THE DREAM MACHINERY TEAM AT THORPE HALL GOLF CLUB

The Dream Machinery Team at Thorpe Hall Golf Club.

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The Dream Machinery Team at Thorpe Hall Golf Club : Thorpe Hall Golf Club has seen for itself the benefits not one, but two Reesink Turfcare brands can bring to a course after investing in both Toro and Nordic Plow.

With a hectare of greens and a course stretching 90 acres in total, it’s no easy feat to keep up excellent turf maintenance at Thorpe Hall Golf Club. And no one knows that better than course manager Chris Wright, who’s been at the club for nearly 19 years.

Chris Wright, course manager, with the Toro ProCore 648 and Nordic Plow Core Solutions attachment, at Thorpe Hall Golf Club.

Chris Wright, course manager, with the Toro ProCore 648 and Nordic Plow Core Solutions attachment, at Thorpe Hall Golf Club.

“I’ve been course manager since 2013 and before that I was deputy course manager, so I definitely know the course and the best ways to maintain it,” explains Chris. “Which is why in 2018 we signed our first Toro lease deal. Not only did signing a lease deal bring with it financial benefits, but Toro machinery is built to last.”

 

With a comprehensive Toro fleet that includes the Reelmaster 3575-D fairway mower, Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420, Greensmaster TriFlex 3400, Groundsmaster 3500-D Sidewinder, Groundsmaster 4500-D and a Multipro 5800 sprayer, the only thing missing was an efficient and reliable aerator, but it didn’t take Chris long to add that to the shed.

 

“We decided to go with the Toro ProCore 648 to replace our old aerator in 2019, as well as Core Solutions, the Nordic Plow core collector attachment,” says Chris. “The ProCore is without a doubt the best pedestrian aerator on the market, it contours incredibly well and with three-wheel drive it’s proved to be more versatile.”

 

“The Core Solutions core collector was an improvement on our previous attachment, which would always leave us needing to clean up after it. It’s also great value for money and works really well with the ProCore on the greens.”

 

Designed for both golf courses and sports surfaces, the core collecting blade attachment from Nordic Plow fits perfectly onto all brands and models of aeration equipment and bunker rakes, providing an efficient and cost-effective way to remove cores from a playing surface in minutes.

 

“We’re always making small improvements where we can to the course with our ongoing maintenance,” concludes Chris. “The Toro ProCore and Nordic Plow Core Solutions combined have helped hugely with course maintenance and saved a lot of time, and overall our new machinery lease with Reesink has proved to be a big success.”

 

To find out more about the Toro range or the machinery attachments available from Reesink, call 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

 

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BGL’s consistent success cemented with 7th place ranking in Sunday Times annual BDO Profit Track 100 awards

BGL ranks 7th in Sunday Times annual awards.

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BGL ranks 7th in Sunday Times annual awards : BGL’s consistent success cemented with 7th place ranking in Sunday Times annual BDO Profit Track 100 awards. Burhill Group Limited (BGL), owners and operators of 22 golf courses across 10 UK golf clubs, as well as 10 Adventure Leisure facilities, has ranked in 7th place in the 22nd annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 awards. The full listing was published yesterday within the Business section, on the tablet edition, and on the Fast Track website.

 

The Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 is an annual league table published by the Sunday Times newspaper. It ranks Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing profits over their last three years of trading. The league table is researched and produced by Fast Track, an Oxford-based research and networking events business, and is typically published in the Sunday Times each April. The ‘Covid-19’ special edition measured profits up to the end of 2019, therefore covering the three years pre-pandemic.

 

BGL’s consistent success cemented with 7th place ranking in Sunday Times annual BDO Profit Track 100 awards

 

“After what was undoubtedly an extremely tough year for the entire leisure and hospitality industries, we’re delighted to place so highly in a ranking that underlines our success over a significant period of time before the pandemic hit,” said Colin Mayes, CEO of BGL.

 

“The results were aided by numerous successful transactions across our extensive property portfolio during 2019, but the placement is also testament to our team’s outstanding delivery and unwavering commitment to providing excellent products and services to customers across our golf courses, our crazy golf, and ‘competitive socialising’ leisure destinations in the UK.

 

“While the pandemic and resulting lockdowns have been extremely challenging for everyone, as a business we are still committed to assessing continued investment in our existing businesses and development opportunities throughout the leisure sector when they arise. We are determined to grow our business further as we put Covid-19 behind us.”

