H2Pro Praised At Blairgowrie GC

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H2Pro Praised At Blairgowrie GC: The Lansdowne course at Blairgowrie Golf Club in Perthshire, Scotland, have been reaping the rewards of using ICL’s H2Pro, with Course Manager Craig Stewart full of praise for the moisture management products.

Craig Stewart is the man responsible for maintaining the magnificent championship course and has six full-time staff with two seasonal workers alongside him. As a long-term user of ICL products, Craig first started applying the H2Pro range of products five years ago after a successful trial.

H2Pro Praised At Blairgowrie GC

“Essentially, our aim was to keep the surface and the profile dry on the greens and approaches throughout winter. We tried a few products and then Jamie Lees (ICL Technical Area Sales Manager, Scotland) suggested trialling H2Pro TriSmart. We trialled it for two months in the middle of that summer, saw great results and we just carried on from there. I like the fact that you can go from TriSmart to FlowSmart carrying on the moisture management programme all through the year.”

Craig first applies H2ProTriSmart in April at a rate of 10L/ha. He continues with monthly applications before switching to H2Pro FlowSmart in September or October depending on the weather conditions.

“As soon as the weather begins to change and it turns a bit cooler then we know that it is time to switch to FlowSmart. We then use that for as long as it’s needed just to pull the moisture through the surface and the profile to dry the greens out.

“It is such a flexible programme and you can tailor it to your everyday conditions rather than having a fixed plan. If we get a wet spring or summer then we use FlowSmart until it starts to dry up a bit and then we switch back over to TriSmart, but it can work both ways.

“We’ve also noticed a big reduction in irrigation and hand watering. Since using H2Pro TriSmart we very seldom use another wetting agent because quite simply we have no need. It is labour saving because we no longer have guys out with hoses looking for dry patches on the greens and of course we are saving money on water usage too.”

The H2Pro range of products are not the only ICL products that Craig uses and he gave his reasons as to why the company plays such big role in his maintenance procedures.

“The majority of the products we use at Lansdowne are from ICL. Jamie helps me put a programme together every year and if we ever have any problems then he is always around for support. From a technical point of view, I just cannot fault the advice I get.

“We know the amount of money and research that goes into their products and I think that gives you confidence. Every product is consistently good. For example, when we get a bag of fertilizer from ICL we know exactly what we are getting – it is always consistent.”

Please contact ICL on +44 (0)1473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie

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John O’Gaunt’s Hole Refresh

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John O’Gaunt’s Hole Refresh: John O’Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire have refreshed a par three hole at the course, enhancing it with a 1500m2 lake featuring two Otterbine fountains and eight Toro Infinity sprinklers.

Course manager Nigel Broadwith explains the reasons behind the renovation of hole four: “Constantly improving the two courses is of paramount importance to the long-term success of the club. The fourth hole on the John O’Gaunt course has always been a picturesque hole, however, its location on a floodplain meant it was susceptible to flooding. The renovations included raising the fairway level to take this into account, as well adding to its beauty with a new lake.”

John O’Gaunt's Hole Refresh

Nigel, and head greenkeeper Kevin Armstrong, chose two Otterbine Sunburst aerating fountains, from UK distributor Reesink Turfcare. Both are three horsepower units but one has a one horsepower impeller for the smaller end of the lake and the other has a two horsepower impeller for the wider end. The reasons for these choices were primarily aeration, to the keep the water clean and clear all year round, and secondarily for aesthetic purposes.

Nigel continues: “We wanted to make this lake a feature of the course and therefore wanted an aerating system with the capabilities to present a fountain. The lake is in a slightly windy position and what appealed especially with the Sunburst is the fact that the fountain has a heavier droplet, which means the wind wouldn’t blow the droplets away and disrupt its presentation. It’s a lovely addition not just to the hole, but the course.”

Four years ago, John O’Gaunt’s Carthagena course had its irrigation system updated to Toro Lynx and Golf Decoder Controller irrigation system, operated with dual trajectory series full or part circle sprinklers, and as that concluded it became the turn of the John O’Gaunt course. This time Nigel chose Infinity:

“The system on Carthagena has performed brilliantly,” he says. “It was always the plan that we would move straight on to updating the John O’Gaunt course sprinklers after Carthagena, and as we finished Infinity launched in the UK. I was immediately impressed with their accessibility for maintenance and made the decision that we should try this new technology on the John O’Gaunt course.”

The addition of four Infinity sprinklers on the fairways and four on the greens too, means that Nigel is half way through renovating the 18 holes on the John O’Gaunt course with Infinity. Nigel says he aims to have the remaining nine updated within the next three years.

According to Robert Jackson, irrigation field sales manager at Reesink, this is a classic example of how the little things can make big differences, he says: “The inclusion of a fountain in a new or existing lake can so easily elevate it to being a beauty spot. Similarly, the John O’Gaunt course installation shows how innovation through renovation can be easily and gradually applied to an irrigation system.”

If either appeals, Reesink Turfcare is just a phone call away on 01480 226800 to helping make this happen.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Limagrain Praised At Peterborough

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Limagrain Praised At Peterborough: Rob Bradshaw, currently operating as head groundsman at his beloved Peterborough United FC’s Mick George Training Academy, has spoken of his satisfaction at both the product and the service he receives from Limagrain UK.

Rob has admitted that he is currently ‘living the dream’. As a lifelong Posh fan, not only is he working for the club that he loves but he is also doing a job that he loves. After starting his career working for Huntingdon District Council he accepted the head groundsman position at One Leisure sports centre in St Ives and during his time here he picked up two Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) national awards.

