Royal Cinque Invest In Otterbine

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Royal Cinque Invest In Otterbine: Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club has recently invested in two Otterbine High Volume aerators to improve the water quality of its reservoir and help prevent stagnant smelling water and the build up of weeds.

The club in Deal, Kent has a 13,000m3 reservoir, the water from which is used to irrigate the 18-hole Championship Links course, but with no aeration to keep the water clean and clear James Bledge, course manager, was noticing a significant deterioration in water quality.

Royal Cinque Invest In Otterbine

“The water was starting to turn stagnant and was giving off a strong smell, and there was a considerable amount of weed and algae forming on the bottom of the reservoir,” he explains.

To solve the worrying problems the club opted to have two Otterbine aerators installed at the same time as a new Toro irrigation system and a renewal of its Toro fleet, all delivered by distributor Reesink Turfcare.

The club is a Toro Total Solutions club meaning it has a 100 percent Toro fleet as well as a Toro irrigation system, but that didn’t mean an automatic order for Otterbine, which is also distributed by Reesink Turfcare.

In fact, the Otterbine aerators were suggested by Robin Hume Associates when designing the new irrigation system. With success at similar clubs in the same application, the irrigation design consultancy was confident Otterbine would help to solve the issues at Royal Cinque Ports, and it seems that judgement was right.

“We’re seeing a substantial difference since the installation of the new Otterbine aerators,” says James. “The water doesn’t smell anymore and we’re already seeing an improvement in the water quality.”

The Otterbine High Volume aerator adds an impressive 3.3lbs or 1.5kg of oxygen per horse power, every hour and is constructed from marine-grade, 316 stainless steel, thermoplastics and a rugged, energy efficient, low speed motor to withstand even the toughest of aquatic environments.

But it’s not just that which has impressed James, the ease of use of the control system has too: “It’s been set on a timer, so that way it doesn’t disturb any nearby residents and helps us to save on energy.”

The importance the club places on its water quality, sustainability and the technology that it manages, is evident in James’ decision to assign greenkeeper Nick Machin the role of supervising all the irrigation and aeration technology. Coincidentally, Nick happens to be the 2017 winner of the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award and James feels confident the day-to-day management of the new additions will be in safe hands.

“With the technology we now have at our fingertips and the supervision from Nick, I am confident about the improvements we’ll see in the long term. It will be interesting to see, for example, how the turf benefits from the better-quality water irrigating it.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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STRI Group Announce Open Day

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STRI Group Announce Open Day: STRI Group has announced that its annual research open days will take place on 25 and 26 September 2019.

The event, which takes place at STRI’s UK research and development facility in Bingley, West Yorkshire, offers an opportunity for sport facility managers, owners, groundstaff and greenkeepers to learn about and discuss the development of the latest products and technology for the sportsturf industry.

STRI Group Announce Open Day

Dr Christian Spring, research operations manager, said: “STRI Research Days are an excellent way to gain insight into the latest developments and thinking on tackling current and future turf management issues.

“STRI Research Days offer turf managers a unique opportunity to network with, not only fellow turf managers, but to view and discuss the latest developments in turf maintenance with turfgrass scientists and industry professionals. This is reflected in feedback from previous events, where those attending have valued learning about what is new and upcoming in our industry and to have an opportunity to discuss these ideas.”

Delegates will be taken on a tour around a range of live research stations by an STRI staff member. At each station, there will be a joint presentation on the research being undertaken delivered by a member of STRI’s research team and representatives from the sponsor company. There will be time at the end of each presentation for delegates to ask questions.

STRI Research 2019 attendees can look forward to a freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and refreshments at no additional cost, as well catching up with fellow sport industry professionals. A limited number of discounted rooms are available and will be provided on a first come, first-serve basis.

Places are filling up quickly so if you would like to book a place for 2019 please email enquiries@strigroup.com, call +44 (0) 1274 565131 or tweet @striturf and indicate which day you would like to attend.

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Thieves Rip Out Artificial Turf

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Thieves Rip Out Artificial Turf: Thieves have ripped out specialist artificial turf from a £33,000 training centre used by young cricketers.

The nets were set up at Porthill Park Cricket Club around a month ago following a fund-raising drive.

But yobs cut up one of the lanes used to help build youngsters’ confidence in the sport.

Since news of the theft broke, former England captain Michael Vaughan has even Tweeted his support saying: “This is disgusting…please someone let the club know who’s done this.”

Chairman Craig Chorlton was left baffled after discovering a piece of artificial turf measuring 20ft by 6ft was missing.

Craig, of Wolstanton, who has been involved with the club for 15 years, said: “It is specialist flooring and the part they targeted is used by the young cricketers. I don’t know what they will do with it.

“The gates for the nets were locked and I think whoever has done it must have come to have a look before doing it.

“It’s very bizarre how they have cut out one section – but for us we need to have the whole thing re-done. There must have been at least two thieves due to the weight.

“It is used to get young cricketers used to hard ball. This type of artificial turf can’t be bought in the shops and it is specialist.”