 

As one of the largest multi-site golf and leisure venue owners and operators in the UK, BGL recorded strong profits over the pre-pandemic period. The profits are the result of property transactions alongside sustained, sensible investments across the group’s facilities that focus on creating welcoming and high-quality golf, leisure, and entertainment destinations for every occasion.

 

Namely, in recent years, the group has invested significant sums on the rollout of their hugely successful, Mr Mulligans, and newly formed, BUNKERS! adventure golf brands, which now exist in 10 locations across the UK.

 

On the core golf business, the company has reaped the rewards of a £5million investment into a new health and fitness facility that opened in 2016 at their Birchwood Park site. Equally, BGL has diversified and grown its facilities and driving range technology, displaying dedication to growing the game for golfers of all levels as well as a commitment to the future of golf and family activities. This goes alongside other astute investments in both long and short-term projects designed to improve the overall customer experience at its venues.

 

“These results have been delivered by our fantastic, dedicated team of people across the entire business and, as every business knows, people are at the heart of success,” added Mayes. “We truly are grateful to have such great teams in place at all of our locations.”

 

The 22nd annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 award ceremony will be held as an interactive virtual event on Tuesday 15th June. This special Covid-19 edition recognises the impressive past performance of the featured companies, and the contribution they have made to the economy and to society during the pandemic.

 

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

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Wembley Stadium, the very heart of English football, is now the home for five 34” INFINICUT® FL mowers.

Wembley Stadium welcome 34” INFINICUT® FL mowers.

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Wembley Stadium welcome 34” INFINICUT® FL mowers : Wembley Stadium, the very heart of English football, is now the home for five 34” INFINICUT® FL mowers. While the INFINICUT’s lithium battery power fulfils The FA’s drive towards increasing sustainability, and saw them make the shortlist, it was the functionality of the floating head units coupled with the quality of cut that sealed the deal for Grounds Manager Karl Standley.

Sustainability has been a key issue for The FA Group since the new Wembley Stadium opened its doors in 2007. The sustainability strategy, governed by FAST – The FA Group’s Sustainability Team – is actively looking at ways of reducing both waste and the use of fossil fuels, meaning that when it came to looking for a new fleet of stadium mowers, the electric route was the way to go. However, as Karl explains, “Having an electric mower is great, but with one of the world’s most iconic pitches to present and a hugely varied schedule of both sports and events, it is crucial that any equipment we invest in delivers from an operational perspective.”

 

Wembley Stadium, the very heart of English football, is now the home for five 34” INFINICUT® FL mowers.

Infinicut photoshoot at Wembley Stadium on Thursday 19 November 2020 with Vinny Tarbox, Sales Manager for Infinicut & John Coleman , Managing Director of Cub Cadet UK
Head Groundsman Karl Standley & Team; Anthony Sunney, Brendan & David Moulds
Photo by Jane Stokes (DJ Stotty Images)

“Lockdown last year gave us the opportunity to really look in-depth at the different options available. Three things really stood out for me with the INFINICUT® machines – one was the battery life; another was the versatility but perhaps the biggest thing was the balance. A football pitch will never be 100% even, there will always be an undulation of a couple of millimetres here and there and with the INFINICUT®, it almost ‘sticks’ to the surface. The floating head reads the pitch, every camber, every tiny movement and the whole team was very impressed by that and it shows in the quality of finish.”

Since taking delivery of the quintet of 34” mowers in the Autumn of 2020, the INFINICUT®s are now the main machines used for preparing the playing surface, primarily down to the cut quality. However, the additional benefits of the battery technology are also making themselves apparent. “We’ve had all five machines running together in preparation for a number of fixtures and the silence in the stadium is evident. It’s an eerily quiet experience – prep has never been quieter – but the difference has also been noticed by our colleagues and the TV crews we have on site.”

Wembley Stadium, the very heart of English football, is now the home for five 34” INFINICUT® FL mowers.

Infinicut photoshoot at Wembley Stadium on Thursday 19 November 2020 with Vinny Tarbox, Sales Manager for Infinicut & John Coleman , Managing Director of Cub Cadet UK
Head Groundsman Karl Standley & Team; Anthony Sunney, Brendan & David Moulds
Photo by Jane Stokes (DJ Stotty Images)

Karl adds, “In addition, the massive reduction in HAV for the operators is another important benefit that has come to light. We test all of our equipment annually to enable our team to keep an accurate track on exposure and in the last round of tests, the INFINI’s came out with the lowest HAV score of the equipment we have.”

With the INFINICUT® fleet delivering on all fronts for the Wembley team, the benefits are also due to be felt further down the chain with The FA actively working on finding the previous mower fleet a new home at clubs and organisations at grassroots level.

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