Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere

/in , /by

Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere: Based in County Meath in Ireland, the newly built state of the art Karlswood Stables has been a major project for owner and Olympic show jumping medallist Cian O’Connor.

These grand equine facilities extend to 20 stables for his own horses, and another 24 are under construction for others. On top of that the complex boosts its own indoor arena and outdoor grass ring, sand ring, gallops, hacking trails and spa facilities for horses.

Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere

Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere

With the grounds extending to a total area of 68 acres, the Karlswood team required a reliable range of machinery and equipment to maintain the grounds and keep the grass well-trimmed. Being familiar with the benefits of the John Deere brand, Karlswood farm manager Derry McIntyre contacted Noel Bennett of local professional turf dealer Dublin Grass Machinery with a shopping list of the equipment required.

The machinery now supplied includes a new John Deere 4066R compact tractor, 1600T wide area rotary mower, X950R commercial rear-discharge, rear-collect diesel lawn tractor and an electric TE Gator utility vehicle.

Derry explains the purchasing decision by highlighting brand reliability and ease of use. “As this is a brand new complex, we have a lot of lawn and grass areas that have to be kept meticulously presented to maintain the high standards synonymous with Karlswood,” he says. “The self-propelled X950R and 1600T rotary mowers are superb tools to cut the grass around our all-weather arena and lawns.”

Powered by a 66hp diesel engine, the John Deere 4066R compact tractor features a ComfortGard cab and an eHydro three-range automatic transmission with simple to use TwinTouch forward and reverse pedals, plus four-wheel drive as standard.

Derry and his team have already been putting the tractor to good use, and praise its ease of use and versatility. “The 4066R carries out a number of tasks all over the site,” he says.

“For example, we spend around one and a half hours a day raking the arena, and there is a front-mounted mower attachment to provide extra grass cutting help around the hacks and the outside of the farm. We also have a scarifier for maintaining the grass areas, so the tractor has a real multitude of uses.”

As many John Deere Gator operators know, this popular utility vehicle is an extremely useful vehicle to have on any sportsground, farm or woodland. At Karlswood Stables the electric TE Gator is no exception, and has also proved extremely handy.

“The Gator is a fantastic tool to transport various pieces of equipment such as grass strimmers, hedge trimmers and other hand tools to various parts of the farm,” says Derry. “This vehicle makes it easier for us to travel around the site, and with the load bed space on the back to carry materials as well as tools, it is another reliable workhorse here at Karlswood Stables.”

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.

Golf club rises from the ashes

/in , /by

Golf club rises from the ashes: Boringdon Park Golf Club in Plymouth has struck a £500,000 deal with Toro that sees the resilient club looking forward to the future after an unfortunate fire destroyed the club’s entire fleet of machinery.

Here Justin Austin, course manager, explains what happened: “The fire was devastating. It was, fortunately, brought under control before it could damage the two courses, but it destroyed the entire shed and everything in it. Happening as it did at the beginning of the year, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy replacing the stock as every manufacturer was experiencing delays to the supply and distribution chain due to COVID.”

Golf club rises from the ashes

Golf club rises from the ashes

However, a bleak situation was made better by the support that came from Devon Garden Machinery. Immediately after the fire, Justin contacted the Toro dealer and despite there still being restrictions in place and delivery delays, the machinery dealer and Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare were able to not only help Justin work out a fleet replacement list of machinery but supported him with loan machinery to bridge the gap, meaning Justin and his team of five could keep the courses going.

Steve Dommett, from Devon Garden Machinery (DGM), explains: “We believe that fast, efficient communication played a major factor in us securing this order. Restrictions in place at the time made it difficult to meet face-to-face, so phone and email was key, with many of these phone calls and emails taking place out of hours due to the urgency of the whole situation. The club was fortunately well insured and this gave them the opportunity to specify what they wanted. As Justin’s preference was Toro, he got his wish.

