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NEWS ARTICLES

Jacobsen Impresses At Golspie

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Jacobsen Impresses At Golspie: Golspie Golf Club, which is located on the Dornoch Firth in Scotland, is a versatile course which boasts a beguiling mix of classic links, heath and parkland holes. The Club has invested in a Jacobsen Eclipse 322 and a Jacobsen LF550 fairway mower from Textron Golf to maintain the different surfaces on the James Braid design 18-hole golf course.

“Jacobsen has provided us with the quality and versatility we need to maintain all areas of the course,” Alexander MacDonald, Head Greenkeeper at Golspie Golf Club said. “We face many challenges such as maintaining the correct and uniformed moisture levels over varying terrains, so when it comes to cutting grass, we want reliable equipment that produces a really good finish with minimal fuss. I am proud to say we’ve achieved that with the Jacobsen machines that we have purchased.”

Jacobsen Impresses At Golspie

Previously using alternative fairway mowers, Alexander observed that it took the team 40 minutes to set a machine before it was ready to cut the fairways. Conversely, the new Jacobsen LF550 is easily set in five minutes, with adjustments rarely having to be made to the cutting units.

Routine service items, including spin-on filters, are all easily accessible meaning that there’s no need for a lift. The FlashAttach™ Reel Mounting System allows for quick reel removal, and the active monitoring system provides full text diagnostics making the LF550 easy to monitor and maintain. Additionally, hard tubing with bulkhead fittings to hoses make long-term maintenance easier with fewer service parts to stock.

“We only have three full-time greenkeeping staff, so we can’t be wasting time repairing and setting machinery. This is where the LF550 has really helped us; it’s reliable, it produces a brilliant finish, and it doesn’t demand a lot of time to maintain and set-up.

“The Eclipse 322 is the best cutting machine in golf. It’s a pleasure to use on the greens, and the team loves the satisfaction of producing first-class greens which the golfers often compliment them on. Of course, having good machinery is important, but the back-up from the dealer is even more so. Our local dealer Fairways has been brilliant. Fairways has been very efficient and helpful, and if we need anything the dealer is with us within a day, meaning there isn’t any downtime.”

Alexander has been at the club for 10 years, having spent 3 ½ years at Royal Dornoch and 6 ½ years at Wentworth. Golspie Golf Club is celebrating its 128-year anniversary and was voted number 54 in Golf World’s “Scotland’s Top 100 Courses” in 2015.

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Football Pitches Vandalised

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Football Pitches Vandalised: Junior football clubs in the Bristol area have been hit with a large bill after vandals used a car to turn their pitches into a “mud bath”.

Seven pitches at Pomphrey Hill in Mangotsfield were damaged after a car managed to access the site in the early hours of Saturday, January 13.

The pitches are used by hundreds of youngsters every week, playing host to Bromley Heath Football Club and Mangotsfield Football Club matches.

Jamie Andrews-Britton, chairman of Bromley Heath FC and the Pomphrey Hill Sports Community Association, said the repairs will cost thousands.

“It happened in the early hours of Saturday morning,” he said. “A car came in at approximately 1.30am and left the property by 1.55am.

“It was 25 minutes of fun for the people in the car, but 25 minutes of fun that’s caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.

“It’s definitely a single car. We have got three levels of pitches and it’s on the bottom pitches where they’ve caused the most damage – it’s unplayable.

“Two football clubs uses these fields and if there’s no games, there’s no revenue coming in.”

The car was caught entering the site on CCTV cameras installed at the Pavilion, opposite one of the pitches, but it was too dark to identify the vehicle’s make or model.

Jamie said it looked like the vandals had driven across the pitches while attempting high-speed manoeuvres and handbrake turns.

Due to the recent rainfall, the 38-year-old said the fields had been reduced to a “mud bath”.

An online fundraising page has since been set up to help cover the repair costs.

Jamie said he had been inundated with messages of support from other football teams, offering him use of their pitches and even pledging to help with the fundraising.

“The response we have had has been outstanding – we really didn’t expect it,” he added.

“We have set up the fundraising page and it’s already had over £300 donated, and I’ve had so many calls and messages from other football clubs.

“One manager offered to take his team bag-packing to help raise funds.”

Police are now investigating the matter, and have appealed for anyone with any information to come forward.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said: “A vehicle got on to the grassed area overnight on Friday, January 12 in the Pomphrey Hill area of Mangotsfield and damaged a football pitch.

“Police enquiries are continuing into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call us quoting 5218009691.”

You can donate to Pomphrey Hill Pavilion’s online fundraising page here. Organisers are hoping to raise £1,000 to offset some of the repair costs.

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Tribute To John Harriss

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Tribute To John Harriss: John Harriss, a lifelong Bournemouth supporter who once held roles at the club as both head groundsman and referee liason officer, has died at the age of 88.

John, who spent 37 years as the club’s groundsman, passed away on Sunday evening, hours after watching Bournemouth record a historic first win over Arsenal at his home.

Back in 2013, John was awarded with a high commendation for the Unsung Hero Award at the Football League Awards in London, and has been a regular visitor to the Vitality Stadium this campaign.

An AFCB Club statement read:

“The club would like to offer their sincere condolences to John’s family and friends, and thank him for his hard work and commitment during all of his years with the football club.”

