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NEWS ARTICLES

Origin Amenity Solutions at BTME

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Origin Amenity Solutions at BTME: It’s going to be a busy week for the Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) team as they return to BTME in 2023.

Not only will members of the technical team be delivering six classes and seminars in the ‘Continue to Learn’ programme, innovative solutions to fine turf seed selection, nutritional treatments and data management systems from across the OAS brands will be showcased on not one but THREE stands in the main exhibition halls!

Origin Amenity Solutions at BTME

Origin Amenity Solutions at BTME

Comprised of Headland Amenity, Rigby Taylor, Symbio and Turfkeeper – and with their own Turf Science & Technology Centre – OAS has become the leading force in the amenity sector. Research conducted in-house and with selected partners around the globe are shaping the products of the future, such as the Carbon4Grass mixtures available from Rigby Taylor. Because managed amenity turf has higher

plant populations per square metre than natural grassland, the Carbon4Grass seed range has been specially formulated with cultivars that can sequester (lock up) more carbon, thereby mitigating environmental impact. More details about the collection, which includes R41, R6 CRT, R25 CRT and Low Maintenance for golf, can be found in new literature available on stand 230.

Also on stand 230 will be the fertiliser wheel from Headland Amenity. As pioneers in the field of speciality fertilisers for over 20 years, samples from across their portfolio will be showcased – from popular slow-release and controlled release solutions such as XTEND® and Multigreen® respectively, to organics like the popular C-Complex® range for fine turf.

Organics are also under the microscope for OAS brand Symbio – literally – as Dr Deidre Charleston will be on hand across the three days demonstrating live the different types of microbes present after different brewing lengths of their popular compost tea packages.

Across the aisle on stand 202, visitors will be able to find Turfkeeper. The Turfkeeper online management system is the industry-leading way to monitor and control staff management, turf maintenance tasks, machinery, inventory, budgets and more in one digital platform. Completing the line-up and located just next door to Turfkeeper on stand 200, will be the TinyMobileRobots Tiny Sport and new Tiny Pro X robotic line markers. The iGo Midi pedestrian line marker will also feature, with an optional side arm accessory making it efficient and cost effective for marking hazard and temporary greens on golf courses using Impact paints.

For those attending the ‘Continue to Learn’ programme, be sure to check out the series of classes and seminar sessions hosted by OAS and taking place across Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Topics include ‘Building a Fertiliser Programme for Beginners’, ‘Irrigation DIY’, ‘Managing Turf in the UK Climate’ and ‘Carbon Credentials of Grasses’. OAS will also be asking ‘What lies beneath?’ and ‘Will Selective Herbicides be Banned?’. More details of all the educational events can be found by visiting www.btme.org.uk

The OAS team can be contacted on 0800 138 7222 or sales@originamenity.com for more information.

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Appointment to Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group

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Appointment to Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group: The Greenkeepers Training Committee (GTC) has revealed that Trentham Golf Club’s course manager, Ed Stant, has been appointed chairperson of the group that works to produce and administer formal educational opportunities for greenkeepers in the UK.

The appointment was made following The Richmond Golf Club Course Manager Les Howkins MG’s decision to step down as chairperson of the Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group following an incredibly-successful tenure.

Appointment to Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group

Appointment to Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group

Trailblazer groups are responsible for developing a new apprenticeship for an occupation and then revising the apprenticeship as needed. Since becoming chairperson in 2021, Les has steered the group expertly, navigating the collaboration with the Sports Turf Trailblazer Group to develop the Level 3 Advanced Sports Turf Technician apprenticeship, which was approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) in October 2022.

No sooner had the new Level 3 apprenticeship been approved than Les began leading the group to review the Level 2 Golf Greenkeeper apprenticeship. Great strides have been made so far and this work will continue under the leadership of Ed, who will step up from the vice chairperson role. Gavin Sowden, environment and health & safety officer at Woburn Golf Club, will become vice chairperson. Both will move into office at The GTC-BIGGA standardisation meeting for training providers, being held in Harrogate during BTME in January.

Les Howkins MG, outgoing chairperson of the Golf Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group, said: “After two years as the Trailblazer chairperson, I am pleased to announce that Ed Stant will be taking over as chairperson in January 2023. Ed has been an excellent deputy for several years and has proved to have a very strong understanding of the role and the apprenticeship scheme. I am sure Ed will fulfil the role with honour and pride and ensure the greenkeeping apprenticeships remain world leading and fit for purpose for many years to come.

“Stepping into the deputy role is Gavin Sowden. With the full support and backing of Woburn Golf Club, I have no doubt Gavin will form a strong partnership with Ed and together the greenkeeping apprenticeship will go from strength to strength.

“I have enjoyed my years as Trailblazer chairperson and I must thank The GTC’s Fiona Lyttle for all her hard work and dedication to the scheme. Without Fiona, none of what we have achieved would have been possible.”

