Toro a driving force at The Drift

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Toro a driving force at The Drift: The Drift Golf Club in Surrey has continued its investment in Toro as it embarks on a £1 million project to bring in new facilities and continue the improvement in the course seen over recent years.

In an enduring relationship with Toro, the club has purchased some equipment to run alongside its Toro lease deal, citing the brand’s quality and longevity.

Toro a driving force at The Drift

Course manager Mark Ogden says: “We see the value in both leasing and purchasing Toro. With a lease deal we can spread our budget across the year and upgrading to new machines every five years decreases the maintenance time needed and ensures the best quality cut at all times.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Toro as the quality of their machines is clear. We’re so confident with the quality and robustness of the Toro machines we bought some equipment alongside the lease deal, so we’re in a win-win situation.”

The new fleet comes at a prime time for The Drift, with the course undergoing extensive improvements and developments, as Mark explains: “We’ve just started work on our driving range, which is a £1 million project to bring in new facilities, and part of a wider plan to improve the course. Having new Toro machinery is a large part of that process. Ensuring we have high quality equipment to keep up with the maintenance of the improved course is vital.”

With a Groundsmaster 4300-D, two Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 mowers, two Reelmaster 5610-D mowers and two Workman MDX-D utility vehicles, it’s a fleet more than capable of not only maintaining but also improving the impressive 18-hole championship course.

“Most of these machines are like-for-like upgrades,” says Mark. “Which is great for us because it means the whole team is familiar with them. We’ve also brought in two new Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 machines for the tees and approaches and we’re already seeing a huge difference in both the aesthetics and quality of the playing surface.”

Mark concludes by saying: “The course has really flourished recently with a growing membership to prove it. Having Toro on board keeps the team and our members safe in the knowledge the course will be maintained to a consistently high standard.”

And with Toro clearly more than worth the investment, the owner of The Drift has also chosen Toro for its second club – Badgemore Park Golf Club in Oxfordshire!

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Productivity from Toro at Stowmarket

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Productivity from Toro at Stowmarket: As part of a significant investment project, Stowmarket Golf Club has committed to its first fleet deal with Toro and distributor Reesink Turfcare.

Stowmarket Golf Club, set in the beautiful Finborough Park in Suffolk, has long been a Toro customer, but this is the first time it has bought multiple machines together.

Productivity from Toro at Stowmarket

Matt Gill, who has been at the club since 1989 and course manager for the last 13 years, says: “We’re investing in the future of the club and Toro is very much a part of that. We’re focusing on making sure the course can stay open for play all year round. We have been making improvements, enlarging our tees, overseeding fairways and improving the drainage and pathways. Not only are we keen to ensure that our members can play all year round, but that they can play uninterrupted for as long as possible each day, which is an area where Toro is key.

“In this deal we’re replacing our existing Reelmaster 6700, a machine that has performed consistently and constantly for 11 years, ensuring we’re always ready for play by 9.30am. I wanted the continuity of Toro and although the old machine is still going strong, we demonstrated a number of five unit machines but opted for the wider machine again, ensuring minimal disruption and increasing productivity.”

As well as a new RM6700, Matt has chosen a Workman HDX-D utility vehicle with a Multi Pro 200 sprayer and Pro Pass 200 top dresser, about which Matt says: “We’ve been thinking about how to tackle the pitchmarks on a regular basis and the solution is to use the Toro Pro Pass top dresser. Since the multi-tasking Workman and top dresser arrived we’ve made great savings in the time spent applying sand and incurring much less disruption as we do it.”

Matt explains the value the new sprayer and top dresser will have maintaining the club’s recent investment in the fairways: “We’ve heavily invested in the fairways in the last two years due to the drought and it’s important we safeguard that investment. The ability to easily transform the Workman into either a utility vehicle, a precision sprayer or an effective top dresser in only 20 minutes is going to be particularly useful for that and ensuring optimum grass growth.”

Matt has been buying Toro machines for over a decade, throughout which time Toro’s longevity, productivity and value has been proved time and again. “We’ve stuck with Toro for as many years for good reason, they provide us with the productivity we need to get the job done,” he says.

“We can also vouch that Toro’s longevity is unmatched which has been a major factor in our decision. Working with Reesink, and in particular Reesink’s area manager Julian Copping over this time, has been like working with friends, that’s why we’re now making this investment with Toro in our first fleet deal. They really are the company to beat.”

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PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park

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PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park: Dylan Thompson, grounds maintenance manager at Colliers Park, believes that the Dennis PRO 34R far exceeds every other rotary mower he has used in the past.

The former Sheffield Wednesday FC assistant head groundsman has been in the top role at Colliers Park for six months now and is already making his mark. With all eyes on the FAW’s brand new development centre, Dylan and his two members of staff are helping to maintain the two natural turf pitches and the synthetic pitch to the standard expected by a national footballing body.

PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park

The FAW left no stone unturned in the launch of Colliers Park and Dylan found himself in the fortunate position of receiving an arsenal of brand-new turf maintenance products – two of which were Dennis PRO 34R’s.