“Once the orders were placed, we then had to contend with the delays in delivery that every manufacturer has suffered from. Between Reesink and ourselves we were able to loan Justin some equipment to keep him going. Justin has been amazing throughout, he’s coped remarkably with the situation, even though he didn’t even have a shovel left after the fire! And he’s been extremely understanding with regards to the staggered deliveries.”

Justin says: “DGM is a great company that always goes that extra mile. They pick the phone up whatever the time. We were always updated and kept up to speed during the entire process and that gave us peace of mind knowing we could rely on DGM and Reesink as a distributor. I’m in the process of talking to them about putting in place a five-year rolling replacement plan.”

The club had previously owned a mixed bag of kit from different brands; however, Justin had always been a self-proclaimed Toro fan and this was an opportunity to replace the club’s machinery according to his vision. He opted for five Greensmaster 3250-D riding greensmowers, two Greensmaster 1000 walk-behind cylinder mowers, four Reelmaster 3100-D cylinder mowers, a Reelmaster 5610-D fairway mower, a Reelmaster 6700-D fairway groomer, a Groundsmaster 4500-D rotary mower, a Groundsmaster 4700-D rotary mower and a Sand Pro 3040 infield groomer, along with various pieces of aeration equipment, top dressers, golf buggies, trailers and sprayers.

With the machinery all delivered and normality resumed at Boringdon Park, Justin is happy to report on great results, singling out the Groundsmaster 4700-D, Greensmaster 3250-D and Reelmaster 3100-D as his favourite machines. And with the new fleet working to his high standards, Justin has many plans in store for the club, he says: “The new maintenance facility has just been built and we’ve been discussing the layout and assistance with the fit out and making efforts towards sustainability – we’ve had solar panels fitted to the driving range in time to link up to the electric buggy fleet and machines.”

The past year has certainly been stressful for the club, from the sudden blaze and consequent machinery and equipment loss, to COVID, staff leaving the industry, and the simultaneous running of its sister club Trethorne Golf Club in Launceston, Cornwall. But now that the team has found its footing again and with Toro and Reesink lending a hand, things can only look up.

To talk to someone about Toro technology and how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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.

STIHL’s plans for new HQ

/in , /by

STIHL’s plans for new HQ: STIHL GB has unveiled plans to build a new 11,500m2 purpose-designed headquarters and state-of-the-art warehouse facility near to its current premises in Camberley, Surrey.

Due for completion in December 2022, the site will be home to nearly 100 employees and will boast dedicated dealer training facilities, an on-site restaurant, flexible collaborative workspaces and a technical workshop.

STIHL's plans for new HQ

STIHL’s plans for new HQ

The new 9,000m2 warehouse space will utilise state-of-the-art picking and storage systems to maximise productivity, efficiency and the use of space. All logistics will now be consolidated onto one site, meaning a speedier and more efficient delivery service to the 700 strong STIHL dealer network.

Kay Green, Managing Director of STIHL GB, commented: “STIHL has enjoyed a sustained period of growth in recent years, and as a consequence we have outgrown our existing warehouse and office facilities. Our new purpose-built headquarters represents a significant capital investment and is a commitment to the future for our dealers and end user customers. We’re looking forward to seeing work get underway on the construction of our new premises early in the New Year”.

The new HQ, which secured planning permission last year, boasts first class environmental credentials including BREEAM Certification, the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for building projects.

It is proposed that two-thirds of the total roof area (1600m2) will be covered with photovoltaic solar panels to provide power to the new facility. In addition, there will be provision for 26 EV charging points in anticipation of the continued move towards the use of electric vehicles.

The new headquarters will also be connected to Blackwater railway station by a dedicated cycle path and will feature landscaped gardens with native shrubs and trees and a wildflower meadow which forms part of an integrated flood risk mitigation zone on the former Thames Water Utilities site.

The company aims to relocate to the new facility from its current premises in Stanhope Road in January 2023.

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.

