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BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI

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BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI: Each year Jacobsen, a Textron Golf brand, invites 20 ambitious greenkeepers to its headquarters in Ipswich to undertake high quality education designed to help them take the next step into golf course management.

Each of the greenkeepers is a member of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, which has worked alongside Jacobsen to provide the education programme for 20 members every year since 2013. FTMI was born in the UK but has rapidly expanded in the years since and has been introduced in Spain, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand.

BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI

Across two days of intense education, high quality speakers and experienced mentors, themselves course managers and head greenkeepers, will provide candidates with a wide range of knowledge and skills that will prove invaluable as their careers progress.

BIGGA is proud to reveal the members who have been selected to take part in the 2019 edition of FTMI, to take place from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 March 2019.

The successful candidates for the “FTMI Class of 2018” are:

Andrew Wilson, deputy course manager, Whitecraigs Golf Club;
Ben Hunter, deputy course manager, The Richmond Golf Club;
Ben Williams, first assistant greenkeeper, Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club;
Christopher Jones, deputy course manager, St Anne’s Old Links;
Craig Berry, course supervisor, St Andrews Links Trust;
David Stewart, deputy head greenkeeper, Walmley Golf Club;
Edward Campbell, deputy course manager, Sandford Springs Golf Club;
Gareth Hunt, deputy head greenkeeper, Cricket St Thomas Golf Club;
Graeme Davidson, assistant greenkeeper, Murrayfield Golf Club;
James Bruder, deputy course manager, East Berkshire Golf Club;
James Cleaver, senior greenkeeper, The Belfry;
John Scurfield, first assistant, Morpeth Golf Club;
Luke Hine, deputy head greenkeeper, Gaudet Luce Golf Club;
Michael Hughes, deputy course manager, Scotscraig Golf Club;
Phil Worth, first assistant greenkeeper, Prestbury Golf Club;
Sam Sweetzer, assistant greenkeeper, Queenwood Golf Club;
Scott Corrigan, assistant greenkeeper, Royal Troon Golf Club;
Scott Logan, first assistant greenkeeper, Royal Bled Golf Club, Slovenia;
Simon Pyett, greenkeeper, Halesworth Golf Club;
Tim Brewster, deputy head greenkeeper, Reigate Hill Golf Club.

Jacobsen and BIGGA recognise the importance of preparing the next generation of greenkeepers to take on a management role at a golf club. FTMI has been designed to provide practical tools and guidance to help delegates pursue their career aspirations through this professional development course.

BIGGA Members To Take Part In FTMI

Karen Proctor, Director Global Marketing at Textron Golf, said: “Congratulations to all 20 delegates chosen to take part in FTMI 2019. Each year the number of applicants increases, giving us a very tough job to choose just 20!

“We are looking forward to welcoming the class of 2019 to Ipswich in March and providing a unique experience that will help the delegates on their way to achieving their career goals.”

Sami Strutt, Head of Member Development at BIGGA, said: “FTMI pushes our members out of their comfort zones. Each of the successful candidates will be at the point in their career where they are itching to take the next step in their career. But what does that mean in a practical sense and what skills do you need to learn that you may not gain in your day-to-day working life?

“FTMI provides 20 ambitious BIGGA members with the necessary skills to take that next step. Each year the education gets better and better as we find out more about what the delegates find most useful and relevant as they work towards their career goals.

“We’re delighted that so many FTMI graduates have built upon their experience and are now embarking upon careers in course management. I’m sure the same will soon be true of this year’s 20 delegates, who were all of an incredibly high standard.”

For a closer look at FTMI, check out this video on the BIGGA YouTube page: https://youtu.be/xbl8mjt1dUY

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Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter

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Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter: Keep the winter outside with Polaris Engineered Parts and Accessories for the RANGER cab, specifically designed to enhance the riding experience whatever the weather.

With the RANGER Pro Shield Cab System – the tightest sealing cab system in the industry – alongside a number of in-cab accessories designed to help with the cold, dark winter months, Polaris offer unprecedented cab comfort and protection from the elements with the RANGER parts and accessories lineup.

Prepare Your Polaris RANGER Cab For Winter

Andreas Geisinger, Manager of Polaris EMEA Parts, Gear & Accessories Business, explained: “The RANGER is completely adaptable to any riding conditions, and so the cab should be too. We created the Pro Shield Cab System exclusively for the RANGER XP 1000, alongside the design and development of the vehicle itself for the perfect fit. This resulted in a 360-degree gasket seal that keeps draughts, dust and moisture out, fully preparing the RANGER for anything Winter has to throw at it.”.

RANGER Pro Shield Cab System

With a variety of cab components available – from roofs and doors, to windshields and rear panels – there are unlimited ways to configure the RANGER cab system for any environment, any purpose and any weather. All of the RANGER Pro Shield Cab components are built with a seamless fit and Lock and Ride compatibility, giving maximum convenience with easy-on and easy-off installation without the need for any tools.

