Bruntsfield Links’ New Toro Fleet

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Bruntsfield Links’ New Toro Fleet: A £1.2 million investment in the 18-hole course at one of the world’s oldest golf clubs, Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society in Edinburgh, has concluded with the arrival of a brand new Toro fleet of machinery to safeguard the investment.

As course manager Neil Hogg says, you don’t create something of this quality if you don’t have the machinery to keep it at its best: “This is our first package deal and the timing coincides with the conclusion of the extensive revamp of the course by golf course architects Mackenzie and Ebert. The course has been designed around a very modern spec and reflects the way golf is played in the 21st Century. We knew we needed a package deal to take care of the course and deliver the results it deserves.”

Bruntsfield Links' New Toro Fleet

The main objective of the redesign was to keep the original Dr Mackenzie shapes and feel but bring it up-to-date. Mackenzie and Ebert follow in the footprints of past course work completed by Willie Park Jnr, Dr Alister Mackenzie, James Braid and Fred Hawtree.

“Despite being an Open qualifying venue since 2011, there hadn’t been any changes to the course since the early 1970s,” Neil says.

There are now eight new holes and more than 80 bunkers which have been redesigned and repositioned to reflect the distances club golfers are now striking the ball, plus the course has been restored to a par 71 to create longer play. The 12th & 13th holes were combined to create a challenging dog leg par five into a prevailing wind and a new signature par three hole at the 16th over a pond has been introduced.

And already Neil notes the improvements are making a big difference for the club: “The course improvements were designed to elevate Bruntsfield to be one of the top parkland courses in Scotland. The works have only recently finished, but have made such a difference and been so well received, we’ve surged up the Top 100 Golf Courses list by 69 places. Plus, we’ve seen an increase in membership too and now have an extensive waiting list in place.”

However, the equipment in the shed wasn’t quite so shiny and new, as Neil explains: “The shed was previously a mixed bag of machines. Some were getting on for 30 years old and the machinery that made up the fleet as a whole hadn’t really been considered. With Dougie, our CEO’s guidance, plus that of Reesink’s Stuart Tait and David Raitt, we looked at how we could streamline things and ensure the best for the future of the course.”

Dougie Cleeton enjoyed a successful tenure as managing secretary of Blairgowrie Golf Club before joining Bruntsfield and bringing with him sound knowledge of what to expect with the redesign of a course, says Neil: “We were lucky to get Dougie, he’d been involved in similar projects before and brought with him a wealth of experience. Together we went through the machines in the shed and planned the new fleet.”

Included in the deal are two Reelmaster 3575-D fairway mowers, two Reelmaster 3100-D mowers with Sidewinders, five Greensmaster 1000 pedestrian mowers, two Greensmaster 3250-D ride-on greens mowers, a Workman MDX utility vehicle and a TYM 503 heavy-duty tractor.

“The new fleet is delivering on our expectations. All the staff love using the machines, the fairway mowers are so nimble and light, and the pedestrian mowers in particular are a big hit. Plus, maintenance and servicing are a lot easier.”

Neil finishes by saying: “It’s the perfect end to a successful project. We started out with quality and longevity in mind and we conclude with it too. The machines will respect the course and bring out its best for years to come.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Ipswich GC Purchase Terra Rake

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Ipswich GC Purchase Terra Rake: Graham Brumpton, Course Manager at Ipswich Golf Club, has a sizeable list of duties earmarked for his new 2.3 m Wiedenmann Terra Rake.

“In all honesty we’ve wanted this machine since the day it was released. We purchased a rival machine literally weeks before the Terra Rake launch and had a severe case of machine envy ever since. Now we finally have one,” he said.

Ipswich GC Purchase Terra Rake

Graham Brumpton’s first trial of the machine was actually on the Suffolk  course’s Purdis Heath 18th fairway on the day it was delivered.

“I couldn’t believe its productivity and speed. My team were looking on impressed… the more momentum, the better the results.”

An immediate project for the Suffolk club, which comprises both an 18 hole and a 9 hole course, is thatch and moss removal.

“Off the back of the drought last summer – and bearing in mind we are a heathland course – we applied generous amounts of iron. Now we want to remove all organic matter that we can from the surfaces to open up the turf, letting moisture and light back in. We also drilled seed last year.  With such a dry autumn we didn’t get much of a take on germination. Then a very dry winter followed. I’m hoping despite everything, the seed bed is still in there.  The Terra Rake is exactly the kit to open it back up to return water and light.  There’s a still a hope to get germination from the seed.

“All fairways were terra-raked in March with a double pass.  It really rips into remove the organic matter but it also helps stand up the grass.  We’ve followed on behind with our blowers and collecting units and it’s made a real difference.  Like many greenkeepers in this part of the country we in the lap of the gods praying for significant rainfall to reap rewards of hard work done.”

Graham joined the club straight from school in 1990 and became course manager in 2012.  He now heads a team of eight.  Ipswich GC also purchased  a  Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD at the same time, the club’s third Terra Spike to speed up greens aeration and micro-tining.

Co-ordinating the delivery and set up of both machines was Eddie Jack, Field Sales Manager from dealers Ernest Doe & Sons at North Walsham.

