Three phase solution for Cruden Bay

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Three phase solution for Cruden Bay: After having completed the second of three phases of a complete irrigation installation and renovation, Cruden Bay Golf Club near Peterhead is now benefitting from cost and time effective irrigation from Toro.

Course manager Alister Matherson explains: “Splitting the work into phases meant we could spread out the cost and minimise the amount of time works were disturbing customers, plus it gave us time to make informed decisions about the irrigation system we wanted.

Three phase solution for Cruden Bay

Three phase solution for Cruden Bay

“We’re two thirds of the way through the installation and while it is a drawn out strategy it’s been worth the wait so far. We had the first phase of the irrigation installation in 2014. This involved installing a new transfer pump, holding tank and replacing the old pump set.”

And in 2019 came the cherry on the cake, with not only the addition of new pipework, cabling and Toro irrigation valves, but brand new Toro sprinklers across the greens, approaches and walkways, alongside Toro Lynx central control.

“We had a demonstration of Toro sprinklers and used them on the course alongside competitor brands. Throughout extensive trials, we saw quite clearly that Toro performed better,” says Alister. “The quality of performance of the heads and the quality of service from Reesink Turfcare was great.

“Added to that is Toro Lynx control, which is a great bit of kit. Easy to use software and very reliable, with features like the weather station which is fantastic. My favourite feature is probably the mobile app which allows us to control the irrigation from anywhere, which is superb!”

Despite the large installation and renovation, the process went smoothly with the work of OCMIS irrigation specialists and RH Associates consultancy. And since the second phase was completed, the course has certainly been seeing the benefits.

“Having a clearer plan for our irrigation means we can be more efficient and is the biggest plus,” says Alister. “The quality of coverage as well has made a big difference to the course.”

Renowned as one of the top golf courses in the world by Top 100 Golf Courses, Cruden Bay Golf Club’s traditional Scottish links course benefits from stunning views out over the sea and of Slain Castle. But it’s the unique topography and layout that makes it so popular, says Alister.

“With the course so well regarded, it’s important for us to make the course maintenance the best it can be. Having Toro irrigation means we can keep standards high and improve the course.”

Up next for the club is phase three in the irrigation installation, to cover the fairways. “We won’t change from Toro now that we’ve seen what their irrigation can do,” says Alister. “Although a few years off yet, we’re looking forward to slotting in that last piece of the jigsaw, which will give us a completely modern, functional system across the course.”

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ECHO cuts a competitive edge

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ECHO cuts a competitive edge: ECHO is expanding its X Series range with best-in-class products and newly revised pricing for the 2020 season. This follows a year of exceptional growth in the commercial outdoor power tool sector.

“The X-Series is ECHO’s representation of best-in-class professional products and the company has found commercial users are attracted by the performance and quality of the machines, together with the industry-leading warranty support.” Says Matt Wilson, ECHO UK Sales Manager.

ECHO cuts a competitive edge

ECHO cuts a competitive edge

As part of the expansion, ECHO is also revising prices on its key commercial products, widening the access of commercial product to a larger market. The combination offers great potential for the professional user and contributes to ECHO’s growing competitive edge. Consider ECHO’s reputation for commercial product that is built to the highest possible standards in Japan and tested in the harshest environments. That sits well with the promise of balanced, ergonomic design for manoeuvrability and precision.

All of this is reflected in many of the commercial products which are even more competitive under the new pricing structure. In the brushcutter range, take for example the SRM-420TESU. With its 41.5cc engine, it’s ideal for contractors looking for a machine with plenty of power. ECHO hedgecutters have enjoyed a long, durable and economic reputation. This can be seen to further advantage in the HCR-165ES and HCR-185S low vibration models with rotational handles and the HCA-265ES-HD and HCA-2620ES-HD long reach articulating hedge cutters.

ECHO commercial chainsaws speak for themselves amongst professional users and the CS-501SX, CS-370ES and industry-leading CS-2511TES are competitively priced. The same applies to the professional 50V battery range of tools, the PAS-2620ES multi-tool, the extension pole and hedgecutter attachments.

