Precision Irrigation, Smarter Water Management at GroundsFest

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Precision Irrigation, Smarter Water Management at GroundsFest: KAR UK is one of the UK’s leading distributors of professional irrigation and water management solutions – trusted by landscapers, contractors, sports turf professionals, and local authorities nationwide.

With decades of experience and unrivalled technical know-how, KAR UK is the exclusive UK distributor for Hunter Industries and represents a portfolio of premium global brands renowned for performance, reliability, and innovation.

Precision Irrigation, Smarter Water Management at GroundsFest

Precision Irrigation, Smarter Water Management at GroundsFest

At this year’s GroundsFest, KAR UK will showcase an impressive line-up of intelligent solutions from Hunter, Amiad, Bermad, Kasco and Tricoflex – delivering everything from automated irrigation systems and weather-based controllers to advanced filtration, pumps, valves, durable pipework, hoses, and cutting-edge micro-irrigation technologies.

What sets KAR UK apart is its commitment to helping customers design and implement efficient, future-ready irrigation systems. With deep technical expertise, large UK stockholding, and fast nationwide delivery, the team works closely with professionals to provide bespoke solutions tailored to every project.

From smart controllers that adjust watering schedules based on weather data to energy-efficient pumps and robust filtration systems, the products on display at GroundsFest represent the very best in water-saving technology. With sustainability and precision at the forefront, KAR UK is helping the industry adopt smarter, greener irrigation practices.

Visit KAR UK on Stand 22 in Hall 1 at GroundsFest 2025 to explore the full range, see the latest innovations, and speak directly with experts who can guide you through every stage of your irrigation projects.

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com

You can also follow KAR UK on X and Instagram @KARUK_LTD for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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Trilo makes GroundsFest debut with Multipurpose showcase

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Trilo makes GroundsFest debut with Multipurpose showcase: Trilo are looking forward to making their GroundsFest debut this 9th and 10th September, with a showcase of multifunctional vacuum collectors on stand RB220 at Stoneleigh Park.

Renowned as one of the global leaders in the field of leaf clearance, Trilo’s Multipurpose range extends the robust performance and versatility of their units to other green space maintenance tasks including cut and collection and large-area scarification.

Trilo makes GroundsFest debut with Multipurpose showcase

Trilo makes GroundsFest debut with Multipurpose showcase

The Trilo Multipurpose range is proof-positive that versatility doesn’t have to mean a compromise in performance. Where other collectors spend the months outside of leaf-fall season in the shed, the Trilo range – which spans models from 3m3 to 20m3 – works on, successfully completing tasks around the maintenance calendar for local authorities, golf courses and other green space managers.

Visitors to the outdoor display area at GroundsFest will be able to find the Trilo M4 and, larger, Trilo M10 on display. The M4 with its 4m3 hopper capacity, offers the compact, quick collection of leaves – making light work of one of the autumns most time-consuming tasks. When not collecting leaves, clippings and other debris in the autumn, the Trilo Multipurpose can be equipped with a scarifier shaft for the effective scarification of large areas such as parks or fairways – with all extracted material simultaneously collected in the same pass.

Alternatively, a flail shaft can be fitted for the fast cut and collection of areas such as golf roughs, roadside verges or the annual end-of-season maintenance of wildflower meadows.

The interchangeable heads can be quickly swapped in and out, with minimal tools, resulting in less time spent in the workshop and more out in the field. Further efficiency is also delivered by Trilo’s hydraulic high-tip function, offering the controlled disposal of waste into compost or awaiting containers. For the first time the M4 will also be displayed with a fully-hydraulic work arm, a new feature for 2025, enabling the wanderhose to be operated from the comfort of the cab and meaning all aspects of the machine can be operated by just one person.

Power up your green performance and find out how Trilo is the perfect addition to any maintenance fleet by speaking to a member of the technical team, on hand to answer all of your questions across the two-day show.