Ed Stant said: “I am delighted to accept the position of Trailblazer chairperson, taking over from Les Howkins MG, who has done a fantastic job over the past few years. Apprenticeships are such a vital route into our profession and often the building blocks for many young people entering the world of greenkeeping. I hope I can do the position proud and offer BIGGA and The GTC the support and encouragement they need. Special thanks goes to Fiona Lyttle at The GTC, who works so tirelessly for greenkeeping.”

Gavin Sowden said: “It is an honour to accept this appointment and be involved with the Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group. Having been in the industry for over 30 years and working closely with numerous apprentices starting their working lives as greenkeepers, I understand the importance of ensuring we have the correct education programme in place for our future golf course greenkeepers and course managers.”

Fiona Lyttle, BIGGA learning & development executive (The GTC), said: “It has been a honour and a privilege to work with Les over the last few years. His wealth of knowledge and determination to ensure greenkeeping apprentices are at the forefront of greenkeeper education is second to none. He has taught me a lot and hopefully I can now impart some of that knowledge further to continue the work of the Trailblazer group.

“We are delighted to appoint Ed and Gavin as the new Trailblazer chairperson and vice chairperson respectively. Being active employers and advocates for greenkeeping education, the Trailblazer group and I are looking forward to working with them to maintain the level of apprenticeships our employers have become accustomed to and to ensure they have quality golf facilities for their members to enjoy.”

The Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group and Trailblazer Apprenticeship programme is supported by golf facilities and governing bodies including England Golf, BIGGA, The Richmond Golf Club, Trentham Golf Club, Woburn Golf Club, Frilford Heath Golf Club, Gaudet Luce Golf Club, Leyland Golf Club, Portmore Golf Park, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Sunningdale Golf Club, The London Golf Club.

For more information on the Greenkeeping Trailblazer Group, contact The GTC’s Fiona Lyttle on (01347) 838 640 or fiona@the-gtc.co.uk

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Playing the Long Game with Baroness

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Playing the Long Game with Baroness: Andy McIntee, Course Manager at Pollok Golf Club, spoke about the Baroness six-piece machinery package he bought two years ago from Paul Denholm, Groundcare Sales Manager at Hamilton Brothers – a leap of faith that was totally worth it.

Can you tell us about the venue where we are today and about your role?

Andy – We’re here at Pollok Golf Club, a parkland setting on the southside of Glasgow. The course was designed by Alistair Mackenzie. We have around seven hundred members, probably out of those we’ve got six hundred playing members. I’m Course Manager, and I’ve been here for just over two and a half years.

Playing the Long Game with Baroness

Playing the Long Game with Baroness

What machines have you bought from us?

Andy – We bought six pieces of machinery: two Fairway Mowers, a Rough Mower, a five-unit Semi-Rough Mower, a Greens Triple and a Surrounds Triple.

What is the story of the Baroness brand?

Paul – Baroness is not new to the UK, it’s been here for over thirty-five years. Baroness is a Japanese brand, and its parent company Kyoeisha has been in existence for over a hundred years. It developed its first greens mower in 1959, and by the end of the seventies, its range of fine turf machinery dominated the home golf market throughout Japan.

In the early eighties, Kyoeisha started selling internationally, with contacts being established in America and the UK, but very few machines were sold north of the border in Scotland. Hamilton Brothers were delighted to be offered the dealership at the end of 2019 to fill the gap in our range to allow us again to to sell the complete groundcare package to our customers.

Can you tell us about the buying decision process?

Andy – With Paul, we worked together for about six to eight months, putting a machine package together. When I first came in, the previous General Manager had been talking to a few competitors, but I felt like it was only fair to give everybody a shot, considering it was going to be a big layout for the club.

The important thing for me was that the team were involved in every part of the process. It’s just not me picking machinery, because I’m not the one who’s going to be using them most of the time. Paul came in, and we organised some demos, and the decision that came back was unanimous.

There were a few factors that played in the decision. The team loved the simplicity of the Baroness – a lot of machines are now going computerised, but the Baroness are very simple, you don’t have to set anything really on them other than the cutting units…

The comfort of the machine is a crucial factor for me – because with the Fairway Mower, you could be sitting in it, four to six hours on end, depending on the day. I feel that Baroness has really taken this into account, with the quality of the seat on the LM 551 being unmatched.

It was also obvious that we needed reliable and robust machines. We don’t have a mechanic on site here, and the Baroness machines came in with a three-year warranty, and we knew we were going to get the backup from Hamilton Brothers, they’re only just up the road.

Plus, we’ve got quite a rugged terrain here – there’s lots of branches and sticks kicking about, ultimately you’re going to hit some of those, you can’t pick everything up. We’ve got fifteen fairways, and once you were finished cutting all of them, the cut when you came back in was as good as when you first went out. We weren’t getting that from others – I’m not saying that for other environments that wouldn’t be the case, but for our own site, the Baroness worked for us.

