Forest Green Rovers turns to Kress for efficient electric grounds care

Forest Green Rovers turns to Kress for efficient electric grounds care

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Forest Green Rovers turns to Kress for efficient electric grounds care

Forest Green Rovers’ reputation the most environmentally conscious football club in the world is reflected in every area of its operation, including the way its pitches and surrounding landscapes are maintained with Kress battery-powered equipment.

Forest Green Rovers turns to Kress for efficient electric grounds care

Forest Green Rovers turns to Kress for efficient electric grounds care

Head Groundsman Nick Johnstone oversees both the stadium pitch and the club’s Eco Park training facilities, where sustainability plays a central role in day-to-day operations. To support the club’s environmental goals, Nick and his team have fully integrated Kress battery-powered equipment across the site.

“Sustainability is key for everything we do here at Forest Green and it touches all areas of the club,” said Nick. “From what we do in grounds care, to transport, energy and food. For us that means how we maintain our pitches and the products we can or can’t use.

“No pesticides, no harmful chemicals. We recycle rainwater where we can. All our machinery is electric, and we pair that up with sustainable sources of energy.”

The grounds team now uses a range of Kress battery-powered equipment including mowers, backpack blowers, handheld blowers, strimmers and hedge trimmers for maintaining both the pitches and surrounding landscaping areas.

Nick said the decision to work with Kress was driven not only by the performance of the equipment, but also by the company’s shared values around sustainability.

“It’s important that when we partner with companies, we align ourselves with businesses that hold the same values as us,” he explained. “with Kress from day one it’s been all about electric equipment and sustainability, so we were really keen to get involved.”

According to Nick, the switch to Kress equipment has improved efficiency across a variety of day-to-day tasks without compromising on performance.

“The Kress equipment is really easy to use, and you don’t compromise on power,” he said.

“We’ve actually found that Kress equipment has saved us time with certain tasks compared to some of the older battery equipment we had in the past.

“Now we’ve fully integrated across to Kress equipment and it’s actually made us more productive and more efficient in our work day-to-day.”

Battery performance and charging speed have also impressed the team, especially during busy working days across the wider Eco Park site.

“The battery power, not just the performance but how long they last and how quickly they charge, is massive,” said Nick. “There are days where we’re doing a lot of work maintaining landscaping areas and the guys don’t have to keep making trips back for batteries.

“We’ve got the Kress CyberSystem charging unit as well, so we’ve always got batteries charging and ready to go. The beauty of that is there are no cables and wires everywhere. They’re tidy, compact and easy to access.”

For Nick, the relationship with Kress has been just as important as the equipment itself.

Forest Green Rovers turns to Kress for efficient electric grounds care

Forest Green Rovers turns to Kress for efficient electric grounds care

“We have found it really nice working with the Kress team,” he said. “It was clear straight away that we were going to have a good relationship with like-minded people.

“It’s not just about buying equipment; there’s also the aftercare and support. You can pick up the phone at any time if you need help and they’re always really helpful.”

Nick believes the combination of sustainability, reliability and performance makes Kress a strong option for other professionals in the industry.

“If there are groundskeepers out there not sure what equipment to go for, I would absolutely urge them to go for Kress,” he said. “You don’t compromise at all on power or performance.

“Some of the equipment we’ve used, not just compared to other battery equipment but also combustion equipment, is the best I’ve ever used.”

For more information, please visit https://www.kress.com/en-gb/

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St Enodoc takes a joined up approach with Toro

St Enodoc takes a joined up approach with Toro

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St Enodoc takes a joined up approach with Toro

St Enodoc Golf Club has committed to Toro in a significant, multi-year investment that includes a tailored fleet of machinery and an upgrade to its irrigation infrastructure and technology.

St Enodoc takes a joined up approach with Toro

St Enodoc takes a joined up approach with Toro

The investment represents the club’s first major fleet renewal in a decade and was developed over a three-year period with DGM LTD and Reesink Turfcare. It reflects a carefully planned transition designed to align with the club’s evolving agronomic and operational requirements.

The package features battery-powered greens mowers, pedestrian cutting equipment and an evolving upgrade of the irrigation system supported by Toro Lynx Central Control software.

For Head Greenkeeper William Smith, the decision reflects both the changing demands placed on modern golf courses and the opportunities offered by advances in technology.

“A lot has changed over the past decade,” he says. “Expectations around course presentation have continued to rise, while sustainability and efficiency have become much bigger priorities. This investment allows us to modernise our fleet and give the team the tools they need to maintain the course to the highest possible standard.”

