BIGGA vice president appointed

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BIGGA vice president appointed: The head greenkeeper at Chipping Sodbury Golf Club in Gloucestershire has been appointed vice president of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA).

John Keenaghan has been appointed vice president of BIGGA and will become president of the association ahead of the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) in January 2024, succeeding Shirley Golf Club’s course manager Andy Smith.

BIGGA vice president appointed

BIGGA vice president appointed

John began his career at Filton Golf Club in Bristol and has worked at various venues in the area, including The Kendleshire, The Players and The Manor House. In 2002 he joined Chipping Sodbury, becoming head greenkeeper in 2006.

Throughout his career, John has volunteered at various events including as part of The Open Volunteer Support Team. He also served on BIGGA’s South West & South Wales Region board and was the region’s representative on the BIGGA National Board.

As vice president and president, John will act as an ambassador for the association, representing BIGGA at various events throughout the year. He will also be part of the Board of Management and utilise his experience to guide the board in their decision making.

John will continue in his role at Chipping Sodbury throughout his terms as vice president and president, representing the club on an international scale.

John said: “I’m absolutely delighted and honoured – I just hope I do a good job. I have been fortunate to have met so many quality greenkeepers in my career, which has spanned over 30 years, and it will be a privilege to serve them in my role as vice president and then president of BIGGA.

“I just hope that if there’s one thing I can do in my role as president, it will be to instill some of my passion for greenkeeping into those young people who are just starting out.”

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton said: “In his 30 years within greenkeeping, John has shown an unwavering commitment to supporting the activities of BIGGA and his fellow members, particularly in the South West & South Wales Region, and so I’m delighted that he has accepted the invitation to be vice president of the association, becoming president in January 2024.

“John’s enthusiasm for greenkeeping is infectious and I’m looking forward to working alongside him as the association enters a particularly busy period and seeks to provide a clear vision that helps our members overcome the challenges they face, such as the recruitment and retention of quality staff.”

Find out more about John’s career on the BIGGA website.

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ACW Trees tackle rising fuel costs

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ACW Trees tackle rising fuel costs: To keep up with new technologies and latest industry developments, family-run ACW Trees in the West Midlands opt to upgrade their woodchipper fleet every three years – their most recent review seeing a GreenMech ArbTrak 200 swapped for TWO machines from the GreenMech EVO series!

Owner Adam Willington and his team now have the versatility of a road-tow EVO 165D and track-based EVO 205DT at their disposal and have found the pair to excel in power, maneuverability and fuel efficiency.

ACW Trees tackle rising fuel costs

ACW Trees tackle rising fuel costs

Following time in the Parachute Regiment, Adam moved into a career in forestry before establishing ACW Trees eight years ago – now undertaking a wide variety of jobs with both domestic and commercial clients with the assistance of his team of two. “Technology in the arb market is changing all the time so when it’s time to upgrade, I’ll go out to the market and research all of the options. What’s noticeable, having looked at the main three manufacturers, is how the build quality of GreenMech’s EVO range now supersedes the competition and, performance-wise, is leading the way” says Adam.

The team opted for the EVO 165D, and larger 8” capacity EVO 205DT for optimal flexibility and safe traversal of sloped or uneven ground. Delivering more aggressive torque, bite and throughput, Adam also opted for the optional folding chute on both new machines, delivered in October 2022, which he adds is “ideal for moving the chippers around and safely storing them in the yard or other small, restricted access spaces.”

“Like most small businesses, we’re conscious of costs and fuel is a big issue currently. One thing we really liked about the EVO 205DT is the ‘economy mode’ where you set the engine RPM to automatically reduce after a given interval when no timber is being processed which has massively improved our fuel economy.” He continues, “In addition, we’ve found the powerful throw on both machines helps to pack the chips more tightly in the back of the truck meaning we’re making fewer trips to empty, lowering fuel consumption even further.”

Adam certainly hasn’t gone easy on the chippers in the nine months since taking delivery, putting them both thoroughly through their paces on all types of terrain. “We’ve had no trouble in getting the EVO’s exactly where we need them – be that up and down steep slopes, wooded or boggy areas and even tracking the 205DT through little streams! The robustness and reliability they’ve given us has been brilliant, and like always, backed up with excellent service and technical support from the GreenMech team.”

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Poundbury revisited

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Poundbury revisited: During 2020, they undertook significant work on the green space at Poundbury, Dorchester. Situated on Duchy of Cornwall land, the area saw the planting of over 400 trees and 26,000 shrubs and hedging plants.

This was very much a part of Poundbury’s ongoing Great Field development. The project began in 2014 with the building of sports pitches, an outdoor gym, a multi-use games area and the planting of wildflower meadows. The Duchy worked with the People Need Nature charity and local seed supplier, Heritage Seeds, to sow another wildflower meadow in 2020. However, unusually dry periods and exceptionally wet conditions left the new area with problems of compaction and waterlogging. It meant ground conditions had to be improved before any planting and establishment of shrubs, hedging and trees could be done. The meadow had also got off to a slow start.

Poundbury revisited

Poundbury revisited

 

Deep aeration specialists Terrain Aeration were called upon to relieve the compaction and panning on the top half of the field. They brought in their Terralift machines, which work on the principle of hammering a hollow probe one metre deep into the soil, using a JCB road breaker gun; the soil is compact at depth and requires the hammer to break through. At one metre depth, a hydraulic blast of compressed air is released at up to 20Bar (280psi). This fractures the soil, creating fissures. The process is repeated at two-metre intervals on a grid pattern with the fissures interlinking to create a system of aeration and drainage. The Terralift is the only machine which uses such high pressure to enable the process to work. On the tail end of the blast, dried seaweed is injected and this sticks to the walls of the fissures, expanding and contracting with the moisture content in the soil. The probe holes are backfilled with aggregate to maintain the aeration process.

In July 2023, Terrain Aeration revisited Poundbury to see how the Great Field meadows were faring. They found a flourishing panorama of colourful meadows, maturing trees and hedges. The wildflower seed was collected from existing meadows in Purbeck with the local sourcing helping to protect local populations of wildflowers. Ladies’ and Hedge bedstraw, common knapweed, Quaking-grass, Bird’s-foot Trefoil and Kidney Vetch are among the many meadow flowers growing along with Viper’s bugloss in the new field.

Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.co.uk

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