Toro winners selected as volunteers

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Toro winners selected as volunteers: To be selected is a honour like no other and two previous winners of the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards have been successful in gaining a place as a volunteer at the 150th Open at St Andrew’s in July.

The 2018 winner Daniel Ashelby from Reddish Vale Golf Club and last year’s winner Matthew Milligan from Rudding Park will help prepare the Old Course’s famous fairways for the international event at the home of golf.

Toro winners selected as volunteers

Toro winners selected as volunteers

When it comes to the opportunities that come with winning the decades old competition – and to shine a light on the fact that there is still time to make nominations into the 2022 event – we talk to Daniel Ashelby about what’s happened to him since being crowned champion four years ago.

“Since winning I’ve gone onto be head man at Hartford Golf Club in Cheshire and now I’m working at my dream club. Both roles have given me some absolutely fantastic experiences. At Hartford, during the pandemic, I was running the course by myself and that taught me to trust my instincts and put so much of what I’d learnt over the years into practice.”

Attending Massachusetts Winter School for Turf Managers as part of his prize for winning the Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award set off a passion for education and Daniel is now in his final year of his degree in golf course management.

With educational, international, all-expenses-paid prizes for the winners, runners up and nominators, there’s nothing to lose by nominating your best candidates into the 2022 competition.

And of course the future opportunities for the winners are endless, as Daniel says: “All the networking, learning experiences and personal development that transpire from winning the award have contributed greatly to me being in this position now.

“Being selected as a volunteer for The Open is literally a dream come true. Only those who have the right attitude, skills, ambition and qualifications succeed, and I do think winning the award had a role to play in this. There’s a correlation to the type of people I’ve met on the journey and the paths I’ve been put on that have led here. They go hand in hand.”

So what about those lecturers and employers who think they have a shining star in their midst? What would Daniel say to those those people who have the power to change one of their students or employees lives?

“Just do it. Putting that person’s name in the hat is the first step to opening up a world of possibilities and opportunities,” he says. “And if you’re thinking about nominating somone you’ve nominated before, do that too! Don’t let them feel knocked back if it didn’t work out the first time. Since then that person has grown up, evolved and has a better chance than ever before.”

Nominations into the 2022 Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards can be made now until 31 May online at BIGGA. This year’s finals will be held on 5-6 September.

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Liam Rowlands joins ICL

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Liam Rowlands joins ICL: ICL has appointed Liam Rowlands as a Technical Area Sales Manager, covering South West England and South Wales.

Liam arrives with good knowledge of the industry after working as a greenkeeper for a period of twelve years. Upon leaving school he started his career at Abergele Golf Club, North Wales, under the stewardship of Darren Anderson. He then went onto work at several distinguished clubs including Chester Golf Club, The Grove, and Golfpark de Turfvaert, in the Netherlands. Before joining ICL he progressed to the position of a Deputy Head Greenkeeper.

Liam Rowlands joins ICL

Liam Rowlands joins ICL

“During my twelve years in greenkeeping, I have been fortunate to experience golf courses of many shapes and sizes all with varying levels of expectation,” said Liam. “I feel this gives me a good ability to understand the customers varying needs”. “I’m sure that my experience paired with my education in technical areas will enable me to provide excellent service for both turf managers and distributor partners alike.”

Liam also studied a BSc in Sports Turf Science and Management at Myerscough College where he achieved an impressive 2.1. As part of his degree, Liam conducted a highly regarded dissertation which focussed on the effects of ICL’s Vitalnova SMX on root growth and development on perennial ryegrasses.

“I feel honoured to be representing ICL,” he said. “The company gave me the opportunity to study its SMX product for my thesis when I was at Myerscough College and Andy Owen (International Technical Manager at ICL) was extremely influential throughout the process. It now feels as though my career has come full circle. I am incredibly passionate about ICL products and have seen first-hand how they perform. I hope to take this passion into my role and the regions in which I am operating.”

Outside of work, when Liam is not playing golf, he can be found following Bristol City FC and he also enjoys hiking and camping.

