Toro irrigation support goes above and beyond

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Toro irrigation support goes above and beyond: When having a new irrigation install, you’d be forgiven for thinking that additional site visits, detailed reports and training carried out by expert engineers would come at a hefty additional cost. But with Reesink Turfcare, this comes part and parcel with any Toro irrigation installation, as JCB Golf and Country Club recently experienced first-hand.

Having opened in 2018, the luxury course has been designed and built across 240 acres of countryside using industry-leading technology, including Toro Lynx Central Control and over 1000 Toro Infinity and T5 sprinklers.

Toro irrigation support goes above and beyond

Toro irrigation support goes above and beyond

The club’s irrigation installation was supported by Reesink providing expert training by Toro trained engineers, covering everything from sprinklers to controller training. Alongside this, Toro irrigation technicians made visits to the site every four to five weeks, supporting the contractor to ensure product satisfaction and that manufacturer guidelines were followed during installation. Detailed technical reports were provided throughout to keep track of the install and assistance with controller programming was also provided, giving the club complete peace of mind.

Rob Brinkley, irrigation technician at JCB Golf and Country Club explains: “I first started at JCB four years ago and was appointed as the irrigation technician for the club. I was excited to learn something new as I didn’t have any previous irrigation experience before, and it was the training I had from Cevan Edwards at Reesink that gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed.

“Cevan made several visits throughout the installation and after the system was fully operational, completely dedicating his time to my training as well as adapting to what I needed. He talked me through everything including how to use the computer system, how to test and find faults and how to carry out sprinkler maintenance. The whole experience was really positive, and I wouldn’t know half as much as I do now without him.”

Cevan Edwards, irrigation technical support at Reesink adds: “My role is to support Toro irrigation customers in whatever way they need, for as long as they have Toro. We believe it’s incredibly important to provide proper education on how to use and maintain Toro irrigation, as this means customers can ensure their system stays in the best possible shape so it performs better for longer. We are completely dedicated to providing as much support as needed, so customers can be sure they’re getting the best possible advice and training.”

With the irrigation system fundamental to growing in the turf on the new course, having additional support from Reesink made all the difference.

Rob explains: “We had absolutely no grass here when I started four years ago, and now the course looks amazing,” he says. “Toro irrigation is just superb. It’s easy to use and in particular the top access sprinklers are great – if we’re ever on a tight schedule and I need to carry out sprinkler maintenance, I can get so much more done in a day than if I’d had to dig the heads out. Plus it prevents damaging the turf.”

Course manager Callum Wark adds: “When growing in a new course, effective irrigation is vital to that process, particularly when you have lots of dry and hot weather like we had. So having such excellent support from Reesink has been fantastic – they were only ever a phone call away. It’s also been great to see how Rob has developed his skills and knowledge with the help of Cevan. It’s a real testament to Rob and his commitment, but also to Cevan and the fantastic customer service that Reesink provides.”

With continuous support and training from Reesink’s Toro irrigation technicians, JCB Golf and Country Club now has real peace of mind that its irrigation system will continue to perform to an excellent standard for years to come.

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New Motorway Services Crowned by Innovative Wildflower Roof

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New Motorway Services Crowned by Innovative Wildflower Roof: Following its opening in March of this year, Leeds Skelton Lake Services is seamlessly blending into its lakeside environment thanks to a ‘living roof’ supplied by UK wildflower experts, Wildflower Turf Ltd.

Located on the M1, the opening of the £64M Motorway Service Area (MSA) was timely, providing an essential service to hauliers and key workers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Sympathetically designed, the main building comprises a 100-bed Hotel and Food Court topped by an impressive and eye-catching wildflower meadow.

New Motorway Services Crowned by Innovative Wildflower Roof

New Motorway Services Crowned by Innovative Wildflower Roof

Of particular importance during the design phase of this striking feature was a requirement to ensure that the wildflower meadow would conform to planning regulations while also assisting the building to blend into the existing landscape.

The undulating roof is soil-less, and the green roof consists of a bespoke blend of 41 native UK wildflower species. Wildflower Turf Ltd also supplied their own substrate in order to ensure speed of growth and the roof vegetation has thrived as a result.

As well as providing a biodiverse home for bees and other invertebrate species, the roof meadow plays an important role in the site’s overall sustainable drainage strategy by absorbing rainwater and minimising surface water run-off.

The green roof will also help to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the amenity building with any heat generated drawn into the cool roof construction and then dissipated to the environment. Furthermore, the wildflower meadow will assist in absorbing and reducing low frequency sounds from the nearby motorway.

Throughout the course of the project, Wildflower Turf Ltd worked closely with the Landscape Architect, Smeeden Foreman, Wetherby-based Brambledown Landscapes Ltd, and installers ABG Ltd to deliver a show-stopping design that also exists harmoniously with the natural landscape.

