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NEWS ARTICLES

Royal Norwich Chooses Toro As It Prepares To Relocate

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Royal Norwich Golf Club has invested in Toro as it embarks on one of the most exciting times in its 123-year history.

With all the legal and planning formalities nearly complete, it is expected that Royal Norwich will relocate to the nearby location of Weston Park Golf Club where it is the intention to build a brand new premier 27-hole facility.

Phil Grice, general manager at Royal Norwich, says: “We are at the start of a very big project. Our vision is to create one of the region’s most prestigious golf facilities and we’re off to a great start with course designers European Golf Designers, who designed Celtic Manor 2010 Course, on board and a recent and considerable investment in a range of new Toro machines.

“The relocation won’t take place until late 2018 or early 2019 and in that time we need the machinery to ensure the quality of the golf course at Royal Norwich our members always expect. Plus soon, when the course at Weston Park is “growing in”, we will merge our two greenkeeping teams and will be relying upon this equipment to help tend 45 holes between the two sites. That’s a big ask and we knew whatever brand we chose would be under immense pressure to perform, but the quality of the Toro machines leaves us in no doubt they are up to the task.”

Phil says the decision on which machines to choose was a collective one by “those at the coal-face”, head greenkeeper Mark Dingle and his greenkeeping team of five. “We have opted for two Greensmaster TriFlex 3420 greens machines and a Reelmaster 5510-D fairway mower, which will ensure the quality of our greens, tees and surrounds, plus a Workman GTX utility vehicle. The GTX is the newest utility vehicle on the market and really versatile and, considering the range of work we have coming up, that’s essential.”

The history and heritage of the two clubs will combine with an ultra modern 27-hole course, a 200-seat function facility and stunning atrium bar, and to accommodate the unique course, Phil says he will need to grow the fleet twice more in the next couple of years. Working with UK Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare over this initial stage has been, Phil says, “a pleasure. It was obvious our business was important to the team, they bent over backwards to support us, nothing was too much trouble and they supplied an incredible amount of machines to loan and to demo before we made our decision.”

Phil, who has been at Royal Norwich for five years and will move with the club to the new site when it opens, says that while it’s the end of an era for Royal Norwich it is a unique time for the members of both Royal Norwich and Weston Park. “The plans point to a progressive new club, one which will set a new standard for the region. This investment in Royal Norwich and the quality of the course, plus what’s to come will mean there is much for our members to be excited about and look forward to.”

Learn more about the products included in this story by visiting http://www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk

New Complete Weed Control team

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Complete Weed Control, the UK’s largest weed control contractor, has announced Conor Flynn as its newest franchisee to operate in the East Midlands.

Conor is the latest to join Complete Weed Control and after working with cars for the majority of his working career, he decided that it was time for a change of direction. When the opportunity arose to join Complete Weed Control he decided to learn more about the company, which ultimately played a major factor in his decision to alter his career path.

“I’ve worked with cars all my life, whether it is sales, events or driving around a track. Cars are my passion but when the chance arose to join Complete Weed Control I think the opportunity was just too good to ignore.

“I met with managing director Ian Graham, to find out more on the company and learn about what would be involved in the daily running of the business – and that made my mind up.”
Conor spent a year learning the business inside out by working under David Cocks, who had been in charge of the East Midlands area since 2000. Having recently just taken over the full day-to-day running of the business, Conor feels he is now ready to push on and grow the business.

“I’ve got some great clients and work at some fabulous places, which includes golf courses and sports clubs and I’m really enjoying it so far. My plan is to keep growing and building on the relationships that David has built up over the past 16 years.”

Since its beginnings in 1972, Complete Weed Control has gone from strength to strength and has built a reputation as the most professional and relied upon weed control contractor in the UK. The CWC group has been complimented by its hugely successful business model. Every inch of the UK is now occupied by a Complete Weed Control operative and also has a growing presence in Ireland.

“It’s an incredibly progressive and forward thinking company, says Conor. “Head office is always on hand to provide you with support and everyone has a high ambition which is a great motivation.

“I’m really looking forward to the road ahead with Complete Weed Control. It is great to be a part of this company.”
For more information, please contact Complete Weed Control’s national office on 01325 324 277 or visit www.completeweedcontrol.co.uk

Council apology over trees planted on football pitch

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The trees appeared at the pitch at Logie Durno in Aberdeenshire, sparking social media reaction.
Aberdeenshire Council was contacted, and the local authority said the intention was to turn over part of the area for “biodiversity” – but talks would now be held with the community.

A spokeswoman said: “It would seem that we were barking up the wrong tree with plans for this site.”
‘Sorry for inconvenience’

The spokeswoman said of the site: “Anecdotally it was rarely used. However it is clear now that the community were not engaged with this plan.
“As such, we are going back to first principles with them so they can help us decide what this area should be used for.
“There are full pitches immediately next to this area for community leisure use and the trees will remain on this site until we can come to an agreement with residents.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.”
On social media, people had been quick to poke fun at the situation.
One person wrote: “Are they playing tree a side?”

To read the original article, click here

Terrain Aeration and the Valley of Fire

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The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are famous around the globe and have the world’s largest collection of hardy trees and shrubs anywhere in the temperate world. The Gardens now hold fourteen National Plant Collections and the latest planting project has been named ‘Valley of Fire’. The name is derived from the planting of over 30 different types of trees and shrubs that will create stunning autumn colour on both sides of what is currently known as Oak Tree Vista.