Limagrain Praised At Peterborough

In between his current full-time role at the Mick George Training Academy, Rob is a pitch advisor for the Huntingdonshire FA and also runs a Sport England funded grounds association in the areas of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. So passionate about providing the best surfaces he can, he even admits to sleeping in his car after tending to the pitches through the night.

“Yes, I’ve had nights out in the car park but you have to do it sometimes,” he said. “I take pride in my work and I want what is best – for the players and for the club.”

Rob has been at Peterborough United FC for two years now and after a season of settling in he soon decided it was time to make his mark.

“It got to February time when I really wanted to start planning, make some improvements and finalise where we were going to go with our end of season renovations. Firstly, I needed to choose a good grass seed because I only want to use the best products here. I did my homework on various products and gave a number of companies the opportunity to come in.

“The Limagrain MM60 seed seemed to be the number one choice in my opinion. I know that a lot of other professional clubs use it and I have used various Limagrain products in the past – it has always been a proven package.”

Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed is renowned for producing an excellent playing surface on a number of winter sports pitches. It is a 100% Ryegrass formula which is perfect for renovation and divot repair, has a high disease resistance, fantastic aesthetic qualities and offers extremely fast germination – which is boosted by the inclusion of Headstart GOLD®.

Developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience, Headstart GOLD® is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination and is perfect for enhancing performance on grass seed coatings for sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

“We had good germination within 10-12 days and we had excellent coverage,” said Rob. “It’s important that I have a seed like MM60 which recovers quickly from damage and wear because of the amount of usage we have here. Last year, as well as training, we had 260 games on the two pitches so to have that dense, hard wearing sward which the MM60 provides is ideal.

Limagrain Praised At Peterborough

“I’d also like to add that, aside from the success of the products, I have been really impressed by the service, the back-up and the advice I receive from Limagrain UK. When I was deciding on what seed to use Richard Sheppard (amenity seed specialist for Limagrain UK) came in and was very helpful. In my experience you don’t always get that level of professional back-up and I just can’t fault the company in any kind of way.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm.

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GoGreen Impresses At Rustington

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GoGreen Impresses At Rustington: According to Head Greenkeeper Rob Hill the unique nine-hole course at Rustington Golf Centre in West Sussex is looking the best it has ever been thanks to Sherriff Amenity’s GoGreen Select.

Rustington Golf Centre was opened in 1992 and offers a number of unique facilities for golfers of all abilities. It boasts a driving range, a putting green, a par 3 academy course and a nine-hole, 18-tee par 70 course.

GoGreen Impresses At Rustington

Rob, who has been in the greenkeeping industry throughout his whole career, has been the Head Greenkeeper for just over two years. His team consists of four greenkeepers, including himself, as well as a horticulturalist.

“There is a common misconception that we have quite a large team for a nine-hole course,” says Rob. “However, it is actually very challenging because there are 18 tees and effectively people are playing the course twice which means we have a lot of wear – it is double the traffic of a normal 9-hole golf course. We also have a hectares worth of greens and land wise we look after a 4 acre garden which belongs to the owner.

“We tend to every facility here and I feel we have to be slightly more intense with our maintenance procedures.”

To maintain the impressive course and teaching facilities at Rustington Golf Centre, Rob chooses to use a variety of Sherriff Amenity products which includes the GoGreen range. Throughout his career Rob has seen impressive results from the long-lasting iron granules (GoGreen Granules) and in liquid form (GoGreen Plus), as well as GoGreen Energy – a concentrated bio-stimulant, formulated to assist plant health and relieve stress symptoms. It was the performance of these products which led to him using GoGreen Select.

“With GoGreen Select you apply it out and an hour later you see a dramatic change in colour – it provides an instant green-up. In fact, I bought one drum and before I had even finished it I was on the phone ordering another one – it is that good.”

GoGreen Select is a unique complex iron sulphate that may be used as a stand-alone product for rapid greening of turf or more flexibly, as a tank-mix partner with fertiliser and herbicide. Unlike ferrous sulphate and chelated iron, that can react forming precipitate and rendering the spray solution unusable, GoGreen Select is stable and provides a range of spraying options not normally associated with the use of iron.

GoGreen Impresses At Rustington

“It works incredibly well as a tank mix partner,” says Rob. “Initially, I used it at the start of May on my fairways which was mixed in with a three-way selective herbicide mix and Evolution Xtra 46.0.0 Soluble. The results were brilliant and it was a great boost to start the season – not only did it get rid of the weeds thanks to the herbicides, but it gave us really good colour and presentation.

“It is such a versatile product and I have started mixing GoGreen Select with Primo Maxx II on my tees and approaches as well. The course presentation is arguably the best it has ever been and that is based on feedback from the golfers as well.”

GoGreen Select was recommended to Rob by Joseph Dormer, Amenity Specialist for Sherriff Amenity, and Rob was quick to praise the support he receives.

“Joseph offers fantastic knowledge and will always give me that little bit extra advice when I need it. Quite regularly we will go for a walk around the course, look at anything the turf might require and talk through what improvements we could make.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

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Tournament Opportunity For Members

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Tournament Opportunity For Members: BIGGA members have been invited to become part of the championship support team for the Evian Championship 2018.

An incredible opportunity to gain experience preparing the course for one of golf’s major championships, BIGGA members who are invited to join the team for the duration of the event will receive return air fares, accommodation, subsistence and uniform.

Tournament Opportunity For Members

The Evian Championship is the fifth and final major of the 2018 LPGA Tour and greenkeepers will be required to be on site from 2-16 September.

The successful applicants will work alongside the club’s greenstaff and other volunteers from across Europe.

The Evian Course is situated in Evian les Bains, bordered by Lake Geneva on one side and the Alps on the other.

If you are interested in this rare opportunity email Peter Wisbey at pwisbey@btinternet.com

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