The Power of Botanical Balance

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The Power of Botanical Balance: The spring of 2025 was the hottest and driest on record. Four heatwaves, rainfall 40% below the average and soaring evapotranspiration have left reservoirs low and much of England officially in drought.

For turf managers, this isn’t a one-off challenge — it’s the new pattern. Fairways, in particular, have taken a hit with heavy traffic and hydrophobic ‘dry patch’ soils slowing recovery and reducing the overseeding window. Beneath the surface, next season’s outcomes are already being decided so what can you do create surfaces than not only survive, but thrive? Stuart Yarwood, Regional Technical Manager at DLF Seeds explores.

The Power of Botanical Balance

The Power of Botanical Balance

Resilience isn’t about one species — it’s about balance. Each grass brings unique strengths and, when blended intelligently, they create swards that can survive drought, recover faster and maintain presentation. The deep roots and rolled leaves of Fescues provide natural drought tolerance. Slender & Strong Creeping Red deliver rhizomatous recovery, Chewings provides fineness and root mass while Hard and Sheep’s add density on poorer soils. The creeping roots of Bents provide stability, boost drought recovery and wear tolerance, all with low inputs. Ultrafine Ryegrasses provide rapid establishment and resilience to traffic, ideal for situations where fast cover is critical.

Botanical diversity is an insurance policy: if one species falters, others fill the gap. This strategy forms the backbone of mixture formulation, with each Johnsons Sports Seed and Masterline mix from DLF a carefully tuned orchestra of grasses working in harmony to protect your surfaces from whatever the climate throws next.

Looking specifically at the Johnsons Sports Seed range, J Sustain Fairway is the ultimate ‘Climate Guardian’, with a five-fescue blend of Hard, Slender, Strong, Chewings and Sheep’s working together like a defensive line. J Fescue is a smooth, balanced and adaptable all-rounder for greens, tees, approached and fairways, while J Premier Fairway is a focused, premium fescue cocktail for fairways that provides consistency, density and top-class presentation. The new 2025 formulation of Johnson’s J Fairway is another gamechanger – featuring 5% Teetop Browntop Bent which equates to 10 million plants per bag! Its creeping roots stitch fairways together for outstanding resilience and accelerated recovery.

When traffic is high and recovery needs to be fast, the J Ultrafine Rye range is your emergency service – available with 25%, 50% or 100% ultrafine rye for superior play and presentation. For coastal conditions, you can consider the 100% Slender Creeping Red fescue blend of J Links – salt-tolerant, wind-tough and bred for true links authenticity.

The autumn brings warm soils, cool air and dews — perfect conditions for overseeding. Walk your fairways and study what’s survived to match seed choice to site conditions. Relieve compaction when soils soften, aerate to chase roots deeper and use wetting agents to re-wet profiles. Once overseeding is complete, protect seedlings from traffic and communicate realistic timelines with golfers.

2025 has been brutal, but intelligent overseeding is your defence. Combine botanical diversity, cultural best practice and DLF’s unrivalled seed purity to future-proof your fairways. Overseeding isn’t just repair — it’s an investment in resilience, playability and sustainability.

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Two Ventrac’s for Chelmsford GC maximise versatility

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Two Ventrac’s for Chelmsford GC maximise versatility: Chelmsford Golf Course was founded in 1893. Head Greenkeeper, James Pickess, has been there for twenty-five years, starting as an assistant greenkeeper, then moving into a mechanical role and eventually becoming deputy, and then Head Greenkeeper nearly two years ago. His team consists of seven full-time staff.

Chelmsford is a parkland course of just under a hundred acres, featuring push-up greens and ancient woodland integrated into the design. The soil is primarily Essex clay, leading to some very wet spots. The topography includes hilly and sloped tee banks, with some challenging steep areas such as “The Snake Pit” and “The Valley” which are ancient clay digging sites for bricks. “Some slopes are as steep as 28 degrees, posing challenges for normal mowers”, said James.

