ATT SMARTUltraGroomer™ cassettes help Ely City GC

/in , /by

ATT SMARTUltraGroomer™ cassettes help Ely City GC move over to Bent grasses – To provide a more even transition between Bent and Poa grasses in the greens surfaces, Ely City Golf Club have invested in a set of SMARTUltraGroomer™ cassettes from within the ATT TMSystem™ range.  Opened in 1962, and extended to 18 holes in 1973, Ely City GC offers a testing, compact, parkland course on the outskirts of the city.

ATT SMARTUltraGroomer™ cassettes help Ely City GC

When his existing cassette system failed, Andy Baker, Head Greenkeeper at the club, demo’d the ATT SMARTUltraGroomer™ cassette and was particularly impressed.  Andy was no novice to the system, “I’d been wanting these for quite a while but as machinery purchases are normally budgeted over a five year period, I wasn’t in a position to get them. The main plus of these over our previous units is how easily and quickly they can be dropped in and out of our triplex – without multiple pivots and joints which can seize and break. It also speeds up the process for my team as they don’t need to take the machine apart – that’s a big bonus.”

Taking delivery of the units in February, the team has been out with them at least once a week, beginning level before dropping them to -2mm as the season progressed.  “The weekly pass is to stand the bent up and remove lateral growth. We’ll go out with the groomers first, then someone will follow behind and mow. It’s amazing the quantity of material we remove with such minimal surface disruption.”

The ATT SMARTUltraGroomer™ cassette has over 80 1.3mm tungsten carbide tipped blades spaced at 5mm apart to ensure greens are maintained in the best condition. It will minimise puffiness in high density Creeping Bent and Bermuda grasses by reducing ‘scalping’ and ‘foot-printing’. The cassette will also remove seed heads in Poa annua turf and on newly established greens, it can help reduce the ingress of Poa annua by “grabbing” individual plants before they get a chance to take hold.

“Now we’ve got the taste for the ATT TMSystem™ we’re looking at adding some of the other cassettes from the range into our fleet,” says Andy. “My team and I are totally converted – It may have been a long time coming but they were worth the wait!”

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’

/in , /by

Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’ – Dvorak, the Czech-based manufacturer of the Spider range of remote-controlled slope mowers, has launched its first global social media campaign featuring a giant version of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa portrait, mown on a hillside at Dolní Kalná in the Czech Republic.

Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’

The portrait, on a grass canvas measuring 200 metres x 250 metres with a gradient of 45 degrees, was created over a period of three days: two days of detailed surveying and one day mowing, using the company’s Spider 1 and Spider 2 mowers. It was filmed by the creative motion picture and digital agency, Mustard, based in Prague.

Using their professional film crew equipped with the latest drone technology, the video shows how this remarkable feat was created. A scale drawing of the famous portrait was used to transfer reference points to the hillside using laser surveying technology and then the skilled Spider operators, including the company’s Managing Director, Lubomir Dvorak, mowed the 50,000 square metre image taking direction from the video producer.

Pavlina Novakova, International Marketing Manager explained how the project was developed,

“We wanted to make a video to raise the profile of our product range and our company on a global stage. The germ of an idea was put forward at one of our regular marketing meetings and was gradually developed over a timescale of six months. We looked for an iconic image that would be recognized around the globe and decided on Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work. Not only was da Vinci a great artist, but he was also an exceptional engineer. That connection dovetailed perfectly with the innovative technology in our Spider mowers.

We realized that it would require professional help, so we contacted Cream, a creative communications agency, also based in Prague who, along with Mustard, took the project forward.

Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’

“First, we had to find a suitable location, obtain permission from the landowner and then wait for the perfect weather conditions. We did consider doing it close to a motorway, but this would have removed the element of surprise for the campaign, as we were convinced many people would take photographs of the completed image and post it on social media before the official launch.

“We are delighted with the finished video and are hoping it will go viral. So many people were involved in the production and it was a great experience for all of us at Spider to be part of it.”

The completed video can be viewed here

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Hartfield Golf Club Members Happy with Course Improvements

/in , /by

Hartfield Golf Club Members Happy with Course Improvements – Hartfield Golf Club, located in Perth, Western Australia, has seen drastic improvements on the course after purchasing a range of machinery from Jacobsen. Delivery was made by local Jacobsen dealer McIntosh & Son. 

Hartfield Golf Club Members Happy with Course Improvements

Nick Kinley is the course superintendent at Hartfield Golf Club having joined three and a half years ago from Mount Lawley Golf Club in Perth. Nick recently made the decision to purchase new machinery to improve the playing condition of the golf course. The machinery purchased includes two Eclipse 322 ride-on greens mowers, two LF570 light fairway mowers, a Truckster XD, a Truckster HX, a Cushman Hauler utility vehicle and an Eclipse 2 walking greens mower.

