Ian Bridges Joins Iseki

/in , /by

Ian Bridges Joins Iseki: Iseki UK & Ireland is pleased to announce that Ian Bridges is joining the team as the Scotland and North of England Regional Sales Manager.

Ian, an industry stalwart who has worked for various manufacturers in the Industry over the years is perhaps best known for the 30 years that he spent with Jacobsen and then Ransomes Jacobsen that ended with his retirement from the Ipswich based manufacturer earlier this year.

Ian Bridges Joins Iseki

“When Ian became available earlier this year we started talking about the possibility of him joining our new team and continuing the great work he has done looking after ISEKI whilst RJ were the distributors” said David Withers, Managing Director of ISEKI UK. “Ian has a real depth of knowledge of the product line and is probably the best-known figure in the Industry in Scotland so it made sense for us to welcome him to our organisation”

Ian’s contact details are 07850 086 314 and e-mail ibridges@iseki.co.uk

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Reesink’s Clive Pinnock Retires

/in , /by

Reesink’s Clive Pinnock Retires: After 34 years of service, Clive Pinnock is retiring from Reesink Turfcare and the training department he helped develop, which is widely regarded to be the best in the industry.

Clive trailblazed his way through the industry he loved and will be much missed, not only by employer Reesink, but the industry, says turf equipment aftermarket manager at Reesink, David Jackman.

Reesink's Clive Pinnock Retires

“Clive has been instrumental in helping us grow the company to where it is today,” he says. “He’s been an ambassador not just for us as a company, but The Toro Company too, and has passed his wealth of knowledge onto so many of our customers, employees and distributors.”

Clive has worked with Toro products for 34 years, he explains: “I started at Lely, as it was then, one year after Lely became Toro distributors for the UK. As the only product specialist for the aftermarket service team for 12 years, I was responsible for supporting dealers and customers in a technical and product support role for the south of the country and Europe.”

When Clive turned 65 he decided he didn’t want to retire, but equally didn’t want to be driving around the M25 so much, so it was agreed he would move into the training department in Reesink’s head office in St Neots, which is where David takes over the story:

“It was the perfect solution for Clive, and us. We kept Clive’s product knowledge and training ability, and we had somebody that customers and dealers knew and trusted delivering our training. There are four people in the training department now, delivering nine training courses – that’s one of the biggest selections from a distributor – and Clive has been a big part of building that success.”

In fact, Clive has been quite the training trailblazer since his move into the training department. He was first in the turfcare sector to achieve a level four in the Landbased Technician Accreditation scheme (LTA), which is one of the highest training accolades there is. Clive completed all his training through Reesink, which was recognised as an assessment training centre in 2016, because, he says: “I wanted to add to my practical experience with the training qualifications I strongly believe in, so when Reesink was made a training centre it made absolute sense to go through the training pathway, and it was a great experience.”

David concludes by saying: “Clive has been an inspiration, his passion for learning and sharing his knowledge was evident in how he delivered our training; it was always with such enthusiasm attendees couldn’t help but be motivated.

“What I’ll remember about Clive is his knowledge and ability to recall things, especially when it comes to the older products. You can ask Clive a question regarding a machine that was made in the 1990s and he’s able to list all the modifications or upgrades that were carried out on the machine, what cutting units or deck option had been fitted, and so on – Clive could retain it all! How do you replace that? You can’t, it’s irreplaceable.”

But what you can do is leave a legacy, like Clive, in the form of all those he’s trained.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

The ‘Point’ Picks Toro

/in , /by

The ‘Point’ Picks Toro: It’s out with the old and in with the new for the Old Loop, New Loop and Front Loop courses at Nefyn Golf Club. Toro was chosen for its power and green credentials by a course which bases its machinery choices solely on individual merit.

Bringing in a Toro Reelmaster 5010-H, a Groundmaster 4500-D and two Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers, head greenkeeper Richard Lloyd Jones explains what it is about these mowers that secured their place at the Championship club near Pwllheli in Wales.

The 'Point' Picks Toro

“We’re making a concerted effort to be more green. We’ve been running the risk of hydraulic leaks with the old machines, having had four or five over the last couple of years. Repairing the turf after one of those is time consuming and negates all the hard work that was put in to getting it to the standard it was. So, we’re eliminating that risk with Toro.

