Hybrid mowers prove their worth

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Hybrid mowers prove their worth: Founded in 1889, Royal County Down is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland and features two 18-hole links, the Championship Course and the Annesley Links.

Located in the beautiful surroundings of the Murlough Nature Reserve in Northern Ireland and set against the magnificent backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne, the links stretch along the shores of Newcastle’s Dundrum Bay and provide a different view from virtually every hole.

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Eamonn Crawford has been links manager at Royal County Down for 10 years but has worked here for 45, maintaining not just his beloved links to the highest standards but also a consistent approach to the purchase of new course equipment.

“Every golf course is different, but I like to have a mixture of machinery and if it’s good enough I’ll use it,” he says. “My approach is very much horses for courses, and I aim to buy the right make for the jobs that need doing, to get them done properly.”

As a result, one of the club’s most recent investments has been in a fleet of four new John Deere 7500A E-Cut hybrid electric fairway mowers, delivered by local dealer Ricky Neill of Johnston Gilpin & Co at Lisburn. These have joined seven of the company’s TH 6×4 Gator utility vehicles as well as two vintage 1200A bunker rakes, which are approaching 15 years old and still doing a good job.

“I’ve dealt with the dealership for nearly 20 years,” says Eamonn. “Service and back-up are very important to us, and Johnston Gilpin have always proved their worth on that score, particularly with loan equipment. Generally, we need demo machines for more than just one or two days, preferably three or four weeks so we can test them properly in all conditions, and that’s what happened last year with the 7500AE mower.

“We get a lot of rain here and cutting in the wet is just the worst job. Fairway mowers in particular can leave a lot of mess, but the collection on these new machines is very good, the grass gets thrown right to the back of the boxes. We box off all the cuttings on the Annesley Links, which we’ve never done before, and people have been commenting how good the fairways are playing there now.”

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Hybrid mowers prove their worth

Six of Royal County Down’s 17 full-time greenkeeping staff are dedicated 7500AE operators. All four mowers are set to cut the fairways at 9mm on both 18-hole courses every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus all the pathways. Nets have been added to the mowers’ roll-bars for protection, as there are a lot of blind tee shots around the courses.

“One of our greenkeepers, Mark Kennedy, is very mechanically minded and has done a lot of product training with Johnston Gilpin learning about the machines and how to set them up, so he looks after them all,” says Eamonn. “All the operators know their machines well too and are very good at their job.

“They’ve got to be comfortable using the mowers, given how much time they spend in the seat all day, and they always report back, good or bad! The 7500AEs hold their cut very well, especially down to the bottom of the contours and hollows. Golfers like a tight lie, and the new mowers give us the consistent quality of cut that our members and visitors appreciate.

“The E-Cut hybrid electric system also saves fuel and produces very low emissions, so it all adds up so far. We’re very pleased with these new John Deere fairway mowers, and I’m very confident that they will be with us for a long time, particularly with Mark looking after them so well.”

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Unique marathon completed

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Unique marathon completed: Guinness world record was set at Boulby mine in east Cleveland on Saturday (Oct 10th) to mark World Mental Health Day.

Two Army Cadet National Ambassadors, Sally Orange and Jordan Wylie, alongside a small team of runners from ICL UK, ran a marathon at the bottom of the deepest mine in the country.

Unique marathon completed

Unique marathon completed

Running 26 miles in any circumstances is a challenge but doing it a thousand metres under the surface of the earth in temperatures which can reach 40 Celsius – while dressed in safety equipment – is not for the faint hearted.

On top of that, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, those taking part had to observe social distancing, wear face coverings and sanitise regularly. The masks only being removed briefly for photo opportunities.

Unique marathon completed

Unique marathon completed

“It was hot, sweaty, dark and very tricky,” said Sally. “We weren’t trying to set a record for speed so we took it steadily just to make sure we could complete the challenge and raise awareness of how mental illness can have hidden affects on people of all ages.”

