Modry Las celebrates pivotal year

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Modry Las celebrates pivotal year: Celebrating a remarkable chain of events with the golfing community in Poland, the team at Modry Las Golf Resort has described 2022 as “momentous”. With successes on and off the course, The PGA National Poland enjoyed a remarkable season receiving a trio of international accolades that have cemented its reputation as a world-class venue providing incredible value.

The optimistic tone was set during the first half of 2022 when Poland’s only signature-designed golf resort unveiled a luxurious spa complex along with new accommodation options. The investment paid off a couple of months later when Golf Monthly magazine published its compendium of Europe’s lesser-known destinations that offer quality golf and excellent value. Not surprisingly, Modry Las was in the mix.

Modry Las celebrates pivotal year

Modry Las celebrates pivotal year

“One of the best is Modry Las Golf Resort in Choszczno in the north west of the country,” noted Golf Monthly’s contributing editor Fergus Bisset. “It’s a Gary Player design in an area of rolling terrain with lakes and thick woodland. It’s an excellent layout carved through the forests with lakes and wildflowers abounding. Modry Las offers exceptional value.”

In October, Golf World unveiled its list of the best golf resorts in Continental Europe which, according to the magazine, rewarded venues that “excel with accommodation” and have “the wow factor”. Highlighting the “delightful cottage” options, Golf World concluded Modry Las was one of the most tranquil break destinations in its rundown. “This Gary Player design has flair and imagination, and it’s in fabulous nick,” noted the review. “We loved the chalets nestled in the silence of the woodland that surrounds the course. If you want to get away from it all, this Polish bolthole is for you.”

The assessment followed the magazine’s spotlight on the Best Value Golf Resorts in Continental Europe published a year earlier. Taking third spot, Modry Las was identified as the kind of resort that would attract golfers “who appreciate a high-calibre modern course in fabulous condition.”

To round off the year, the chairman of Modry Las, Arthur Gromadzki, gratefully collected a seventh national title at the renowned World Golf Awards; the leading authority to recognise and reward excellence in golf tourism. Speaking in November, he noted the 2022 season had been “a momentous year for both Modry Las and Poland on the international stage”.

His remarks correspond to the historic win this summer by Adrain Meronk who became the first Polish golfer to triumph on the DP World Tour. He repeated the feat at the Australian Open in December and was also joined in the Polish winners’ circle by Mateusz Gradecki who recorded his maiden win on the Challenge Tour in 2022.

The significance of these achievements were not lost on Gromadzki. “In many ways, this season has been full of challenges both political and environmental, and yet it has been a watershed moment for Poland. Despite the hurdles, not only did the country record its first win on the DP World Tour, but we also received international recognition that Poland offers incredible value while delivering a world-class golfing experience.”

He continues: “In fact, during these uncertain times, I would argue Poland has become an increasingly important golfing destination for those golfers wanting to enjoy world-class golf despite a challenging economic headwind. After all, Poland provides an alternative to the more established and expensive European golf locations. So, in many ways, it’s been a pivotal year and the perfect preparation for 2023.”

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Driving Change at Lac Blanc

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Driving Change at Lac Blanc: Polaris Off Road continues its Ranger Stories video series in a new light with the introduction of the ‘Ranger Stories: Driving Change’ initiative.

Polaris is a firm believer that a product comes to life through its applications, partnerships but most importantly, via the people who use it; which is why once again, Polaris has embarked on a journey across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to discover and capture how its customers are driving change alongside the Polaris RANGER. Dedicated to the good that Polaris customers do, Ranger Stories: Driving Change is inspired by the many Polaris customers that are working hard to make a positive impact on the world.

Driving Change at Lac Blanc

Driving Change at Lac Blanc

Episode 2 – Lac Blanc Bike Park in Alsace, France

As a popular ski resort for over 50 years, Lac Blanc came alive during the winter time, welcoming skiers and snowboarders from all over the world. In the summer, however, the snow had cleared and all that was left were hikers to explore the natural surroundings that Lac Blanc had to offer. So, in 2007, Lac Blanc opened its Bike Park to make the most of the quiet summer months and welcome a new audience to the area. Downhill mountain biking is rapidly growing in popularity – giving riders a fast-paced, adrenaline-filled challenge with a backdrop of beautiful, natural landscapes – so it’s no surprise that the summer months at Lac Blanc Bike Park are now as busy as the winter months.