Commenting on Liam’s appointment, Ed Carter, National Sales and Development Manager for ICL, said: “Liam is great addition to the ICL team. He has great knowledge of

our products as well as the right experience and passion for the role. I’m sure he will contribute superbly to driving growth and supporting ICL customers in South West England and South Wales.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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STAR EV supports sustainable approach

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STAR EV supports sustainable approach: Radley College has chosen to replace its fleet of utility vehicles with STAR EV’s Capella Work Machines stating the lithium-ion energy source as the key reason for choosing the new brand to the UK market.

The prestigious boys school in Oxfordshire needed to replace an ageing UTV fleet and made the decision to go electric as part of its sustainability plans to become carbon neutral in the next few years.

STAR EV supports sustainable approach

STAR EV supports sustainable approach

Adam King, head of grounds, says: “Making this commitment to a fleet of all-electric utility vehicles is part of the estate’s plans to become more sustainable. While new to the market, what caught our attention with the STAR EV range were the Lithium-ion batteries. Other brands have lead acid and that’s just not as favourable when it comes to longevity and charging.”

The Capella Work Machine, of which Radley College has bought eight, is powered by a 48v 5Kw motor and comes with a high powered 10Kw lithium-ion battery charged via an on-board Lester charger. Users can opportunistically charge and can expect a good 60 miles per charge. Plus there’s no need to worry about power drifting away as there’s a constant amount delivered throughout the discharge.

The machines will be used predominantly by the gardening department and Adam references the machines’ 670kgs payload as another reason for choosing the Capellas, he says: “These machines will be used for everyday activities such as transporting waste or litter and landscape materials around, carrying lawnmowers, and assisting in heavier workloads with fencing projects and hard landscaping with slabs and all sorts in the back. The payload capacity means we know we can load them up and get on with it.”

Star EV is distributed in the UK by Reesink e-Vehicles, a division of Reesink UK who Radley College has used for many years for its turfcare machinery. Adam says: “It is an advantage that we can continue using Reesink for our electric utility vehicles, we trust them as a distributor and know they provide excellent back up support. But that was by no means the deciding factor, STAR EV stands up on its own as a worthy contender in the fleet vehicles market.

“They’re good value and support our ethos for future-proofing the purchases we make and getting the best out of everything. We’re really pleased to have them on board our journey to carbon neutrality.”

Dave French, sales manager for Reesink e-Vehicles, comments: “The next generation are very aware about the importance of our reducing carbon footprint and being kind to the planet. So it’s fitting that Radley College has chosen STAR EV as a suitable replacement for most of its utility vehicles for the grounds department. The Work Machines are zero emissions with lithium-ion batteries. So no leaks, no top ups and no charging emissions. They also tip-toe quietly around the site without disturbing the students while the work.”

To talk to Reesink e-Vehicles about the STAR EV range, call 01480 226800 or go online at reesink-evehicles.co.uk

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STIGA garden machinery

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STIGA garden machinery: With one of the largest specialist UK distributor networks for lawnmowers and hand-held garden machinery, all selling predominantly European manufactured equipment, STIGA is a major force in the British market.

The STIGA group spans more than a century of experience in the sector in the UK and is a leading producer of European designed and manufactured batteries for use within its mowers, garden ride-ons and hand-held powered garden products.

STIGA garden machinery

STIGA garden machinery

In addition to STIGA branded products the UK company also owns Mountfield and ATCO.  The STIGA brand in the UK market features an innovative, class leading battery powered range, with all products designed at the company’s Italian headquarters in Italy with manufacturing plants there and in Slovakia and China.

The UK headquarters in Plymouth is one of 14 commercial offices in Europe that oversee sales of STIGA garden machinery in more than 70 countries worldwide.  In the UK STIGA  is poised to become a major brand leader in battery powered garden machinery.

The ‘green-fingered’ engineering and design team in Italy is a leading force in developing battery powered equipment that will tick all the boxes as we strive for environmentally positive gardening across Europe.  The batteries are designed using the very latest technology to produce clean, efficient and easily rechargeable power.

