Hunter system makes instant impact

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Hunter system makes instant impact: Mat Edwards, Course Manager at Looe Golf Club in Cornwall, claims that his new Hunter Irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK and installed by Full Circle Irrigation Ltd, has signalled instant improvements on the greens and approaches.

Designed by six times Open champion, Harry Vardon, Looe Golf Club is set in an area of breath-taking beauty. The panoramic views from the course are stunning; to the east are the peaks of Dartmoor and the Tamar estuary, to the south, Looe Island and the channel, to the west and north, glorious countryside and Cornish moors. The 18-hole course measuring 5,940 yards provides an excellent test of golf for all abilities.

Hunter system makes instant impact

Hunter system makes instant impact

Mat Edwards has been working at the club for six years, three of which have been as the Course Manager. Along with his three full-time greenkeepers, Mat has worked tirelessly to bring about some huge improvements to the course – which has not been unrecognised by the club’s members.

However, he claims that perhaps the biggest impact has been the result of the new Hunter Irrigation system which was recently installed. Which was much needed according to Mat.

“I knew that the previous system was just not up to scratch,” he said. “Some sprinklers wouldn’t work, there were a few leaks and I could not rely on it at all. Considering the prolonged periods of drought we have been experiencing over the past couple of years, it was imperative that we had a good irrigation system.

“Therefore, an appraisal on the system was carried out by Irritech Limited, and they basically condemned it.  I then showed the report to the club’s owner and he gave me the green light to push ahead with a new system.”

It was at this point that Mat met with Wesley Henshaw from KAR UK – distributors of Hunter Golf Irrigation who was introduced to the club by David Bevan of Agrovista Amenity. After being impressed by Wesley’s product knowledge, Looe Golf Club purchased a new system consisting of Hunter G885 Decoder-In-Head sprinklers to be controlled by the Hunter Pilot CCS PC-based central control system.

The G885 sprinklers boast one of the highest torque outputs on the market. With this, the gear drive will push through anything that gets in its way. With such a powerful core, an array of efficient nozzles, and true full/part circle capabilities, the G885 is relied on by many turf managers. Throw in the convenient serviceability of Total Top Service (TTS) and Decoder-In Head (DIH) technology, and you don’t just have the most powerful choice in rotors, you’ve got the most intelligent choice as well.

The Pilot CCS PC-based central control system is a PC-based software package that makes central control of large-scale irrigation systems affordable, usable, and comprehensible.

A new system was designed by Irritech Limited, who also compiled a materials specification and bill of quantities. This allowed a number of irrigation contractors to tender for the project.

After a competitive tender process, the installation contract was awarded to Full Circle Irrigation Ltd. All of the greens and six approaches were installed with the G885 sprinklers with pipe work installed to Tees as part of the on-going project.

“The system has had an instant impact and is already making a difference,” said Mat. “Within two weeks the grass on the greens had grown and lushed up more than I could have expected – and this was in a period where we didn’t have any rainfall for six weeks.

Hunter system makes instant impact

Hunter system makes instant impact

“These sprinklers really are powerful,” he continued. “The course here is very exposed because we are situated so high up, so I was worried about drift. But these sprinklers are not affected by the wind – the nozzles ensure that the water goes exactly where you want it to.

Furthermore, I can control the system through my phone so I can even operate it at home.

“One of the main reasons for purchasing this Hunter system was to try and improve the greens and now they will be stronger through the summer and healthier going into winter.

“It has been worth every penny as far as I’m concerned.”

As a part of this project, a Kasco 1HP 4400EAF Surface Aerator has also been installed to the back-up irrigation lake to improve the quality of the water.

The Kasco high performance surface aerator pushes high volumes of water into the air which increases the overall health of the water and keeps it thoroughly mixed. These self-contained units deliver up to 3.0 lbs of O2 per horsepower per hour of operation, making Kasco surface aerators the most dependable and efficient units on the market.

For more information, contact Wesley on wesley@karuk.com or visit www.karuk.com.

You can also follow KAR UK on Twitter @KARUK_LTD for more news, reviews and insights.

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Ramsdale Park’s GEO five-year status award

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Ramsdale Park’s GEO five-year status award: Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, a Burhill Group Limited (BGL) venue in Nottingham, is proud to announce that it has successfully achieved Golf Environment Organisation Certified® status for the next five years.

The comprehensive, modern certification was developed to encompass environmental success in the areas of golf facility operations, golf development and renovation, and golf tournaments. This status demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement around nature, resources, and the community.

Ramsdale Park's GEO five-year status award

Ramsdale Park’s GEO five-year status award

Commenting on the achievement, General Manager, Theresa Plimmer, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for everybody at Ramsdale Park. It’s incredibly important to us that we operate in the most environmentally friendly way possible, and this certification is testament to the incredible work our staff have put in.

“Our greenkeeping team are constantly striving to improve the courses and club facilities and will continue to search for new, innovative ways to achieve the most sustainable and efficient practices possible.”

Ramsdale Park Golf Centre features a scenic 18-hole course with spectacular views over the Nottinghamshire countryside as well as a short course that is ideal for beginners and approach play practice. The club also has a 25-bay floodlit driving range, well stocked pro shop, Adventure Golf course and relaxed café bar and grill.

To find out more about Ramsdale Park Golf Centre visit www.ramsdaleparkgc.co.uk, email info@ramsdaleparkgc.co.uk or call +44 (0)115 9655 600.

For more information on Burhill Group Limited visit www.bglcompany.co.uk.

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Nearly 100 new Bobcat machines sold

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Nearly 100 new Bobcat machines sold: Kristianstad-based Bobcat Sverige AB, the Authorised Bobcat Dealer for Sweden, has secured orders for around 100 new Bobcat machines from Ramirent AB and Renta Sverige AB, two of the country’s leading rental companies. The order for Ramirent is believed to be the largest ever won by Bobcat in the Swedish market.

