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BIGGA teams up with new online conference

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BIGGA teams up with new online conference: This autumn BIGGA is proud to partner with the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association in an online conference to satisfy members’ ongoing education needs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Known as Conference Comes to You, the programme will deliver 30 distinct seminars scheduled – one a day – over 30 weekdays starting 2 November 2020. There will be a one-week break for Thanksgiving in the US from 23 to 27 November.

BIGGA teams up with new online conference

BIGGA teams up with new online conference

Using a tailored Zoom platform, the two-hour seminars will be presented live each day at 1pm EST by some of the leading researchers, scientists and experts in their field. All seminars will carry GCSAA education points and BIGGA CPD credits.

As official partners with the Carolinas GCSA in this effort, BIGGA members will receive designated member pricing for every seminar using the promotional code UK2020.  This will give a discount from $70 US to $40 US.

In addition to first-class education, members will also be able to share in $30,000 US worth of cash giveaways. A total of 82 prizes, ranging from £100 US to $2,500 US, will be drawn live on the Carolinas GCSA Facebook page at 1pm EST on 21 December. Each seminar taken qualifies you for one entry, so the more seminars taken, the more chances to win. Entries must be validated by watching a series of brief messages from industry partners.

Our association benefits from your participation. A portion of each registration fee paid for by a BIGGA member will come back to BIGGA. So the more seminars you take, the more our association ‘wins’.

Registration and complete conference information will be available beginning on Friday 25 September via www.ConferenceComestoYou.org

To date, more than three dozen chapters across the United States have become official Conference Comes to You partners.

Carolinas GCSA president, Brian Stiehler, CGCS, MG from Highlands Country Club in North Carolina said: “This platform benefits everyone involved and the more people who participate, the more benefit there will be for everyone. We see many visitors from across the country and overseas at our traditional conference and show each year. So, in these extraordinary times, when we can’t be face to face, it made sense for our conference to go ‘see’ them.”

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West Cornwall invests in efficient Toro

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West Cornwall invests in efficient Toro: West Cornwall Golf Club, the oldest club in its county, has invested in Toro machinery to ensure maximum efficiency, in a move spearheaded by the club’s new course manager.

With a small team of four greenkeepers, West Cornwall Golf Club knows the importance of having machinery that can get jobs done quickly without sacrificing on quality. Which is why course manager Lawrie Tremlett championed investing in Toro when he joined the club.

West Cornwall invests in efficient Toro

West Cornwall invests in efficient Toro

He explains: “I joined West Cornwall four months ago with an aim to help progress the course and make it the best it could be. When I looked at the areas we could improve upon I realised we were relying on hand mowers for larger tasks.

“It was taking half our team two and half days a week to cut the aprons using hand mowers and a trail-behind rough mower, that just wasn’t efficient and didn’t leave much time for other tasks, so we began looking into purchasing new equipment.”

With support from the club, Lawrie contacted Devon Garden Machinery to arrange a demonstration of models from Toro’s range of ride-on mowers.

“I’ve always thought Toro provided superior cut to other brands,” says Lawrie. “So it was exciting  to get Toro machines onto the course to see how they fared. We opted for the Greensmaster TriFlex 3400, which followed the contours of the course beautifully, the Reelmaster 3100-D which worked well on the banks and was very versatile, and the Groundsmaster 3400 which was not only powerful but cut very well in the wet.

“All of the machines impressed us, so it was an easy decision to add them to our fleet. Since we’ve had them, they’ve been incredibly reliable and we can see a big difference already. The quality of the course has improved and we’ve had brilliant feedback from our members.”

Club secretary, Gareth Evans, adds: “We haven’t had Toro machinery at the club for nearly ten years, however taking into account the cost, overall package and the quality, it was clear Toro was the best choice. The service from Devon Garden Machinery and Reesink has been fantastic, and we’re excited to see the course continue to improve.”

With Toro machines helping the team to be more efficient than ever, Lawrie is now looking to the future: “It’s fantastic to see how the course has improved with the addition of just three new Toro machines, but I’m not done yet. This partnership is just the first step as we work to continue improving the course.”

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First of many for Drayton Park

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First of many for Drayton Park: Drayton Park Golf Club a course for all abilities designed and set out by James Braid, a five-time winner of the British Open Golf Championship, has recently added the GKB Sandspreader to maintain their picturesque grounds.

With impeccable standards and a policy of continuous improvement, the GKB Sandspreader was the obvious choice for course manager Dale Housden.

