John O’Gaunt’s Hole Refresh

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John O’Gaunt’s Hole Refresh: John O’Gaunt Golf Club in Bedfordshire have refreshed a par three hole at the course, enhancing it with a 1500m2 lake featuring two Otterbine fountains and eight Toro Infinity sprinklers.

Course manager Nigel Broadwith explains the reasons behind the renovation of hole four: “Constantly improving the two courses is of paramount importance to the long-term success of the club. The fourth hole on the John O’Gaunt course has always been a picturesque hole, however, its location on a floodplain meant it was susceptible to flooding. The renovations included raising the fairway level to take this into account, as well adding to its beauty with a new lake.”

John O’Gaunt's Hole Refresh

Nigel, and head greenkeeper Kevin Armstrong, chose two Otterbine Sunburst aerating fountains, from UK distributor Reesink Turfcare. Both are three horsepower units but one has a one horsepower impeller for the smaller end of the lake and the other has a two horsepower impeller for the wider end. The reasons for these choices were primarily aeration, to the keep the water clean and clear all year round, and secondarily for aesthetic purposes.

Nigel continues: “We wanted to make this lake a feature of the course and therefore wanted an aerating system with the capabilities to present a fountain. The lake is in a slightly windy position and what appealed especially with the Sunburst is the fact that the fountain has a heavier droplet, which means the wind wouldn’t blow the droplets away and disrupt its presentation. It’s a lovely addition not just to the hole, but the course.”

Four years ago, John O’Gaunt’s Carthagena course had its irrigation system updated to Toro Lynx and Golf Decoder Controller irrigation system, operated with dual trajectory series full or part circle sprinklers, and as that concluded it became the turn of the John O’Gaunt course. This time Nigel chose Infinity:

“The system on Carthagena has performed brilliantly,” he says. “It was always the plan that we would move straight on to updating the John O’Gaunt course sprinklers after Carthagena, and as we finished Infinity launched in the UK. I was immediately impressed with their accessibility for maintenance and made the decision that we should try this new technology on the John O’Gaunt course.”

The addition of four Infinity sprinklers on the fairways and four on the greens too, means that Nigel is half way through renovating the 18 holes on the John O’Gaunt course with Infinity. Nigel says he aims to have the remaining nine updated within the next three years.

According to Robert Jackson, irrigation field sales manager at Reesink, this is a classic example of how the little things can make big differences, he says: “The inclusion of a fountain in a new or existing lake can so easily elevate it to being a beauty spot. Similarly, the John O’Gaunt course installation shows how innovation through renovation can be easily and gradually applied to an irrigation system.”

If either appeals, Reesink Turfcare is just a phone call away on 01480 226800 to helping make this happen.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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ISEKI’s Dealer Network Expansion

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ISEKI’s Dealer Network Expansion: ISEKI have announced that Medland, Sanders & Twose (MST) have joined their dealer network after making the switch from a competitive tractor brand.

MST are a well-known and established dealer trading through Devon, parts of Cornwall and parts of Somerset with depots in Tiverton, Lee Mill and Yeovil. Their joining ISEKI complements the exiting dealer network and will give customers even more reason to buy ISEKI products.

ISEKI's Dealer Network Expansion

Nigel Godefroy,  Director of MST Group commented “We are delighted to have the opportunity to serve our customers with the ISEKI product range, having been with a competing brand for the last 40 years we were concerned that this might be a big upheaval for us and our customers, but the transition has been really smooth and we have already had customers change orders from our previous brand to ISEKI”

David Withers, Managing Director of ISEKI expressed his pleasure with MST joining ISEKI “it is great to have MST on board and look forward to working with them in the future. Since launching the company in January this year it has been very encouraging to see the volume of dealers who would like to represent ISEKI and benefit for our growing sales and share gain across the sectors we serve” he went on to say “we continue to have openings for dealers in some areas and are happy to discuss opportunities with interested parties who share our commitment to Customer service and relationship building”

Dealers interested in representing ISEKI should contact ISEKI UK at sales@iseki.co.uk  or call 01473 599266

For more information, visit: www.iseki.co.uk

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Barenbrug’s Drought Advice

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Barenbrug’s Drought Advice: After a recent prolonged period with little rainfall, Dr David Greenshields from Barenbrug UK has advised greenkeepers to ‘act fast’ to save drought-torn grass, and has offered 5 tips for maintaining year-round playability.

1)    Beware a false sense of security

After a smattering of rainfall, lower-lying areas and perennial grasses (fescues, bents and ryegrass) are now greening up and demanding mowing once more.  However, high spots and areas colonised with the shallow-rooted weed-grass Poa annua are mostly dead.

Barenbrug's Drought Advice

After several wet summers, these bare areas in many courses are extensive, as conditions have been conducive for Poa annua to thrive.  The recent weather has redressed the balance and created a perfect opportunity to exploit.

If left alone, the bare areas will become green again, but do not mistake this for “recovery”.  The new vegetation will most likely arise from new wind-blown Poa annua seeds, or worse, moss and other weeds.  This is only a short-term fix and one that compromises playability and aesthetics.

2)    What to do about it (and the hidden opportunity)

In dead areas, now is the time to act. Use this as an opportunity to establish drought-tolerant perennial turfgrasses, to prevent problems from happening again.  Scarify and remove dead material as quickly as possible and overseed with a specialist mixture.

Do not sit back and wait for weeds to colonise; this is a race against time to get seedlings established before winter. Overseeding with so much space for seedlings to grow (versus a wet summer with a tight sward), is going to be a lot easier for healthy, robust grass to establish.