One of the challenges that faced the scheme was the need to create drainage in several areas of wet, heavy clay, to get the plantings off to a good start. David Jewell, Head of Collections, called upon the services of Terrain Aeration to carry out systematic treatment of the areas around the new plantings. “I have known of the Terrain Aeration service for many years,” says David, “and have used them before. Their machines do an excellent job with very little disruption, in our case in quite tight areas on very soft ground. The results always speak for themselves.”

Terrain Aeration primarily used their Terralift Tracker to treat the areas between and around the saplings. The soft rubber tracks allowed the machine to traverse the soft ground and let the operator treat and de-compact the areas below any waterlogging. The method is especially effective where compaction or a natural water table forms an impermeable layer that will not allow water to pass through it; typical where there are areas of clay. The machine’s probe reaches far deeper than normal aeration and hydraulic fracturing of the ground with an air blast opens it up to improve drainage, and allow the all-important aeration around the root areas. As the probe exits the ground, dried seaweed is injected which swells in wet weather to keep the probe holes open to aeration. Four shots per square metre were delivered around the saplings.

The new planting created in the Oak Field Vista, the large area of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens located just as you enter, has a viewpoint down a steep slope towards the distant Hampshire countryside. Planted with a collection of Oak trees, the views are beautiful most of the year but in autumn months, while elsewhere the Gardens are vibrant, there is only a scattering of colour. The new plantings of North American Maples, Liquidambar, Acer, Sorbus and Cherry, interplanted around the existing trees, will bring tinted orange-reds to the view, while shrub beds planted with Sumachs, Lindera and Euonymus of orange, yellows, orangey reds and gold will complete the stunning autumn colour of the Valley of Fire.

Henley GC splashes some Colour

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By using a range of Limagrain Colour Splash flower mixtures, Jim Griffith – a 68 year old retired teacher, has injected some stunning colour into the course at Henley Golf & Country Club in Arden, Warwickshire.

After taking up golf 18 years ago, Jim became a member of Henley Golf Club and soon made the most of retirement by playing regular rounds on the course which is set within the grounds of a 200 acre estate of landscaped parkland. Three years ago Jim started taking more of an active role at the club by helping out around the course, cutting back hedges, trees, seeding, planting and other general maintenance tasks, before he was then joined by other club members wishing to volunteer.

“This year our volunteer numbers have swelled to 14,” says Jim. “We call ourselves the ‘Ground Improvement Team Seniors, or GITS for short and generally help out after playing. Some days I can call upon six or more.”

Showing great dedication for their club, the volunteer group decided that the course would benefit from an injection of colour. Having seen the nearby Gaudet Luce Golf Club with a stunning array of flowers, Jim sought the advice of the course manager who then passed on the details of Limagrain.

“Keen to get started in February 2015 we met with Matt Gresty of Limagrain who gave us further ideas, brochures with various seed mixture products and costs. We then identified areas around the golf course for potential flower cultivation. After working out potential costs we were given the go ahead by management and ordered a variety of seed on Matt’s recommendations – Festival, Honey Bee, Aurora and Bio Diversity two year mix.”

With the products in place, Jim and the team started the project by rotavating before seeding in May 2015. A couple of months later and Jim was soon reporting excellent results.

“Worried about what was weed and what was flower I invited Matt to see our early results in June and to identify weed from flower. Though time consuming, we managed to weed each area and by mid-July our efforts were rewarded with displays around the course. Displays continued for three months and comments from members were very positive so we decided to continue the project in 2016. The most popular seed mix was the tall Festival which appeared more prominently than the shorter mixes though Honey Bee provided some of the best displays.”

True to his word, Jim and the team did indeed commence with the project in 2016 by doubling the size of the area and adding a further six plots. Although faced with unfavourable spring weather conditions the team’s efforts were soon rewarded.

“In late July and early August we began to see evidence of blossoms and from August onwards we have now seen magnificent colour. Widening the areas has given depth and adding additional poppy seed to each plot has provided extra colour. The Festival mix was again a real winner.”

The Festival mixture from Limagrain UK’s Colour Splash range contains a variety of beautiful mixtures including Cosmos Sulphureus, Cosmos Bipinnatus Sensation, Sunbow Zinnia, Cornflower and Tithonia Torch. Resulting in a mesmerising wave of colourful flowers, this mixture stands at between 1m to 1.5m, or more, and can easily be seen from a distance.

This popular mixture is just one of eight exquisite mixtures in the Colour Splash range – each meeting the numerous expectations of those who delight in appreciating a significant dash of colour. The Colour Splash mixtures are not only great for aesthetic purposes but they also have a significant impact on the surrounding wildlife in the sense that they provide a refuge that offers a rich and varied source of food.

Jim is looking to continue the project into 2017 and has already selected new mixtures from the Colour Splash range. The effort and determination from Jim and the team are really quite remarkable and it is this dedication to his local club which has earned him a nomination for the 2016 Warwickshire Golf Awards in the category of ‘Unsung Hero’.

“Such a project is time consuming, needs effort and perseverance but the ultimate results make such efforts absolutely worthwhile,” says Jim. “Costs are relatively small considering the benefits and I would certainly recommend Limagrain as an option – particularly the advice and on-site support Matt Gresty has given me.

“Flowers can enhance even the most picturesque of golf courses and our efforts have been the source of many appreciative comments from club members and visitors. Even when people are concentrating on their golf they still have time to enjoy the aesthetics of the course.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.limagrain.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed