Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’

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Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’: Hamilton Golf Club has entered what Course Manager Neil Hogg calls its “summer Wiedenmann phase” — when its fleet of specialist turf care machines is fine-tuned for summer maintenance.

Neil joined the Lanarkshire club in December 2022 from Bruntsfield Links GC in Edinburgh, inheriting three key Wiedenmann machines: a Terra Spike GXi8, a Super 500, and a Core Recycler.

Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’

Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’

“I’ve always liked how Wiedenmann kit works,” says Neil. “It’s well-engineered, reliable, and gets the job done.”

Since then, the fleet has grown through Fairways GM, Wiedenmann’s exclusive Scottish dealer, with a Terra Spike XP in summer 2023, a Mega Twister blower in summer 2024, and most recently a 2.3m Terra Rake in October 2024.

While many clubs use this machinery mainly in autumn and winter, Neil keeps it working year-round.

“In summer, the Terra Rake goes across fairways, aprons, and tees to lift the grass and break up any matting. Particularly with fairways, many turfgrasses spread sideways, and over time this lateral growth can make the surface puffy and uneven. The rake’s spring tines comb through the canopy, tugging at horizontal shoots and leaf blades to keep that in check. The faster we go, the more thatch we remove, keeping the surface open and healthy. Raking acts as a mild stress, shifting the plant’s energy from spreading sideways to growing upright, which produces a denser, more vertical canopy. The light tearing encourages the grass to repair by sending up new vertical shoots.”

The process is followed by a cut with the new Jacobsen LF570 fairway mower and a clean-up pass with the Mega Twister blower.

“The blower was a godsend in winter for clearing leaves, and now it speeds everything up. It’s reliably versatile — standing up the turf, drying it when needed, and leaving a tidy finish. We can rake, cut, and clean in one go.”

Neil says performance is the priority, with improved appearance a welcome bonus.

“When grass lies over, it mats down and the cut suffers. The Terra Rake is like back-combing the turf — once it’s upright, the mower gives a sharper, more even finish.”

The mower is usually set to 10 mm for daily work, but after raking, Neil drops it to 9 mm.

“The Jake’s brand new, so we get a perfect finish. That fresh cut also improves ball roll and makes the course more enjoyable to play.”

The Super 500 is also key in managing the tiger rough, which is topped in summer to encourage healthy regrowth and prevent matting.

“The rough can grow knee-high. When it’s wet, it just flops over and won’t stand back up — a bit like fairways, only on a bigger scale. In autumn, it’s cut back to 5–7 cm to stop leaves becoming trapped. The rake then reduces thatch and bulk, producing finer, softer growth for the following season.

“It’s about long-term improvement as much as presentation,” says Neil. “Better airflow, better recovery, and ultimately, a better playing surface.”

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Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’

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Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’: It’s not just an NG postcode that Coxmoor, Hollinwell and Sherwood Forest Golf Club’s share, nor the fact that they all rank in England’s Top 100…. They also all swear by their respective mower fleets from Baroness!

A range of hand mowers, fairways mowers and greens triples have clocked up almost 20 years of loyal service across the three clubs, with all citing it’s the outstanding quality of cut that keeps them among the top golfing destinations in the county.

Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’

Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’

Aspiring to always improve on the high standard heathland course at Coxmoor Golf Club is Course Manager Ben Cumberland and his team of nine. After initially ‘dipping a toe’ and purchasing their first Baroness hand mower seven years ago, they now run four LM56 and four LM66 pedestrian mowers, three LM315’s and two LM551’s for fairways making Baroness the dominant brand of mowing equipment at the club. “Some clubs will opt for equipment purely based on a badge. For us, we prioritise quality of cut above everything else and with Baroness, it’s just exceptional!” Ben explains. “The fleet is ensuring our turf is presenting well and is the healthiest it can be but more than that the build quality of the mowers themselves and the blades require so little maintenance, that any downtime has been significantly reduced.”

