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The Toro “must have tool”

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The Toro “must have tool”: The latest club to invest in a Toro ProCore 648 aerator is Royal Aberdeen Golf Club with Course Manager Richard Johnstone declaring it a must have tool for golf aeration.

Prior to Richard’s arrival a tractor-mounted aerator was being used on the classic Scottish links course but when Richard joined the club 10 months ago it was one of the first things he looked to change.

The Toro "must have tool"

The Toro “must have tool”

Richard explains: “The Balgownie course in particular is known for having undulating greens and surrounds with steep slopes rising to tees situated high up in the dunes. The proximity of the tees and slopes are small and tight making it difficult for the tractor-mounted aerator to access everywhere we needed it to.”

Richard knew there was a solution, that it came from Toro and was called the ProCore 648. He says: “I was at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club for eight years as Course Manager prior to arriving in Aberdeen, where we’d had a ProCore 648 since 2013. It was nimble, manoeuvrable, effective, and easy to use. When you’ve had an experience like that with a piece of machinery you don’t tend to look any further. I did however have a team to persuade, so we enquired about getting a demo model in to ensure it was right for our particular site.

“Everyone on the team got to trial the aerator and evaluate it on a feedback sheet, and it scored very highly. The conclusion was that it was the best pedestrian aerator for our site.”

This probably isn’t too surprising for many to read. The Toro ProCore 648 is, after all, the market-leading, customer-favourite aerator that, no matter your brand preference, there’s no denying is the best in the business. A statement Richard readily agreed with: “Absolutely, it does what it’s supposed to do well.”

The ProCore arrives in time to assist in some course construction, as Richard explains: “We’re hollow coring two hectares of greens and approaches to reduce the organic matter within the profile and the cores will be used to construct a new green and approach within our practice ground. This will provide consistency and a perfect match for the type of grasses maintained across the greens within our site.”

When asked if there was anything else in terms of machine highlights, Richard didn’t hesitate in explaining just how satisfying it is to use: “It’s fast and neat whatever kind of aeration it is doing. We do a variety of solid, pencil, and hollow tine in the main and whichever you’re doing you can use it all day without feeling it. The vibrations are negligible.”

To find out more about the aerator which sets the gold standard for greens aeration, visit Reesink Turfcare at reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Discover Turf Excellence with Agrovista Amenity at BTME

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Discover Turf Excellence with Agrovista Amenity at BTME: Agrovista Amenity is set to showcase two exclusive products within its portfolio at BTME 2025: the plant growth regulator Attraxor® and turf fungicide Maxtima®.

Visitors can find the Agrovista Amenity team in Hall One, stands 120 and 124, at the Harrogate Convention Centre from January 21 to 23, 2025.

Discover Turf Excellence with Agrovista Amenity at BTME

Discover Turf Excellence with Agrovista Amenity at BTME

Attraxor® – Redefining Growth, Take Control Today

Attraxor® is a highly effective plant growth regulator formulated with prohexadione-calcium, designed for managed amenity turf and grassland. By inhibiting the gibberellic acid pathway—a key growth-stimulating hormone—Attraxor® significantly reduces upward grass growth while enhancing overall turf quality. Key benefits include:

  • Regulates growth of all grass species evenly
  • Improves playing surface quality and turf appearance
  • Reduces clipping yields
  • Improves root development leading to healthier grass
  • Rapid growth regulation even at lower temperatures

Maxtima® – The Dawn of a New Era in Turf Protection

Maxtima® is a cutting-edge turf fungicide featuring the innovative active ingredient mefentrifluconazole. This powerful demethylase inhibiting fungicide binds more effectively to target sites, delivering comprehensive and long-lasting disease control while ensuring exceptional safety for turfgrass. Benefits include:

  • Controls the toughest turf diseases
  • Exceptional turfgrass safety
  • Low application rates
  • Long-lasting protection

Meet the Experts

The knowledgeable Agrovista Amenity team will be present throughout the show, ready to offer expert advice and tailor solutions to meet your specific requirements. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about these innovative products and how they can enhance your turf management practices.

Join Agrovista Amenity at BTME 2025 and discover the tools you need for thriving, high-performance turf.

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity

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Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity: There is no more valuable resource to golf course managers than time, which is why efficiency ranks highly when it comes to sourcing new maintenance solutions. Looking specifically at turf rollers, the HP11-III from Salsco with three driven rollers is the widest and quickest on the market – delivering proven productivity and performance at courses across the UK.

One club reporting a 40% reduction in the time taken to roll all 18 greens is Cowdray Golf Club in West Sussex, who purchased their Salsco HP11-III from Lister Wilder in May 2024. “Greens ironing plays such an important part in ensuring that people’s experience of their visit is as good as it can be,” explains Course Manager Jonathan Smith. “Previously, we had a much smaller greens iron, and while it did a fair job, it used to take us about four hours to get round where the Salsco can do it to a high standard in under two and a half.”

Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity

Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity

Jonathan also notes the rollers flexibility to cope with climatic challenges. “If the weather is particularly hot, for example, we tend to prefer to roll rather than cut because we believe it gives the greens the best chance and gives our players the best performance.”