Two Ventrac’s for Chelmsford GC maximise versatility

Two Ventrac’s for Chelmsford GC maximise versatility

James initiated the purchase of two Ventrac 4520 traction units, an MR770 triplex reel mower, a rotary MJ840 Contour Mower, a Tough Cut mower and an ET202 Turbine Blower, when he became Head Greenkeeper, driven by the machine’s versatility. He noted that “specialized grass machinery is increasingly expensive. The appeal of Ventrac was its ability to perform two, four or even ten different jobs,” said James, “offering more value for money and making it a worthwhile club investment.” James specified optional rear 3-point-hitches with quick hitch 3 in1 adaptors to allow generic attachments to be used such as turf conditioners and a carrying box. This allows for simultaneous operations (e.g., one machine with reels, another with the contour deck) and easy swapping of attachments.

James explained that “previously, the first cut was done with a rotary mower, which struggled with damp, dewy mornings, leaving grass clippings behind.” The Ventrac’s reel mowers were purchased to transition to a cleaner cut, effectively managing wet conditions and improve contour following. The course has some very undulating terrain. Larger previous mowers struggled to follow contours, leading to scalping. Ventrac’s reel mowers and contour deck “hug and float” [the ground] better, adapting well to the terrain. The Ventrac’s allow for precise cutting heights, “25mm with the cylinder mowers and better definition from the green to the collar, using two bands with the cylinder mower and two further bands with the contour deck 51mm”. said James.

In addition, previously, tasks like clearing brush, bracken, and bramble in woodland areas between greens required hiring machinery. Now, the Ventrac Tough Cut Deck can be deployed on demand, saving time and costs associated with hiring. The Ventrac Turbine blower, utilizing the diesel-powered tractor’s engine, is more fuel-efficient and maneuverable than the previous petrol-powered, tow-behind blower, which also tied up a utility vehicle. Significant manpower savings are achieved by combining tasks, for example, using a GreenTech turf conditioner on the three-point hitch at the back while simultaneously using the blower on the front. James explained that “this allows one person to do the work that previously required two, saving about a day, to a day and a half over three days of work on the fairways”. The Ventrac’s stability on steep slopes (up to 30 degrees) makes it safer. Chelmsford has slopes of up to 28 degrees. James also highlighted “excellent support” from Price Turfcare and Invictor Ground Care, noting quick parts replacement and technical assistance.

While the Ventrac units were only acquired just after Christmas 2024, James anticipates long-term financial savings and has already seen significant time and manpower efficiencies. He is considering adding more attachments in the future, such as a power rake or rotary brush.

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Makita’s charging chase is electrifying

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Makita’s charging chase is electrifying: The new Makita BCC01 is a robust and efficient 8-port battery charging case intended to streamline the charging of power tools for busy professionals. Designed with a compatible shape suitable for Makpac carriers – Makita’s interlocking storage system, this product is a game-changer for productivity on site.

With the advantage of eight charging ports, the case enables the simultaneous charging of up to four Makita batteries at a time. The smart ‘Switch Change’ function automatically cycles to the four remaining batteries once the first four are fully charged to ensure batteries can be rotated when needed, creating minimal disruption to workflow.

Makita's charging chase is electrifying

Makita’s charging chase is electrifying

The BCC01 is compatible with XGT 40V batteries and with the optional ADP10 adapter (sold separately), the charging case supports LXT 18V batteries too. The charging case charges batteries quickly, charging four 2.0Ah XGT batteries simultaneously in as little as 75 minutes. To charge eight, it takes 150 minutes.

“The BCC01 has been built for high-demand environments where efficiency and productivity are critical,” said Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita. “With simultaneous multi-port charging, automated cycling, and full Makpac integration, it delivers a compact, convenient solution that supports both XGT and LXT platforms — making it ideal for having on site.”

To find out more about Makita’s full range of products, visit: www.makita.co.uk

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How Synthetic Turf is Supplying Fresh Water in South Africa

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How Synthetic Turf is Supplying Fresh Water in South Africa: A landmark project in South Africa is highlighting how synthetic turf can be used to enable freshwater recycling. Two ‘Cruyff Courts’ are simultaneously providing a high-quality playing surface while integrating an advanced water collection and filtration system under the field, providing the local community with fresh potable water.

The installation of the courts is part of a wider initiative by the Cruyff Foundation, supporting various sports endeavours for children, and young people with special needs. The two new fields in Orange Farm, near Johannesburg, bring the total number of Cruyff Courts to 10 in the country.

