John Deere At PGA Catalunya

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John Deere At PGA Catalunya: PGA Catalunya Resort, located near Girona in Spain, has signed its first ever five-year preferred equipment supplier agreement with John Deere to provide a fleet of 10 new Gator utility vehicles, as part of its three-year investment plan.

The European Tour Destination, renowned for its commitment to first-class course maintenance, has already been using John Deere 2500E hybrid electric triplex greens mowers, 9009A TerrainCut rotary rough mowers, 2030A ProGator utility vehicles equipped with HD200 low-profile amenity turf sprayers and TX Turf Gators. The new five-year deal, supported by John Deere Financial and including PowerGard maintenance cover, sees the addition of two more ProGator vehicles and three rough mowers to the fleet, as well as two compact tractors, supplied by local dealer Ramon Font of Vernis & Taberner Equips, SL.

John Deere At PGA Catalunya

“Being home to Spain’s No. 1 course since 2011, expectations on how our courses play, look and feel are high, so the machinery we need must produce a consistent, first-class finish – and in John Deere’s equipment we have well-engineered and reliable machinery, which our mechanics appreciate,” says Alfredo Alvarez, Stadium Course Manager at PGA Catalunya Resort. “The greens staff really like the mowers’ quality of cut and the precision that can be achieved using the programmable TechControl display.”

Alvarez works alongside Tour Course Manager Roger Casadevall and Head Greenkeeper Aleix Masferrer, heading up a team of 21 greenkeepers and two mechanics who dutifully maintain the two championship courses to the highest standard.

“Following the recent Continental European course listing by www.top100golfcourses.com, we discovered the judging panel had specifically commented on the ‘immaculate conditioning’ of the Stadium Course – and thanks to John Deere’s superior turfcare machinery, we will uphold our course conditioning standards to the highest level,” says David Bataller, PGA Catalunya Resort’s Director of Golf Operations.

This investment in the future of PGA Catalunya Resort’s two championship courses is part of a €53 million redevelopment programme that has seen the opening of two new hotels, the addition of a new vineyard, sports and leisure facilities, and a wide range of services and activities since its conceptualisation in 2016. The addition of an equestrian centre and a man-made recreational lake will complete the estate’s transformation into one of Europe’s most desirable luxury lifestyle destinations at less than an hour from Barcelona and 15 minutes from the historic town of Girona, in north-eastern Spain.

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.com

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Etesia Announce Special Offers

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Etesia Announce Special Offers: Etesia UK has announced huge savings on selected models in its Duocut range of green technology battery-powered pedestrian mowers.

The revolution in battery powered equipment continues to sweep through the groundscare industry and it is easy to see why – no emissions, low noise, low vibration, easy operation, reduced risk of fuel spills and fires, and much, much lower maintenance requirements.

Etesia Announce Special Offers

Etesia UK was one of the first manufacturers to bring battery powered equipment to the marketplace, which enabled professional users to work for a full day on a single charge. As it stands, the company invests more money in green technology research than it does in any other department and this, in turn, enables Etesia to continue to offer ever improving grass cutting machines.

The Duocut range of green technology pedestrian mowers give professional users a means for efficient, environmentally friendly and profitable mowing. With immediate effect, four of the Duocut models can be now picked up at a discounted rate.

The Etesia Duocut 41 NACS battery-powered pedestrian mower is a self-propelled three-in-one mower with a 41cm cutting width. This versatile machine is capable of mowing with or without collection in all conditions, or high-quality mulching which is thanks to the perfect combination of 100 % collection and 100 % mulching decks.

The Duocut 41 NACTS boasts the same great features as the NACS and is a push mower; providing the operator with the choice according to their preference.

For those looking for a wider cutting width, then both the Duocut 46 PACS and PACTS will offer a solution through their 46cm cutting widths. Again, both models excel in mowing, mulching and collection and provide self-propelled or push options depending on preference.

The spring and summer special offers also includes a discounted additional battery unit which is compatible with all four of the Duocut battery-powered models.

Summer and spring special offers:

Duocut 41 NACTS. Was £1,901.00. Now £1,615.00.

Duocut 41 NACS. Was £1,801.00. Now £1,533.00.

Duocut 46 PACTS. Was £2,001.00. Now £1,700.00.

Duocut 46 PACS. Was £1,901.00. Now £1,615.00.

Additional Battery Unit. Was £895.00. Now £445.00

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk. You can also follow Etesia on Twitter @EtesiaUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Greenock’s £8k Pitch Revamp

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Greenock’s £8k Pitch Revamp: Life’s a beach for Morton’s groundsman after 60 tonnes of sand was spread onto the Cappielow pitch as part of an £8,000 renovation project.

