‘Thank A Greenkeeper Day’ returns

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‘Thank A Greenkeeper Day’ returns: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) is joining other organisations across golf to offer a message of thanks to greenkeepers and sports turf professionals on Tuesday 14 September 2021.

For the second year running, BIGGA is working alongside other global greenkeeping and superintendent groups to recognise those who help golf courses enjoyable and sustainable. Thank A Greenkeeper Day will take place on 14 September and will encourage those who love golf to take a moment or two to thank their golf course’s greenkeeping team.

‘Thank A Greenkeeper Day’ returns

‘Thank A Greenkeeper Day’ returns

In 2020, the hashtag #ThankAGreenkeeper trended within the top 10 of UK topics on social media throughout the day as celebrities, professional golfers and countless others offered messages of thanks to their greenkeepers and groundsmen. Some clubs even laid on hot breakfasts or meals for their teams!

In addition to BIGGA, other groups taking part in the global event include the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) and the Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Associations (FEGGA). All together the groups represent more than 31,000 golf course management professionals in 78 countries around the world.

The celebration will include a commercial that will appear on the Golf Channel and other media outlets and social media messages touting the many ways that greenkeepers benefit the game and their communities’ golfers. Golf fans are invited to join the conversation on social media using the hashtags #ThankAGreenkeeper or #ThankASuper, depending on the country’s nomenclature.

In addition, golf courses and other groups are encouraged to provide special recognition for their course manager and greenkeeping staff on 14 September.

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Plain sailing with Toro

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Plain sailing with Toro: As a prestige club with a proud history of hosting international tournaments, Nairn Golf Club, situated in the Highlands of Scotland, has yet again renewed its lease agreement with Toro, taking its fleet of machines to 22.

Nestled on the shore of the Moray Firth, the club is well versed in maintaining immaculate playing surfaces and requires an extensive fleet of mowers to support the work of its 14-strong greenkeeping team.

Plain sailing with Toro

Plain sailing with Toro

As well as having various pieces of Toro grass cutting machinery to maintain different cutting heights around the two courses, the fleet contains Workman MDX utility vehicles, sprayers, turf-irons and Pro-Core 648 aerators. Nairn is also one of the first Scottish clubs to take delivery of Toro’s Greensmaster e-Triflex 3370 riding greens mower, the industry’s first and all-electric ride-on mower.

Course manager, Richie Ewan, comments: “The performance and quality of the Toro mowers is second to none, but we are especially impressed with the electric ride-on. The cut is tremendous; as good if not better than a cut with a pedestrian mower. Plus making that step towards electric is a big environmental statement by the club.

“The machines are in daily use over both courses – our 18-hole Championship Course and the 9-hole Cameron Course – and both must be in pristine condition at all times. We have our own micro-climate in the Moray Firth, but the extreme challenges of the weather are definitely increasing and we know the Toro machinery is very reliable and user-friendly, making them a dream for our team to work with.

“Last year, 34,000 rounds of golf were played over our Championship Course despite intermittent lockdowns, and 39,000 rounds were played in 2019. We are busy with member and visitor play and we need a suite of machinery we can trust.”

As well as having hosted a raft of prestigious tournaments including the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup, Nairn Golf Club has just played host to The British Amateur Championship for the second time, the first being in 1994. The Greensmaster e-Triflex 3370 mowers were in operation during the tournament, a first for this prestigious event and successful in producing the highest quality of cut.

During and in preparation for these events the club relies on the Toro equipment more than ever, as Richie explains: “We depend on quality machines to prepare and present the playing surfaces to the highest standard and it’s important that our members and visitors see the fleet in action to understand our commitment to high standards.

“Golf is most definitely growing in popularity after the experiences of the pandemic, with more people keen to take up outdoor pursuits. Plus flexible working hours has provided an opportunity to squeeze a game of golf into your working day. There was a time when courses were quiet over winter but now there is demand for playable surfaces all year-round, whatever the weather. It’s booming and our Toro fleet continues to grow with us.”

As part of the agreement, Nairn Golf Club is supported with back-up care from Reesink Turfcare’s Scotland branch.

Speaking of the relationship, Richie concludes: “With Toro you always have confidence that there’s nothing that can’t be resolved. You’re never on your own with the product and the back-up care and tournament support over many years has been excellent. We have been using Toro since the early 90s and we are delighted to have signed yet another renewal agreement.”

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New recruits join amenity team

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New recruits join amenity team: Grass seed breeder and producer Barenbrug UK has boosted its amenity team with the appointment of David Howells and Joshua Thomason.

David Howells is Regional Sales Manager responsible for the North of England and North Wales.

New recruits join amenity team

New recruits join amenity team

A keen gardener and Leeds United supporter, David began his career in the British Army, completing his greenkeeper training at Askham Bryan College and working as a greenkeeper and course manager at Harrogate and Shropshire Golf Clubs, including responsibility for the construction and grow-in of a 27-hole golf course, before moving into technical and sales support. He joins Barenbrug after his most recent role at Headland Amenity where he provided technical, sales and agronomic support to course managers and head groundsmen at golf courses, premier football venues and training grounds in the North of England.

