Greenmaster Aids Recovery

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Greenmaster Aids Recovery: Following a severe Microdochium Nivale outbreak which left scars on the greens at Blackpool North Shore Golf Club, Head Greenkeeper Andy Moore, turned to two products from the ICL Greenmaster Pro-Lite range in order to assist the recovery.

Designed by legendary golf course architect Harry Colt, Blackpool North Shore was established in 1904, and has been an Open Championship qualifying venue. The course can even boast the fact that it hosted the first ever fund raising event of The Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme in 1963 and attracted a number of golfing greats such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. The course has continued to flourish and has been home to the PGA Lancashire Open for over 17 consecutive years.

Greenmaster Aids Recovery

Andy, who was promoted from Deputy to Head Greenkeeper in March 2017 immediately had his work cut out, as he explains:

“We got hit quite hard in autumn 2016 and almost every green was infected with Microdochium. After that we were left with a lot of scars and my first six months were all about trying to get the greens back and to try and achieve a truer surface,” he said.

As a result from the outbreak, members were forced to play on temporary surfaces for a period of six months, and Andy knew he had to turn things around incredibly quickly.

“The members knew the full extent of it and although they were understanding they still needed to see improvements. If we were going into April, May or June and we still hadn’t done anything about the scarring then the members could have remained on temporary greens for nine months. They pay good money to be part of this club and I wanted to give them something they could be proud of. I spoke to Phil Collinson (ICL Technical Area Sales Manager) and am pleased I did because the two Greenmaster Pro-Lite products have worked wonders for us.”

Greenmaster Aids Recovery

Andy and Phil decided that ICL’s Greenmaster Pro-Lite Cold Start 11-5-5 and Greenmaster Pro-Lite Invigorator 4-0-8, would be the best course of action, and it wasn’t long before Andy started seeing the results.

“Initially, I felt that we had to alleviate the disease scars and encourage the poa so that we could produce a truer and smoother surface the members could start to enjoy playing on again.As well as providing nutrition we also carried out some solid tining maintenance  along with overseeding. We started with one application of Cold Start at 25g/m2 and then we applied Invigorator at 30g/m2every four weeks. We went with both products, to get the recovery as quickly as possible. The trial work carried out by ICL backed up Phil’s recommendations and this gave me even more confidence in the approach.

“We started by applying Cold Start in February 2017 and it  gave us fantastic recovery at a time of year when conditions were challenging for growth. We followed this up with an application of Invigorator 4 weeks later to keep driving the recovery we needed. Once we got the greens to a good standard, and the recovery was gained, we appliedGreenmaster Cold Start at a low rate again in mid-April . They no longer required any further applications of Invigorator because its main use was to get the greens back to a puttable standard, and it did just that .It was at this point we switched to the ICL liquid products that have given us the consistency we wanted over the summer.”

With the greens back to the excellent standard expected by both Andy and the club members, he has since embarked on a full ICL iTurf programme, which he devised with Phil Collinson.

Greenmaster Aids Recovery

“I’m fairly new into the management side of things but I was always aware of what products worked for us and what didn’t. With that in mind I wanted to embark on an ICL iTurf programme and I always had a good relationship with Phil so it just felt right. A programme has now been put in place and we’ve had great success with it. I think the combination of the ICL products and the site conditions here have worked really well. The course is close to the best it has ever been and that is according to the members. In my opinion, that is the best feedback I can get.”

“We are now working with Phil to put in place an integrated management programme that will help avoid a repeat of the disease problems that the club experienced last year.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

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Ransomes Dealer Changes

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Ransomes Dealer Changes: Ransomes Jacobsen has announced several changes to sales territories in the north of England and Wales to streamline and strengthen its U.K. dealer network.

Ransomes Jacobsen, which distributes Ransomes and Jacobsen turf-care equipment, E-Z-GO golf cars, and Cushman utility vehicles in the U.K., operates as part of Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.

Ransomes Dealer Changes

Following a review of regional coverage, three existing dealers: F.R. Sharrock Ltd., Rickerby Ltd., and Burdens Group Ltd. will take on additional territories as part of their current dealer agreements. All three dealers are experienced with the full range of Ransomes Jacobsen products and are geographically well-placed to offer an excellent customer experience for sales and after-sales support, spare parts and service.

F.R. Sharrock Ltd, which has depots near Manchester and Stoke, has extended its current areas in the North West & Midlands to now include the areas of Lancashire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire with additional responsibility for Harrogate and Doncaster.

