Designed primarily for use on synthetic surfaces, the Flexicomb ensures even distribution of infill materials and lifts the pile. The adjustable setting ensures the effect of a rake, but with the softness of a brush. For perfect results, the Straight Brush can be used to provide a nice level finish following the hard work of the Flexicomb.

A number of experienced turf experts from Dennis and SISIS will be on hand at the exhibition to speak in more detail about the products.

Further information about the range of maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com

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Galway Bay’s New John Deere Fleet

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Galway Bay’s New John Deere Fleet: Designed by Christy O’Connor Jnr, a former Ryder Cup golfer, Galway Bay Golf Resort at Renville near Oranmore is not a links course, but is described as ‘parkland by the sea’, with the stunning backdrop of Galway Bay and the rugged curves of the Atlantic coastline always in sight.

Earlier this year this championship course hosted the Carey Cup, a tournament that pitched Ireland’s best amateurs from the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) against some of those from the USA, representing the Metropolitan Golf Association of New York (MGA).

Galway Bay's New John Deere Fleet

The resort has also recently been recognised both on and off the course with two awards, one for Best Customer Experience Golf Course in Ireland at the 2017 IGTOA Awards run by the Ireland Golf Tour Operator Association, and Best Golf Club Restaurant in Connacht at the YesChef Awards.

Course superintendent Damien Coleman, who is the current president of the GCSAI (Golf Course Superintendents Association of Ireland), gained further special recognition for the club last year when he was one of three European greenkeepers selected by the R&A to join the team of 46 worldwide volunteers that worked at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

“The Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a great experience both for me and for the club, even though I was gone for three weeks at the height of the summer,” says Damien, who has worked at Galway Bay since 2008. “The director of the club Ronan Killeen was still very happy for me to go however, especially as it brought the course a lot of positive media attention.”

With the club approaching its 25th anniversary in 2018, it decided that its ageing John Deere course maintenance equipment fleet needed replacing. Many of the machines had been acquired over 10 years ago in the club’s first substantial deal with local dealer Mid West Mowers at Glasson, near Athlone in Co Westmeath, and Damien Coleman was happy to negotiate a new package with the same dealer.

“We’ve been dealing with Ger Conway of Mid West Mowers for a long time, so we’re very familiar with John Deere equipment and the service we can expect in this area,” says Damien. “Ronan Killeen quickly accepted that the existing fleet was getting too old, and so didn’t need much convincing that it needed replacing.

“At around the same time we were impressed by a John Deere regional presentation on financing new golf course equipment purchases so the idea gained some traction, and we eventually settled on a Bank of Ireland financed package deal in spring of this year, basically replacing like with like in the fleet. All the main machines needed upgrading to take advantage of the latest technology and warranty benefits, plus we had a preference for the selected machines over what else was available on the market.”

The new package included two John Deere 7500A PrecisionCut fairway mowers, a 2653B PrecisionCut tees & surrounds mower, three TX Turf Gator utility vehicles, a 2030A Pro Gator and a 3045R compact tractor equipped with an H165 front loader.

“We’ve always had John Deere tractors, as they’re very reliable and long lasting, and they’ve certainly stood the test of time on this course – we have a 5415 utility tractor and a 3720 compact from the original deal, and they’re still going strong. Earlier this year I also attended a machinery demonstration at Dromoland Castle Golf Club in Co Clare, where I saw the new A Model mowers working for the first time, and on the back of that we decided to include the 7500A fairway mowers in the deal,” adds Damien.

“I was particularly impressed with what this mower’s smart technology can do, using the programmable TechControl display. We always set it to suit the conditions, especially in the summertime when the grass is quite heavy and we like the operators to slow down a little, to give a consistent finish.

“Our equipment manager Jonathan Stace also keeps all the kit in very good order. We maintain a small stock of parts at the course, but if we need anything, we know we can order it today and have it delivered tomorrow – the John Deere and Mid West Mowers parts service is excellent in that respect.”

For more information, visit: www.johndeere.co.uk

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