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Gleneagles And John Deere Sign Supplier Agreement

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Gleneagles And John Deere Sign Supplier Agreement: Gleneagles has signed an exclusive contract with John Deere for the supply of golf course maintenance equipment and related technology to the three championship golf courses at the award winning hotel and golf resort in Perthshire, Scotland.

Gleneagles And John Deere Sign Supplier Agreement

The resort’s Director of Golf Gary Silcock and John Deere’s worldwide Agriculture and Turf Division President James M Field officially confirmed the agreement at the John Deere Financial headquarters in Johnston, Iowa, in mid-August. This took place just before Gary Silcock’s visit to The 2017 Solheim Cup matches that were held at the nearby Des Moines Golf and Country Club, where John Deere equipment was used to prepare and maintain the tournament course.

Gleneagles is the venue for The 2019 Solheim Cup, the biggest event in women’s professional golf, which will take place on the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary Course that also hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup. The inaugural European Golf Team Championships are being held on the same course at Gleneagles in 2018.

Known as ‘the glorious playground’, the 850-acre Perthshire estate was recently voted Best Golf Resort in the World for an unprecedented sixth successive year by readers of Ultratravel, the Telegraph’s luxury travel magazine, and was also named Scotland’s Best Hotel/Resort in the Today’s Golfer Travel Awards 2017, retaining this title for the fourth consecutive year.

“Following completion of recent renovation work on the King’s & Queen’s courses to bring them back more in line with James Braid’s original design vision, our courses continue to provide customers with a world class experience that is second to none,” said Gary Silcock. “With three critically-acclaimed 18-hole championship courses to choose from, Gleneagles remains, quite simply, a golfer’s paradise.

“This new agreement with John Deere will see our two worldwide brands working together to further increase quality and productivity on the courses, through the adoption of innovative, market leading technology. We are going through an exciting period for the greenkeeping industry, as we see the introduction of satellite guidance and telematics fleet management systems dedicated to turfcare.

“As part of our ongoing investment programme, we look forward to working alongside John Deere and local dealer Double A Trading to help develop these systems and keep Gleneagles at the forefront of European and world golf.”

Tim Merrett, John Deere’s Vice President, Agriculture and Turf Division, said: “Gleneagles and John Deere both owe much of their success to a heritage of great performance and strong values, and both organisations are dedicated to the pursuit of excellence. Like Gleneagles, we have built a reputation on quality – not only in our products and dealer support, but also for the way in which we treat our customers and do business.

“John Deere equipment helps to maintain many of the world’s greatest golf courses. We are delighted and honoured to now see our mowers, tractors and utility vehicles at work on The King’s, The Queen’s and The PGA Centenary courses at Gleneagles.”

Brian D’Arcy, John Deere Limited’s UK & Ireland strategic account manager who has worked closely with Gleneagles to tailor the agreement to the estate’s requirements, added: “We see this as a first step towards building a long lasting and productive relationship, so that Gleneagles can become a leading strategic partner with John Deere in the golf industry not only in the UK & Ireland, but across Europe and beyond.”

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

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Reesink Turfcare Launches Competitive Fixed Term Finance On Irrigation

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Reesink Turfcare Launches Competitive Fixed Term Finance On Irrigation: Reesink Turfcare is the first distributor in the UK to offer customers fixed term finance on its irrigation products. 

Reesink Turfcare Launches Competitive Fixed Term Finance On Irrigation

Available over one to seven years on Toro irrigation control systems and sprinklers, and lake aeration products from Otterbine, it offers customers the chance to invest now in the best irrigation systems and ensure their golf course is maintained to the highest standards.

Finance on turfcare machinery has been something golf clubs have been taking advantage of for years and of course the concept of finance is widely available on most everyday things. In short, the concept is not new. However, it is a concept that has passed by the irrigation of golf clubs. Until now that is, thanks to Reesink Turfcare.

The level and sophistication of financial planning at many clubs today means that accurate budgeting and financial information are now features of machinery operating and replacement programmes. Regular replacement on machinery offers clubs a number of advantages such as increased reliability reducing the incidence of breakdown, subsequent downtime and maintenance costs. New machines incorporate the latest design features and technology and produce a better job. Of course these benefits do not apply to an irrigation system that once installed will last for many years.