Managing Director of Wildflower Turf Ltd, James Hewetson-Brown, said, “This has been one of our most interesting and rewarding green roof projects to date. Despite numerous challenges thrown up by the weather and a unique installation brief we enjoyed working with our clients, providing ongoing advice during installation and after Leeds Skelton Lakes Services opened. It’s been gratifying to see that our products have helped to deliver an exceptional result.”

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Dennis keeping up appearances at Topsham

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Dennis keeping up appearances at Topsham: John Brand, Greenkeeper at Topsham Bowls Club in Exeter, insists that the Dennis FT510 and the Dennis Razor Ultra 560 are helping him to keep the reputation of Devon’s finest bowls green intact.  

Founded in 1928, Topsham is one of the most premier clubs in Devon. Its full-size green is also considered to be one of the best in the South West.

Dennis keeping up appearances at Topsham

Dennis keeping up appearances at Topsham

John has been at the club for over ten years and has seen a continuous rise in membership, with more and more prestigious tournaments being held at the club. This is perhaps testament to just how good the playing surface at Topsham Bowls Club is.

He admits that the maintenance of the green has been made that bit easier through a range of Dennis Mowers. These mowers, from the British manufacturer, are used at thousands of bowling greens in the UK and can be found maintaining greens and lawns in many countries overseas helping greenkeepers to achieve their desired surface.

John chooses to use his trusty Dennis FT510 cylinder mower, which he has had for over a decade, as well as his newly purchased Dennis Razor Ultra 560.

The Dennis FT510, a 510mm (20”) cylinder mower fitted with the innovative interchangeable cassette system, is unrivalled as a mower and turf maintenance machine on all areas of fine turf. A range of 11 cassettes mean that one machine can be used for several key maintenance tasks including scarifying, verticutting or brushing.

John’s most recent addition, the Dennis Razor Ultra 560, has been developed specifically to meet the demands of fine turf such as bowling greens, golf greens and cricket pitches. With a 560mm (22”) cutting width, the Razor Ultra 560 incorporates many key features including an 11 bladed cutting cylinder, ultra-short wheelbase for undulating surfaces, tungsten tipped groomer, compact handle design for extra maneuverability, click height adjusters and stub free transport wheels for easy transport from site to site.

“The green is in great condition and that is partially because of these two mowers,” said John. “We’ve had the FT510 for a long time now and it has never let us down – I’ll still use that for verticutting.

“The main reason we purchased the Razor Ultra 560 was because we wanted the grooming facility to get rid of the long ends of the grass. It has worked wonders and it has really helped in thinning the turf which makes the bowl move more quickly across the green.

“I really like the weight of the Razor Ultra too and it is doing the rolling at the same time. We normally cut down to 4mm and it offers a fantastic finish every time – the presentation is unrivalled.

“I would suggest that both of these mowers are essential for any greenkeeper.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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Forst 8D Series raises the bar again

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Forst 8D Series raises the bar again: The introduction of the new Forst 8D Series brings Stage V compliant diesel engine technology to the woodchipper industry with more power and performance than ever before.

Hosting a 55hp Doosan Diesel engine the 8D is 10hp up on the previous model and raises the bar again in the 8” woodchipper category. The original Forst 8 Series quickly became the industry favourite for its fast, aggressive performance, robust build quality and exceptional simplicity. It has become the best-selling 8” woodchipper in the UK and Europe.

Forst 8D Series raises the bar again

Forst 8D Series raises the bar again

The 8D Series builds on that heritage and signals the way into the future offering greater power and productivity. An 8” x 10” capacity woodchipper, it comes with the standard Forst performance features you would expect including ‘ForstGrip’ feed rollers, offering unmatched crushing power, the ‘Open Flywheel’ system and ‘AutoIntelligence’ stress control. Boasting 55hp there is a huge amount of torque and phenomenal power delivering more chipping speed and efficiency to make light work of any type of timber and brash up to 8” in diameter.

With wheeled and tracked models, this is the machine for the contractor and even with this amount of power and several new design features it still weighs in at 1450kg for the ST8D, 1600kg for the TR8D and 2250kg for the XR8D. The road-going version is easily towed with heavy-duty running gear, fully braked chassis and handbrake. There is no doubting the robust construction of the 8D Series, featuring strengthening supports and gussets in the areas that take the most abuse, with all-steel panels large ‘C’ section and oversized bearings throughout.

Designed and built in the UK, Forst can now claim to be Europe’s largest woodchipper manufacturer and is available to buy direct from Forst headquartered in Andover, Hampshire.

Först provides a service network of its own people and approved service partners across the UK, which means service support for your Först chipper is never far away. For more information visit www.forst-woodchippers.com or call +44 1264 721790

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