Turf News is the perfect place for professionals working within the UK’s vibrant turf industry – keeping you up-to-date with topical news, latest market developments and much more across all areas of the industry.
NEWS ARTICLES

New John Deere Appointment

/in , , /by

New John Deere Appointment: Michael Grey has been appointed the new strategic account manager for turf and other non-agricultural equipment at John Deere Limited, replacing Brian D’Arcy.

Working from the John Deere Limited headquarters at Langar near Nottingham, Michael is now responsible for maintaining existing and developing new relationships with strategic and key account customers throughout the UK and Ireland, with support from the company’s national dealer networks.

New John Deere Appointment

Michael Grey studied Agricultural Business Management at Reading University and joined John Deere in January 2012 as an area aftermarket manager covering Ireland, Wales, the West Midlands and south-west England. He was then promoted to territory manager for central and southern England in 2015 before taking up his new role at the beginning of October.

“Michael’s customer and dealer experience gained over nearly seven years on territory will serve as a very good foundation for his new position as strategic account manager,” said turf division sales manager Chris Meacock.

After joining the company as a demonstrator in 2007, Brian D’Arcy was promoted to product sales specialist in 2008, then territory manager for Wales and the West Midlands in July 2009 before taking on the strategic account manager role in 2014.

Brian has recently been promoted to the post of product manager for compact & utility tractors in Region 2 (Europe, CIS, North Africa and the Near & Middle East), based at Deere’s European HQ in Mannheim, Germany.

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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.

Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award

/in , , /by

Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award: On day one of SALTEX 2018 at the NEC, Sherriff Amenity’s ground-breaking new app, PrecisionPro, was announced as the winner of the second, annual SALTEX Innovation Award.

Established at the show in 2017, the SALTEX Innovation Award was created to encourage innovation excellence and celebrate the best products within the groundscare industry. The award is bestowed on projects that have a significant impact and ultimately make life easier for the person using them.

Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award

This year’s award received a record number of high quality entries from across the UK and beyond – spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment. With the entries submitted and rigorously evaluated by an independent panel of judges, it was decided that there were three stand-out innovations – the Toro Outcross 9060 from Reesink Turfcare, PrecisionPro from Sherriff Amenity and the ROBOCUT from McConnel.

The three finalists were given a final opportunity to impress the judges as they took to the stage in the all new Innovation Hub. Representatives from each company delivered a product presentation in front of a packed audience causing the judges much deliberation before making their final decision.

Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro was pronounced the overall winner. Second place went to the Toro Outcross 9060; a super-duty utility vehicle, designed specifically to simplify the groundsman’s day-to-day turf maintenance jobs. Third place went to the McConnel ROBOCUT; an all-terrain remote-control work platform that boosts safety, productivity and efficiency.

The winning innovation, PrecisionPro, is a dedicated app for sports turf to measure any area, guide the operator in calibrating a spreader for any granular product and also help apply fertilisers accurately.

According to Sherriff Amenity, PrecisionPro was created due to the common issue of turf managers misjudging green/sport surface size which often results in problems such as over applying or under applying fertilisers – both of which can have a negative effect on turf performance, disease and budget.

PrecisionPro allows turf managers to have an accurate measured area by simply opening the app and walking the perimeter of the area. Calibrating spreaders has always been a difficult task but with the Calibrate feature in the PrecisionPro app, users are guided through each step of the process. Furthermore, its advanced GPS functionality informs the user when to start and stop the calibration process.

The app also features a function to ensure that every operator walks at the same speed – if someone is walking too fast or too slow then they are alerted by colour coded screens. As well as calculating the g/m2 and the operator’s walking speed, the Apply feature ultimately ensures that the exact amount of nutrition is being applied to the turf.

Commenting on the award, Karl Parry, Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro developer, said:

“We are really excited to win this award. PrecisionPro has been a long time in the making but it has all been made worthwhile now. SALTEX was the official launch of the app and after we won the award people kept coming onto the stand to find out more about it, so the word definitely got round at the show.

“I’m really proud of the whole team because it has been a big collaborative effort.”

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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.

Terrain Gets To The Core

/in , , /by

Terrain Gets To The Core: A frequent problem facing building companies, contractors and landscapers on completion of a development is compaction. The movement of traffic and materials across the ground to buildings under construction leaves areas prone to waterlogging. Newly laid gardens, grassed and play areas in particular become susceptible, with compaction occurring far deeper than normal aerating will alleviate. Deep penetration aeration is the solution but how do you know what lies beneath the grass and to what depth the aeration is needed? Terrain Aeration have been treating such problems for over twenty-five years and work regularly with construction companies such as Taylor Wimpey, Barrett Homes, Laings and smaller developers to provide a long-term solution.

The Terrain Aeration Terralift machines penetrate the ground to a depth of one metre, releasing a blast of compressed air which fractures and relieves the compacted soil, creating permanent aeration and drainage. However, before carrying out the aeration it is often necessary on old site layouts to determine what lies beneath and Terrain Aeration take a core sample using their specialist machinery. The plastic sleeve which slides out of the metal casing reveals what the soil is like, from the top soil down (in this example) to the clay structure beneath. The soil cores are taken to one metre depth and are also very good indicator to show where oil and diesel spillages have penetrated and how deep. The Terralift can then deal with the oil-bioremediation using specialist products in the area down to one metre depth.

