“Toro The Future” At Mid Kent GC

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“Toro The Future” At Mid Kent GC: Darryl Manion, the newly appointed course manager at Mid Kent Golf Club, has committed to increasing the club’s Toro fleet with a renewal agreement and four new machinery purchases in his first three months at the club in Gravesend. 

Darryl arrived at Mid Kent Golf in 2000 and has worked his way up the club through senior and deputy roles before taking on the course manager position. He is dedicated to renewing the current Toro fleet and expanding it further.

"Toro The Future" At Mid Kent GC

He explains: “I’m not interested in changing a system that works. I want to make the club better, not take a step backwards. The service we get from Toro is second to none and to be honest I can’t think of anything better to suit the course’s needs. Our team works hard to keep standards high, but it would be useless if we didn’t have the right equipment behind us, which is why I want to continue with Toro.”

With Toro already front and centre at the club, Darryl explains why expanding is the right choice for Mid Kent: “The design of Toro machinery has always impressed me, they get the job done quickly which saves fuel and their durability in particular is better than any other brand I’ve used. The quality is undeniable really. I’ve only been in this role three months, but I’m already looking to the future and to what we can achieve. By renewing machines each year and updating the fleet, I know the quality of the course will only improve. The way I see it, Toro is the future for Mid Kent Golf Club.”

Mid Kent Golf Club, which is over a century old, is regularly referred to as a course of classic design and has long enjoyed glowing praise for the fact that the challenge and aesthetic layout of the course Willie Park Jr took great care in creating has never been diluted. This is a situation Darryl is keen to maintain.

“I’ve had experience with Toro for many years and there’s nothing else that meets the same standard. I’m lucky enough to be in a position to make investments to maintain the club’s charm and make improvements that mean we stay with the times – I want to take that opportunity and ensure the future of Mid Kent is the best it can be and going forward, that means Toro.”

The club currently boasts a comprehensive collection of Toro machines and utility vehicles plus two TYM tractors so there’s no question the club has long recognised the value they bring. With a Workman MDX-D and Groundsmaster 4700-D purchased this year, and a Reelmaster 3100-D and Greensmaster Triflex Hybrid 3420 on order, the fleet is expanding and with Darryl in charge there have been no delays in making that happen.

“The new machines are going to be a great addition to the fleet we have already,” says Darryl. “Each machine we get from Toro always works perfectly for the job it’s intended for, which is what makes them different to other brands. I think my favourite machine is the Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder, because I know it’s going to be a job well done before I even start. It gives good definition around the greens which is really important and, of course, very satisfying.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Top Dresser In The North East

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Top Dresser In The North East: Beaumont Grounds Maintenance took delivery of a GKB top dresser at the start of the season to help fulfil the needs of their many contracted sites.  Covering an area across the North East, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Humber, the family-run commercial and sports grounds maintenance business looks after a diversity of clients from schools, academies, sports clubs, councils and factories through to hotels and property management companies. In recent years the company has pushed the boundaries with expansion in the sports turf market, contracting directly for sports clubs and golf courses, providing specialist services and working with the clients’ own teams. One such venue is Gateshead International Stadium and it was to there the GKB SP230 Sandspreader was delivered.

“The GKB machine was recommended by our local dealers, Lloyd Ltd of Bishop Auckland, and we were very impressed with the service,” says Beaumont’s Managing Director, Alex Lineton, “it took less than a week from order to delivery and Tom Shinkins, GKB’s own Operations Manager, brought the top dresser to us and set it up at the stadium.” The Sandspreader can be used to distribute a variety of materials and the version ordered, the SP230 with a bunker capacity 2.3 m³ / 81 ft³ flat filled, is one of four different designs ranging from 1 m3 to 4 m3. There are several options.

Top Dresser In The North East

With the standard design, you can set the speed of the conveyer belt and the disc spreaders by means of a control unit attached to the Sandspreader. The shape and design of the sand bunker ensures an efficient operation and ensures a clear view along the machine. The sand is transported by means of a conveyer belt to a metering valve, which, optionally, is also available in a hydraulically adjustable version. The double, hydraulically powered, spreading discs are adjustable on multiple points and in this way the Sandspreader enables you to create perfect sand distribution. A touchscreen operated from the tractor cab gives complete control.  The towed version can be delivered with four pivoting balloon tyres and there is a model suitable for assembling on a turf truck.

The Beaumont machine has been fully employed throughout the season across a large number of sports venues including Northumberland University, the renowned sports university with its two sites and several pitches. “We’re very pleased with the results,” says Alex, “the GKB machine is simplicity itself, well built, easy to maintain and it does a good job. I highly recommend it.”

For more details on GKB machines visit www.gkbmachines.com  or call Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617.

