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

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.

Vandals Hit Real Fife FC

/in , , /by

Vandals Hit Real Fife FC: Reckless vandals who have been tearing up a Fife football pitch by using it as a race track are placing young lives at risk and could force a local club to relocate altogether.

The stark message has been delivered by volunteers with Real Fife FC, which has been resident at East Wemyss’ McDuff Park since 2012, after their surface was ripped up again over the weekend.

Five teams had been playing on McDuff Park at the beginning of last year but the club had to move four of them to other facilities in Kirkcaldy to ensure the availability of a pitch each week.

With the mindless quad bike and mini-moto users continuing to abuse the area, even at times when the youngsters have been playing on the grass, club volunteers are considering moving away from the village permanently.

Wayne Carroll, Real Fife FC club secretary and the club’s child welfare and protection officer, said the actions of a minority were causing problems for scores of young people and their families.

He said: “Real Fife FC are currently paying out £15,000 each year to the local authorities for training facilities and pitch hires, which is definitely not an insignificant amount of money for a non-profit grassroots football club.

“We currently have approximately 220 boys and girls at the club, with around 40 non-paid volunteers trying to ensure we can provide our local kids with an opportunity to play football, develop their interpersonal skills and have safe fun.

“We are in current talks with the local authorities trying to secure facilities large enough to house all of our kids but as you can imagine, there are limited options for us.

“We don’t want to pull out of the park at East Wemyss as it’s an important part of the club’s history but there is only so much a club like us can take.”

Real Fife FC’s forced move to alternative pitches in Kirkcaldy is having a knock-on effect in the Lang Toun due to the limited number of pitches available there.

“The kids and youths doing this damage are from the surrounding area,” Mr Carroll added.

“It’s hard to believe the community don’t know who is doing this regular damage, and we would ask that they come forward and help us.

“We have had, at times, the youths driving the motorised vehicles around the pitch during actual games and, as the club’s child welfare and protection officer, this gives me great concern for the safety of our kids.”

The news is the latest instance of illegal bikers blighting neighbourhoods in the Levenmouth and Wemyss village areas, with local councillors receiving regular complaints about unlicensed bikers.

Police Scotland has a dedicated action plan, called Operation Reflector, to address the anti-social issues, and anyone who witnesses such activity involving motorcycles should contact 101 or report it anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Click here to read the original article

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.

Trime UK Champion The Green X-Splash

/in , /by

Trime UK Champion The Green X-Splash: Trime UK, the Cambridgeshire based supplier of sustainable equipment for the horticultural, agricultural, construction and rental markets have had their X-Splash wash bay honoured by the prestigious environmental campaigners, the Green Organisation. They competed against more than 800 other nominations in the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice.

Trime’s Ray Caulfield (CEO) and Paul Hay (MD) were requested by representatives of the Green Organisation to attend a glittering presentation ceremony held at the Houses of Parliament on 12th November to receive their Champions Award, which is the top accolade.

Paul Hay confirmed, “Our aim was to produce a cleaning method that conserves water usage through a recycling process and a collection procedure that gathers in all harmful contaminates so they are not discharged into the sewage system.”

“The X-Splash has rapidly become a popular product and to have its environmental qualities formally recognised is indeed an honour. We hope that this award will give confidence to current users and prospective purchasers that the X-Splash is an environmentally accredited product,” added Paul.

The judges commented:  “Localised ground and watercourse pollution from construction operations is a frequent occurrence. Trime set out to reduce this by developing an enclosed wash-bay for construction plant and equipment that contains filters and reuses its water, consuming less and protecting the environment.”

The Trime X-Splash wash bay is an ecological, flexible cleaning system for most types of plant and machinery. It prevents soil pollution and contamination of drains, from oil, grease, and similar chemical contaminants.

The Trime X-Splash is also listed on the Water Technology List (WTL) which promotes products that encourage sustainable water use. The WTL rewards businesses for investing in listed products through the ECA scheme. The ECA allows a business to offset the cost of purchasing eligible plant and machinery against its taxable profits.

The awards are organised by The Green Organisation, an international, independent, non-political, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world. The Green Apple Awards are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, and The Chartered Institution for Wastes Management, REHIS alongside other independent bodies.