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Suståne make GroundsFest debut

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Suståne make GroundsFest debut: World leaders in organic and natural-base plant nutrition products, Suståne, will be making their GroundsFest debut at the 2025 event – hosted at Stoneleigh Park on the 9th and 10th September. Whether you’re a landscaper, greenkeeper, agronomist or sports turf manager, a stop at stand 44 will be a must to discover more about products from their professional range including Suståne 4-6-4 Granular and Suståne 1-1-1 Soil ReGen®.

Suståne 4-6-4 is a specific, all-purpose, organic turf establishment and soil amendment fertiliser ideal for pre-planting, seeding or turf installation projects. Supplying naturally chelated nutrients, carbon, humus and a diverse range of beneficial microbes, together with slow-release sources of nitrogen, Suståne 4-6-4 is an easy-to-spread homogenous granule that delivers consistent and productive growth. Professional landscapers have turned to Suståne 4-6-4 for use on high maintenance turf and other landscaped environments.

Suståne make GroundsFest debut

Suståne make GroundsFest debut

Another product of note is Suståne 1-1-1 Soil ReGen®. Soil ReGen® is a structural conditioner that amends the soil to reduce compaction and increase water, air and nutrient filtration rates. Proven to improve permeability and establishment of seedlings in existing soils, ReGen® also comes into its own during construction and reclamation projects, to supply organic-rich nutrients to disturbed or depleted ground. It is also a useful tool in the armoury of landscapers and grounds professionals if periods of wet weather are on the cards.

Suståne 4-6-4 and Soil ReGen® are two of a wide portfolio of nutritional products designed to suit all green industry applications – thoroughly tested in the field and backed by the most comprehensive research programme of any brand in the marketplace. To find out about how Suståne can support your grow-in’s, renovations or in-season maintenance and recovery, be sure to speak with the technical team, on hand in the indoor exhibition area across the two days.

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SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent

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SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent: Global leader in sports surfaces SIS Pitches has acquired a majority stake in DrainTalent, a Netherlands-based business specialising in circular soil management systems, and HeatTalent, an innovative and sustainable, electric undersoil heating.  

This latest acquisition cements SIS Pitches’ position as the most comprehensive provider of pitch construction and maintenance by incorporating two further sub-surface technology systems at the cutting-edge of soil science within their already comprehensive range of add-on systems.

SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent

SIS Pitches Acquires Both DrainTalent and HeatTalent

DrainTalent’s patented, flagship product – which shares the same name as the company – is a unique, sustainable soil management system that regulates moisture levels in soil by extracting water from the top layer and reintroducing it from below. This keeps grass healthier and improves recovery after use, resulting in less fixture cancellations.

Using the system’s sensors and climate information provided in the company’s app, grounds teams can manage their playing surface conditions remotely via a connected device. Working this way, a sports club can drastically reduce its water consumption while also promoting natural grass growth. With installations at both amateur and elite-level, DrainTalent has been proven effective across the most challenging playing conditions, guaranteeing optimal conditions all year round.

The acquisition also includes HeatTalent, pioneers of innovative electrical undersoil heating systems, some of which are already being used within the Eredivisie, having been installed at FC Utrecht. One of HeatTalent’s lead technologies include grid heating, a wired, uninsulated stainless-steel grid that heats the soil at much quicker speeds using low voltage and high frequency current pulses.

SIS Pitches’ acquisitions come off the back of impressive organic growth in recent years, with revenue up by 30% over 2024/25. In response, the company has opened new offices in the USA, Saudi Arabia, Georgia and Poland to meet the needs of its growing client base.

The acquisitions are also the latest step in an ongoing growth strategy, which seeks to invest in forward-thinking businesses that add a competitive edge to its existing portfolio. DrainTalent was a natural choice in this respect, with the company boasting its own Research and Innovation Centre. This facility – located next to the manufacturing site – is used to validate product performance, with all trials audited by a local independent consultancy.

George Mullan, Executive Chairman of SIS Pitches, said: “DrainTalent has an exciting range of products that complement what we do as a business, backed by data and the latest industry insights. It’s a company that aligns with our vision to deliver exceptional sports surfaces at every level of competition across the world. These acquisitions are an important step for our long-term growth, adding an extra dimension of performance for both new and existing customers.”