3)    Convincing greens committees to invest

Course managers understand this is an obvious course of action, but convincing committees that overseeding large areas can be challenging.

If budgets are prohibitive, target one or two really bad fairways and overseed these at an appropriate rate. This is a better strategy than spreading your efforts too thinly. Document the project and use it to your advantage the next time the issue arises.

Under a range of stress factors, these areas will demonstrate what can be achieved with investment. For example, ryegrass on tees and fairways will offer improved drainage in wet conditions over Poa thanks to increased root structure and less thatch build-up. On Poa-dominant greens, more bentgrass will improve year-round playability, aesthetics and disease tolerance.

4)    Save now, pay later

If annual meadowgrass establishes between now and autumn, and we get another harsh cold winter, it will undoubtedly quickly die back again. Re-turfing before next playing season may be your only solution in this case.  Overseeding now with a hardy mixture may well save your club having to pay for more expensive repairs later.

5)    Another drought doesn’t have to mean disaster

This summer we’ve seen lots of customers seeing the benefits of previous overseeding investment. That’s because bents, fescues and ryegrass are far more tolerant than annual meadowgrass and will recover quickly after drought. With so many courses struggling to maintain playability in this heat, and talk of an Indian summer to come, now is the time to act.

Download Barenbrug’s Drought Guide here.

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Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone

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Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone: Overstone Park Resort, based in Northampton, have been left delighted by the fantastic results they’ve received from the SISIS Flexibrush on their fairways, which are looked after by course manager Lawrence Ryan.

Set in 193 acres of Victorian countryside, Overstone Park Resort boasts a wide array of incredible facilities including a 31 room hotel, 115 Scandinavian style lodges, a state-of-the-art gym, tennis courts, a bowling green; and arguably the jewel in the crown – a stunning 18 hole parkland golf course.

Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone

Lawrence, who has been a greenkeeper since leaving school, has held the position of course manager for the past two years and by all accounts it appears to be an exciting time for all involved at the resort – new owners have signalled their ambitions by heavily investing in Overstone and the membership, which currently sits at around 600, and continues to grow significantly on a yearly basis.

The course is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the premier golfing venues in Northamptonshire, which is testament to the work of Lawrence and his five members of staff who ensure that the course is kept at a consistent quality all year-round.

With a vast selection of turf care equipment in his armoury, Lawrence is particularly impressed with his SISIS Flexibrush – a tractor mounted brush which is ideal for both synthetic and natural turf surfaces. In Lawrence’s case, he has reported great results from using it for a number of tasks on his fairways. Featuring a 5.35 metre working width, its brush sections ‘float’ to follow ground contours providing maximum efficiency on large areas.

“It’s a great piece of kit which is extremely versatile,” he said. “Primarily we use it prior to cutting which ensures a quality cut every time. In the mornings, we will go out with the Flexibrush to remove the dew from the fairways. Also, because we block cut them, we will use it to stand the grasses up before cutting. We simply run the brush in an opposite direction to the way we block cut which results in a nice and even cut.

Fantastic Flexibrush At Overstone

“Presentation wise, the Flexibrush provides us with fantastic striping which the members really like and appreciate. We can follow up with it behind the fairway mower, enhancing the presentation. This summer, due to the dry weather we’ve experienced, we’ve reduced the amount of cutting and used the Flexibrush for striping instead. It means we can skip cuts which saves a significant amount of time for the team as it’s quicker than mowing and gives us the presentation that is expected by the members.”

The SISIS Flexibrush, which is also commonly used for effectively dispersing top dressings, has hydraulically folding outer sections for storage and movement between areas and Lawrence claims that this feature provides him with even more versatility.

“You’ve got the hydraulic arms on it as well which means you don’t have to have all three of them down at the same time. Therefore, if you want to work on smaller areas with it then you can. It’s very versatile, offers extremely low maintenance and it fits onto our tractor incredibly well. The Flexibrush is also a time saver when you need a quick turnaround. You can whizz round the fairways with it within a couple of hours, whereas you could spend all day cutting and striping them beforehand.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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Lord’s Head Groundsman Honoured

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Lord’s Head Groundsman Honoured: After 48 years of service, Lord’s head groundsman Mick Hunt has been recognised by the ECB and MCC for his work, with the MCC also awarding Mick with an honorary lifetime membership.

England recently became the first ever team to complete the milestone of playing 1000 Tests. They celebrated it with a 30-run win over India at Edgbaston in the first Test of the series. Youngster Sam Curran was the top crusader for the English side as they won a humdinger of a contest. As the hosts headed to Lord’s for the second Test, there was another milestone by an Englishman.

For a change, it wasn’t a cricketer but a groundsman. Mick Hunt who has been the Head Groundsman was felicitated for his tremendous 48 years of service. The England skipper Joe Root presented him with an autographed bat at the Home of Cricket. The event took place just moments before play began on Day 3. The Lord’s Cricket Ground handle on Twitter posted a picture of the same.

It was indeed a busy morning for the groundsman. Not because he had a lot of ground related work but that the rewards didn’t stop coming his way. In what was a wonderful gesture by the England Cricket Board, Mick was also awarded the MCC honorary lifetime membership.

The first day at Lord’s was completely washed out. The second day saw just 212 balls being bowled. However, it was enough for the England pacers to bundle the Indian batsmen in overcast conditions. The ball swung like a snake out of James Anderson’s hands and all the bowlers took full advantage of the same. England don’t have a great record at Lord’s recently and they will be looking forward to changing that. They haven’t beaten an Asian team at the ground in their last five instances.

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