When we were putting the package together, we had a “Paul Lawrie” Pro-Event here, just after we’d demoed the Baroness Fairway Mower. It had done such a good job actually, that we asked Paul whether we could get that machine back for the week, to help produce the quality of cut during the tournament.

Because, at the end of the day, as much as the greens and surrounds and tees are important, the area with the biggest visual impact is the fairway. What the golfers are looking at, it’s the aesthetics, the finish on it, the turf quality. And the difference was noticeable.

When did you get the machines?

Andy – They arrived in January 2021, so the first summer we had was summer 2021. It was a cold spring we had, so you didn’t really get the true cut of them until we were a bit further into May / June, because growth was so slow. We haven’t put a grind on them yet, and we’ll be going into our third cutting season with them next year.

Two years later now, are you as happy as you were at the start?

Andy – Yeah, I mean, I’ll always go back with the team, because you’re trying to give them the best opportunity to provide the best playing conditions on a daily basis. So, consistency is important, and the Baroness are consistent. We always check the machines for cut before they go out, and nine times out of ten, we don’t really need to adjust them.

My thing is, you’ve got a machine that is not cheap, so if you want that longevity, it’s important to take care of the machinery as if it were your own. If the units are not sharp, the quality of the playing surface will ultimately suffer. Not only the turf has improved visually, but we’ve seen an improvement in health as well because of the quality of cut.

How has COVID impacted your business?

Andy – I think all golf clubs have benefited from an increase in membership. It provided a safe space for people to enjoy the outdoors during the pandemic, and I think it has a lot of benefits – it’s a good source of exercise, provides a social setting and hopefully allows our members to relax and get away from everyday pressure. I take it as a compliment, that people want to head out onto the course, even in not so nice conditions.

Every sort of minute out there now counts, so we’ve had to change how we set up the course. It’s now sending the two Fairway Mowers out, and it takes them about three and a half hours, whereas before on a course like this, you were able to do it through the day with one member of staff.

We set the whole course up in about four hours, and that’s kind of reminiscent of what you’d get in championship golf. So, again, having the machines and the backup – it’s just a no-brainer that you have to have this. If I think back to what we had when I first came in, there was constant breakdowns…

From a greenkeeping standpoint, COVID made it harder for us to get certain materials, but taught us to have a look further ahead – before, we would have probably started looking at the next package six months before, whereas now we have to think about it two years in advance.

How long have Hamilton Brothers & Pollok Golf Club been working together?

Paul – With Pollok, probably about since I started with Hamilton Brothers, back in 1990. I’ve been selling machines and bits and pieces over the years. We put a big machinery package in 2010 with another brand, and then things changed, and we lost out five years later, but then back in 2020 we started chatting again and Baroness machinery proved to be the best suited for the Golf Club and the guys.

What makes it special to work with HB?

Andy – From the start, you can always feel like you’re going to have a good relationship with somebody. With Paul, the most important thing for me was that there never was a push – there was never a deadline of “you need to make the decision by then”. There was a lot of patience on both sides.

The backup as well has been great, it’s not just about closing the sale and then it’s finished. It’s an ongoing relationship. Paul will pop in when he’s in the area, to see how things are going, and I’ve probably phoned him about other things, and he’s directed me in the right direction.

Paul – It’s all about building a business partnership, it works both ways. It’s a strong ethic from Eric’s point of view. You don’t just turn up after five years, like “that’s your machinery package up, let’s look at the new one”. If you haven’t seen him for five years, he’s going to forget about you.

Andy – I like keeping a small base of people that I work with, and Hamilton Brothers has got that sort of family feel, that you can immediately grasp when you go into the workspace area. You know, we do use Hamilton Brothers for other things, we’ll buy mowers, trailers, etc.

We’ve got a good relationship with the guys in the workshop as well, Danny, Michael, Alan, they’ll always explain everything. I’m somebody who asks questions, I want to know how things work, and they’re more than happy to take the time.

The other side of it is, if I’m needing something to get looked at at short notice, they’ll squeeze me in, they’re quite adaptable in that way. It means – especially in the summer – if you’ve got a machine, and something goes wrong with it, and you’ve got something else on the next day, you know the backup’s going to be there.

You’re not only buying the machine, you’re buying the people that are around it. Another thing I thought was really nice, was when we were looking at the machinery package, when we were getting to the sort of nitty gritty, Eric came out and introduced himself. From my point of view, I just think that it shows that there is a care and a willingness to make things work.

What would you say to another golf course who was considering making the switch to Baroness machines?

Andy – I can 100% back the quality of the brand. I’ve spoken to a few people already, and pushed them in this direction. I definitely wouldn’t have a problem in recommending buying Baroness from Hamilton Brothers especially. I think people would know straight away that they’ve made the right decision.