Among the standout additions to support the club’s wider sustainability ambitions, which are guided by its GEO certification, are four battery-powered Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 and hybrid 3360 greens mowers.

“They deliver a consistently high quality of cut while reducing operational emissions and noise,” says William. “Crucially, they eliminate the risk of hydraulic oil leaks on sensitive playing surfaces. Protecting our greens is a huge priority and these mowers provide exceptional precision and a cleaner, quieter and more sustainable way of maintaining some of the most important areas of the course.”

The addition of six Toro Flex 1021 hand mowers has further enhanced presentation standards on greens and tees, while the expanded overall fleet provides greater operational flexibility by allowing multiple maintenance tasks to be completed simultaneously, reducing downtime and improving productivity.

Alongside the machinery investment, St Enodoc is taking a phased approach to upgrading its irrigation system. New Toro sprinklers are being installed across tees and walkways, complemented by the introduction of Toro Lynx Central Control software, giving the greenkeeping team greater precision over irrigation scheduling and water application.

“Water is one of our most valuable resources, so using it efficiently is essential,” says William. “Toro Lynx gives us much greater control over when, where and how much water we apply, helping us reduce waste while maintaining turf health in what’s fast becoming an unpredictable climate.”

Working closely with Reesink Turfcare and local dealer DGM proved instrumental in developing a machinery package tailored to the club’s specific requirements.

“Rather than offering a standard package, they took the time to understand our course and our long-term objectives,” says William. “It’s been a genuine partnership from start to finish. Our aim is to deliver outstanding course conditions while operating more efficiently and responsibly. This investment provides the foundation to achieve that for many years to come.”

Rob Read at DGM says: “St Enodoc has taken a considered, long-term approach to investing in both machinery and irrigation, recognising how the two work together to deliver consistently high course standards.”

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ProE-Glide gives easy ride for accurate fertiliser application

ProE-Glide gives easy ride for accurate fertiliser application

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ProE-Glide gives easy ride for accurate fertiliser application

The innovative ProE-Glide from Techneat Engineering provides an entirely new concept of stand-on precision fertiliser and granular application spreader, to improve productivity and accuracy for turf managers and professionals.

ProE-Glide gives easy ride for accurate fertiliser application

ProE-Glide gives easy ride for accurate fertiliser application

Set to be launched at GroundsFest 2026 (16-17  September), the whisper quiet, zero-emissions battery powered spreader provides a stand-on platform for operators that achieves exceptional work rates, while maintaining total control of the application and spreading rate.

The ProE-Glide has been shortlisted for the GroundsFest Innovation Awards 2026, for Turf maintenance equipment.

Designed for sports turf, amenity grassland and landscape applications, the ProE-Glide delivers a highly efficient and user-friendly solution for grounds professionals.

Adjustable calibration settings allow operators to accurately apply different granular products, including fertiliser, grass seed or de-icer salt. The fully adjustable spread width and spread bias help maintain even coverage, even in challenging conditions such as crosswinds.

Launching the ProE-Glide at GroundsFest 2026, where turf and lawncare managers have the chance to try out the innovative machine, Techneat amenity specialist, Richard Wheatcroft, says: “With infinitely adjustable application settings, a high-capacity hopper and an ergonomic stand-on design, the Pro E-Glide delivers accurate, consistent spreading, while hugely improving operator comfort and productivity.”

In user-trials the ProE-Glide has proven capable of spreading fertiliser across 5,000m2 (half-hectare) in less than 30 minutes. “The combination of speed, efficiency and accuracy has significantly increased our productivity,” reports The Lawnologist grounds care specialist, Mark Walsh. “The level of control is excellent.”

It has handled work on large domestic lawns, on private estates to sports pitches, allowing the team to complete work faster and dramatically reduce operator fatigue, without compromising on application quality, he adds.

“It’s a very well thought out product that’s intuitive to operate for professional grounds maintenance, and genuinely a pleasure to use.”

Features of the Pro E-Glide include an 80-litre hopper with a stainless-steel body. The future-proof design of the ProE-Glide will also enable operators to fit a purpose-built demountable precision sprayer unit in place of the spreader hopper, to further increase the machine’s flexibility and value as a turf management tool.

Its powerful electric motor and battery power pack is matched to provide high output through the working day and cover large areas, without noise or disruption to players or customers. An integrated bout marker keeps applications on track. The machine can be easily moved between sites in a trailer or van.

To find out more and to try out the ProE-Glid visit the Techneat stand OSA70 at GroundsFest 2026, or visit the website: https://www.techneat.co.uk/ground-care/ride-on-spreaders/proe-glide/

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