October 11, 2021 - Turf Matters

Revolutionary Line Marking at SALTEX: Leading robotic line marking company, Turf Tank is bringing the revolutionary Turf Tank One back to Saltex 2021.

The line marker will be on Stand G085 at the NEC in Birmingham for the two-day event, along with the Turf Tank UK team.

Revolutionary Line Marking at SALTEX

Throughout the past year, many schools, contractors, and professional and amateur sports teams have transformed their line marking operation with the Turf Tank One. Exceptional accuracy using a base station, customisable templates for pitches, logos and numbers, and huge time savings have set the robot apart from alternative methods.

In August 2021, Bromsgrove School began marking their 15 rugby pitches across three sites using the Turf Tank One, and for Head Groundsperson Richard Hare, it has been a revelation.

“When I first saw the Turf Tank One at the demo, I was absolutely amazed, and having used it, it’s revolutionary,” Richard begins.

“It just makes the job a hundred times easier, all the lines are dead straight, and there’s no mess, that’s the other big thing, it’s clean, and it is good to use, it’s easy, and for us, it’s been really, really good.

“We’ve marked in five pitches and the training grids which would have taken two members of staff at least three or four days, and we’ve done that in less than a day and to a high standard as well. Every pitch is a different size; there are no two pitches that are the same because of the different age groups playing sport and the way we have to fit the pitches in around the site.

“Having the templates makes it into a one-person job who can set it all up, keep an eye on it and do other things as well. And that’s not trying to make people redundant or anything like that, because as everybody will tell you, there’s always lots of things that people can be doing. And because staff can be working on other jobs, it will help us to raise our standards around the site.”

To find out how the Turf Tank One can transform your line marking operation, visit stand G085 at Saltex.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Ventrac package for the RAC: Iain Dye, the Courses Manager at The RAC in Woodcote Park, has taken delivery of a Ventrac 4500 with Contour deck and Tough Cut deck, to help maintain the two downland golf courses and surrounding estate.

Situated within the rolling Epsom Downs in Surrey, the Old Course, designed by the renowned William Herbert Fowler, was opened in 1915, while the Coronation Course was inaugurated in 1953, occupying the site of the club’s former New Course, which had been ploughed up during the Second World War.

Ventrac package for the RAC

Commenting recently Iain Dye said,

“I first saw the Ventrac during a demonstration at Tandridge Golf Club and although very impressed, we didn’t have the budget at the time to purchase it. However, the recent construction of our new reservoir prompted me to ask Rupert Price of Price Turfcare for demo here.

“It really comes into its own when mowing the steep sides of the retention walls. It would take a huge number of team hours to strim this area, so it’s saving a lot of time that can be used productively elsewhere on the courses.

“Apart from some utility vehicles we are a Toro fleet, but this Ventrac is unique and extremely versatile. We can use it for woodland management with the Tough Cut deck to get into the margins to clear brambles and brush. The health and safety aspect was an important factor in the purchase; nobody likes strimming at the best of times, but on steep slopes it’s a particularly onerous task. The Ventrac can operate on slopes of 30 degrees in complete safety; it seems to go anywhere!

“The Contour deck articulates well on uneven terrain, reducing scalping on high areas and we’ll be using it on our fairways during the winter to protect our fairway units from any worm casts. Also, it can go out in wet weather as the eight tyres produce only 6 psi, so it won’t mark the finer turf areas.

“We can now raise the presentation around the courses, maintaining steeper banks which we were unable to manage previously. These areas can be mown regularly and therefore become even more manageable over time.”

During the summer months Iain has a team of 27 including two Deputy Course Managers; Gary Stewart is responsible for the Old Course and Simon Glover for the Coronation Course. He also has two full-time mechanics and a mechanic/greenkeeper, who all ensure that the machinery works well at all times. He joined the RAC in June 2020 from Tandridge Golf Club, where he spent 14 years, initially as Deputy Course Manager before being promoted to Course Manager in 2013. After studying at Elmwood College, he joined the greenkeeping team on the Jubilee Course at St. Andrews in 1997 and worked on the Old Course from 2001, before moving from Scotland to take the job at Tandridge.