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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ICL central to performance at Hogs Head

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ICL central to performance at Hogs Head: David Daly, Golf Course Superintendent at Hogs Head Golf Club in Ireland, has long relied on a wide range of ICL products, from the initial grow-in to now helping him maintain the award-winning 18-hole course to a consistently high level.

David started in the role when it was formerly known as Skellig Bay Golf Club. That was before the club was bought by current owners Bryan Marsal and Tony Alvarez II. What came next was an incredible transformation which has since seen the course voted “Ireland’s Best Course” and “Best New International Course” by Golf.com.

ICL central to performance at Hogs Head

ICL central to performance at Hogs Head

Designed by the highly regarded Robert Trent Jones Jr., David was heavily involved in the plans and the grow-in period which took place from 2016 to mid-2017. Utilising the experience he gained in his previous roles at Waterville Golf Links and Killeen Castle, and by working closely with Keith Boland from Goldcrop, David thoroughly researched the best products to use for the grow-in.

The products he selected were predominantly from ICL, and they have continued to be central to his yearly turf management plan ever since.

It is safe to say that Vitalnova Stressbuster, which he uses to pre-condition the turf against stress, is one of his most favoured products.

“I like the instant impact the product provides,” he said. “Especially the immediate natural green colour response. The simplicity of use, the ‘fully-loaded’ liquid formulation (the product contains a wetting agent, biostimulants, amino acids, macro nutrients, micro nutrients and iron) and that it is so tank-mixable.”

David mixes Stressbuster with H2Pro TriSmart, PGRs and seaweeds before he applies it monthly from March through to September for best results.

At the start of each year David works with his team to create a yearly turf management plan, and although the weather on the south west coast of Ireland means the plan often has to adapt, ICL products are a common feature regardless.

In 2020 there was 2,000mm of rainfall, but David also has to contend with long periods of drought. It is for these reasons that David needs a proven water management product, and he chooses to use H2Pro TriSmart which he says, “ticks all the boxes.”

TriSmart’s unique triple-active formulation provides great control over moisture management. Containing three water management technologies, it provides effective water penetration, even water spread through the rootzone and improves the water holding capacity of sandy rootzones. David applies TriSmart monthly to his tees and greens at 10L/ha.

When it comes to feeding, he relies on Sierrablen 28-5-5 – a granular fertilizer which provides sufficient nutrition for the entire main growing season in just a single application.

“It is the Rolls Royce of granular controlled release fertilisers,” he said. “The controlled release formulation of this product is key, especially with so much rainfall throughout the year.”

David uses Sierrablen on his fairways and green surrounds, and because he has a short season, starting in May, Sierrablen’s longevity of 5-6 months gives him a certain peace of mind.

Aside from the spectacular golf course, Hogs Head Golf Club also boasts a stunning clubhouse and accommodations consisting of a luxurious lodge and multiple golf cottages. Around the clubhouse and accommodations, David uses Gronamic, an organo-mineral fertiliser which he says has “transformed the areas.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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Aylesbury Vale Dynamos score with Automower

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Aylesbury Vale Dynamos score with Automower: With a large football pitch to maintain, Aylesbury Vale Dynamos, with 32 teams under its belt, has turned its attention to autonomous mowing, to help the growing club maintain its vast football pitch. Crediting Husqvarna Automower® Club Solution, the club has noted great benefits of Automower®, in just three months.

With a stadium pitch to maintain, the Aylesbury Vale Dynamos team and its chairman, Mike Borrett, discussed moving to Husqvarna Automower® Club Solution, following a recommendation from Farol Ltd, which is a specialist dealer with a dedicated Automower® sales and installation team. Their recommendation would allow two Automower® 550 to work simultaneously alongside each other, now using just one boundary wire.

Aylesbury Vale Dynamos score with Automower

Aylesbury Vale Dynamos score with Automower

With a pitch and stadium to maintain, Aylesbury Vale Dynamos relies heavily on volunteers to help run and sustain the club, which has always brought about its own set of challenges, including limited time, resource and finance. Thanks to their two Automower® 550 and the use of Automower® Club Solution, installed in April 2021, the football club has been able to combat many of their previous challenges.

Mike Borrett, chairman of Aylesbury Vale Dynamos, discussed the club’s switch to Automower®: “Making the move to Automower® has been a brilliant decision for the club, that has paid off multiple times over. Following discussions with Husqvarna and our Automower® dealer, Farol Ltd, it quickly became evident that Automower® Club Solution could solve many of the challenges we were facing.

“Like many football clubs, we rely heavily on the assistance of volunteers to maintain our grounds and stadium. We’re incredibly grateful to all our volunteers, but it does provide its own set of challenges. Whether it’s raining or beaming with sunshine, the grass requires twice-weekly cutting, and if no one is able to do it, we end up with grass that’s too long and debris on the pitch, both of which cause problems when the teams go out to play.

“Thanks to Automower® we’re able to redeploy our volunteers to more skilful tasks, saving ourselves hours of time each week, and with Automower® being battery powered, we’ve also been able to eliminate the need for petrol, which has been great for reducing our CO2 emissions, and the club’s finances.”

