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Hartpury maximises efficiency

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Hartpury maximises efficiency: Embracing electric and improving efficiency were two of the standout reasons why Hartpury College and University turned to John Deere when it needed a new fleet of machines to help maintain a varied and challenging site.

Located in Gloucestershire, the 360-hectare campus is home to both Hartpury College and Hartpury University. Traditionally, the latter has been best known for its agricultural and land-based subjects, but in recent years the site has developed cutting-edge sports facilities, alongside the world’s largest equine educational facility.

Hartpury maximises efficiency

Hartpury maximises efficiency

The grounds team made the decision to switch providers when the challenge of maintaining the site proved too much for their existing kit.

“The machines were fine but we thought they would save us time, when in reality they were costing us more time and the efficiency wasn’t there,” Matthew Newman, Grounds and Sports Turf Manager at Hartpury says.

And both saving time and maximising efficiency are essential on a site with so many different demands.

With eight grass pitches for football and rugby, two synthetic pitches, a nine-hole pitch and putt, a golf range, a short game practice area and a multitude of amenity grounds, the challenge of maintaining the site calls for the very best equipment.

“Organising personnel to cover the site is a challenge as it’s so big,” Matthew says.

“It’s not easy because we’re dealing with nature. But we need to provide an excellent service so that our students’ experience is exactly what it should be.

“They need top quality pitches to play on. And we want the grounds to look the very best they can, because that’s how we advertise the college – when people drive down the main drive, we want them to think to themselves ‘I want to come here’.”

Tied into a deal with another machinery manufacturer, Matthew didn’t think they would be able to change the fleet until he consulted Phil Taylor, Turf & Commercial Area Sales Manager for the Tallis Amos Group, the local John Deere dealer.

Phil already had a close relationship with the team at Hartpury so, when they approached him to demo a John Deere TE Gator, he was able to explain how he could help them leave their current finance package and purchase new kit on a five-year lease, all while providing them with the backup from a dealership they desperately needed.

“We have improved the quality of the pitches and saved the operators a huge amount of time by mulching and not collecting,” Phil says.

“We went to Tallis Amos and the relationship blossomed – we have a really good association with them,” echoes Matthew. “I know that if we are really up against it and a machine is down, that I can ring Tallis and if they can lend us another machine they will.

“This is by far the best relationship I’ve had with a manufacturer or supplier over the past 10 years and hopefully it will continue.”

Matthew is also as enthusiastic about the new kit they’re now using on site.

“We’ve got mulching mowers now so the efficiency is better than it’s ever been,” he explains. “The 8800 is by far the best mower we’ve ever had.

“We’ve changed from diesel gators to electric gators; we started moving to electric for our smaller kit about six years ago when we changed to electric strimmers, followed by our blowers and hedge cutters.”

In total, Hartpury has purchased six TE Gators, one 8800A surrounds mower, one 4066R tractor on galaxy turf tyres and a second 4066R on standard tyres with a 440R Loader, two Z994R with a 60” cutting deck and one 220SL greens mower.

Tallis Amos also supplied two robotic mowers, a tine aerator, four cylinder mowers, slitter and rotary deck roller mower.

“The choice of kit was based on covering what both the sports and grounds teams need because the machines do need to interchange,” Matthew explains. “And we based it on how we could support both the environment and maximise efficiencies.”

Reducing carbon footprint will play a considerable role going forwards, determining both the kit selected and the way it is used.

“Hartpury stages five international horse events – the issue we had with our diesel Gators in the past was that they were quite noisy,” Matthew says.” This year we will be using electric – it will be interesting to see how noise-free vehicles are welcomed by the competitors and spectators.”

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Horticulture specialist pledges armed forces support

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Horticulture specialist pledges armed forces support: The Nurture Group signs Armed Forces Covenant as part of the nation’s promise to support current and former service personnel and their families. 

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation to those who serve. It says we will do all we can to ensure they are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives. This includes offering injured servicemen and women and bereaved families extra support where appropriate.

Horticulture specialist pledges armed forces support

Horticulture specialist pledges armed forces support

Gavin Jones, part of The Nurture Group, has a longstanding history of maintaining a wide variety of MOD sites and recently commenced a seven-year working relationship with the VIVO Defence partnership at the start of the year.

Consequently, the Group has cemented its commitment to its ongoing support of veterans and their loved ones, alongside existing team members who give their time voluntary to cadet operations as part of the Reserve Forces, and actively championing awareness activities such as Remembrance Day and Armed Forces Day.

