July 23, 2018 - Turf Matters

Double Irrigation At Breadsall Priory

July 23, 2018/in News, Press Release, Sport/by Rosie Duckworth

Double Irrigation At Breadsall Priory: Breadsall Priory Marriott Hotel and Country Club in Derbyshire has renovated two ageing irrigation systems to one Lynx control system from Toro to keep its 18-hole Championship Priory Course and Moorland Course in top condition.

Course manager John Smith explains: “When our previous control systems began experiencing communication errors and electrical breakdowns, we didn’t know if the grass was getting the water it needed. The systems urgently needed to change, but we didn’t want to unnecessarily overhaul all the wiring and pipework.

“Completely replacing everything would have resulted in huge costs, but with the help of Reesink Turfcare’s Toro irrigation team, including Peter Newton and Cevan Edwards, we discovered we only needed to upgrade the two control systems and have saved a lot of money thanks to the renovating rather than replacing.”

“The install went without a hitch,” John recalls: “Before upgrading the systems, Toro technicians came to check the 28-year-old wiring would be compatible with Lynx and, finding that it was, returned in the winter of last year to undertake the renovation. Four guys made fast work of completing the install in just one and half weeks, with no disruption to golfers or our maintenance programme.”

Delighted with Lynx, John enthuses: “We’ve been using Lynx since April of this year and, as the oldest Marriott Hotel in the world with a reputation to uphold, having a comprehensive system we can rely on to irrigate both courses has given us great peace of mind. Now we have total control over when water goes on, the flow rate, and the trajectory. Lynx has really improved the efficiency, versatility and reliability of our irrigation routine.”

Having been witness to how well Lynx performs, John decided to add to the renovation project by upgrading the sprinklers, too, hoping to see even more benefit to the club’s irrigation. The perfect partner to Lynx, Toro Infinity sprinklers have replaced the sprinklers across multiple greens on the Championship Priory Course that were “in need of updating.”

John says: “We chose to start changing our sprinklers over to Infinity for improved performance and ease of maintenance. What I like about the new sprinklers is that to perform any kind of maintenance you can access everything you need from the surface. Being able to make changes without digging up or replacing bodies is a real time and money saver. Plus, the sprinkler heads have diversified nozzles offering a range of trajectories to suit the changing needs of the turf. As a result we’ve decided to phase an Infinity upgrade on all of the greens over the next few years.”

With the successful renovation behind it, Breadsall is looking to further innovate the way it irrigates the courses: “Using Lynx and Infinity from April has already made the quality of our turf far better, which is so important for our ancient site. Next up, we want to extract water from our lake to irrigate the courses and, given the great experience we’ve just had with Reesink, we will be working with them again to improve our lake’s water quality with an Otterbine aerator,” John concludes.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Allett’s New C27 Cylinder Mower

July 23, 2018/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Tony Hawkins

Allett’s New C27 Cylinder Mower: Allett Mowers have introduced a new 27” cylinder mower to their range of professional mowers. Designed to meet requests from groundsmen across Europe and the USA, the Allett C27 is a welcome addition offering the professional the ‘Quick Cartridge’ options that effectively make these mowers eight machines in one. Powered by the Honda GX200 engine, the 27” cylinder cutting system, with substantial front and rear rollers, ensures you get a superior cut, levelness of finish and longer lasting, more crisply defined stripes. The six bladed cylinder produces 111 cuts per metre (101 cuts/yard) while the eight blade will give you 148 cuts per metre (135cuts/yard) irrespective of forward speed. Effortless mowing is equally assured with handle-mounted levers for drive and cartridge engagement and the adjustable handlebars have anti-vibration mountings.

The C27 provides you with sheer versatility and the convenience of performing multiple turf maintenance tasks using just the one machine. Together with the 6 and 8 bladed cylinders the optional accessories include a scarifier cartridge with Tungsten tipped blades, a Sorrel Roller, Turf Rake, Verticut and Brush. There is also the option of a trailing seat to turn the C27 into a ride-behind for faster cutting over large areas and the large 3.1 litre fuel tank will keep you covering the ground. The Allett C27 gives you a cut height of 8mm to 55mm (0.32”- 2.17”) for accurate adjustment to deal with the changing conditions throughout the season.

With the front and rear rollers of a cylinder mower close to the point at which the grass is cut, you can achieve very low heights of cut without scalping. The rear roller on the C27 is a rubber covered 3-piece steel roller with steel spur end differential. The front roller is grooved aluminium with scraper and sealed end bearings, though you do have the option of a plain roller if you prefer. The working width of the mower is of course 686mm/27”, the overall width 900mm/38” and it weighs in at just 135kg (297lb). The grassbox is moulded plastic with a steel reinforcing strip. All round, take a look at the Allett C27 and you’ll find you have a heavily constructed cylinder mower that is compact and manoeuvrable enogh to be used in small spaces as well as open sites. It’s quality-built and performs with excellence all the multiple tasks the professional could ask for.

