Toro the right decision for Olton

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Toro the right decision for Olton: Investing in your first fleet deal is a big decision, but after seeing both Toro irrigation and machinery in action, Olton Golf Club in Solihull was confident Toro was the way to go.

For the past ten years Olton Golf Club in Solihull has been slowly turning its fleet Toro red in order to improve the course and stand out against its competition. And now, with the support of the club’s committee, it was decided the time had come to make the biggest leap yet to progress the club and invest in a Toro fleet deal.

Toro the right decision for Olton

Toro the right decision for Olton

As the club’s first ever package deal it was far from a snap decision, explains course manager Mark Smith: “Moving the club from purchasing one or two new machines per year, to investing in a full five-year package deal with a mix of lease and purchase machines took a lot of time. The Toro machines we’ve been adding to the fleet throughout the years were proving themselves but the benefit that level of commitment to one brand would bring is something I’ve been bringing to the table for ten years. With the help of a forward-thinking committee, it’s finally become a reality.”

With an abundance of clubs in the local area, the committee and greenkeeping team have been working hard to improve the course in order to stand out and Toro has played a large part in that.

“Securing the package deal is our next big step in improving the course, but before that we already knew Toro was the way to go,” says Mark. “Over the years we’ve been steadily replacing machines in the fleet so we could have majority Toro equipment. Toro machines are reliable and high quality and give us the confidence that we are in safe hands. It made sense with our drive to continuously improve the course that we would continue to invest in Toro.”

And before agreeing the Toro package deal, the quality of the Toro brand had been proving itself on the irrigation side too.

Mark says: “The year before we agreed the Toro machinery deal, we decided to improve and expand on our irrigation system and added Infinity and Flex800 sprinklers across the greens, surrounds, aprons and around 50 percent of the tees. After that it was time to turn our attention to our control system.”

And with confidence in the quality of the Toro brand at a high, Mark says: “It was logical to look at the options from Toro and after a demonstration of the Lynx Central Control system by Reesink Turfcare, we were sold immediately. And so far, it’s been great. It’s incredibly easy to use, particularly the mobile app.”

Further proof of Mark and the club’s commitment to improving the course is that they are now increasing their use of Toro sprinklers further, Mark confirms: “We’re currently trying to phase them in across the rest of the tees so we have a complete Toro irrigation solution.”

With both Toro irrigation and machinery now on board to help improve the course, Mark sees bright things for the future of the club: “We really pride ourselves on presentation, and with these new Toro machines alongside Toro irrigation I foresee big improvements to the course. We’ve trialled many brands over the years, but Toro has always outperformed them all. The course here stretches 90 acres and is largely made up of undulating land which Toro deals with brilliantly. One of our new machines is the Groundsmaster 3500-D triplex rotary mower and is a perfect example of a Toro machine built to perform excellently on undulating terrain. The contour following is superb!”

Mark concludes: “We really needed a fresh start with our machinery in order to make the improvements we wanted. With this new five-year agreement, not only can we achieve this in the near future, but we can continue to upgrade our front line cutting equipment every five years, ensuring we get the latest and greatest technology to keep on improving.”

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New Dennis ES-860 gets Nice seal of approval

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New Dennis ES-860 gets Nice seal of approval: Scott Brooks, Grounds Manager at OGC Nice in France, believes that when it comes to battery-powered cylinder mowers, there is nothing that compares to the new Dennis ES-860.

After an illustrious start to his career in the UK, which included positions at Tottenham Hotspur FC, Arsenal FC and St George’s Park, Scott is now carrying out the upkeep and the development of OGC Nice’s training pitches in the South of France.

New Dennis ES-860 gets Nice seal of approval

New Dennis ES-860 gets Nice seal of approval

He was specifically head hunted for the role after the French club visited the Football Association’s national training centre for a pre-season summer tour and were impressed with Scott’s unique philosophy on keeping players injury-free. That was over a year ago now and it is evident that he is making some vast improvements to the pitches in Nice.

Scott first started introducing battery-powered products into the operations at St George’s Park and claims that he was keen to continue embracing this technology in his new role. It was towards the end of his spell at St George’s Park that he first heard that Dennis was launching a range of environmentally friendly mowers called the E-Series.

