Ireland’s New Fungicide Launch

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Ireland’s New Fungicide Launch: Ireland’s greenkeepers are now able to access the latest in turf fungicide technology, to tackle both Microdochium Patch and Dollar Spot on their greens this coming disease season.

Exteris® Stressgard® was launched by Bayer to the UK market in early 2017 and is now registered for use in Ireland.

Ireland's New Fungicide Launch

Greg Collins, from the Bayer Turf Solutions Team, explains that the product brings a totally new category of fungicide to the market. “It contains a third generation SDHI, and is the very first of its sort to be launched in the Irish turf industry, providing a new tool for the greenkeepers’ diminishing armoury.”

He explains it is the formulation of two active ingredients (AI) that makes the new fungicide so unique. “The SDHI – fluopyram, has a systemic action that moves up through the roots and leaves to prevent disease as the plant grows. The other AI – trifloxystrobin, is part of the strobilurin group, and acts as a ‘local penetrant’ that offers targeted disease control.

“There are very few curative fungicides still available on the market, following the loss of iprodione, so a transition to a preventative approach is required, and Exteris® Stressgard® can help greenkeepers do just that,” says Greg.

Irish Sports Turf Institute trial manager, Mark Sheridan, put Exteris® Stressgard® to the test using preventative applications for Microdochium Patch control, and saw a clear improvement in disease suppression, compared to untreated plots.

“Turf professionals once had the comfort of curative chemistry, but with the loss of iprodione and other similar products, the future of disease control lies with the use of preventative, integrated management programmes.

“When Exteris® Stressgard® is applied preventatively, and proactive cultural practices such as aeration, judicious use of fertiliser and irrigation, are teamed with appropriate biological control measures, it’s possible to achieve significant turf protection,” explains Mark.

Key benefits of Exteris® Stressgard®:

  • New chemical group to the turf market.
  • Developed with Stressgard formulation technology specially for turfgrass
  • Targeted Microdochium Patch prevention
  • Dual active formulation
  • Flexible water volumes
  • Quick dry time and absorption
  • Aids in resistance management

Reduces damage from harmful UV radiation

For more information please visit www.environmentalscience.bayer.co.uk/Turf-Management, email turfsolutions@bayer.com or contact Cropcare on 01-2874485

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Palace Gardens Choose Ransomes

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Palace Gardens Choose Ransomes: Blenheim Palace, based in Oxfordshire, and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, has taken delivery of a Ransomes MP495 cylinder mower to maintain its prestigious gardens. Delivered by local dealer The Turney Group, this addition is a continuation of the long-standing relationship between Ransomes, The Turney Group and Blenheim Palace.

Blenheim Palace is the principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, and the only non-royal English country house to hold the title of ‘palace’. The Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and welcomes around 800,000 visitors every year.

Palace Gardens Choose Ransomes

Hilary Wood, Head of Gardens at Blenheim Palace, manages a team of 10 full-time and six part-time staff who are tasked with manicuring 120-acres of gardens, and some of the 2000-acres of parkland across the 12,000-acre estate.

“We have a lot of land to maintain at Blenheim Palace, and it’s important that we have the correct machinery for the job,” Hilary said. “We have been using Ransomes ever since I first arrived in 1981; so more than 37 years. We have had Ransomes Commander mowers in the past, which have been brilliant, and we have now opted for the new Ransomes MP495, which we have been using since April, and it has exceeded all expectations.

“We have a very happy relationship with our dealer; it’s a family-run business and we receive a very friendly, personalised service. We can always rely on them to be with us whenever we need them, which is something we haven’t had from other suppliers in the past. The Turney Group always let us demo a machine over a period so that we can try it in various conditions and make an informed decision. This gives us confidence in the purchase we make.”

Trevor Wood is an operator at Blenheim Palace. Commenting on the new machine, he said:

“It’s a great mower; it has a quiet cab, it’s easy and comfortable to drive, all of the controls are in the right place, and the air conditioning has been very handy with the hot temperatures!

“We use the MP495 to maintain garden areas; we know Ransomes is a reliable brand and has the ability to produce a pristine finish. People come from all around the world to visit Blenheim Palace, and they expect to be blown away; it is our job to produce the best possible presentation, and we know that the Ransomes mower and the back-up and support from The Turney Group will allow us to achieve this.”

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com

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Jacobsen Success in Oman

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Jacobsen, a Textron Golf brand, is making waves in Oman, with equipment being exclusively installed at three out of four golf clubs in Muscat, the capital. With less than 1000 registered golfers in the country, competition is fierce to attract golfers to any one course.

Ghala Golf Club

Ghala Golf Club was founded in 1971, and moved to its current site in the 1990’s. It has historically been a sand course, but it was transformed into a grass course in 2010 and is now used as the main training facility for the Oman national golf team, with many of its members learning the game at Ghala.

Russell Wilson has been the superintendent at the club for one and a half years after moving to the Middle East from Portugal in 2016. He says that recent investments have been made into the landscaping of the course; a new driving range has been built and new bunkers created, which has been carried out by the Dellanzo Group.

