Changing The Channel

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Changing The Channel: In an attempt to bring clarity and certainty to its distribution channel, Bailoy Irrigation Control Systems have chosen to bring the distribution of all its products in the United Kingdom and Ireland in-house.

In effect from the 1 January 2018, this means customers with GTI Gemini and Trident products should contact Bailoy, rather than previous distributor Reesink Turfcare, for spares, support and sales.

Changing The Channel

Adam Lovejoy, Bailoy’s managing director, says: “We have enjoyed a productive working relationship with Reesink and Toro for 25 years, but with recent changes in product and service ranges for both companies it made sense to bring the sales and support of our Gemini and Trident products in-house.

“We believe this move will end any uncertainty about who controls the sales and support of the GTI range in particular. It means we can focus on supporting and forging relationships with the contractors and dealers who sell our products directly and that is something we are very much looking forward to doing.”

The move mainly affects customers with the Toro-badged CDS and SC3000, which, although labelled Toro in an exclusive distribution agreement, were designed and manufactured by Bailoy. Those customers in particular should now contact Bailoy direct for sales, support and technical information, says Adam.

“For most customers very little changes, but for those with Toro-badged CDS and SC3000 products or for those who don’t have an account with Bailoy, it’s a simple phone call.”

And with a comprehensive range of service and support options available, it’s a call that will ensure the continuation of a reliable relationship for an efficient range of products from Bailoy.

For more information, visit: www.bailoy.com

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Golf Club Vandalised

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Golf Club Vandalised: A North-East golf club has hit out at individuals who stole two buggies and caused thousands of pounds of damage.

Vandals struck at Insch Golf Club leaving tyre marks on a green, pulling up posts and driving over signs.

Golf Club Vandalised

Club manager Jayne Farquhar said she and her staff were “really upset” after the incident on Tuesday.

She said: “It’s disheartening because everyone works so hard to keep the greens looking good, and this comes at a time when golf clubs are struggling.

“It would be horrible if this turns out to have been someone local.

“This is a members-only club and they pay a lot to play here so for someone to have done this shows total disregard and disrespect for the work put in.”

It is thought that the damage to the green alone could be between £2,000 and £3,000 – and that doesn’t include the cost of repairing the golf buggies.

One of the buggies was recovered more than a mile away on Western Road in Insch at around 8.40pm on Tuesday with the second recovered a short time later.

Vice captain of the club Colin Campbell was hopeful that repairs could be made to the green.

He said: “We are all disappointed.

“This has happened before but never as bad as this – this is substantial damage.

“Our head groundsman is confident that he can re-cover the green, but because the grass isn’t growing now the scars will be visible for a while.

“The mechanic will be looking at the buggies because the windscreens were smashed and there may be also be damage to the underside as the vandals drove over signs.”

Investigating officer Pc Mark Hammond said: “The buggies had been parked at Insch Golf Club at 3.30pm that day but a member of the public called in about the buggy at Western Road in the evening.

“Anyone who either saw any of the buggies being moved later in the afternoon or in the evening or who knows anything about this incident is asked to contact police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference 3594 of 30 January.

“Information can also be provided anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar

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Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar: Dennis and SISIS’ first bowling green maintenance seminar of 2018 has been announced and will be held on Tuesday 13th March at the Ipswich & District Indoor Bowls Club.

Dennis and SISIS have a long history of supporting the sport of bowls and the seminars which are designed to ultimately help club greenkeepers and volunteers maintain their bowling greens, have significantly grown year on year.

Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar

Combining practical tips, demonstrations and key information from industry experts, the 2018 seminars are set to be well attended yet again.

Dennis & SISIS have now revealed the programme details for the first of these events and it provides all delegates with a taste of what to expect throughout the series of seminars.

Chris Humphrey from Collier Turfcare will deliver a presentation entitled Chemicals and Fertilisers in which he will be revealing how to get the best value and best results no matter what the budget is. Chris will be followed by Luke Hunt from Barenbrug who will proceed to advise on Choosing the Correct Seed for a Bowling Green.

Following a mid-morning break, Chris will return to the stage to explore a number of ideas and methods titled Controlling pests in the future.

Before a complimentary lunch, an open question and answer session called the Turf Clinic will take place – presenting all delegates with the opportunity to ask any pressing questions relating to their own situations.

The afternoon will see all attendees head outside to witness an On-Green Demonstration. This demonstration not only provides a perfect opportunity to see some of the sport’s latest turf maintenance equipment in action but will also offer guidance in the way you prepare greens and provide delegates with advice on how to get the very best out of their equipment.

Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar

The seminar will start with registration at 9am. To register for the FREE and highly informative seminars, please contact Roger Moore on 01332 824777 or email roger.moore@dennisuk.com.