Word of mouth is very powerful – getting the Baroness name out there, along with the demos, has really helped. When we first looked at the brand, it was fair to say Baroness wasn’t sort of thriving in this area at the time, and now you’ve got three golf courses in a row equipped with the machines.

Somebody needs to take a leap of faith at times, and then other people will follow suit. And once you see the quality, you’re not going to feel as if it was a leap of faith after all.

What would be your next move?

Andy – We would like to add to the package. I’ll probably have a look at the Pedestrian Tees Mowers and Greens Mowers. I think that’s pretty much the whole range covered! If they did a utility vehicle, we would probably buy that too, but I don’t think they have that market at the minute.

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Redexim will help you be ‘renovation ready’

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Redexim will help you be ‘renovation ready’: Aerators, seeders, topdressers and more will all take centre stage on the Redexim stand as they return to BTME in 2023.

Proven to be one of the most accurate dimple seeders on the market, the Redexim Multi-Seeder promises to be a particular highlight on stand 532 – where visitors can also find out about a brand-new promotion which will be a must-have for those looking to overseed as part of their spring renovations!

Redexim will help you be ‘renovation ready’

Redexim will help you be ‘renovation ready’

Equally as suited to work on fine turf and amenity areas, the Multi-Seeder features twin spiked rollers which saturates the ground with up to 1890 holes per sq.m, creating the perfect dimple in which to deliver the seed. The Multi-Seeder 1600 model offers a 1.6m working width, the ability to have fixed or floating rollers to suit undulating ground and a rear-mounted brush which sweeps the surface to ensure not just optimal seed to soil contact, but leave a clean and tidy finish.

The Multi-Seeder is also one of a selection of models included in a brand-new promotion, launching ahead of renovation season. To help with the rising costs associated with overseeding, Redexim have proudly teamed up with Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), to offer those that purchase a Redexim seeder an exclusive deal worth over £500!

Alongside the Multi-Seeder will be other machines from the Redexim range that are critical to successful fine turf maintenance. The Verti-Drain 2519 is widely recognised as the leading high-speed, high-productivity aerator – featuring a 1.9m working width and the ability to accept a wide range of tine options. Re-engineered to include a new draw-rod system and an easy-to-adjust heave lever, the 2519 offers a PTO speed of up to 540rpm – allowing it to cover almost 9000sq.m per hour when spaced at 165mm.

Also launching at BTME will be a new addition to their topdressing range, which promises to deliver accuracy, adjustability and a brand new user-friendly interface for maximum versatility and efficiency. For more information on this, or any of the products from across the Redexim range, be sure to speak to the technical team on stand 532 in January.

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New cutting unit from INFINICUT® at BTME

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New cutting unit from INFINICUT® at BTME: A stop by the INFINICUT® stand at BTME always promises the latest in mowing technologies and the newest industry-leading innovations… and 2023 will be no different!

Fresh from the factory and on show for the first time on stand 614 will be a dedicated trailer unit for the 22” MK6 models, together with a new 22” cutting unit launching specifically for the golf sector.

New cutting unit from INFINICUT® at BTME

New cutting unit from INFINICUT® at BTME

The INFINICUT® trailer has been designed to be simple to use, protective of the mower and competitively priced – offering the convenient and safe transportation of the 22” model between greens. It features a roller ramp on/off system, the rubber roller affixing to the mower stub axles before securing with a quick release locking and unlocking mechanism. The cutting unit is supported on a cushioned platform to minimise any movement in HOC. As standard, it is equipped with large surface area tyres to help cushion dynamic forces when traversing over uneven ground, with the option of swapping to regular transport tyres when required.

Introduced in direct response to demand from the golf market, a new 22” dedicated cutting unit will also be showcased. When married to the INFINICUT® traction unit, with its unique floating mechanism, overall balance and wireless control system, this new mower offers unbeatable cut performance and unparalleled contour following ability.

Its extruded aluminium main structure provides exceptional torsional rigidity and reduces oscillation keeping the mower ‘on-cut’ for longer. Lever action groomer engagement is precise and quick, with various groomer configurations available, along with simple adjustment, removal and installation of the bedknife for fast sharpening. The deflector shield is also adjustable to optimise the ejection of clippings.

Synonymous with the entire INFINICUT® range, the new 22” cutting unit features SMARTCut™ reel technology for optimal cut performance, precision and quality of finish. The SMARTCut™ reels, manufactured in-house in Sheffield, are dynamically balanced and are guaranteed concentric to within 20µm across the entire length. The SMARTCut™ forms part of the wider TMSystem™ collection of grooming, mowing and maintenance cassettes which can transform the INFINICUT® or most mainstream models of multi-gang mowers into versatile systems for complete turf refinement.

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