“At Ghala Golf Club, we have made a lot of investments to improve the quality of the golf course and to attract people to play here,” Russel said. “I have inherited a fleet of Jacobsen equipment after using another brand of machinery at my previous club in Portugal. I must say that I am very impressed with the quality and the reliability of the machinery. The grass grows for 12 months of the year in Oman, so the machinery gets a lot of use which means that it needs to be durable and it needs to perform consistently. Speaking to the other local superintendents, it seems that this is a large part of the decisions being made by clubs to purchase Jacobsen machinery.

“As well as machinery, we also offer free golf to juniors to try to grow the game of golf in Oman. This has been successful for us, and getting the younger generation engaged in playing golf is key to the future of the game. Our golf course has come a long way in the past three years, and the acquisition of Jacobsen equipment has a big part to play in the improvements made to the golf course.”

On the course:

2 x Jacobsen AR-3 rotary mowers

1 x LF550 fairway mower

1 x LF3800 fairway mower

1 x Eclipse1 greens mower

1 x Eclipse2 greens mower

2 x GP400 ride-on mower

1 x Greensaire 24 aerator

3 x Truckster utility vehicle (one with Jacobsen SprayTek).

35 x E-Z-GO RXV golf cars

Superintendent Profile

Name: Russel Wilson

Nationality: British

Number of years in industry: 20

Clubs worked at:

  • Pryors Hayes Golf Club (U.K.)
  • Scioto Country Club (USA)
  • Quinta do Lago (Portugal)
  • Amendoeira Golf Resort (Portugal)
  • Ghala Golf Club (Oman)

 Best piece of advice: Try to get experience of both warm season and cool season grasses, and it will open a world of opportunities for you.

 

Ras al Hamra Golf Club (PDO)

Ras al Hamra Golf Club, also known as PDO, was opened as a sand course in 1969 exclusively for the oil and gas workers of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). The course is one of the oldest in the Middle East and underwent re-development in 2011, transforming it from a sand course into a grass course designed by Graham Marsh.

Brett Merrell has been the general manager at the club for six  months, and was previously the superintendent having worked on the course as Clients Representative for the re-development in 2011.

Ras al Hamra Golf Club hosts one of the oldest events in the Middle East, the Muscat Open, for 43 of the 45 years it has been running.

“We are very proud of hosting the Muscat Open at Ras al Hamra Golf Club,” Brett said. “Part of the success of hosting the competition is the fantastic team we have working on the course, and the support that we receive from Jacobsen.

The back-up and reliability of machinery is key for us out here, and that’s where we have been really pleased with the machinery we have invested in throughout the years.

“Ras al Hamra is a unique course; it has 15 greens with 1.2 hectares of turf and our tees alone total an area of 5000m2. We have double greens, so the course is very versatile, and we also offer night golf which is a major attraction for the golfers of Oman. We are always looking at ways to diversify and put Oman on the map of top golfing destinations; that’s something I would love to achieve during my time here.”

On the course:

3 x Jacobsen Greens King ride-on mowers

1 x LF550 fairway mower

2 x Groom Master bunker rakes

1 x AR-3 rotary mower

1 X Truckster XD utility vehicle with SprayTek sprayer

1 X Truckster XD utility vehicle

38 x E-Z-GO RXV golf cars

6 x Cushman Hauler vehicles

1 x Cushman Shuttle 2

1 x Cushman Shuttle 6

Superintendent Profile

Name: Brett Merrell

Nationality: Australian

Number of years in industry: 22

Clubs worked at:

  • Ipswich golf club (Australia)
  • Brookwater Golf Club (Australia)
  • Muirfield Village Golf Club (USA)
  • Harbour Town Golf Link (USA)
  • Ras al Hamra Golf Club (Oman)

Best piece of advice:

Stay true to your beliefs and you will go a long way in this industry.

 

Vandals Target Castlerock GC

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Vandals Target Castlerock GC: Police are appealing for information following extensive criminal damage caused to Castlerock Golf Club’s course and green hut during the early hours of this morning.

A police spokesperson said “Those responsible have caused damage which will cost thousands to repair.  A deliberate fire was started on the long grass on the course and we believe smoke and flames would have been visible from Circular Road and further afar.

Vandals Target Castlerock GC

Please if you have any information which you believe may assist us in our investigation please contact Limavady Police on 101 quoting ref CCS 731 of 15/7/18.”

Commenting on the vandalism Councillor William McCandless said “The vandalism at Castlerock Golf club has not just been an attack on the club itself, it has a serious detrimental effect upon our Tourism Industry.

Our Council area relies heavily upon Tourism for jobs and revenue and golf is an important factor in this. Golf tourism is a key priority at Tourism N.I. and courses like Castlerock are crucial to this strategy.
Castlerock Golf Club established in 1901 is located at the mouth of the river Bann with panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, the hills of Donegal and Islay.

A tough links course Castlerock can certainly compete with neighbouring Portstewart and Royal Portrush for an enjoyable days golf. Recently extensive work has been carried out by the club to improve many of the holes.

I would appeal to anyone who noticed anything unusual to contact PSNI to assist in apprehending those who carried out this damage. Arson and breaking windows are serious crimes and must not be tolerated.”

A spokesperson for Castlerock Golf Club said “Anyone with information please contact the PSNI or to the club direct by emailing bert@castlerockgc.co.uk.”

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