“We’ve got both ends of the spectrum covered with these two machines. The TriFlexes bring green precision to our greens mowing, while we can rely on the RM5010-H to deliver up to 40hp of green power to the fairways. We’re very pleased with the performance of these mowers so far, they’re coping with the size of the course and the demands we place on them with ease.”

The demands Richard refers to come from the course inhabiting over 200 acres and being exposed to the elements on the Welsh peninsular. This is a particular issue for the Old Loop course, the world-famous ‘Point’, so named for its situation on top of a high point of land jutting out into sea on which its nine holes are situated.

Frequent waves hit the rocks, splash the greens and the salt water scorches the grass. “The weather is definitely our biggest challenge,” says Richard. “We’re prone to being windswept and water damaged. In fact, this winter we had four greens lost due to sea water damage, so renovation takes up a lot of our time.”

It’s important then to have machines that can deal with the challenges, and as well as choosing Toro for its green credentials, Richard has also chosen the brand for its unadulterated power. As Richard says the Groundsmaster 4500-D is a ”big old beast of a machine! 200 acres doesn’t faze it.”

This is far from the first time Toro has been at Nefyn, but a five-year lease deal with another brand has come to an end meaning the club is making its machinery replacement choices on a case-by-case basis, each decision made purely on performance and merit.

Richard says: “Working with our local dealer, Major Owen, we make our choices based on what will bring the best results to the course, and we’re delighted to have Toro back at Nefyn.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

/in , /by

SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC: Lee Ballard, senior groundsperson at the University of Kent (UKC) in Canterbury, believes that his newly purchased SISIS Flexicomb is the perfect tool to help extend the life of one of the synthetic sports surfaces at the University.

Canterbury in Kent may well be known predominantly as the place of Thomas Becket’s murder at Canterbury Cathedral or for Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century literary classic The Canterbury Tales, but it also boasts an internationally recognised university.

SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

Ranked in the top 10 in the UK in a national student survey, with over 5,000 students from different nationalities, the University of Kent has a reputation for academic excellence. It also has outstanding sports facilities, which includes two grass football pitches, two grass rugby pitches and synthetic sports surfaces.

Overseeing the maintenance of the sports pitches is Lee Ballard, who admits that one of the synthetic surfaces requires extra special attention due to its age and heavy usage.

“We’ve had one of the pitches for nearly 12 years now and that houses full-size football games, four five-a-side pitches and lacrosse games. It gets a lot of usage and is used from 5pm until 10pm seven days a week. You have the students who use it as well as local sports clubs and Gillingham FC’s academy teams.

“The pitch has had years of not having the best machinery to get deep enough to give it a good clean and we are trying to extend the life of the surface as much as we can,” he said.

The common misconception is that synthetic surfaces are maintenance free. Just like natural turf surfaces, synthetic surfaces require maintenance as soon as they are constructed if they are to perform to the standard expected of them. Regular brushing along with periodic aggressive brushing and maintenance is required to ensure that the playing surfaces achieve their full life expectancy, and to help Lee with this task he chose to purchase the SISIS Flexicomb.

“When I first started in this role my aim was to improve the synthetic surfaces. Previously we were using a machine which just had tines on it and it never seemed to do a very professional job. So, we started looking around and I saw an online video of the Flexicomb being used at Tottenham Hotspur. It looked great so I took all the details down, passed it further up the chain to say this was the machine we needed, and luckily there was money in the budget to purchase it.

“We obviously had a demonstration before we bought it but if I’m honest I knew that it was the tool we wanted because when I saw the video it just ticked all of the boxes.”

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, reducing the risk of damage to the fibres. The bristle sections are replaceable and the Flexicomb is designed for a long working life with minimal maintenance.

SISIS Flexicomb Perfect For UKC

Furthermore, it can be used with SISIS Singleplay, Twinplay or Quadraplay mounting frames, which can all be connected to any tractor with 3 point linkage and utility trucks with suitable frames.

“We tend to use the Flexicomb three times a week depending on the maintenance schedule and make sure we give the surface a good brush after every ten hours of usage,” says Lee. “Sometimes we will double brush it both ways if time allows.

“It has so many good features – I like how easy it is to set-up and how simple it is to use. It does such a good job and leaves you with a great finish which is important because presentation is key. I also like how you can be slightly more aggressive on the ground and get in and move some of the crumb about and get rid of some of that compaction.

“The pitch is our front window so we try to look after it as much as possible and the more you put into it the more rewards you reap. The SISIS Flexicomb plays an integral part in helping us to achieve this.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.