Turf News is the perfect place for professionals working within the UK’s vibrant turf industry – keeping you up-to-date with topical news, latest market developments and much more across all areas of the industry.
NEWS ARTICLES

The answer for groundsmen?

/in , /by

The answer for groundsmen? Artificial surface maintenance machinery is one of the fastest growing areas for SCH (Supplies) Ltd. Having worked with maintenance contractors and sports groundsmen over a number of years, SCH say they are producing more and more of these products and are flattered by the amount of interest they have received in them.

The answer for groundsmen?‘We are working very hard to keep up with demand,’ says managing director Andrew Rodwell. ‘What we’re noticing is that a lot of people in the industry are talking to each other about our products and recommending SCH to their friends and colleagues. ‘

Andrew puts this down to a number of things.

Firstly, the pricing of SCH sports maintenance machinery is such that it fills a gap between those clubs and associations with enormous budgets and the ones that don’t want low quality flat packed machines which may not make it to the end of the season.

Andrew says he spoke to someone at a small football club recently that told him; “it may be alright for the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United to buy from the big guys, but some of us have to work within a budget and it’s been a real relief to discover that SCH can deliver top notch machines without the heart-stopping price tag!”

Secondly, the company relish the challenge of adapting their standard machinery to suit the individual.

‘We’ve been making bespoke machines for years, and as a family company we understand that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work for everyone. So we make it clear to our potential customers that if we can make changes that will make their life easier, we’ll do it.’

Finally, Andrew says having their own parts department provides a lot of reassurance to their customers.

‘I know myself the frustration of buying something, needing a spare or replacement part after a few years, and then finding the company you purchased from aren’t remotely interested. At best, you may have to spend hours on the internet before finally locating somewhere in China or the USA and waiting an age for the part to be shipped – at worst, you may not find anything and could face the possibility of the item being deemed useless. At SCH, we can always help you with spare tines, replacement brushes or whatever you need. We’re just a phone call away.’

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

/in , /by

Extra Wide 3.95 m Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish – A golf club celebrating its bicentenary this year has taken delivery of a double width Wiedenmann Terra Brush.

Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

Scotscraig Golf Club is the world’s 13th oldest course and was founded in 1817 by members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers. Just 15 minutes north of St Andrews, it features a championship course in a traditional loop, influenced firstly by Old Tom Morris and later by James Braid.

Course Manager, Chris Barnard, and his greenkeeping team of five have newly finished an intensive two year renovation project which reinstated many original features of the famous links and heathlands layout.

Chris Barnard said:  “We’ve wanted a brush for a while. Last year we improvised and fashioned one ourselves but it didn’t quite do the job.  We chose the Terra Brush with folding wings, and yellow bristles, the firmest ones, because it suited our situation best.

“Its arrival coincided with just 9mm of rain in nine weeks so we took immediate advantage of a dry course, though careful to avoid drought stressed turf.”

The Wiedenmann Terra Brush comes with four rows of bristles, two rows aligned perpendicular to the direction of travel and two in a zig zag formation, making it ideal for intensive and even brushing. On large area such as fairways, the wings can be deployed to extend the working width to 3.95 m.

“Stiff bristles help lift matted areas of the Sheep Fescue fairway sward as well as pulling out dead or dying foliage prior to mowing. In the last few weeks there’s been increasing amount of seeding on greens by the Annual Meadowgrass. We’ve brushed it to stand it up then immediately cut off as much as possible. The brushing has the added benefit of standing up any other lateral growth prior to mowing. Continual brushing means we remove the need to verticut almost completely, detrimental to our good grasses if done too frequently.” continued Chris Barnard.

“Here we have a predominantly Fescue and Bent sward and the bristles help to stand up the grass better and give it a more polished look. The brush will also be a valuable tool in spring, prior to growth starting, as we can use it to create definition around the fairways.”

The team at Scotscraig GC plans to groom all over with their new brush including tees and greens. Gareth Rogers, Area Sales Manager for Fairways GM, Wiedenmann UK’s dealer for Scotland, helped install the new Terra Brush.

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

/in , /by

John Deere names apprentices of the year – A total of 33 young service technicians have graduated from the latest John Deere Ag Tech, Parts Tech and Turf Tech advanced apprenticeship programmes, run in partnership with national training provider ProVQ.

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

John Deere has also been listed for the first time as one of the best 100 employers for school leavers in the UK, the only agricultural and turf machinery company to be so recognised (for the full list, click here: www.allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk/employer-rankings).

Three of the company’s apprentices won overall awards for the 2016 graduation year. Jack Robbens of dealer Ben Burgess, Norwich was named Ag Tech Apprentice of the Year, for which he received a crystal plaque, a certificate and vouchers for workshop tools worth £250.

Lewis Parker of Mona Tractors, Llangefni was awarded Turf Tech Apprentice of the Year and Grant Roberts of Cornwall Farm Machinery, Penzance won Parts Tech Apprentice of the Year. Both also received a crystal plaque and certificate, and the same value workshop tools and shopping vouchers respectively.

The presentations were made by Deere & Company’s Region 2 training delivery manager Dr Lutz Schueppenhauer and John Deere Limited training centre manager Richard Halsall at the John Deere Forum visitor centre in Mannheim, Germany. They took place during the apprentices’ annual graduation visit to the company’s tractor and cab factories and European Parts Distribution Centre (EPDC).

John Deere’s three-year Ag Tech and Turf Tech and two-year Parts Tech apprenticeships lead to IMI Level 2 & 3 Diplomas in Landbased Engineering, and registration at LTA2 level in the industry’s Landbased Technician Accreditation scheme. In subsequent years qualified technicians undergo further education and adult training within the John Deere University programme, on a career path that can ultimately lead to the highest possible LTA4 Master Technician accreditation.

