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NEWS ARTICLES

Sherriff Amenity Launch GoGreen Energy

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Sherriff Amenity has announced the launch of GoGreen Energy, a concentrated bio-stimulant formulated to assist plant health and relieve stress symptoms.

Over recent years, professionals in the groundscare and amenity industry have turned to Sherriff Amenity’s GoGreen complexed iron range. Renowned for delivering outstanding results, the GoGreen range already boasts the long-lasting iron granules (GoGreen Granules) and in liquid form (GoGreen Plus).

It has now been announced that GoGreen Energy is the latest product to be added to the unique range of products.

GoGreen Energy is a concentrated bio-stimulant, formulated to assist plant health and relieve stress symptoms in a wide variety of amenity turf situations. It contains seaweed, plant sugars, simple carbohydrates and trace elements that have been specially selected to give optimum results when grass is stressed. The low NPK analysis, complemented by suitable wetting and spreading agents, makes this an ideal component of any turf maintenance programme.

A cold processed seaweed extract was chosen to provide the maximum amounts of plant growth hormones; such as auxins, gibberellins and betains, to capitalise on increasing the root and shoot development. It also contains a full package of trace elements.

GoGreen Energy uses a natural plant-based source of sugars and other carbohydrates that does not require a destructive sterilisation process, such as is mandatory with products containing hydrocarbons derived from bovine materials.

It can be used all year round and is ideal for all amenity turf areas or as a pre-game stadia application.

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

Duncan Ross Execute First Phase of Redevelopments

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Duncan Ross has executed the vision of renowned golf course architect, Jonathan Gaunt, with the fabrication of four bunkers at Astbury Golf Club, which have been very well received by the board of directors and members.

The parkland course, based in Cheshire, was established in 1922 with the bunkers not receiving any consistent redevelopments since then. Old bunker faces were becoming tired with age; drains weren’t working properly and there was an inconsistency of sand.

After a membership survey and the appraisal of head greenkeeper, Dave Blank, it was decided to have Gaunt Golf Design Limited survey the course and provide the club with a bunker master plan.

It was the aim of Jonathan to reinstate some character to the course through the bunkers, making the design process crucial, but the interpretation of those designs from Duncan Ross even more so.

“The bunkering at Astbury is designed not to be too severe to play from, visually attractive and in view from the tee or approach, and Duncan has interpreted that really well,” Jonathan explained.

“When it comes to designing bunkers for courses it’s more of a job for me to implement the ideas of the club and pick the right contractors to oversee the work to make sure it’s done to the right standard.

“They asked me to provide them with a master plan and that included if bunkers should be filled in, repositioned, reshaped or remodelled. I worked my way around the course and came up with an 18-hole master plan, and that plan has become their blue print for future works.”

With the second phase of work planned to take place on the site this year the success of the first phase was very important for all parties, not least the club itself. Dave explains the teamwork involved in the project and the results that can now be seen on the 1st and 13th holes.

He said: “It was an extensive job because it was the first time we’d worked with Duncan and Jonathan, but I can’t tell you how pleased the members, especially the board of directors, are with Duncan and the work he’s done for us.

“A bit of everything has contributed to the success of Duncan’s work. It’s his attitude to come in and look at the work, nothings too much trouble. We altered one or two things, and he was more than happy to accommodate those changes, and together we mixed in and made a good team.
“Now we’re just waiting for the turf to bed in and settle, and the roots to start germinating and knit properly, and then the sand will go in at the beginning of March in time for the start of the season.”

The project also incorporated a rubber membrane into the bunkers for the first time. It’s hoped that whilst the initial outlay for the product was expensive that the long-term benefits will far out way the cost by keeping the sand clean and stopping it getting contaminated.

The use of innovative products is very important as technology moves on, as is the commitment of Duncan Ross to ensure that every client receives the highest quality final product available to their budget.

First Terra Spike SL6 Goes To Market Drayton GC

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Top Shropshire course, Market Drayton GC has taken delivery of the first Terra Spike SL6, Wiedenmann’s super light aerator for fine turf.

“It came along just as I was looking for extra depth,” said head greenkeeper, Simon Cotterill. “Our previous micro-tine machine operated to about 100 mm but going to 210 mm just suits us better.”