Sally explained why the attempt was called ‘Beneath the Surface’:

“We thought it perfectly encapsulates the way we never really know what is going on underneath the surface of an individuals’ mind,” she said. “Not all injuries are visible. And problems with mental health often carry a stigma which we are striving to overcome,” she added.

A second Guinness world record was also set on the day as the Army Cadets Force delivered the largest ever online mental health awareness training course, breaking the previous record of 2,000 students set in India three years ago.

Unique marathon completed

Unique marathon completed

Scott Garnett, agronomist at ICL UK, organised the Boulby side of the event:

“We are very proud to be part of setting this world record at our mine,” he said. “Obviously it was a unique occasion which couldn’t have happened without so many of our staff getting involved. Proof positive that ‘team work makes the dream work’.”

The entire event was to raise awareness and funds for three charities; SSAFA, Young Minds and Frontline Children. You can still support the attempt at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=beneaththesurfacemarathon&pageUrl=11

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Report uncovers environmental impact of petrol tools

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Report uncovers environmental impact of petrol tools: The UK’s most widely used petrol-powered outdoor power tools have been put to the test, as part of a new report published by EGO. Bringing together evidence, insight and expert opinion, ‘The Report’ uncovers the true environmental impact of petrol-powered tools – and outlines consumer attitudes when it comes to tackling climate change.

The research shows that more than 89% of tools used by councils in the UK are powered by petrol engines which collectively use more than 600,000 litres of fuel every year, and are used to maintain public spaces, parks and even school playing fields. When subject to emissions tests, however, these tools are proven to use significant levels of petrol compared to the average car and in some cases even exceed permitted levels of particulates.

Report uncovers environmental impact of petrol tools

Report uncovers environmental impact of petrol tools

The test results also show that, in just one second, the most widely used leaf blower recorded more particulates than the legal limit for road vehicles in a kilometre.

The Report has been launched to mark Clean Air Day (8 October) as part of EGO’s Challenge 2025 vision, through which a cleaner, quieter and safer environment is envisaged by encouraging the use of battery power over high-emission petrol-powered gardening equipment.

Emma Gayler of EGO, said: “The Report is our biggest research project to date and the startling statistics we’ve been able to uncover outline just how damaging petrol-powered equipment is for our environment. Despite using petrol engines, these tools are not subject to the same standards and testing as roadgoing vehicles, so we put them through emissions tests and found some alarming results.

“Knowing how damaging these tools can be in terms of pollution, it’s worrying that they remain in the hands of unassuming users and are still used to maintain outside space. This Clean Air Day, we want to make people aware of the dangers of petrol-powered tools, not just on our environment, but also on the health of ourselves and our communities.”

To gather the comprehensive results for The Report, EGO commissioned emissions and fuel economy tests, carried out a survey of domestic and professional power tool users and submitted Freedom of Information requests to analyse data from councils across the UK.

To download The Report and see the full environmental impact of petrol-powered tools, visit: www.challenge2025.eu/thereport

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Headland reduces costly fungicide applications

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Headland reduces costly fungicide applications: The transition from the main growing season into the cooler, wetter autumn and winter months brings many changes to a turf maintenance programme.

For Stratford Oaks Course Manager James Cleaver, it’s no different – with October marking the switch of liquid fertiliser programmes over to monthly applications of the 20-20-30 Enhanced Plant Health (EPH) tank-mix from Headland Amenity.

Headland reduces costly fungicide applications

Headland reduces costly fungicide applications

Since James joined the club, located on the outskirts of Stratford-Upon-Avon, 18 months ago, the drive towards non-pesticidal turf management is something he’s been keen to continue. “Trying to achieve a sward that is healthy and strong enough to resist disease not only gives you better quality turf surfaces but reduces the need for costly fungicide applications” explains James. “The Headland 20-20-30 tank-mix of Liquid Turf Hardener, Turfite® Elite and Seamac® ProTurf Fe, and more recently with the addition of Mantle, has been a staple in the winter-feeding programme at Stratford Oaks for a number of years.”

