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Lynx Control For A Links Course

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Lynx Control For A Links Course: Easy Toro irrigation for Portmarnock’s challenging Links course

The 27-hole private members club, Portmarnock Golf Club, has updated its previous irrigation system with a Toro Lynx control system and 1,220 Toro Infinity Series Sprinklers across the site. Irrigating the challenging course is now easy thanks to round-the-clock access to course conditions via apps synced to the new Lynx control system.

Portmarnock Golf Club not only offers golfers a stunning view of Velvet Strand beach, but the William Chalmers Pickeman, George Ross and Mungo Park designed course makes the most of the natural terrain to keep players on their toes. Links manager of ten years Gary Johnstone also thrives on the challenges presented by the course, saying it: “keeps the job interesting.”

Lynx Control For A Links Course

So when the club’s cable network started to degrade, leaving the old irrigation system unreliable, those at Portmarnock Golf Club saw it not as an obstacle but an opportunity to update the system to suit the course down to a tee.

Gary explains: “We looked at all the irrigation products on the market over a two-year period to find out which company had the best products to suit our needs, and Toro was the clear winner.”

He continues: “Local contractor Aquaturf Solutions Ltd installed our Toro irrigation system and carried out the work over six months with minimum disturbance to the course, in a very professional manner.”

According to Gary, setting up the new system was simple: “With Lynx, it’s easy to set up specific irrigation programmes to meet the needs of Links turf.”

Gary’s favourite aspect of the new system is the accessibility: “The control system is easy to operate and can be accessed anywhere via apps, allowing us to monitor the course’ water needs at all times. This gives us greater control over our irrigation management, as real-time adjustments can be made to give turf the right amount of water.”

The 1,220 Toro Infinity Sprinklers installed course-wide have impressed too: “The Infinity sprinklers have so many good points: their ease of operation, that you can access the top of the sprinkler for repairs, and they are future proof,” says Gary.

“Before, it was difficult to keep the course up to Championship standard with our failing irrigation system. Now irrigation is easy thanks to Toro and we can focus on the challenges ahead, such as hosting the Amateur Championship in 2019, knowing the grass plants will be healthy and play will be great.”

For more information, please visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Textron Golf Chosen at Hogs Head Golf Club  

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Textron Golf Chosen at Hogs Head Golf Club: Hogs Head Golf Club, a brand-new course located in County Kerry, Ireland, has chosen equipment from Textron Golf (Jacobsen®, E-Z-GO® and Cushman®) to maintain its surfaces.

The course replaces Skellig Bay Golf Club and has been built in the picturesque town of Waterville, with golfer’s able to enjoy spectacular views of the Irish coast and Atlantic Ocean. Local dealer Broderick Grass Machinery demonstrated and delivered the new machinery.

The machinery purchased by the Club includes three LF577 fairway mowers, one AR522 rough mower, one AR-3 rotary mower, two GP400 greens mowers, two Eclipse 322 greens mowers, 10 Greens King mowers for tees and greens, a Jacobsen Truckster, two ISEKI tractors, 20 E-Z-GO RXV ELiTE Freedom golf cars and a Cushman Hauler PRO.

Textron Golf Chosen at Hogs Head Golf Club  

David Daly is the golf course superintendent at Hogs Head Golf Club. Commenting on the opening of the new course, and the equipment purchased, he said:

“This is a very exciting time for everyone involved in this project. We started construction in March 2016 where we used 150,000 tonnes of sand to cap all playing areas with eight inches of sand. The course will play firm, fast and dry all year round. It has been an eye-opening experience, but the results speak for themselves.

“We chose equipment from Textron Golf because Jacobsen was recommended by Michael Murphy at Waterville Golf Links, and I have used the machines in the past and they have always been very good. The technology on the Eclipse is the best you’ll find, and it also provides us with a fantastic quality of cut. I am also very impressed with the LF577; it now takes us half the time to cut the fairways than it used to on the old course.

“A crucial part of the decision-making process was the relationship with the dealer and the back-up support we would receive. This is where Brodericks, and our local dealer Pat Geaney, really made our minds up for us. The companies both provide the best service around, and I know I can have parts delivered the same day if needed. I’m very happy with the equipment from Textron Golf, and the support from our dealers.”

