Campey’s New Iceland Distributor

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Campey’s New Iceland Distributor: Grastec ehf has been appointed as the new Campey Turf Care Systems distributor for Iceland.

The Icelandic company has strong relationships throughout the country and will be offering the full range of Campey products, including Imants, Vredo, Air2G2, Dakota and the Campey™ own brand lines.

Campey's New Iceland Distributor

Sport plays a significant part in Icelandic culture, and despite the obvious cold weather, as of 2018, the country had 148 outdoor natural grass football pitches and 184 outdoor artificial pitches of varying sizes. There are also more than 60 golf courses on the island with a short season from May to September, but due to 24-hour daylight, some courses are open for midnight golf, placing higher demands on the turf.

Campey product specialist, Richard Heywood, has represented the company in Iceland and has seen the demands placed on the country’s turf professionals and is looking forward to working with Grastec ehf managing director, Brynjar Sæmundsson, to offer maintenance solutions.

He said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce Grastec as our new distributor for Iceland. We are looking forward to developing a very strong and lasting relationship with Brynjar at Grastec with his unique and strong customer relationships built up over the years within the highly dynamic and robust Icelandic market.

“We know that both companies have a similar outlook within the professional turf care market, and we see this as a very positive direction for all parties. This is the start of a very exciting new working combination, and we look forward to meeting customers both old and new over the next few years in Iceland, helping them find maintenance solutions for their turf.”

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idverde Choose Reform Again

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idverde Choose Reform Again: Supplied by the Ilminster based Loxston Groundcare dealership, national landscaping and groundscare services provider idverde has taken delivery of a second Reform Metrac. Their recent acquisition is a H7RX, to be used primarily for highway maintenance work.

Simon Richard, the UK agent for the Reform specialist bank tractor range says, “the 4 speed hydrostatic drive 70hp Reform Metrac H7RX, is the spearhead of the companies mid-range, offering the professional and local authority user a compact power unit tailor-made for a wide range of municipal tasks, including safe operation on steep slopes up to 45 degree angles to directly address operator health and safety issues”

idverde Choose Reform Again

The H7RX’s low centre of gravity, combined with constant power hydrostatic drive provides maximum ground contact and the suspended front axle ensures that all four wheels have permanent ground contact even on uneven terrain. Additionally, an inching pedal means the operator can work around trees, shrubs etc, with confidence. Depending on task, selection can be made between four wheel, front wheel, rear wheel or continuously adjustable crab steering mode.

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SAS Institute Appreciate Ventrac

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SAS Institute Appreciate Ventrac: The SAS Institute, based at Medmenham, near Marlow in Buckinghamshire, is the latest organisation to purchase a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor and attachments. The leading global analytics company purchased the equipment from Aylesbury-based groundscare dealer, RT Machinery Ltd.

The 110-acre Medmenham estate is an amalgamation of two previous sites; Whittington House, a former mansion which is now used as the company’s meeting and conference centre and an old MOD premises, which was purchased and demolished to make way for the modern offices. It consists of formal gardens and lawns, a unique arboretum, a cricket pitch for staff use as well as the local village team, a 3-hole pitch-and-putt course, 5-a-side football pitch, wildflower meadow, river frontage to the Thames and staff allotments.

SAS Institute Appreciate Ventrac

Landscaping Manager George Reeder is the man tasked with the job of managing the estate. He heads a team of 5 and joined SAS as a gardener in 2005. He studied at Sparsholt College in Hampshire before joining Countrywide Grounds Maintenance as part of the team maintaining the green spaces of various hotels in the south of England.

“Our mid-mounted rotary mower was nearing the end of its working life,” he said, “and we were in the market for a replacement machine. We were considering an out-front flail, but then attended an RT Machinery open day and saw the Ventrac with its Contour deck. It looked to be a very innovative machine so we organised a demonstration on site. It worked exceptionally well, producing great stripes and has now replaced our cylinder mower as well. Rye stalks, which are problematic for a cylinder machine, are no longer an issue as it deals with them admirably. This versatility has enabled us to replace two machines with one.

“As well as the Contour deck we have also purchased a Finishing deck and ToughCut deck and there’s scope to purchase additional implements in the future. One of its prime benefits is that we can now access and maintain areas on banks where previously we could not get machines on. Its compact nature means we can get under branches and we have saved considerable man-hours on strimming due to its out-front design and manoeuvrability.

SAS Institute Appreciate Ventrac

“The Finishing deck, which mulches effectively and is rear discharge, works great in all conditions, be it long grass or in the wet. Height adjustment is simple and it does not scalp easily. It has a relatively small engine, minimal hydraulics and is good on fuel. The flip up decks are easy to clean and maintain and it provides a comfortable working platform for the operator. The ToughCut deck is equally impressive, especially in little maintained areas where it can cut through saplings and long brush with ease. All in all, a great addition to our fleet here at Medmenham.”

Founded in 1976 by current CEO James Goodnight and three other faculty members from North Carolina State University, SAS is the leader in analytics software and services with global headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. Its solutions help businesses to access, manage, analyse and interpret data to aid decision-making. The company is one of the world’s largest privately held software businesses and its customers include most of the Fortune 500 companies.

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Wassenaarse Choose Jacobsen

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Wassenaarse Choose Jacobsen: Perfection is the minimum requirement at Wassenaarse Golf Groendael in The Netherlands, and a new fleet of Jacobsen mowers will be contributing towards impeccable greens and immaculate fairways.

The exclusive nine-hole course is located between Wassenaar and The Hague and is known throughout The Netherlands for its fast greens and particular attention to detail, which have become prominent traits of the club.

