Jacobsen SLF530 tames tricky ‘rig and furrow’ with ease

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Jacobsen SLF530 tames tricky ‘rig and furrow’ with ease: For golfers, ‘ridge and furrow’ adds both visual impact and added challenge to a course. The previous plough lines with their raised ridges and sunken furrows, bring a little more theatre to the game and give a historic nod to the past.

Strathaven Golf Club, in South Lanarkshire, has three fairways – the 6th, 10th and 11th– all of which boast deep and dramatic undulations.

After finding some mowers less than successful at dealing with their rise and fall, Steve Hunter, Head Greenkeeper, has purchased a Jacobsen SLF530 from Scottish dealer, Fairways GM at Renfrew.

“This machine is all about extra care for tees and aprons and undulating fairways. It follows the line down into them so much better and doesn’t leave any missed bits. The smaller cutting heads, the way it floats and pivots, just help give it a cleaner cut and all-over smooth finish.

“Other machines are a little faster but the benefit of the SLF530 is the quality and definition to the surfaces. It’s out once a week now, but twice a week minimum in the summer,” he said.

Stuart Cameron, Area Sales Manager from Fairways GM was on hand to advise, deliver and install the machine.

The team at Strathaven GC, comprises five qualified greenkeepers and two apprentices. In 2023, the team won the BIGGA Greenkeeping Project of the Year award.

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Meldrum House equipped to withstand wetter winters

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Meldrum House equipped to withstand wetter winters: Meldrum House have become the latest golf course in a rapidly growing list to praise the versatility and effective aeration delivered by a Carrier and Verti-Drain® 1513 from Redexim.

Delivered in June 2024 by HRN Tractors, the combination has already been put through its paces, hollow coring the greens and handling the undulations of the site with ease, as Golf Course and Grounds Manager Kenny Harper looks to increase aeration to better withstand increasingly wetter winters.

Meldrum House equipped to withstand wetter winters

Meldrum House equipped to withstand wetter winters

This latest purchase is part of major ongoing investment by the new owners of Meldrum House, Apex Hotels Ltd, as they look to build on the course’s reputation as one of the finest facilities in Scotland – nestled into the parkland surroundings of Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire. That claim means that client expectations are high when it comes to course condition, with Kenny supported by a team of ten on the year-round maintenance. “Last winter was one of the wettest on record which is making most elements of our job more difficult and means operations like aeration are more important than ever” Kenny explains.

“We tried all makes and models of tractor mounted aerator then contacted HRN Tractors, who we know quite well, about the Redexim Carrier and Verti-Drain®. HRN’s Wilson Morrison, together with Allen Whellans from Redexim, were both on the ball from the very first phone call. They arrived on time and the demonstration was impressive – the build quality in particular filled us all with the confidence that the machines are going to last. Ticking all the boxes, we took delivery in June and are so happy with our decision.”

He continues, “The variation in working depth, together with the range of tine options available, is something we really like and gives us much greater versatility and flexibility than our previous aeration set-up. We’ve already hollow cored with 8mm tines and can swap these for solid tines and work down to depths of six inches which we’ve not been able to do before and will significantly improve our greens drainage.”

The Verti-Drain® 1513 offers high-speed, low disturbance aeration. Paired up with the Redexim Carrier, the combination offers a lightweight solution for annual maintenance on sensitive turf areas such as golf greens. “The Carrier is powered by a 31hp engine so we’ve effectively gained a power unit which we can use with a range of implements. It’s also fantastic and easy to control over the contours on our site.”

“This was our first experience of Redexim and we went into it with a ‘nothing ventured’ attitude but we’ve definitely ‘gained’ an incredibly versatile set-up and hopefully the course and the members will all gain too as a result” he concludes.

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Makita adds to formidable XGT range

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Makita adds to formidable XGT range: Leading power tools manufacturer Makita has added two new impressive disc cutters to its range.

The 40VMax CE003G XGT Disc Cutter and 40VMax CE004G XGT Disc Cutter are both powered by Makita’s advanced XGT 40VMax battery system to deliver massive cutting depths and rapid cutting speeds to make light work of any high-demand application.

Makita adds to formidable XGT range

Makita adds to formidable XGT range

The CE003G delivers a maximum cutting depth of 88mm at 6,600rpm and the CE004G offers a maximum cutting depth of 121mm at 5,000rpm. With a 230mm and 305mm blade diameter respectively, and both designed to be extremely lightweight, these brand new compact XGT disc cutters offer a powerful package to tackle any application with ease and comfort.

The machines also feature a rotating wheel guard which can be positioned to suit working posture. This, paired with a light body weight (The CE003G body weighing just 7.4kg when fitted with a BL4080F 8.0Ah battery and the CE004G at 7.7kg when fitted with a BL4080F 8.0Ah battery) and a double handle design, makes both models comfortable and easy to manoeuvre. Furthermore, the anti-vibration housing with built-in damper spring helps to achieve an extremely low vibration rate for each at 3.0 m/s2 (CE003G) and 3.8 m/s2 (CE004G) at the left handle – far less than their petrol-powered counterparts.

