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NEWS ARTICLES

P&K strives for excellence

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P&K strives for excellence: Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club in Bridgend, commonly known as P&K, is one of Wales’s few true championship links courses. Its lofty sand dunes and unique series of habitats hug the same stretch of South Wales coastline as its near neighbour Royal Porthcawl.

It is also one of the few golf clubs in Wales to have been awarded GEO certification, in May 2020. This environmental management award recognised the club’s efforts to achieve a credible standard for sustainable golf course operation, and its important contributions in protecting nature, conserving resources and strengthening local communities.

P&K strives for excellence

P&K strives for excellence

“Achieving this certification is just part of an on-going commitment to continue striving for excellence in sustainable golf,” says club secretary/manager Simon Hopkin. “This has also seen us invest this year in more modern and environmentally friendly course maintenance equipment, with the help of Sean Brown from John Deere dealer Powercut and the company’s territory manager Nick Ashman.

“The club celebrates its centenary in 2022, when we will be hosting the R&A Men’s Home Internationals tournament, so we’re keen to achieve the best course we possibly can, not just for that event but for the year-round benefit of our members and visitors.”

After initial discussions were held with P&K on how best to upgrade the club’s ageing mower fleet, Powercut and Nick Ashman arranged to have a brand new 2750 E-Cut hybrid electric triplex mower transported to Wales for its first ever public demonstration. This was also the first pre-production machine to arrive in the UK after its launch at BTME in January 2019, and was shipped direct from John Deere’s stand display at The Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, which required a special police escort off the site.

Following this P&K agreed a John Deere Financial five-year finance lease deal, with a three-month payment holiday due to Covid-19, and put in the first UK order for three 2750E mowers, two equipped with cutting units for the tees and collars and one for the greens. The order also included a 6500A lightweight fairway mower, with an HPX 815E Gator utility vehicle and a 5075E utility tractor on turf tyres plus H-Series front loader bought earlier in the year.

“Together with our head greenkeeper Paul Johnson, we conducted a machinery audit to help us identify the best machines to help us improve the greens, tees and surrounds in particular,” says Simon Hopkin. “As part of the overall course improvements, we had been filling in bunkers to create more roll-off areas, and we had already identified the need for mowers that could cope with the slopes, which hadn’t been possible up to that point.

“We also had a course audit from an independent STRI agronomist, who quizzed us about the machinery and cutting regimes and made some recommendations that contributed to the debate. Having to reduce our original wish list from six mowers to four, to make the package financially viable, then focused our attention on finding the most versatile equipment for our needs.”

Paul Johnson had heard early reports about the 2750E mower, and Nick Ashman confirmed its versatility for use on both fairways and greens, in particular how it could adhere to ground contours and still maintain a quality cut.

“I came away from our initial meetings with a really positive feeling, even before we had the demos,” says Paul. “I just thought if this machine can do the job that we need it to, this could be a very good solution and will give us exactly what we need.

“It was certainly exciting to be the first club to see the mower working. I already knew about the quality of the cutting units, so it was great to then see proof of the mower’s contour hugging ability and the accuracy of cutting around the swales, collars and surrounds. I liked the look of the mower too, with the yellow grass boxes. We all felt straight away that this was a game changer.”

Simon Hopkin concludes: “As soon as we started using the new mowers, everyone at the club commented on the improvement in the quality of presentation around the course, which continues to look superb. Since changing over to our new John Deere fleet, we are also very happy with the service and support given to us by Powercut. This combination of the right service and the right machines has now set the gold standard.”

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UltraGroomer™ gets to grips at Glamorgan

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UltraGroomer™ gets to grips at Glamorgan: Glamorgan CCC are the latest in a growing list of cricket clubs to discover the benefits of the UltraGroomer™ cassette from the renowned TMSystem™ collection.

Purchased in conjunction with a 30” INFINICUT® FL mower in June 2020, the unit has helped Head Groundsman Robin Saxton to remove thatch and annual meadow grass accumulations to improve both presentation and overall plant health.

UltraGroomer™ gets to grips at Glamorgan

UltraGroomer™ gets to grips at Glamorgan

“The combination of the very wet winter quickly followed by warm conditions in the spring had caused a build-up of annual meadow grass on the square” explains Robin, who together with a team of five maintains the Sophia Gardens Ground and an off-site practice area. “We were familiar with the UltraGroomer™ from prior experience and felt it was going to be key to us clearing the accumulations and improving sward cleanliness moving forward. Since we’ve been using the cassette it’s exceeded what we hoped to achieve!”