The products mentioned, indeed the whole ECHO range, all carry an industry-leading 5-year domestic or 2-year professional warranty which adds further to weighing up ECHO with what’s in the market. Visit an authorised ECHO dealer and they are able to demonstrate the products so you really know what you’re getting, which by all accounts is a good deal more.

You can also visit www.echo-tools.co.uk or call 01844 278800 for more information.

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Ganton goes green with Deere

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Ganton goes green with Deere: One of the world’s top 80 courses, Ganton Golf Club in the Vale of Pickering ranks among the very best of Britain’s inland courses.

It has played host to many amateur and professional tournaments, including the Walker Cup in 2003 – so joining Royal Birkdale, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield and Royal Lytham & St Annes as one of only four venues to have also staged the Curtis Cup and Ryder Cup matches.

Ganton goes green with Deere

Ganton goes green with Deere

Ganton will also be hosting an England v France International Match in May this year, and is scheduled to host the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy and also the R&A Womens and Girls Home Internationals in 2021. The sandy, gently undulating site was once a North Sea inlet, so it has all the characteristics of both a links and a heathland course. Another striking feature is over 100 bunkers, some huge in size.

Head greenkeeper Andrew West says he has always had a vision of opening up more areas of the course to give it more of a links feel, and he is now beginning to achieve this more effectively since the club invested in a new set of John Deere hybrid electric E-Cut mowers. These were supplied by dealer F G Adamson & Son on a five-year finance lease deal with annual repayments from John Deere Financial.

“We’ve got some very challenging undulations here and around two hectares of aprons and collars altogether, which really can’t be managed with triples,” Andrew explains. “But with quite a low height of cut required at 7mm on these areas during the playing season, this was proving difficult to achieve with our previous five-gang mowers and we were always struggling to hold the cuts.

“However, I always felt we could do this job better and in a reasonable time frame with the right machine, so we spoke to our course consultant Gordon Irvine and he really influenced our thinking. Both he and the STRI’s head of agronomy Alistair Beggs encouraged us to consider following Royal Birkdale’s example, noting improvements to the course presentation and finish and complimenting the contribution John Deere’s 8000AE PrecisionCut fairway mower had made there.”

Following an extensive review and evaluation of the different manufacturers’ machines, the club opted for a John Deere package deal from Adamsons and the new hybrid mower fleet now includes two 8000AEs as well as two 2500E triplex and three 220E walk-behind greens mowers. These were joined by a 4049R compact tractor with front loader, two HPX diesel and two TE electric Gator utility vehicles, as well as a Charterhouse Verti-Drain 7416 aerator and top dresser.

“The whole team was involved in the process and John Deere scored the best in our view,” says Andrew. “In addition to all the course demonstrations that Adamsons organised, we visited Royal Birkdale and spoke to friends and other contacts in the industry, to see what they thought.

“The club rightly expects us to be accountable for our decisions, and to see improvements as a result of the investment in any new machinery. Reliable dealer service and parts support has to be there too, and knowing this was behind the deal also made our final decision easier.”

Another important element of the deal for Andrew and his team was the effort made by John Deere and Adamsons to deliver the quality of finish the club was looking for, as well as provide full training to the greens and workshop staff.

“Machine optimisation was the key focus, working closely and extensively with the club to identify the right machines and set them up exactly the way they wanted them by trying out different specifications and configurations,” says John Deere territory manager Marcus Morris. “Together with the dealership, we try our hardest to do what the customer needs and deliver on our promises.”

“The finance deal really helped a lot too,” says Andrew West. “Ganton has traditionally bought all its equipment outright, but this has probably held the club back from adopting the latest technology, and we’re really keeping up with the times now. For any club it’s amazing what John Deere Financial can do – this deal helped us to buy a JCB digger and the Verti-Drain. It was an extremely cost-effective way of purchasing our new equipment.

“I’m also convinced we’re saving money using the new E-Cut hybrid electric mowers, which provide both fuel savings and reduced noise levels. Overall, you can have the best agronomic advice in the world, but if you haven’t got the right equipment with the latest technology, it doesn’t necessarily work. Having started the process, I believe there’s a good future for John Deere at this club.”

