Toro fleet matches scale

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Toro fleet matches scale: With two 18-hole championship golf courses set in 500 acres of beautiful Northumberland countryside, Longhirst Hall Golf Club, near Newcastle, required a robust fleet of greenkeeping machinery which was powerful enough to maintain the entire site.

The club was keen to find a market-leading manufacturer which could offer local support and reliable back-up care, and after test-driving a number of machines the decision was made to invest in a nine-strong fleet from Toro.

Toro fleet matches scale

Toro fleet matches scale

Graham Chambers, director of golf at Longhirst Hall Golf Club, comments: “I had spoken to a number of industry friends who were dedicated Toro customers and once we had a chance to trial the products ourselves, it was obvious why that was; the machines were second to none.

“The machines function as an extension of our greenkeeping team and we like the fact that they are easy to operate, robust and produce an impeccable quality of cut. Plus, with our guys operating these machines for up to eight hours a day, we need them to offer comfort too.”

With an experienced full-time mechanic on site, the club knew that working with a dependable brand like Toro would bring about less repairs, breakdowns and complications. Not only does it save money for the club, but it enables the mechanic to focus on bringing out the best in the machines by servicing them regularly and keeping on top of routine maintenance such as sharpening blades.

Having purchased the machines from approved Toro dealer, Lloyd Ltd, based in Newcastle, the club and its mechanic also have access to high-level back-up care and support, whether it’s to troubleshoot an issue or discuss ways to enhance the fleet.

Graham continues: “The Toro machines suit us so well. We are a club which offers a Florida lakeland feel across two different courses. Our Lakes Course challenges players with lots of water, while the Dawson Course has wider fairways and large greens. We need adaptable machinery that will not only work with our varying landscapes, but most importantly keep up with the sheer size of the club. It’s vast and working with Toro gives us enormous peace of mind.”

As part of the deal, Longhirst Hall Golf Club welcomed two Toro Greensmaster Triflex 3400 ride-on greensmowers, two Groundsmaster 4500-D mowers with free-floating Contour Plus cutting decks, two Reelmaster 5610-D mowers, which are powered by four-cylinder Kubota turbo diesel engines, and one Groundsmaster 360, famed for its unmatched manoeuvrability.

Graham concludes: “We are a busy club with over 1,300 members and a full schedule of hosting big events from the PGA Europro Tour to prestigious corporate away-days.

“Add to that the renewed interest in golf due to the pandemic and we need the club to look in fantastic condition all-year round. We know we can rely on our Toro fleet to deliver great results every day, maintaining the high standards that our club and members expect.”

To find out more about the Toro range or the finance options available, call Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Aspen, fuelling a cleaner campus

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Aspen, fuelling a cleaner campus: As part of an active campaign to reduce their impact on the environment, the grounds department at Chester University have recently made the switch to Aspen Fuel for their remaining petrol-powered equipment.

This is not the first time that Grounds & Gardens Coordinator Dan Cristofoli has used Aspen 2 and 4-Stroke petrol, however for his team, the improvements the fuel makes to both the running of the machinery and their working conditions are now being discovered!

Aspen, fuelling a cleaner campus

Aspen, fuelling a cleaner campus

Sustainability is a big focus across the University campus, with Dan and his team of six grounds technicians overseeing a number of wildlife and biodiversity projects, along with maintaining everything around the site that is green and growing! “We have been progressively switching some of our fleet over to battery powered equipment to reduce our carbon footprint” explains Dan, who has been at the university for three years. “However, there’s some items which are difficult to substitute and that’s where the Aspen product comes in – helping us to reduce pollutants, both for the operator and to the environment.”

Dan first heard about Aspen when he undertook a chainsaw training course in a previous role, with Phil Dunford of chainsawtraining.com. As an Alkylate petrol, Aspen is virtually free from benzene, as well as sulphur and many other harmful hydrocarbons meaning it burns 99% cleaner than ordinary petrol. Also being free from ethanol, Aspen maintains engine performance and preserves the life of component parts which can be susceptible to failure.