Rickerby Ltd., which has depots at Carlisle and Hexham, has been awarded an extension to its territory to cover an area from Dumfries and Galloway down to the Lancaster district of Lancashire and North Yorkshire.

The Burdens Group Ltd. which has depots at North Kyme and Sutterton, will cover the East of England from Yorkshire in the north down to the A14 through Northamptonshire.

Commenting on the changes to the dealer network, international sales manager at Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., John Quinton, said:

“I would like to thank our partners for their continued hard work and dedication to the Ransomes Jacobsen product range. Our dealers are very knowledgeable about the machinery, and have an excellent track record of first-class customer service and support. We are delighted with the way the dealer network is set-up, and look forward to supporting our dealers and customers moving forward.”

In addition to these changes, John Osman Groundcare will now focus on the Textron Golf family of products for North Wales, including Jacobsen turf-care equipment, E-Z-GO golf cars and Cushman utility vehicles. The Ransomes franchise for this area has been awarded to F.R. Sharrock Ltd.

GGM Groundcare and Platt Harris Groundcare have had their Ransomes Jacobsen dealer agreements terminated and will no longer represent products from the TSV portfolio.

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

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Good. Better. Best.

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Good. Better. Best: Foley United’s NEW range of grinders offers a sharpening solution for every budget and every method. Foley United is upping the game by adding three new grinders to their range, with 6 models to cater for every method regardless of budget, including the addition of their first spin only grinder in the ACCU-Spin 622 SO.

A mission to offer a machine for every budget has seen Foley United raise the minimum expectation for grinders on the market by following their own in-house standards of Good. Better. Best. This follows the principle that sharpening cylinders through spin only grinding is Good, sharpening cylinders and removing taper is Better, and sharpening cylinders, removing taper and adding relief to OEM spec is Best.

Foley United is advancing spin grinding to a new level of speed, simplicity and unmatched performance. The new ACCU-Spin 622 series is packed with design features only available from Foley United. The Patented Rear Roller Mounting System locates the reel by the rear roller, minimising issues that can arise when locating the reel by the front roller and is standard on all Foley United table top reel grinders. The Live Shaft Spin Hub design effectively and efficiently produces a sharp edge in a shorter time.

A huge benefit of the new 622 series is that all the features from the SG and SGR models can be added to the base unit as an aftermarket purchase, if and when they are wanted. These features include the L.E.D Gauging that gives the operator an easy visual adjustment process ensuring the removal of taper and a perfect cylindrical grind every time.

Also available is the Auto-Index Relief Assembly. This has long been recognised as a labour free system that allows hands-free blade to blade indexing, making the final step to returning reels to OEM specs a simple, effortless process.

This trio of reel grinders all provide a high level of health and safety with the machine doors greatly reducing noise during grinding whilst simultaneously reducing any risks to health by preventing exposure to dust and vibration.

For Ian Robson, managing director at Foley’s UK distributor, ProSport UK, the introduction of the new machines has given his customers a far greater choice when it comes to finding a grinder to match their needs and budget.

“I think the most important thing about the new 622 series is the minimum standards have been raised,” Ian said. “Spin only grinding has been popular for a long time and whilst Foley are big advocates of relief grinding they now provide the best professional spin grinder on the market.

“Allowing customers the option to add to the base model gives greater flexibility in terms of budgets and grinding requirements. There’s already been a lot of positive feedback about that as we now offer even greater choice, with more Foley models for every budget and every grinding method.”

Joining the new machines is the economical but full featured ACCU-Sharp 618 precision reel grinder. With the ability to do touch-up spin but also perform gauging and relief grinding as well as an optional bed-knife grinding attachment. The 618 is the perfect entry level grinder and is the ideal choice for operators with a limited budget or smaller operations that perform limited grinding or as an alternative to purchasing used equipment with a starting price from as little as £15,750.

The final addition is the ACCU-Pro 661 AT/MT bed-knife.  Like the 618 it has all the features required of a professional grinder but at a lower price point.  Two versions are available the AT (automatic traverse) and the MT (manual traverse).

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MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos

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MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos: Ryan Golding, head groundsman at Leeds Rhino’s and Yorkshire Carnegie’s Emerald Headingley Stadium, believes that Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed has been integral to the success of the pitch.

Ryan has been working at the stadium for fifteen years and has occupied the position of head groundsman for the last four. With two deputy’s underneath him – Dan Connor and Leon Pearson – Ryan and his team tend to the stadium pitch, two first team pitches, four academy pitches, a 3G pitch and the Stanningley rugby league club – where the Rhino’s academy teams play.

MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos

“On average with both first teams and academy games we host around 50 – 60 games,” says Ryan. “In addition to that we also have under 19 games, community games, disabled rugby games, and also events. This year when in mid-season the pitch was transformed into a Bollywood film set as a 1930`s hockey pitch. It is a very intense work place and it never stops but it’s interesting, challenging and enjoyable.”

With such a heavy fixture list, renovations largely depend on available windows but Ryan tends to aim for June each year. However, where many groundsmen may have extended periods throughout pre-season, Ryan has as little as 26 days to get the pitch up and running again.

“Getting the right seed is key and that is why I use Limagrain’s MM60,” he says. “We had been with another seed supplier for a number of years but I felt we needed a change to keep on improving. I looked into it and spoke with other groundsmen who use Limagrain and received nothing but excellent feedback.

“As a groundsman I’m very open to what I use and I don’t mind taking a risk but I’ll do my research first. Before I did anything I got some samples of MM60. We trialled it in a tough area in the North East corner which is consistently in the shade and we saw great recovery rates.”

Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed is renowned for producing an excellent playing surface in a stadium environment. It is a 100% Ryegrass formula which is perfect for renovation and divot repair, has a high disease resistance, fantastic aesthetic qualities and offers extremely fast germination – which is boosted by the inclusion of Headstart® GOLD. Developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience, it is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination and is perfect for enhancing performance on grass seed coatings for sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

MM60 Integral For Leeds Rhinos

“The germination is incredibly fast and I’ve noticed a particular improvement in the centre spot,” says Ryan. “You would not believe the hammering that area gets. A lot of the time you find that kick off’s go straight out which means that there are scrums straight over the centre spot. It was always a problematic area in the past but MM60 has made a noticeable improvement especially when combined with sheets and lighting rigs.

“I’ve also noticed that it doesn’t fray the leaf edge when compared to our previous seed so we tend not to get as much disease – we hardly encounter any leaf spot as a result from stress and there is no yellowing of the leaf either.

“I think my priorities have changed as I’ve got older and wiser. It’s all very well wanting the pitch bright green throughout the year but you are stressing the pitch in doing so and is it really needed for a game that isn’t televised? I’m not so sure. For me, aesthetics isn’t my priority sometimes, it’s all about the recovery and germination and MM60 provides me with this.”

Furthermore, Ryan was quick to praise the customer service he receives from Limagrain.

“Suppliers have to understand the needs of the pitch and the Limagrain team know the standards here which certainly helps – the back-up is great. I can call them whenever I want and we will normally start with a general discussion about rugby before going into the technical side of things. Personally, I think that Limagrain treats each and every customer the same – and that is a fine art if you ask me.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity

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WOLF-Garten’s 35th Anniversary

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WOLF-Garten’s 35th Anniversary: WOLF-Garten will be celebrating 35 years of its multi-change® system in 2018. The system remains the best and most innovative on the market, with the easiest and fastest attachment system available. Using a patented ‘click’ connection and including more than 60 different tool heads and 15 handles of varying lengths, it is bound to cover all the garden tasks you can think of. WOLF-Garten has been working on a number of changes to mark the occasion, including updated packaging and product enhancements.

In celebration of the landmark, WOLF-Garten has updated the design of the tool head attachment, which provides better grip and an optimised spring connection. This updated version fits with the current system, so all new tool heads will continue to be compatible with all handles.

WOLF-Garten's 35th Anniversary

Two new products have also been developed for this anniversary year; a 4-in-1 Leaf Rake and a Gutter Cleaner. Every product within the range now carries an industry leading 35-year guarantee, testament to the quality of the workmanship and evidence of WOLF-Garten’s confidence in its products.

Updated packaging is featured on all products, not just the multi-change® items, and has been designed with a fresh, contemporary style, making it both eye-catching and attractive. The new livery includes task orientated colour-coding on the packaging, meaning choosing right tool for the job has never been easier.

The rebrand continues and extends to WOLF-Garten’s iconic red and yellow logo, which has also had a refresh whilst retaining the distinctive Wolf head consumers are so familiar with.

For further information about all of these products, and other items in the WOLF-Garten range, visit www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk. You can also find WOLF-Garten on Twitter at @WGGardentools and on Facebook by searching for WOLF-Garten Garden Tools.

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