Already a Real Living Wage Employer, The Nurture Group is now eligible for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Bronze Award, recognising employers that are aligned with the Covenant’s own core values. The ERS also encourages employers to support defence and inspire other organisations to do the same.

Simon Harrison, Head of People at Nurture Group, commented: “As an ex-serviceman, signing the Armed Forces Covenant is something I personally am very passionate about, and I am delighted and proud to be driving initiatives and pledging our wider support to those who give so much to our country. We are currently planning activities to further our work with the armed forces community, with ex- service personnel within our organisation keen to take a leading role and support.”

Further information about Gavin Jones and The Nurture Group can be accessed at www.nurture-group.co.uk.

For more about the Armed Forces Covenant, visit www.gov.uk/government/policies/armed-forces-covenant.

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STIHL’s new state-of-the-art HQ

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STIHL’s new state-of-the-art HQ: STIHL GB held a groundbreaking ceremony this week to mark the first official day of construction of its new 11,500m2 purpose-designed headquarters and state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Camberley, Surrey.

Chairman of the Executive Board at STIHL AG, Michael Traub, STIHL GB Managing Director, Kay Green, Mayor of Surrey Heath, Councillor Helen Whitcroft, and Managing Director London and South at Glencar Construction, Roy Jones, attended the ceremony to turn the first soil and announce the official commencement of works on the site.

STIHL's new state-of-the-art HQ

STIHL’s new state-of-the-art HQ

Due for completion in 2023, the site will be home to nearly 100 employees and will boast dedicated dealer training facilities, an on-site restaurant, flexible collaborative workspaces and a technical workshop.

The new 9,000m2 warehouse space will utilise the latest picking and storage system technology to maximise productivity, efficiency and the use of space. All logistics will now be consolidated onto one site, meaning a speedier and more efficient delivery service to the 700 strong STIHL dealer network.

Kay Green, Managing Director of STIHL GB, commented: “The groundbreaking ceremony is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for STIHL GB and the result of a sustained period of growth in recent years. Our new purpose-built headquarters represents a significant capital investment and is a commitment to the future for our dealers and end user customers.”

The new HQ boasts first class environmental credentials including BREEAM Certification, the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for building projects. In addition, it is proposed that two-thirds of the total roof area (1600m2) will be covered with photovoltaic solar panels to provide power to the new facility, as well as the installation of EV charging points.

The new headquarters will be connected to Blackwater railway station by a dedicated cycle path and will feature landscaped gardens with native shrubs and trees and a wildflower meadow, which forms part of an integrated flood risk mitigation zone on the former Thames Water Utilities site.

Furthermore, three biodiversity offset planting schemes will be implemented in the local area, which will replace the greenery that has been removed during construction, as well as adding an additional 10% planting provision. All the planting has been carefully selected so that only native species are planted.

For more information, please visit www.stihl.co.uk.

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Gleneagles enhances the King’s course

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Gleneagles enhances the King’s course: Gleneagles, the iconic Scottish hotel and global luxury destination, has completed important enhancements to its world-renowned King’s Course, in preparation for welcoming icons of the game to compete in the Senior Open Presented by Rolex, July 21-24.

The 103-year-old James Braid-designed inland links style course, a regular feature of many Top 100 rankings lists, is critically acclaimed as one of his architectural masterpieces.

Gleneagles enhances the King's course

Gleneagles enhances the King’s course

In 1921 it was also the venue of the first ever match between Britain and USA Professionals, in what has been widely accepted today as a precursor to The Ryder Cup.

The course also famously hosted a match between the ‘Big Three’ of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player in 1966, as well as the popular Bell’s Scottish Open from 1987-1994, the largest spectator event after The Open at the time.

Next month’s Senior Open Presented by Rolex will welcome a host of golfing legends to ‘The Glorious Playground’, including two-time Open Champion and 2022 US Senior Open Champion, Padraig Harrington (playing in his first Senior Open), his fellow double Open Champion Ernie Els, as well as Darren Clarke, Tom Lehman and Scotland’s Sandy Lyle.

The King’s Course underwent extensive restoration in 2016, which included taking the fairway cut lines back to the original James Braid design, alongside a comprehensive bunker refurbishment programme, to further enhance the aesthetic design of all 18 holes.