Commenting on the new machinery, Nick said:

“One of the reasons behind the purchase of the fairway mowers in particular, was the positive feedback from the team after previously using an LF570 on the course. The quality of cut is second to none, and it is a very comfortable and easy-to-use machine, which is also very important. In my opinion, nothing is comparable to the Jacobsen machines, the staff all felt we would have been mad not to go with Jacobsen.

“We also had the Eclipse 322 on demo for a week and we received a comment from one of our members who thought we had double cut and rolled the greens, but the only change we had made was using the Eclipse 322! That was quite amusing, but also eye-opening that using this machine had obviously made a huge difference.

“Another big contributing factor was our local dealer McIntosh & Son which has been brilliant. Nothing is ever too much trouble for the staff who work there, and I am very confident that we will receive all the support and guidance we need from them.”

Mike Foskett, Regional Sales Manager for Jacobsen, commented on Hartfield Golf Club’s purchase of machinery:

“I am really excited about working with the team at Hartfield Golf Club in the years to come. It’s great to hear that the new machinery on the course has already had such a positive impact, and we will ensure that the club receives all of the support that they require in order to maintain their high quality surfaces.”

 

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

The answer for groundsmen?

/in , /by

The answer for groundsmen? Artificial surface maintenance machinery is one of the fastest growing areas for SCH (Supplies) Ltd. Having worked with maintenance contractors and sports groundsmen over a number of years, SCH say they are producing more and more of these products and are flattered by the amount of interest they have received in them.

The answer for groundsmen?‘We are working very hard to keep up with demand,’ says managing director Andrew Rodwell. ‘What we’re noticing is that a lot of people in the industry are talking to each other about our products and recommending SCH to their friends and colleagues. ‘

Andrew puts this down to a number of things.

Firstly, the pricing of SCH sports maintenance machinery is such that it fills a gap between those clubs and associations with enormous budgets and the ones that don’t want low quality flat packed machines which may not make it to the end of the season.

Andrew says he spoke to someone at a small football club recently that told him; “it may be alright for the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United to buy from the big guys, but some of us have to work within a budget and it’s been a real relief to discover that SCH can deliver top notch machines without the heart-stopping price tag!”

Secondly, the company relish the challenge of adapting their standard machinery to suit the individual.

‘We’ve been making bespoke machines for years, and as a family company we understand that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work for everyone. So we make it clear to our potential customers that if we can make changes that will make their life easier, we’ll do it.’

Finally, Andrew says having their own parts department provides a lot of reassurance to their customers.

‘I know myself the frustration of buying something, needing a spare or replacement part after a few years, and then finding the company you purchased from aren’t remotely interested. At best, you may have to spend hours on the internet before finally locating somewhere in China or the USA and waiting an age for the part to be shipped – at worst, you may not find anything and could face the possibility of the item being deemed useless. At SCH, we can always help you with spare tines, replacement brushes or whatever you need. We’re just a phone call away.’

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

/in , /by

Extra Wide 3.95 m Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish – A golf club celebrating its bicentenary this year has taken delivery of a double width Wiedenmann Terra Brush.

Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

Scotscraig Golf Club is the world’s 13th oldest course and was founded in 1817 by members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers. Just 15 minutes north of St Andrews, it features a championship course in a traditional loop, influenced firstly by Old Tom Morris and later by James Braid.

Course Manager, Chris Barnard, and his greenkeeping team of five have newly finished an intensive two year renovation project which reinstated many original features of the famous links and heathlands layout.

Chris Barnard said:  “We’ve wanted a brush for a while. Last year we improvised and fashioned one ourselves but it didn’t quite do the job.  We chose the Terra Brush with folding wings, and yellow bristles, the firmest ones, because it suited our situation best.

“Its arrival coincided with just 9mm of rain in nine weeks so we took immediate advantage of a dry course, though careful to avoid drought stressed turf.”

The Wiedenmann Terra Brush comes with four rows of bristles, two rows aligned perpendicular to the direction of travel and two in a zig zag formation, making it ideal for intensive and even brushing. On large area such as fairways, the wings can be deployed to extend the working width to 3.95 m.

“Stiff bristles help lift matted areas of the Sheep Fescue fairway sward as well as pulling out dead or dying foliage prior to mowing. In the last few weeks there’s been increasing amount of seeding on greens by the Annual Meadowgrass. We’ve brushed it to stand it up then immediately cut off as much as possible. The brushing has the added benefit of standing up any other lateral growth prior to mowing. Continual brushing means we remove the need to verticut almost completely, detrimental to our good grasses if done too frequently.” continued Chris Barnard.

“Here we have a predominantly Fescue and Bent sward and the bristles help to stand up the grass better and give it a more polished look. The brush will also be a valuable tool in spring, prior to growth starting, as we can use it to create definition around the fairways.”

The team at Scotscraig GC plans to groom all over with their new brush including tees and greens. Gareth Rogers, Area Sales Manager for Fairways GM, Wiedenmann UK’s dealer for Scotland, helped install the new Terra Brush.