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NEWS ARTICLES

Boughton GC Lease With Reesink

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Boughton GC Lease With Reesink: Boughton Golf Club in the Kentish North Downs, has become the most recent in a long line of clubs to see the value of a five-year lease deal with Reesink Turfcare and Toro.

Joining the 27-hole club is a fleet of Toro greens, tees, surrounds, fairways and rough mowers, a comprehensive selection to accommodate the club as it enters a period of expansion.

Boughton GC Lease With Reesink

Gary Debenham, course manager at Boughton for almost 25 years, says: “Investment from the owners Johnathan Callister, CEO, and James Tory is being made in the club that not only brings in the machinery, but expansion to the club and its offering.

“It made economic sense to go for a lease deal, the terms are better and it’s affordable. With that decided it only left which brand and distributor to go for, and that was an easy decision to make. Toro is the market leader, we’ve used them for years and have always been impressed with their value, longevity and reliability. I knew they were a safe bet.”

With these factors in mind, Gary opted for three Reelmaster 3100-D ride-ons to replace three older Toro models. Richard Wood, Reesink sales manager, says: “The three new Reelmasters replace three older Toros which were between 14 and 21 years old, and had accumulated 5000-6000 hours work. They were consistently reliable in front-line use, particularly because of the constant power to at least two wheels at all times providing unbeatable traction for the rolling countryside the club inhabits. There was no question of a different mower when you’ve experienced this level of reliability and longevity.”

Gary also chose two Reelmaster 5510-D fairway mowers for the first time. He was impressed with the way the machine performed in the demo: “The RM5510-D came with groomers attached. They’re something we haven’t had before at the club and they did so well on the finish, we didn’t hesitate to order them too.”

Gary is right about that. Groomers lift the turf and reduce the grain, help to knock off dew, disperse grass clippings and integrate clippings into the grass canopy to produce an improved quality of cut.

Completing the order for Boughton is a powerful Groundsmaster 4000-D, but also included for Boughton’s ‘sister’ club, Etchinghill Golf Club, part of Pentland Golf Group alongside Boughton, are another two Reelmaster 3100-D mowers and a TriFlex 3400-D greensmower.

Set amid 167 acres of rolling countryside in the Kentish North Downs, Boughton Golf Club is in the perfect scenic spot for weddings and events. Gary tells us a 40-bedroom boutique hotel is under construction. Due for completion in 2019, the hotel brings a pool, spa facilities, restaurants and a new outside area along with water features and fire pits to the club, and will surely see increased footfall and even more eyes on the grounds.

Gary says: “Every aspect of the course and grounds will need to be at their best, all the time,” says Gary. “Footfall will increase as hotel residents use the course and as the hotel hosts weddings and events. I have no doubt that Toro is the perfect partner for us to achieve the best with.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Fencing Panel Proves Popular

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Fencing Panel Proves Popular: Garden owners have made it clear that they value peace and quiet when spending time outside, with the popularity of the panel increasing rapidly across the country, with sales so far in 2018 double what they were in 2017. The panels are designed in a clever manner to reduce nuisance sounds such as barking dogs, road traffic and noisy neighbours by as much as eight times, whilst still offering style and affordability.

This is the first DIY acoustic panel on the market, and is readily available via national retailer’s websites for delivery directly to consumer’s homes. The panel can be fitted as a replacement between existing fence posts or as a new fence run. Tests show that the panels can achieve a reduction in the noise level of as much as 30dB.  Each successive reduction of 10 decibels is equal to halving the noise level, so it is easy to see that they can have a very dramatic effect. It is no surprise, therefore, that the product scooped Best Garden Landscaping Product prize at the Garden Industry Manufacturer’s Association (GIMA) Awards in 2017.

Fencing Panel Proves Popular

The popularity of the panel doesn’t just come down to its noise reducing performance, though. It is also blessed with great looks that belie its hidden capabilities. Each panel is 180cm high and 183cm wide with the boards mounted vertically (making it a standard 6ft panel size).  However, the panel looks equally as attractive with the boards running horizontally with which arrangement it is 180cm wide so can replace standard sized European panels.

The thick (17mm) interlocking tongue and groove boards are smooth planed and moulded into a triangulated shape.  These are mounted within a 45mm thick rebated frame to ensure there are no gaps for noise to pass through.