Ever since the first Automower® was introduced in 1995, Husqvarna has been known as the world leader in robotic mowing. With over 2 million sold worldwide, Automower® is renowned for its low energy consumption, zero emissions, low noise and high productivity, whilst featuring the ability to withstand a busy match schedule and hours of intense training.

As Automower® cuts the grass every day, the impact on the turf and ground is minimal. The very small, quick-composting clippings provide a constant source of fertilisation and moisture, creating greener and denser turf. Research also shows that the constant cutting allows grass roots to grow 25% deeper, resulting in a healthier and stronger pitch.

Mike discussed the club’s use of Club Solution: “Automower® Club Solution has continuously impressed us with its innovation. The system has allowed our two 550 mowers to be used simultaneously on one pitch, without wires intersecting the playing surface.”

With Automower® Club Solution, two or three mowers are able to mow the pitch simultaneously, with only a single boundary wire outside the playing surface, eliminating the risk of a damaged boundary wire during turf treatment such as aeration or scarification.

Mike continued: “In just three months we can already see the difference Automower® has made to our turf quality, with turf professionals even commenting that they can’t believe how well and healthy the grass looks.

“Thanks to the Automower® Connect app we’re able to control the mowers no matter where we are, which is a great benefit when the weather isn’t pleasant or when we’re away from the stadium. From the app we’re able to programme them to park at the side of the stadium when a match is on and redeploy once it’s finished.

“The Dynamo’s team are big fans of the mowers, naming them ‘Dyna’ and ‘Mo’, and the fans are even more so. Each match spectators ask us about them, and we can’t blame them, they really are fascinating, and we can’t imagine switching back to manual stadium mowing.”

For more information on Husqvarna Automower®, visit: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/

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BASIS launches NSK amenity training course

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BASIS launches NSK amenity training course: BASIS are pleased to announce the launch of the NSK Amenity Training Course, a new bespoke course for storekeepers working in industries within the amenity sector, for example lawn care, property maintenance, greenkeeping and sports turf management.

This new qualification has been fully accredited by Harper Adams University and is being recognised by CRD as a Certificate of Competence for any professional storekeeper working within the amenity sector.

BASIS launches NSK amenity training course

BASIS launches NSK amenity training course

BASIS have been successfully delivering training and qualifications for storekeepers working within professional pesticide stores for the past 35 years through our industry recognised Nominated Storekeeper (NSK) Training Course. Not only has this provided storekeepers with the training they require as stipulated within UK regulations and the Code of Practice for suppliers of pesticides (The Yellow Code), but has also allowed professionals to learn the principles of good storekeeping which ensures pesticides are stored in a way which protects the general public, safeguards the environment and avoids the pollution of water.

However, it has been recognised that there is a requirement for a NSK training course which is specifically targeted at storekeepers working within industries such as lawn care, sports turf management, greenkeeping and all other areas within the amenity sector. Ensuring that professional pesticides are stored in a responsible way is extremely important across all industries and anyone responsible for this is required to complete adequate training. However, the current NSK training course did not necessarily meet all the requirements for a storekeeper working within the amenity sector. This new course has therefore been developed to provide the specific knowledge and skills required, focussing on areas such as managing small pesticide stores, mobile storage and the storage of application equipment.

Further information about this course can found in the course information sheet and syllabus which provides details on the course content, training requirements and assessment guidelines. Training courses for the NSK Amenity qualification will be run online starting from August 2021, and each training course is carried out over 2-3 days. If you would like any further information or would like to book any delegates on to a training course, then please visit basis-reg.co.uk/training  or email training.courses@basis-reg.co.uk.

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SAGE: The potential is massive

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SAGE: The potential is massive: A huge thank you to everyone who attended and supported the inaugural year of The Sports & Grounds Expo (SAGE), at The Three Counties Showground, 27 – 29 July.

The challenges of the last year have had a huge impact on events, and the support and positive feedback from our visitors, speakers and exhibitors is greatly appreciated, and vital to the future of the event. The foundations for SAGE have now been set and have provided a strong starting point, from which we can build from.

SAGE: The potential is massiveSAGE: The potential is massive

The central location of The Three Counties Showground, as well as the vast amount of space on offer, provides the perfect venue.

The huge amount of positive feedback received, from both visitors and exhibitors, has cemented SAGE 2022 in the calendar for next summer.

Over 75% of our exhibitors have said they would definitely return to exhibit, with zero saying they would not, which is a fantastic testament of support from our founding exhibitors. From the visitor surveys over 85% of visitors are looking forward to returning in 2022. The team are reviewing carefully the feedback from the exhibitors and visitors, to guarantee that we are actively incorporating the needs of the industry into SAGE 2022.

The potential of what SAGE is capable of is huge for the industry and we look forward to making 2022 bigger and better!

For more information, contact the team today by email: team@sportsandgrounds.co.uk or visit the website: www.sportsandgrounds.co.uk.

Dates for 2022 will be released over the coming weeks on the website and across all of our social media platforms.

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