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NEWS ARTICLES

Jacobsen At AZ Alkmaar

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Jacobsen At AZ Alkmaar: Currently third in the Eredivisie, Dutch football club AZ Alkmaar has purchased a Jacobsen Fairway 250 to maintain training ground pitches at the new 10-acre facility. The delivery was made by local Jacobsen dealer Voets Tractoren en Werktuigen BV.

René Schouten de Jel has worked at the club for five years and is part of the team that maintains the training ground pitches. Commenting on the new facility, he said:

Jacobsen At AZ Alkmaar

“We have four natural grass pitches and four artificial pitches. At the stadium, we have two Desso GrassMaster pitches. Two groundsmen, including myself, are based at the training centre, and we have three staff who maintain the stadium pitches. We recently purchased the Jacobsen Fairway 250 to replace our old machine which was very old and did not meet the standards required from a topflight Dutch football team.

“This is the first Jacobsen machine the club has purchased; we asked three companies to tender, and Jacobsen came out on top. The quality of the product is outstanding, and it was certainly the best value for money. We also received a very good reference from Rob Wilderom at Zaanse Golf Club, which is just around the corner from us. He mentioned how good the quality of cut and reliability was, so we couldn’t argue with that. Everything about the mower, from ease-of-maintenance to usability is perfect for us here.

“We have also received very good service from both of our dealers, Van der Pols and Voets Tractoren en Werktuigen BV. This is an important factor to consider when making any purchase; the after-sales support is just as crucial as the quality of the product. The representatives at the company have been very helpful; they always pop in to check on us and provide their knowledge and expertise when required. Overall, it has been a fantastic experience.”

The AZ Alkmaar training centre is located near to Amsterdam and opened in the autumn of 2016. The club has 15 teams, and the new training facility features offices, a gym, players’ rooms and a restaurant. Highly regarded manager Louis van Gaal, who managed the club from 2005 to 2009, lauded the standard of the facility:

“A real environment for top sports,” he said when he was asked for his opinion during the official opening. “It is inevitable that, with everything in place like a vision, people and facilities, things will only get better.”

AZ Alkmaar are hoping to be contenders for the domestic and international leagues in the years to come. They are currently five points behind Ajax and 12 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven with six games left to play this season.

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com/europe

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Groundsman Nominated For Award

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Groundsman Nominated For Award: A member of staff from Colwyn Bay Football Club has been nominated for a prestigious award.

Elfyn Jones was nominated for the Evo-Stik North Groundsman of the Year, and his sterling efforts throughout the season have seen him reach the final three.

The 52-year-old Rhyl resident will now attend at glitzy award ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Blackpool on Saturday, June 16 where the winner will be announced.

Jones is in his second season volunteering with the Seagulls after previously holding a position with Warrington Town, and he has also assisted at National League side Chester at times during the campaign.

He spends between 25 and 30 hours a week working on the pitch at Llanelian Road, combining his time at the club with the tanning salon he runs in the area, where he spends 35 hours a week on average.

Jones, said: “I didn’t expect to get this far and I am surprised, but having praise off referees and home and away fans regarding how good the pitch is looking is so nice to hear.

“This makes all worthwhile and the players also have a good surface to play on. I sometimes work longer when we’re playing at home as there’s preparation in brushing, slitting and aeration work needs doing. Also fertilising when required.”

This recognition is even more significant when you consider the terrible weather conditions that have blighted the domestic game over the winter months, which has made the preparation process extremely challenging for Jones and other groundsmen in the region.

“This season has been the worst ever, the amount of rain we’ve had has made life difficult,” he added.

“I was unable to put the tractor on the pitch for three weeks due to it being simply too wet. The last few months I’ve been more busy on my sponge roller collecting water off the pitch than I ever have before.”

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Surbiton Fast Forward With Toro

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Surbiton Fast Forward With Toro: When it comes to course machinery, Surbiton Golf Club has done things in the same manner for many years. But times are now changing, beginning with the delivery of its first full fleet. The lease deal with Toro and Reesink Turfcare is a statement of the club’s desire to deliver a golfing experience to members that will be the envy of other clubs in the Surrey area.

When Andrew Kerr joined the club in Chessington as head greenkeeper, he went straight to work with the Greens Committee to deliver a complete overhaul of the way the club acquired and replaced its machinery.

Surbiton Fast Forward With Toro

Clint Whittaker, club secretary, explains: “We used to purchase machines outright when required, as part of our capital investment plan. This meant we had machines of varying ages, some of which couldn’t provide Andrew with the performance he needed to deliver the course results we expect. So rather than just replace a few machines, we decided to acquire a whole new fleet that is optimised to meet the very high expectations of our members.”

