John Osman champions refurbished mowers

John Osman champions refurbished mowers: Providing customers with high-quality refurbished machinery has been a cornerstone of John Osman Groundcare’s business since it was founded in 1992 by Managing Director, John Osman.

The company works on a variety of mower brands but has found that the build quality, accessibility and cost of parts for Jacobsen machines make them one of the best on the market for refurbishment.

John Osman champions refurbished mowers

John Osman champions refurbished mowers

A recent package provided to Wergs Golf Club has highlighted how much of a working life used Jacobsen mowers can still have, with some in the deal having done up to three and a half thousand hours of work.

John explains: “New machines create used machines and we’ve always found the Jacobsen equipment good enough to go again. From a customer’s perspective, if they are buying new Jacobsen equipment and at the end of the lease or their ownership, there is a significant value still in the machine because it can be refurbished and resold again, it gives them a lot of confidence with their initial purchasing decision.

“As I said, Jacobsen mowers are built well enough in the first place that they can be refurbished and go again, and to be fair; we aren’t just working on Jacobsen, we’re working with other major mower brands as well. They are one of the brands we’ve got to spend the least amount of money on to get back up to good order. Some other brands are very expensive for parts or are already worn out so it wouldn’t be viable to refurbish these.

“Access and the cost of spare parts is paramount in all of this. At the end of the day availability is very, very important but on top of that is the cost because that factors into the affordability of the refurbish process. We take a lot of pride in our refurbishments, and we won’t deliver them unless we are happy with them. Like any machine, you can always get niggles, but you can get niggles with a brand-new machine, we try and be as thorough as we can be. The more of these refurbishments you do, the more experience you gain with it and you know the areas to look at and what needs to be addressed with them.”

Wergs Golf Club in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, is just one example of how well a refurbished fleet can work. The club received a package including two Eclipse 322 Hybrids, two Fairway 305’s, two AR522’s and a TR3 all which meets their specific needs at a cost that is affordable with a back-up service that they can depend on.

“With the Eclipses, the owner had done a lot of research and watched YouTube videos and other media, and from that, they’ve gone for the hybrids. The fact they don’t use oil was a major positive because they’d suffered from several oil leaks on the greens with their other machines.

“They’ve got a large fairway acreage, and it’s a grass factory, especially with the weather we’ve been having through the summer and September. So, the Fairway 305 with that extra width of cut, slightly heavier units and contour following is doing an expectational job for them.

“They find the AR522’s which we delivered recently absolutely staggering, and they cannot get over the capabilities of that machine, they’ve even rang me up to say how impressed they are with it. It’s a contour trim mower that really sucks up the grass, so the presentation they are getting is fantastic. The TR3 is also proving to be a great addition giving a very clean boxed finish on tees and approaches even when there is a dew.”

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Chart Hills relaunch on track for spring

Chart Hills relaunch on track for spring: Chart Hills Golf Club has confirmed that major redevelopment works at the Kent destination are running on schedule, and the club is on course for a spring 2021 reopening.

Led by Director of Golf, Anthony Tarchetti, and Course Manager, Neil Lowther, the team has been working to implement a total renovation across the property. The golf course was fully closed from mid-July to allow green staff, industry-leading contractors and shapers to work on the championship layout.

Chart Hills relaunch on track for spring

Chart Hills relaunch on track for spring

The first steps in the process included extensive irrigation work and sand-capping of the fairways, with over 30,000 tonnes of sand deposited across the course. The seeding team then covered the sanded areas with creeping ryegrass, designed to deliver a better overall grass coverage, with the final seed due to go into the ground this autumn.

Off-course, there is an all-new golf entrance leading directly into the newly constructed professional shop that is equipped with an espresso machine, HD televisions and a wide selection of clothing, hardware and accessories.

Moreover, all corridors in the clubhouse have been redecorated with the addition of sleek, new, colour-coordinated signage. Work has also begun on the development of the driving range and short game areas, with new green targets cut into the range.

“We are making really good progress,” commented Tarchetti. “Our project is right on schedule and we will continue the hard work over the next few months to prepare the venue ahead of its relaunch in spring.

“Our owners, Ramac Holdings Ltd have made a significant investment since taking over, and it is exciting to see the project moving in the right direction.”

In the coming weeks, work will continue across the site, with additional projects planned to target other areas in the clubhouse, the halfway hut and car park.

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Home of Golf maintains standards with Foley

Home of Golf maintains standards with Foley: St Andrews Links is home to two of the latest Foley Company grinders that have become popular machines with the greenkeeping and maintenance teams.

Ease of use and quick grind times have contributed to the popularity among the staff who have to cater for everything from family golf to the Open Championship. An average Open tournament requires up to 110 units to be sharpened and the Foley will be there to ensure uniform cutting perfection in 2022 when the 150th edition of the Championship is played.