Featuring over 80 tungsten carbide tipped blades, the UltraGroomer™ improves the plants immediate environment by removing Poa ingress, lateral growth and organic matter to enhance the movement of oxygen and nutrients and make it more difficult for disease pathogens to take hold. “During the main season, we were passing over the square every 3-4 weeks and each time were amazed at the amount of debris and organic matter we took out – we achieved a square which was clean, carried good pace and encouraged strong, healthy plant growth.”

“The UltraGroomer™ will also be used in pre-renovation work, to thin out the surface and create an ideal seed bed to optimise the results with our seeding and topdressing operations.”

When not equipped with the UltraGroomer™ cassette, the INFINICUT® FL complete with SMARTCut™ reel has become the go-to mower for Robin when it comes to cutting the square. “We’re very impressed with both the cut quality and presentation we achieve. This combination of equipment puts us in a fantastic position to continue to improve our facility, ready to host a more regular level of play (fingers crossed!) next season.”

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Hassle-free winter maintenance

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Hassle-free winter maintenance: While it’s hard to predict what 2021 will bring, what we know with certainty is that the early year cold weather is already upon us and machinery maintenance is a constant. What is also definite is that Toro parts and distributor Reesink Turfcare continue to have all you need to make this essential job as hassle-free as possible.

Keeping surfaces in play and maintained properly throughout winter is tough enough, but good maintenance will ensure your machines are functioning to their full capabilities whatever the elements throw at you. And there are simple cold-weather tips that can mean when it’s time to bring your machine out of storage, it should be as easy as adding fuel and checking the oil to quickly get up and running.

Hassle-free winter maintenance

Hassle-free winter maintenance

Check the manual

In an ideal world maintenance should always be done as per the machinery manufacturer’s instructions in order to keep standards high. If perhaps there wasn’t the time to do this throughout the year, now’s the time to rectify that. Toro includes a recommended maintenance guide inside the owner’s manual for every piece of equipment which will provide machine specifics.

Change the oil

Many people think, “I’ll change the oil in the spring.” But allowing contaminated and diluted oil to sit in the engine during months of storage can cause sludge that leads to corrosion and rust. When it comes to the start of a new year, always think “out with the old, in with the new.”

Drain the fuel tank

Modern fuel contains ethanol that begins to break down after about 30 days, leaving a varnish that can eat away at any aluminium it comes in contact with. Protect your fuel system by draining the fuel tank and running the engine to empty the carburettor. If you can’t drain the fuel tank, add in a good fuel stabiliser and then top off the tank. Run the engine for five minutes to circulate the stabiliser throughout the fuel system.

Clean inside and out

Dirt lowers performance, grass can cause rust. It’s time for a deep clean. Always remember to clean or replace the air filter before storing your equipment. If possible, cover the machine to keep out dust and damp.

Keep the battery charged

If your machine is equipped with a battery, check its electrolyte level and top off with distilled water if needed. Place the battery on a float type charger to maintain a full charge until the next season.

Sharpen cutting units

Sharp blades are essential for a quality finish all year, but cutting turf in wet conditions makes it more difficult to get a perfect finish, so in winter this job is even more important. With a blade for all seasons, choosing Toro guarantees not only a perfect fit but one carefully crafted to suit specific turf needs. For example, the ‘Atomic’ blades are best in the wetter winter months, perfect for mulching up leaves or for use with a recycling deck to mulch the grass.

Change tyres and check stock

Switching to new tyres to ensure you have improved grip in the face of unforgiving ground conditions as well as keeping a stock of replacement parts will ensure productivity remains high. Think about your high use performance parts and carry enough in stock to minimise downtime later.

Michael Hampton, Reesink’s parts manager, says: “Clubs may well not have the budget they thought they would for new and replacement machinery at the moment, but take good care of your machine and make sure all the parts are performing as they should be, and that shouldn’t be a problem.

“Reesink has a constant supply of all Toro Genuine Parts from the great value MVP kits, to blades, tines, filters and everything else you may need. With our supply system constant and consistent in its fast delivery, it means customers don’t need to worry about downtime and a drop in productivity. Even in lockdown we were still able to safely have orders ready for dispatch in ample time for delivery within 24 hours to our customers.”

To stock up on Toro parts or for winter machinery maintenance advice, customers can get in touch with their local Toro Genuine Parts dealer or service centre or contact Reesink via reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Thomas Turf Services simplifies soil testing

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Thomas Turf Services simplifies soil testing: Thomas Turf Services (TTS) has taken its mission to aid the building and maintaining of the best possible quality turf facilities to another level by simplifying the testing of soils.

The new Golf Green Health Indexing service delivers results without disturbing the surface and represents a new tool for turf managers to use.