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

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New Environmental Commitment

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New Environmental Commitment: Ekerum Resort Öland was recently awarded the “World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility” at the World Golf Awards which took place at La Manga Club in Spain. The Golf Club which is situated in Sweeden has signed a five-year preferred supplier agreement with Jacobsen in which both parties have pledged to measure and publish environmental performance.

Jacobsen has ensured that Ekerum Resort Öland is supplied with the best environmentally performing machinery, which includes an Eclipse 322 diesel hybrid greens mower, a Truckster XD with SprayTek, an HR700 wide area rotary mower, an AR722 rough mower, 10 Cushman Haulers and 25 E-Z-GO ELiTE TXT golf cars.

New Environmental Commitment

 Jacobsen has an ongoing commitment to ISO Standard 14001 which gives clear objectives for improving environmental performance and actively championing environmentally sound practices. Jacobsen and Ekerum Resort Öland have worked together to set a specific set of environmental targets. The targets agreed to by both businesses are:

  • Reduce waste removed from sites by 2% per year (10% over a 5-year period)
  • Increase waste recycling by 2% per year (10% over 5-year period)
  • Reduce energy use (total KW/h/ hours worked) by 2% on 2016 usage (10% over 5-year period)

Commenting on the partnership, Director International Golf Sales Andre Andrade, said:

“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Ekerum on winning the accolade of the World’s Best Eco-friendly Golf Facility. At Jacobsen, we are leaving no stone unturned as we strive to better both our production and the environmental performance of our machinery. As custodians of a fantastic facility in Öland, I am incredibly pleased that the team at Ekerum share the same environmental values and together, we are setting industry standards and pushing boundaries.”

Magnus Lagerlöf, CEO at Ekerum Resort Öland, commented on the new machinery and the partnership with Jacobsen:

“As our recent award suggests, we are committed to environmental sustainability, and a huge part of this is the machinery we use on the golf course. The E-Z-GO ELiTE golf car range is a huge technological advancement in the industry. The new cars have a 25% reduction in weight and reductions in energy consumption in the region of 30%. These are big savings which positively impact both the environment and our finances! We are very excited to be working with Jacobsen, and Textron more broadly, to keep improving our practices and the golfing experience for our customers.”

In addition to winning “World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility,” Ekerum Resort Öland also won “Sweden’s Best Golf Hotel” and was nominated in the category of “Europe’s Best Golf Venue” and “Sweden’s Best Golf Course” at this year’s World Golf Awards.

Find out more about Ekerum Resort Öland: http://ekerum.com/

Find out more about E-Z-GO ELiTE: https://www.ezgo.com/elite

 Find out more about Jacobsen: www.jacobsen.com

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IOG Pilots New Framework

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IOG Pilots New Framework: The leading membership organisation for people involved in the management and maintenance of sports pitches, landscape and amenity facilities in the UK, The IOG, is piloting a new framework to the ‘measurement’ of the standard of football pitches at grassroots level.

The new Pitch Grading Framework will not only highlight the level of an individual playing surface quality but also the appropriate training and education, and the recommended levels of qualifications needed by those who maintain it.

IOG Pilots New Framework

In terms of calculating the standard of a pitch, each level of the Framework has certain parameters and, after measurement, the overall result/level of a pitch will be calculated. It is a system that has been used successfully within cricket by the IOG and the England and Wales Cricket Board for over ten years.

The recommended appropriate training and education will match each level of the Framework. For instance, for pitch maintenance at the Basic level (volunteer), an IOG Level 1 course (or equivalent) would be the minimum training recommended. Training/education would increase through the levels with IOG Level 5 (or equivalent) being recommended for individuals maintaining pitches at the Elite level. At all levels, the experience of those in situ will be taken into account and catered for individually.

Working closely with the Football Foundation and Football Association Pitch Improvement Programme, regional pitch advisers from the IOG-led Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme (GaNTIP) are now piloting the Framework to identify any potential improvements before the scheme’s full implementation in November, when it is envisaged that each grass sport will have its own specific pyramid.

A range of highly-experienced people have been consulted leading up to the pilot, including Sport England’s Framework Agronomists as well as leading professionals, volunteers and organisations attached to the groundscare industry.

Commenting on the development, GaNTIP director Jason Booth, said: “This really is an exciting time for the future of groundsmanship and to be part of it at the beginning is great for GaNTIP and the programme’s team.

“The system is not designed to identify what is missing; it is to identify where support and development is required, and the initial feedback from the National Governing Bodies of Sport which have viewed the concept has been nothing but positive.”

Geoff Webb, IOG chief executive, added: “The roll out of this revised framework for natural turf will bring much needed clarity to what constitutes a surface that’s fit for play, and it will lead to advanced knowledge and understanding of what input and experience is required to improve the quality of a playing surface and the enjoyment of sports in general.”

For more information, visit: www.iog.org

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