Toro At Blairgowrie Golf Club

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Toro At Blairgowrie Golf Club: Managing secretary Steven Morgan says every day is tournament day at Blairgowrie Golf Club, and for that reason the club has invested in a partnership agreement with Toro.

As the latest Toro machinery delivery arrives at the club in Perthshire in Scotland, Steven explains: “We decided to invest in Toro to ensure we constantly improve the playability of our courses. We believe that every day at Blairgowrie Golf Club is a tournament day and the time, effort and attention to detail when setting up the courses reflects this belief, as do the machinery choices we make.”

Toro At Blairgowrie Golf Club

Three Greensmaster 1000 pedestrian mowers, two Reelmaster 5410-D ride-on mowers, a Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 and a Multi Pro 5800-D sprayer join the fleet, which Steven calls “very good and very versatile”, and which the team of 16 say they “love, because it is easy to set, maintain and use, and leaves a fine finish to give great job satisfaction.”

The new additions join a fleet which already includes three Toro Groundsmaster 3500-D mowers and ProCore 648 aerator, and the performance of these machines is yet another reason as to why Blairgowrie continues to choose Toro. Steven says the ProCore in particular is “flawless”: “The design of the ProCore allows us to aerate any part of the course in a clean and tidy manner with ease no matter the terrain. We’ve had it for a long time, and it still performs flawlessly.”

Blairgowrie hosts a large number events and in 2018 sees the Scottish Amateur Championship, European Amateur Golf Tour and the PGA Lombard Pro Am arrive at the three course, 45-hole club.

Steven says: “We’ve a lot of golfers and competitors who expect the highest of standards. We knew that by choosing Toro and Reesink, we were ensuring a proactive relationship to consistently provide great course conditions while managing costs at all times.

“Plus, it was the right time to invest. We have recently spent a great deal of money on our greenkeeping sheds to allow us to maintain our assets much more professionally, making sure we get the best from them for longer.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Dennis & SISIS Prepare For Waterloo

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Dennis & SISIS Prepare For Waterloo: Mark Audin is preparing the green at the Waterloo Hotel, Blackpool, for the biggest national tournament in the crown green bowling calendar, with the help of the Dennis FT510 and SISIS Dart.

Regarded as the ‘Wembley’ of crown green bowling, The Waterloo Hotel has been hosting tournaments for well over 100 years. In particular, The Waterloo Championships has been in existence since 1907 and this year it sees a phenomenal 512 entries from all over the country. Qualifying starts in July and concludes with the final 8 competing to get their hands on the famous trophy on 26 September.

Dennis & SISIS Prepare For Waterloo

Mark Audin has been working at The Waterloo for 10 years and for the last 5 he has held the position of bowls manager. He has a number of tasks under his remit but Mark’s main priority is to focus on the fabulous green at The Waterloo – which is a year round job, as he explains.

“Out of season when the green isn’t being played on, I cut down to about 7-8mm and during the winter we can leave it slightly longer at 10mm. From May onwards I like to keep it at around 7mm and that will gradually go down to about 6mm and possibly 5mm depending on how it is playing towards the end of the season. There is a misconception that you need to take the grass on a bowling green right down and scalp it, but that really isn’t the case as long as you regularly verticut and generally look after it all year.”

For the essential task of verticutting, Mark relies on the Dennis FT510, which is an interchangeable cassette cylinder mower. It offers the operator ultimate versatility by having the option of fitting twelve different cassettes including scarifiers, verticutters, brushes, spikers and slitters as well as 5 or 10 blade cutting cassettes.

“In the lead up to the Championships we will verticut with the FT510 once every four days in four different directions so that the playing surface will be completely smooth. Therefore, going into the Championships the green will become quicker and quicker to play on.

Dennis & SISIS Prepare For Waterloo

“We’ve got the sorrel roller cassette, the 10 bladed cylinder, the scarifier and verticutter Tungsten tipped cassette and it is all we really need here – it’s my complete maintenance tool. The FT510 is fantastic and it is so easy to use – one cassette out, one cassette in and off you go. In the past we have had machines which take half an hour just to change one cassette.