Roof – A winter must-have for protection against rain and maintaining heat, a Polaris Engineered roof delivers fully-sealed coverage and advanced integrated roof water channels, directing water away from the cab even when stationary. Choose from impact-resistant poly, ultimate-strength steel, or lightweight canvas material.

Doors – Complete the cab with the RANGER Pro Shield Cab System door line. The premium, fully-sealed doors are finished with solid latches that feel sturdy and secure, integrated storage and controls, pre-designated mounts for audio speakers, and multiple window options for ventilation. Finalise the look with exterior accent panels colour-matched to the existing RANGER collection.

Windshield and Rear Panel – Keep riding regardless of weather, with Polaris Engineered windshields and rear panels. Choose from tempered safety glass for perfect clarity and top scratch resistance, standard poly for high-value durability, or hard-coat poly for 30x more scratch resistance than standard poly with extreme impact-resistance – all providing protection from dust-swirl and rain. Polaris have enhanced their windshields and rear panels with venting options, to control airflow into the cab depending on conditions.

Winter-proof Accessories

Complete your preparation for winter by adding extra comfort and capability to your RANGER, with premium Polaris Engineered Cab accessories.

Windshield Wiper and Washer System – Add all-weather visibility to your ride with the top-selling wiper and washer system. The 17-inch mounted kit wipes away rain or snow with ease, meaning a safer, easier ride. Operated by a simple rocker switch to wipe/spray fluid, and all mounting hardware and wiring is included. Polaris Pulse ready.

Heater & Defrost System – With eight vents for the best coverage of air dispersion, the system can be used for heating or cooling the cab, as well as defrosting the windshield. The dash-mounted controls allow easy control over the three levels of fan speed and temperature. Each vent can be manually opened or closed. Polaris PULSE ready.

Heated Seat System – A heated seat is a premium cold-weather luxury you wouldn’t expect from a UTV, but the Heated Seat System for the RANGER is just that. Designed to fit the RANGER three-person stock seats and comes with all the necessary wiring for a straightforward installation. Polaris PULSE ready.

Multi-Function Cab Light – A valuable tool with a variety of light uses in and out of your RANGER. The light provides necessary light inside the cab during the dark winter months and the LED dome can also be detached to be used as a torch where needed. The light is battery-powered but usefully recharges when the vehicle is in use. With multi-colour functionality offering white, red, blue and green LED lighting options which allow for a host of night activity – red for preserving night vision, blue for night fishing as it doesn’t produce glare on water, and green for navigating without disturbing game. Polaris PULSE ready.

With over 1,900 accessories in the range, Polaris offer a number of additional solutions to get winter-ready, such as Plows and Winches.

SALTEX Success For PSD Groundscare

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SALTEX Success For PSD Groundscare: PSD Groundscare, the leading distributor of professional groundscare machinery had a successful few days exhibiting at the NEC for Saltex 2018.

 Specialists in supplying high quality and high performing equipment for use in groundscare and forestry management, PSD showcased a number of exciting new and existing innovative machines from market leading manufacturers AS Motor, Eliet, Koppl and TS Industrie.

SALTEX Success For PSD Groundscare

PREVIEWED – THE NEW GREEN SERIES PUMA ON TRACKS – WITH REMOTE CONTROL

Shredding very rarely involves only wood, besides mainly branches in winter, in autumn a lot of leafy and wet green waste needs to be cleared. In spring you have to cope with a variety of materials, ranging from blossoms and hedge trimmings to all other kinds of damp and bulky green waste and also in the summer the pruning of hedges generates a large amount of woody and leafy waste.

TS Industrie, leaders in Green Waste shredding technology are extending their current range of Green Series Shredders. They previewed the future with the PUMA REMOTE CONTROL TRACKED SHREDDER offering more efficiency, in green waste shredding.

The well renowned Green series Puma 35D green waste shredder has been further improved in handling and ease of use with the new model Puma 35D R-TK. For use in difficult terrain, the machine fitted with adjustable crawler tracks and lateral stabiliser, is capable of travelling to areas not accessible by trailed chippers or shredders.

PREVIEWED – THE NEW ELIET TURFAWAY 600 TURF CUTTER

Also showcasing was the New Turfaway 600 turf cutter from Eliet. For major lawn renovation that requires complete reconstruction, it is essential to remove old turf. By removing a thin top layer, you can not only remove weathered grass plants, but also any overgrowth of weeds, moss and other parasites that have settled into the lawn over the years. It is good to start a new lawn with a clean slate.

The Eliet Turfaway 600’s unique concept allows you to quickly loosen a thin turf layer with precision. The unique construction of this 60cm wide turf cutter on tracks ensures a stable machine with optimum soil grip, which ensures maximum comfort for the operator.

Designed with optimum maneuverability in mind, the propulsion of the tracks is hydrostatic and the speed of each track can be adjusted so that the machine takes corners smoothly and can even turn on its axis.

Optimum yield is achieved from the 60 cm wide cutter which is the largest working width self-propelled turf cutter on the market. The grip the tracks provide ensures that the machine keeps delivering its yield under all circumstances and the cutter can be easily set at an angle so that depending on the type of soil it can always be on the right setting.

