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Colour Splash Wows At Burnham

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Colour Splash Wows At Burnham: Lee Bishop, Course Manager at Burnham Beeches Golf Club in South Buckinghamshire, has said that Limagrain UK’s range of Colour Splash flower mixtures have helped him to transform an unsightly area into a stunning display of vibrant flowers – much to the delight of the members.

Situated in the Thames Valley in South Buckinghamshire, Burnham Beeches measures 6,458 yards, has a Par 70 and offers a true and challenging test of golf. Founded in 1891, it is the oldest club in Buckinghamshire after it was founded by a group of locals who called a public meeting in the village school.

Colour Splash Wows At Burnham

Over the years the course has gained a great reputation and has been graced with players such as James Braid, J H Taylor and Harry Vardon who, between them, won the British Open no less than 16 times, as well as other golfing legends such as Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer.

Lee has been working at Burnham Beeches for an impressive 20 years and has been the Course Manager for the last 10. Along with six other members of staff Lee tends to the course, which is located in a beautiful setting on the edge of the historic Burnham Beeches woodland and is framed by a large number of mature trees.

Surrounded, mostly, by natural beauty there was however one particular area of the course which Lee felt needed improving.

“There was a bit of a wasteland area around our nets and the clubhouse directly overlooked it,” he says. “To be honest it was very scruffy and it wasn’t a great view for our members. It definitely needed a makeover and that is why we thought we would try the Colour Splash mixtures from Limagrain.”

Limagrain UK’s range of Colour Splash flower mixtures are used in a broad range of landscape and amenity areas throughout the UK. The much loved brand was first established over ten years ago where the development of the mixtures were created in the beautiful county of Loir-et-Cher, in the centre of France. With nine mixtures in the Colour Splash range there is a floral arrangement for every requirement – whether it be a golf course, a local authority green space or any other establishment that has an area which needs brightening up.

For Burnham Beeches, Lee initially chose Aurora – a medium height mixture which grows to around a half-metre tall. It contains Sunbow Zinnia and Trianon Cosmos which provide more effective and long-lasting flowering. After using this mixture for two years running and receiving huge praise from club members, Lee decided to add the Festival mixture this year.

“The Aurora mixture was really successful and I wanted to enhance the area with another mixture. I used the Festival seed this year because it will add a bit more height and can be seen even more so from a distance. The area is visible from quite a few areas on the golf course so it will be there for everybody to see.

Colour Splash Wows At Burnham

“The members absolutely love it and have been really supportive. Once they saw the stunning array of flowers, and the potential it had, they started pushing for us to do more areas – hence why we are going to do even more areas with the Colour Splash next year.”

The Colour Splash range of mixtures are extremely easy to sow and the resulting vigorous plants are more than capable of competing with weeds. Their vigour is equally matched by robustness; resisting long periods of drought. According to Lee they are also a low cost option for those wanting an abundance of colour in fairly quick time.

“It is such a simple process. All I do is hire a rotorvator, use a small bit of weed killer and that is it. The seed mixtures are not expensive whatsoever – you get good, quick germination and I would encourage people to do it.

“I’ve also introduced bees to the area and have installed a couple of hives. There is a lot of press about bees and how scarce they are now so I think it is a great thing to do. We’ve got information boards about the bees on how we need to look after them and how the Colour Splash mixtures will help protect and make them flourish.

“My decision in choosing the Colour Splash was both because of the environmental benefits and the great aesthetics they provide – so if we can give something back to nature at the same time as the course looking great, then I think that is a job well done.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm

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New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay

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New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay: The Pasture (Fairways) Sports Complex boasts an astroturf surface which is a hub for sport in the community of Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. A true multi-functional pitch, it see’s many hours of play per week taking its toll on the condition of the surface. Synthetic specialists Replay Maintenance were recently called in to conduct their Rejuvenation® process, which has given the pitch a new lease of life.

Owned by Selby District Council, the day to day running of the site is controlled by Parish Council Clerk of 34 years Margaret Gibson. “The Pastures is a great asset and hosts a variety of sports including hockey, football and tennis. The upkeep of the pitch, together with the surrounding park, falls to a contractor but this is really just on an ad-hoc basis and following months of poor weather, and high play usage the pitch was in need of a more thorough deep clean.” The services of Replay were recommended by a local England Hockey representative, to which Replay are the sole official maintenance partner.

New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay

“Replay came in to conduct their Rejuvenation® process at the end of April and the end result was fantastic. It refurbished the pitch to a point where it looked like a new surface which was welcomed by all of the clubs and players who use the site.” Replay’s unique Rejuvenation process uses constant air-flow plenum technology and compressed air to remove the contaminated top layer of sand; restore the pile to vertical and fill again with new clean infill. It can restore a surface to an ‘as new’ condition for appearance, drainage and performance and often double the playing life of a pitch for a fraction of the cost of a replacement carpet.

Following the successful Rejuvenation®, the Parish Council made the decision to appoint Replay on a service agreement basis which will now see them visit twice a year to conduct a deep-clean. Sales Director of Replay Maintenance Nick Harris reiterates the importance of planned maintenance. “Choosing regular, arranged maintenance gives you peace of mind that your surface is getting the treatment required, at a fixed amount and at intervals that suit the needs of each individual facility. With Replay we also conduct pre and post maintenance testing to show the difference the maintenance regime is making, enabling you to plan future requirements far more effectively.”