“I also really like the click adjustment on the FT510 for the height of cut, it is easy to set-up and is adjusted by 0.25mm with every click. Again, with other machines you will have to get a spanner out but on the FT510 it is adjusted in seconds. The fuel consumption also seems to be better than any others I have used in the past too.”

For reducing turf compaction at The Waterloo, Mark uses the SISIS Dart – which is an independently powered vertical action aerator. This popular bowling green aerator has a working depth of up to 100mm (4 inches) which can be easily adjusted from the operator’s position using the balanced depth control lever. Powered by a 6.5hp engine, the unit can also be fitted with a wide range of interchangeable tines to meet the operator’s requirements making it ideal as a bowling green aerator.

“We normally start using the SISIS Dart in July when the ground starts getting hard. We have a number of various interchangeable tines and we tend to go about 3 inches deep into the surface. It does a brilliant job at breaking the surface up, enabling you to get some moisture in and it really helps to reduce thatch and compaction. We’ve always had a bit of an issue with compaction because we have so many people on the green throughout the year,” he said.

“I would say that it is arguably the most used green in bowls and with all the games throughout the season, the green stands up remarkably well. That is, in part, due to the quality of the machines – I’ve tired others in the past but none are nearly as good as the Dennis and SISIS equipment.”

Dennis and SISIS are proud supporters of the Waterloo Championships and have a long history of supporting the sport of bowls. The British manufacturers of turf maintenance equipment host an annual series of free educational bowling green seminars throughout the UK, which have significantly grown year on year.

Further information about the range of bowls maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

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Rigby Taylor Commemorates WWI

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Rigby Taylor Commemorates WWI: To commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I, Rigby Taylor has introduced a number of Euroflor Commemorate wildflower mixes, with each of the six new mixes having special meaning:

  • Honour – a combination of red, white and blue flowers; the three colours of the Union Jack symbolising patriotism;
  • Souvenir – 100% Red Poppies – the Poppy in Great Britain, Commonwealth countries and the USA symbolises the blood spilled by the allied forces;
  • Bleuet – predominantly blue but also with white, pink and crimson Cornflowers; Cornflowers originally represented young French soldiers arriving on the battlefield and wearing new, grey/blue uniforms thereafter symbolising those who died for France;
  • Alliance – a mixture of Red Poppies and Cornflowers; the combination mix of the red and blue symbolises the alliance of British and French soldiers;
  • Peace – a white flower mix including Gypsophilia elegans, to symbolise the armistice and ending of hostilities; and
  • Hope – a mix of bright colours, including perennial species for longevity to symbolise hope.

Rigby Taylor Commemorates WWI

The mixes are available either as a Discovery boxed sets of 10 x 50 gm sachets (any combination) or as individual 1 kg sachets. Each 50 gm sachet will cover 10-15 m2; I kg will cover 150-350 m2. Colour brochures describing these and other Eurflor mixtures are available from a Rigby Taylor area representative or via Freephone 0800 424919.

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Rigby Taylor Launches Project Pollin-8

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Rigby Taylor Launches Project Pollin-8: Rigby Taylor has launched Project Pollin-8, a major initiative aimed at reversing the national decline in pollinating insects, by introducing the new Euroflor Banquet urban flower seed mixture containing the best species for pollinators while also delivering high visual impact.

A key factor in the continual reduction of pollinators is likely to be loss of habitat, and the use of urban flower mixtures for landscaping projects will prove vitally important in arresting the decline.

Rigby Taylor Launches Project Pollin-8

The introduction of the Banquet mixture is the result of information obtained from independent research by the Urban Pollinators Group (UPG), a national research programme run by Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds and Reading Universities (2010-2013).

The research revealed that no one mix would meet the complex ecological demands of the diverse pollinator groups throughout the different stages in their life cycles – from early to late flowering, native and horticultural species, plants for egg laying, nectar for energy and pollen for protein.