“I never got the opportunity to get one at St George’s Park,” said Scott. “I had every faith that it would be a good machine because I saw the prototype at SALTEX and I could see the benefits of it straight away.”

For many years, turf professionals have been choosing Dennis Mowers for their superb cut quality and reliability, and anticipation quickly started building when the company announced its new battery-powered range.

Leaving no stone unturned, Dennis Mowers spent three years working with carefully selected partners to develop a range of quality battery-powered equipment befitting of the Dennis badge. The aim was to provide a reliable and long-lasting solution with the ultimate performance that helps professionals meet sustainability and environmental initiatives, reduce carbon footprint, emissions, running costs and noise without any range anxiety.

Ever the perfectionist, Scott first insisted on putting the Dennis ES-860 to the test against other battery-powered cylinder mowers.

“I had other mowers on trial for a few weeks and this enabled me to assess them side-by-side,” said Scott. “For me, there was no comparison and there was only one winner – the Dennis ES-860 was the machine I wanted.”

Users of the Dennis G860 cylinder mower will no doubt see familiarities in the new ES-860.

New Dennis ES-860 gets Nice seal of approval

New Dennis ES-860 gets Nice seal of approval

This 34” battery powered turf management system delivers maximum versatility and the range of 13 interchangeable cassette options provide a solution to many day-to-day maintenance tasks such as cutting, scarifying, brushing, slitting and verticutting. Furthermore, traditional G860 cassettes will also fit the ES-860, meaning that customers will not have to purchase additional cassettes.

A robust LCD keypad screen is an integral feature of the handlebar console providing the operator with a multitude of information options including speed, clip rate, service checks, lifetime running reports and battery information.

“The battery life on the Dennis ES-860 is excellent,” continued Scott. “We were able to cut two pitches on one single charge, whereas we were struggling to complete one pitch with others.

“The charging capacity on them is incredible. For example, if we have a big day ahead and everything is getting hand cut, then we know that we can bring the Dennis ES-860’s in at lunch-time and charge each of them for just twenty minutes. In this short amount time, we know that we will get enough recharge in them to go back out and finish the job.

“Aside from battery power, I felt the Dennis ES-860 was a robust and solid unit that was ideal for continuously using on the training ground – it is an excellent piece of engineering.”

“The Dennis ES-860 is also so much easier to operate and the interchangeable cassette system is so simple to change cassettes.”

After the side-by-side trial, Scott purchased four Dennis ES-860 mowers and uses them regularly throughout the week as part of his maintenance programme.

Typically, Scott relies on the brushing cassette to brush the debris off the pitches after every use; the verticutting cassette to remove any organic material and the 8-bladed cutting cassette to provide a quality cut before a match or a training session.

Scott and his team have been using the Dennis ES-860’s for a prolonged period of time now and he certainly has no regrets.

“There were quite a few reasons for going down the battery route,” he said. “Firstly because of the environmentally friendly benefits, but also from a noise pollution perspective. Prior to having the Dennis ES-860’s we kept getting asked to stop mowing because the noise was disrupting the training sessions. However, now with the ES-860 mowers we can be on the pitch next to the players while they are training, and they are so quiet that they do not stop us. It is a vast improvement in productivity.

“I also wanted the team to be more comfortable and with these mowers you do not have any fumes, there are less vibrations and also less noise.

“Battery-powered technology is developing and progressing all the time, but it is important to be an early adopter because if people don’t take it up then no one else will. It certainly seems to be the future.

“The club’s owners encourage the sourcing and implementation of more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in the way we operate which this purchase obviously supports.”

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 and 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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Council protects parks and green spaces

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Council protects parks and green spaces: Liverpool residents will be guaranteed access to park and green spaces, forever, removing the threat that any might be built on or sold off, in a new strategic partnership between green space charity Fields in Trust and Liverpool City Council. Liverpool is the first local authority to ensure local access to green space in perpetuity for all its citizens by legally protecting each of their eligible parks and green spaces.