Home of Golf maintains standards with Foley

Home of Golf maintains standards with Foley

Away from the Old Course, the greenkeeping and maintenance teams are kept busy with six other courses catering for families and all regular golfers, totalling in the region of 230,000 rounds of golf a year. No one is more familiar with what it takes to accommodate such a large volume of golf more than workshop manager, Lani Togi.

For himself and his team, the Foley Company 653 Accu-Master Reel Grinder and 673 Automatic Bedknife Grinder make grinding quicker, easier and most importantly for Lani, more enjoyable.

“When it comes to saving time, the Foleys are a lot quicker than anything we’ve used before,” he began. “Previous grinders have been quite labour intensive, whereas we don’t have that issue now. The team really like using them, and if they’re happy using them, it makes it so much easier because they do a good job and we get the best results.

“One of the biggest things that’s helped us get those results is the Borazon stone that we have for the 673 bottom blade grinder. The new Toro E-Reels use a tungsten mixture that makes them extremely hard, and that stone really cuts it in well. That prevents a lot of problems that previously would have meant we would have to sharpen them repeatedly to get the same result. Now we get it done the first time around.”

Well thought out automation and features are a part of what makes the 673 Bedknife Grinder so user friendly. An Innovative Bedknife Mounting System uses powerful electromagnets to hold the bed bar in place, and Positive Gauge Stops to make set-up fast and straightforward. You can grind any bed bar arrangement without additional tooling and use the Fast Angle Set-Up to provide repeatability without recalibration. Set the Angle Stops once, and the 673 will grind the same angle repeatedly to ensure consistency and time-saving. Changing from grinding the front face to the top face is as simple as pushing a button and watching as the powered Tool Bar rotates into the position.

Automation is only one part of what makes Foley Company’s operation work for its customers. Training and a full back-up service are crucial elements to ensuring users can always grind when they need to, and with UK distributor, ProSport UK Ltd, Lani trusts they’ll never have any issues.

“When it comes to buying machines, it’s not always about the cost of the item; it’s the personal side of things as well,” he said. “You buy from people, and we’ve worked with Ian at ProSport UK for many years, and we know we can rely on his back-up service.”

For more information or a demo of Foley Company’s range of grinders, visit www.prosportukltd.co.uk/foley-company or email prosportukltd@gmail.com.

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Turf health expert joins Agrovista Amenity

Turf health expert joins Agrovista Amenity: As part of a commitment to providing the best in professional turf care solutions and expertise, Agrovista Amenity is delighted to announce the appointment of Alistair Eccles.

Perth-based Alistair joins the team as an amenity specialist for North Scotland, where he’ll be contributing more than 30 years of industry experience.

Turf health expert joins Agrovista Amenity

Turf health expert joins Agrovista Amenity

Previously, he worked for grass seed company DLF as a technical sales manager, and prior to this, spent 12 years working for Germinal. Earlier in his career he also progressed through a range of commercial and technical roles within the crop protection industry.

Alistair, who is BASIS and FACTS qualified, said: “Turf has essentially been my life for the past 14 years. Throughout this time I’ve explored many issues associated with turf health – from nutrition management and improving disease tolerance, to environmental implications of product selection and managing the loss of key chemistry.

“My experience combines both technical and commercial knowledge across a range of business types. I believe this will benefit customers as not only do I understand the challenges they face, but I can break down technical product information and make it relevant to them.

“I’m delighted to be joining Agrovista Amenity – a progressive business with a strong scientific background. This, coupled with their drive to provide customers with the best in agronomic advice, has made it a perfect fit.”

As part of its key values, Agrovista Amenity strives to provide a modern, technical approach to professional turf care and amenity solutions. This is something that Ramsay MacGregor believes will be further supported through the appointment of Alistair.

Ramsay, Scottish Regional Manager for Agrovista Amenity, said: “We are delighted to welcome Alistair to the team in Scotland. Alistair brings a wide knowledge of the industry with him, in particular, his specialty of grass seed which will be invaluable to us.”

Head of Amenity, John Marland, added: “Alistair is high quality addition to the business and demonstrates our continued investment in the amenity industry.”

When he isn’t pursuing his work passion for turf health, Alistair enjoys golf, mountaineering and gardening.

For more information about Agrovista Amenity, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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West Ham star sparks search involving groundsmen

West Ham star sparks search involving groundsmen: West Ham’s Issa Diop sparked a frantic search involving four groundsman, a player welfare officer, a body scanner and a magnet – after losing his wedding ring against Fulham.

Read the full article from The Sun here

West Ham star sparks search involving groundsmen

West Ham star sparks search involving groundsmen

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