Entries open for Toro Student Greenkeeper Awards

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Entries open for Toro Student Greenkeeper Awards: Entries open for the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award 2022 on 14 February.

A highlight in the greenkeeping calendar, the event provides the opportunity for the UK’s course managers and lecturers to recognise their brightest employees or students by nominating them for these prestigious industry awards.

Entries open for Toro Student Greenkeeper Awards

Entries open for Toro Student Greenkeeper Awards

The awards provide fantastic professional experiences including a regional interview with some of the industry’s key figures from award sponsor and Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare and event organiser, the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), while the networking opportunities just attending the finals provide are invaluable.

To win provides educational, international, all-expenses-paid prizes for the winners, runners-up and nominators including, for the first time, a work experience placement at Adare Manor, host of The 2027 Ryder Cup.

David Cole, managing director at Reesink, says: “Running for over three decades, the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award has the enviable reputation of creating a fantastic community for finalists, runners-up and winners. Regardless of winning, the event provides knowledge, experience and networking opportunites that are unlike anything else.

“To nominate a member of staff or student who has demonstrated their skill and talent in the actual or virtual classroom or out on the course gives them access to unmatched opportunities, which bring benefits to the club, college and candidate.”

This year the finals will be held in September at England’s greatest sporting estate, Goodwood in Surrey. For 33 years the awards have enabled BIGGA, the UK’s only membership association for golf greenkeepers, to work alongside turf maintenance equipment manufacturer Toro and distributor Reesink to celebrate the next generation of talented and dedicated greenkeepers.

David continues: “Ours, Toro’s and BIGGA’s long-standing support of this educational award is constantly rewarded by the enthusiasm, career passion and commitment to personal development that we come across every year from all involved, and that is the significant element that sustains this long-standing, career-enhancing award.”

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton said: “The Toro Student Greenkeeper Awards have provided the springboard to success for so many of our members over their 33-year history and the legacy of this competition has been its contribution to elevating standards of golf course presentation all over the United Kingdom.

“Not just the winners, but anyone who participates in the awards process gains a great understanding of the wider sports turf industry beyond the confines of their golf facility or education provider and so often that inspires them to return home and strive even harder for success. As always, we are tremendously grateful to Toro and Reesink Turfcare for facilitating this tremendous and career-defining opportunity for the talented and ambitious members of BIGGA.”

Entries open 14 February and close 31 May 2022 for both the main and young awards. Both employers and lecturers can make nominations.

Visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk/sgoty to find out how to make a nomination for the 2022 awards.

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Barrus adds to gardening portfolio

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Barrus adds to gardening portfolio: VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® Garden Ties are a simple and easy way to stake, train and nurture plants, stems and vines in the garden. Simply cut-to-length and wrap the VELCRO Brand Garden Tie onto itself for a secure hold around the plant and post, stake, tomato cage or trellis.

“Garden Ties are essential to ensuring the health, vitality and longevity of plants and are indispensable for gardeners,” said Roberto Travella, Chief Commercial Officer – EMEA/APAC, Velcro Companies. “Our VELCRO Brand ONE-WRAP Garden Ties offer the strength and reliability to plant in the spring and the versatility to be quickly adjusted and repositioned as the garden grows and flourishes as well as reused year after year.”

Barrus adds to gardening portfolio

Barrus adds to gardening portfolio

Because VELCRO Brand ONE-WRAP Garden Ties wrap onto themselves for a secure hold, they can quickly and easily be repositioned with no cutting. At the end of the garden season, VELCRO Brand ONE-WRAP Garden Ties can be wrapped onto themselves and quickly and safely stored for reuse next season.

More importantly, they are made from 65% post-consumer recycled plastic. Milk bottles that may have been otherwise thrown into landfills are now recycled to make VELCRO Brand ONE-WRAP Garden Ties.

Mark Hewett, Divisional Sales Manager, Garden Tools & Accessories at Barrus said: “We are pleased to announce our partnership with the VELCRO® Brand as we continue to support our retailers with exciting new revenue opportunities. The addition of VELCRO Brand ONE-WRAP Garden Ties and VELCRO® Brand HANGables® Removable Wall Fasteners expand the variety of gardening products available through Barrus.”

The addition of the VELCRO Brand range adds to the extensive range of leading gardening and household brands, including WOLF-Garten, Wilkinson Sword, Town & Country and Energizer, all available from Barrus.

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Ariens welcome new customers

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Ariens welcome new customers: Ariens has established themselves as one of the fastest selling outdoor power equipment companies in Europe because they stay true to their core value – family.

Ever since Henry Ariens and his three sons ventured into their garage in 1933 and developed the first American-made agricultural tiller, Ariens have been supplying landscapers, homeowners and dealers with commercial grade, built-to-last mowers and snow throwers that carry almost a century of heritage and experience.

Ariens welcome new customers

Ariens welcome new customers

Despite being global, Ariens are still family owned and operated, having been passed down through four generations – soon to be five – with Dan Ariens, Henry’s great-grandson currently at the helm. This means Ariens doesn’t answer to the stock market, in fact, they answer to their customers, working with them to ensure every product is built to last and fit for purpose.

But, it’s not only the Ariens family steering the brand. Across three manufacturing bases in the US, UK and Germany, generations of passionate and inspiring workers dedicate years of service to manufacturing extraordinary outdoor power equipment. Each employee takes pride in being part of the Ariens family and gives decades of expertise and care into every machine – just as if you’d asked your own family for help.

