New Addition To ICL’s Greenmaster Pro-Lite Range

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New Addition To ICL’s Greenmaster Pro-Lite Range: ICL has announced the launch of an upgrade to its autumn/winter fine turf fertilizer range.

New Addition To ICL’s Greenmaster Pro-Lite Range

Greenmaster Pro-Lite Invigorator Plus 4-0-14 +8Fe +2MgO is a new formulation to fit within the autumn/winter turf range with higher iron and potassium content than the original Invigorator.

Over recent years, ICL’s Greenmaster Pro-Lite fertilizers have gained a reputation as an outstanding micro-granular fertilizer range, for high quality, fine turf nutrition. With eleven various formulations within the range, Greenmaster Pro-Lite offers a solution for every requirement in every season.

“The new formulation Invigorator Plus has been developed to give an improved colour response and greater longevity,” says Henry Bechelet, Technical Sales Manager for ICL Turf & Landscape in the UK & Ireland. “It is designed to sustain turf health through autumn, winter and spring and help reduce the risk of disease and moss invasion into high quality turf. We are excited about this new formulation because it contains the mineral polyhalite, which we have found can bring enhanced turf colour and quality responses.”

Polyhalite is an organic multi-fertilizer which contains sulphur, potassium, magnesium and calcium which are all fully available to the plant. Deposited over 200 million years ago, it is a complex crystal product which has been discovered at a depth of 1300 metres below the earth’s surface under the North Sea and is mined at ICL’s own mine in Cleveland.

With polyhalite now included in a number of ICL fertilizers, turf managers have been quick to report excellent results and Henry believes that this trend is set to continue with the launch of Invigorator Plus.

“This new analysis was tested against various alternatives and proved to be the best in terms of turf colour, quality and longevity. We know that the original Greenmaster Invigorator already has a loyal following and so we are running the Invigorator Plus alongside its sister formulation. We hope that everyone using Invigorator Plus this autumn and winter will see the added benefits of this new formulation.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

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SIS Pitches Announced as Main Partner at Oxford City Pitch Launch

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SIS Pitches Announced as Main Partner at Oxford City Pitch Launch: Oxford City FC have announced SIS Pitches as their Main Partner for the 2017/18 season in Vanarama National League South.

SIS Pitches Announced as Main Partner at Oxford City Pitch Launch

The City announced the partnership at the launch of their brand new SISTurf 3G pitch at Marsh Lane ahead of the pre season friendly with local rivals Oxford United.

The sponsorship deal will see SIS Pitches feature on the front of the new Oxford City Home and Away shirts and includes an ongoing maintenance package for the state of the art facility at Marsh Lane.

A record crowd of 2276 fans came to watch the Oxford United game on the new pitch at Marsh Lane, which took SIS Pitches just 11 weeks to complete.  The work included removal of the natural turf pitch and the installation of the brand new SISTurf Soccer Pro 50 surface and new crowd barriers.

The new facility is set to be a huge boost for the club and the local community with over 40 local clubs, including neighbours Oxford United, set to benefit from playing at Court Place Farm.

Director of football Justin Merritt is now hoping City can use all the excitement surrounding the renovation to their advantage.

“It’s a big transformation,” he said, “and we are grateful to our Main Partner SIS Pitches for all of their support on the fantastic project.

“The players turned up for the first time a few weeks ago and were amazed at how it looked and there was a lot of excitement about it.  To have a record crowd on the first game played on the 3G surface is unbelievable.

He added: “It’s not just the first team, it’s everybody – the junior team, the disability team – we want to make a massive push to get the club on its rightful standing.”

Matthew Streeter, Contracts Manager at SIS Pitches, commented; “We are very proud to become the Main Partner Sponsor at Oxford City and to have worked on this project.

“We have seen how a brand new facility like this can transform clubs in non league football and provide substantial benefits for the local community but also for the commercial benefit of the club and we have no doubt it will do the same for Oxford City and we look forward to playing a continued role in the utilisation of the project.

City are in good company with the synthetic turf, and join the likes of Manchester City F.C., the West Ham Foundation, Derby County, Norwich City, Redditch United and Bedworth United.

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Investment Brings Dividends To ‘Loveliest Castle In The World’

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Investment Brings Dividends To ‘Loveliest Castle In The World’: Irrigation system completes Foundation investment at Leeds Castle Golf Club. Leeds Castle in Kent is at the conclusion of a two-year project to revitalise the golf course and clubhouse.