Each panel is FSC certified and carries a 15-year anti-rot guarantee.

“This fencing brings peace and quiet plus privacy back to gardens subjected to unwanted noise,” says Nicola Simpson, head of marketing for Forest Garden. “The success of the fencing since its launch is a reflection of the uniqueness and innovative design of this product. It offers an affordable and ready to use solution to reducing noise pollution, which has really struck a chord with the public.”

The panel retails at £119.99 and is are available at selected stockists nationwide.

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New WOLF-Garten 72 Volt Range

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New WOLF-Garten 72 Volt Range: The WOLF-Garten 72 Volt Li-ion power battery garden tool range is an interchangeable battery system that delivers powerful garden tools without engine fumes, tangled cables, or short run times.

The 72 Volt range began life as three lawnmowers and was then expanded to include three handheld tools; a grass trimmer, a hedge cutter and a leaf blower. Each model is compatible with an interchangeable 72 Volt Li-ion power battery and charger system. These 2.5Ah high-performance batteries have 180 watt-hours and are fully charged in just 60 minutes. If you are particularly short of time, there is even a super quick charge option, which provides an 80% charge after just 45 minutes, making it one of the fastest chargers on the market.

New WOLF-Garten 72 Volt Range

In fact, the 72 Volt rechargeable batteries deliver immediate power and offer the longest charge time of all comparable battery-powered garden tools. An integrated cooling and ventilation system helps prevent overheating and guaranteeing longer service life with safe charging.

Every machine within the range is light, quiet to use and easy to handle, and requires almost no maintenance or upkeep.

The lawnmowers available include the LIONPOWER34, LIONPOWER37 and the LIONPOWER40, with each model being suitable for differing lawn sizes.

Each of these precision engineered lawnmowers feature the WOLF-Garten ACC system – Advanced Cut and Collect. This system generates a strong airflow to straighten grass stems before cutting and accelerating the cuttings into the grass bag.

In terms of operating, these lawnmowers have been designed to make cutting the lawn a real pleasure, not a chore. They all feature quick-release handles with soft grip, providing comfort and safety. In addition, the mowers only run when the safety key is turned, even if the battery is plugged in, offering real peace of mind, especially if there are children around.

The 30T Grass Trimmer is perfect for tidying edges, and is aided by a telescopic, adjustable tilting handle with edging function. For further ease of use and user comfort it has a cutting head cover to reduce mess from grass cuttings, as well as a shoulder strap and soft grips. The battery provides over an hour of running time.

The 55H Hedge Cutter also benefits from a 60 minute run time and an ergonomically designed handle with soft grips. This means that the machine can be operated continually without fatigue. The swivelling mechanism can be set to five angles (-95° / -45° / 0° / 45° / 90°) meaning your hands are always in the optimum cutting position. With a cutting length of 55cm, and a cutting blade spacing of 26mm, this machine tackles even the most unruly of hedges with ease!

The final machine within the range is the 24B Leaf Blower. This powerful piece of equipment benefits from an axial fan, which delivers maximum efficiency and effectiveness with speeds of 240 km/h and can run for up to 60 minutes. The short blower pipe ensures a wide airflow, while the longer pipe generates the maximum air speed. A turbo function generates greater power when needed at the touch of a button and combined with the wide blower pipe with integrated leaf scraper, can handle the garden tidy up with ease.

Mark Hewett, Divisional Sales Manager of WOLF-Garten, said: “This is the perfect lightweight cordless powered tool collection, offering a real cable-free alternative and a total modern day gardening solution.”

All of the 72 Volt Li-ion power machines carry a 3 year guarantee.

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Cobra’s Cordless Convenience

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Cobra’s Cordless Convenience: The last two years has seen significant growth in the garden product market for battery powered equipment. One brand which has fully embraced this technology is Cobra which has two lithium-ion battery options in its range with both a 40-volt and a 24-volt system.

The 40-volt range consists of six products – three mowers, a grass trimmer, a chainsaw and a hedgetrimmer. The 24 volt range has three products with a grass trimmer, blower and hedgetrimmer.

Cobra’s Cordless Convenience

Managing director of Cobra, Peter Chaloner, explains the difference: “Our ethos at Cobra is about offering something for every gardener and every garden, which is why we now have over 150 powered products in our range. We wanted to create products that deliver the exact amount of power required for each gardening task, particularly within our battery offering, so we introduced the 40-volt system as well as the 24-volt option for handheld products. 24-volts is ideal for domestic gardeners as it delivers the optimum amount of power without having a hefty price tag. In addition to that the products are light and easy to use so perfect for a quick bit of garden maintenance”.

The broader benefits of battery powered products have now been widely recognized by gardeners who are seeking convenience and a hassle-free alternative that is quick and easy to use and store. Each battery is transferable throughout its system.

Compared with traditional battery technology, Cobra lithium-ion batteries charge faster, last longer and have a higher power density for more battery life in a lighter package. The three mowers (a 16” hand-propelled, a 16” hand propelled rear roller and a 18” self-propelled) all utilise a 4ah battery to give 30 minutes usage from a 90 minute charge. The handheld 40-volt products also take 90 minutes to charge from flat and the grass trimmer has an 80 minute runtime, the hedgetrimmer is 85 minutes and the chainsaw is 50 minutes.

The 24-volt range is powered by 2ah batteries which charge in two hours. The run time varies depending on the task but the grass trimer will have an average usage of 30 minutes, the blower will be 20 minutes and the hedgetrimmer 50 minutes. Spare batteries and chargers are also available to guarantee continuous usage whilst one battery is charging.

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AllGrass Put Trust In Campey

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AllGrass Put Trust In Campey: Scottish turf contractors AllGrass Turf Care, part of the Allstone Glasgow Group, wanted to invest in the latest technology when starting their business, so decided on multiple Campey Turf Care Systems machines.

This purchase included a new 5th generation Koro FIELDTOPMAKER (Koro FTM) fitted with a Terraplane rotor, Raycam Uni-Rake and Dakota spreader to name a few. The new 2.5m Koro FTM with Terraplane rotor provides total surface clean up and removes organic matter using carbide tipped blades and leaves a level surface to work on as part of a high-quality renovation.

AllGrass Put Trust in Campey

Although the machinery decisions were made based on decades worth of experience, AllGrass director John Rushforth also listened to the needs of groundsmen and sought advice from others in the industry, such as Premier Pitches owner Carl Pass and director Russell Latham.

For a new company, the importance of picking the correct machines for a first fleet is vital and it was the trust in Campey as well as John’s own experience and the advice from others in the industry that made it an easy decision.

“I’ve got a massive amount of confidence in Richard Heywood, Richard Campey and Campey as a company,” he said.

“Throughout my career, it’s always been Campey I’ve dealt with and I knew the Koro FTM  was a good machine. “The 5th generation Koro FTM 2.5 model is phenomenal. It’s a breath of fresh air when you take a machine on a park and it leaves it clean regardless if the conditions are dry or damp.

“We came from using the old one but the new one is easier to set, it’s a better-balanced machine because it has the weights on one side, so it reacts better to the tractor. I’ve got a smile on my face every time I see it work because the pitch is always spotless and then I know we’re onto a winner.

“The machines have all been exactly what we wanted, we’ve not been disappointed in one bit of kit, we’re actually looking to purchase another Dakota spreader and probably a ShockWave.”

A strong part of AllGrass’ ethos is to expand on existing maintenance practices and offer effective alternatives to customers who operate on a smaller budget. A machine that fits this aim perfectly is the Raycam UniRake, which offers high-intensity grooming that can be calibrated in its severity.

AllGrass Put Trust in Campey

“I’ve been especially impressed with the UniRake,” John said. “I think a lot of clubs will have one in the future. Not everyone can afford decent scarification or to take the pitches back to bare-bones, so we need to come up with different ways to renovate pitches.

“When we first started AllGrass we got a lot of support from Scottish groundsmen which we are very grateful for. I was fortunate to shadow a number of grounds teams on match days and I learnt more about how to maintain and renovate from ground staff because everything from training grounds to stadium builds are different. That’s why we have to constantly keep up with what’s on offer and make sure we’re using the best.”

The forward-thinking approach of AllGrass doesn’t stop there. The company are also conscious of the impact their work has on the environment and have taken steps to ensure that all the waste products from the pitches they work on is recycled rather being dumped at a landfill.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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

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