October 26, 2021 - Turf Matters

Sustainable launch from SGL: In the midst of the worldwide transition to a sustainable society, SGL sets a new standard for efficient pitch management. The past years their agronomy and R&D team worked closely together, to bring together over a decade of agronomical research and technological innovation, and transformed that into the biggest and most efficient mobile grow lighting system for sports grass: the LED440.

The combination of improved growth algorithms and new in-house developed LED and Infrared technology, enables SGL to guarantee grass quality and energy savings.

Sustainable launch from SGL

SGL has been working with growth algorithms since day one and with the development of this new technology, it is again the foundation. Founder Nico van Vuuren believes data and technology are inseparable when it comes to sustainability: “In order to be able to have the desired grass growth while using resources most efficiently, you need to know what the conditions are and then calculate what input, such as light, temperature and water, is required. Our agronomy team has optimized our growth algorithm and is able to exactly determine the light and temperature requirements for every individual pitch. Our new LED and Infrared technology on the LED440 enables individual control of light and temperature accordingly. This combination enables us to guarantee energy savings and grass quality.”

Developing a 440 square meter lighting system with LED and Infrared, that is both effective and sustainable, came with a lot of challenges. SGL director of R&D, Scott Bogner, explains: “For a system of this size, we had to address issues like weight and power levels, and also the challenge of how to mix infrared and LED in our signature six-arm platform, so we started from scratch.” To meet both the quality and efficiency demands, the LED fixtures and Infrared fixtures have been designed by developers in-house, based on a decade of agronomical research. Bogner: “Usually in LED fixtures, roughly 35% of the energy is converted in convection heat. Convection heat warms the air around the fixture and is not directed to the surface, which means this energy is wasted. With our new LED fixture, this heat is collected and directed to the surface if additional heat is needed. In addition, we came up with an innovative asymmetrical reflector for our new Infrared technology, to get a consistent temperature across the entire footprint. By designing new LED and Infrared fixtures specifically for our 440 square meter platform, we were able to significantly decrease the number of fixtures. This resulted in a 70% weight reduction per square meter. However, one of the biggest accomplishments, is the overall system efficiency. Being able to deliver as much light as a previous system with a 40% energy saving, is a monumental improvement.”

For the most efficient operation, the LED440 has temperature sensors built in, which constantly measure grass temperature. SGL developed a new Smart control system to make sure only the amount of Infrared is added to reach the desired temperature set by the groundsman. This enables a perfect growing environment in all climates, also in winter, and significant savings in summers and hot climates. SGL agronomist Dr. Irene Vroegop explains the importance of a good light and temperature balance: “Two of the main plant processes, photosynthesis and respiration, are driven by light and temperature. When there is a disbalance, you will get either very thick leaves that are difficult to mow and hard to play on, or weak plants that get damaged easily and are susceptible for diseases. By creating the right balance, you can grow a strong plant that is able to endure a match, which is good to play on and can recover afterwards.”

Van Vuuren and the SGL team have been working towards this moment for years: “Twenty years ago, we set the standard with the first grow lighting systems in sports stadiums. But that doesn’t mean a thing if you stop innovating. There’s always a demand for higher quality; we always have to improve. The LED440 will be the next step for top quality sports grass in a sustainable way, and I’m very proud of that.”

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New approach for Newark Golf Club: Established in 1901, Newark Golf Club in Nottinghamshire is an 18-hole parkland/heathland golf course with a driving range and practice facilities maintained by a greenkeeping team of six led by course manager Alex Clarricoates.

Alex joined the club from school on work experience 13 years ago and was then offered a full-time job. Since he became course manager three years ago, a new club board took the opportunity after the first Covid lockdown to restructure the running of the golf course and make some necessary improvements. By outsourcing the pro shop and clubhouse to franchise operators, this freed up extra money to spend on the club’s main asset, the golf course.

New approach for Newark Golf Club

“The club was very supportive and happy to make the investment I thought was necessary to improve the course quality, rather than simply making do with what we had,” says Alex. “I was therefore encouraged to put together a list of the machines we needed to get us properly equipped. For example, we used to hire in a contractor to do the vertidraining, but we now have our own machine which gives us much more flexibility and costs the club less money in the long run.

“Having bought our first John Deere package in 2017, the old fleet needed upgrading. There was a mix of deals on different terms with and without maintenance agreements, so essentially we emptied the shed and replaced the fleet, with the help of our local dealer Simon Fountain at Adamson’s Langworth depot.

“In particular, we decided to invest in new mowers dedicated to the rough, semi-rough and fairways, to give us more flexibility with the cutting regimes. We can now mow the roughs, aprons and tees more regularly, whereas before one machine had to do two jobs, and we also have a specialist amenity turf sprayer, which we didn’t have before.

“Another benefit is that one of my assistants, Jim North, used to work with Simon at the previous John Deere dealership, so he’s familiar with the kit and can look after all the service and maintenance.”

The new John Deere fleet (pictured on the 8th hole) includes three 2550E hybrid electric triplex mowers with two spare sets of 7- and 11-blade reels, a 6700A PrecisionCut fairway mower, 9009A TerrainCut and 1600T WAM Series 3 rotary rough mowers, a 4066R compact tractor with 440R front loader and 4-in-1 bucket, a ProGator 2030A utility vehicle with HD200 sprayer and cargo box plus TH 6×4 and TE electric Gators.

Ancillary equipment bought as part of the John Deere Financial five-year finance lease package deal includes a Charterhouse Redexim Top-Brush and Verti-Drain 7416 aerator, a Campey Turf Care Vredo DZ 214.07.5 compact seeder and a Tru-Turf RE50 greens roller.

“After the course was shut during the last lockdown, it took the team about a month to prepare the course ready to open again, using the new equipment, and it was in mint condition straight from the off,” says Alex.