Electric Power for Dore and Totley Golf Club:

Electric Power for Dore and Totley Golf Club

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Electric Power for Dore and Totley Golf Club: Dore and Totley Golf Club is the first club in South Yorkshire to take delivery of Toro’s all-electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 greens mower. The machine was selected to join the all-Toro fleet and continue its drive on economy, productivity and efficiency which has resulted in a course members are proud to be associated with.

Peter Bowden has been course manager at Dore and Totley for four years, during a time of rapid improvement. He says: “It was all about streamlining the processes. The course had huge potential which we’re delighted has now been realised, this resulted in the club being voted the best club in South Yorkshire by Your Golfer magazine. We achieved that by ensuring the course is presented in the best condition at all times. This is helped by the use of Toro equipment and getting the most out of the machines, keeping them in the best possible condition and when new technology arises, taking advantage of that.”

Electric Power for Dore and Totley Golf Club:

Dore and Totley course manager, Peter Dowden, seated, with Tony Dodson, area sales manager for Yorkshire Turf Machinery.

Peter is of course referring to the technological advances that have brought electric power to the game, without compromising on productivity, quality of cut or the bottom line: “As soon as one of the frontline greensmowers needed replacing it was a done deal that it would be the Toro eTriFlex 3370 we brought in. I have been focussed on bringing about the best possible return on investment for the club and we run a very efficient operation.

“One of the first things I did was invest in Toro’s fairway machines and Sidewinders so we can go right over the edges of the bunkers, reducing the time spent strimming. These machines are incredibly efficient and have saved so much time. We outsource our bunker brushing now too, that’s done by two students nine hours a week over three days. It makes economic sense for the three-man greens team to be working on things that utilise their skills in other areas.

“In addition, the board decided to use my sports maintenance company to supply the machines (Toro of course) and the staff to do all the rough cutting, which means the club doesn’t have to cover the outlay for the machines or the additional maintenance costs associated with them.

“All these changes have added up to an increase in income for the club and reduced costs, giving the best return on investment,” says Peter. “It made complete sense to choose Toro’s eTriFlex 3370. With the full support of the directors, who are determined to keep moving the club forward, the environmental benefits are important. However, this machine will save us money in the long run, on fuel, running and maintenance costs. There is a slight increase in the monthly outlay, but that is off-set by the increase in quality and service the eTriFlex brings.

“The quietness of the electric motor allows the greens team to start cutting earlier in the morning without affecting our neighbours, allowing more playing time due to extra tee times being available at the start of the day. The benefits we can bring to our members by getting them out on the course earlier is worth it and the quality of cut is outstanding.”

The machine was delivered by Yorkshire Turf Machinery, a sales division of Toro dealer Cheshire Turf Machinery, and managing director Steve Halley says: “This is the fourth electric greensmower we’ve sold. Despite economic uncertainty and tightening of budgets, people see the value this kind of technology can bring.”

Peter says of the relationship between dealer and club: “We do all the servicing and maintenance of the machines and a significant contributing factor as to why we continue to choose Toro is the availability of parts. I know that if we need help or advice it’s on the end of the phone with Steve and the team at Yorkshire Turf Machinery. If we’ve taken apart a machine and need a part, we’ll have it in under 72 hours. It’s so convenient. Ordering is direct with Toro distributor Reesink online via a mobile phone.”

It really has been a mutual effort at Dore and Totley as Peter finishes by saying: “The whole greens team, all the club’s committees and Steve Roberts, the professional and his team, have been working hard to take the club forward both on and off the course. The improvements have brought in new members as well as increased numbers of visitors and societies.”

For a team of three plus Peter and a 22-hole course that never closes, it’s imperative Peter has a machinery brand and partners he can rely on to get the job done and the numbers prove that Peter has the dream team at Dore and Totley. Something he’s very proud to have achieved for his home club he’s been playing at since the age of 12!

 

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Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki

Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki

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Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki: Spring signals the start of the busiest period for your machines and Kawasaki has some top tips for minimising downtime and maximising productivity.

Coming out of winter storage and into the growing season, your machines will need to be functioning to their full capabilities. Martin Cook, Parts and Technical Manager at Kawasaki Engines, highlights key maintenance tasks to make sure your engine and machines perform at their absolute best this season.

Genuinely maximise productivity with Kawasaki

Having a mower Powered by Kawasaki will get you through the Spring growing season with minimal downtime and maximum productivity. Seen here is the FS730V.

First and foremost, remove the spark plugs and check the gap. Oil on a spark plug could be a sign of low compression. Don’t be tempted to clean the carbon deposits off the spark plugs, this can cause more problems than it’s worth for the price of a new spark plug. It is very important to get this right as misfiring or poor performing plugs can put stress on the engine.

The importance of performing overall checks on your machines cannot be underestimated and some have to be done more frequently than others. Engine oil level, loose or lost nuts and screws, fuel and oil leakage, battery electrolyte level and checking for a clear air intake screen are best done daily. Make sure you clean the air cleaner foam element every 25 hours and the spark plugs and air cleaner paper element every 100 hours or in preparation for Spring, whichever comes first.