Niall Moran is the general manager at Hogs Head Golf Club, and was responsible for the purchase of the new E-Z-GO ELiTE Freedom golf cars. He said:

“Investing in these golf cars was a no-brainer for the Club. They deliver the best performance, save us the most money by reducing electricity bills, and are light on the course which prevents damage. We have put a lot of resources into course maintenance equipment, so we want to ensure that the surfaces are protected as much as possible, and the new golf cars provide us with this. We’ll be using them on the golf course and for transporting people from the hotel to the course and vice versa.”

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

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Vitalnova Blade and Primo Maxx Keep Standards High

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Vitalnova Blade and Primo Maxx Keep Standards High at Trentham Golf Club: Ed Stant, Course Manager at Trentham Golf Club in Staffordshire believes that two ICL products have been integral in maintaining the health of the course without excessive grass growth.

Trentham Golf Club is one of the oldest and most respected clubs in England and its course is considered one of the finest. This prestigious club, which has over 400 members, has played host to Open Championship Qualifying, England Golf and Staffordshire County events for both men and ladies, most recently the English Champion Club in 2014 and the English Women’s Open Amateur Match Play Championship in July 2015.

Ed has been Course Manager at Trentham for nine years and oversees the maintenance of the course along with his seven members of staff. However, due to the geographical position of the club, maintaining the health of the turf is not always straight forward according to Ed.

Vitalnova Blade and Primo Maxx Keep Standards High

“Up here we just seem to be a bit behind in terms of the weather; I used to live in Walsall which is only 35 miles away, and we are always a couple of weeks behind that area, especially when coming out of winter – it is bizarre. It just seems to take a bit longer for soil temperatures to come up – for example we had snow and hailstones in April and May this year.

“When I was first interviewed for the position of Course Manager here, I was asked when I would be able to get the greens to a good standard because previously they hadn’t been good until June. With that in mind my goal is to maintain turf health through the season without excessive growth. They are now good in April and that is down to all the different products we have been using.”

In particular, Ed has reported excellent results from ICL’s Vitalnova Blade and Primo Maxx – as he explains:

“I’m a big fan of Primo Maxx – it is a great product. I think that people forget that it is more than just a growth regulator. It helps with root development and also with the uptake of nutrients. We use it on the greens, the tees and the approaches.

“On the greens I normally apply 200ml every two weeks during the growing season but I might alter that depending on the weather and how they look. If approaches are cut at 9mm then we apply 1 L/ha  and on the tees we apply 1.2 L/ha. In both cases this is applied every four to six weeks.

“We actually had one year off from using Primo Maxx, which tied in with us moving from triple mowing to hand mowing. The plan was to hand mow on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday and just roll on a Tuesday and Thursday – but it just didn’t work. The greens didn’t perform as well.”

While Primo Maxx does help keep excessive growth at bay, Vitalnova Blade, a formulated biostimulant, works to boost microbial activity and encourage better rooting. Combining seaweed, carbohydrates, a small amount of macro nutrients and trace elements, Vitalnova Blade provides a readily available source of carbon together with a range of micronutrients and amino acids which stimulate soil biology and improves all round turf health.

Designed to be used during the growing season, it is a perfect tank-mix partner for Seaweed where the aim is to optimise recovery and maintain a natural colour. When used regularly on sand-based surfaces, Vitalnova Blade offers significant improvements in microbial activity, nutrient recycling and rooting.

“Each year our target is to put down 200 Tonnes of sand on the greens and it has really helped to bring the organic matter levels down,” says Ed. “I mix Vitalnova Blade with some Seaweed and normally apply this from April through to September on a monthly basis – it’s working really well and I’ve noticed that the putting on the greens has improved. I’m seeing a lot of fresh white roots which tells me that it is working.

“A lot of the time you can’t see what is going on underneath unless you are taking soil samples and putting samples under microscopes but essentially Vitalnova Blade helps with root mass, root development and generally the health of the plant.

