When the board of directors at Heswall Golf Club on the Wirral Peninsula chose Toro for the first time in 2013 following a lengthy study of the “top three” brands, it was in a move to help improve the quality, appearance and playability of the course. Now, two and a half years later, it’s time to catch up with the club to see how things are going.

Guy Cannings, course manager, says: “Until the end of 2013, we’d never had a Toro machine here at Heswall, so to go from nothing to a whole fleet was a big move. Although Toro performed brilliantly in the demos and in all areas actually, any step into the unknown comes with uncertainty.”

There was no need for reservations though, as Guy says the “quality of the mowers is evident in the quality, now, of the course aesthetically and how it plays; it has improved since we’ve started using Toro and we are attracting more players to the club as a result, which is fantastic.”

Not only has the ten-strong Toro fleet proved itself by helping improve the quality of the existing course, but it has also tended six greens as they have been relaid. And as a result of its positive performance, Heswall has since added to the shed with another Reelmaster 3100-D with Sidewinder, a Groundsmaster 4700-D and a ProPass 200 trailed topdresser.

Guy says: “When it came to adding to our fleet, we didn’t just opt for Toro again simply to add to an existing predominantly Toro fleet, we conducted a thorough evaluation and Toro came out on top again.

“The RM3100-D has proved itself over the last couple of years, it’s really economical, which is why we have invested in another for the greens. This will complement the original Sidewinder which will now apply its versatility on the greens surrounds, tee banks and semi-roughs.”

Steve Halley of Cheshire Turf Machinery, Heswall’s local Toro dealer and who worked with the club to agree the deal, which also includes a maintenance package, says: “Before any machinery was installed we took the greens staff to Reesink Turfcare HQ in St Neots for operator training. This was to ensure the team was confident in the operation of the mowers, how to get the most out of their new machinery and manoeuvre the fleet safely and skillfully.”

Reesink is renowned for its industry-leading training, which is delivered by nationally recognised quality assured trainers and assessors, and is committed to those companies, like Heswall, who wish to develop and invest in their employees’ skills.

It also provides the perfect opportunity for everyone to get to know each other better, as Steve Halley confirms: “Not only are the training courses beneficial on a practical level, they also offer the opportunity for everyone to get to know each other. We’ve really enjoyed working with Guy, Graham [Capewell, club secretary] and the team over the last couple of years and it’s great to hear they are finding more players now enjoying their beautiful course and all it has to offer.”

From 1 March 2017, all bottles of the barrier acting, total herbicide, Pistol® from Bayer, will be supplied with two low drift sprayer nozzles and a stewardship checklist attached. The addition of the low drift nozzles forms part of the new authorisation for Pistol® which was officially re-registered by the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) under the new registration MAPP17451 in 2016.

The new authorisation confirms that Pistol® is registered through to 2020. Bayer is already in the process of re-labelling bottles and distributors have until the end of February 2017 to sell any remaining ‘old label’ stock. However, any individuals purchasing these products will have until February 2018 to use their stocks.

“The new nozzles will mean that amenity professionals using Pistol® will have a more targeted spray pattern and chemical drift will be minimised, so the product only affects the target area and there is less wastage,” says Dr Colin Mumford of the Bayer Turf Solutions Team.

“As an independent organisation, the Amenity Forum fully supports product stewardship and the importance of choosing the correct nozzle so that the product is applied exactly where needed for effective and economic impact,” adds independent chairman of the Amenity Forum, Professor John Moverley OBE.

“Pistol is an essential product for the control of annual and perennial weeds and grasses on soft and gravel surfaces. And without such updates to the packaging, we could see even more products removed from the market, so we aim to ensure that our products are stewarded correctly and we always encourage best practice,” says Colin.

A key benefit of Pistol® is that it has a long lasting, systemic and residual mode of action. Once it is applied, its effectiveness will continue, as a barrier is created on the upper profile of the soil that will remain throughout the season, controlling germinating weeds and preventing their establishment.

The herbicide can be applied with a knapsack sprayer, and the nozzles are universal, so will fit to the user’s existing equipment.