No stranger to Wiedenmann aerators, this is the fourth Terra Spike Simon Cotterill has purchased in his 26 years at the parkland course, having bought an original P6 and two subsequent XP6s.

“The plan is to use solid tines across all greens every 3 weeks or so falling back to four to five weeks in winter, weather depending. If we’re out early morning and follow with a cut, no-one will know we’ve been out.

“We’ve also gone for coring tines for tees and surrounds and purchased a Groundsman Flexblade core collector to collect as it travels. Paul McIldoon our Wiedenmann UK Sales Manager made all the arrangements directly with the Groundsman factory team in Northern Ireland so that the collector fitted snugly to the measurements of the SL and he fitted the brackets himself.”

Smart in every sense of the word, an innovative cover is one of several bespoke features designed to keep the SL’s weight to just 470kg. An updated version of Wiedenmann’s patented TwinDrive takes up less room and moves the centre of gravity closer to the tractor. Other developments include a built-in tine return system and additional shock absorbing facility.

Providing sales and service support to Market Drayton’s greenkeeping team of five are local Wiedenmann dealers, Burrows GM in Stafford. Regional Sales Manager, Colin Goldfinch, said: “At 1.4 m this new aerator is wide enough to cover the greens quickly but small enough to be very nimble. The XP6 at 400mm deep is at the opposite end of the aerator range so Simon and the lads have all bases covered now.”

STRI Group Has Strengthened Australian Operations

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Business development manager Mark Stidwill arrives from PGG Wrightson Seeds, bringing a wealth of turf and business development expertise to the group. Mark will be based out of STRI’s Brisbane office, but will be working across the business operations in Asia-Pacific.

STRI continues its investment in the well-known SportsTurf business, now part of the STRI Group, through the recent addition of Sam Myott to its agronomy team in Melbourne.

Sam has over 20 years’ experience in turfgrass management throughout Australia and Asia, having managed and worked on many world class golf courses, bowling greens and other sporting facilities throughout the region.

Senior agronomist Michelle Dickinson also joins SportsTurf from Ground Science to expand the SportsTurf business into Queensland. She has over 25 years’ experience in the sports turf industry, and will be providing expert consultancy and agronomic services after relocating to the Sunshine State.

The Melbourne-based consultants, SportsTurf, recently moved into new offices in Mt Waverly and will continue to offer professional agronomic, design and construction supervision services, as well as laboratory diagnostics from its brand-new laboratory facility.

Over the past five years, STRI has bolstered its position as a market leader in the sports surface industry. It recently joined forces with Auburn University in the USA, as well as started work on several large-scale football projects through its joint venture in China. This is in addition to recent significant investments made at its facilities in the United Kingdom and Qatar.

Director of operations in Australia Dr Marke Jennings-Temple said: “Our business is investing in talented, knowledgeable staff across the company, to support our ongoing commitment to deliver high-quality technical services to the turf industry in Australia.”

Rigby Taylor Enhances Turf Fertilisers

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Rigby Taylor, the company at the forefront of supplying innovative products for the successful management and maintenance of turf surfaces, has given its Apex turf fertilisers a major ‘make-over’ resulting in a range of high-organic content fertilisers with low salt analyses and rich humic acid levels to encourage root development and stimulate soil microbial activity.

The homogenous mini-granule formulations provide conventional and a slow release of nutrients to offer flexible, accurate and uniform application. Many of the products contain Polyhalite, an organic source of nitrogen, calcium and magnesium that helps to strengthen cell walls, making plant tissue less susceptible to turf disease damage.

In addition, the company’s Microfine range has been enhanced with six low-sulphur analyses. Sulphur is an important nutrient for plant health but it has been shown that constant applications of products high in this nutrient can lower pH levels and exacerbate black layer formation.

Microfine mini-granular formulations, however, provide both slow and conventional release forms of nitrogen, with a number of products containing methylene urea that release N in synchronisation with a plant’s requirements. Formulations also contain iron and magnesium, with two offering cold start benefits.

Rigby Taylor has also added two Polypro SK analyses to its fertiliser portfolio. With the superior polymer (urea) coating technology, both provide several month’s controlled release nutrition, in conjunction with added seaweed, organic potassium and bio stimulants.

The micro-granule Polypro range includes a conventional compound granule, blended with coated nutrients so the plant receives an early required boost. Calcium and magnesium has been added for improved turf disease tolerance.