First of many for Drayton Park

First of many for Drayton Park

Having heard about the reliable and robust SP100 from a fellow course manager and after multiple recommendations, Dale knew he had to get his hands on one. With multiple reasons for sand filling and top dressing, the GKB Sandspreader can distribute a wide variety of materials in desired quantities all with hassle-free application. Using his machine for top dressing turf surfaces, Dale explains, “In 2001 our greens were re-laid to USGA standards and with continued improvements its essential we have a fleet of machines to keep the grounds in standard. The SP100 was the perfect addition.”

Ranging from 1m3 to 4m3, there are several hopper capacity options in four different designs. The shape and design of the sand hoppers ensure efficient operation and a clear view along the machine. Dale adds, “Even with a slightly larger hopper capacity, the weight distribution is seriously impressive.” The GKB Sandspreader can also be delivered with four pivoting balloon tires for the perfect distribution of the weight on the grounds.

Removing the necessity of complicated and intricate use, the GKB Sandpsreader offers effortless and simple control. “A top dresser is generally a simple machine to use, yet I have used a variety of brands before this GKB machine that seem to complicate controls. The GKB Sandspreader is simplistic yet effective,” praises Dale.

Impressed with GKB Machines for their fantastic customer service, Dale continues “Being a new customer to GKB I am thoroughly impressed with the sales, installation support and aftercare thus far.” With a team of nearly 200 people in Holland looking after sports fields and landscaping maintenance, GKB pulls experience directly from the field when developing machines. Dale resumes, “The fact that GKB design from hands-on experience with the end-users as their priority is thoroughly refreshing.”

Dale is excited to grow the relationship with GKB and is looking to purchase a GKB Sandfiller very soon.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617.

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PBR150 makes the grade for Chemquad

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PBR150 makes the grade for Chemquad: With two major soft-landscaping projects in the diary, the decision to purchase a Power Box Rake 150 (PBR150) from BLEC was a timely one for Worcester based contractors, Chemquad.

Owner Tom Jennings estimates that the PBR’s ability to cultivate and grade even the most compacted ground saved one client almost £30,000, converting topsoil considered ‘unsalvageable’ into ground fit for seeding once again.

PBR150 makes the grade for Chemquad

PBR150 makes the grade for Chemquad

Chemquad started out 21 years ago carrying out commercial weed spraying but now mainly undertake commercial landscaping projects large and small, for clients in and around the Midlands. “We have a couple of bits of BLEC kit on our fleet already but were looking for something manoeuvrable but powerful enough to handle a variety of ground conditions” explains Tom. “I’d seen the PBR at SALTEX a few years back and knew of a couple of other contractors using it, so when I learnt that BLEC had launched a new lightweight, tractor-mounted model, it was a perfect fit.”

Without even having a demonstration, Tom purchased a PBR150 from his local Tallis Amos dealer in the midst of the COVID lockdown and it was put to work on a problem area almost straight away. “We were working on a housing development in Daventry which has a gas line running straight through the centre of it. We needed something that could deal with the compaction caused by site traffic but nothing too heavy or that worked too deep in the ground. The easily adjustable throw plate on the PBR meant we could rake surface stones to begin with and gradually lower it to grade stones from deeper in the surface. It did an incredible job.”

At the heart of the PBR150 is a carbide toothed rotor which contra rotates to pulverise and separate stones and debris from the soil, leaving a raked finish in its wake. Rear adjustable castor wheels give accurate depth control while side plates effectively gather up the windrowed material for clean and simple removal. “It’s a simple, robust unit that gives us accuracy and efficiency in operation. The savings we have made on these two major projects by not having to hire specialist equipment or purchase tonnes of new topsoil means the PBR has already paid for itself, and more.”

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The benefits of Mulching

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The benefits of Mulching: Rotary flail manufacturer Muthing say their integral Mulching System MMS and new Vario System offers both time and financial benefits when compared to cutting and collecting on all areas of grass maintenance. The MU-H 1.6 to 2.2m and MU-L 1.8 to 2.8m front and rear mounted are ideal for tractors from 40hp to 130 hp.

Simon Richard the UK agent for the Muthing range says, “The purposely designed hood, in conjunction with a large easier driven spiral rotor gives better economy.  The high rotor speed, along with the ‘Shark fin’ shredding bar gives uniform mulching of all grass types, with the long material fed back through the rotor for a second cut. The material that is already shredded passes through to be distributed evenly behind the mower. The new addition of the adjustable Vario bar allows Infinitely variable mulching for rapid decomposition. Compacted thatch can also be mulched due to the strong suction by moving the Vario bar towards the rotor.

The benefits of Mulching

The benefits of Mulching

Higher forward speeds and larger area outputs with consistent quality are possible with no  wasted time or expense on collection and disposal of cut grass.  Hydraulic Side Shift allows for up to 56cm movement to get into awkward areas.

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