NEW SALTEX Innovation Awards

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NEW SALTEX Innovation Awards: The GMA announces additional, new categories to the SALTEX Innovation Award, a prestigious hallmark for products showcasing the future of groundscare. Entries for this year are now open via the website.

Since its launch at SALTEX in 2017, the Innovation Award has helped to highlight some of the most ground-breaking, innovative products and services within the groundscare industry and this year, visitors will notice some remarkable differences.

NEW SALTEX Innovation Awards

NEW SALTEX Innovation Awards

Show organisers have announced that there are now several innovation categories, which include:

  • Machinery
  • Hand tools
  • Consumables
  • Vehicles
  • Environmental / Sustainability
  • Information technology
  • Equipment
  • Robotics

All submitted entries are evaluated by an independent panel of judges before a final shortlist is devised. The finalists will be announced in the lead-up to the show and the winners will be named in each and every category in a seminar theatre on the first day of SALTEX (3 November).

Visitors will get the chance to see every entry on the show floor. By referring to either the SALTEX website or the show guide, they can pin-point the innovations they want to see and make their way to the relevant stands.

Entering the SALTEX Innovation Award is an unmissable opportunity for exhibitors as every innovation will be featured on the trade show’s website and in the official show guide – helping to draw even more of a crowd to their stand.

The worthy winners will not only be presented with the coveted award at the exhibition but will also receive post-show media coverage.

Commenting on the award, GMA CEO Geoff Webb said: “We launched the SALTEX Innovation Award to celebrate the very best in new groundscare technology. The competition has significantly grown year on year, and the Innovation Award has helped to put a wide number of products on the map.

“After considering the wide variety of innovations which enter the competition each year, we felt it appropriate to introduce several categories rather than just one overall winner.”

Rigby Taylor’s Intelligent One autonomous robotic line marker and Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine were joint winners of the first ever SALTEX Innovation Award.

In 2018, Agrovista Amenity’s ground-breaking new app, PrecisionPro, picked up the award, and The Cub Cadet INFINICUT® SM34 Rotary Mower was crowned the winner of the 2019 Innovation Award.

For more information visit www.gmasaltex.co.uk

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @GMA_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/GMASALTEX

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First tournament with synthetic bunkers

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First tournament with synthetic bunkers: The Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, which takes place this week on the new Dumbarnie Links course in Fife, will be the first tier one professional event in Europe ever to be played at a venue with synthetic-edged bunkers.

Dumbarnie, which was designed by Clive Clark and opened last year will play host to its first major event as the Ladies European Tour descends on the course as part of a two-week links swing that will be completed by next week’s Women’s British Open at Carnoustie.

First tournament with synthetic bunkers

First tournament with synthetic bunkers

“Dumbarnie features some really impressive, bold revetted bunker walls, some of which are in the region eight to nine feet high,” says Richard Allen, CEO of EcoBunker Ltd. “Back in 2007 my original aim was to invent a resilient and affordable system for low edge bunkers, but soon I was designing solutions for higher and higher links style bunkers. The change in design parameters prompted me to invent a new construction method, which is now Patent Pending, using a cement modified backfill for increased stiffness and stability. It was the perfect solution for Dumbarnie, and the EcoBunker walls built by our team in 2018 are maturing naturally and beautifully.”

The course’s fairway bunkers are built in a naturalistic style, with a ragged fescue edge, but the majority of bunkers are hard against greens, or surrounded by short grass, and these are fully revetted using EcoBunkerʼs synthetic solution.

Dumbarnie, promoted OB Sports and Landscapes Unlimited, was one of EcoBunker’s first and largest contracting jobs. Construction manager Llewelyn Matthews – like architect Clark a former Walker Cup player – led a five-strong construction crew to build the bunkers, over a eighteen week period.

EcoBunker CEO Richard Allen, the inventor both of synthetic revetting and of the later Ecobunker Advanced method, says: “All our team look back with immense pride on the Dumbarnie job. It was truly the job on which Llew Matthews came of age as one of the world’s best bunker builders, and we are delighted to have played a part in the construction of such a stunning course. To see the world’s leading women professionals playing over the course this week will be wonderful, and I’m prepared to bet that course manager Grahame Taylor will spend less time worrying about his bunkers than most people who are hosting a tournament of this stature.”