“This tank-mix is easy to apply and gives us healthy growth and a stronger, denser, more resilient sward. The inclusion of the Seamac® ProTurf Fe (citrate chelated iron with Seaweed) delivers fantastic colour on our greens which is always pleasing for the members throughout the winter months.” The monthly applications over the winter of 2019/20 contributed towards a significant reduction in disease activity, meaning James and the team only required a single fungicide application – representing significant financial savings when compared to previous seasons.

To further increase the efficacy and effectiveness against disease occurrence, specifically Microdochium nivale, James will supplement the 20-20-30 tank mix with two applications of PPT114 – Headland’s water-soluble micronutrient formulation featuring Manganese, Zinc and Copper, alongside Harpin Protein Elicitor – between October and February. “Our Regional Technical Manager Andy Lane recommended we incorporate PPT114 to enhance our EPH programme and that really seems to have made a difference. He’s my go-to for all product and technical advice, all backed up with the facts from the numerous trials that Headland conduct.”

The tried and tested proactive plant health approach will be in place for James until the new growing season arrives in March, when he will switch to another Headland soluble tank-mix of Elevate Fe®, XTEND® 46-0-0 and TriCure AD™ across the fairways, tees and approaches.

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SISIS Quadraplay helps new groundsman

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SISIS Quadraplay helps new groundsman: Lawrence Brown may have only just embarked on a career in groundsmanship (2 months in fact) but he’s already chosen the perfect partner to help him at Ilford Rugby Club in the form of a SISIS Quadraplay.

Ilford Wanderers Rugby Football Club has been established since 1896. The club has a sense of belonging and community, with families getting together to support players of all different ages. “We play together, we win together; we lose together, we stay together,” is the club’s motto.

SISIS Quadraplay helps new groundsman

SISIS Quadraplay helps new groundsman

It is easy to see why Lawrence wanted to work for a club such as Ilford Wanderers.

“This is my first job in groundsmanship and I love it,” he said. “The club is fantastic; I always liked the idea of working outside – especially on pitches; I like using machinery and I really enjoy driving tractors. The groundsman job came up, I really wanted it and fortunately I got it.”

Lawrence was straight to work and is slowly but surely developing the skills required to maintain sports pitches. He admits that it will take time but claims that equipment such as the SISIS Quadraplay is certainly making his first taste of groundsmanship enjoyable.

“It’s such a joy to use and it does everything we need,” said Lawrence.

The SISIS Quadraplay has now progressed into one of today’s most useful pieces of kit in the groundsman’s armoury. One SISIS customer once even compared the Quadraplay to a Swiss army knife – compact, versatile, and utterly useful.

It is a multiple-purpose, single-pass maintenance system which incorporates a mounted frame for up to four implements such as grooming rakes, spikers, slitters, rollers and brushes. The implements can be fitted to the mainframe in any order and can be independently adjusted to achieve the desired effect. Compact, robust, versatile and with the ability to carry out up to four operations simultaneously – the Quadraplay makes life a lot easier for many groundsmen as Lawrence explains.

“I use the slitter regularly because it really helps with surface drainage and with aeration,” he said. “On the pitch we do get quite a bit of surface water, especially when it rains, so I run the slitter over it, and it makes a huge difference.

“The brush I tend to use after a cut. Just recently, for example, the grass had got long before I Joined so I used the brush to sweep all the cuttings to the side of the pitch, which made it easier to clear. The brush also massively helps with presentation.

“The roller is also very beneficial. Naturally, the turf gets torn from the players so I use the roller to level out any divots. Also, when it comes to presentation then you cannot beat the roller.

“The players have commented that the pitch looks great,” concluded Lawrence. “At the end of the day my job is to make the pitch better for them and the Quadraplay is helping me to achieve this.”

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 and 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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