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

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STIHL Upgrades MultiEngine Offering

July 23, 2018/in Machinery, Press Release/by Katja Benischke

STIHL Upgrades MultiEngine Offering: Adding to its range of MultiSystem tools, STIHL has released the new MM 56 MultiEngine ideal for a wide range of tasks in lawn maintenance, soil cultivation and surface cleaning.

Replacing the MM 55, the new MM 56 delivers more power and torque thanks to the upgraded 2-Mix engine, providing that little bit extra when needed. STIHL 2-Mix technology also offers higher efficiency and lower emissions, rendering it more economical than its predecessor.

Supplied with a wheel kit as standard, the MM 56 is compatible with the extensive range of existing attachments and is suitable for a host of different applications including edging, lawn aerating and sweeping. Thanks to the intuitive design, the fittings can be quickly interchanged saving valuable time.

For further comfort, the latest MultiSystem offering from STIHL features an advanced lever system with one touch stop function for simplified starting. Additionally, the multi-function control handle houses all the engine controls, meaning users can easily and comfortably operate the tool without their hand ever leaving the handle.

As well as being easy to use, the new MultiEngine is designed with a quick and easy foldable frame, making transportation or storage more convenient than ever before without the need for any additional tools.

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Club’s Anger Over Pitch Damage

July 23, 2018/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Club’s Anger Over Pitch Damage: A council “must be held responsible” after race cars drove over a brand new football pitch costing thousands of pounds, an Irish League club has said.

Ballymena United said it was “saddened” at the incident during a stock car race at the Ballymena Showgrounds on Friday.

The venue is owned by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, which recently laid a new pitch after a major investment.

It said it was “deeply disappointed” by the incident.

The council spokesman said that “measures put in place to protect the new surface were inadequate” and that remedial work was being carried out on the pitch on Saturday.

The incident happened during a Ballymena Raceway stock car event on Friday night. The council leases the stadium to both the football club and Ballymena Raceway.

Ballymena United’s vice-chairman Don Stirling told BBC News NI that “stock cars have every right to be there” but the two sports are “just not compatible”.

“I honestly don’t know what the solution is, but the council have to be held responsible,” he said.

“They can’t keep cars off the pitch because if they veer off the track they have nowhere to go.

“They put down truck tyres (on Friday night) but they would have need massive tractor tyres to stop cars coming on the pitch.”

Mr Stirling said the new pitch had cost £250,000 and that the club had agreed to postpone any home games until 6 October so the new pitch could bed in.

“They’ve spent over £250,000 of ratepayers’ money on it, there’s a new sprinkler system as well. They can’t have cars driving over it.

“Ballymena United have one of the best facilities in Northern Ireland outside of Windsor Park – we just don’t have the bit in the middle you play on.

“In the past, referees have come close to calling off matches because there are tracks all over the pitch. Even oil spills.”

Tension between the stock car races and football club previously emerged in January, when Ballymena United manager David Jeffrey accused race organisers of a lack of respect after the pitch was damaged during a New Year’s Day event.

However, Aubrey Arbuthnot, who runs Ballymena Raceway, told BBC News NI he was “fed up” with criticism directed at the race events and that he had done as much as he could to keep cars off the pitch.

“All I want is fair play. I’m a ratepayer, not like some of the people sounding off in the press,” he said.

“We had 12 races last night. These cars race door handle to door handle. There’s up to 60 cars racing. Only two cars went off the track in separate incidents.”

Mr Arbuthnot said the council had organised and placed about 70 tyres around the track and around sprinkler heads and that he had insisted no personnel go on the pitch.

“Usually I have a clerk of the course and two photographers on the pitch. I didn’t even have a fire extinguisher on the pitch.

“I laid down the law to the drivers about what would happen if they went on the pitch. The driver who went off, he was spun off by someone else – he’s completely innocent.

“If I had found out who put him off, I would have put him out the gate. That’s how seriously I’ve been taking it.

“But it’s our first night back in and they’re hammering us.”

He added that he was unable to organise race meetings for three months during the racing season because of work going on at the Showgrounds.

“That’s a number of meetings I couldn’t hold. That’s a loss of revenue.

“Our season runs from about Easter to the first weekend of October. There’s only about five meetings that clash with the football season. That’s all. They just don’t want a stockcar around the place.”

‘Matter of urgency’

He added: “I’ve seen comments that I had been offered an alternative venue. That’s nonsense. You think I would have turned that down? If the council offered me another venue, I’d be out tomorrow.”

A spokesperson for the council: “We are deeply disappointed by last night’s incident and fully appreciate and understand the frustration around this.

“Ballymena Showgrounds is a multi-use facility, enjoyed by a wide range of local sporting organisations.

“The measures put in place to protect the new surface at the venue were inadequate for last night’s event.

“Remedial works are being carried out on the pitch today.

“As the owners of the venue, we are fully committed to doing all that we can to safeguard the new pitch, and we are considering a range of measures to minimise the risk of damage to the surface as a matter of urgency.”

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