Also showcased was the AS Motor AS1040 YAK ride-on flail mower which was shown for the first time at Saltex. Combining the cutting performance of a flail mower with the climbing ability and comfort of an AS Motor 4WD ride-on mower, the professional AS 1040 YAK mulches dense growth on demanding terrain with ease.

To find out more or to arrange a demonstration please get in touch with the PSD Groundscare sales team.

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BALI GoLandscape Pledges Support To YMCA

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BALI GoLandscape Pledges Support To YMCA: The British Association of Landscape Industries’ (BALI) careers initiative, GoLandscape, has forged a partnership with YMCA Training to support their work on delivering industry apprenticeships in the wake of a 28% shortfall in the number of apprenticeships being undertaken in the UK*.

Along with a decrease in apprenticeships, the Open University have recently reported that only 8% of companies in the UK have drawn from their levy, proving that more support is needed to inspire, educate and encourage industry employers to understand the benefits of taking on apprentices as part of their workforce.

BALI GoLandscape Pledges Support To YMCA

YMCA Training – part of Central YMCA – helps young people find new opportunities through work and training. Every year, thousands of apprentices are trained and go on to build rewarding and fulfilling careers.

BALI’s Education Officer, Stephen Ensell, said; “GoLandscape is proud to support YMCA Training in the industry apprenticeships they offer; their bespoke training means that, nationally, they can help landscapers develop a workforce that addresses the skill shortfalls they so desperately need, which in turn helps boost the economy and grow their own business. We are really looking forward to supporting and working with them in the promotion of the industry”.

BALI GoLandscape Pledges Support To YMCA

 

BALI’s GoLandscape initiative launched nationwide in March 2018 at RHS Garden Wisley and has already made significant progress in working with employers and industry colleges to provide more opportunities for school leavers and career changers to find suitable employment within the landscape industry, where their skills and knowledge are mapped to the needs of businesses operating in both domestic and commercial capacities.

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Duncan Ross At Longridge GC

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Duncan Ross At Longridge GC: Duncan Ross Sports Contractors has used its drainage expertise to successfully revitalise three fairways at Longridge Golf Club that had previously suffered heavily with water retention.

The 18-hole, 5,904-yard, course provides outstanding views over the Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland and the Fylde coast, and, is maintained to an exceptional standard by Course Manager, Andrew Read, and his four staff.

Duncan Ross At Longridge GC

During his 18-years at the club, Andrew had to contend with moisture retention on the third and ninth fairways. Recently, this had caused the third fairway to become near unplayable and action was taken to bring it, and the ninth and eleventh fairways, back in line with the rest of the course.

Duncan Ross was picked to rectify the drainage issue based on Andrews requirement to find a contractor capable of delivering a high quality and tidy project.

He said: “It is the first time that Duncan has worked on our course. I know of the company’s reputation through word of mouth from other greenkeepers and going on Twitter and seeing the videos and work they have done recently, so it’s the overall reputation and recommendations which swayed it for me.

“The third fairway this time last year was horrible. It was black in places, you could hardly walk on it, so if you can’t walk on it you can’t really play golf on it.

“We had more problems when it came to cutting because it would make a mess. In the autumn it never dried up, so I had a meeting with our greens chairman and explained that we needed drainage work done, and they went to the council and funds were made available.

“We then got Duncan on site and he looked at the third, ninth and eleventh fairways and came back with a plan. I had drawn some plans up and Duncan looked at those and decided what the best way to achieve it was, and he’s got the experience, so we were happy to go with what he recommended.

“Going into September we’ve had over 160mm of rain and the drains have started working well. We’ve checked the outlets and there is loads of water coming out of them, so it’s been a sound long-term investment.

“The third fairway and the ninth, which is a short fairway, are now playable. I checked the outlets on the ninth recently and they were running well, and the fairway is dry.

“Golf is a 12-months a year sport now, in the past getting into September and October people started putting their clubs away but now they want to play all year round. The ninth used to get churned up because we’d need to have buggies on for people that couldn’t walk around the course, so we did the ninth because it was wet but also to make it more playable and get the buggies going on there.”

Whilst the main objective of the drainage installation was achieved on the third, ninth and eleventh fairway, Andrew and the club’s members were also impressed with the clean and diligent nature the Duncan Ross team carried out the project.

Because the course had to be allowed time to dry out from the wet winter, work began during May for two weeks when the course was in use. This meant work needed to be flexible and accommodate competitions the course was hosting, requiring the work to be done in a clean and tidy way, something the company is renowned for doing.

“The men worked around us, if we had a competition on then they would move onto another fairway, so the only disruption was the drainage lines that were left afterwards but they were nice and tidy, and the golfers were really impressed with the work and how tidy everything was,” Andrew explained.

“The golfers are happy and we’re happy because we didn’t have to spend time clearing up after the work, we were able to concentrate on looking after the rest of the course instead.

“The club members and the council will look at it and be happy to use them again because the site was always left in a tidy condition.”

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