While most of the checking and cleaning can be done by a workshop technician or competent landscaper, greenkeeper or groundsperson, there are some checks best performed by an authorised Kawasaki Engines Dealer. For example, changing engine oil and filter, cleaning the cylinder head fins and checking and adjusting the valve clearance.

If you didn’t drain the tank before storing the machine for winter, you are going to need to check the tank is clear of any water or debris. Ethanol attracts water and the engine could misfire if there is water in it. This should be easy enough to do as most engines have plastic, see-through tanks and the water will be sitting at the bottom. If in doubt, drain and refill.

Most ride-on mowers will have two oil reservoirs, one for hydrostatic oil and one for engine oil. Always check you are using the correct one when topping up. Some hydrostatic drives use the same oil as the engine. For those please check your machine’s operating manual.

One of the most important things you can do for the overall performance of your machine is to make sure the blades are sharp and balanced. All other aspects of the mower’s maintenance can be perfect, but if the blades are dull your engine has to work that much harder to deliver, and that has repercussions on the longevity of the engine’s life and fuel economy, as well as leading to recutting, affecting productivity.

One easy way to maintain your Kawasaki Engine’s reliability is by using only Kawasaki Genuine Parts. This can make all the difference between a reliable machine and one that is not. Using non-genuine parts means your machine is less likely to operate as productively or efficiently as it should. When you choose Kawasaki Genuine Parts you are assured of quality, reliability and compliance with original equipment specifications.

Most oil filters look the same on the outside, but inside a Kawasaki filter, a slotted alloy tube protects oil flow. A pressure-activate bypass valve prevents cold-start wear and maintains flow in case of blockages. Silicone valves, rubber seals and a heavy canister stand up to high temperatures and severe use. Kawasaki build provides a different level of engine protection, one you can count on.

Similarly, with Kawasaki air and oil filters, these are specifically designed with permeability that matches flow rates, operating pressures and temperatures of your Kawasaki engine – and most importantly, they fit exactly.

With machines heading into their busiest period, make sure you’re preparing them for peak performance. Time spent on routine preventative measures now, will mean any downtime is kept to a minimum and productivity at a maximum.

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ICL integral to fairways recovery

ICL integral to fairways recovery

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ICL integral to fairways recovery : Ian Cambridge, Course Manager at Saffron Walden Golf Club in Cambridge, has revealed how the correct advice, seed, and nutritional products from ICL have been integral in helping the fairways recover from drought.

The infamous drought of 2018 proved to be problematic for greenkeepers and course managers throughout the UK and Ian Cambridge was no exception.

ICL integral to fairways recovery

“Back in the summer of 2018, like most golf courses, we lost a high proportion of our grass sward on the fairways due to the drought,” he said. “We had overseeded in the spring of 2019 without great success and the fairways were quite poor through the early part of the season.”

Looking for a solution, Ian contacted ICL and Andrew Pledger (Technical Area Sales Manager) visited the East Anglian club. He and Ian walked around the course looking at the conditions and probed into the soil to see what could be done. It was at this point that Andrew suggested a programmed approach which centred around ICL’s recently launched Vitalnova Links bio-stimulant.

Vitalnova Links consists of a unique combination of concentrated seaweed extract Vitalnova SeaMax and the proven biostimulant Vitalnova Blade. In turn, the formulation brings together and accentuates the benefits of both products.

Vitalnova Links was combined with a wetting agent and 8kg of a water soluble 35-0-5 fertilizer.

Andrew also advised, that due to not having any irrigation capacity, Ian should not overseed again until the autumn. This time, however, Andrew recommended that Ian use a multi-blend mixture consisting of rye, fescue and SSMG (Smooth Stalk Meadow Grass).

“The grass species that we lost the most of was the fescue and we were unsure of what we should do,” said Ian. “However, Andrew explained that by using a blend of three different species we would be spreading our bets a bit more with any future drought.

“The nutritional and wetting agent programme had actually helped with some natural ingress of our existing sward. This helped lower the amount of seed that we needed to use in our overseeding that autumn and it was a great help with lowering the costs. The seed mix we chose was the ICL ProSelect 2 Tees/Fairways mix and we had great germination success.”

ProSelect 2 Tees/Fairways is proving to be an extremely popular choice with golf courses throughout the UK and beyond. The mixture is a blend of fine fescues and perennial ryegrass which creates a turf surface that can recover strongly from divoting.

The blend contains Traction smooth-stalked meadow grass and Torsion TRT perennial ryegrass to provide rhizomatous and Turf Repairing Tiller (TRT) growth for extra durability and recovery from divots. It is renowned for providing great colour, all-round disease tolerance and close mowing tolerance.

The new nutritional programme and seed were put to the test in 2020 when the drought inevitably returned.

“In the spring of 2020, the fairways were filling in very nicely, however, the conditions became very droughty once again,” said Ian. “The difference this time was that we were already on a wetting agent and nutritional programme, and yes the turf browned off but when the rain returned in August the sward came straight back.

“Our over-seeding requirements were reduced, we believe, due to the choice of the quality seed and the advice from Andrew on our nutritional programme.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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