Golf Environment Awards 2019

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Golf Environment Awards 2019: The winners of the 2019 Golf Environment Awards (GEAs) have been announced at The Crown, Harrogate, in a ceremony hosted by STRI Group and The R&A.

Environmental Golf Course of the Year 2019 – Aldeburgh Golf Club

Creating what many thought to be impossible, an almost perfect blend of course and ecology to the point where it is hard to tell where one begins and another stops. All without sacrificing the playability of the course.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year 2019 – Phil Stain

Phil and his team’s knowledge of ecological practice to maintain a course that is in keeping with the surrounding countryside and create great community engagement.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year 2019 – Wylihof Golf Club

An innovative new design of ecological enhancement shows that we still have a lot to learn. Conservation is a young science and there is still plenty of room for new ideas.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

Operation Pollinator 2019 – Corhampton GC

The club has shown that you have to be brave when it comes to habitat management, but the results of their efforts are well worth it creating big new expanses of habitat for pollinators.

STRI ecology consultant, Rowan Rumball, said: “A huge congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s awards. We have been amazed by the work that golf clubs and greenkeepers are doing for the ecological and environmental wellbeing of their courses and within the local community.

“Environmental best practice is an important part of all golf clubs’ working remit and through the introduction of next year’s Home Nations awards we hope more clubs will be encouraged to enter the 2020 GEAs.”

Golf Environment Awards 2019

A Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Gordon Moir, retired Director of Greenkeeping at St Andrews Links Trust.

STRI head of ecology, Bob Taylor, said: “It was a real pleasure to be able to honour Gordon Moir at the Golf Environment Awards 2019 with a Lifetime Achievement Award, giving recognition to his dedication to ecology and environmental sustainability, and all that he has achieved during his illustrious career spanning over 27 years at the St Andrews Links Trust”.

Golf Environment Awards 2019

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Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship

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Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship: Amber Valley Borough Council, located in Derbyshire, has been a Ransomes customer for more than eighteen years. The council has continued its long relationship with the Suffolk-based mower manufacturer, with its latest purchase of two Ransomes MP493 rotary mowers from local dealer Sharrocks.

Robert Castledine has been the grounds maintenance team leader at Amber Valley Borough Council for eighteen years. He manages a team of 10 employees, with two teams of three staff allocated to mowing. Responsible for the north-side of the borough, the new Ransomes mowers maintain all verges, parks and cemeteries in the area.

Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship

“We have a very varied topography in Amber Valley,” Castledine said. “There are hills, verges, conservations, enclosed spaces and housing estates. We needed a versatile machine to cope with our various requirements. The Ransomes MP493 gives us that.

“In the past, we have used the Ransomes Commander amongst other Ransomes triple mowers. They have always been reliable, well-built and the best value for money on the market. I’ve always been extremely happy with the machinery and the service from our local Ransomes dealer. We have been dealing with Sharrocks for around 18-months, as they’re new in the area, but are already very pleased with the service and product information they’ve given us.”

Sharrocks have been a successful Ransomes dealer for many years, and has recently extended its territory to Derbyshire, taking over from previous dealer, Platts Harris. With depots in Wrightington, Lancashire and Sandbach, Cheshire, Sharrocks has a comprehensive portfolio of groundcare solutions and was named the Ransomes UK and Ireland Proturf Dealer of the Year 2017.

Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship

“The Ransomes MP493 is a very robust mower,” Castledine continued. “We put our machinery through a lot, so it needs to be able to withstand this; it was the only mower robust enough to do the job. Productivity and after-cut appearance are also important factors for us, and this mower definitely ticks those boxes.”

To find out more about Ransomes, visit: www.ransomes.com

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Keith Gallacher Wins Sprayer Operator Award

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Keith Gallacher Wins Sprayer Operator Award: The prestigious title of Amenity Sprayer Operator of the Year (ASOY) has been won by Keith Gallacher, Head of Complete Weed Control South West and East Scotland.

ASOY recognises and rewards top sprayer operators across the amenity industry. It aims to improve standards, by identifying the best practice of individuals to enhance results – and share their experiences across the industry.

Keith Gallacher Wins Sprayer Operator Award

Presented for the second time at BTME Harrogate this week (22 January 2019), the ASOY Awards are organised by the Amenity Forum, and sponsored by ICL and Syngenta, in association with BASIS.

As well as the overall top operator, Keith was the winner of the Landscape and Industrial using vehicle mounted equipment category.

Two other category winners were also recognised by the Awards. Ryan Shepherd of Hortech won Landscape and Industrial sprayer using a knapsack, while Andy Baker won the category for Sports turf using a boom sprayer or knapsack.

Keith has a wealth of industry experience and is an expert in all spraying methods. His clients range from local authorities, housing associations, golf courses to large facility companies and businesses within the construction industry. He predominantly undertakes highway spraying, but also has business operational responsibilities associated with running the Complete Weed Control South West and East Scotland franchise.

Keith commented “I take pride in best practice – it’s the culture that is bred within CWC and is encouraged from Head Office. We are a team of like-minded individuals that strive to be the best. For me, Professor John Moverley is an inspiration. I believe that our industry as a whole needs to get behind him and the work of the Amenity Forum.”

Commenting on Keith’s success, from a record entry in the fourth annual ASOY Awards, Professor John Moverley, Chairman of the Amenity Forum, said: ‘‘What is done to maintain amenity areas impacts upon every UK citizen every day and is important to ensure healthy and safe environments fit for purpose. This work depends upon the input of highly professional operators fully trained and qualified. A key element in the task is the use of authorised and safe chemical spraying.

