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Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

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Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club: Saunton Golf Club, situated south of Woolacombe on the coast of north Devon, is the latest golfing venue to purchase a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and a selection of attachments. Delivered by local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery, the package includes the 25 hp tractor unit in its 8-wheel configuration, a Contour deck, a Tough Cut deck and Power Rake.

Formed in 1897 as a 9-hole course, the 103-year old club now has two 18-hole championship-standard links courses, with reputations that stand comparison with the finest in the UK. The East Course is ranked No.12 in the Golf World ‘Top 100 Courses in England’ and the West Course is No. 98.

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Murray Long, the former Courses Manager at Sunningdale, has recently been appointed Course Manager at Saunton. Commenting on the Ventrac he said,

“We need to control bramble and scrub around the courses and we have pathways made of seashell shingle, which can become rutted and uneven over time. The practice ranges are enclosed by steep banks, which we maintain by the labour-intensive job of strimming. To tackle these issues, we needed a versatile machine and thought that a Ventrac might provide the solution.

“I first saw it during visits to BTME and then became aware of the positive feedback from respected industry professionals in our trade magazines and on social media. Following our initial enquiry to local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery, they quickly provided quotes and a demonstration, which confirmed the premise that this was the machine for us. Their service has been excellent throughout.

“Until you experience it working, it’s had to appreciate how versatile it is. We purchased the Tough Cut deck, which will help combat the bramble and scrub issue; the Contour deck will be used on the banking around the practice area and some areas of rough. The Power Rake is great attachment as it agitates the shingle, smoothing out the ruts, leaving pristine pathways.

“It will certainly increase productivity and reduce the use of machinery linked to hand/arm vibration hazard, such as strimmers. It is unique in its multi-use applications giving it extreme versatility. I have seen many machinery demonstrations but none have been as impressive as the Ventrac. Every course would benefit from having one.”

Saunton’s General Manager, Jon Sutherland added,

“As Murray has indicated, it was a very impressive demonstration. I hadn’t seen the machine before, but it quickly became apparent that not only would it increase the productivity of the greenkeeping team, but also safeguard them as well. Paul Vickery, our Chairman of Greens, attended the demonstration and we quickly made the purchasing decision. It will certainly contribute to raising the already high presentation standards of our facility, for members and visitors alike.”

Saunton has hosted the R&A Boys Amateur Championship on two occasions. In August 2019, 252 of the world’s most talented boys battled it out over our East and West Courses. After 91 holes of play, the winner Tom Gueant of France beat Wilmer Ederö from Sweden in a sudden-death play-off on the first hole of the East course. Saunton also hosted the Championship back in 1997, when a young Sergio Garcia won the title, before amassing the highest points total for Europe in Ryder Cup history, and also winning the Masters Tournament back in 2017.

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Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

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Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000: Spectrum® Technologies Inc., expands its broad product offering with the release of the WatchDog® Wireless ET Weather Station. Through the single station, customers can now receive real-time, site-specific weather data on their smartphone, including temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed/direction and solar radiation. 

With an LTE CAT-M1/NB-IoT cellular radio, the 3000 Series can monitor the widely dispersed turf areas on a golf course and send data to the SpecConnect™ cloud.  After an overnight rainfall, a turf manager can see which areas of the course received different amounts of rainfall with a separate Wireless Rain Temperature/Relative Humidity Station and adjust irrigation run times accordingly.  The varied microclimates of a golf course are capably tracked, with localized disease pressure warnings available. The all-in-one design with smartphone setup makes installation quick and easy for someone whose real job is not setting up weather stations.

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

“With this new wireless station, you no longer have to rely on local weather services providing inaccurate rainfall and ET data,” says Mike Thurow, president and CEO of Spectrum® Technologies.  “And you can view current weather conditions for your course on your smartphone.  With site-specific rainfall and temperature data through the season, more effective decisions are made, and playing conditions are optimized and consistent.”

Spectrum® Technologies is proud to announce ­­that the WatchDog® 3000 Series Weather Station product line recently received the 2021 AE50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). This marks Spectrum®’s 25th AE50 award recognizing the top innovative new products produced in agricultural equipment.

