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NEWS ARTICLES

Bobcat Introduces All New XRZ & XRZ Pro Zero Turn Mower

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Bobcat introduces all new XRZ & XRZ Pro Zero Turn Mower: To ensure Bobcat and its customers are competitive in the Utility and Budget Priced zero turn market Bobcat have introduced the XRZ & XRZ Pro models.

Bobcat introduces all new XRZ & XRZ Pro Zero Turn Mower

Built for lawn mowing professionals who put affordability high on their shopping list without compromising quality. Price range XRZ- £6800-7150.  XRZ Pro £7350-7800. ROPS £338. All plus vat.

Equipped with 22” rear Drive Wheels for a smooth ride over undulating terrain also giving increased traction on slopes and overall stability. Available in deck sizes 48”,52” and 61” there is a model for most needs. Adjustable deck from the sitting position with cutting heights from one and a half inch to four and a half inch.

Powered by reliable Kawasaki FR engines with Hydro Gear ZT3100 Transaxles that allow operators to mow at groundspeeds of up to 8 mph, coupled with a large 6 gallon fuel tank the XRZ has plenty of cutting hours in the tank. With operator comfort a priority some models are equipped with a premium high back elastomeric vibration control (EVC) seat to ease out the vibrations on undulating terrain.

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Sri Lanka’s Cricket Board Apologises To Groundsmen

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Sri Lanka’s Cricket Board Apologises To Groundsmen: Dozens of groundsmen at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota cricket stadium have complained that they were ordered to give back their uniforms before being paid — even though they were wearing them at the time.

Sri Lanka’s cricket board was forced to apologise after social media reports that some workers had to leave the ground in their underwear at the end of the fifth One-Day International between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe on Monday.

“Whilst stern action will be taken against those responsible, Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to apologise to those subjected to this ignominy, and will take steps to ensure they are compensated,” the board said in a statement made available to the media.

The workers had been told that they would not be paid until they returned the uniforms provided by the Board.

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Souters Sports Bring Architect’s Vision To Life

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Souters Sports bring architect’s vision to life: After successfully completing a huge bunker renovation project at the prestigious West Kilbride Golf Club in Ayrshire, Souters Sports have been widely praised by both the club’s secretary and architect.

Souters Sports Bring Architect’s Vision To Life

The West Kilbride Golf Club, established in 1893, is situated on the Ayrshire coast, with spectacular views across the Firth of Clyde to the beautiful island of Arran. As host to regular national events, West Kilbride is the most northerly of Ayrshire’s true links courses and the entire course is exposed to even the slightest breeze.  With the strongest of winds coming from the South West and North West, the 6523 yard course offers players the experience of links golf at its most demanding.

West Kilbride has a committed membership base and its motto is “Gaudio Cedat Cura” – which translates to “Care gives way to joy,” which is perhaps testament to the club’s recent decision to rejuvenate over 30 bunkers.

“We essentially wanted to make them look and play a lot better,” says managing secretary Graham MacKenzie. “On some of the older bunkers the drainage had suffered and over time had developed a poor shape. We also wanted natural looking bunkers – to give the course more of a links feel and after a few members had commented on them we decided to go ahead with the project.”

The club called upon Scottish Golf Course Architects Rennie Design Ltd to undertake an analytical study of the facilities and following an in-depth report, plans for the renovation works were soon put in place.

“The next step was to put the job to tender, and myself and Stuart Rennie (managing director of Rennie Design) invited three different contractors to come in and pitch. It was at this point that we chose Souters Sports because we were most impressed with what they had done at other courses and with their overall portfolio. They came across incredibly well and we also thought that their proposal offered good value for money,” said Graham.

With the architect’s vision in place and the Souters team briefed, construction commenced in late October and was complete by the end of February allowing time for establishment in advance of the season ahead. The works incorporated the strategic repositioning of bunkers, building bunkers in similar positions, shaping support mounding and landform, drainage installation, irrigation alterations and finishing. The final piece of works was carried out on the 18th hole where the entire hole was re-bunkered to create improved strategy and deliver a visually impressive finishing hole.

“Between the architect and the club, we had a few different ideas throughout the project which changed the process but Souters were very accommodating,” says Graham. “The feedback has been extremely good, not only from members but also from visitors who come to play on open days. The appearance is most notable and they look a lot tidier than they previously did and they also play a lot better.

“I’m very happy with the work and would absolutely recommend Souters Sports and Rennie Design. We built up a good relationship throughout the project and I would absolutely work with them again in the future.”

With such a potential complex project, Stuart was pleased that Souters were able to flawlessly bring his vision to life.

“Souters Sports worked tirelessly throughout and carried out all aspects of the works in a professional manner. They were a joy to work with and Scott Maclaren and his site team pulled out all the stops to deliver the architects vision to the satisfaction of the client,” he said.

For further information, please contact Souters Sports Limited on 01236 453030 or visit www.souterssports.co.uk. Souters Sports are also on Twitter @SoutersSports.

For further information about Rennie Design please call 07977715 382 or visit www.renniedesign.co.uk / email stuart@renniedesign.co.uk.

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Second Toro Agreement For Sherborne

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Five Years Trouble-Free Mowing Sees Second Toro Agreement For Sherborne

Second Toro Agreement For Sherborne

Five years of trouble-free mowing sees Sherborne Golf Club on the border of Dorset and Somerset embark on its second five-year partnership agreement with Toro.