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Celebrating 20 Years Of The Polaris RANGER

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Celebrating 20 Years Of The Polaris RANGER: As the curtain closes on the Polaris RANGER 20th birthday celebrations in 2018, two lucky winners celebrated the milestone in true style after winning the ‘Ultimate Ranger Experience’ competition, going on an unforgettable trip to Naxos in Greece, courtesy of Polaris.

Crowned winners of the competition that celebrated a double decade of the iconic side-by-side utility machine, UK-based Peter Goble and Elizabeth Toft, won the trip of a lifetime after submitting images showing how they use a Polaris Ranger as part of their work for the NHS North West Ambulance Service.

Celebrating 20 Years Of The Polaris RANGER

Hosted by Auto Moto Falcon, a rental company utilising Polaris machines in Naxos, the winners spent two days exploring off-road routes in a RANGER® XP 900 EPS, experiencing famous tourist spots, beautiful scenery and some of the island’s hidden treasures.

The competition asked owners across the world to send in a photo of their own personal RANGER® experience. Peter and Elizabeth won one of the EMEA experiences up for grabs with their photo submission of a RANGER® being used for emergency transport services. They both work for the NHS North West Ambulance Service and use the specially-modified RANGER® to access difficult terrains, such as moorland, where a standard ambulance wouldn’t be able to go.

Elizabeth said: “We were both really shocked when we heard that we had won the ‘Ultimate RANGER Experience’ competition, but equally delighted. We already thought the RANGER was a very capable and hardworking vehicle but experiencing this on the off-road trails in Naxos was completely different than what we’re used to!”

The pair flew out to Athens on 28th September, followed by a ferry transporting them to the island of Naxos. For the duration of their trip, Peter and Elizabeth stayed in the luxury modern Galaxy Hotel; a typically Greek hotel just a few steps away from Saint George beach. After some initial downtime in the hotel, Polaris arranged two sightseeing-packed days for the winners to enjoy their time in Naxos alongside the RANGER®.

On Saturday 29th September, the group departed for an off-road guided tour to the north of the island following a morning briefing with the RANGER®. They first travelled to the fishermen village of Apollonas for lunch, stopping on the way at the cliffs for a panoramic view of the island. The group then took dirt tracks across the island, passing famous local marble quarries, and finally reached Naxos town where they had time to shop, eat and see the local landmarks.

On Sunday 30th September, the group travelled to the southwest coast for the best beaches of the island, stopping at Agia Anna, a sandy beach with clear blue waters, and ending in Alyko to see the well-known Wild Drawings art on an abandoned hotel. The group then continued to reach the highest peak in the Cyclades at the top of Zeus mountain, to visit Naxos’ oldest monastery, Photodotis. They then went to Apiranthos Village to have lunch at the world-famous Rotonda Restaurant, surrounded by some of the most impressive views of Naxos.

“We were shown parts of the island that we wouldn’t have known existed, and the places we travelled to in the RANGER were beautiful. The tours of the island were truly unforgettable, and our guide was extremely accommodating and very knowledgeable about the RANGER. We didn’t quite appreciate just how popular the RANGER is abroad, so the experience has really opened our eyes to how versatile the Polaris vehicles are in a different environment. A massive thank you to Polaris for the opportunity, we will definitely be going back to visit the island again soon!”

Forming a key part of the Polaris product line as their best-selling utility vehicle, the RANGER® is used globally for a variety of tasks. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the iconic model, just a few months after the brand celebrated the one millionth RANGER® unit rolling off the production line.

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Pellenc Introduced At SRUC Oatridge

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Pellenc Introduced At SRUC Oatridge: Students studying landscaping, horticulture and agricultural engineering at the unique SRUC Oatridge campus in West Lothian near Edinburgh recently participated in an event which gave them the opportunity to discover more about Pellenc’s innovative battery technology and gain some hands on experience with a wide range of equipment.

SRUC College is a bespoke land based industries institution based throughout Scotland which offers a number of courses at all levels from college and university level study, through to postgraduate, consultancy and research opportunities. Many of the courses at the Oatridge campus relate to the ways in which we make use of the land and natural resources around us – from agriculture and horticulture to veterinary nursing and equestrianism, and a huge variety of exciting and relevant land based topics in between.

Pellenc Introduced At SRUC Oatridge

The College has a philosophy of continuously exploring the innovative science that supports these land-based industries, and the way they interact with and support the environment around them. It is for this reason that Thomas Meenagh, a horticulture lecturer at Oatridge, decided that it would be a good idea for the students to become familiar with the increasingly popular battery powered machinery.

