Toro a hit at Robin Hood GC

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Toro a hit at Robin Hood GC: Robin Hood Golf Club in Solihull has come on board as a Toro fleet customer for the first time as course manager Luke Dennis attests to Toro outperforming other brands across the UK and beyond.

With a career that has seen him work on championship courses hosting major tournaments such as The Ryder Cup, across the UK for European tour events at the Belfry, Forest of Arden and Slaley Hall and further afield to Sweden for the Scandinavian Masters, as well as working in machinery parts maintenance, Luke certainly has an in-depth perspective when it comes to golf course machinery.

Toro a hit at Robin Hood GC

“I have the benefit of having experience working on the maintenance of machinery parts and as course manager which means I can look at a machine from two different perspectives – what it requires for upkeep and how it operates,” says Luke. “And my experience has shown me on both fronts that Toro outperforms and outlasts the competition.”

The club has had a mix of machinery up until now and the difference in having a full Toro fleet of high-quality, durable machines is palpable. And it came as no surprise to Luke when extensive demonstrations for the club’s new fleet, organised by Reesink Turfcare’s Jon Lewis, beat out the competition.

“In particular the Reelmaster 3575 really stood out,” says Luke. “The after cut appearance achieved with the perfection brushes is the best I’ve ever seen despite unfavourable weather conditions at the time of the demo.

“We also opted for the Reelmaster 3100 with groomers to enhance the semi rough. Although quite an unusual decision, so far we have received amazing feedback on the definition and quality of the ball lie achieved, which allows a cleaner impact to the back of the ball for golfers.”

With Robin Hood Golf Club now 126 years old, the parkland course of Harry Colt design is a well-regarded golfing venue near Birmingham, and its recent addition of a full Toro fleet comes as the next step in its ongoing development.

Over the last ten years, there’s been a substantial investment to help reconstruct and modernise the course, and the Toro package deal is the cherry on the cake, explains Luke.

“The full Toro fleet means we have reliable, high quality machines, which allow us to present the course to a high standard week-in week-out for our members and visitors,” concludes Luke. “And I’m pretty sure we will continue to see the course improve with Toro on board.”

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Ultimate productivity with ISEKI

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Ultimate productivity with ISEKI: Running a successful business and with a variety of customers, from caravan parks to councils, roadside work to churchyards and private estates is no easy task.

Based in the north east of England Chris Stamp and his team at CA Stamp Grounds & Agriculture know their clients expect an impeccable finish every time, so the need for a reliable, durable mower is of paramount importance.

Ultimate productivity with ISEKI

Chris explained; “our previous machine was due for renewal, so following a look around SALTEX at the products on offer, I contacted our local dealer Rickerby for a demonstration of the ISEKI SF224.   I knew as soon as I tried the machine it was perfect for what I needed.  Being located in the north of the country we get plenty of rainfall, the ISEKI mower really does cut and collect even in the wettest and harshest conditions whilst leaving the same brilliant finish every time with no blockages.  This ability is invaluable, it enables us to be flexible when we carry out jobs with no downtime due to weather conditions.

“Along with grass cutting the powerful collector system is fantastic for clearing up after scarifying or collection of fallen leaves, allowing us to get even more value from our machine and excellent service to our customers.

“The high tip collector with a clearance of over 2.1 metres enables us to tip all the waste straight into the back of a trailer saving us considerable man hours.  The large 950 litre hopper allows us to mow for longer, enabling us to be more efficient with our time – the SF224 really speeds everything up for us.

“We are all fight to jump on and use the machine, this says it all when it comes to ease of use and makes my life a lot easier when allocating the workload! The drive is very comfortable, even when mowing for long periods of time which is required on many of our contracts.”

Noticing a gap in what Chris was offering he then purchased an ISEKI SRA950F 4WD 24hp brushcutter which is being utilised for slope mowing up to 25 degrees and cutting of overgrown, out of control areas.  “We saw the machine on demonstration with our local dealer rep Rob.  I couldn’t believe how powerful and effective it was at tackling thick vegetation whilst leaving such a superb finish, it was a complete impulsive buy.  I even surprised myself on this quick decision which was slightly out of character for me!  The SRA950F has already been put to good use, I know it will be an invaluable machine for many years to come.

Ultimate productivity with ISEKI

“Our local dealer Rickerby is faultless, Rob and the service team’s knowledge of the machinery is second to none, if I ever have a problem they are out and sorting the problem so quickly.  As a contractor their brilliant back-up and service is invaluable.”

Chris Stamp started his grounds maintenance contractor business as a one-man band, quickly building up his customer base he now employ’s two other staff with additional help from other self-employed contacts during the busy months to keep up with the demand. With the addition of the ISEKI machines the business has grown from strength to strength.