Furthermore, unlike petrol engine models, these cordless solutions start reliably, even in oxygen-deficient conditions, without any emissions or exhaust gases, making them suitable for use in any location – including indoors and underground.

To improve user safety, the machines feature active feedback sensors to shut down the tool in the event of kickback or a sudden slowing down of the blade rotation. They also have a safety lock-off button to prevent accidental start up and operators can also choose to connect a water supply to aid dust suppression.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita UK said: “The new additions from Makita are set to revolutionise cutting work on site. Both are powerful, yet easy to handle and designed with excellent safety features, to provide high speed, precise cutting suitable for a wide range of applications.”

To find out more about Makita and its range of products visit: www.makitauk.com.

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Baroness comes to the rescue at Calcot Park

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Baroness comes to the rescue at Calcot Park: A trio of pedestrian mowers from Baroness are coming to the rescue at Calcot Park, as the club seek to maintain course standards through the ever-more challenging winter months.

The venue, like many, struggled to get ride-on equipment out over the winter of 23/24 due to increased rainfall and softer ground conditions. However, this problem will be a thing of the past with three LM66 cylinder mowers now ready to take up the task of retaining presentation on the tees and approaches.

Baroness comes to the rescue at Calcot Park

Baroness comes to the rescue at Calcot Park

Located on the Berkshire border, Calcot Park delivers a picturesque 18-holes in a parkland setting. Course Manager for the last six years Tom Jennings explains how, even outside of the ‘playing season’, the expectations of the players are high and the standards of the greenkeeping team are even higher! “We’re always striving for that next level of definition and the rain has really been hampering what we can deliver on areas that aren’t hand cut. That’s why we decided to invest in a fleet of pedestrian mowers specifically for the tees and factored the time to deliver this attention to detail into our programme.”

After a comprehensive search, and fantastic advice and service from both Lister Wilder and Luke Collins from Baroness, they decided on three LM66 mowers from the Baroness pedestrian range – delivered in June 2024.

Tom continues, “In my opinion, the cut quality with these LM66’s is the best on the market and, not only that, they stay on cut for much longer. We’ve done some topdressing over the summer and are now starting to see worm casts emerging yet, despite this, the Baroness mowers remain sharp giving us outstanding consistency and a clean, precise cut. The tees and approaches have never presented better.”

Along with the slightly smaller LM56 model, the Baroness pedestrian mower design incorporates traditional all-gear drive – delivering 100% transmission rate with no slippage or lag between the drive to reel rotation ratio. In addition, the durability of this system compared to belt or chain drive is extremely high, providing additional peace of mind that a balanced cut will be achieved with every operation. The renowned cylinder is manufactured from Nickel-Chrome-Molybdenum alloy steel which retains the sharpest cutting edge, helping to promote healthy growth and contributing to surfaces that are less vulnerable to disease. Both the Baroness LM56/66 models also include a 5-year warranty as standard.

“The good thing is that we’ve all had chance to get used to them and get a real feeling for what can be achieved with these machines.” He adds, “We now feel confident going into the wetter months that we can deliver the tees and approaches to the same standard we’re delivering in other areas of the course… if not better!”

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STIHL’s first 12” cut-off machine

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STIHL’s first 12” cut-off machine: STIHL has launched its first 12” cut-off machine in the AP System. Suitable for hardscaping, construction and pipework, the TSA 300 combines impressive cutting performance with a compact and well-balanced design.

Developed with precision in mind, the TSA 300 features variable speed control and creates a significantly narrower cutting kerf compared to petrol models such as the TS 410, resulting in greater battery efficiency and cutting accuracy. Compared with the TS 410, the TSA 300 is lighter, more compact and features less vibration too, for even better handling.

STIHL's first 12” cut-off machine

STIHL’s first 12” cut-off machine

Like all AP System batteries and tools, the TSA 300 features a robust design and construction suitable for demanding professional applications, while remaining at a low weight of 8.3 kg (with battery).

With a maximum power output of 2.5 kW when used with the recommended AP 500 S battery, this versatile machine is ideal for quickly cutting roofing tiles, bricks, metal and paving blocks up to a thickness of 110 mm.

When the trigger of the TSA 300 is released, the wheel slows to a stop in under 4 seconds, with the braking energy being recuperated to the battery for greater efficiency and longer working times.

The TSA 300 also benefits from STIHL’s power boost technology, a feature that regulates the power input from the battery to increase cutting performance whilst protecting the machine from overheating.

A new magnetic filter protects the internal components from metal dust ingress, resulting in reduced downtime and easier maintenance. The TSA 300 is compatible with the Smart Connector 2 A, a smart device that plugs directly into the control module of the machine, sending maintenance reminders to the operator’s smartphone via Bluetooth.

For more information on STIHL’s range of cut-off machines, please visit www.stihl.co.uk.

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