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Textron Keeps Meldrum Peaceful

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Textron Keeps Meldrum Peaceful: Meldrum House Country Hotel & Golf Course extended its hotel in 2016 to 55 rooms, and since then has invested in golf course maintenance equipment and vehicles from Textron Golf in order to lessen noise levels around the hotel grounds. The equipment featured on the five-year lease deal includes mowers and vehicles across the Jacobsen, Cushman and E-Z-GO brands. Local dealer Fairways GM facilitated the purchasing process and is providing continued after-sales support.

Meldrum House Country Hotel is a four-star hotel in a 13th-century estate house, the oldest stone building in Aberdeenshire. The hotel is set in beautifully manicured grounds which are maintained by Kenny Harper, Golf Course and Estate Grounds Manager, and his team. Having spent five years at Gleneagles, and 20 at Meldrum House, Kenny said:

Textron Golf Keeps Meldrum Peaceful

“The golf course here is a members-only course, and it is crucial that whilst we keep our members happy, we also need to be mindful of our hotel guests, as the rooms and the golf course are very close to each other geographically.

“I looked into the Jacobsen Eclipse 322 riding greens mower, and it ticked all of the boxes for us. The noise levels are dramatically reduced, meaning that we can cut greens around the hotel whenever we like without disturbing anyone. As well as the noise advantage, the Eclipse 322 doesn’t use any hydraulic oil, which means there aren’t any disastrous leaks on the greens either. I also like being able to set speeds and clip rates using a passcode so that everything is being cut consistently. The members have noticed the difference on the course; our greens have never looked better.”

As well as three Eclipse 322 greens mowers, Meldrum House has also invested in two LF570 fairway mowers, two Cushman Hauler Pro vehicles (one with a sprayer, and one with a topdresser), three Cushman XD-R vehicles one Jacobsen TR-3 mower, one AR-3, one HR500 wide-area mower, one Truckster XD, and Iseki tractor and 10 E-Z-GO RXV electric golf cars.

“The Eclipse 322 and the electric E-Z-GO vehicles are another addition to our environmental plan. The reduced noise and air pollution is important to us, and we are already using wood-burning boilers to provide hot water and heat to the hotel and maintenance facility. We also use recycled rain water for washing down machines, and wild-flower plantations were used around the hotel extension which has allowed us to have bee hives on site which we produce our own honey from. Pesticides are being reduced to protect our bees and wildlife, and our new machinery also plays a crucial role in our environmental efforts.

“We are very happy with all of the machinery from Textron Golf. Textron Golf really has its finger on the pulse right now with the latest technology and providing machinery and vehicles which are built to last. We’re very pleased with what we have, and most importantly, the back-up from Fairways is superb; nothing is too much trouble, and a representative is always in to check on us.”

Meldrum House Country Hotel & Golf Course was purchased by its current owners in 1995. A nine-hole golf course designed by Graeme Webster was opened in 1999, and an 18-hole, 7,000-yard parkland course followed in 2000.

About Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.

Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal transportation vehicles, snowmobiles, side-by-sides, all-terrain vehicles, professional turf-care equipment, and ground support equipment. Textron Specialized Vehicles markets products under the E-Z-GO®, Cushman®, Arctic Cat®, Textron Off Road™, Jacobsen®, Dixie Chopper®, Ransomes®, TUG™, Douglas™, Premier™ and Safeaero™ brands. Its vehicles are found in environments ranging from golf courses to factories, airports to planned communities, and theme parks to hunting preserves.

 About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training.

For more information, visit: www.textron.com

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Jacobsen Equipment At BTME

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Jacobsen Equipment At BTME: Textron Golf, the Ipswich-based manufacturer of Jacobsen commercial mowing equipment, will showcase the new AR series and TR series at the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) in Harrogate in January.

The new Jacobsen AR and TR series replaces the existing AR-3, TR-3 and Tri-King machines. Created with usability in mind, the new machines are built on a common platform, and are offered as standard or premium models.

Jacobsen Equipment At BTME

The AR321 (standard model) and AR331 (premium model) are 3WD rotary triple mowers featuring 24.8hp Kubota diesel engines. The AR321 is fitted with relay control and analogue gauges as standard, for ease of use and serviceability. Brand new cutting decks offer a quick height-of-cut adjustment system and eliminate the need for castor wheels. The AR331 has additional features such as a digital information display, a joy stick control for lifting and lowering decks, and a superior comfort suspension seat. The AR331 also features AdaptiShift technology, allowing the decks to glide effortlessly side-to side to mow those hard-to-reach areas.

The TR320 (standard model) and the TR330 (premium model) are triplex cylinder mowers. The TR320 has many great features including the ability to raise the cutting units to a vertical position, reducing the width of the mower to a minimum of 1.55m, making transportation, access and storage a breeze. The TR330 also features the additional benefit of AdaptiShift technology, a superior comfort suspension seat and intuitive digital controls.

As one of the groundcare industry’s major manufacturing companies, Textron Golf will also be showcasing other mowers and aeration equipment from Jacobsen, golf cars from E-Z-GO  plus Cushman utility vehicles and turf maintenance equipment from Turfco.

About Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.

Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of golf cars, utility and personal transportation vehicles, snowmobiles, side-by-sides, all-terrain vehicles, professional turf-care equipment, and ground support equipment. Textron Specialized Vehicles markets products under the E-Z-GO®, Cushman®, Arctic Cat®, Textron Off Road™, Jacobsen®, Dixie Chopper®, Ransomes®, TUG™, Douglas™, Premier™ and Safeaero™ brands. Its vehicles are found in environments ranging from golf courses to factories, airports to planned communities, and theme parks to hunting preserves.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training.

For more information, visit: www.textron.com

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

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.