Comprising Bobcat mini-excavators from 1 to 8.5 tonne and a range of Bobcat compact loaders, the new machines are being delivered to Ramirent and Renta on a continuous basis. They join the substantial fleets of existing Bobcat machines at both Ramirent and Renta, which have established an excellent track record with both companies and laid the groundwork for the new orders won by Bobcat Sverige.

Nearly 100 new Bobcat machines sold

Nearly 100 new Bobcat machines sold

Bobcat Equipment Ideal for Rental

Göran Andersson, CEO at Bobcat Sverige, said: “Deliveries of the new Bobcat machines started in the second quarter and are taking place at rental depots throughout the country. The Swedish market is looking relatively bright – even in coronavirus times – with many cautiously looking forward again. The recent uncertainty in the market has been good for rental businesses as companies tend to hire more equipment under these circumstances.”

Johan Bursell, District Manager for the Nordics & Baltics region for Doosan Bobcat EMEA, said: “This is a tremendous achievement for Bobcat Sverige and is a testament to their success as our dealer in Sweden and to the quality of the Bobcat compact range. The excellent performance of the Bobcat equipment already in the rental fleets at Ramirent and Renta was an important factor in winning these orders.”

Rental Outlets throughout Sweden

Ramirent AB has many outlets throughout Sweden from Trelleborg in the very south of the country to Kiruna in the north. In addition to Bobcat mini-excavators and loaders, there is a wide product portfolio available to rent from Ramirent. The Swedish operations are part of a major network run by Ramirent in nine countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, employing around 3200 staff and comprising 300 customer centres. Ramirent is owned by the Loxam Group, the third largest equipment rental company in the world.

Renta Sverige AB also operates throughout Sweden with around 70 depots across the country.

It is part of the Finnish rental business, Renta Group Oy, and is a full-service construction machinery and equipment rental company. Renta also offers modern site facilities, scaffolding and weather protection services as well as site services such as temporary plumbing and HVAC installations and planning.

For more information about Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit the website www.bobcat.com

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Groundsman of the Year praises Headland

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Groundsman of the Year praises Headland: With 12 years of greenkeeping experience under his belt, Carel Fourie has been turning his hand to the maintenance at Holwell Sports FC.

And he’s made quite the impression, scooping the United Counties League Groundsman of the Year title for 2019/20. Assisting Carel with the transition from fine turf to sports turf has been Alex Hawkes of Headland Amenity, who has overseen the construction of a nutritional programme that has boosted the health, appearance and playability of the Welby Road pitch.

Groundsman of the Year praises Headland

Groundsman of the Year praises Headland

“What started out as an advisory role, and carrying out the occasional spot treatments, turned into me being appointed as the club’s first permanent groundsman three years ago” explains Carel. “While I have done a lot of spraying and built up knowledge on a range of Headland products for golf, getting to know what would work for football was a real learning curve.” Following soil sampling and analysis by Alex, a programme was introduced based around Multigreen® temperature-controlled release fertiliser.

With field longevity of five to six months, Carel applies Multigreen® 28-3-15 in early summer and follows this up with an application of the 15-0-22 formulation in September. “Despite our heavy clay profile, Multigreen® gives us a long-lasting source of Nitrogen, that can be supplemented with other products for targeted treatments.” While Carel uses a range of Headland products in his nutritional programme, worth particular note are a tank mix of Elevate Fe®, Xtend® and Clipless NT® which is applied every six weeks through the summer to boost the visual qualities, together with a combination of Turfcomplex® and TriCure AD™ which has proven to successfully nurse the pitch through periods of dry weather and drought.

“I utilised the time during lockdown to conduct some heavy renovation work which included hollow coring and overseeding, which germinated really well largely thanks to nutrients sustained in the soil from the previous application of Multigreen®, alongside a treatment of H-Cote™ Mini which I put down in early March.” The lockdown also didn’t stop the invaluable technical support from Headland. “I was sent a kit to take my own soil samples which Headland then analysed to make sure everything was still on track. There were a couple of times where WhatsApp came in handy too, with Alex able to identify some issues we were having with Brown Patch via video call when he wasn’t able to visit the site.”

With golf and football firmly on his CV, Carel is also now undertaking some work at Melton Mowbray Cricket Club. “Each surface brings its own unique challenges, not to mention the added complications that COVID has presented, but we’re nothing if not versatile, and with enthusiasm and the right advice I relish those challenges!”

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Ground renamed in honour of groundsman

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Ground renamed in honour of groundsman: Southern Counties East side Punjab United have renamed their ground in memory of their former groundsman

Steve Cook died last month and since the announcement the club was inundated with messages of condolence. The club paid their final farewell to ‘Cookie’ on Monday.

Ground renamed in honour of groundsman

Ground renamed in honour of groundsman

In tribute the club’s Gravesend ground will now be named the Steve Cook Stadium.

The club said: “He was a fantastic guy, was loved by everyone at the club and by all who knew him.

“He will be missed by so many people involved in the Kent football scene.

“The owners Chipie and Sonny Sian wanted his legacy at the club to continue and saw it fitting to name the stadium after Cookie. He was a key member of the club’s history and this is a way of remembering him and what he meant to the club and local community.”

On his passing, the club were keen to highlight the time Cookie had given to the club, helping four years ago as the club started groudn work to build the new stadium by the Elite Venue.

The club said: “Cookie was there from the beginning and he helped transform the ground and make it what it is today.

“Rain or shine he was always there for the club ensuring all the pitches were ready for all the junior, youth and adult teams. If he wasn’t working at that ground he was always in the stands supporting the team.

“They definitely don’t make people like Cookie anymore and he really was one in a million.”

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