Carved out of the mountains in Alsace, France, the bike park offers downhill mountain bike riders nine different route options ranging in difficulty and technicality. From families with young children, to serious World Cup competitors that train on the black line, Lac Blanc Bike Park welcomes all skill levels.

Joining the ‘Driving Change’ spin-off series, Polaris joins the Lac Blanc Bike Park Site Development Director, Michael Barthelme, to see and hear how the Polaris Ranger helps to manage a resort of this size, juggling trail maintenance, rider safety and the extreme terrain that comes with this mountainous setting.

Lac Blanc’s intricate trails snake through 170 acres of land, in and out of forests and over extreme gradients. Whilst the riders and their bikes can navigate thanks to the chair lift, the safety team need to be able to access all areas of the site – every trail, tree and corner – to ensure they can keep every inch of the trail clear and reach injured riders.

The Ranger XP 1000 not only gives the Lac Blanc team the power and stability needed to combat these gradients quickly, but is also equipped with on-demand all-wheel drive, meaning that all four wheels engage automatically when the vehicle needs more traction.

For situations involving a rider accident, the team can navigate tight trails within the forest thanks to the Ranger’s tight turning radius and 33cm ground clearance to navigate over rocks and tree roots. The cab comfortably seats up to three people in case the rider needs to be transported to a safer or more comfortable location, whilst the 27.9cm front and rear suspension travel ensures the ride is as smooth as possible. The 454kg cargo bed capacity can easily take the weight and size of a mountain bike, if it needs to be transported with the rider, alongside the safety team’s essential equipment including medical bags and maintenance tools.

When Lac Blanc Bike Park closes for the winter, Lac Blanc Ski Resort opens; and there’s no shortage of use for the Ranger XP 1000 in the winter months either. The team swap out the tyres for tyre tracks, and the Ranger becomes the ultimate snow vehicle, servicing the ski resort throughout the snowy months.

The Lac Blanc Bike Park team also chose to add extra accessories to its Ranger XP 1000 for added comfort and convenience, including a full cab kit – including full doors, windshield, rear panel and roof – with an in-cab heater to manage extreme temperatures in the winter. There’s also a LED light bar when daylight hours are reduced, a winch for helping to move fallen trees or assist with extreme hill climbs, and not forgetting the Polaris Lock&Ride tip-down headache rack fitted to the cargo bed for carrying their equipment securely.

For more information on Lac Blanc Bike Park, please visit their website here.

CATCH THE SECOND EPISODE OF RANGER STORIES: DRIVING CHANGE HERE.

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A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter

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A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter: Lloyds Mowers and Hunter Grinders will be making their first BTME appearance since being acquired by the Howardson Group, manufacturers of the Dennis and SISIS brands.

This strategic alliance signals exciting times for the two well respected brands.

A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter

A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter

Lloyds has always manufactured and supplied products that deliver on performance while requiring minimum maintenance. The Paladin pedestrian mower is a classic example of a quality product that can stand alone and deliver the cut today as it has done, for many decades. Also on show will be the Lloyds Leda Gang Mowers.

Hunter Grinders is known worldwide in golf and stadia for their grinding performance on cutting cylinders and bottom blades. The company has steadily built up a reputation for supplying strong, accurate, precision grinders.

BMTE visitors can find Lloyds Mowers and Hunter Grinders on stand 140. Company representatives will also be on hand throughout the event to talk about the products in more detail.

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Lantra to open New Year with a bang

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Lantra to open New Year with a bang: Lantra is kick-starting the New Year with a bang by attending and exhibiting at BTME, the prestigious event for golf and sports turf professionals.

The Lantra team is set to descend on Harrogate Convention Centre in January to be a prominent and positive presence at the annual BTME exhibition which attracts thousands of BIGGA (The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association) members, turf managers, golf club owners and industry decision makers.

Lantra to open New Year with a bang

Lantra to open New Year with a bang

Lantra will be on hand at the event, which runs from 24th to 26th January, to champion the cause for skills development, how interested industry professionals could potentially start their journey to become Lantra Instructors or Assessors, and spotlight a range of courses in Pesticides, Ride-on Mowers, Groundcare Machinery and the latest addition to the training suite, Landscape Multi-Tools.