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The Worker Is King: GKB Renovator

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The Worker Is King: GKB Renovator: Encountering problems with a compacted synthetic or hybrid turf pitch? Is the compacted infill layer responsible for reduced water permeability?

GKB Machines, the company behind sustainable, reliable and robust maintenance machinery for natural, synthetic and hybrid turf are able to provide you with the solution thanks to the GKB Renovator.

The Worker Is King: GKB Renovator

Adaptable for scarifying hybrid and natural turf pitches, the GKB Renovator’s interlocking five brushes that form the foundation of the machine can easily be removed and replaced with a set of rotating spring tines. Available in 1.6 and 2m working widths, the circular oscillating movement of the spring tines removes unwanted material from around the plastic fibres and in turn improves the quality and effectiveness of the pitch.

Not only a method for in-season hybrid maintenance, the GKB Renovator can also be used subsequently with the GKB Combinator as an important part of the renovation method. Using the GKB Renovator and GKB Combinator together is an ideal combination for stitched and non-stitched hybrid pitches. Through vigorous testing in The Netherlands, UK and Belgium, this method has been developed over the past 2 years.

In addition, you are able to adjust the operating depth of the GKB Renovator by turning two adjustable legs, in or out, and the rubber wheels ensure the GKB Renovator will softly roll across the synthetic turf pitch. The machine is driven by a power-take off shaft (PTO) and the entire powering system is executed in a robust manner.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617.

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The Worker Is King: GKB Infiller

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The Worker Is King: GKB Infiller: Are you looking for a way to infill in the construction of your sports field? Or do you have other material such as cork that you want to apply accurately?

GKB Machines, the company behind sustainable, reliable and robust maintenance machinery for natural, synthetic and hybrid turf are able to provide you with the solution thanks to the GKB Infiller which can perform these different actions.

The Worker Is King: GKB Infiller

Equipped with a rotatable driver’s seat, the innovative GKB Infiller can be driven in both directions and has the ability to efficiently apply several types of infill material like sand, SBR rubber, TPE rubber and cork in two directions.

The precision control valve can be set from 0 to 100mm to determine how much infill material is sprinkled which is manually adjustable as well as hydraulically operated. This flap in the front of the bunker gives you the possibility to regulate the amount of sand that is distributed whilst there are specially designed agitators in the bunker to break up rubber crumb infill and guarantee an even spreading pattern.

The GKB Infiller is also provided with aluminium extensions to enlarge the bunker capacity of the bunker mounted on top of the chassis. The bunker is increased by these extensions from 1.06m3 to 3m3.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617 to enquire about the GKB Infiller ready for next season.

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Toro Key At Royal Cinque Ports

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Toro Key At Royal Cinque Ports: Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club course manager James Bledge is on a mission to make the club a “bucket list destination”, choosing to invest in the complete Toro Total Solutions package to help it get there.

Regarded as one of the finest links courses in England, Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Kent has been impressing members and tournament players for 126 years and key to that longevity is the club’s determination for continuous improvement and investment. Most recently that has involved the club signing its second five-year machinery agreement plan with Toro, as well as installing a new Toro irrigation system.

Toro Key At Royal Cinque Ports

James explains: “Royal Cinque Ports has a lot of history and has been at the top of its game for over a century. Next we want to make this course a bucket list destination for golfers and to do that investing in our course maintenance is vital.”

This is the second Toro machinery package the club has invested in says James and when it came to investing again Toro easily came out on top in a series of demonstrations.

“With our first Toro fleet we saw a real improvement and you wonder if that could happen again. But it has,” says James. “Toro is an innovator and that never changes, the product just keeps getting better.”

Once the decision to go with Toro again had been made, the greenkeeping team and James put together their ‘dream package’ which includes four Greensmaster Flex 2120 pedestrian mowers, a Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder and three Greensmaster TriFlex 3420 mowers to name just a few, in addition to three Greensmaster 1000 pedestrian mowers and a Groundsmaster 4500-D purchased from the club’s previous fleet.

“In particular the new Greensmaster Flex 2120s have been great. The course seems flat from afar but is incredibly undulating, especially the greens, which can be tricky to work with. But that’s not a problem for the Flex 2120 – the head of the mower follows the green closely and contours seamlessly, so we don’t get any scalping which is pretty special. We have seen instant improvements in appearance and so have the golfers which is even more important”

With the decision made on machinery next up was who to trust with irrigating the course. “The quality of the machines is fantastic, and we saw the same with the irrigation system,” says James. “It became clear that the Total Solutions package was the best way to get our course to where we want it to be. Plus, we’ve got a great relationship with Toro distributor Reesink and sales rep Richard Wood, which made the decision a lot easier. Whatever we need they’re always there, whether that’s backup service or general advice – Reesink really feel like a part of the team.

“There are some incredible courses nearby doing amazing work and we want to be at that level. Places like Royal St Georges and further afield at St Andrews Links who also use Toro, they invest a lot in their maintenance, and it shows.”

With Toro on board, the future is looking bright for the club, but when asked which machine is James’ favourite, the answer is unexpected: “To be honest, I like to take out the Multi Pro 5800-D sprayer, not only is it highly accurate in its application and easy to use, but best of all, it has room for my dog Stevie to come out for a ride!”

With the new Toro machines and the new Toro Irrigation system just installed, James is confident they’re on track to turn the club into a top golfing destination.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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