The Amenity Forum Sprayer Operator of the Year Awards seek to highlight the very best practice and identify those individuals who go above and beyond in their work.

I congratulate all those who were shortlisted, the category winners and especially our overall winner this year – an excellent ambassador for the sector. Thanks also to our sponsors who make all this possible.”

ICL Landscape and Industrial Manager, Mark Pyrah, added: “As an organisation we recognise that high levels of professionalism and commitment to best practice are essential in order to ensure that products remain available.

Sprayer operators like Keith, and the other entrants of ASOY, who are not only able to spray accurately, but also demonstrate a professional stewardship of the products, are helping to raise standards across the amenity sector.”

Glenn Kirby, Syngenta Turf UK Technical Manager, highlighted that the Awards demonstrate the amenity industry’s positive approach to safe and sustainable spray application.

“Keith has shown he has outstanding skills and works to very high standards to achieve the best possible results. He has proved a successful winner by showing that best practice can deliver efficient, cost effective and, above all, safe amenity spraying.

“Syngenta recognises that the skills of the sprayer operator are paramount in achieving the full potential from all applications and assuring future sustainable use,” he added.

Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO commented: “The safe and appropriate application of plant protection products is essential to maintaining the environment in which we live, and it’s clear that Keith is a true advocate of these principles.

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Toro Praised By Royal Cromer GC

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Toro Praised By Royal Cromer GC: Royal Cromer Golf Club in North Norfolk is a classic example of how combining Toro irrigation and machinery can bring great benefits to a course.

As one of the first club’s in the UK to fully upgrade to a Toro Lynx control system in 2012, Royal Cromer is now halfway through its first five-year agreement plan with Toro machinery, and here course manager Mark Heveran tells us how the club has continued improving since using both.

Toro Praised By Royal Cromer GC

“We’ve been using Lynx for around six years now and it’s just phenomenal,” Mark says. “We have around four times the amount of sprinkler heads than we did previously, but we’re using less water. The efficiency is just spot on, which is exactly what we need. We’re in one of the driest parts of the country and our water comes from a borehole with a limited supply, so every drop counts.”

This is good news indeed for Mark who told us the club’s members unusually part-funded the installation through individual loans, such was their support for it. “Lynx was an easy recommendation to make to our members, and we have not been let down. So, when the time came three years ago to commit to a machinery brand, Toro was the logical choice.”

For the club, striving to create the perfect playing surface is a real priority, and Toro’s top of the line technology plays a large part in achieving that goal. Mark confirms: “Here at the club we have 650 members, plus a large number of visitors each year, and the main thing that keeps them coming back is the quality of the course. Since being with Toro, the course has continued to improve which has definitely kept everyone happy. With the irrigation system we noticed an improvement in the overall quality of the turf and with the equipment we have now, the course has become much more refined and every detail is attended to.”

“When we’ve used other brands, after three years or so you could feel the machines starting to get tired, but with Toro they’re much more durable, solid and reliable in comparison, and the technology is always top notch,” says Mark.

With the installation of Toro Lynx only the start of a long-term development plan for Mark to create one of the best cliff-top links courses in England, the club is continuing this progression by now looking to expand the irrigation system to cover new teeing complexes and walkways, and Mark is already considering the next stage in terms of the fleet.

“In the coming years I’m hoping to renew the full package deal we have,” he says. “We’ve had absolutely no issues with the service, and the back-up from distributor Reesink Turfcare has been fantastic. So, when looking for the latest and best in machinery and irrigation innovation, Toro is forefront of our minds.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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TYM T393 Headlines At BTME

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TYM T393 Headlines At BTME: Having debuted at the show in 2018, the TYM T393 is not only back at BTME but headlining the TYM tractors stand after a successful launch year.

With its perfect positioning to bridge the gap in the TYM line up from the compact utility range into the mid-duty range, the T393 was the logical choice to bring to BTME, says TYM sales manager, Steven Haynes:

TYM T393 Headlines At BTME

“The T393 has done hugely well in the UK in its first year, the fact that it’s able to do a lot of the tough stuff as a compact is a major benefit which will appeal to the fine turf market. It has already established itself as a comprehensive workhorse, a tractor that can take on the small and big jobs with ease.”

A 39hp Yanmar engine, two transmission options: 12×12 speed manual with dash mounted shuttle lever or a three range HST transmission, and the highest lift capabilities in its class at 1200kg, means productivity is at the fore of the T393’s design. It has one of the highest hydraulic flow rates with a maximum output of 42 litres per minute, making it suitable for use with a wide range of hydraulically driven attachments.

The cab features wide opening doors which allows for easy access on and off the tractor and, unlike larger models, there is no intrusive B-post on the tractor to hinder visibility.

Steven continues: “The T393 brings the utmost versatility to our TYM offering in the UK. It’s more productive per acre and is the ideal choice for those who don’t need a larger framed mid-duty model but need the most amount of power, productivity, versatility and efficiency in a compact package.”

Joining the T393 is the mid-duty T503, still as popular as ever thanks to its ability to competently manage all tractor-based applications on the golf course and strike the perfect balance between economy and performance.

Powered by a four-cylinder Perkins diesel engine and available with either a 16F/16R manual or a three-range hydrostatic transmission, this middleweight compact tractor is economical but powerful. It boasts a range of features and optional attachments too, including a spacious fully air-conditioned cab, independent auto PTO function, independent 4WD, telescopic lift arms, optional front loader and backhoe available and Dromone trailer hitch.

Steven concludes: “This is our biggest show in the UK and represents how far the TYM name has come in a few years. We’re looking forward to welcoming people to our stand to show our products existing and new.”

See this – and more – on stand 202 in the Red Zone.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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