About Spectrum® Technologies

Spectrum® Technologies was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois. The company manufactures and distributes affordable, leading-edge, plant-measurement technology to agricultural, horticultural, environmental and turf markets throughout the world, serving more than 14,000 customers in more than 80 countries. Spectrum® Technologies brands include: WatchDog®, FieldScout®, WaterScout®, DataScout®, LightScout® and SpecConnect™. Spectrum has won 25 AE50 Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, which demonstrates the company’s deep commitment to innovation and quality. For more information, call 815-436-4440 or visit www.specmeters.com.

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Another golfer influx post lockdown

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Another golfer influx post lockdown: Greenkeepers are being warned to prepare golf courses in advance of another likely influx of visitors once ‘lockdown two’ comes to an end.

Colin Mumford, technical manager at Bayer says that while it’s fantastic to see so many people enthusiastic to get back on the greens and fairways, greenkeepers need to be aware of the impact this could have on the course over the winter months.

Another golfer influx post lockdown

Another golfer influx post lockdown

“Traffic management is going to be key to avoid course compaction and wear and tear, particularly now the weather has turned. Wetter, softer, ground conditions are far more vulnerable,” he says

“The STRI trial plots that Bayer has been involved in show that courses that have been exposed to high levels of turf stress are suffering from large disease outbreaks this autumn.

“For example, basal rot is currently a problem,” says Colin. “It’s a strain of anthracnose, causing the base of the plant to turn black and come away from the roots, leading to death of the grass plants.

“The symptoms can still be seen in some places at the moment, as the infection thrives in cooler conditions, especially in short turf that is exposed to stress such as compaction or poor drainage.”

For the moment, many of the disease pressures are regional depending on the weather conditions – with central and eastern parts of the UK most affected currently – but if we continue to see damp, mild conditions, then we could see more widespread microdochium patch outbreaks, as the disease flourishes in these conditions.

“Greenkeepers need to stay vigilant for early signs of disease,” says Colin.

“Cultural controls such as brushing and switching can help keep the surface dry and really reduce the risk of Microdochium Patch establishing. It’s also key that courses have adequate nutrition as inappropriate levels can leave them susceptible to problems,” he says.

Colin recommends that if the environmental conditions are ideal for Microdochium Patch to occur, it is preferable to apply a preventative fungicide before the first visual signs of disease appear, or at the very least an early curative application at the initial sign of disease, to control it before it becomes established and causes long-term damage.

“Applying a preventative fungicide such as Dedicate®, will help offer successful control over Microdochium Patch as it includes two active ingredients with different modes of action which are proven to have high efficacy.

“Due to Dedicate® being a rapid acting solution, it gets on top of the disease before it becomes established and is also proven to provide improved plant health, consistency and greenkeeper satisfaction.

“There is no doubt this year has been a challenging one, but it’s important greenkeepers keep an eye out for any early signs of disease and ensure they are prepared for the reopening of courses. They could be very busy but it’s keeping on top of maintenance and minimising turf stress that’s crucial,” concludes Colin.

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Early SCAG mower located – two miles away!

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Early SCAG mower located –  two miles away!: A recent chance conversation revealed a homeowner only two miles away from the STM head office in Warwickshire who has a 1992-build STZ ride-on mower.

The STZ was the first Zero-Turn Ride-On SCAG produced, and one is still retained at the plant in Wisconsin.

Early SCAG mower located - two miles away!

Early SCAG mower located – two miles away!

But Alan Griffith, here in leafy Warwickshire, has one too.

He explained:

“In 2000 we brought the property ‘The Wharf’ in Wilmcote, though the process was unusual.

We made a good offer that was increased twice but still did not secure the property. Eventually we received a tender form because of the high level of interest.

It was not a basic form, though. We had to price everything that was up for sale. Apart from offering a sum for the house, we also had to price separately: the dining table, study desk, hens, geese, peacocks, pot belly pigs and 2 on-site mowers.

The Scag was one of those mowers and it was obvious that it was several years old even then by the knocks it had had to the deck.

We have 4.95 acres of which we cut about 2.5 to 3 acres regularly.  The Scag we use on the heavy areas so over the years it has had to put up with a fair amount of hard work, hitting pot holes, tree roots etc. Over the years the Scag has been used about 2.5 hours per week .