“To be honest, the PRO 34R was the machine I wanted most and this was based on my previous experience of using Dennis Mowers,” he said. “I had heard about it on social media and I spoke to other people in the industry – I heard so many good things about it and to not hear anything negative whatsoever was obviously a massive positive.”

The Dennis PRO 34R is a 34” (860mm) rotary mower which has been designed to help groundsmen achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance and desired playing surface. It is ideal for sports pitches and lawns producing the enviable ‘Dennis Stripes’ while a powerful vacuum flow collects debris quickly and efficiently.

The angle of the cutting deck and twin blades can be easily adjusted using a single ‘click adjuster’ ensuring the mower is suitable for changing conditions and meeting groundsmen’s requirements.

“It’s very impressive – I was expecting it to be good but not this good!” continued Dylan. “The clean-up is absolutely fantastic no matter if it is wet or dry and it sucks up so much into the grass collection box. It is also quick so we are saving time – we are normally going on speed setting 3 which is the perfect speed for us. We have tight turnarounds so the size of these mowers is ideal because you can get so much done in little time.

PRO 34R a hit at Colliers Park

“We try to use them after every usage but we actually use them during the week as well. It has surprised me as to how good the front brush is. If there is any dew in the morning, then it will take that straight off and it can also pick up any leaves. The finish they leave is really good and you can hardly tell the difference in cut between this and a cylinder mower.

“The PRO 34R’s are probably our most used machines and I can assure you that this isn’t just your standard rotary mower – it is far better.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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Osca justifies pitch investment

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Osca justifies pitch investment: Once Warwick School had decided to invest in a new synthetic pitch, Grounds Manager Duncan Toon felt that the SISIS Osca 3 tractor-mounted oscillating brush was the only machine that could maintain the new surface effectively and truly justify the major investment decision.   

Sport plays a significant role for the pupils that attend Warwick School and its teams excel in a number of sports including cricket, rugby and hockey. However, while the school’s sports teams are making the headlines on the pitch, it is Duncan and his newly assembled team of six grounds staff that make it all possible.

Osca justifies pitch investment

Duncan, who has been in the role for nine months, was tasked by Warwick Independent Schools Foundation, which includes Warwick School, Warwick Junior School, King’s High School and Warwick Preparatory School, to significantly improve the sports surfaces used by all its schools.  He is now responsible for the eight hectares of grassland and all of the gardens and sports facilities.

“With the investment which has been made into the synthetic surface, I felt that we needed to have the best equipment to maintain it and for me the Osca was essential.

“I was actually looking online and I came across some videos of the SISIS Osca in action and after much research I felt that it was the one machine which massively stood out and the one which I believed would make the biggest difference to us.”

The SISIS Osca is a tractor-mounted powered oscillating brush with a 1.9 meter working width and is equally effective when used on synthetic turf with sand or rubber infill. The two oscillating brushes stand up the carpet fibres and redistributes the infill, minimising compaction on the surface and improving its performance – giving consistent playing characteristics while preventing pile damage caused by reduced infill levels.

A contributory factor to the reduction of compaction is that the Osca’s working width will use fewer passes than other more conventional drag brushes to complete a pitch. Its aggressive brushing action agitates the upper infill level of the surface from side to side as well as brushing forward, helping reduce surface compaction and encourage the fibres to stand up straight which reduces the risk of contamination, drainage problems and leaves a consistent playing surface across the whole pitch.

For a school that thrives on sport, the synthetic surfaces at Warwick incur a lot of usage which means that regular maintenance is of the utmost importance – as Duncan explains.

“Over the course of a year, the pitch averages four hours of play every day and we use the Osca on a fortnightly basis. It is a great machine and when you run your fingers through the pitch after you have used the Osca, it is clear to see that the de-compaction it offers is simply on a different level. Since we have been using it the pitch has significantly improved.

“The Osca’s oscillating brushes are the best feature and are very unique. Not only do they get rid of any compaction problems but they also provide a fantastic finish. Thousands of pupils play on this pitch so maintaining it effectively is important for player safety but you can’t forget about the presentation either. The SISIS Osca ticks both of these boxes.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter or Instagram @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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Top marks for new line markers

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Top marks for new line markers: Rigby Taylor has added two innovative machines to its highly successful Glider, iGO Advance and iGO Mini spray line marking range.

The new iGO Prime and iGO Midi machines feature a number of advanced features including an innovative circulatory paint system for dispensing the company’s award-winning Impact paints.

Top marks for new line markers

This innovative system primes the paint and at the same time mixes or recirculates it back into the drum/container. This means it is re-dispersing the product, which in turn thins the paint and produces an easier spraying experience, as the flow is improved. The system continually recirculates the paint for improved flow and facilitates easier machine cleaning.

Impact paint formulations are available in a choice of formulations for use on a wide range of surfaces – natural, hybrid and synthetic grass as well as hard surfaces including tarmacadams and concrete.

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