Irrigation system completes Foundation investment at Leeds Castle Golf Club

The extensive project ends with the installation of a Toro Lynx control system, Toro T7 sprinklers on the tees, Toro Flex 35 and 55 sprinklers on all the greens, approaches and fairways of the nine-hole golf course, and Toro 570Z series sprinklers installed around the lawns of the Castle island.

The historic golf course has invested £500,000 from the Golf Today Foundation by revising the layout of the course, adding new vistas, installing new holes and updating the clubhouse. But as Shane Guy, head of tourism, says, there is little point to all that good work if the irrigation system isn’t up to the task of keeping the course in perfect condition: “We needed to protect the work we have done on the greens, tees and the three dry fairways”.

Recommended by PGA master professional and golf course architect Alan Walker and installed by specialist contractor MJ Abbott, the irrigation has been such a success a further system has subsequently been brought across the moat on to the castle island too, with a further 130 sprinklers providing water to the croquet lawn, Maiden’s Tower garden and upper and lower level gardens.

Shane says: “Our system was over 40 years old and did not work properly or consistently. The controlling of the system, from a tablet, is easy for the greenkeepers and they know that their hard work will not go to waste because of a faulty irrigation system. Our greens in particular have really benefitted from the system.”

Set against the backdrop of what is widely accepted as the ‘loveliest castle in the world’, Leeds Castle Golf Course was awarded the investment to help turn the tides of decline seen in the rounds of golf played and the income received. And that “standing start” as Shane puts it has paid dividends: season tickets are up by 250 in just two years.

Having the finances to make improvements doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the team behind the investment to make it worthwhile though, and Leeds Castle has certainly that in its favour. Shane says: “PGA professional golf manager Steve Purves leads an accomplished greenkeeping team of five and we’re lucky to have Alan Walker continuing to consult and inspire the team. The STRI provides invaluable advice on agronomy output and MJ Abbott worked around us as a 24-hour venue, knowing when we needed to do quiet work.”

Jim Price of MJ Abbott comments that installation of this project came with its challenges: “With a moat and lake to negotiate access wasn’t easy, but with a temporary floating bridge constructed to allow machinery to travel from the golf course to the lower island lawns we managed it. The effort was worth it to enable the irrigation to be installed on the castle lawns for the first time.”

Shane concludes: “The course is in great shape and seeing through the investment from the Foundation has been an honour. Now the hard work starts in repaying that investment and maintaining the high standards. The support of the PGA south region has been important too and we have enjoyed working with them for the last three years in the run up to the Leeds Castle PGA South Pro-Amateur Tournament, which is on 12 September in 2017.”

If any more confirmation was needed it’s this: Leeds Castle lines up alongside the Golf in Kent Partners that comprise the county’s Open Championship venues of Royal St George’s – home of 14 Open Championships, Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s Golf Club, as well as the London Golf Club and the Final Open Qualifying venues of North Foreland and Littletone meaning they’re in good company to say the least.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Why Golf Greens Are About To Become Better Than Ever

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Why Golf Greens Are About To Become Better Than Ever: Modern turf management practices are raising the standards for golfers. 

Why Golf Greens Are About To Become Better Than Ever

Greenkeeping Lecturer Anthony Stockwell gives us an update on the modern turf management practices that are raising the standards for golfers.

Updates in technology are driving the greenkeeping industry at an accelerated pace. Once keepers of the green used scythes and sheep to keep the turf short.

In this article we look at five major advancements that are pushing the boundaries of turf management, so that golfers particularly of the elite level can play on unbelievably smooth greens and fine fescue fairways.

1. MACHINERY

Machinery has become lighter in weight enabling less compaction to the turf. Super sharp blades are able to cut with the turf with accurate precision.

Maintaining the tools and equipment on a golf course has become easier. Advancements in electrical machinery has enabled smarter and more sustainable use.

Robotic machinery is on the horizon and it won’t be too long until all surfaces on a golf course are cut without the need for an operator.

2. PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Turf managers have become obsessed with data collection and measuring the performance of their turf.

These measurements enable the greenkeepers to make informed and accurate decisions. Soil sensors can instantly measure soil moisture, temperature and salinity.