Terrain Gets To The Core

Further down, flint is encountered and the Terralift probe is designed to break through the solid layers, employing a JCB hammer incorporated as part of the machine. Once the hard materials have been penetrated, the compressed air blast released creates fractures and fissures. These are injected with dried seaweed as part of the process, keeping, in this case, the clay seen in the core sample open and allowing surface water to quickly drain down one metre, before naturally percolating away into the flint area.

What is an ex-car park area has been transformed into a healthy soil structure with good root zone and ready for children to play on. Of course, not all compacted ground will have the same strata but the Terrain Aeration process is used to treat all types of waterlogging, from small gardens to parks, public spaces and sports pitches to bowling greens.

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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.

HAIX & GORE To Transform Footwear

/in , /by

HAIX & GORE To Transform Footwear: When it comes to pitch care and landscaping maintenance, footwear must keep up with the high pressures of the job. Groundsmen and landscaping professionals need top-quality gear and foot protection that will help them to get the job done and get it done right. HAIX, specialists in functional and safety footwear, offers the Black Eagle Safety 50 Mid boot, which contains GORE-TEX Extended Comfort Technology to provide feet with the comfort and protection needed.

Tried, tested and trusted to perform, the Black Eagle Safety 50 range, with low and high versions also available, is flexible and lightweight. The boots are equipped with an extra-light toe cap complying with safety S3 requirements (EN ISO 20345:2011). Efficient against slippery surfaces, the Black Eagle Safety 50 range offers maximum protection against liquids used by turf care professionals such as pesticides, fertilizers, wetting agents and biostimulants, and is puncture resistance against shards of glass, nails, screws or similar objects that can be found on the ground.

HAIX & GORE To Transform Footwear

Engineered with GORE-TEX Extended Comfort Technology consisting of a 3-layer laminate, made up of a special inner lining without insulation, the boots offer incredible waterproof durability and breathability on and off the pitch. Using high-quality, water-repellent, bull leather the Black Eagle Safety range protects feet throughout the entire year using special pigments contained in the leather that prevent excessive sweating in warm weather by reflecting the rays of sun to avoid any overheating. The boots are also the ideal PPE for colder weathers as the sole provides outstanding insulation.

HAIX has a worldwide reputation of being a “safe brand”. Technical experts scientifically test shoes and safety features in a laboratory ensuring standards are exceeded and top quality functional footwear produced. For more information about HAIX and the Black Eagle Safety 50, visit www.haix.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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.

Dennis Razor Improves Greens At Mapperley

/in , , /by

Dennis Razor Improves Greens At Mapperley: Michael Dickson, deputy head greenkeeper and mechanic at Mapperley Golf Club, has reported a notable improvement in the quality of the greens at the Nottingham-based club since purchasing two Dennis Razor mowers.

Mapperley is a beautiful parkland course with rolling fairways which have, for more than a century, presented golfers with an interesting challenge from the tee. The 600 plus members also find the tight greens testing while they soak up the stunning views of the nearby Gedling Country Park.

Dennis Razor Improves Greens At Mapperley

Michael is part of a four-man greenkeeping team that works tirelessly to keep the course in immaculate condition all year round. He admits that it can, at times, be a challenge with just four in the team and that it is therefore imperative they have the correct maintenance equipment in place.

In particular, cutting by hand in summer at Mapperley is just too tall a task for the four-man team but in winter there is no other option.

“You don’t get much hillier than Mapperley, says Michael. “It can get incredibly wet in winter and no vehicle can get to some of our greens without either marking the ground or sliding all over the place – and that can be very dangerous.

“Our previous greens mowers were getting old, they were always breaking down and the quality of cut was never brilliant so we knew that we wanted to upgrade. Ultimately, what we wanted was a good quality mower to cut the greens in winter.”

Michael visited BIGGA’s BTME exhibition to see what was on the market and after visiting a number of stands he drew up a shortlist of potential greens mowers – one of which was the Dennis Razor fine turf mower. Upon returning to Mapperley, various mowers were demonstrated but for Michael and the team there was one which particularly stood out.

“We had the Razor on demo and were instantly impressed. The members loved it and they could instantly tell which green it had been demonstrated on. Even when the treasurer came out, he saw the quality of cut and said ‘”right, we’re having them now.”’

Dennis Razor Improves Greens At Mapperley

“The other mowers we tried just felt very heavy and more difficult to manoeuvre in comparison to the Razor. It was the best option by far.”

Superbly balanced and ideal for golf greens and other fine turf surfaces, the Razor features a 560mm (22in), 11 blade cutting cylinder for a perfect finish. An ultra-short wheelbase ensures easy manoeuvrability and excellent performance, even on undulating surfaces. The Dennis Razor encompasses the simple ‘no tools required’ click height adjusters for quick and easy operation, a feature which particularly struck a chord with Michael and his team.

“I don’t like machines with too many gizmos – I like one that is simple, straight forward to use and does the job which it is supposed to do. We’ve been using the Razors for a year now and they have been fantastic.

“In my opinion the best features on the Razor are that they are reliable, incredibly well built and easy to use. They keep the weight off the greens in winter and the cut that it offers in terms of presentation is fantastic. Since we’ve been using the Razor the greens have been a different quality.

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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.