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NEWS ARTICLES

Mid Kent GC Favours Wiedenmann Values Again

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Mid Kent GC Favours Wiedenmann Values Again. Mid Kent GC Course Manager, Lee Sayers has opted for his fourth Wiedenmann Terra Spike purchase in a row. The Master Greenkeeper at the Gravesend club already has an XP8, the deepest aerator in the Wiedenmann range, and previously two others.

Mid Kent GC Favours Wiedenmann Values Again

“At the demo the quality of the GXi8 HD’s finish was exceptional so it wasn’t a difficult decision. We know first-hand that Wiedenmann aerators are strong and reliable but we wanted this one for its versatility,” said Lee Sayers.

Every six weeks or so, the greenkeeping team of six at Mid Kent has a planned maintenance day. Until now their XP8 has been deployed everywhere, including tees and greens. At 2.1 m wide, weighing 1200 kgs and going down to 400 mm it has been hugely productive. However, the addition of the GXi8 HD means the heavier machine will be allowed to concentrate mostly on fairways while the new one does both fine turf and fairways.

“We’ve managed well with the 65 hp tractor but ultimately a smaller tractor (50 hp) and aerator (900 kg) will get in and around the tees and greens more easily,” he continued. “Now every 5-6 weeks definitely on our green we’ll be doing some kind of aeration. Three different sets of tines have been delivered so I will use all three regularly. It might be a 8 mm tine going 60-70 mm deep or 12 mm tine going 250 mm or on occasion a side eject hollow tine. I could have gone for something even smaller or lighter but 1.8m is a decent working width to cover ground fast and make the most of our window of opportunity so we get through all the greens in a day and a bit more elsewhere. When maintenance time is as precious, it suited me the best.”

John Bignell, Groundcare Area Manager from dealer, Ernest Doe & Sons, Dartford, who have supplied and serviced machines for Mid Kent GC for many decades, said:

“Lee and his team purchased a Wiedenmann Whisper Twister blower last autumn so they know build quality is a given with any type of Wiedenmann and not just Terra Spikes.  This was all about speed and coverage and an absolute requirement for the neatest of finishes so the GXi8 HD was the machines for purpose.”

New Agreement For Distribution Of Spider Mowers

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New Agreement For Distribution Of Spider Mowers 

New Agreement For Distribution Of Spider Mowers

As part of a continuing strategy to strengthen distribution across Europe, Dvorak, the Czech manufacturer of Spider mowers, has appointed Machines4Green of Hooghalen in the Netherlands as their distributor for the BeNeLux region. Machines4Green, which recently changed ownership and is now owned by Roy Gerrits, were previously Spider distributors for the Netherlands, but this new agreement has extended their territory to include Belgium and Luxembourg.

Machines4Green specializes in compact and highly maneuverable equipment for the sustainable green space and agricultural sectors and serves these professional markets with expert guidance and excellent after-sales support.

Commenting on the new agreement, Roy Gerrits said,

“I am an advocate of Spider remote-controlled mowers for two very good reasons; they are good for the operator from a health and safety aspect with less dust, noise and absolutely no vibration issues and they are better for the environment, being lighter than ride-on mowers, more fuel efficient and petrol is a cleaner fuel than diesel.

“We are delighted that Dvorak has faith in our business and has extended our distributorship to include Belgium and Luxembourg. Our business ethos is one of providing quality products and superior service; very similar to that of the Dvorak company. Communication with them is excellent, their marketing is very professional and they are very supportive of me as the new owner of Machines4Green.”

Lubor Hladik, international sales manager at Dvorak said,

“From my point of view, we want a reliable and pro-active distributor network across Europe, with open communication and close cooperation from our business partners. Roy and his team at Machines4Green are totally focused on remote controlled mowing and we both see this as the right approach for Spider.

“Our products have to be demonstrated in a professional and timely manner to potential prospects and with Machines4Green continuing their association with the Spider range, I know that this will definitely happen across their territory. They will also be supported by our customer care specialist, Duke Cermak, a Dutch national who works for us here in the Czech Republic, at shows and demonstrations across the three countries.”

 

STRI Group Strengthens Ecology And Environment Team

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STRI Group strengthens ecology and environment team. STRI Group has expanded its UK regional ecology and environment operation by bringing in two new consultants.

STRI Group Strengthens Ecology And Environment Team

Teneille Barwick joins STRI after moving to the UK from Melbourne, Australia. She has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science and started her career at an environmental consultancy in the energy sector in Canada. She was a wetland specialist for two years and spent a lot of her time avoiding bears.

She has also worked as a project officer for Conservation Volunteers in New Zealand. Teneille spent the last two years working as an environmental consultant specialising in contaminated land.

