Bespoke PRG mix improves Billingbear Polo Club

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Bespoke PRG mix improves Billingbear Polo Club: Having been down for over 25 years and showing the signs of significant thatch build-up, the fields at Billingbear Polo Club were fully renovated for the first time in the autumn of 2019.

Part of the King Power Polo group, the renovation was conducted by Shorts Agricultural Services, with a bespoke 100% perennial ryegrass mixture by DLF delivering the deep-rooting, hard wearing coverage demanded for equestrian use.

Bespoke PRG mix improves Billingbear Polo Club

Bespoke PRG mix improves Billingbear Polo Club

“A renovation of this scale had never been conducted before but with the field becoming slippy and areas breaking up easily, the time was right” explains Billingbear Head Groundsman Damian Chec. Long-standing contractor partners Shorts were called in, to fraise mow, aerate, seed and topdress the surface in August last year.

“When it came to the seed, we had a specification to work to which we gave to Craig Spooner at DLF Seeds” says James Winfield, Manager at Shorts. “I’ve worked alongside Craig on a number of projects in the past and know that DLF will deliver a mixture that meets the spec provided but that also takes into consideration any complexities of each individual site. The support and advice we received was excellent and is part of the reason we wouldn’t use anyone else for our seed requirements.”

To deliver rapid establishment, quick germination and a hard-wearing sward, Craig blended a bespoke 100% perennial ryegrass mix featuring top-rated Johnsons Sports Seed cultivar Monroe – adding exceptional recovery and disease resistance to the list of mixture properties. James and the team applied the seed in September and, despite very challenging weather conditions over the winter, only minor overseeding was required in the spring in one particularly compacted area of the pitch. “We achieved good, strong and even growth and coverage that looked superb” comments James.

The deep rooting nature of perennial rye has also improved the surfaces playability when fixtures re-commenced in early September 2020. “The condition of the field has dramatically improved. The issues we were having with divots and areas breaking up have been completely eliminated” adds Damian.

The recent renovation marks the start of a broader programme of site improvements, including plans to install a brand-new drainage system in the not too distant future.

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New mowers make a big difference

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New mowers make a big difference: “It’s fair to say that if it wasn’t for the dealer back-up and the relationship I’ve built up over the years with James Moore of Farol and John Deere, I wouldn’t still be using their machinery, it’s that simple.”

So says course manager Alec MacIndoe of West Surrey Golf Club near Godalming, who earlier this year completed his second John Deere course maintenance equipment package deal with Farol at the club, and his fifth overall at three different courses over the past 20 years or so.

New mowers make a big difference

New mowers make a big difference

The latest fleet of 22 machines – mostly bought on a John Deere Financial operating lease with some on hire purchase – includes four of the company’s brand new 2750 E-Cut hybrid electric triplex mowers, as well as fairway, tees & surrounds and walk-behind greens mowers, a ProGator utility vehicle equipped with an HD200 sprayer, TX Turf Gators and a zero-turn rotary mower.

“We recently completed an £800,000 refurbishment of the clubhouse, renewed or redesigned all of the course’s 64 bunkers, and we’re a long way down the line with upgrading the irrigation system, so the club has proved it’s progressive and committed to investing in the facilities,” says Alec. “I did a lot of work with James Moore to identify and settle on the best options for this latest replacement package, while trying as far as possible to maintain the same financial commitment as before, so as not to overstretch the budget.

“My main question to Farol and John Deere was, as we’re already at a high level, how can we get even better and extend the quality of the playing surfaces even further? I was lucky enough to be shown the answer at the John Deere Classic in the US last year, where I saw the new 2750E for the first time, alongside the company’s GPS PrecisionSprayer and autonomous mower.

“Having this opportunity to see where John Deere was making positive changes to its equipment, particularly with the 2750E mowers, was a real eye-opener. These new mowers have changed our cutting regime massively and I’ve been enormously impressed with the improvement in quality, we’re now getting a much better finish.

“The original idea was to hand mow the greens for most of the summer, but we found that the 2750E gives us the same pace on our USGA spec greens as the walk-behinds. We’d never cut the greens for the club championship with a triplex before, and the positive feedback we got was amazing. We will still hand mow through the winter though, and just use the triples at the weekends.