The club raised around £5,000 for the nets by holding events and applying for grants from Red Industries and local councillors.

While the nets cost around £33,000 a further £4,000 was spent to make them secure.

Craig says the club has worked hard to support the community and Porthill now boasts 30 junior sides, five senior, a women’s, three for girls and a softball side.

He said: “We also put on sport sessions on the car park as there was some anti-social behaviour in the area over the winter and we wanted to help with that and we are a real part of the community.”

Fellow clubs across North Staffordshire have been quick to back Porthill.

Craig said: “The support we have received has been amazing and I have been told how our Tweet has been shared hundreds of times. The other clubs around the area have been fantastic too.”

Groundsman Ian Plant has also been left disappointed by the theft, which happened overnight on Sunday (May 19).

Ian, mayor of Cheadle, said: “I feel disappointed for the people at the club who worked to get this set up and for the children who use it.

“The nets are a really good stepping stone for young players and now because of this they can’t practice.”

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “Officers were called to a report of theft at Porthill Park Cricket Club at 10.45am on Monday, May 20.

“It is believed approximately 20ft of turf had been cut off and stolen. Inquiries are on-going.”

Anyone with information should call Staffordshire Police on 101 and quote incident 205 of May 20.

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An Update From Scott MacCallum

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An Update From Scott MacCallum: It’s quite amazing to think that, as I write we are still in May, yet we have already enjoyed two of the four golf Majors – well done to Brookes Koepka for his amazing feat in being the first person to defend successfully both the US Open and the USPGA and hold both at the same time – and we are about to launch into both the Women’s World Cup, in France, and the Cricket World Cup here in the UK.

It seems we are in the middle of the sporting year and we haven’t even had a chance to catch a breath. It won’t be long before we are enjoying the thrills and spills of the Rugby World Cup, in Japan.

An Update From Scott MacCallum

Sport really defines a year. If you think back 12 months we were about to start the emotional roller coaster that was the World Cup and it was nice to go into it without the usual hype about England’s chances of winning. Those lower expectations seemed to work as Gareth’s boys came closer than any England side since 1990 to getting to the final.

Although a tad detached from it all, coming as I do, from the other side of Hadrian’s Wall I can still recall sitting in bars watching games and enjoying the feel good factor which engulfed the entire country. Maybe Scotland’s ladies will do what England’s men did last year and exceed expectations.

Can I wish perfect weather conditions and every success to all those groundsmen and greenkeepers who are working so hard to produce first class conditions for all the summer’s sporting events.

Best wishes

Scott MacCallum

 

Kubota’s New Dealer Managers

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Kubota’s New Dealer Managers: Kubota (U.K) Ltd is delighted to announce the appointment of two new dealer managers in the Groundcare and Parts business units. The new appointments demonstrate Kubota’s continued commitment and investment to its dealer development aspirations and will provide additional support to the existing dealer and distributor network.

The new Groundcare Dealer Manager, Phil Catley, joins in the role of Dealer Manager – Southern region for the Tractor and Groundcare division. Phil joins the company from Stiga Ltd, one of the largest European manufacturers of garden and groundcare machinery, where he was previously Area Sales manager.

Kubota's New Dealer Managers

Phil brings with him an impressive wealth of experience, particularly in building and maintaining large dealer networks extending throughout the South West, South Wales, Mid Wales and the West Midlands as well as skills in building strong relationships and maintaining excellent profit margins. Ahead of joining Kubota, Phil has also previously worked for Etesia, a European manufacturer of Groundcare machinery and Sharnford Horticultural, a garden machinery and Groundcare dealer in Leicestershire.

On his appointment, Phil commented “Kubota has a prominent reputation as a market-leading manufacturer of Groundcare, Agricultural and Construction Equipment solutions and I am looking forward to putting my experience to good use at the company. I am excited to finally be a part of the team and look forward to using my knowledge and experience to further develop Kubota’s dealer network.”

In a new role for Kubota, Rob Williams has joined the company as Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland Dealer Manager, for Parts. His prime responsibilities will be to support the Kubota dealer and distributor network specifically covering the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Rob has an extensive amount of experience and industry knowledge after holding previous roles at Ifor Williams Trailers, Saville Tractors and Landmec. Over the past five years, Rob has been working for the international agriculture equipment manufacturing company, Kverneland UK, developing a successful parts business for the company. His past experience also includes working for Morris Lubricants in the North of England, where Rob played a pivotal role in supporting and developing their oil and lubricant business.

Speaking about his new appointment Rob said: “I am looking forward to starting my new position at global manufacturer Kubota UK. My role will be to continue to support and develop the Parts dealer and distributor network, where my previous experience and established connections will be invaluable.”

David Hart, Managing Director of Kubota UK commented: “We are delighted to welcome both new Dealer Managers to the business. Their expertise and industry knowledge will be instrumental to Kubota’s commitment to continuing to invest and expand our existing dealer and distributor network and we are excited to have them on board”.

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