Nicole Beckett has recently completed her degree in Physical Geography. Nicole has a passion for sustainability and environmental management and will bring a new and much needed service to STRI.

Bob Taylor, head of ecology and environment at STRI, said: “I’m delighted to welcome both Teneille and Nicole to the growing ecology and environment team. These appointments will add considerably to the scope and diversity of the services we can offer. Teneille brings significant ecological and environmental skills having worked extensively in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.

“Nicole is a graduate who will increasingly develop her skills in sustainability and environment. This is a much-needed area of expertise particularly given the loss of chemicals within the turf sector. Her role will cover legislative issues, compliance and how golf and other sports fit within a rapidly changing environment.”

Over the past five years, STRI has bolstered its position as a market leader in the sports surface industry. Recently joining forces with Auburn University in the USA, as well as setting up a joint venture in China. This is in addition to recent significant investments made at its facilities in the UK, Australia and Qatar.

Burden Bros Agri Ltd Take On Complete Charterhouse Range

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Burden Bros Agri Ltd Take On Complete Charterhouse Range For Sussex. Charterhouse Turf Machinery have announced the appointment of Burden Bros Agri Ltd as their dealer for Sussex. Operating from their Framfield depot, Burden Bros Agri Ltd will be stockists of the Redexim range of both natural and synthetic turf maintenance machinery, as well as the Graden range of products.  

Burden Bros Agri Ltd Take On Complete Charterhouse Range For Sussex

Celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, Burden Bros Agri Ltd is a family run organisation offering new and used machinery from a wide range of established names as well as parts, service and support to the agricultural and turf industries.

Group Turf Sales Manager for Burden Bros Agri Ltd, Alan Pierce said, “We are delighted to have added Charterhouse to our range of groundcare machinery suppliers; it’s a great fit with our existing portfolio. We have a vast customer base ranging from private estates, contractors and schools right through to professional sports facilities and believe the Redexim products will fulfil the range of requirements these users demand. As a previous Golf Course Manager, I also have first-hand experience with the Graden products and look forward to promoting these within our local area.”

Nick Darking, Sales Manager for Charterhouse added, “Burden Bros Agri Ltd have a proven track record for providing quality products, sales and customer service and we look forward to working together with them to offer a better, more localised service across this region.”

National Golf Month Reaches Record Number Of People

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National Golf Month reaches record number of people on social media. National Golf Month, the annual campaign aimed at increasing participation in golf, has achieved record levels of success on social media.

National Golf Month Reaches Record Number Of People On Social Media

With the help of celebrity ambassadors, which include Georgie Bingham, Denise van Outen, Dan Walker and Charley Hull, the #GirlsGetGolfing hashtag has reached nearly 3 million people across various social media platforms – smashing last year’s performance of 1.5 million.

The marketing initiative, coordinated by the British Golf Industry Association, has also been supported with radio and print media advertising from over the duration of the month, with the total reach for the campaign exceeding 10 million.

The campaign was kick-started with a social media ‘thunderclap’ on 28 April, which attracted simultaneous support from Ryder Cup winning golfer Paul McGinley, England Golf (the sport’s governing body) and government funding agency Sport England. Golf clubs, pros and centres up and down the country have since used the hashtag to help recruit more participants to the sport.

Doug Poole, the BGIA’s project director for National Golf Month said, ‘The reaction to this year’s campaign has been overwhelming. The Thunderclap helped us reach new heights and gave us the boost we needed right from the get-go. To have such an eclectic range of supporters, from new participants, to celebrities, to golf clubs, really helped put #GirlsGetGolfing on the social media map.’

Mel Reid, the English Ladies’ European Tour golfer who has achieved success so far in 2017, talked to Talksport’s Georgie Bingham and Tony Cascarino on the Weekend Breakfast show about opportunities to get involved in golf via the nationalgolfmonth.com website.

Further highlights from the first 10 days of the campaign include:

  • The BBC’s Dan Walker and former Westlife band member Brian McFadden have pledged their support towards the campaign.
  • 35 national and regional radio stations have featured adverts promoting National Golf Month in the lead up to and during May.
  • Adverts and editorial features in female lifestyle publications focusing on the health benefits of golf, including Yours and Top Santé.
  • An online advertising campaign with ads featured on websites including GolfShake, GolfALot and Golf Empire.

Poole continued, ‘We hope our marketing campaign, which is free for clubs and pros to take part in to grow their businesses, will go some way to helping increase female participation. There’s still bags of time for the industry to get behind this initiative and upload taster sessions via nationalgolfmonth.com.’