Thomas Turf Services simplifies soil testing

Thomas Turf Services simplifies soil testing

For the new service, TTS provides greenkeepers, superintendents and field managers with a bespoke sampling kit and easy to understand instructions for the collecting, packaging and sending of the samples.

“Our latest equipment is so sensitive that it only requires small quantities to establish the soil condition and to determine the presence of unwanted organisms or materials. It only takes four easy steps to collect and courier the samples to our laboratory in Texas.  Here we prepare a report within 7-10 working days,” explains Jim Thomas.

Reports can provide full elemental analysis (including pH, P, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe, & Na), an organic matter profile, saturated hydraulic conductivity, total porosity, air-filled porosity, water-filled porosity and water retention, as well as the bulk density.

“The new approach makes it possible to collect samples without major disturbance to the current soil conditions. The fear that sample extraction will contribute to the vulnerability of the surface, is now something of the past,” Thomas adds.

Golf courses and venue operators can use the service to establish a benchmark or to monitor the grass conditions continuously. “We advise to have the soils tested on an ongoing basis, preferably once a year, to monitor the developments and progress made. When using this diagnostic tool, problems and trends can be caught early which will help with arresting or managing them.”

TTS offers the Golf Green Indexing service to all golf courses and sports venues in the Americas, as well as the Asia-Pacific region. “We have Spanish speaking agronomists employed. This makes it easier to liaise with clients in the Central- and South-American region directly.”

Earlier this year, The R&A, the European counterpart of the U.S. Golf Association, adopted the method to ensure the venues used are maintained optimally and provide first-class surfaces for member and championship golf. The service for The R&A is provided by European Turfgrass Laboratories, based in Scotland. Like TTS, ETL is also part of the Labosport group of companies.

Worldwide only 8 companies are accredited to conduct soil testing services.  The fact that both TTS and ETL are both accredited and part of the Labosport group of companies allows them to continuously benchmark their performance through inter-company knowledge exchange.

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GGM Group celebrate charity success

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GGM Group celebrate charity success: A Lancashire based business is ending the year on a high and celebrating raising over £10,000 for charity over the past two years – despite the restrictions caused by the global pandemic.

Colne-based GGM Group selected three charities to support, pledging to raise over £10k through an intensive programme of activity. After a great start in 2019, the business was determined not to be hampered by lockdown restrictions in 2020 and came up with their own ingenious ways to fundraise.

GGM Group celebrate charity success

GGM Group celebrate charity success

The businesses annual charity walking event was rethought with MD Chris Gibson travelling from his home town of Lancaster to the businesses’ head office in Colne and then back again covering a distance of 104 miles –  through a combination of cycling and walking. He was joined at different points on his journey by different members of staff undertaking different legs in pairs, to enable social distancing.

The business has thought further outside of the box in it’s fundraising efforts with a team of staff pledging to lose weight in aid of charity.

The fundraising has raised money for charities who are finding themselves cash-strapped during these difficult times. Greenfingers is the company charity for the second year running,  dedicated to supporting children who spend time in hospices around the UK, along with their families, by creating inspiring gardens for them to relax in. In addition, funds have also been raised for St John’s Hospice in Lancaster and Pendleside Hospice in Burnley.

Chris Gibson explains more:

“It’s a key part of our ethos at The GGM Group to give something back to the community and we are delighted to have been able to achieve our charity target, despite these difficult times. Now, more than ever, charities need our support and we are delighted to have still been able to help”.

The GGM Group has worked hard to find ways to keep the business operating this year, and  throughout the pandemic has worked hard to keep the whole team together, maintain its commitment to excellent customer service, and, where it was safe to do so, keep machines operational for professional and domestic customers throughout the season.

The company has also started recruiting again and are aiming to help some of the younger members of the local community with apprenticeship opportunities.

In addition, the business made a pledge during lockdown to become an eco-friendly organisation and strive to improve its green credentials even further, through a range of initiatives including electric vehicles, a wildlife wellbeing oasis at the Haydock branch and the recent installation of solar panels.

The GGM Group consists of two businesses across two depots. PSD Groundscare is the national distributor of specialist landscaping equipment, including AS Motor and Eliet, Koppl and TS Industrie. GGM Groundscare is a specialist supplier of tractors and high-quality professional land-based equipment for commercial and domestic use. Servicing the North West and Yorkshire, it supplies a range of products from leading franchises including Kubota, Baroness and Amazone.

Chris Gibson concluded:

“There is no dispute that this has been an incredibly challenging year for most businesses. I’m incredibly proud of how our team has pulled together and hitting our charity target really is the icing on the cake. Like most people, we can finally see light at the end of the tunnel and I’m confident of a bright 2021.

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