Wiedenmann Terra Spike Makes Aeration Faster For Knighton Heath

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Extra 40cm Wiedenmann Terra Spike width makes aeration ever faster for Knighton Heath GC: When Alan Magee, Course Manger at Knighton Heath GC, upgraded his existing Wiedenmann Terra Spike, he simply chose a wider version thanks to having a bigger tractor.

The Bournemouth club enjoyed the excellent service of its GXi 6 which had been both nimble and quick.  However, in August a switch was made to the 1.8 m wide GXi8 HD, hoping those crucial extra 40 cm would make the operation even more efficient.

Wiedenmann Terra Spike Makes Aeration Faster For Knighton Heath

After full course circuits in August and September, Alan Magee couldn’t praise his new Terra Spike highly enough.  “On its first outing it got round all 18 greens and the putting green in seven hours when previously the narrower machine took 12.  The tees and approaches were virtually done in a day, just spilling into an extra hour the following morning to finish the final two. Time saved there was six hours – even using the 22 mm tines. ”

Fewer passes and turns speeded up the whole process but didn’t detract from the neatness and negligible disturbance.

“We’re very pleased indeed. The machine is quiet, smooth and exceptionally balanced. During the playing season on the greens we’ll use 10 mm tines and 12 mm in the winter, with tees and approaches the 22 mm.”

At the same time Alan Magee and his team of six  also took delivery of a Whisper Twister, Wiedenmann’s all-action blower with 180* of swivel and an airflow rate of 200 m³/minute.

“Can’t fault that one either,” he said. “Primarily it’s for managing the broader leaves and then  later in the season the pine needles.  Every day we find more tasks.  Last week we cut the rough and scarified the fairways. Tidy up would normally have involved four people with back pack blowers.  But after letting it dry a little we followed through with the Whisper Twister which required only one person on the tractor, again making everything more efficient.”

On hand throughout the sales process was, Andy Frost, grounds care specialist from Wiedenmann dealer, EG Coles at Shaftesbury.

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

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Quinta Do Lago Chooses John Deere

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Quinta Do Lago Chooses John Deere: A major investment in John Deere golf course maintenance equipment has been made by Quinta do Lago, for use on the Portuguese resort’s three 18-hole championship courses in the Algarve. A similar deal has also been signed with sister resort PGA Catalunya in Spain.

The revamped North Course, the South Course and Laranjal are complemented by extensive practice facilities including the first Paul McGinley Golf Academy and the only TaylorMade Performance Centre in Southern Europe. Machines will also be used at the resort’s new professional level training and coaching development The Campus. Targeted at both elite and amateur sports, this will feature the first independent hybrid Desso GrassMaster training facility in Europe.

Quinta Do Lago Chooses John Deere

Quinta do Lago was voted Portugal’s number one golfing venue in Golf World magazine’s inaugural Top 100 Resorts in Continental Europe rankings list in 2016. It has also been named Europe’s Best Golf Destination at the World Golf Awards in 2015 and 2016, and been given the Editors’ Choice Award for Best International Resorts in 2016 and 2017 by Golf Digest, ensuring the venue’s place among the world’s golfing elite.

An initial fleet of 27 John Deere machines including tractors, fairway & rough mowers and Gator utility vehicles along with other ancillary equipment, supported by PowerGard extended warranty and maintenance contracts, were delivered this summer by the local, family owned John Deere golf & turf dealership Torre Marco SA. The dealership has its own fully equipped maintenance facility, the only one of its kind in the Algarve.

The choice of John Deere as Quinta do Lago’s preferred equipment supplier was made on the recommendation of golf course superintendent Paul O’Mahony, following what he describes as a “very strenuous process”. Paul previously worked his way up through the ranks at Old Head of Kinsale in Ireland, becoming course superintendent there in 2003 before moving to Quinta do Lago in 2011.

Paul formulated a unique model to measure a series of performance and quality parameters that were applied to each of the main machinery suppliers before going through the usual tender process. The model was specifically built to satisfy the resort’s full fleet requirements over a 10 year period, keeping each machine ‘in range’ in terms of life expectancy and residual value, with points awarded for service, machine quality, value and additional aspects such as training and support.

“Downtime is no time may be a cliché but that’s because it’s true,” says Paul O’Mahony. “It’s very important to have reliable, fully functioning equipment, and this has to provide the same levels of precision and quality that we as a team set out to achieve every day across all our golf operations. Having worked with John Deere equipment at Old Head and initially brought in tractors and Gators to the courses here at Quinta do Lago, I’m very comfortable that we can establish an effective partnership with the company and the dealership.

“Our staff are always put under pressure to meet expectations, and the same will apply to the machinery we use – everything will continue to be measured, to ensure we make the most of the assets we invest in. That applies not just to the equipment but to the whole package, including aftersales service and support, parts delivery, reaction times and so on.

“We are a commercial entity – our aim is to be the best and provide the best golfing experience we can. The faster, more efficient and more productive the machinery can be, the better – it all leads back to that commercial imperative.”

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

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APEX Zero-turn Cuts Time As Well As Grass

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APEX Zero-turn Cuts Time As Well As Grass: Designed and built with the professional in mind, Ariens Company has recently introduced the new APEX zero-turn mower to the UK.

The Ariens name has been built on a reputation for engineering excellence and the APEX zero-turn continues this tradition with its ‘built to last’ quality. Well-crafted components, Hydro-Gear® transaxles and a robust 4-point cutting deck bring you commercial performance. The APEX features an industry-leading frame design, with large formed tubular rails serving as the backbone to support the loads of the machine.