Trime UK Champion The Green X-Splash

The Green Apple Awards began in 1994 and have become established as the country’s major recognition for environmental endeavour among companies, councils, communities and countries.

Trime has significant experience in supplying sustainable equipment to the horticultural, agricultural, construction and rental markets. The Trime manufacturing plant is based in Cassinetta di Lugagnano, near Milan and the Trime UK is situated in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

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.

ECHO’s New 58V Range

/in , /by

ECHO’s New 58V Range: Battery power for garden and groundcare tools has now been around for some time. However, it’s only since the advent of powerful lithium-ion batteries that electric power could really compete against petrol two-stroke. Now, a new generation of lithium-ion products has arrived and ECHO outdoor power tools are at the forefront with their new range of 58 Volt battery products. This product range includes a battery hedgetrimmer, trimmer, lawn mower, power blower and chainsaw for semi-professional and domestic use.

When you consider the benefits of electric power, it’s easy to see why it has grown so quickly since lithium-ion batteries became commercial. The obvious features are batteries that produce the same power as petrol engined tools, with no exhaust emissions and without the need to store petrol and mix two-stroke. No effort is required to get started. You just charge and go, cutting, trimming, blowing leaves and mowing with virtually no noise or vibration.

ECHO's New 58V Range

Today’s 58V batteries are designed to give you more than enough power in constant use to carry out most tasks. The ECHO interchangeable battery system is available with two options, 2Ah and 4Ah. The hedgetrimmer, trimmer and power blower come with a standard 2Ah battery but if you’re looking for a longer run time you have the option of a 4Ah battery, and remember, you only need the one. Recharging is fast with the Quick Charger, ensuring 30 minutes charging time for the 2Ah and 60 minutes for the 4Ah, and you can always buy a spare battery as a back-up if required. Buy the chainsaw or mower and they come with a 4Ah battery as standard, so you would have the benefit of the extra run time for other products you might need.

ECHO battery products are built to the same professional standards as all their products, so they are solid, durable and ergonomic. As there are no moving parts no engine servicing is required, which means there is another cost saving in addition to no longer needing to buy petrol. ECHO 58V lithium-ion battery products come with a two-year domestic or one-year professional warranty and there is a two-year warranty on the batteries.

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.

Toro ProCore 648 Headlines Stand At Jersey Skills Show

/in , , , /by

Toro ProCore 648 Headlines Stand At Jersey Skills Show: The Playing Field Maintenance Sports division of States of Jersey has been so impressed with its new Toro ProCore 648 aerator that it made the machine the star of its stand at the Jersey Skills Show at Fort Regent in October.

The division was attending the show to encourage a career in sports turf maintenance, says Steve Landick, playing fields manager of the division for States of Jersey. And what better way to visually represent the work the division does at the show than the ProCore!

Toro ProCore 648 Headlines Stand At Jersey Skills Show

“We work closely with sports organisations, clubs and schools to grow sport in Jersey and we’re working on developing an integrated system that supports grassroots sports and its development to provide a pathway for performance athletes to go on and represent us in events such as the Island Games and the Commonwealth Games. Having a talented sports turf maintenance team is essential in achieving that.”

The ProCore 648 is widely considered to be one of the most important tools there is when it comes to aeration, with many Premiership football clubs happy to use the machine just ahead of a game, the finish is so good. There’s little heave, and it can be depended upon to deliver all year-round aeration.

Steve, who attended the show with the division’s current apprentice Peter Ahier, says: “The ProCore is a new addition to our fleet of machines and has debuted on the Island’s cricket squares and bowling greens. The whole division has been very pleased with the way it has performed, it’s a great purchase.”

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and seeing is believing so to have the ProCore on stand will have helped bring to life Steve and Peter’s chat about what a career as a groundsman is like, showing those visiting the show the type of quality machinery they’ll be in charge of as they potentially strive to keep the island’s sporting surfaces in the best possible condition.

“There’s a fantastic opportunity in sports turf maintenance for school leavers, people wishing to change career or re-entering the workplace,” concludes Steve. “To have the opportunity to reach these people and explain that at the Jersey Skills Show has been fantastic and the ProCore did as good a job for us there as it has been doing out in the field!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.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.