“For me, it’s important that the products are tested independently – just as the ICL ones are. I think the products you use on your golf course should be looked at the same as your advice on agronomy – they should be backed up by fact and figures. I get great technical expertise from Emma Kilby (ICL’s Technical Area Sales Manager) and I know that ICL products are sold based on research and development and they have evidence to prove exactly what they are selling is working – which you don’t always get from other companies.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

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YouTuber Cooks Bacon In Lawn Mower Engine

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A YouTuber created an ingenious DIY hack on a lawnmower so that it cooks bacon while cutting the grass. The man behind the YouTube channel Project Farm said the idea was suggested to him in a comment by one of his followers.

In the video he replaces the engine oil with cooking oil and modifies the mower so that it’s able to fry the bacon, which he wraps in foil.

He made a see-through window for the crank case so he could watch the bacon cook and then added wire to secure the bacon, and put a picture of a pig on the end of each of the four corners.

The video then shows the man mowing the lawn when orange smoke comes out of the mower, which the man explains somehow means the bacon is ready.

He takes out the bacon and takes a couple of bites. ‘Wow, that’s pretty good,’ he said to the camera.

‘What a perfect situation. I can mow my lawn and cook bacon at the same time,’ he continued.

To watch the full video, click here

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John Deere Supports The 2017 British Masters

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John Deere supports The 2017 British Masters: John Deere course maintenance equipment supplied by dealer Greenlay of Cramlington in Northumberland has been helping to prepare the Lee Westwood Colt Course at Close House for The 2017 British Masters in September – the first time the north-east venue has welcomed a European Tour event.

Supported by Sky Sports, the tournament has been hosted by the club’s attached tour professional Lee Westwood, who originally opened the Colt Course in 2011 as the world’s number one golfer. Other stars include Masters Champion Sergio Garcia and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, who made both his professional tournament debut and first start in a professional event in The British Masters in 2007.

Set in almost 400 acres of beautiful Northumberland countryside at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Newcastle upon Tyne, Close House was voted one of the top 100 courses in the UK just 12 months after opening in 2011, and is the only course in the north-east of England to hold that accolade.

John Deere Supports The 2017 British Masters

John Deere equipment has had a presence here from the outset, when Greenlay supplied greens, tees & surrounds and fairway mowers, an Aercore aerator and core collector, compact tractors, Gator utility vehicles and an HD200 amenity turf sprayer.

Lee Westwood has assisted in improving features on the course, and his experience in competing on the world’s best courses has allowed the Close House team to produce a golf course that provides a challenge to all levels of golfer. “It’s an undulating parkland course that is like a links to play,” says course manager Brian Clark.

Brian and his team of 20 staff maintain all areas of the estate, which has three courses including the Filly and the 9-hole Yearling par 3 in addition to the championship Colt. These are maintained to a high standard with a large equipment fleet, including the John Deere machines.

To ensure this standard is maintained throughout the four days of tournament play and ensure the smooth running of The British Masters competition, the Close House team has been assisted by 20 volunteers, while John Deere and Greenlay have also stepped in with the loan of additional equipment to supplement the existing fleet.

John Deere provided two XUV 855D S4 Gators and two greens mower trailers, two TE electric Gators and an 8000AE hybrid electric fairways mower, with Greenlay supplying a 9009A TerrainCut rough mower featuring the programmable TechControl display.

“Course preparation started 18 months ago, and there has been a lot more fine manicuring to bring the cut to PGA presentation standards,” says Brian Clark. “The 8000AE is being used on the fairways to maintain the height at 8mm throughout the tournament. Our existing John Deere 2653 utility mower helps keep the semi-rough to 30mm, and the greens are being mown at anything from 2.5 to 3mm.

“The mowers ensure a high standard of cut – whenever a new model comes onto the market I’m amazed at the improvement in cut quality. The extra Gators and mower trailers also help to ensure that we can get men and machines quickly and efficiently around the course to mow the tees, greens and approaches.

“Close House hosting The British Masters is very good for the north-east, and we very much appreciate the assistance from John Deere and Greenlay, with whom we have a good, long established relationship – the after-sales back-up the dealer provides is fantastic.”

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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