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Games cancelled after pitch vandalism

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Games cancelled after pitch vandalism: Angry club officials have spoken of their frustration as a reckless driver has damaged two of their football pitches.

Southwell City Football Club has had to cancel their 7-a-side matches for the foreseeable future as their pitch has been damaged by a irresponsible driver, or drivers, racing and performing doughnuts on the club’s Church Street pitches.

Chairman of the club John Cunningham said: “This was a bit of a shock to say the least, we’re a community club with 300 local players, so why someone would do this is beyond us.

“It’s not just the players, it’s the families who are involved with us as well, most people in the town are involved with the club or know someone who is.”

As a result of the damage, the club is relying on their opponents having pitches available so that games can be played away from home if possible. If not, the games will have to be cancelled altogether.

Mr Cunningham said: “It’s too early to say how much it’s going to cost to repair the pitch, but it’s the inconvenience that’s the biggest problem for us.”

Nottinghamshire Police have confirmed that a vehicle was driven across two football pitches belonging to Southwell City F.C, damaging the surface, and the incident is believed to have happened at a time between late last night and early this morning.

If you have any information about the incident, contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 167 of October 18.

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Bayer’s new weed control solution at SALTEX

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Bayer’s new weed control solution at SALTEX: The recent addition of Roundup® to Bayer’s amenity portfolio complements their new residual herbicide Valdor® Flex and provides contractors with the complete package when it comes to weed control.

Lewis Blois, Bayer national account manager, says the team will be on hand at SALTEX to talk about the recent changes to their product portfolio and provide advice around successful weed control.

Bayer's new weed control solution at SALTEX

“We can now offer the whole solution when it comes to broad spectrum weed control and our full treatment programme works on a wide range of surfaces from open soil to gravel, fence lines and railway ballast,” he adds.

“We’re always working hard to bring new innovative formulations and sustainable solutions to the amenity sector, and recent changes will help contractors to continue to successfully manage weeds at a time when many products are being lost from the market,” explains Lewis.

Our new product portfolio for the amenity sector includes Valdor® Flex, Roundup® and Ecoplugs, offering a wide range of solutions to the sector.

“Valdor Flex is a residual herbicide offering four months weed control. It can be applied as a pre-emergent herbicide or in post-emergent situations with Roundup®, which provides the initial knock down, while Valdor® Flex offers residual control, preventing subsequent weeds emerging.

“Ecoplugs, which can be inserted into tree stumps to avoid re-growth all year round, also join the Bayer portfolio,” he says.

“At Bayer, we’re continually investing in research and development to ensure we can provide our customers with a wide range of innovative solutions when it comes to weed control and recent updates to the product portfolio will provide many benefits to amenity contractors,” concludes Lewis.

For further information visit the Turf Solutions Team on stand G030 at SALTEX, alternatively visit www.environmentalscience.bayer.co.uk, call 00800 1214 9451, or email turfsolutions@bayer.com.

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Total-play launch new non-turf pitch systems

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Total-play launch new non-turf pitch systems: With the ECB’s official approval of another three new non-turf cricket pitch system designs, taking the total to SIX, total-play Ltd offers unrivalled choice when it comes to surfaces for match play and practice facilities.

The three new ‘NPC’ – or ‘natural pitch colour’ – systems offer state-of-the-art performance with a more traditional look that mimics a natural cricket pitch in peak season. The ‘straw’ or beige-coloured carpets are now available on all of total-play’s base designs, adding three new ECB approved systems to the stable: tp365 NPC; tpb1 NPC and tp5t NPC.

Total-play launch new non-turf pitch systems

All are designed to offer performance that mimics a high performance natural pitch with pace and bounce to promote every aspect of the modern game.

The systems feature variations in base construction and carpet type to suit varying site conditions and client requirements. The flagship tp365 NPC features a dynamic aggregate base system topped with total-play’s exclusive shock pads and a premium quality Wilton Woven carpet in the natural colourway. tp5t NPC offers the same base construction but with a tufted as opposed to woven carpet, offering a great solution for clubs on a budget, while ‘tpB1 NPC’ offers an engineered base (tarmac) – ideal for clubs where flooding could be an issue and minimum maintenance is high priority – with the same premium quality woven carpet as ‘tp365’.

MD David Bates says:

“Now we with have SIX ECB approved system designs we offer an unmatched choice in non-turf cricket practise facilities.

“Adding new carpet colours to our existing range, simply gives our clients a more choice than ever before. Dependant on site conditions, maintenance goals and the required performance, total-play can now truly design a system bespoke to any client. Not all projects are the same – allow us to show you why.”

To find out more about total-play’s range of ECB approved synthetic cricket pitch system designs visit www.total-play.co.uk

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