Green smoothness, trueness and speed can all be accurately objectively measured. These readings along with accurate weather forecasts can help them make informed decisions, such as “do we roll greens or mow?”

This aspect will be used a considerable amount at Royal Birkdale for the 146th Open Championship. This will help the greenkeepers give the optimum conditions for the professional golfers.

3. SEAWEED

The history books will tell you of greenkeepers adding seaweed to golf greens during the winter.

However, nowadays, universities are conducting innovative research into the exact science behind this green slime and their benefits to playing surfaces.

Once formulated and sprayed on to the golf course the substances can provide benefits to the turf including greater tolerance to droughts, pests and diseases – all of which help the golfer enjoy a smooth and consistent playing surface.

4. TURFGRASS BREEDING

Turfgrass breeding is a marathon task, usually taking over 10 years of arduous scientific work to create a new cultivar of seed.

New seed cultivars are providing golfers with surfaces that are finer and demonstrate greater tolerance of environmental pressures.

The type of grass seed you find on a golf course will certainly not be your average seed you can buy in your local garden centre.

5. FUTURE SOIL AND LIGHT TECHNOLOGY

The world of football has been pioneering with expensive technology such as grow lights.

Under soil heating, soil vacuum systems and over ground ventilation to reduce surface and soil moisture. Turf reinforcements system are enabling a greater volume of players to use the surface.

Will these products be used on golf courses? Well, they already are at the elite level. Perhaps, these types of turf products are the future for golf.

However for the time being you won’t find such expensive technology at your local pay and play golf course, if ever at all.

To read the original article from Golf Magic, click here

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iTurf improves 9 hole Cruit Island GC

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iTurf improves 9 hole Cruit Island GC: Despite working with a small budget, Brian McMonagle, Head Greenkeeper at Cruit Island Golf Club in Donegal, Ireland, has still managed to significantly improve the course through a tailor-made ICL iTurf programme.

iTurf improves 9 hole Cruit Island GC

Situated on the edge of the Atlantic coast with breath-taking panoramic views, Cruit Island Golf Club is a natural 9 hole, par 68, links course. Set over 2,809 yards with seven par fours and two par threes, the course also boasts a signature 150 yard 6th hole – which is played along the rocky cliff edge.

If you were to sail westwards from Cruit Island, across the vast Atlantic Ocean, the first land you would see is North America and it’s dedicated golfers from those shores that add to the 140 plus members already at Cruit Island. The course is generally run on the back of the green fees received throughout the year.

Brian has been at the club since 2000 and has worked with his assistant Donal Timoney since 2005.

They can both be highly commended on maintaining the course to an excellent standard. However, with budget restraints and unfavourable weather conditions, Brian contacted Colman Warde, ICL Ireland Country Manager, to see if there were any products that could potentially take the course to another level.

Together, Brian and Colman designed a tailored iTurf programme which was put together based on the specific nutritional requirements of the course, aligned with the budget he had.

The programme sees Brian start the year with an application of Greenmaster Pro-Lite Cold Start to the greens in order to get the growth up and running.

During the summer months when Cruit Island experiences most of its play, Brian uses SierraformGT All Season as a base feed, which aids recovery from heavy wear. This is supplemented with a monthly tank-mix of Sportsmaster WSF Spring & Summer, Seaweed, Greenmaster Liquid Effect Iron Fe, Primo Maxx and Seaweed from May to September – which is an excellent hardening mix for the links environment.

SierraformGT K-Step is applied in October as a turf hardener prior to the harsh winter weather the Atlantic brings to the course. When faced with these unfavourable conditions Brian also applies Sportsmaster High K, Seaweed and Greenmaster Liquid Effect Iron Fe as a tank-mix to provide a light feed to the plant during the colder months.

Commenting on the success of his ICL iTurf programme, Brian said: “If I’m honest, I initially thought that ICL products would be beyond my financial reach but I thought that I’d have a chat with Colman anyway. We sat down and spoke at length about the course and its nutritional requirements and we devised a programme within my budget which we felt would benefit us.

“The programme has massively improved the course and our members and regular guests have noticed the difference as well. It just goes to show that there is an ICL programme out there for anyone – whether it’s for a top level golf course which hosts major tournaments or for a local 9 hole course in Ireland that sits on the edge of the Atlantic ocean!”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

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