To coincide with the staging of the Senior Open Presented by Rolex, the following key changes have been made to five holes on The King’s Course:

Hole 7 – Kittle Kink

A new tee has been built at the back of the 6th green that significantly increases the length of the hole. Not only does the length add difficulty but, more importantly, it changes the angle from the tee so that it plays as a more severe dog-leg. It’s now much harder to ‘cut the corner’ off the tee shot, which results in adding length to the approach shot and ultimately making this one the most challenging holes on the course. The hole will change from 444 yards to 468 yards – an increase in length of 24 yards.

Hole 8 – Whaup’s Nest

The existing Championship tee has been extended back and to the left to help open up sight of the right side of the green, allowing a greater variety of teeing positions. Club selection will be key for this narrow green.

Hole 12 – Tappit Hen

A new tee has been built and positioned approximately 30 yards back into an existing copse of trees that provides a wonderfully framed ‘shoot’ for a challenging tee shot that now requires a solid carry over the bunkers that guard the saddle. The hole will change from 442 yards to 475 yards – an increase in length of 33 yards (see attached video flyover).

Hole 14 – Dent Den
A new tee has been built that adds 40 yards to the tee shot, allowing the hole to retain the risk and reward element of a reachable par-4. The added challenge is in the need for a more robust tee shot to carry the ridge of bunkers. The hole will change from 309 yards to 341 yards – an increase in length of 32 yards.

Hole 16 – Wee Bogle
The existing Championship tee has been lowered slightly, extended back and to the left to help open up sight of the entirety of the green, particularly to allow for a back right pin position.

Other notable changes from past championships will be a greater emphasis on tightly mown surfaces around greens complexes and fairway bunkers, to fully embrace the natural contours of the course.

Conor O’Leary, Managing Director of Gleneagles, commented: “Gleneagles’ reputation as a sporting estate has flourished for a century, with golf and The King’s Course at the very heart of that rich history. While our modern classic, The PGA Centenary Course designed by Jack Nicklaus, has hosted iconic Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup matches, we are so proud to welcome legends of the game back to The King’s, where golf started at Gleneagles all those years ago.

“The sympathetic course changes we have made recognise the way the modern game has evolved, but still retain The King’s Course’s numerous strategic challenges that have made this timeless classic so revered the world over.”

Gleneagles remains the only venue in Europe to have staged both The Ryder Cup (2014) and The Solheim Cup (2019). The 850-acre Perthshire estate is also currently ranked #2 in the Top 100

World Golf Resorts ranking, published by Golf World.

Tickets for the 2022 Senior Open Presented by Rolex can be purchased, HERE

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Measuring up to knapsack calibration

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Measuring up to knapsack calibration: Correctly calibrating liquid spray applications is a keystone of effective spraying.

Doing it right, whether weeding or feeding, is critical to ensure operators deliver concentrations appropriate for the task in hand.

Measuring up to knapsack calibration

Measuring up to knapsack calibration

Giving SAGE delegates the benefit of his considerable experience and knowledge will be training company boss Martin Sampson, who will reveal the secrets of correct calibration at his 6 July presentation, from 12 noon to 12.45.

Approved by SAGE exhibitor and leading industry awarding body Lantra, Martin heads up Grounds Training at a time of soaring demand for spraying qualifications.

“Local authorities, schools, colleges and companies are more aware of the importance of training now,” he says. “If you are spraying, qualifications such as PA1 and PA6 are legal requirements but increasingly we’re seeing organisations wanting to upskill staff to give them the flexibility to spray in house, instead of using contractors.”

Martin’s 45-minute fast-track presentation is “a slice through how to calibrate, why we need it, what can go wrong if we don’t calibrate regularly and the importance of well-maintained kit”.

Jointly presenting with colleague Geraint Jenkins, Martin also covers correct choice of sprayer nozzles and reveals his own method of turning calibration from a maths puzzle to 20 minutes’ work.

Grounds Training delivers a full suite of Lantra-approved grounds and sportsturf management qualifications as well as Lantra customised provision courses that cover line marking, natural and synthetic turf maintenance and maintenance and management of wildflower meadows, ponds and wetlands.

On knapsack training modules, Martin also focuses on ergonomic aspects of spraying to reduce operator body stresses and strains – using a Berthoud Vermorel Pro Comfort 2000 demo unit.

“From a training aspect, it is simple to use and to explain various points about spraying, which include operator comfort. The Vermorel’s back frame and straps distribute the weight of the knapsack and contents in a way that balances the forces on the body. The extendable lance is also helpful for illustrating how to spray safely near water, an increasingly popular course.”

www.lantra.co.uk

www.groundstraining.com

www.berthoud.fr/en/  

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