Ivo Lamot, CEO of SIS Pitches, added: “These acquisitions mark an exciting step forward. For existing clients, we’re unlocking enhanced pitch longevity, reducing water usage and maintenance costs, ensuring greater year-round playability. Similarly, DrainTalent clients will now have access to premium surface technology and a seamless end-to-end service through SIS. This combined offering is unmatched in the market.”

Arno Reimert, Managing Director at DrainTalent believes the investment from SIS will be key to the system’s long-term success: “Our shareholders and management see great potential in cooperation with the SIS team to grow global sales and development of the DrainTalent company and its products. With SIS’s proven installation expertise and global reach, we’re now positioned to deliver even greater value – from sustainability gains and lower lifetime costs to a seamless experience for facility owners and grounds teams. It’s a powerful combination that takes our system to the next level.”

Recognising the product’s success and brand visibility, DrainTalent will continue to operate under its current name, as an affiliated company within SIS Pitches.

For more information about DrainTalent, please visit: draintalent.com

To find out more about HeatTalent, go to: heattalent.com

For more details about SIS Pitches, visit: sispitches.com 

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Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’

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Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’: It’s not just an NG postcode that Coxmoor, Hollinwell and Sherwood Forest Golf Club’s share, nor the fact that they all rank in England’s Top 100…. They also all swear by their respective mower fleets from Baroness!

A range of hand mowers, fairways mowers and greens triples have clocked up almost 20 years of loyal service across the three clubs, with all citing it’s the outstanding quality of cut that keeps them among the top golfing destinations in the county.

Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’

Baroness does the triple with top ranked ‘Notts Triangle’

Aspiring to always improve on the high standard heathland course at Coxmoor Golf Club is Course Manager Ben Cumberland and his team of nine. After initially ‘dipping a toe’ and purchasing their first Baroness hand mower seven years ago, they now run four LM56 and four LM66 pedestrian mowers, three LM315’s and two LM551’s for fairways making Baroness the dominant brand of mowing equipment at the club. “Some clubs will opt for equipment purely based on a badge. For us, we prioritise quality of cut above everything else and with Baroness, it’s just exceptional!” Ben explains. “The fleet is ensuring our turf is presenting well and is the healthiest it can be but more than that the build quality of the mowers themselves and the blades require so little maintenance, that any downtime has been significantly reduced.”

Baroness has been present at Hollinwell Golf Club since 2018 – the same year Shaun Bullin joined the team before taking over as Course Manager earlier in 2025. One of the original LM2700 fairway mowers remains in the shed, joined by an LM56 for tees, LM331 for surrounds and approaches, two LM315’s and, most recently, two LM551 fairway mowers. “Over the years, the cut quality from model to model has remained remarkably consistent. While they’ve never been uncomfortable, we’ve noticed our new machines have really stepped up on operator comfort which has scored massive brownie points with the team.” Shaun continues, “We’re partway through a big sward conversion programme so the finesse of the Baroness cylinders plays a big part in supporting our efforts to promote the finer grass species.”

Completing the ‘Nott’s Triangle’, a Baroness LM315 and LM551 fairway mower, four LM56 and two LM66 hand mowers are keeping maintenance on course at Sherwood Forest Golf Club. “It was during the COVID pandemic that we were first introduced to Baroness in our hunt for a new fairway mower” says Deputy Head Greenkeeper Keir Taylor. “Where lead times for other brands were ludicrous, we were able to get our hands on Baroness in good time – and what a decision that turned out to be! The build quality, the cut quality and all-round operator experience is fantastic. The maintenance, in particular the need to grind the blades, is straight forward and is needed much less often than we’re used to with other brands” he adds.

Ben, Shaun and Keir also note the fantastic advice and support from James Robson and the wider team at Henton & Chattell. “The back-up with every machine is excellent. If we have a question you can guarantee it’ll be answered quickly and easily either over the phone or in person” Keir says. “The team are always friendly and, alongside Andy Darley from Baroness, they’ve together been a great help and support in my step up to the head role” Shaun concludes.

For more information on the full Baroness range of mowers and implements for fine turf, visit www.baronessuk.com

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