The great thing is it has been very reliable, once battery is charged up at the start of the season.  I have usually serviced the machine every year and no major problems have occurred except that 3 small plates have had to be welded to the top of the deck.   The first bearing on the deck needs to be changed this winter so I will change all 3. Also an oil seal has started to leak on the Briggs and Stratton engine; this is the  first major issue with the engine.

We plan to keep it going as long as we stay at The Wharf.  Can’t think of a better lawn mower particularly as we have so many trees to cut around.”

On the one hand it’s good to know that a SCAG mower has so much life in it.

On the other hand, if everybody kept their mowers that long, we’d never sell any new ones!

We’re grateful to Alan for his story, and to Jake Segrin at SCAG’s Wisconsin headquarters for tracing the manufacturing date.

SCAG machines are available through the STM dealership network. To find your nearest dealer ring 01789 488450, email info@st-mach.com or look at our website www.st-mach.com

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New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

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New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility: Last year, Husqvarna announced its new virtual boundary technology EPOS and that the company was going to pilot test it on selected markets. After successful testing during the spring and summer, the first ever Husqvarna robotic mower with virtual boundary technology, Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS, will now be launched.

Husqvarna – global leader in robotic lawnmowing – is now, after months of thorough testing internally and with customers, launching the new high capacity Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower. Its satellite-based virtual boundary solution offers new levels of flexibility, convenience and performance for areas up to 5,000 m2.

New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

New Automower® offers productivity and flexibility

The pilot of the Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower with virtual boundary technology included 100 robotic mowers in four countries. It was, for example, tested at Royal Djurgården in Stockholm, the Ullevi Stadium in Göteborg, Munich Airport, La Seine Musicale in Paris and at a baseball stadium in New York.

Gunnar Björkman, Park Manager at Royal Djurgården, a park with more than 15 million visitors each year, tested the Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower during the spring and summer. He said: “The main benefits we saw from testing the Husqvarna 550 EPOS robotic mower was the easy installation and the flexible area management which allowed us to create temporary stay out zones when lawns were being used for events or closed off for other reasons. With robotics using virtual boundaries we can use robotics for 75% of our mowing, compared to 25% previously.”

At the “Planten un Blomen” park in Hamburg, a Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower was installed in collaboration with Elbgarden OHG on a demanding public area of 1,200 m2. The test area is located in direct connection to a footpath and an artificial lake, where events such as the music-accompanied water light games take place. Matthias Olinski, head of the “Planten un Blomen” park in Hamburg, was impressed by the performance and flexibility of Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS.

He said: “It offers many advantages over conventional mowing technology, especially in terms of flexibility. We no longer have to plan whether we have enough staff for mowing. This offers more time for other work like grooming or bed care. Via the app, we can manage when the robotic lawnmower should run or pause. During organised events, for example, we can easily adapt the mowing work to the respective situation – very practical and user-friendly.”

Husqvarna’s virtual boundary EPOS technology is a high-precision satellite navigation system that delivers an accuracy of 2-3 centimetres, giving the user a new level of flexibility and offers a robust and flexible installation on areas with an open sky.  The virtual boundaries also enable aerating and scarifying without breaking physical wires and the user can change boundaries and transport paths from their phone. With the Precise Area Management feature, several work areas can be defined with different timers and settings, including cutting height. It also makes it possible to create temporary stay out zones.

Kevin Ashmore, UK Manager of Husqvarna Professional commented: “We are extremely proud to bring the new Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS robotic mower to the market. Utilising Husqvarna’s EPOS technology, it offers a sustainable and cost-efficient solution that simplifies maintaining large green spaces. Being battery powered it emits no fumes and the light weight of the mower and low electric energy consumption reduce its carbon footprint.”

Operating with low noise levels, it is suitable for environments that require some degree of noise control – for example at golf courses, football stadiums or in urban areas such as city parks. For a convenient user interaction, as well as easy maintenance and handling, it is possible to monitor and control Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS through the Automower® Connect and Husqvarna Fleet Services™ apps.

Husqvarna Automower® 550 EPOS will be available from May 2021 and costs £5,199 inc. VAT for the unit and £1,099 inc. VAT for the reference station. The reference station can serve multiple machines.

For more information, visit the Husqvarna website: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/lawn-garden/professional/professional-robotic-mowers/epos/

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