The city council’s Cabinet, on Friday March 19th, committed to legally protect 100 much-loved parks and green spaces across the city, totalling over 1,000 hectares and sets the ambition that every resident will live no more than a ten-minute walk from a high-quality green space. Protected parks include local recreation grounds as well as well-known city centre destination parks and children’s playgrounds. (see attached) This landmark decision ensures there will always be local parks and green spaces available for current and future generations of Liverpudlians to enjoy.

Council protects parks and green spaces

Council protects parks and green spaces

Parks and green spaces have been vital over the last year as places to play, exercise, relax, reflect and the only safe place to meet loved ones and connect with friends and our neighbours; they will continue to be important as part of our recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the wider City Recovery Plan Liverpool’s Acting Mayor, Councillor Wendy Simon has committed to work with Fields in Trust and secure legal protection of Liverpool’s entire portfolio of green space. The decision is based on evidence of the health, wellbeing and community benefits they deliver. Councillor Simon said “Liverpool is blessed to have so many stunning green spaces, and this new initiative means we can ensure everyone has access to free, local outdoor spaces for sport, play and recreation, forever.
“The health, wellbeing and community benefits these locations deliver are priceless, demonstrated so clearly during this pandemic where they have become such a central and important part of our lives.

“And the benefits aren’t just health related. Access to green spaces improves our neighbourhoods, tackles climate change, supports education and economic growth and they frequently become the stage on which we host many of our hugely popular cultural celebrations.
“Our partnership with Fields in Trust is a ground-breaking, forward-thinking approach to protecting our parks and green spaces and we look forward to working with them to secure the future of these vital assets.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected Liverpool more severely than many parts of the UK: both in the number of cases and the rate of infection. Research conducted by Fields in Trust has demonstrated clear physical health and mental wellbeing benefits from regular use of parks and green spaces, yet these vital community assets are not equally distributed.

Fields in Trust’s evaluation of Liverpool’s green space shows that there is around 25.3 square metres per person, around a quarter the size of a six-yard box on a football pitch. Yet only four hectares of Liverpool’s parks are currently protected leaving them vulnerable to loss or building development. This new commitment will protect green spaces in every one of Liverpool’s 30 wards and guarantee they will remain as green spaces forever. This is vital when 1 in 6 people in Liverpool (16%) have no access to a private or shared garden, compared to 1 in 8 people (12%) across Britain as a whole. Additionally, the average size of Liverpudlians’ private outdoor space (144.4m2) is less than half the average across Britain (332.7m2). (Source: ONS)

Fields in Trust Chair of Trustees, Jo Barnett said: “Through the pandemic we’ve realised just how valuable parks and green spaces are to our health and wellbeing, yet across the UK only 6% of parks are protected and access to them is not equitable. We welcome this pioneering commitment by Liverpool City Council to recognise the proven physical and mental health benefits of local parks. These are valuable places; places where we can all move, breathe, run and play. We need to champion and support these precious spaces by protecting them for future generations to enjoy. Because once lost, they are lost forever.”
With the population of Liverpool set to increase by 10.3% over the next 20 years, any future loss of parks and green spaces would disproportionately impact the most disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, who would be missing out on these health benefits, as well as opportunities to get out into nature, have a kickabout and connect with their neighbours.

Fields in Trust have been conducting development work in Liverpool, using an evidence-led approach to make the case to Liverpool City Council for the legal protection of their green spaces; as well as contributing to Simon O’Brien’s green space audit, becoming a partner of the Liverpool City Region Year of Environment and supporting local Friends of parks groups. At the 2019 General Election, MP for Liverpool, West Derby, Ian Byrne, along with 37 other MPs took Fields in Trust’s “Parks Protector Pledge”, committing to championing parks and green spaces within their constituencies and across the UK.

Full details of the pioneering agreement between Liverpool City Council and Fields in Trust can be found on the Fields in Trust Website www.fieldsintrust.org/liverpool

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SISIS Flexibrush gets results at Greetham

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SISIS Flexibrush gets results at Greetham: After the withdrawal of certain chemicals, Adi Porter, Course Manager at Greetham Valley Golf Club, has found the SISIS Flexibrush to be an ideal solution for dispersing worm casts.

