Here’s to the groundsmen

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Here’s to the groundsmen: Arguably the most important member of any club, but one whose contribution often goes overlooked, is the groundsman.

Read the full article from The Cricketer here

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Another decade with Toro

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Another decade with Toro: Trust, support and understanding, three vital qualities for a successful relationship, and in the case of Royal Dornoch, Toro and Reesink, it’s a combination that has worked exceedingly well for 25 years. Now it’s set to last a lot longer too as the club signs an exclusive supplier agreement for another ten years.

In an uncertain climate, one thing general manager Neil Hampton at Royal Dornoch in Scotland knows with certainty in choosing Toro again, is that quality and consistency will continue, which for a Championship course is non-negotiable. He says: “Regardless of what is going on in the world, one thing that has remained the same for 400 years is our dedication to providing our members and players with golfing excellence.

Another decade with Toro

Another decade with Toro

“Toro is tried and tested on the remote links landscape here and we see no reason to change that especially when Toro’s dedication to innovation and technology stills leads the way.”

Neil refers specifically to the four Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 electric greens mowers included in the club’s latest order: “As a club it’s very important for us to be as green as we can as often as we can. The team tried the electric greens mowers in a demo and were unanimously impressed, plus you know with Toro that any new machine has been tested to the nth degree. There were absolutely no negatives in choosing these electric machines to take over the important frontline mowing on our greens.”

Continuing the green theme in the rest of the order are four of the environmentally-friendly hybrid Reelmaster 5010-H fairway mowers and eight electric utility vehicles, the Workman GTXe with lithium-ion battery. Neil says: “Our greens and fairway mowers are used a lot and it is of the utmost importance that they perform to their best at all times. We’ve never noticed a difference between the environmentally-friendly machine option or diesel, apart from the obvious noise and fuel mess.

“We have a fantastic relationship with Reesink in that they understand how we work, what works best for us and what we want out of a deal. For example, we have a great system for the replacement and buy-back of our used machinery. Our used machines have a lot of life left in them and it’s only right that they go on doing a great job somewhere else.”

Heading into 2021 what does Neil see on the horizon? “Looking at the positives from 2020, the year Royal Dornoch got voted as Scotland’s Best Golf Course by the World Golf Awards, the break from play during growing season has given the course an unexpected rest, there’s been little to no wear and tear and it’s looking and playing wonderfully. The team had the chance to undertake jobs such as overseeding that you wouldn’t normally do in the peak season and it means we go into 2021 with the course in the ultimate shape.

“With international travel hopefully opening up earlier than expected perhaps in the spring, it means our 700 overseas members can resume their play here which will be fantastic. In the meantime, we’ve always been proud to be a course accessible for all. For 400 years our doors have been open to everyone and in 2021 that will be hugely important; we all know the huge benefits a round of golf can bring.”

And with Toro aiding the 19-strong greenkeeping team in tending the 36-hole course means it will provide the best possible environment, not just in terms of its beauty and playability, but its carbon footprint too. The future is decidedly green at Royal Dornoch!

To talk to someone about Toro’s electric machinery, packages and payment options available and how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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Celebrate parks and green spaces

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Celebrate parks and green spaces: Green space charity Fields in Trust is collaborating with parkrun to celebrate the wellbeing benefits that the UKs parks and green spaces have delivered during the coronavirus crisis.

The joint campaign invites park users to share stories of how important green spaces have been as places to exercise, relax, reflect and as a safe place to meet loved ones and connect with our friends and our neighbours.

Celebrate parks and green spaces

Celebrate parks and green spaces

The #notjust campaign identifies the different ways communities engage with outdoor spaces, A local green space is #notjust a park, it has so many more intangible benefits, emotions and memories that contribute to our physical health, mental wellbeing and community contacts.  Park users are invited to celebrate their local green spaces by recording video clips or taking photographs celebrating what their local park means to them and their families and sharing the stories on the campaign website www.fieldsintrust.org/notjust and social media using the #notjust hashtag.

Speaking on the joint campaign, parkrun’s Global Head of Health and Wellbeing Chrissie Wellington said “if there’s one thing to lift our spirits, it’s being outside in the open air, being connected to nature and moving our bodies. We need parks more than ever before and this means taking steps to protect, value and, importantly, celebrate them. We are proud to join hands with Fields in Trust to do just that and would like to encourage everyone to get involved by sharing what your park means to you and the wonderfully diverse and amazing ways you have been using them over the past year. Together we can make sure that parks are here for us, and for all those who follow in our footsteps”.

As places for us to remain physically distanced but socially connected local parks have come to the fore this year. Data shows increased usage of green space throughout the year, but the campaign also recognises that access to parks and green spaces is not equally distributed across the UK.

Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, said: “2020 has been an incredibly difficult year but imagine how much more difficult it would have been without our local parks. For thousands of us the park was a daily lifeline. Now as we approach the end of that year – but sadly not yet the end of the crisis – we want you to join with us and our friends at parkrun to celebrate just how much we’ve all valued these spaces. Parks are one of the unsung heroes of the pandemic and if there was ever a time to show our appreciation for parks and how important they are to our collective health and wellbeing this is it! Let’s take this opportunity to work together to protect the future of these precious spaces because one they’re lost, they’re lost forever.

Park users are invited to share stories of their own much-loved local parks at the campaign website www.fieldsintrust.org/notjust and share on social media using the hashtag #notjust.

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Dumbarnie delight

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Dumbarnie delight: Scotland’s newest golf course, Dumbarnie Links on the south coast of Fife, officially opened for play at the end of May. This was just a couple of weeks later than originally planned due to government imposed restrictions following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The vision was to provide a first class, true links style golf experience of international quality for all to enjoy, so the course is being operated as a pay-and-play facility, with no members being contemplated.

Dumbarnie delight

Dumbarnie delight

Designed by former Walker Cup and Ryder Cup player Clive Clark, Dumbarnie Links has a mile and a half of sea frontage with panoramic views over the Firth of Forth. The design features a number of elevated tees where holes play directly towards panoramic views of the sea, and a number of the tees and greens are also close to the water.

US-based OB Sports Golf Management (Dumbarnie’s operating/management company) and John Deere dealer Sandy Armit of Double A first signed a partnership deal in 2018 for the supply of grow-in and maintenance equipment for the golf course construction project and beyond. The new machines have been bought using a mix of John Deere Financial operating and finance lease options, including three-year PowerGard cover with full maintenance.

Sandy Armit of Double A says: “We were very excited to be involved with this project from the very beginning, and since the initial supply of John Deere equipment on loan we have been phasing in a full fleet of course maintenance equipment over the past two years.”

Dumbarnie Links course manager Grahame Taylor grew up in Leven and came to Dumbarnie from the Old Course at nearby St Andrews. “The golf course construction work took just six months to complete, which was very quick for a project of this size and importance,” he says.

“We originally had several John Deere 220E walk-behind greens mowers on loan for a couple of weeks after sowing the greens in summer 2018, when we were lucky enough to have perfect growing conditions. Double A’s golf specialist John Bateson then supplied two 8000 Series fairway mowers and half a dozen Gator utility vehicles, plus a bunker rake and a 2653A utility triplex mower.

“We kept most of the loan equipment until the new machines started arriving this year. This gave us a good opportunity to carry out quite a few trials with different machines to see exactly what we needed and what worked best for our conditions. For example, with a 345-acre property and the need to stay in front of play, we had to decide how many fairway mowers would be required because of the travelling times around the course, and we ended up with three 7500A E-Cut hybrid electric machines .

“The dealership was very accommodating and helpful all the way through this process – nothing has been too much trouble for John Bateson. He’s always answered all our questions promptly and found solutions to any problems, it’s truly been service with a smile and a great partnership.

“We’ve also had three new 2750E hybrid electric triplex mowers this year, and we’re very happy with them. Our team really love using this machine – they’re comfortable to operate, follow the course contours really well and the grass collection is much improved. I also like the functionality of the mowers’ TechControl system, which allows you to set the required speeds and clip frequency to achieve consistent and repeatable results across the course, regardless of who’s operating the machine.

“We’re now in the process of completing the clubhouse, road access and car parking, but despite these disruptions we’ve been incredibly busy since we first opened for play. The course is looking fantastic, and we’re all absolutely delighted with the way things are going.”

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New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

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New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager: Stephen Shaw has been announced as the new Territory Sales Manager for the INFINICUT® and TMSystem™ product ranges.

A well-known industry face, Stephen returns to the UK after spending the last 10 years of his career in Qatar, to support the continued growth of the collections, in use at leading golf venues and sports stadia worldwide.

New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

In Qatar, Stephen worked at a main Toro dealership and Doha Golf Club, before taking on the role of Machinery Division Manager at Nakheel Landscapes which is where, over the last three years, he worked alongside John Coleman of INFINICUT® to spec machinery for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. When travel restrictions came into force earlier in the year, Stephen returned to his roots in Northumberland and the opportunity arose to use his acquired knowledge to support to dealers and customers across the North of England, Scotland and Ireland – along with spearheading exports and the construction of a worldwide dealer network.

“Joining the INFINICUT® team is hugely exciting” comments Stephen. “It is a quality British-built product, driven by technology that demonstrates a real understanding of what is required by today’s turf care professionals. It quickly became evident to me, working together with John and the INFINICUT® product, that this range is very much the future of the mower industry. Their engineering prowess continues across the multi-functional TMSystem™ collection, which delivers versatility, durability and precision to a wide variety of turf maintenance activities.”

Although Stephen only joined in the middle of September, he has already utilised his many international connections to remotely establish dealers in India, Thailand and South Korea and he looks forward to supporting these, and others, with product and sales training as and when travel restrictions ease.

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