“I think that in every walk of society it is becoming common knowledge that we should be more environmentally friendly and be producing less CO2 and greenhouse gasses. An awful lot of hand held powered equipment used in land based industries comes with two-stroke engines which burn off fuel and oil, and so it is good to see the likes of landscaping and horticulture industries moving towards battery powered machinery.

“As a teaching institution we should be ahead of the game; we should be at the forefront of this kind of development – so that is why I wanted to organise some kind of event which could introduce the students to this equipment.”

Having being in the market to buy some battery powered equipment, Thomas’ research led him to Pellenc, which is exclusively distributed in the UK by Etesia. He arranged for four sessions to take place over two days in which Etesia representatives firstly delivered a theory based session which offered a greater insight into the Pellenc technology, followed by a practical demonstration. The students were then invited to trial the equipment for themselves.

“The students were delighted because they got to use the equipment to cut hedges, cut grass, use brush cutters and much more. The feedback was excellent and they were very impressed with the equipment. They commented on it being really light – a lot lighter than equipment they had been exposed to in the past. They also remarked on the equipment having very low vibration, being very quiet and extremely efficient.”

Light, odourless, relatively noise-free, with no starting problems and no refilling the fuel tank – it’s no wonder more and more people are turning to the innovative technology of Pellenc. In the last five years, Pellenc has gained market recognition by offering a unique range of ‘zero emission’ battery-powered handheld tools, thanks to the development of Lithium-ion ultra-high performance batteries. This technology, which is exclusive to Pellenc, guarantees non-polluting, odourless operation with quick start-up and long lasting battery life.

In reflecting on a successful event, Thomas believes that it was essential that the students got a first glimpse of the products that they could very well be using on a regular basis in the future.

“I would anticipate that in five years from now this kind of equipment will be the norm throughout the industry. By the time the students graduate and get jobs no doubt the two stroke fuel equipment will become less and less common and the battery powered equipment will be more dominant in the workplace.”

“This event has given them experience of using this type of equipment, of being able to understand how it works, how to hold it and use it properly. Hopefully they will have learned something and benefitted from this demonstration. Even in the job interview process there is every chance that they will be asked about their experience with this type of equipment so no doubt this event has been a great first step and I’d certainly look at hosting more of this type of event in the future.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.pellencuk.com

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New John Deere Mower At BTME

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New John Deere Mower At BTME: Boasting the same advanced technology as John Deere’s award-winning A Model family of fairway, rough and trim & surrounds mowers, the new 6000A Series PrecisionCut fairway machines will be launched at BTME 2019 in Harrogate next January and will be available from UK and Irish dealers in the spring.

Based on a three-wheel drive, smooth tyre configuration, the 6080A, 6500A and 6700A five-gang cylinder models have been introduced to meet a specific customer need for improved budget control, while still delivering a mower designed for the rigours of fairway applications.

New John Deere Mower At BTME 2019

“With tight operating budgets and increasing labour costs, many customers need a more cost-effective solution to get the job done,” says John Deere’s European turf sales & marketing manager Carlos Aragones. “With this in mind, we challenged ourselves to design a machine that can still boost productivity and maintain quality of cut while keeping costs down, and we’ve done that with these new 6000A Series mowers.”

All three models utilise a powerful 24.7hp (18.4kW) diesel engine, and boast several other premium performance and comfort features. Just like the existing John Deere A Model range, these latest mowers offer exceptional cut quality, even on slopes, thanks to the standard LoadMatch system, while the innovative eHydro transmission eliminates linkages between the foot pedals and the hydrostatic pump.

Cutting widths are 2.03m (80in) on the 6080A and 2.54m (100in) on the 6500A and 6700A, with a choice of 46 or 56cm (18 or 22in) QA5 5in or QA7 7in diameter cutting units depending on the model. In addition, the 8mph (12.9kph) mowing speed allows operators to cut larger areas in less time.

As with all A Model machines, the new fairway mowers also feature the innovative TechControl display with password-protected controls. TechControl allows course managers or technicians to enter a range of commands, including mowing, turning and transport speeds as well as service intervals, while also providing on-board service diagnostics, to give complete and consistent control over cutting performance and quality.

The established frame design provides strength and durability, and a high quality cut is maintained in undulating terrain thanks to a rear-attaching yoke on the cutting units. Combined with the standard GRIP all-wheel drive traction system, these features allow the mowers to climb hills more easily without slipping.

The new John Deere 6000A Series PrecisionCut fairway mowers also provide several features designed to increase machine and operator uptime. These include internal hydraulic wet disk brakes that eliminate the need for linkage adjustments and grease points in the braking system, along with the traction drive system that needs only one fluid type for regular maintenance. In addition, the comfortable operator station includes CommandArm mounted controls that move with the seat.

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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