“We are at the cutting edge of design in battery power for garden products,” says Gary Whitney, managing director of STIGA UK.   “Our ethos is always to be the best in the market and to achieve this our European R & D team has brought creative and exciting new innovations to British gardeners.  Products that make not just lawn mowing, but pruning, cutting, trimming and even cleaning easier and more environmentally secure.”

The perfect example of this is the new versatile SWIFT garden ride-on.  It is the world’s first battery powered rider with removable batteries that can be shared with a wide-range of hand-held garden products from within the STIGA range.  This includes strimmers, long reach pruners, hedge cutters, blowers and mowers.

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Scotscraig GC future proofs with Wiedenmann

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Scotscraig GC future proofs with Wiedenmann: A golf club with a 205-year-old history has bought a powerful Wiedenmann blower to save significantly on time and be ready for any adverse weather conditions.

Scotscraig at Tayport, Fife, founded in 1817, is 13th on the list of earliest golf clubs. Its amateur gold medal competition, which started the same year, is still going strong, and lays claim to being the world’s oldest.

Scotscraig GC future proofs with Wiedenmann

Scotscraig GC future proofs with Wiedenmann

Near neighbour to both the Old Course, St Andrews, and Carnoustie Golf Links, Scotscraig’s design was influenced originally by Old Tom Morris, and later by James Braid. It is a championship course in a traditional loop. Uniquely, it is part links, part heathland and part parkland in equal measure, presenting a recurring challenge to golfers, and its greenkeeping team, alike.

Course Manager, Darren McKenna, joined the club in July 21, as deputy course manager, became acting course manager in October 21 and in February 22, his role in charge was confirmed.

In March, he took delivery of a Mega Twister from Wiedenmann UK’s Scottish dealer, Fairways GM at Kinross.

“With an immediate requirement for a blower, I went straight for a Wiedenmann because of reliability and efficiency. Previously as course manager at Camperdown (Dundee), we had owned a Wiedenmann Whisper Twister, then later upgraded to a Mega Twister, so it is kit I know well, and its ability is proven,” began Darren.

“Last autumn and winter much debris here was collected by hand, and it took forever. Successive storms added back-breaking work for the team. With the Mega Twister, the clear-up from storms will be so much easier. This machine will save time and take the strain, powerful enough to move debris deep into the rough, or in instances when we need to gather, it can be guided into manageable places to be collected.”

The Mega Twister has 390 m³ per minute worth of blow and can either be trailed or front mounted. Its swivel action is revolutionary, 230° to be precise, and has a patented “whisper” engine to keep noise to a minimum.

“It’s one of those machines that has a use every day but come the autumn or extreme weather it will be out extensively, that’s its busy time,” continued Darren.

“Through the season, the Mega Blower will be principally for presentation and quality; it works well tidying dried fairway divots, blowing them off, or, if it has been wet, and dead grass has fallen from the fairway mowers, this can be blown, too. Our fairways are narrow but undulating. They are block cut so we drive up the light shade turn around and come down the dark line. It is simple, no need to get out the cab. The blower nozzle oscillates in whatever direction is needed, and can go up and down, while the support wheels are kind to the turf.”

Fortunately for Darren, and his five-person team, the links element of the site means not all Scotscraig’s fairways are tree-lined, but they still have a fair share. Almost without exception, the on-course trees are Scots pine with only a handful deciduous trees. So, from Autumn onwards, a key task is to tidy fallen needles.

“At some point you do need to collect needles, but for the most part they can be dealt with efficiently by blowing them to the edges and that’s precisely why we needed the extreme power of the Mega Twister,” concluded Darren.

Scotscraigs has two other Wiedenmann pieces in their fleet, a double width Terra Brush and a Terra Spike GXi8 HD.

Mike Lindsay, Fairways GM, area sales manager,who delivered the blower said:

“A Mega Twister gives infinite possibilities. The obvious uses are for leaf and debris clearance, but it is the perfect wing man for so many other machines and operations.

“Scotscraig – and virtually every east coast Scottish course – was impacted by Storms Arwen, Barra, Malik and Dudley this past winter. Going forward, a Mega Twister is the perfect way to future proof.”

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