Richard Allen, the inventor both of synthetic revetting and of the later Ecobunker Advanced method, adds: “All our team look back with immense pride on the Dumbarnie job. It was truly the job on which Llew Matthews came of age as one of the world’s best bunker builders, and we are delighted to have played a part in the construction of such a stunning course. To see the world’s leading women professionals playing over the course this week will be wonderful, and I’m prepared to bet that course manager Grahame Taylor will spend less time worrying about his bunkers than most people who are hosting a tournament of this stature.”

Architect Clive Clark says: “As the golf course matures, seeds fly into the tiny crevices in the bunker walls, and just like a natural sod bunker, you get grasses in the face that dominate. If 100 golfers played this course, I doubt if five would notice that the bunkers weren’t natural sod.”

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It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow

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It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow: Sports turf contractors W R Sandow have come to swear by Multigreen® temperature-controlled release fertiliser from Headland Amenity, to satisfy the nutritional requirements of more than 60 winter sport pitches.

The introduction of feeding programmes is a relatively recent addition to the list of services offered by the Cornish contractors, but in a short space of time the consistency of results and superior technical support from the Headland team has really impressed Director Andrew Sandow.

It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow

It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow

Established in 1964 and based just outside Penzance, family-run W R Sandow offer the full package when it comes to the construction, installation and maintenance of both natural and artificial playing surfaces. “Until recently, we would go in and do the mechanical maintenance and leave clubs to apply product themselves, but you’d often find that due to time or financial constraints, this wasn’t being done” explains Andrew. “After many discussions and support from the Pitch Advisory Service at The GMA, we began advocating fertiliser programmes based around Headland’s Multigreen®.”

Multigreen® features urea or potassium nitrate prills within a permeable polymer-resin coating which only start to release their solubilised nutrients once soil temperatures rise above 6oc – in line with the requirements of the grass. Nutrient availability is gentle and controlled by temperature alone, avoiding ‘flush’ growth and producing a strong, healthy sward that is sustained for up to six months depending on the analysis.

“We had conducted some trials of controlled-release products and were seriously impressed with the long-lasting results we achieved with Multigreen®. On the back of this, we now use Multigreen® on the vast majority of our football pitches, together with a number of rugby surfaces and cricket outfields, in two different formulations – 28-3-15 which is applied in the spring, following any renovation work and 15-0-22+5MgO which goes down in the autumn. Its consistent release pattern gives the clubs season-long nutrition from a single application, with minimal leaching and without flushes of growth.”

In addition to the performance of the product, Andrew has also been impressed with the support received from Headland. “Whenever we’ve needed technical advice our Regional Technical Manager Andy Lane has been fantastic. Headland were even kind enough to donate some product for a recovery project we were working on, following vandalism at one of our clubs in the spring of 2020. With Headland, alongside the right equipment and expertise, we now consider ourselves to be a one-stop shop to support our customers with their surface needs – from sports pitches to amenity areas, from Lands End to Exeter.”

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S500 Plus performs at Victoria Park

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S500 Plus performs at Victoria Park: Mike Finch of idverde has praised the performance of the Dennis S500 Plus seeder which he uses on the five greens at Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa.

idverde was appointed by Warwick District Council in 2012 to undertake grounds maintenance and horticultural services within the district and has been doing so ever since.

S500 Plus performs at Victoria Park

S500 Plus performs at Victoria Park

Under their remit, idverde maintains a staggering 43 football pitches, 20 tennis courts, various hard surfaces and running tracks. All these sports facilities are overseen by the vastly experienced Mike Finch, who spent 24 years as head groundsman at Coventry City FC.

Whatever the nature of the sports surface Mike has the knowledge to maintain it, but he admits that the bowling greens at Leamington Spa’s Victoria Park are particularly precious to him.