Coinciding with an extensive re-landscaping project, Toro has earnt its position at the club by being able to cope with the tough work involved with course improvements and the daily year-round cutting the free-draining, grass-factory course demands.

Course manager Chris Watson says: “When we made the decision to first partner with Toro, it wasn’t the most logical decision logistically, nor the cheapest. Devon Garden Machinery [DGM], the Toro dealer for the area, is about an hour and a half away, and there are closer dealers for competitive machinery, one just nine miles away, and Toro’s premium turfcare machinery isn’t the cheapest available. However, it is the best for a precision cut with an unsurpassed after-cut appearance and that trumped everything for everyone involved in the decision.

“DGM has proved distance doesn’t matter. For example, I recently alerted my contact Elliot Wellman about a hydraulic breakdown at 6am and by 3pm a replacement machine had been sourced and delivered. This kind of support and service – trouble-free! – is so reassuring to have.”

The parkland course can be challenging to maintain. The soil is sandy, the grass grows quickly and the terrain is hilly. All of these factors put machines to the test, as Chris, who has been at Sherborne for 14 years and leads a greenkeeping team of four, confirms: “We’ve recently taken delivery of a Reelmaster 5610-D, which is a replacement machine. We did consider an alternative, but with a course like this and the potential to have a repeat occurrence of the inordinate amount of rain seen over the summer of 2012 meant we went with the machine we knew could handle extreme conditions. Even with grass growth regulators we are cutting every day! Plus, the power-to-hill ratio of that machine is perfect for this course.”

Adding to the day-to-day is a landscaping project which has been ongoing for over the five years. Four holes have been redone, new back tees have been created and some have been moved, the course has been extended and now work has moved on to the practise areas. All the work is sympathetic to and reflective of the original James Braid design of the course and the results are being warmly received by members.

“Our landscaping project is self-funding,” says Chris. “The landscaping materials come from local housing developments. 14,000 tones of soil have been used to rebuild a tiger tee and give moulding around the green on the eighth hole. The other tees have been mounded into the landscaping to create tiger tees and the landscaping around the first four holes have been enhanced. When we were in the initial stages of designing and planning we took into account the Toro fleet and subsequently the machines have done a great job on the new surfaces, especially the rough decks.”

This deal makes Sherborne a 100 percent Toro club and includes the purchase, rather than lease, of the club’s handmowers including the latest delivery of two Greensmaster 1000 pedestrian mowers. Combine the flexibility of these new machines with the club’s 125th anniversary year approaching, and there’s plenty for Sherborne and Toro to look forward to together!

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Fleet Upgrade Pays Dividends

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Fleet Upgrade Pays Dividends: When Potters Point holiday resort in County Wicklow, Ireland replaced its golf course maintenance equipment fleet, it carried on a 20-year association with John Deere.

Fleet Upgrade Pays Dividends

This exclusive luxury mobile home park was established in 1957 and is situated in rolling parkland on a stunning headland overlooking Brittas Bay. Resort members have free use of Potters Point Golf Club; established in 1987, the nine-hole parkland course is also open to green fee paying non-members. Both the resort and the course were developed by Malachy McDaniel Stone.

“We bought our first John Deere machines in 1997,” says manager Irene Lacey. “John Deere machines last for ages – we’d had nothing new since 2008, so the fleet was getting old. This time, rather than replace the machines individually and pay for ongoing repairs, we decided to change all the equipment at the same time. The benefits were a better trade-in price and all the new machines being up-to-date and equipped with the latest technology.”

The new fleet includes three PrecisionCut cylinder mowers – an 8700A for the fairways, a 2653B for tees and surrounds and a 2500B for the greens – a JX90 walk-behind rotary mower, a 1200A bunker rake, two 3038R compact tractors equipped with mid-mounted rotary mower decks plus one front loader, and three 6×4 diesel Gator utility vehicles.

“We opted to replace two quad bikes with an extra utility vehicle, as the Gator is far more versatile,” says Irene. “In addition to the cargo bed, it can pull a trailer and carry two staff. The Gators are used as general purpose materials and staff transporters, and for jobs such as emptying the bins on the course. They’re four-wheel drive and fitted with heavy-duty all-purpose tyres, as it can be wet at times. The 3038R compacts are also used to mow the grass areas in the mobile home park.”

Whereas other makes have been demonstrated and test-driven in the past, this time Potters Point went straight to its long-time supplier, John Deere dealer Dublin Grass Machinery. “I have been on a number of John Deere courses, so I know the equipment better than other makes,” says head greenkeeper Eamonn Delaney. “We’ve dealt with Dublin Grass Machinery for the past 20 years and know that they provide a high level of after-sales service.

“I also have a good working relationship with their chief technician Roger Ingles. We carry out regular maintenance on-site, while Dublin Grass Machinery takes the machines in for winter servicing and blade changing, and provides a 24 hour turnaround. As the equipment is serviced regularly, we’ve very little downtime and it means the staff are not having to sort out machines when we could be doing something else around the resort.

“As far as the latest technology is concerned, compared to our older fleet, the quick-release system on the compact tractors’ mid-mounted deck is a fantastic piece of engineering. Setting up features such as the single-point height of cut adjustment on the mowers are a massive improvement too – they’re much easier and save a huge amount of time,” Eamonn adds.

“Engine noise has also been reduced considerably on all the machines and there are a lot more safety devices – the health and safety aspect has improved greatly.”

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

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