Adi has been working at the East Midlands club for nearly thirty years and throughout that time he has seen it become one of the finest golf, hotel, leisure and conference venues in the area.

SISIS Flexibrush gets results at Greetham

SISIS Flexibrush gets results at Greetham

“We made a conscious effort to really push the standards,” said Adi. “It enabled us to significantly improve the presentation and we went from strength to strength. We soon found our membership at full capacity and had to put a waiting list in place – which was unheard of for clubs in this area.”

Under his remit, Adi is responsible for the maintenance of two 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course, a driving range, and a bowling green. Standards to Adi are everything, and he leaves no stone unturned when it comes to presenting ‘picture perfect’ facilities. It is for this reason, that he admits to being frustrated by an all-too-common issue.

“Worms are becoming more and more of a problem on every sports surface because we lost the chemical control a few years ago,” he said. “Here at Greetham, the worm population has undoubtedly increased and the worm casts can be a nuisance. If they are not kept on top of then they just get smeared into the grass with the golf that is played and foot traffic, trolleys and buggies.”

In looking for a non-chemical solution, Adi, who has been a long-term user of SISIS machinery, decided to investigate the SISIS Flexibrush.

The Flexibrush is a tractor mounted brush which is equally effective to disperse top dressing and remove excess material on natural turf and on synthetic surfaces. The versatile Flexibrush can also be used for dew dispersal and striping for improved presentation. It has a 5.35 metre working width, its brush sections float to follow ground contours and the outer sections fold for transport and storage.

A demonstration was arranged at the start of 2020 and Adi has not looked back since.

“It is a fantastic, quick and cost-effective way of removing or dispersing worm casts,” said Adi. “What really sold it to me is the size of it – some of the other brushes on the market for outfields and fairways are a lot narrower and I don’t think there is one wider than the Flexibrush.

“It is very productive, and we can easily do 36 holes in a day. I also like the fact that it folds up quicky – you can easily move it about the course, through trees and from fairway to fairway.

“Another main reason for purchasing it was so that we can use it for presentation,” he continued. “We will use it for brushing before mowing to stand the grass up because it provides a better cut. Also, in the autumn and winter months when we are not actually cutting the grass, we can still present a fairway nicely by striping with the Flexibrush.

“It’s been a great purchase for us and as always we get a great service and back-up from SISIS,” Adi concluded.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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

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Get ready for summer with Otterbine

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Get ready for summer with Otterbine: With the sun can come dangers for your lakes and ponds and as we know the warm weather arrived early last year with April the sunniest on record. As a result, water management specialist Otterbine is advising greenkeepers to be prepared and take action now to avoid problems and costly fixes later.

Left unattended for long periods of time water can quickly deteriorate, leaving lakes and ponds with problems such as algae, aquatic weeds and odours meaning the importance of water management can’t be underestimated.

Get ready for summer with Otterbine

Get ready for summer with Otterbine

Peter Newton, commercial and golf irrigation sales representative at Reesink explains: “It’s vital to take care of your water now so you’re not faced with a sudden onslaught of problems once the weather gets warmer. Higher levels of sunlight and heat, generated by summer sun, can lead to excess nutrients in water bodies. When combined with low oxygen levels and limited circulation, the natural ecosystem tips out of balance, which is what can cause algae, weeds, odours and sludge build up, which can even kill off aquatic life.

“Once a water body reaches this point the costs of trying to restore it increase dramatically. As well as often being more expensive to implement, reactive solutions tend to be less friendly to the environment too.”

With Otterbine aerating fountains, industrial aerators and diffused air systems and their proven high oxygen transfer rates, there’s a simple and natural solution to prevent water quality deteriorating.

“The most natural water quality management solution is to introduce aeration to eliminate stagnant water,” says Peter. “This will increase oxygen levels, and circulate oxygen rich water throughout the lake, pond or water reservoir to keep the water clean, clear and healthy.”

And with Otterbine’s comprehensive warranties ranging from three to five years on its range of products including the Giant Fountain, Fractional Series, Air Flo 3 and Fountain Glo Lights, you can rest assured that not only will your water body stay in good shape, but your fountain or aerator will be looked after too.

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