Instead, buying irrigation on finance takes away two of the biggest headaches Reesink Turfcare finds exist for those embarking on an irrigation installation: it means installation is sooner and there is less upfront capital outlay.

Robert Jackson, irrigation manager at Reesink Turfcare, says: “Anyone who has gone through the process will know that choosing and installing an irrigation system can be a lengthy one. Removing the headache that comes with financing the project means that you’re making the decision-making process a lot simpler and quicker. In most cases committees have approved similar for machinery.”

Flexible and transparent, Robert says: “Through our strong relationship with a proven financial partner we can offer some very competitive deals over one to seven years. Payment plans can be monthly, quarterly, or annually and clubs can finance through hire purchase (HP) or lease.”

Robert concludes: “Given that other than the land, and its bricks and mortar within, an irrigation system is likely the biggest asset a club can own. It has never failed to surprise us that finance hasn’t applied to this level of investment on this vital equipment. We’re delighted to be leading the way providing competitive finance options to our golf customers.”

For further information on irrigation financing, call Robert Jackson on 01480 226948.

Visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

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Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate: Peter Pattenden, the Golf Courses and Estates Manager at Carden Park, is the latest groundscare professional to appreciate the benefits of the Ventrac 4500 compact tractor.

Versatile Ventrac for Carden Park, Cheshire’s Country Estate

Purchased from one of Ventrac’s newest dealers, Cheshire Turf Machinery, the versatile machine was delivered with a selection of accessories including Contour deck, Tough Cut deck, Stump Grinder, Edger, Blower and Power Broom.

Peter Pattenden is an experienced turf manager having begun his career at Glenaeagles back in 1991, moving on to Bonnyton Golf Club in East Kilbride for three years, before being invited back to Gleneagles by Jimmy Kidd in 1999. In 2006 he moved south to take up his current position at Carden Park.

“I manage a team of 23 staff here and at Carden Hall, which includes one forester, one mechanic, two estate workers, three seasonals, six gardeners, and 10 greenkeepers,” he said. “That might sound a large number of staff to many, but we manage over 1400 acres; 800 acres of Carden Park including the two championship golf courses and a further 600 acres comprising owner Steve Morgan’s house and grounds and the tenant farms dotted around the estate.

“Every piece of equipment we buy has to earn its keep and this Ventrac certainly falls into this category. I’ve been operating equipment since 1991 and buying machinery since 1996, when I first took up my position at Bonnyton, and I can honestly say this is one of the best machines I have ever bought! Summed up in three words, it’s exceptional, versatile and robust.”

“The Contour deck is great out on the golf courses, especially on sloping tee banks, the Tough Cut deck is superb for land management as it can cut through saplings, bracken and gorse, helping to maintain the areas that consume man-hours and the Edger has saved hours of labour. We have a 1.1 mile drive leading up to the hotel and we can keep this looking pristine all year at a fraction of the time and cost we previously incurred.

“We invested over £400,000 in new cart paths over the past five years and since then we have had a series of storms that have taken down trees, some close by the paths. We can’t send in an excavator to remove the stumps and roots for fear of damaging the paths and that’s where the Stump Grinder has come into its own.

“It’s the perfect size, not too heavy, so we ca use it in the winter months and not too light that it can’t handle the implements. It has uplifted the presentation of the estate in the short time that we’ve had it; it’s simply a no-brainer purchase for any golf course or estate manager.”

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‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support

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‘Unfairly Dismissed’ KCOM Groundsmen Plea For Support: Two KCOM groundsmen who are planning to take their ex-employers to court have called on people to help in their “fight for justice” as they aim to get their jobs back.

Darrell Cook and Mark Harrison were sacked by the Stadium Management Company (SMC) in June for gross misconduct amid claims the pitch had been deteriorating.

However, both of them insist they did nothing to warrant their dismissal and were never given any prior warnings by SMC.