“My main interest is the bowling club,” he said. “Bowling greens are very precise animals – they need a lot of attention. Greenkeeping isn’t about time – it is about dedication and precision. I take it seriously every single day and I don’t allow myself to play second best. My drive is passion and excellence and I always try and exceed expectations.”

This is certainly evident at the prestigious Victoria Park – the home of English Bowls. Always striving for perfection, Mike was pleased when he was recently offered the chance to purchase some new equipment and it is a process which he does not take lightly.

“Using the wrong equipment or using it at the wrong time can do a lot of damage and that is why I do a lot of research,” said Mike. “I make a point of listening to what other users have said and see what their experiences are; I will never rush into a decision. I’ve been doing this for 37 years and I like to think I know which equipment works best for the sites I am looking after.”

Mike chose the Dennis S500 Plus seeder. Ideal for bowls, cricket, golf and other fine turf and ornamental lawn areas, this dual-purpose machine has a 510mm (20″) operating width complete with interchangeable spiker and slotter reels. The spiker reel punches through the ‘surface pan’ allowing air, water and fertiliser to penetrate the root zone, while the slotter reel creates ideal seed germination pockets thus reducing seed wastage. Using the optional seed box attachment will ensure grass seed is dropped onto the ground at the prescribed rate and brushed into the pockets.

“I was on the lookout for a good pedestrian seeder and I came across the S500 Plus. We looked at various machines, which included second-hand ones and hiring them, but it was the S500 which stood out.

“Jason Briggs (area sales manager for Dennis and SISIS) brought it to us for a demonstration and it imprinted really well – we purchased it straight away.

“I like the way the seed is dragged in with the brush which is also attached to the S500. It drops the seed into all the slots, which makes the perfect seedbed, therefore allowing the seed to get top dressed and filled in.

“For general overseeding on established greens, it works very well and I’m incredibly pleased with how it performs.”

For further information or a no-obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter or Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

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Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club: The owners of Dudsbury Golf Club, Hotel & Spa, Beate and Len Robinson, have supported long-serving head greenkeeper Warren Moss with the purchase of a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and Contour mowing deck to ensure the course stays in pristine condition. Replacing an old zero-turn machine and an ageing Toro Sidewinder, the new package makes sound commercial sense.

Commenting at the recent handover of the equipment Warren Moss said,

Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

“We have an ageing fleet and we need to be smarter in how we purchase equipment in the future. The owners were very supportive when I made the business case and we are replacing two machines with one. Because of its versatility, we can add more attachments at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new dedicated equipment, so we should be able to upgrade more cost effectively, when we need to.

“I’d seen the media reports and watched some YouTube videos and even arranged a demo a couple of years ago. We had another demo recently, this time with the Contour deck and it performed extremely well. We use it on tee banks, green surrounds, bunker surrounds and can raise the height of cut to manage the semi-rough. Also, as it has a three-point linkage at the rear, we can mount our Sisis Twin Play with sorrel roller and slitter.

“My main reason for specifying this machine is its slope climbing ability. It’s extremely stable on slopes of up to 30 degrees, making it safe and manoeuvrable, especially on tees. About a third of the course is on a flood plain, so can be quite wet in winter. Because of its light footprint in its eight-wheel configuration we will be able to get out during wet spells without damaging the playing surfaces. I’m also impressed by the Aera-vator attachment, which makes aeration on banks possible, so this might possibly be our next purchase.”

Set in 160 acres of undulating Dorset countryside just outside of Bournemouth, the Donald Steel-designed 6,904-yard, par 71 championship course features nine lakes and is bordered by the river Stour. It has hosted several prestigious events including the PGA Europro Tour, which featured on Sky Sports and the BMW PGA Order of Merit Championship.

Warren Moss, who heads a team of six, has been at the club for the past 12 years, the last six as Head Greenkeeper. He started his career at Yeovil Golf Club, where he attended Cannington College and enjoyed a six-month placement in Germany. He was a member of the newbuild/grow-in team at Orchardleigh near Bath in the mid-1990s, where he stayed for 15 years until joining Dudsbury.

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