“We had 7700 fairway mowers in the first package, equipped with QA7 cutting units, but this time round we went for the 7500AE with QA5s, also for the better quality of cut they offer – we’re always looking for improvements in whatever we do. We’re now cutting the fairways at 12mm, and the difference in sward quality is huge.

“Using John Deere’s TechControl system on the mowers, you can set them up to maintain a consistent clip frequency at whatever forward speed you’re running. We run two of the 2750Es with 11-blade cylinders on the greens and two with seven-blade cylinders on the tees, approaches and surrounds, and keep a spare set of the 11-blade units.

“We also have a set of GreenTek vibratory rollers for the 2750E, in addition to our Tru-Turf greens roller, to help keep the putting surfaces smooth with no compaction, particularly after aeration and coring. These rollers will be used three times a week in the winter, when we only cut once a week.

“All four of the 2750Es are equipped with three-wheel drive and are completely interchangeable, all around the course. Now I’ve seen and used this new mower, for me there’s no comparison with the previous 2500 model – that was a great mower in its time, but the new machines are quicker, more flexible and more versatile.

“As for fuel economy, we haven’t physically measured it but I know we can get three times around the course before needing to fill up, so we have noticed considerable fuel savings.”

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Hybrid mowers prove their worth

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Hybrid mowers prove their worth: Founded in 1889, Royal County Down is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland and features two 18-hole links, the Championship Course and the Annesley Links.

Located in the beautiful surroundings of the Murlough Nature Reserve in Northern Ireland and set against the magnificent backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne, the links stretch along the shores of Newcastle’s Dundrum Bay and provide a different view from virtually every hole.

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Eamonn Crawford has been links manager at Royal County Down for 10 years but has worked here for 45, maintaining not just his beloved links to the highest standards but also a consistent approach to the purchase of new course equipment.

“Every golf course is different, but I like to have a mixture of machinery and if it’s good enough I’ll use it,” he says. “My approach is very much horses for courses, and I aim to buy the right make for the jobs that need doing, to get them done properly.”

As a result, one of the club’s most recent investments has been in a fleet of four new John Deere 7500A E-Cut hybrid electric fairway mowers, delivered by local dealer Ricky Neill of Johnston Gilpin & Co at Lisburn. These have joined seven of the company’s TH 6×4 Gator utility vehicles as well as two vintage 1200A bunker rakes, which are approaching 15 years old and still doing a good job.

“I’ve dealt with the dealership for nearly 20 years,” says Eamonn. “Service and back-up are very important to us, and Johnston Gilpin have always proved their worth on that score, particularly with loan equipment. Generally, we need demo machines for more than just one or two days, preferably three or four weeks so we can test them properly in all conditions, and that’s what happened last year with the 7500AE mower.

“We get a lot of rain here and cutting in the wet is just the worst job. Fairway mowers in particular can leave a lot of mess, but the collection on these new machines is very good, the grass gets thrown right to the back of the boxes. We box off all the cuttings on the Annesley Links, which we’ve never done before, and people have been commenting how good the fairways are playing there now.”

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Six of Royal County Down’s 17 full-time greenkeeping staff are dedicated 7500AE operators. All four mowers are set to cut the fairways at 9mm on both 18-hole courses every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus all the pathways. Nets have been added to the mowers’ roll-bars for protection, as there are a lot of blind tee shots around the courses.

“One of our greenkeepers, Mark Kennedy, is very mechanically minded and has done a lot of product training with Johnston Gilpin learning about the machines and how to set them up, so he looks after them all,” says Eamonn. “All the operators know their machines well too and are very good at their job.

“They’ve got to be comfortable using the mowers, given how much time they spend in the seat all day, and they always report back, good or bad! The 7500AEs hold their cut very well, especially down to the bottom of the contours and hollows. Golfers like a tight lie, and the new mowers give us the consistent quality of cut that our members and visitors appreciate.

“The E-Cut hybrid electric system also saves fuel and produces very low emissions, so it all adds up so far. We’re very pleased with these new John Deere fairway mowers, and I’m very confident that they will be with us for a long time, particularly with Mark looking after them so well.”

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