Determined to get reinstated, the pair set up a crowdfunding page and hired Gosschalks Solicitors to fight their case so that they could take their former bosses to an employment tribunal.

Their campaign has so far raised more than £6,000 and has been backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who tweeted messages of support to the pair.

However, with their court date looming, the pair have issued a statement urging them to keep on donating so they can reach the sum of £20,000 and hire “the best barrister in the business.”

The pair wrote: “We are now two months away from the hearing and the reality of our situation is beginning to hit home.

“We set a crowdfunding target of £20,000 to enable us to fight for justice and stands up to the people who put us in this awful position and to create a level playing field when we meet them in court – we have so far raised £6,170 of that target.

“Without crowdfunding we have no chance and would simply have to roll over and accept what they’ve done to us.

“We have now got to the point where have seen their defence and all the documents and we are now even more encouraged about our case, as are our legal team.

“All we want is for the Employment Tribunal to restore out reputations by telling the world that we were unfairly dismissed and that we did not deserve what is happening to us.”

Mr Harrison started working for Hull City as an assistant groundsman in 1988 when he was just 16 years old, whereas Mr Cook started his work as a groundsman in 1991 with Hull FC when they were at The Boulevard.

The pair were sacked in April earlier this year by SMC, leaving them devastated.

Mr Cook, who lives in Sproatley, previously said: “This is a job I have done for 27 years and there was no indication anything like this was coming.

“Both myself and Mark have worked for the SMC for 16 years. We have never been in any troubled or had any reprimand so this came out of the blue.”

Determined to drum up more support, the duo ended their lengthy statement, which they published on Twitter at 11:02pm on Thursday, with a plea for as much support as possible in the days and weeks to come.

They wrote: “Please, please, please help us to spread the word and encourage all who can donate to our cause to do so.

“We’ve been unfairly dismissed with immediate effect from our positions as senior groundsmen with 55 years’ combined service with an exemplary records during which we won awards and at time of financial trouble for both clubs we have worked without pay.

“We gave blood, sweat and tears to forge a reputation as one of the most experienced and longest serving stadium ground staff teams in the country.

“We need your help and support to prove that justice can prevail if you are prepared to stand up for what is right.”

SMC have confirmed that their defence was filed on July 28 and, because the claimants have stated via social media that they would provide “regular updates” throughout the process, SMC have therefore given the claimants express permission to publish the document.

A spokesperson for SMC said: “We remain of the view that their claims to be reinstated into their old roles will not success and will continue to robustly defend this matter in the correct way.”

To read the original article from Hull Daily Mail, click here

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Bedford Town FC Groundsman With Dementia Wins Award

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Bedford Town FC groundsman with dementia wins award: A former sportsman with dementia has been recognised as Groundsman of the Year for the Southern League.Bedford Town FC Groundsman With Dementia Wins Award

Norman Cooley, 76, is a groundsman at Bedford Town Football Club and this will be his third season looking after the grounds.

Mr Cooley was nominated by the football club and attended a ceremony at England’s football training ground at St George’s Park.

Alan, his eldest son, said: “Looking after the grounds has been a family effort. Dad was diagnosed with dementia three or four years ago so we took the job on to keep him active.”

Mr Cooley, his younger son Peter, and Alan head down to the football grounds once a week. Alan said: “Winning the award, it felt fantastic. It has been a long journey with my dad’s disease and this was the perfect thing for him. He is very comfortable being in that environment, surrounded by football people and on the pitch, and the award was the icing on the cake. It was a proud family moment.”

Mr Cooley played for the Bedford Town 738 times between 1961-77 and later became a groundsman for Bedford School where he spent most of his later life.

Alan said: “It’s great for him to go back to the place where he started as a young man playing football. Football was his entire life. He worked as a draftsman and they used to let him out of work early just because he played for the club. By keeping him active we hope that his decline will be slower.”

Mr Cooley’s wife, Maureen, looks after him on a daily basis but Alan is glad to help her out and give her a break by taking him to the football grounds. “Because of his love for both football and cricket, when he was younger he was referred to as the Denis Compton of Bedford.”

To read the original article from Bedford Today, click here

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