George Browns delivers new machinery fleet

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George Browns delivers new machinery fleet: Major, course-wide investment and redevelopment plans at Essex’s Crondon Park Golf Club have taken a big step forward thanks to the recent installation of a brand-new machinery fleet package from George Browns Limited.

Everything from tractors, mowers, implements and accessories have been replaced with solutions from leading brands including Kubota and Baroness, to further raise course standards and achieve ambitions of a top-ranking status in the county.

George Browns delivers new machinery fleet

George Browns delivers new machinery fleet

Set within the 220-acre Crondon Park Estate, Managing Director Marlon Fox is the second generation of the Fox family now taking charge of the 18-hole championship course, originally built by his father 35 years ago. “Since COVID, good machinery appears hard to come by with a lot of manufacturers not holding much in the way of stock” he explains. “In our search, we spoke to Luke Farrow at George Browns Great Dunmow branch who, right from the start, understood our requirements and what we’re looking to achieve here, building us a package of machinery to reach that.”

Within that package were two RTV X1110 utility vehicles, a L2622 and L1552 compact tractor from Kubota, together with two Baroness LM315 greens mowers and a LM551 fairway mower.

“We had the demonstration units arrive and the greens team were very happy with everything, the quality of cut and finish we were seeing, we were very impressed with. Coming away from our previous brand naturally brought with it an element of trepidation but George Browns, Luke and Tim Mason in particular, have looked after us very well at every stage of the process.”

Promised in May 2023, and delivered on time, the Crondon Park greens department then underwent full and comprehensive training on the new equipment. “The team were able to ask any questions and given all the support needed to get the very best out of the new fleet. Everyone is very happy, and we know we have the expertise of George Browns nearby or on the end of the phone if we need them.”

Marlon concludes, “We have a massive five-year plan, so having new machinery that is going to give us quality results, reliability and no age-related issues is setting us off on the right path to achieve our goals and deliver an unforgettable golfing experience!”

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Bunkers still drain six years on

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Bunkers still drain six years on: Opened in 1924, Dubsdread in Orlando is the oldest public course in Central Florida. Formerly the site of the Orlando Golf Open, it played host to great names such as Hogan and Snead.

The course was rebuilt by architect Mike Dasher in 2007/8, and its bunkers were reconstructed at the same time, with new sub-surface drainage lines, but no liners.

Bunkers still drain six years on

Bunkers still drain six years on

Superintendent Alan Lichter says it became clear to him fairly quickly that those bunkers would not stand up to the amount of play the busy course receives, especially in Florida summers, where signficant rains are an everyday occurrence.

“The bunkers just kept washing out all the time,” he says. “So we started talking about bunker liners in about 2012, and did a demonstration project on our chipping green bunker using a liner from a company that later went bust. So we started looking at the alternatives, and that’s when I came across Capillary.”

Installing liners across the golf course was a significant investment for a municipal course, so Lichter began tracking the amount of time it took to fix the bunkers after rain events. “It wasn’t pretty, and that convinced the powers that be at the city that it was a good investment,” he explains. “The payback to the city was pretty obvious, and the improvements in playability that would follow were also a big issue. So we started the project in 2017, working with Benson Construction, a Georgia-based contractor. It took three months to install the liner in all the bunkers.

Six years on from the installation and Lichter is still extremely happy with the performance of his bunkers. “I love them,” he says. “They are still draining as they were the first day. We had seven tenths of an inch of rain last night, there’s no water in the bunkers.”

Given the extremes of the Florida climate, Lichter’s bunkers have had to face up to some pretty severe weather – and he says they have come through with colours still flying. Even after Hurricane Ian dumped eleven inches of rain on Dubsdread last year, the Capillary Bunkers still performed. “It took one person – me! – about twelve houtrs to fix the bunkers after Ian,” he says. “Before we installed the Capillary liner, it would have needed three guys working solidly for a week.”

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Polaris introduces new trade-in option

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Polaris introduces new trade-in option: Polaris Off Road is pleased to announce a new trade-in offer for customers purchasing any new Sportsman 570 from 1st July 2023 to 31st August 2023.

Any customer who purchases a new Sportsman 570 from an authorised and eligible Polaris dealer between 1st July 2023 and 31st August 2023 can now receive a £1000 (including VAT) trade-in contribution when they trade in any make or model of ATV or SXS towards a new Sportsman 570 model.

Polaris introduces new trade-in option

Polaris introduces new trade-in option

Richard Coleby, National Sales Manager at Polaris UK said: “The Sportsman’s ProStar 570 engine delivers both performance and reliability, so it is easy to see why millions of customers choose the Sportsman across the world. We are excited to announce our new trade-in offer so even more riders can discover why it is the hardest-working ATV in the industry.”

The Sportsman 570 platform features a bold design from front to back, including the new handlebar-mounted pod with a powerful, integrated LED work light and built-in battery charging port. There are LED headlights with integrated turn signals, and a sharp, sleek body shape. The powerful 26AH battery sits underneath the front rack for easy access, whilst the sealed suspension bushings, improved brake lines, fully-sealed ignition switch and durable A-arms enhance durability and resilience.

For 2023, the Sportsman 570 starts at £8,399 excluding VAT, and is available in Sage Green and Pearl White. The Sportsman is also available with electronic power steering (EPS models), as well as various special editions including theHunter Edition in Polaris Pursuit Camo paint, Military Tan Edition, Black Edition, Agri Pro Edition and Öhlins Edition – all with special features to help customers get the job done.

Free ATVTrac Tracking System

Polaris has partnered with leading security experts, ATVTrac, to equip all new adult models with the S7 Thatcham Accredited off-road vehicle tracker as standard, as well as a complimentary 12-month subscription to the digital services, so riders can be confident that their new vehicle is better protected. Protecting on multiple levels, the device offers GPS location and radio frequency (RF) detection. The RF allows for pinpoint a device to an accuracy of just one metre.