Wassenaarse Choose Jacobsen

This new fleet of machines continues the association between head greenkeeper, Marco Wouters, Jacobsen and local dealer Pols Zuidland, and Marco considers his relationship with both to be a contributing factor behind his decision.

“Besides the reliability of the machines and the quality of cut, I would like to express that the continuous support of Pols Zuidland is equally important because without the right service we cannot do our job.

“The feeling of belonging to the Jacobsen family is also something to consider. I regularly visit the GCSAA Golf Show, and I meet a lot of Jacobsen staff who are always happy to talk through my questions. So, the support from both Jacobsen and Pols Zuidland was a reason to make another seven-year commitment and hopefully another seven after that.”

To meet the standards expected by the 350 members, Marco turned to Jacobsen’s renowned quality of cut and after-cut presentation. To achieve a daily stimp between 11 and 12 on the bent grass greens during the season, and around 10 during the off-season, he purchased two Eclipse 122 pedestrian mowers fitted with bi-directional groomer systems and one Eclipse 322 triplex with 15 blades.

For Marco, this combination of greens mowers met all of his requirements while offering that bit extra, as he explains. “One of the main reasons we chose the 122 is that we could install lithium batteries, which allows us to mow quietly in the mornings without disturbing the houses that surround the course. For presentation and practicality, the decision to choose the groomers was obvious because Jacobsen’s are known around the world for their ability to do a great job, for me, there is no other name/brand that’s doing it better.

“We aim to hand mow the greens seven days a week, but there are occasions when we can’t, and that’s why we got the Eclipse 322. Quality of cut was the main reason along with durability, but other features also helped us make the decision. Our course is situated in a drinking water reservoir and is environmentally prone to contamination, so being able to eliminate the use of hydraulic fluids and oil without having to sacrifice on cut quality is excellent for us.

“Another feature myself and my team love is the swing out centre reel. It makes the daily height of cut and bedknife adjustments much easier and saves a lot of time.”

A super light-weight SLF530 reel mower was selected for use on the fescue fairways for its exceptional after-cut presentation. At Wassenaarse, all fairways are cross-mowed and boxed off, with a clear definition between the fairways and rough at all times. Being able to adjust the units at the touch of a button has made achieving this definition easier along with the groomer system that is preventing the build-up of wet clippings and leaves falling into the grass sward.

Marco’s attention to detail doesn’t stop with the course and is applied to every machine that’s used on it. It is a common site to see golf buggies dressed in club colours and logos, but at Wassenaarse the machines get the same treatment because they are regularly seen on the course by members. All of the new mowers, three Cushman Hauler Pro’s, Smithco sprayer, bunker rake and XL roller have been sprayed black and had Groendael’s logo applied, and received a very positive reaction from members who have praised the uniform appearance.

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Social Sensation Visits Ransomes

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Social Sensation Visits Ransomes: After seeing Jimmy Broadhouse’s ‘Wembley pitch finish’ tweet, Ransomes Jacobsen invited ‘jimmythemower’ to their Ipswich factory to see how his famous Parkway 225 stripes were made.

A little over two weeks ago Jimmy shot to social media fame when he posted a picture of a council pitch he cut in Bilbrook with the message, ‘it might only be a council field next to the tip, but to the kids round here playing football it’s Wembley. So I always cut it like it is.’

Social Sensation Visits Ransomes

Jimmy’s now famous stripes were cut with a Parkway 225, and he’s used Ransomes mowers since starting his business, Ditton Services, with a MK 4 Motor Triple that he fully restored for commercial use with his late dad, who was a retired engineer.

Before the factory tour and a chance to stripe the turf on Ipswich Town Football Club’s Portman Road pitch, Jimmy cut the Ransomes factory football pitch with the Parkway 3 Meteor before finding out the machine would be his for a year.

“I’m blown away by being invited down to Ransomes,” he said. “What an honour it is to be here and test drive a brand-new machine. I’ve been using Parkway’s since I can remember and they always provide me with an excellent finish on all the pitches that I cut, and to go down to Ransomes, have a tour of the factory, ride on a mower and then be presented with the keys and for them to say we can make one to spec is just unbelievable, it’s the stuff of dreams.

“I sat on this new one, and I’m blown away. I thought the one I was using was the best that you could get, but every improvement on this is there for a reason, it’s a fantastic machine. The adjustable steering wheel and armrest console are great, the flexibility and comfort of the seating position are excellent, and then there’s the fantastic cutting finish that we can see behind us on the pitch.

Social Sensation Visits Ransomes

“I’ve had a fantastic day coming down to Ipswich, having a look round the factory and then to the football club. I walked across the pitch and had a look at the renovations for the coming season and stood in the middle of it and got to see what a fantastic job these guys do, I’m really, really chuffed to bits.”

Jimmy’s tweet has over 44k likes and has been seen more than 3m times on social media as well as his BBC Midlands video, which was trending number one on the BBC News website.

His tweet has struck a chord with groundsmen and the general public with an overwhelming number of positive comments and feedback coming Jimmy’s way. Ransomes’ sales manager, John Quinton, is one of the millions that have seen the tweet and was delighted to show Jimmy around the factory and hand over the keys to his new mower.

“We wanted to surprise Jimmy by loaning him a new machine for a year because he’s made a real difference to those he’s cutting pitches for and this is our way of recognising that. We’ll be in touch with him throughout the year to get his feedback on the mower and get his opinion on how it performs in the field. In peak times he’s cutting up to seven days a week for six to 12 hours, so he’ll really get to know the machine.

Social Sensation Visits Ransomes

“He has a genuine enthusiasm for his job and the Ransomes mowers he uses, and I’m really pleased we’ve had the opportunity to bring him to the factory because he’s had a great time.”

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