With this in mind, nine other Euroflor mixtures (as well as Banquet) have been identified as meeting the demand for a longer seasonal supply of nectar and pollen, as well as a more diverse range of habitats, while also providing incredible flower displays.

The nine other Euroflor mixtures are Flora Britannica, Fragrant Lawn, Green Roof, Honey, Native Pollinator, Rainbow Annuals, Rainbow Perennials, Spring Flower and Super Blue Bee.

These are all detailed in the 2018 Euroflor brochure available from a Rigby Taylor representative or via Freephone 0800 424 919.

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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John Deere At Flower Show

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John Deere At Flower Show: As well as a show garden celebrating 100 years since the company entered the tractor business, John Deere has a trade stand at RHS Chatsworth showing its latest range of ride-on, robotic and walk behind lawn mowers and a Gator utility vehicle.

The new X100 Series of lawn tractors features six models designed for lawns of 3,000 to 6000m2. This range of robust and versatile mowers offers a choice of deck widths from 92 to 122cm and either side discharge or rear discharge and collection. A high capacity 300-litre collector means fewer stops and faster work and the new Side-by-Side pedals allow the operator to control direction and speed without raising a foot. Adjusting the height of cut is easy: simply move the lever that’s conveniently located alongside the seat. Prices for the X100 Series start at £2329 incl VAT.

John Deere At Flower Show

New ZTrak ride-on mowers

Three new models join the line-up for 2018: the Z345M and the Z345R both come with a 107cm deck and the Z535M has a larger 122cm deck. The Z345M is suitable for areas of grass up to 8000m2 (about 2 acres); the more powerful Z345R and Z535M are for larger areas. ZTrak zero-turn mowers deliver fast efficient mowing and exceptional manoeuvrability using easy to operate control levers. Prices start at £3977 incl VAT.

Walk-behind mowers

John Deere’s extensive line-up of walk-behind mowers offers a wide selection of size, power and type, all designed for top performance and reliability. Cutting widths range from 40cm up to 54cm with a choice of petrol, electric and battery powered models plus the option to collect clippings or to mulch. Prices start at £314 incl VAT.

TANGO E5 Series II robotic mower

John Deere’s TANGO E5 Series II robotic mower features a big display screen and
smart navigation technology; it’s simple to set up and produces consistently excellent
results. TANGO’s powerful Lithium-Ion battery enables it to cover grass areas up to 2200m2 (about half an acre), mowing in a random pattern within an easily installed concealed boundary wire. There’s no noise and no mess – just an effortlessly perfect lawn. Price £2130 incl VAT.

XUV 865M Gator utility vehicle

Fun to drive and practical to use, John Deere Gators have earned a reputation as dependable and reliable work vehicles. The latest additions to the Gator family are the brand new petrol XUV 835M and diesel XUV 865M models. The 54hp XUV 835M and 23hp 865M offer power steering, a CVT transmission and a top speed of 37 or 31mph (60 or 50kph) respectively, plus a tight turning circle and optimal weight distribution for superior off-road performance.

The versatile and durable cargo box has a load capacity of 454kg, while towing capacity has been increased by a third to 907kg and total payload capacity is 680kg.
There’s ample room for both driver and passengers. An enclosed cab and efficient heating system maximise year-round comfort and productivity. For extra versatility, these Gators can be fitted with a wide range of over 90 attachments from snow blades to winches, and feature a large 42-litre fuel tank to keep the vehicle running longer between fill-ups.

100 years of tractors

Blacksmith John Deere founded the company that bears his name in 1837 in Illinois USA but it was 1918 when the company entered the tractor business with the 25hp Waterloo Boy. A century of tractor innovation has followed, including the launch in 1963 of the company’s first lawn tractor, the 7hp 110, drawing on the experience and technology of its larger agricultural cousins. John Deere has grown to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural, turf and lawn and garden equipment with an outstanding reputation for quality and reliability.

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.com

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