APEX Zero-turn Cuts Time As Well As Grass

The highly durable 10-gauge steel deck is 14cm (5 ½”) deep with a reinforced leading edge providing the airflow needed to tackle tough mowing conditions. It boasts fifteen cutting positions in 0.6cm (¼”) increments. These are easily selected using a foot-operated deck lift and vertical pin system. There is a Constant Belt Tension System to ensure the belt is always at the right tension to minimise wear and heat, while providing enhanced belt life with minimal adjustments necessary. The category leading large tyres provide superior traction and ride quality.

The APEX is comfortable too, featuring an adjustable high-back seat with padded arm rests helping to reduce operator fatigue. The frame on the APEX can also be fitted with a Rollover Protection System (ROPS) for added protection. Powering you through the work is a reliable premium grade Kawasaki V-Twin (726cc) engine – ideal when you have a lot of ground to cover. The APEX zero-turn is available in two models: APEX 48 with a 122cm (48”) cutter deck and the APEX 52 with a 132cm (52”) cutter deck. With its commercial grade DNA, the APEX is a highly durable zero-turn and will outlast most other machines in its class.

The Ariens brand has been family owned for over 80 years and is rapidly growing in the UK with a large network of dealers. To find your local dealer visit www.ariens-uk.com, or for more information contact Ariens Company on 0800 597 7777

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New Life For Old Greens With Terrain Aeration

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New life for old greens with Terrain Aeration: The original course at Hartley Wintney Golf Club dates back to 1891 when it was laid out as a traditional 9 hole parkland course.

An extra 9 holes were added in 2000 to offer a well laid out variation of both traditional and new designs. Whilst the new holes and six of the original ones have sand based greens three of the old soil greens, what became the 11th, 12th and 17th, were retained and these date back to when the course was first built. The 17th for example is a lovely Par 3 protected by a channel of trees and a small green.

As one of the original holes it is regarded as a gem and most peoples’ favourite hole on the course. The original greens however, did have a drainage problem and in winter particularly were holding onto too much moisture.

New Life For Old Greens With Terrain Aeration

To alleviate this, for both aesthetic and cost-effective considerations, Hartley Wintney GC called on the services of Terrain Aeration. The greens are cut using a John Deere 2500E, which reduces triplex ring with exclusive offset cutting units, and a Baroness LM55 Pedestrian. Prior to the Terrain Aeration treatment a Verti-Drain was used with 12mm diameter tines to a depth of 250mm to open up the surface and allow the compressed air to escape during treatment. A Toro ProCore was also used to remove thatch from the surface. Following preparation Terrain Aeration moved in with the specialist Superscamper Terralift deep penetration aeration system, working two metres apart, to blast air at 18 bar pressure to break up the compaction and panning. Where the ground is exceptionally hard the specially incorporated JCB hammer drives the probe down to the one metre depth, where it releases the air blast, followed by the injection of dried seaweed. This serves to maintain the aeration to get oxygen to the grass roots and continue to relieve compaction as the seaweed swells with moisture, keeping the fissures open. The compressed air exits through the previously created Verti-Drain slits.

“The greens were back into play immediately,” says Matthew Rolls, the club’s Course Manager. “One green needed a little levelling to deal with some high spots but that was to be expected. We then backfilled the holes with Lytag and topped up with rootzone. The two guys from Terrain Aeration were very good, exceptionally helpful and a pleasure to have on the site.”

Terrain Aeration have been treating golf courses, sports pitches, amenity areas, trees and gardens for over twenty-five years using the Terralift deep penetration aeration system and have a long history of testimonies to the effectiveness of the treatment.

Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.com

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Reesink Launches New Toro Rotary Mower

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Reesink Launches New Toro Rotary Mower Designed To Increase Productivity and Decrease Downtime: ProLine H800 goes longer between stops for effortless mowing.

Reesink has announced the arrival of a brand-new Toro rotary mower designed to improve productivity by going longer between stops.

Reesink Launches New Toro Rotary Mower

Revealed at SALTEX 2017, the ProLine H800 direct collect rotary mower promises to boost productivity and revolutionise clipping clear-up for groundscare professionals across the UK.

With a 41ltr fuel tank and 810ltr collector, plus the ability to change the height of cut without stopping, Reesink Turfcare says productivity is at an all-time high with this machine.

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager at Reesink, says: “This launch will appeal to councils and landscape contractors looking for minimum downtime. The fuel tank is large enough to power a full day’s work, while the generous capacity of the collector is accompanied by a sensor which alerts the operator when it’s full. This avoids unnecessary stopping to check and empty it.”

In fact, you barely have to give clipping collection a second thought: “With the ProLine, you simply switch the mower on and go, most of the chores are done for you. Once the collector is full, the deck automatically disengages to prevent overfilling or grass going uncollected. Clippings can be emptied into a truck bed effortlessly with the high lift system, which can be raised to almost two metres in height and remotely controlled from the operator’s station,” explains Jeff.

To reduce interruptions further, the height of cut can be changed to between 20-110mm from the operator’s seat, enabling quick and intuitive adjustment. No time is wasted stopping to unclog the machine either, thanks to automatic deck cleaning wipers.

This machine is perfect for those with a large workload on a tight schedule. The 26.1hp engine powers up to 12,000m2 of mowing per hour, throughout which the ProLine’s high performance cutting system delivers a clean quality of cut ideal for sports fields and commercial sites.

Added to that, the machine affords excellent visibility, enabling trimming right up to the edges of pathways and borders within parks and urban areas. Built with durability in mind, the ProLine’s deck boasts a welded bull nose bumper and heavy-duty caster forks to withstand any knocks thrown its way, and long-lasting skid protection makes it a machine to be relied on.

A durable and intuitive new addition to Reesink’s product line, the Toro ProLine is set to impress those with no time to stop.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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