Baroness has been present at Hollinwell Golf Club since 2018 – the same year Shaun Bullin joined the team before taking over as Course Manager earlier in 2025. One of the original LM2700 fairway mowers remains in the shed, joined by an LM56 for tees, LM331 for surrounds and approaches, two LM315’s and, most recently, two LM551 fairway mowers. “Over the years, the cut quality from model to model has remained remarkably consistent. While they’ve never been uncomfortable, we’ve noticed our new machines have really stepped up on operator comfort which has scored massive brownie points with the team.” Shaun continues, “We’re partway through a big sward conversion programme so the finesse of the Baroness cylinders plays a big part in supporting our efforts to promote the finer grass species.”

Completing the ‘Nott’s Triangle’, a Baroness LM315 and LM551 fairway mower, four LM56 and two LM66 hand mowers are keeping maintenance on course at Sherwood Forest Golf Club. “It was during the COVID pandemic that we were first introduced to Baroness in our hunt for a new fairway mower” says Deputy Head Greenkeeper Keir Taylor. “Where lead times for other brands were ludicrous, we were able to get our hands on Baroness in good time – and what a decision that turned out to be! The build quality, the cut quality and all-round operator experience is fantastic. The maintenance, in particular the need to grind the blades, is straight forward and is needed much less often than we’re used to with other brands” he adds.

Ben, Shaun and Keir also note the fantastic advice and support from James Robson and the wider team at Henton & Chattell. “The back-up with every machine is excellent. If we have a question you can guarantee it’ll be answered quickly and easily either over the phone or in person” Keir says. “The team are always friendly and, alongside Andy Darley from Baroness, they’ve together been a great help and support in my step up to the head role” Shaun concludes.

For more information on the full Baroness range of mowers and implements for fine turf, visit www.baronessuk.com

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Innovative Trimming with EGO

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Innovative Trimming with EGO: Outdoor battery-powered equipment specialist, EGO Power+, has unveiled the latest in its domestic range of line trimmers. Brand-new for 2025, the ST1510E-T showcases new design features which enhance usability, cutting quality and performance.

Featuring a 38cm cutting diameter to tackle everyday garden maintenance jobs, the line trimmer also has EGO’s innovative PowerLoadTM technology built in as standard. At the touch of a button, the technology automatically winds the new replacement line, removes the complexity of threading and significantly enhances usability.

Innovative Trimming with EGO

Innovative Trimming with EGO

Further enhancing user control and comfort, adjustable handles and a telescopic shaft allow for the tool to be adjusted to suit individual users. And, for the toughest jobs where extra support is needed, a single harness is included to provide greater stability, accuracy, and safety. Built around a brushless motor and powered by EGO’s leading battery technology, the line trimmer also allows users to switch between two speed modes to suit the task at hand.

Neil McGuinness, Product Manager for EGO, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our portfolio of line trimmers featuring our innovative PowerloadTM technology which we’ve designed to improve tool operation, safety, and performance. This innovative solution is a game-changer for garden lovers as it does away with the hassle and frustration of loading the line.

“Providing a 38cm cutting diameter, this new model means that we now have a well-rounded portfolio of line trimmers of every size to offer to our customers, ranging between 33 and 40cm.”

The new line trimmer is powered by EGO’s leading 56V ARC LithiumTM battery technology which, together with the brushless motor, provides reliable power and performance on every job. EGO batteries are also interchangeable across all EGO tools, making it possible to carry out a range of garden jobs on a single charge.

The 38cm ST1510E-T retails at £249. It is also available as a kit for £379, which includes a 2.5Ah battery and standard charger.

To learn more visit: https://egopowerplus.co.uk/products/line-trimmers-brush-cutters/st1510e-38cm-Line-Trimmer

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Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

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Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland: The Kingfisher Country Estate in Northern Ireland has signed a five-year deal for a comprehensive 25-machine Toro fleet in what is Keys Brothers’ biggest agreement since becoming a Toro dealer.