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Company sets golden charity goal

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Company sets golden charity goal: A company which helps JCB customers to buy their machines has set itself a golden charity goal in celebration of 50 years in business.

JCB Finance – one of the biggest lenders to the UK’s construction and agricultural industry – is marking its milestone ‘birthday’ today (February 12th) with a pledge to raise £50,000 for children’s charity the NSPCC.

Company sets golden charity goal

Company sets golden charity goal

The money will be raised by a series of fundraising activities throughout 2020 – and to kick-start the campaign, JCB Finance is donating a JCB 8008 micro excavator to be auctioned online, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Set up on February 12th, 1970 under the name JCB Credit, JCB Finance has expanded massively from its humble beginnings, with JCB Chairman Lord Bamford as one of its original Directors. Today, JCB Finance provides hire purchase and leasing options for UK business customers and supports the JCB UK dealer network, facilitating the purchase of more than 250,000 new and used JCB machines over the past 50 years.

JCB Finance Managing Director Paul Jennings – who has worked for the firm for 41 years – said: “As we turn 50, we want to say a special thank you to our customers and dealers for their trust in allowing us to handle billions of pounds over the years on their behalf. Some businesses have dealt with us for three generations, which reinforces our belief that our efforts are trusted as knowledgeable partners.

“There have been radical changes to the way business is done over the past half century but the core mission of JCB Finance has remained the same: to support JCB customers with fantastic finance options with speed, efficiency and fairness.

“Throughout our history, we’ve made sure that we keep the personal touch and even with today’s digital world, we are committed to having ‘boots on the ground’. Customers can choose how we serve them, whether direct, on-line, via the JCB dealer network or our team of Specialist Managers in the field.”

Last year, JCB Finance celebrated another milestone when, for the first time in its history, the amount being lent to fund the purchase of machines broke through the £1 billion barrier. The company also won the coveted International Asset Finance Network award European Captive Finance Lessor 2019.

JCB Finance’s auction for the JCB 8008 Micro Excavator goes live for pre-registration from Wednesday, 12th February and bids can be placed online from Thursday, 12th March. Visit www.jcb-finance.co.uk to pre-register and make your bid. The winning bidder will be announced on Thursday 23rd April.

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The Revolution has arrived

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The revolution has arrived: MH Goals are proud to present our new lift and lower Revolution portable goal. With its 360° swivel wheel it’s been designed to go through narrow gates and accesses while still having the ability to be used on all playing surfaces.

The new Revolution goal is packed with features and has been designed not just for the top-flight clubs, but also for use at every level of the game. The goal itself is manufactured from our new reinforced aluminium section which is able to accommodate the lift and lower Revolution 360° wheels.

The Revolution has arrived

The Revolution has arrived

The in line Revolution 360⁰ wheel is able to lift the goal 60mm off the ground and due to its all-terrain solid wheels it can easily be used not only on synthetic surfaces, but also the most challenging grass pitches. The wheel mechanism is a triumph of simple yet effective design that enables the user to quickly lift and lower the goal with just a turn of the Revolution handle. What’s more this goal can also be used with our internal weight system, removing the need for any external anchorage. Like all of our aluminium goals the Revolution will use our Hold Fast net hook system ensuring your net stays safe, neat and tidy.

Matthew Harrod, Sales Director of MH Goals said, “The Revolution goal has been in development since 2018 and we’re delighted to now take the wraps off our first prototypes. Our overall aim for this 360° goal has been to design something that is just as usable on a synthetic pitch as a grass pitch, giving the user total flexibility.”

BTME 2020 was the first public outing for the lift and lower Revolution goal with further testing and development taking place at a number of table-topping Premier League clubs over the next few months. The Revolution will be available in all sizes from full sized to 5 a side, with the first production ready models ready for purchase in the spring.

The lift and lower Revolution is protected by Design Right No. 6081309 and Patent Pending No: GB1812267.1 (2018)

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