Whether it’s the industry-renowned zero turn mowers, stand on mowers, garden tractors or their snow throwers, the Ariens’ family of products have evolved to meet changing landscapes and the ever-changing needs of homeowners, professionals and dealers alike. That’s why thousands of dedicated and passionate customers worldwide join the Ariens family. Not only to benefit from the strong, robust and dependable products but to be part of a family that’s agriculture heritage and roots run deep and welcomes each customer like one of their own.

For more information about Ariens and its product range, go to www.ariens.eu or visit your local Ariens dealer.

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Electric BTME from Reesink UK

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Electric BTME from Reesink UK: Reesink UK will bring its electric stars to BTME. From Toro, the ground-breaking first all-electric riding greensmower, the industry-leading electric utility vehicle and the new lithium-ion battery version of a classic pedestrian mower, as well as multiple electric carrier options from STAR EV, will all be on stand 420.

There’s no question electric is the future of the industry and Toro has consistently led the way with the development required to get this technology to market. See the Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370, the break-through everyone was waiting for, bringing no emissions, less noise and easier maintenance without any compromise on the quality of cut expected from a Toro riding greensmower.

Electric BTME from Reesink UK

Electric BTME from Reesink UK

The new electric Toro Greensmaster eFlex 1021 is the lithium-ion battery-powered version of the popular flex-head walk-behind Flex1021 greensmower. All the innovation of the original with patented proven Flex technology and popular telescoping handle, but powered by clean, green energy. It will be on stand alongside the Toro Workman GTXe utility vehicle, another machine with advanced lithium-ion battery technology and was hugely influential in Toro’s journey towards battery power.

Continuing the electric theme with its extensive range of battery-powered golf buggies is STAR EV. The first time the brand has been represented at the show with its latest plug-in electric utility vehicle for the UK market, the Capella Work Machine and Capella 48-2-HCX, both are purposefully designed to help move people and equipment around quietly, safely and efficiently.

Toro irrigation will be well represented by Lynx Central Control system, famed for its easy, precise remote control access, and an extensive range of Toro sprinklers. Continuing the water theme are Concept 3 and Fractional lake and pond aerators from Otterbine and a two-wire Grower irrigation controller from SRC for simple wall-mounted control.

And there’ll also be the first chance to see one of the newly redesigned and reimagined tractors from TYM. Part of TYM’s major brand overhaul, the 37hp T395 has a new look, a Stage V compliant diesel engine and a raft of improvements for a more productive performance. It will be joined by the AgriMetal Blower attachment, which is the perfect attachment for winter debris maintenance work.

Stand 420 will be home to Toro electric machinery, Toro irrigation, Otterbine, SRC, STAR EV, TYM tractors and AgriMetal attachments – making it a must-have visit on your trip to Harrogate.

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New bunkers transforming operations

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New bunkers transforming operations: New bunkers built using technology from Capillary Bunkers and EcoBunker are changing the way that Australian course Burleigh GC does business.

Burleigh has had a difficult time of it in the recent past “When I arrived here in 2014, the club was heavily in debt, as a result of building a clubhouse in 2007, right at the start of the global financial crisis,” says general manager Ian Cottle. “After several years work we secured a land lease deal with retirement village developer RetireAustralia. The lease income sorted out our immediate financial difficulties, but the result of a decade of debt was that course expenditure had been kept very low during that time, and it desperately needed investment.”

New bunkers transforming operations

New bunkers transforming operations

Cottle says that the club had a lot of catching up to do! “The condition of our bunkers was a major issue,” he says. “So in 2020 we appointed Graham Marsh to work with us to develop an 18 hole bunker plan, and we did a test bunker on the twelfth hole. We didn’t rush into anything, we played the bunker for a while to establish that it worked well before addressing other bunkers on the course.”

At architect Marsh’s recommendation, Burleigh opted to go for a fully sealed bunker, with the EcoBunker synthetic edge technology and Capillary Bunkers liner. “Graham’s eighteen hole bunker plan is a wonderful reference point,” says Cottle. “After the twelfth, we did the eighteenth green surround, then the fourth, then the first. We’re still learning about this technology and ensuring the bunker presentation achieved is what we want, however the playability and drainage performance are excellent. We put a firehose on one of the bunkers to show that there was no ponding – and prove that Capillary Bunkers lives up to its reputationof being the best draining bunker liner on the market.”

Local contractor Mark Lawson of ProLinks is handling construction, while both products have been supplied by EcoBunker and Capillary Bunkers dealer Centaur AsiaPacific. “We recently finished the bunker at the first green, and it is a great improvement,” says Cottle. “When playing the hole, the greenside bunker could not be seen until you got to the green. Members knew it was there, but if you were a guest you would never know it was there until you were ten feet from the green. The Capillary Bunkers liner allows us to flash the sand higher up the face and now you can see it from a long way away.”

The new bunkers have been well received by Burleigh’s membership. “One of the biggest issues for golf clubs in Australia is retaining qualified greens staff,” explains Cottle. “Consequently, being able to save a lot of time on repairing the bunkers after rain is a huge benefit. When the club was struggling financially, we maintained the bunkers once a week and had exasperated members. Now we can afford more frequent maintenance and the Capillary lined bunkers require less maintenance work.”

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