Two services in the spotlight

/in , /by

Two services in the spotlight: At BTME 2022 Agrovista Amenity will showcase two unique services – the online Agrovista Amenity Academy and the all-new AgronomyReports.

The show, which takes place at Harrogate Convention Centre from 23 to 27 January 2022, will be a great opportunity for visitors to find out about all the exciting developments that have taken place in the past two years since the last BTME.

Two services in the spotlight

Two services in the spotlight

Located in the Blue Zone on stand 164, there will be a particular spotlight on two of the company’s informative services.

The Agrovista Amenity Academy, which is free to sign-up to, provides in-depth knowledge on Agrovista Amenity’s market leading products (Product courses), as well as a wide range of areas in turf management such as turf disease, chemical, product application, seed and turf pests (Knowledge courses).

The Product courses have been designed so that the individual can fully understand and get maximum benefits from the products they purchase. With product and knowledge courses being added on a regular basis, Academy students are guaranteed to have a wide variety to choose from.

The Academy has already shown significant growth with over 9,000 CPD points awarded so far. Furthermore, many greenkeepers and course managers are benefitting from a CPD partnership with BIGGA, which enables BIGGA’s members to embark on any course they choose without having to go through an employer.

Alongside the Academy, the company will also be demonstrating its unique new soil analysis service called AgronomyReports, which features adaptable nutrition programmes supported by real time weather reports. This incredible new service will ensure that customers have all the information they need to make valuable decisions and help them to use the right products at the right time.

Agrovista Amenity will have a presence at BIGGA’s Continue to Learn education programme. Presented by Jonathan Telfer, Business Manager at Lancrop Laboratories on behalf of Agrovista Amenity, the seminar will provide a deeper look into soil as a chemical, physical and biological system, with one eye on the future regarding legislation and restrictions.

Jonathan will be delving further into his own experience of using AgronomyReports and will be explaining in more detail how it could be of huge benefit to many turf managers.

The Agrovista Amenity team will be out in force and will be on hand to discuss and advise on any individual requirements.

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

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.

RTV goes red for Rovers

/in , /by

RTV goes red for Rovers: The home of Doncaster Rovers Football Club is showing its true colours with a specially-liveried Kubota RTV X-900, designed as part of dealer Farmstar Ltd’s sponsorship agreement with the club.

The Eco-Power Stadium is also home to Doncaster Rugby League Club and Doncaster Rovers Belles Ladies Football Club, and rose to international fame recently as the venue for the England Ladies’ team’s historic 20-0 defeat of Latvia.

RTV goes red for Rovers

RTV goes red for Rovers

Club Doncaster’s business development manager Michael Kilby-Scott explains: “We have a close working relationship with our sponsors and we like to offer them business where appropriate. Farmstar’s Gaynor Waddington suggested painting the RTV in our red livery and adding both of our logos and we think it highlights our relationship with the company perfectly.”

Doncaster Rovers also has Kubota B2410 and B2261 tractors at the purpose-built stadium, which became the club’s base in 2006.

As well as sporting events, the Eco-Power Stadium is a popular conference and event venue, is host to Doncaster Sports College and has operated as a test and vaccination centre during the COVID crisis, underlining its community role.

The RTV X-900 is powered by Kubota’s proven 22hp engine and has a continuously variable transmission for easy operation by any member of a groundcare team.

At the Eco-Power Stadium, it plays an essential role as the club ‘workhorse’, collecting and transporting clippings from hand mowers on the pitch, moving tools and equipment and helping with setting up before and tidying up after the stadium’s popular car boot sales.

“The RTV’s a really useful piece of kit, and very easy to drive and use,” comments groundsman Ryan Skelton. “We find it very handy for getting around the site and it treads gently on the pitch, too.”

Farmstar has a bit of history with customised RTVs – its demonstrator vehicle with its distinctive zebra striped wrap has starred this year in a promotional video filmed at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and in a special edition of DIY SOS for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. What will they come up with next?

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.