“The other beauty of it is that if I am doing any type of renovation work, I will utilise the roller for effective consolidation. If the need arises, we can add water to the individual rolls to increase the psi from 7.0 to 9.2 which has been particularly useful when we are Verti-Draining and Pro-Coring during our maintenance week” he adds. “Within a few days you would never know the work had taken place.”

The three independent rolls that oscillate and articulate on the HP11-III not only allow for complete control over weight distribution, they ensure 100% ground contact. It’s ability to maintain traction without slipping was a key consideration for Graeme Roberts, Course Manager at Hayling Golf Club, and their decision to invest in Salsco.

“Depending upon events, we try to roll between one and three times a week in the main season and then, in the autumn and spring when the growth rate is down, maybe up the rolling in exchange for cutting” says Graeme. “We have a lot of slopes on the edges of our greens and it’s very important that it can roll without losing traction and creating stress, especially when changing direction. Having every roller driven on this model means that you get the best traction possible.”

“I also like the fact that it has wider self-cleaning rollers so is a lot more efficient and effective in the finish that it achieves.” He concludes, “The ball roll definitely improves with it, and it’s proven invaluable in getting sand into the soil profile when you have top dressed, while also helping to reduce the mess that is often left by other rollers.”

For more information on the HP11-III or the other rollers in the Salsco range, visit salscorollers.co.uk or get in touch with the team at Lister Wilder.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Visit Hunter Grinders at BTME

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Visit Hunter Grinders at BTME: Hunter Grinders, part of the Howardson Group, is excited to announce its presence at BTME 2025, where the cutting-edge Jupiter ATI ‘All-in-One’ Grinder will be on display at Stand 217.

The Jupiter ATI 6.0: Elevating Precision The Jupiter ATI 6.0 is a fully automatic relief spin grinder designed to deliver unmatched accuracy and consistency. It features advanced automatic traverse, indexing, and in-feed systems, ensuring professional-grade grinding results every time.

Visit Hunter Grinders at BTME

Visit Hunter Grinders at BTME

Key Features of the Jupiter ATI 6.0

Fully Automatic Operation: Operates independently, boosting efficiency and freeing up time for other tasks.

Precision Engineering: Meets original manufacturer specifications for cylinders and bottom blades, ensuring a flawless finish.

Rock-Solid Accuracy: Built with a cast bed and heavy-duty linear bed rails, providing precision grinding.

Operator Safety: A liquid coolant system reduces airborne dust and heat, ensuring a comfortable and safe workspace.

Versatile Workshop Tool: Includes a 360-degree electric 200kg hoist for heavy lifting tasks.

Comprehensive Functionality: Grinds top and front faces of bottom blades, measures cylinder shaft data, and accommodates cylinders up to 1067mm (42”).

Programmable Features: Fully programmable for both relief and spin grinding, with automatic wheel head docking and cycle countdown.

Durable Construction: Features a cast bed, liquid coolant system, 240-volt power supply, linear bed rails with self-adjusting bearings, and a soft-start spin grinding motor.

Visit Stand 217

At BTME 2025, the knowledgeable team will be on hand to provide a detailed insight into how the Jupiter ATI 6.0 can revolutionise your grinding operations.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Hunter Grinders on 01332 824 777 or visit www.huntergrinders.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Hunter Grinders on Twitter and Instagram @huntergrinders and like the company’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/HunterGrinders/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Suståne’s world-leading solutions at BTME

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Suståne’s world-leading solutions at BTME: Suståne Natural Fertiliser return to BTME 2025 in their regular stand location, 170, showcasing the very best that one of the world’s largest producers and suppliers of organic and natural-based fertilisers has to offer.

With more golf courses pursuing a sustainable approach to inputs and nutrition, the low environmental impact of Suståne’s range for professional turf grass makes it a more popular alternative than ever before.

Suståne's world-leading solutions at BTME

Suståne’s world-leading solutions at BTME

Suståne was founded over 35 years ago on the premise of utilising and refining renewable resources to add benefit to the land, without contributing to environmental issues which would require future generations to resolve. The Suståne composting and manufacturing process was developed to avoid production of greenhouse gasses like methane and nitrous oxide, creating products suited to a range of applications that offer a natural capacity to sequester and clean CO2 from our atmosphere.

The current range of fertilisers, soil builders and amenders encapsulate more than three decades of research from over 100 universities and facilities around the globe – resulting in products that turf managers across the sporting spectrum can rely on for maximum results with minimal impact on the environment.

For greenkeepers, grounds managers and agronomists, Suståne offer products that play an important role in rapid grow-in’s, establishment and renovations, along with solutions specifically developed to assist with maintenance recovery. Notable in this category is Suståne Turf Revival 6-2-4. Delivering a balanced Nitrogen release without excessive yield, together with organic-rich and biologically stable humus, humic acids, beneficial microorganisms, VA mycorrhizae and other organic nutrients, it helps plants to recover from renovation practices.

Another product of particular interest to course managers is Soil ReGen® Structural Soil Conditioner which regenerates and rebuilds disturbed or depleted soils, supplying essential nutrients, reducing compaction and increasing water and oxygen infiltration rates.

Formulations from the Suståne range have played a role in the renovations and ongoing sustainable management of golf courses in more than 60 countries around the world, and you can find out exactly by speaking to the technical team on stand 170 in January.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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