New Life For Sports Surface Thanks To Replay

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Verti-Top Helps Improve Efficiency

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Verti-Top Helps Improve Efficiency: The latest addition to their vast fleet of machinery at South Wales Sports Grounds (SWSG) is a Redexim Verti-Top 1200 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery.  SWSG undertake a wide variety of grounds maintenance contracts for a range of clients from local authorities, major contracting groups, universities and colleges through to individual sports clubs and private clients – with no two days bringing the same tasks and demands.

Established in 1964, SWSG has continued to cultivate a reputation as one of the leading sports surface contractors in the region. “The demand for synthetic maintenance, especially with local authorities, schools and sports clubs, has increased to the point where our machinery is in use on a daily basis” explains Construction Director Francis McDermott. “We started to have quite a few issues with our previous machine so decided to have a look at what else is available. We already have several pieces of Redexim equipment for the maintenance of natural surfaces, and recognise it as being good quality, so took a look at their Verti-Top 1200.”

Verti-Top Helps Improve Efficiency

The Verti-Top conducts surface and deep-cleaning, utilising a rotary brush to lift the pile and extract up to the top 15mm of infill and foreign material. The infill is then sieved to remove dust and detritus before being returned and brushed into the surface leaving a clean, level and aesthetically pleasing finish. “We looked at a few alternatives but felt the Verti-Top was a better machine all-round”, which saw Francis and his team taking delivery of one in March this year.

“Richard Lucas of Charterhouse, together with local dealer Frank Suttons, came over to install the machine. We have one specialist who operates the Verti-Top, and although he’s well versed with this type of machine, it was really helpful for Richard to come and outline the key differences. In the relatively short amount of time we’ve had the Verti-Top we’re noticing a better quality of finish, and at 1.2m, its wider working width than our previous machine means our efficiency has also improved.”

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Agronomic Services A Success At Wolves

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Agronomic Services A Success At Wolves: Following on from Wolverhampton Wanderers FC’s incredible season, being promoted to the Premier League,  Agronomic Services Ltd are delighted to announce their continued working partnership with Wayne Lumbard and his team.

David Snowden of Agronomic Services Ltd said “We are thrilled for Wayne, his team and the club, it has been fantastic to follow this season and the quality of the pitch has been superb. We have been particularly pleased with feedback from industry colleagues and Groundsman, it is a testament to Wayne and his team.”

Agronomic Services A Success At Wolves

The combination of Eon Bio, which gives rapid establishment and mass rooting, in particular during renovations, combined with Floratine foliar nutrition and excellent Groundsmanship has been the recipe for success at the Molineux and Training Grounds.

Wayne Lumbard commented that the most difficult part of his job in the last season had been the installation and the renovation of the pitch and by September the pitch “just got better and better.”

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Polaris Race To Goodwood

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Polaris Race To Goodwood: Nowhere else can you get so close to cars and bikes blasting up the Hillclimb track than the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Described as ‘motorsport’s ultimate summer garden party, an intoxicating display of speed and power’, the venue on the Goodwood Estate lets you enjoy unrestricted access to the machines and drivers.  Where better then for Polaris to show the most powerful Ranger side by sides, Sportsman and the sensational RZR Dynamix. Against the beautiful backdrop of English parkland you can see, sit in and admire the latest power machines from Polaris.

The RZR Dynamix Active Suspension is the world’s first and only intelligent suspension system designed for this type of off-road vehicle, continuously adjusting your shock absorbers on the fly. You no longer have to choose between setting your suspension for a comfortable ride or performance because Dynamix adjusts to your driving.

Polaris Race To Goodwood

If you want a seriously fast yet totally versatile side by side the Polaris GENERAL will take you from 0 to 40mph in 3.6 seconds and when it’s time for work the GENERAL offers you the biggest payload of 1100 lbs (498kg). Dual bolstered bucket seats with thin film technology provides a dry ride in wet conditions and for even greater luxury you can choose a model with  adjustable Fox Podium X 2.0 QS3 Shocks, a Polaris Pro-Fit Lock & Ride Sport Roof, rear-view mirror and MTX® Premium sound system with Bluetooth connectivity.

Polaris is celebrating the 20th year of production of the Ranger side by side and the one millionth Ranger has rolled off the production line. The latest in the range, the Polaris Ranger XP 1000, sets new standards with over one hundred user inspired improvements, boasts class leading power (82hp) and torque (61lb-ft) and industry leading towing at over 1100kg.

On display at Goodwood alongside its side by side cousins is the most powerful ATV ever. The new Sportsman XP 1000 delivers an ultimate 90hpw and comes with Electronic Power Steering, a new 3-Mode Throttle Control and industry first Digital Gauge with Bluetooth Connectivity. The Sportsman is packed with new features that need to be seen and tried and on exclusive offer at the Festival of Speed show is £500 worth of free accessories when you book a test ride and purchase a new machine.

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