“We made the switch at the start of the growing season and straight away discovered the convenience and time-savings associated with having the Aspen fuel delivered by the pallet directly to our site. From a risk assessment perspective, reducing the need to make regular trips to the petrol station is a great plus point. On the ground, the operators have all commented on the reduction in odours when operating the equipment and with the chainsaws, they’ve noticed how much smoother they’re running.”

“As we head towards the winter months, another benefit is Aspen’s extended shelf-life” Dan adds. “We can continue to run equipment and then put it into storage and not have to worry about it clogging up, causing problems when we come to use it again in the new year.”

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Mansfield Sand scoops THREE awards

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Mansfield Sand scoops THREE awards: Mansfield Sand has rounded off a hugely successful year by winning an astonishing three awards.

The first award came at the Nottinghamshire Live Business Awards 2021, where the company picked up the prestigious Company of the Year Award.

Mansfield Sand scoops THREE awards

Mansfield Sand scoops THREE awards

Held at the East Midlands Conference Centre in late October, the awards aim to celebrate success, recognise achievement and highlight the innovative people and companies throughout Nottinghamshire who are putting their region on the map by boosting the economy while making a positive contribution to the local community.

More recently, Mansfield Sand were delighted to win a further two awards at the 2021 MPA & British Precast Health & Safety Awards – ‘The Sir Frank Davies Trophy’ and ‘Maintenance and Housekeeping Award (Brickworks – Safe Kiln Access and inspection project)’, which recognise the industry’s drive to ‘vision zero’.

The prestigious Sir Frank Davies Trophy recognises organisations which have demonstrated an exceptional health and safety performance, while the maintenance and Housekeeping Award is a Topic Award – ‘Helping to make the industry safer for everyone.’

Commenting on the awards, Mansfield Sand Managing Director Richard Abraham said: “I wish to congratulate each and every one of our team as I realise how much hard work and effort goes into making our sites a healthier and safer environment.

“We genuinely are the best version of Mansfield Sand that we’ve ever been. Without them we aren’t who we are today.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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Planning the pathway to net zero

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Planning the pathway to net zero: On Thursday, 11 November, representatives from golf and beyond came together at Scotland’s Climate Ambition Zone in Glasgow to discuss several important issues around the sport and climate action.

After opening remarks from Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at Visit Scotland and Jonathan Smith, Executive Director, GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, event host David Garrido from Sky Sports teed off the discussion. In-studio guests joined virtual speakers from all areas of the game, including facilities, tournaments, developments and golf tourism.

Planning the pathway to net zero

Planning the pathway to net zero

The opening panel session sparked a wide-ranging discussion with Richard Holland, Director, Operations and Network Development with international NGO Wetlands International, Hugh Salway, Head of Markets with the Gold Standard and Kelli Jerome, Executive Director at GEO Foundation, joined virtually by Sam Barratt, Chief of the Youth, Education and Advocacy Unit in UNEP’s Ecosystems Division, Julie Duffus, Sustainability Senior Manager at the IOC from Lausanne, and, from Oslo, Suzann Pettersen, professional golfer and Sustainable Golf Champion who memorably holed the winning putt in the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles.

This conversation covered several critical topics focused on how golf and society can come together to take meaningful action. Whether that’s protecting ecosystems and habitats in general, encouraging more athletes to get involved in advocacy or just doing one thing in your role to get the momentum started.

Suzann Pettersen spoke about her commitment to sustainability since retiring from the game, “I feel I’ve got an important role here. Sport is such a great arena to raise awareness. We inspire and influence so many millions of people every day.”