Andrew, who is currently finalising his qualification as a master greenkeeper, says: “There’s a great deal of choice for players, so it’s imperative to be the best you can be on the budget you have. We’re not one of the biggest clubs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have the best presented course around. I was determined to bring the best machinery to support our course maintenance regime. I wanted to show the membership what’s possible when you have the right equipment.”

As a club owned by its members, this change in policy had to not only win over the committee, but 700 members too. Andrew continues: “It only took one viewing of the latest Toros, brought in by Reesink, to convince everyone that Toro was the brand to go with to raise the bar. I’ve found the management and the members to be entirely supportive, and when it came to the benefits of a lease agreement they were in absolute agreement. Our Toro fleet is delivering what I believe it should. The new technology we have at our fingertips means the greenkeeping team is making a real difference to the playability and quality of the course.”

Clint agrees: “All in all, we could see this was an investment in the future of the club we had to go with.”

Included in the fleet are four Greensmaster 1000 and three Greensmaster 1600 pedestrian mowers, two Reelmaster 5510-D ride-ons, two TriFlex 3420 hybrids, one with an 11-blade set-up and one with an eight, a Groundsmaster 4700-D, two Groundsmaster 3500-D mowers and a Multi Pro 5800-D.

Mike Taylor from Reesink Turfcare says: “Andrew came to us with a clear vision of what he wanted the machinery to achieve.  It was a joint effort between Reesink and Surbiton Golf Club to make sure he got everything on that list to realise his vision. It was a big step forward for the club and provides real certainty that the greens team can meet member expectations.”

So, where there is a will there is a way. You don’t need the biggest budget to get the equipment you want, or the finish you feel your members deserve. Look at the options with your management committee and where relevant the membership. Find the best people in the dealer and distributor network to talk to about what you want to achieve and consider that, just like a picture, a demo is worth more than a thousand words.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Golf Greens Damaged

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Golf Greens Damaged: Two greens at the Beverley Park Golf Course suffered from a case of vandalism over the Easter weekend.

Between the close of play on Easter Saturday evening and Easter Sunday morning vandals  damaged the 5th and 12th greens near the Targo Road boundary.

“It looks like the greens have been raked with a metal or wooden stake,” Mr Bates said.

The damage has been estimated at around $1800. St George Police have been informed.

“The additional repair work is yet another burden for the overworked five-member course staff, their budget and hectic work schedule,” Mr Bates said.

The club has lodged a development application to erect a 2.1-metre railing fence around the perimeter of the golf course which is being opposed by Beverley Park residents.

The club has said the fence is necessary to stop vandalism, anti-social behaviour and golfers using the course without paying which has caused the club to lose $55,000 a year in green fees.

The residents say the fence will see the removal of about 156 trees and bar access to the golf course which as Crown Land should be accessible to the public.

They say CCTV and extra security could be used to stop any vandalism.

The club said there is a small parcel of land that is Crown Land and the council owns the rest with the lease saying the club will not give right of way across the premises.

The development application is before Georges River Council for a decision.

“The club has had enough of the ongoing damage to the course, losing over $100,000 per annum due to people hopping over the old dilapidated wooden logs at the back end of the course and playing for nothing, as well as the ongoing damage and anti-social behaviour,” Mr Bates said.

“All other courses in the St George district and the shire have security fences erected for obvious reasons and we want to bring Beverley Park into line with them.

“Like any business which services more than 50,000 games a year and costs more than $900,000 to maintain, we need to ensure it is locked up and kept safe during the night.”

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New Solid Gear Safety Shoe

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New Solid Gear Safety Shoe: The ONE GTX from Solid Gear is a superbly constructed safety shoe with seven integrated layers to deliver excellent comfort and protection.

It’s designed and built for active professionals who need a highly breathable, light and flexible safety shoe. With a GORE-TEX SURROUND membrane they’re fully breathable and ideal for warmer weather and combined indoor/outdoor activities.

New Solid Gear Safety Shoe

The shoe’s stretchable upper is water-resistant with amazing performance when it comes to breathability, fit and flexibility. What’s more, it has a honeycombed sole for enhanced grip and a composite midsole. It also has a stabilising heel support to minimise injuries from twisting.

The ONE GTX also comes with Solid Gear’s newly developed NANO Toe-Cap. It’s 40% stronger than fiberglass, lighter than other materials and thinner than other non-metallic toe-caps.

So get to know more about the quality and innovation plus the top class safety functionality in every Solid Gear product – your feet will notice the difference.

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