Free EASI Training

As well as the free upgrade and free security tracker, the Sportsman 570 comes with free EASI training for one operator, RRP £180. Run by the European All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Institute, they provide training, a comprehensive training course to maximise the safety of Polaris riders.

Two Year Warranty

All new adult Polaris vehicles come with a comprehensive two-year warranty as standard for ultimate peace of mind. Subject to qualifying terms and conditions.

To find out more about the offer, please speak to your local, authorised Polaris dealer: https://www.polarisbritain.com/find-a-dealer/

Please note, this promotion cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts, or promotions unless explicitly stated by Polaris Britain.

For full terms and conditions please visit www.polarisbritain.com/promotions/.

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R1 and R9 from OAS overcomes challenge

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R1 and R9 from OAS overcomes challenge: Where most bowling greens benefit from the flexibility of changing heads to spread the wear, the small green at Errol Bowling Club in Perth offers Greenkeeper Graham Craig no such luxury!

It’s down to the resilience and recovery of R1 and R9 seed mixtures from Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), that despite the high wear and challenges of long dry spells of weather that the green is looking and playing better than ever.

R1 and R9 from OAS overcomes challenge

R1 and R9 from OAS overcomes challenge

OAS brings together four leading industry names – Rigby Taylor, Headland Amenity, Symbio and TurfKeeper. The group benefits from Rigby Taylor’s market-leading ‘R’ Range grass seed being added to their portfolio.

On his retirement from running his own thatching supply business, Graham took on the role of Greenkeeper seven years ago – at which time the decision was also made to bring more of the green maintenance in-house. “While the two jobs may appear contrasting, there were some principles of working with the water reed grasses that I could apply to operations here at the club, and when I needed advice on things, I called upon contacts such as Andy Menmuir from OAS who has helped me a great deal over the years to tackle the challenges of our high wear surface.”

The green, at just 1000m2, is tasked with hosting friendlies and league games so to give Graham and the club the best chance of withstanding such traffic, Andy suggested a combination of R1 and R9 seed from the Rigby Taylor fine turf range. “We’ve used this combination for the last four years” Graham explains, “with R1 oversown on the full green, and then a mix of R1 and R9 used for additional strength on the heads.”

R9 is a fast-establishing, 100% ultra-fine perennial ryegrass blend of four dwarf PRG cultivars – hard wearing, with fineness of leaf, high shoot density and a tolerance for close mowing making it ideal for fine turf applications. “I apply R9 to the heads, oversown into core holes and then dressed which gives us outstanding establishment and germination. The initial burst of growth shoots up like a forest of fir trees and is brilliant for filling in any bare areas. Longer term, it stands up well to the wear.”

“Andy also plans out our summer and winter-feeding programmes, in particular working with me to keep on top of moss which is a big issue for a lot of greens and saps the run out of the bowl.” He concludes, “I am very proud to say I have zero moss on the green at the moment thanks to the OAS plan, in fact – as a player myself travelling round and visiting lots of other greens – I’d say ours is looking and playing incredibly well.”

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CombiTool delivers maintenance without compromise

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CombiTool delivers maintenance without compromise: Proving that multi-purpose certainly doesn’t have to mean compromise, a CombiTool from GKB Machines has been delivering on every front since its delivery at Rookery Park Golf Club in May 2023.

Head Greenkeeper Neil Davey explains how the ability to conduct multiple operations in a single pass is not only saving them labour hours, but the flexibility to adjust the working depth of each attachment independently is delivering even better results than they’d hoped for across greens, tees and approaches.

CombiTool delivers maintenance without compromise

CombiTool delivers maintenance without compromise

The heavy clay profile of the club in Lowestoft, Suffolk, is the number one challenge for the greens team – with anything allowing them to get some well-needed extra drainage a welcome addition to Neil, his fleet and the team of five. “You see this kind of equipment in use a lot at football and sporting venues and, after seeing it for the first time at SALTEX, I thought why are we not using this sort of machine to slit & roll tees and approaches on a golf course!” explains Neil.

“The build quality of the GKB kit always impresses me so having seen it on the stand, and thinking about the uses for the various attachments we purchased the CombiTool without even having a demonstration. It hasn’t disappointed… in fact, since it was delivered by Stuart Paterson at Ernest Doe it’s been out on the course more than it’s been in the shed and has exceeded all of our expectations!”

Launched in November 2022, the CombiTool features four attachment slots which can be tailored to the venue or task at hand, offering versatility and value-for-money while allowing multiple maintenance operations to be completed in a single pass. “We opted for the 1.6m working width with mini-slit on the front, followed by harrows, then a roller and the brush at the rear for presentation and to stand everything up ready to cut behind. We’ve so far passed over the tees and approaches a couple of times, along with two operations on the greens, where we simply raised the brush and harrows to make the operation less invasive.”

“That’s the real beauty of this machine – the versatility and ability to control the depth of each attachment means you can be as soft or aggressive as the surface demands. You could also swap different attachments in or out to suit, making it super simple for us to get some slits in the ground for additional drainage or ahead of applications of wetting agents or topdressings.”

Neil continues, “The possibilities of this unit are endless around the course. We’re going to try it out on the fairways once the current spell of dry weather is over. We’re also going to remove the roller and use the harrows and brush to see how that combination gets on with wormcasts.”

“Not only does this machine give us so much flexibility, the convenience of it is another major plus. If I wanted to slit and brush ordinarily, this would be two people running two separate machines. With the CombiTool, it’s all done in one pass, with a second team member following on behind with a mower, leaving an incredible quality of finish” he adds.

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