You can watch the entire Driving for Net Zero event below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWwpumQQ-fY

The following session focused on climate action by grassroots facilities at GEO Certified clubs in England, Finland and New Zealand with Jason O’Malley, Managing Director at Woburn Golf Club, Janne Lehto, Course Manager at Hirsala Golf Club and Spencer Cooper, Superintendent at Remuera Golf Club sharing insights into their journeys to reduce carbon emissions.

The large virtual audience then heard from golf tournaments and tours. This session began with comments from Alex Armas, CEO of the Ladies European Tour, and Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Commissioner of the LPGA Tour and how they are working together on shared goals. Philip Russell, Assistant Director of Sustainability at The R&A, outlined many practical examples of how the organization embraced sustainable tournament staging through initiatives such as The Open Water and increasing renewable energy use on-site.

Lee Spivak, Managing Principal, Sports and Entertainment at WM, sponsors of the WM Phoenix Open, shared a glimpse into the principles and practices which have resulted in the event becoming the first-ever to achieve GEO Certified status five times.

Further contributions came from Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament Business Officer of the European Tour and Chris Chandler, Head of Sports at Dow, who runs the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational on the LPGA – also a GEO Certified tournament in the US.

The penultimate session honed in on manufacturing, tourism and golf development. This included Toro’s Andy Brown discussing electric mowers and sustainable irrigation. Jeremy Slessor at European Golf Design highlighted the importance of sustainable golf developments and their path to net zero, and Peter Walton, Founder and Chief Executive of IAGTO, provided insights into the world of golf tourism and carbon emissions.

A final discussion between Maggie Kim, CEO, The Gold Standard and GEO Foundation’s Jonathan Smith explored the importance of credible carbon mitigation. It showcased some of the sustainable golf tools available to the sport to help individuals and organizations take climate action.

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director, GEO Foundation, said: “The team at GEO Foundation were pleased to be able to pull this important conversation together – to enable such a large audience to hear the perspectives from within and outside golf. We’d like to thank the Scottish Government, all speakers and the audience, plus those that have helped promote and share the event. Now we look to the post-COP26 landscape to see what we can do best with partners and programme participants to help accelerate climate action in and through golf.”

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Rain Bird launches new golf solenoid valves

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Rain Bird launches new golf solenoid valves: Golf courses in lightning-prone regions, those that use reclaimed water and those that need water pressure regulation, now have a new valve solution. Rain Bird Golf’s new GSV Series plastic and brass valves include numerous advanced features designed to enhance durability even under the most challenging conditions.

“Valves are the heart of any irrigation system,” said Altan Tolan, product manager for Rain Bird Golf. “On a golf course, valve failure can have significant repercussions and require additional money and labour to repair. That’s why we built our new GSV Series Valves with a collection of upgrades that optimise reliability, performance and peace of mind.”

Rain Bird launches new golf solenoid valves

Rain Bird launches new golf solenoid valves

Rain Bird’s new GSV Series Valves feature unmatched protection to withstand up to 25kV of surge. A pre-installed PRS-DIAL regulates and maintains constant outlet pressure between 15 and 100 psi while reducing the affects of water hammer. A waterproof dial cartridge eliminates fogging and binding.

The GSV Series includes three plastic models with NPT or BSP thread options and one red brass model with BSP threads only. All GSV models feature a chlorine-resistant diaphragm that protects the valves against harsh chemicals and reclaimed water.

The scrubber mechanism on plastic models encapsulates a stainless steel screen to dislodge grit and plant material protecting the valve from debris. Built-in filtration on the GBS25 solenoid and the adapter offer two additional levels of debris protection. An extra purple flow-control handle (handle cover for brass model) is included for use with non-potable water.

“Irrigation system valves aren’t often thought of as particularly ‘innovative’,” Tolan said. “With the new GSV Series, we’re changing that by incorporating unique features that will enhance irrigation system performance and reliability, year after year.”

For more information about Rain Bird Golf’s new GSV Series Valves or the division’s many other water-efficient products for golf course irrigation, visit rainbird.com/golf.

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