The hallowed turf is undergoing an annual overhaul to ensure the playing surface is in pristine condition come the start of the new season.

Award-winning groundsman Mark Farrell, 42, is leading the two-week, intensive restoration work.

A total of 52 matches were played on the pitch last term by the Ton’s first team, development squad and Celtic’s Under-20s.

Despite still looking like a carpet come the end of another long season, Mark says it is vital to keep on top of the pitch, which is regarded as one of the best in the country.

He told the Tele: “The pitch had a lot of games and a lot of usage.

“It was getting tired and needed a rest.

“We’ve put some sand deep down to improve drainage a bit more, smoothed off the surface and put some fresh seed in.

“The surface was looking a bit tired so the key now is to make sure it’s looking healthy again.”

Around 150kg of grass seed has also been planted and Mark has been working once again with specialist contractors Campey Turf Care.

Mark said: “It’s coming along nicely and the weather has been great.

“This time last year it was a case of trying to get water off the pitch because it was so wet and this year I’m trying to get water on it.

“It will be fifteen years in September since I started here so I know the pitch inside out now.

“The club have never refused me whenever I’ve asked for anything and that’s a good thing.

“The club wants a good pitch that’s ready for matchday and that’s what I always work towards.”

The Cappielow surface is regularly praised by fans, players, managers and club officials from across the footballing world.

Morton chief executive Warren Hawke paid tribute to the hard-working grounds manager.

He said: “The pitch is one of our biggest assets and that’s why we continue to invest in it.

“We’re lucky to have an excellent person in charge of the playing surface in Mark.”

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Work Underway At Ewood Park

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Work Underway At Ewood Park: Work is underway on the pitch at Ewood Park as Rovers prepare for life back in the Championship.

Head groundsman Trevor Wilkin admits preparations for the 2018/19 campaign are well underway and will step up over the next few weeks.

The Ewood groundstaff were highly commended by the EFL for the condition of the pitch during the course of the League One season.

And Wilkins, who has worked for the club for over 35 years, explained the process which will take place over the summer.

He said: “All that’s happening is what we do every season, which is stripping the old turf off, adding some fresh root zone, freshening everything up and reseeding.

“People get it in their head that it’s a brand new pitch, but it’s not. It’s more of a make do and mend job.

“Over the next few days, the old turf will be stripped off, then we’ll get the new root zone on, mix it all together and by the end of the week it should all be levelled and seeded.

“It will then be put to bed for two weeks, then hopefully it should be totally green and ready for me to start cutting again.

“Hopefully we get a decent summer and then we’ll be ready to go from mid to late July.”

Wilkin admits there has been investment from the owners on the pitches at the club’s Senior and Academy training centres at Brockhall with that work also underway.

And he hopes that will bear fruit for the players and coaching staff during the course of the 2018/19 season.

He told the club website: “There’s lots of work going on down at Brockhall as well.

“The owners have spent money on every single pitch this summer, which is great – a good investment.

“Every single pitch at the Senior Training Centre and the Academy is having some work done on it, and that’s the bread and butter for the players.

“We’ll be doing the best we can to produce training pitches as good as Ewood for Tony (Mowbray) and his staff.”

The club were two League One clubs to be highly commended by the EFL for the condition of the pitch, with the overall honours going to Rotherham United.

The rankings are based on marks from referees and away managers, as well as detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations.

And Wilkin added: “This is a great achievement for everyone involved after what has been a difficult season fixture and weather-wise.

“We had a tough period from late January through to the middle of February, but the winter we had, as everyone knows, was horrendous, plus this season what really hit us was the amount of fixtures we’ve had.

“I think the last league game of the season against Oxford was our 40th fixture here at Ewood, which is an unbelievable number for this stadium, so overall we’re very pleased.”

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Contractor Fined After Wall Collapse

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Contractor Fined After Wall Collapse: A landscape contractor has been fined £20,000 plus costs after a worker was seriously injured injured when a retaining wall collapsed and trapped him underneath.

Contractor Fined After Wall Collapse

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard that while he was excavating a trench in front of an existing blockwork wall, a section of the wall collapsed and fell on him trapping him underneath. He sustained a complex fracture to his pelvis which required surgery and he has not been able to return to work since the incident.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to properly plan and manage the installation of the timber structure, and had not put sufficient control measures in place to prevent the collapse of the existing blockwork wall.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 19 (1) of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1048.86 and a victim surcharge of £220.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Cain Mitchell said: “This case highlights the dangers of undermining a free-standing wall by excavating alongside the structure without appropriate planning and the necessary precautions in place.

“If the company had implemented reasonably practicable measures that minimised the risk to persons working next to such structures this incident could easily have been avoided.”

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