Set on 220 acres of parkland just 20 minutes from Belfast, the only David Feherty and David Jones designed golf course in Ireland offers 18 holes over 7,000 yards of Championship USGA specification greens, tees and challenging fairways and is looked after by Head Greenkeeper Michael Loughran and his team of 12 staff.

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

“We’ve had lease deals with Toro before but usually for six or seven key pieces of machinery; this is the first time we’ve gone all-in on a full fleet,” says Michael.

So why now? “A couple of reasons,” Michael explains. “The Estate has recently been given the go ahead on a significant upgrade to the resort and it was important the course kept up with site improvements. There will be major developments on bunkers, a lot of tree work, and consistently maintaining the quality of the course is a big job as it’s fully playable all year round.”

The second reason comes down to the introduction of Keys Brothers as the country’s Toro dealer. “This was our first time working with Keys Brothers since the change in dealership and the support has been outstanding. It was evident early in the process that nothing would beat it especially as I fired over questions and issues and got solutions every time. This indication of the level of service and support we’d get was reassuring and sealed the deal especially as we were going with a full maintenance package too.”

Also contributing to the decision was having access to Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare’s National Accounts Manager David Timms: “David came to the venue a couple of times and his input was really valuable; we felt we had direct access to and the full support of Reesink and Toro.”

The deal includes pedestrian and riding mowers for all areas, five Workman utility vehicles, the ProPass topdresser, two ProForce blowers, the new TransPro for transporting the club’s existing ProCore 648 aerator, plus the installation of Toro’s myTurf Pro to optimise operation of the fleet. But are there any standout machines for Michael and the team?

“On the advice of Keys Brothers, we switched out the Reelmaster 5610-D for the Reelmaster 3575-D for the fairways. It was a simple tweak but suits the site much better. The topography of the site doesn’t have great elevation and we didn’t need all that power; in fact, what we needed is a lighter footprint and a mower that uses less fuel. The 3575 delivers us both of those things.”

The club chose four Greensmaster 1021 pedestrian mowers praised by Michael for being easy to demonstrate and use which is especially helpful when increasing staffing on projects: “It takes just half a green to master these machines” he says.

Andy Keys, Company Director at Keys Brothers, says: “While we believe this to be one of the biggest golf deals in Northern Ireland in 2024, the issues and requirements for Michael and the team were like many: they knew there were machinery tweaks they could make to address specific issues and be more efficient. This is applicable whether you’re buying one machine or a fleet.

“To bring the customer on board with maintenance too is testament to the team we’ve built which has doubled in size since last year such is the level of business we’re doing.”

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New Foley 642 to be showcased at Groundsfest

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New Foley 642 to be be showcased at Groundsfest: Foley Company’s UK and Ireland distributor, ProSport UK Ltd, will be on stand 46 demonstrating the unrivalled benefits of relief grinding and the new floor level Foley 642 Quick Spin Reel Grinder.

The prototype of Foley’s new floor level 642 Quick Spin Reel Grinder was revealed earlier this year. Now this new revolutionary grinder is ready for the market and will be on display at Groundsfest 2025. Designed to accommodate the widest of mower cylinders the 642 is a simple roll-on roll-off solution to grinding, with the machine sitting at floor level. The roll-on roll-off solution removes the need for heavy lifting facilities, revolutionising how equipment managers view touch-up spin grinding.

New Foley 642 to be showcased at Groundsfest

New Foley 642 to be showcased at Groundsfest

It offers a fast, easy-operated option for providing a quick touch-up spin between regular relief grinding schedules, and is a solution for sharpening the extra wide, heavy mowers used on sports fields/pitches. The Foley 642 Quick-Spin features simple to use controls, counter balanced spin drive, patented front and rear clamping system for pedestrian mowers, and power rear positioning levers for cylinders. It will accept up to 42-inch reel width and operates on 240v/15a power.

ProSport UK Ltd Managing Director Ian Robson will run demonstrations throughout both days of GroundsFest and be available to discuss any questions or requirements.

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