How Synthetic Turf is Supplying Fresh Water in South Africa

How Synthetic Turf is Supplying Fresh Water in South Africa

The investment and innovation come as South Africa is currently grappling with one of the most severe droughts in recent history, affecting approximately 61 million people across Southern Africa.[1] The prolonged drought has led to significant water shortages, impacting both urban and rural communities.

The Government has launched the Water Crisis Action Plan 2025, focusing on infrastructure rehabilitation, smart metering systems, and new dam projects to mitigate the crisis. Despite these efforts, the agricultural sector faces devastating losses, contributing to widespread food insecurity. Innovative solutions, including public-private partnerships and technological advancements like the freshwater recycling beneath the Cruyff Courts, are also being implemented to address the urgent need for sustainable water management.

The project was headed up by EMEA Synthetic Turf Council (ESTC) member Dutchblue, who provided an advanced water collection and filtration system through its partners Project GreenSource SA.

The ‘Catch-Store-Reuse’ sports system captures rainwater, stores it in its subbase, and purifies it in a GreenSource container next to the field. Runoff collected by the system is filtered to remove contaminants, including bacteria and metals, before being pumped to a fountain for use as potable water. The purified water can then be used via a tap on the outside of the container.

The courts represent a significant development in the use of sports pitches to collect water. Together with the local community’s help, the project was completed in December 2024, and training is being given to maintain the pitches throughout their lifetime.

The duality of providing a high-quality sports playing field and clean water for the local community has resulted in some great benefits for the local area. These include potable water supplies for periods of prolonged drought and a recreational area for children and adults to play sports safely. The courts have also helped foster a sense of community identity, serving as a social hub as well as a sports facility.

Stefan Diderich, Director General at ESTC, said: “This project is a perfect example of how synthetic turf can operate not just as an enhanced playing surface, but also as a force for good in fighting drought and other hydrological issues around the world.

“Training the local community to maintain the pitch ensures they will have a lasting impact and can provide users with a high-quality surface as well as a source of clean drinking water for years to come.”

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Echo RP-1250 proves the perfect driving range partner

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Echo RP-1250 proves the perfect driving range partner: In just a few short weeks, an Echo RP-1250 from GroundTech has successfully streamlined the driving range operation at Kingsway Royston’s Golf Centre.

Operations Director James Watts explains how their new autonomous range-picker is working seamlessly with the club’s existing washer set-up and has resulted in up to 20 hours of labour being reallocated around the course every week!

Echo RP-1250 proves the perfect driving range partner

Echo RP-1250 proves the perfect driving range partner

Located on the outskirts of Cambridge, Kingsway Royston is a family-focused golfing destination offering a 9-hole golf course and Toptracer driving range alongside foot golf, pitch and putt, 18 holes of Jurassic Links Adventure Golf, Jamaica Blue café and AF Golf store. Like many, Kingsway has enjoyed a major boost in footfall post-COVID – good for business, but placing additional strain on their maintenance partners of nearly three decades, Turf Care Leisure.

To address the challenge, James engaged with GroundTech’s Marcus Glover to explore options. “I’ve been in the industry for many years and it’s been really interesting to watch the developments and refinements within the robotic arena” he explains. “Echo is well-established and well-proven so I had no doubt the technology, paired with the expert support and service from GroundTech, was going to be the perfect partner for our 30-bay driving range.”

The RP-1250 is capable of collecting up to 20,000 golf balls per day, silently and in all weathers. Optimised via GPS to target high density areas, balls are safely and efficiently collected and returned to a designated drop-off point – in this instance, a custom-fabricated holding tank designed and supplied by GroundTech. “It’s fitted seamlessly into our existing washer and Range Servant automated management system, and has reduced the time taken to clear the driving range from three or four hours every day to just one.”

James emphasises, “The time-saving is massive for us. Being able to redistribute close to 20 hours of labour every week enables us to focus our efforts on other projects and course improvements which has obviously been very well received by our customers.” He adds, “The service we’ve had from Marcus and GroundTech has been excellent throughout – everything from helping us provide a business case for the purchase, through to installation in early August and supporting us and our team through the initial set-up and induction period.”

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