Ian Sumpter, of Mow-Sure, who is also a Lantra Instructor and Assessor, will be delivering some of the Machinery Maintenance training suite as part of the ‘Continue to Learn’ classes that take place around the exhibition between the 22nd and 25th January.

David Fisher, Lantra’s Head of Industry Partnerships (Landscape and Rural) will be available on the Lantra stand to offer expert advice on courses designed to meet the challenges, innovations and regulatory rules in the industry.

David said: “BTME is a major event, and we are very much looking forward to using this exhibition to promote the need for CPD, upskilling, and ensuring people work productively, legally and most importantly safely.

“We recognise that, like so many other land-based industries, a shortage of suitably skilled labour is a major issue in the sports turf and wider landscaping sector.

“A key solution to addressing this skills gap and growing the sector is without doubt high quality, industry-recognised training and qualifications.

“That’s why we believe it’s crucial we attend events like BTME to share details of our latest training initiatives.

“Our training is trusted by the Landscape and Sports Turf sector as we deliver high-quality, industry-recognised courses to support workforce skills development.

“Lantra’s new Landscape Multi-Tools and updated Ride-On Mowers training courses will certainly be worth checking out at BTME 2023 as they cover technological advances in both petrol and battery powered machinery. We also have an increasing number of sports turf related customised provision training courses being offered through our network of approved training providers.”

For further information about BTME 2023 please log on to https://www.btme.org.uk/ Lantra will be in Hall 1 on exhibition stand 146.

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Dennis & SISIS reveal BTME line-up

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Dennis & SISIS reveal BTME line-up: Dennis & SISIS have revealed which products they will be showcasing at BTME, on stand 104, which will be taking place from 24 to 26 January 2023 at the Harrogate Convention Centre.

With a particular focus on golf course maintenance, visitors to the joint stand can look forward to finding out more about the following market leading products:

Dennis & SISIS reveal BTME line-up

Dennis & SISIS reveal BTME line-up

ES–22 Ultra

Quiet in operation with ultra-low hand arm vibration, the ES-22 Ultra can help professionals enhance a playing surface. Very simple to control, variable speeds and clip rates, forward speeds controlled by the operator and easy pull back for accurate alignment of next run.

Using a 7 or 11 bladed cutting cylinder and groomer reel, this 560mm (22”) battery mower provides an ultra-fine finish on golf greens and tees. The tungsten tipped groomer can be in or out dependent on conditions.

ES-510

This new mower is based on the Dennis FT510 – which is, historically, the company’s most popular machine. With a choice of 12 interchangeable cassettes, the ES-510 is capable of scarifying down to -10mm. Ideal for fine turf it has the power to cut 4-5 bowling greens or approximately 10km on a single charge.

The E-Series features a robust LCD keypad screen which provides the operator with a multitude of information options including speed, clip rate, service checks, lifetime running reports and battery information.

The mowers take just 2-3 hours for an ultra-fast full battery recharge, feature adjustable handlebars, are extremely easy to maintain, the battery pack is removable, maintaining the sharpness of the cutting cylinder blades is a simple process and they have very low lifetime costs and significant cost savings on fuel.

SISIS Rotorake TM1000

The SISIS Rotorake TM1000 is a tractor mounted heavy duty scarifier and linear aerator and is un-rivalled when it comes to removing and controlling thatch. It includes a collector box and floating unit to follow ground contours. Its contra-rotating reel throws debris forward ensuring a clean, consistent groove. With interchangeable blades and a quick, simple depth setting without tools, it’s no wonder that so many turf managers have reaped the benefits from using the TM1000.

Auto Rotorake Mk 5

The SISIS Auto Rotorake Mk.5 is a powerful self-propelled heavy duty scarifier designed for the removal and control of thatch on fine turf. It features a contra-rotating reel with specially designed tipped blades for a clean, consistent cut and maximum thatch removal. A variety of maintenance tasks can also be carried out due to a selection of seven different interchangeable reels.

SISIS Variseeder

The SISIS Variseeder is a versatile easy to use tractor mounted seeder with a variable seeding rate ideal for golf course maintenance and for use on lawns and amenity areas. It has a fast work rate, is low maintenance with few wearing parts and enables overseeding to be undertaken without taking ground out of play.

Dennis and SISIS’ experienced staff will be available throughout the two days to answer any queries and offer valuable advice.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK and www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery.

You can also view the latest Dennis and SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers and www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery.

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