Now in its 25th year, Ag Tech was the first such scheme to be introduced in the UK and won a National Training Award at the end of 1997, the only one ever made to an agricultural machinery apprenticeship programme. Since the first programme started in 1992, nearly 700 apprentices have graduated through the three main John Deere schemes (Ag Tech, Parts Tech and Turf Tech) and are now working in the company’s nationwide dealer network.

The John Deere and ProVQ schemes were recently included in the 2017 School Leaver Awards, in recognition of the programme’s quality and the opportunities it presents to young people working productively in the agricultural and turf sectors.

“We beat some very strong competition from other household names, coming first for an engineering and manufacturing company and third overall in the ‘Best Intermediate Apprenticeship Programme’ category,” says ProVQ managing director Julian Lloyd. “To be recognised as one of the country’s top 100 employers for school leavers, as judged by the apprentices themselves, makes us all very proud of the achievement.”

Your Industry – Your Show

/in , /by

SALTEX launches new 2017 campaign – Organisers of SALTEX (Sports Amenities Landscaping Trade Exhibition) have launched their new 2017 campaign, which features the distinguished heart-shaped logo formed of grass complete with the words – Your Industry – Your Show.

Your Industry – Your Show

In 1934 a groundsman at Eton College named William Bowles believed the industry needed a voice, and an organisation which sought to improve both the status and standards of grounds professionals, so together with 10 other founding members the National Association of Groundsmen, which later became the Institute of Groundsmanship, was formed.

In 1938, SALTEX was launched to unite the industry and offer educational and networking opportunities for those that managed green spaces. 79 years’ later the show has continued to grow and has now established itself as Europe’s largest annual turf management event. With its home at the NEC, in Birmingham, SALTEX remains true to those within the industry offering a world of limitless opportunities in which they can discover the latest trends and innovations, connect with colleagues and learn from top industry professionals.

The 2017 SALTEX campaign boasts the fact the exhibition is indeed “Your Show.”

This year, the show floor will be bursting with everything a visitor needs to increase their efficiency and improve operations. More than 220 leading manufacturers and suppliers have already confirmed their attendance to showcase an extensive range of products and resources and visitors can expect to see the industry’s newest advances and compare the full array of equipment, products and services.

Learning LIVE, SALTEX’s world-class educational programme, guarantees to offer a wealth of new knowledge to delegates as well as boosting their CPD points. Throughout the programme over 100 industry experts and leaders will share important information that can ultimately help a visitor further their career. SALTEX also offers its visitors free advice and guidance on specific turf challenges through the IOG regional pitch advisors on hand.

SALTEX 2016 saw a number of unique show features all designed to assist and help develop those within the industry – the Young Groundsmen’s Conference provided an ideal opportunity for young people looking to advance their career; Pathology and Soil Science LIVE allowed visitors to look in detail at the symptoms of turfgrass fungal disease problems; and the SALTEX College Cup – an academic test of turf management knowledge for students enrolled at UK colleges, helped to raise the level of academic prowess in the industry. These features have again been confirmed for SALTEX 2017 and are set to be even bigger in size and offering.

From show features, to educational topics, the show is continually evolving with the people of the industry in mind. Each year a large team of dedicated show organisers undertake strategic planning to ensure that the show remains fresh, vibrant and essentially everything a visitor and exhibitor expect it to be.

Perhaps it is the underlying vision of William Bowles and his co-founders, combined with the IOG’s unrivalled ambition for the show, which has ensured that SALTEX continues to go from strength to strength. The 2016 exhibition saw an increase in both exhibitors (292) and visitors (8,754) and over 20 exhibitors have increased their stand size for this year’s event.

Growth is a key word as show organisers strive to get people all over the world talking about SALTEX and the industry. Visitors from over 45 countries attended SALTEX 2016 and its social media campaign for 2016 boasted a reach of over 1.1 million users across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIN.

Each year more and more grounds care professionals and manufacturers from around the world come in record numbers to immerse themselves in two days of unparalleled interaction.

SALTEX 2017 will be held at the NEC, Birmingham on 1 and 2 November 2017. For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

Pitch perfect: Wolves Invest In New Playing Surface

/in , /by

Pitch perfect: Wolves Invest In New Playing Surface – Work began last week on replacing the old pitch. The new one will be a state-of-the-art Desso Grassmaster hybrid pitch.

There has been recent criticism of the pitch, particularly in 2015/16, but head groundsman Wayne Lombard believes the new surface will be of a high standard all season round – and lessen the chances of injuries. He said the new pitch had been on his ‘wish list’ and added: “There’s no better system in the world. All the big clubs in the world use it.

“It was decided around March time that we’d invest in the pitch at Molineux again this year, similar to what we did in 2010.

“We’ve been talking about it for about two years and it’s been on the wish list.

“We were asked this year about making improvements at the training ground and Molineux and this is something we put on the list again, ‘is there any chance of going with this hybrid system?’. The owner said yes.

“We had to justify why we wanted to do it. But the pitch lasts 10 years so it’s a 10-year investment.

“It’s been fantastic. We’ve always been backed by previous owners, Steve Morgan and Sir Jack Hayward.

“With the new level of investment from Fosun we’ll obviously benefit from a new pitch and everything that comes with that.”

 Work on laying the pitch will be completed in time for the Wolves home friendly against Leicester on July 29. Before then two large machines will spend 20 hours a day for 15 days planting 20 million knitting needles – each 10 inches long – as the foundations for the surface.

To read he original article from Shropshire Star, click here