He comments: “The increasingly high expectations for quality sports surfaces, environmental restrictions for part or full withdrawal of amenity products and climate change have compounded abiotic and biotic stresses within the grass plant. For turf managers, introducing high quality grass species and cultivars has never been as important. Barenbrug has been a major grass seed producer backed by extensive investment in research and development and is renowned for high-quality products that meet the challenges that greenkeepers and groundsman face. A focus on sustainability has also resulted in over two thirds of its seed grown in the UK. Whether golf course, winter sports pitch or turf grower, I’m looking forward to meeting customers, helping them improving their sward composition and tackle disease, wear, or specific issues in particular locations. My invitation is to get in touch and see what Barenbrug can offer from both a professional technical advice and support perspective”.

David can be contacted on 07887 503796 or by email at dhowells@barenbrug.co.uk.

Joshua Thomason is Regional Sales Manager covering South England and South Wales.

A recipient of the prestigious R&A Greenkeeping Scholarship and Myerscough College graduate, Joshua’s career has included course manager and greenkeeper roles, with major tournament experience at exclusive golf venues in the UK, Austria, USA and Australia including the new West London Links opening in 2023, Roehampton and Royal Wimbledon Golf Clubs. With significant international expertise in modern agronomic techniques, experience in differing climates and with warm and cool season grasses, he also looks forward to supporting greenkeeping teams to further improve their playing surfaces.

New recruits join amenity team

New recruits join amenity team

He comments: “I’m looking forward to creating long-lasting relationships that will, through use of Barenbrug products, enable end-users to create exemplary turfgrass surfaces that deliver superior performance while reducing inputs and enhancing the environment“.

Joshua can be contacted on 07818 206757 or email at jthomason@barenbrug.co.uk

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A Masterline mix for all surfaces

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A Masterline mix for all surfaces: In the 12 years since he established Greensward Sports Consultancy, it’s been seed from DLF that Director Andy Boyce has turned to for reliable results on surfaces from across the sporting spectrum.

Whether it’s bowls, cricket or winter sports, Andy swears by mixtures from both Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed for germination, presentation and plant health that never fails to hit the mark.

A Masterline mix for all surfaces

A Masterline mix for all surfaces

Offering everything from regular maintenance contracts through to one-off renovations, Greensward delivers the full complement of services to a wide variety of sports facilities across the South West. “For me, the Masterline range from DLF offers not just versatility, but quality that has been consistent over the years” explains Andy, who heads up a team of seven. “This means that no matter the type of venue we’re working at, there’s a mixture or a combination of cultivars that’ll work.”

Andy’s go-to mixtures have been PM36 (Wicket) for cricket, croquet and grass tennis courts, and Masterline’s PM79 (Playing Field) for winter sports surfaces and cricket outfields. PM79 incorporates 50% Double 4Turf® tetraploid rye for stronger establishment, drought tolerance and exceptional disease resistance and overall performance during the winter months. “A lot of the football pitches we’re working on are at grassroots level, some of which can be hosting three or four matches a week. This is where you’re relying on mixtures with high wear tolerance and seed that can germinate at colder temperatures. DLF’s tetraploid perennial ryegrasses have been a massive step forward in helping us to deliver that.”

“The Masterline range tends to be at just the right price-point for a lot of our clients, but it’s great to also have the Johnson’s mixtures at our disposal if we think something from this range will be better suited, or sometimes to fulfil a customer request.” Andy will consult with his DLF Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett, whose advice he has trusted for many years. “Ian is always on hand with the knowledge we need and can answer any questions we may have on the various cultivars, mixtures and ranges. The fantastic service compliments the seed – it’s the whole package.”

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Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators

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Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators: John Deere and Douglas Dynamics, the parent company of US brands such as Western, Fisher and SnowEx, have entered into an allied partnership agreement for the Western Products range of snow and ice removal solutions for utility vehicles.

Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Western Products is the leading manufacturer of snow and ice control products. It offers a variety of front-mounted blades plus hopper and tailgate-mounted sand and salt spreaders, along with a wide selection of performance-enhancing snow plough and spreader accessories and parts.

Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators

Snow blades & spreaders for John Deere Gators

All Western products can be installed quickly and easily on John Deere’s range of Gator utility vehicles. There is a choice of 1.82m (72in) straight and V-blade snow plough models with hydraulic or winch lift, and each comes with replaceable cutting edges and plough markers. The hydraulic blades feature an in-cab joystick control for lifting and angling, and optional accessories include plough shoes, rubber deflectors or poly cutting edges.

Alongside the snow blades, the Western stainless steel spreaders feature variable material flow rates with in-cab speed controls. These include a 340kg capacity hopper unit with a spread width of up to 9m, and two drop spreaders with capacities of 90 or 217kg, fitted plastic covers and adjustable spread pattern widths of 76, 83 or 91cm.

For more details regarding product information and compatibility with John Deere Gator models, please refer to the online quick match selection system at https://www.westernplows.com/quick-match/, or contact your local John Deere dealer.

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