A tried and tested combination

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A tried and tested combination: The Bishopton, Renfrewshire based dealership, Hamilton Ross Group, has recently supplied a customer with five Muthing MU-FM160 flails fitted to their Kubota F3090 tractors.

For the company Ground care Manager Jamie Gardiner said, “The combination of the Muthing MU-FM 160 flail on the Kubota F3090 power unit has proved very popular with our customers. This fleet deal proves how effective the equipment is for large scale operations, even in the toughest of environments on the West Coast of Scotland”

A tried and tested combination

A tried and tested combination

Simon Richard, UK Agent for the Muthing range says, “The restrictions on movement during these difficult times will leave some challenging areas when we eventually get back to cutting grass and the MU-FM 160, for power units up to 40hp, is the perfect combination for the widest range of contractor and local authority grounds maintenance tasks. The well balanced Muthing rotor, with specially formed flail lugs, protects against damage from obstacles and the self-cleaning roller with well-rounded edges preserves both soil and turf. The optimised distance between the outer rotor circle and the roller guarantees perfect contour following and even quality of cut. Market leading reduction in foreign object deflection make it the flail of choice when working safely in public areas”

For more information visit www.slopemower.co.uk

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Grounds never looking better

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Grounds never looking better: Grass roots sports, at least in name, have a dependence on the surface on which they’re played.

That’s why grounds maintenance across the Province has been deemed essential during lockdown – so that our golf courses, cricket squares and sports pitches are fit to play on again when it is deemed safe to do so.

One person with a bigger task than most is James Devoy, head greenkeeper at Donaghadee Golf Club where there is nearly 100 acres to maintain.

The 38-year-old, who lives in Glastry on the Ards Peninsula, makes a daily 28-mile round trip to maintain the golf course.

He said: “It’s essential. If this wasn’t being done the course would become overrun and unplayable. It would turn to pasture very, very quickly. It would be difficult to recover.

“Normally there’s a team of five greenkeepers in total and a part-time guy, but three of them are furloughed at the minute and our part-time guy is off until we’re back to normal … if there is such a thing.

“There’s two of us in to do it. It’s a big undertaking. We’ve just under 100 acres here.

“We’re doing reduced hours at the minute. We’re in every day from seven in the morning and finishing about two.

“Normally the tees and aprons would be cut twice a week, the rough would be cut once a week and the greens would be cut every day. All that is getting done just once and the rough is getting cut every other week.”

Asked if he was ever tempted to play the course given that he’s the only one there, he said: “I’m not actually. We’re being pretty strict at the minute, no golf at all.

“There’s nobody allowed to play the course, there’s people walking it every day, but there’s no golf and there’s no dogs.

“It’s been more than four weeks since anyone has played the course.

“It could be ready to go as soon as the lockdown is lifted. We’re maintaining the course to a high standard.

“The amount of people who have commented on the condition of the course being very good.

“We could open tomorrow if necessary. The only thing would be the greens mightn’t be up to speed. A week would bring them back up to standard.”

He continued: “It certainly makes it easier to maintain with there being no play on it.

“We don’t have a morning routine, we don’t have to set the course up for play. We’re not changing the holes every day, we’re not moving the markers, we don’t have to cut the greens every day.

“The height of the greens are up. Our greens are at five mill, whereas normally at this time of year they’d be down to three.

“That saves the greens, it keeps them healthier because the grass is longer.”

Asked if the dry weather has posed problems, he said: “It has a bit. It’s good in the sense it’s still a bit cold so the growth has slowed down a bit. But yes, the dry weather means we’re watering greens several times a week.

“It just means we have to manage the greens a bit better, keep an eye on them.”

James said the job of a greenkeeper was not normally an isolated pursuit but it has taken on a more eerie feel recently: “When the course is busy with golfers you’re seeing people all the time.

“You have guys who go out every morning at eight o’clock religiously. We know they’re going to be on the course and we adjust our work to keep ahead of them.

“At the minute, it’s just the two of us. It definitely is strange, you’re not having to plan your day around golf. You can do what you want when it suits you.

“It allows us to cut the rough a bit later. As any keen gardener knows it’s better to cut your grass when it’s dry and not first thing in the morning when there’s dew on it.”

Up until very recently Dean Simpson was one of the only people allowed into Wallace Park.

The Lisburn Cricket Club groundsman was permitted into the park to carry out work on the cricket pitch while others were locked out, a situation that has since changed with parks being allowed to reopen across Northern Ireland.

Dean said: “It’s a very, very eerie place when you’re on your own. Normally it’s very, very busy, there’s a lot of footfall around the park.”

Of the work being carried out he said: “We’re really just keeping a lid on things. We’re cutting the outfield and keeping the square at bay. If it gets away from you, you’ll never play whenever the doors open.

“Therein lies a problem because we have very little income. Senior members still pay their subs but we’ve 150 youth members and it’s difficult to charge the wee boys subs when you’ve nothing to offer them.

“We’ve lost income there, there’s no bar revenue, it’s hard to go and ask sponsors for money given that they’ve their own difficulties.

“There’s reduced income so you’re just trying to do the basics to keep on top of things until, maybe, hopefully, this thing will lift in July and maybe allow a few friendlies.

“The danger you have too is if you lose the full season you might lose those youth members.

“You could also lose older ones coming to the end of their careers, who think it is a good time to retire.

“All in all it’s not going to be good for the sport if we have to go a season without playing.”

He said conditions are perfect for the start of the season: “Despite the wettest February on record we’re now having the best build-up to a cricket season in terms of weather that I can remember.

“The grounds would be perfect for the start of the season. Normally you’re running about trying to get covers on.

“From a personal point of view, the way things are going it’s hard to see much cricket.

“I think whenever this lockdown is lifted it’s not just going to be an open house where everybody is going to go back to doing what they were doing before.”

Normally at this time of year Pollock Park in Lurgan would have been transformed from a rugby ground to a cricket one.

However, this year it’s been a matter of playing it by ear for groundsman Kyle Geddis.

He explained that he was simply keeping things ticking over rather than carrying out any major work at the ground: “There’s been no rugby played since the start of March, there’s not going to be any cricket played for a good while, so the powers-that-be have decided there’s no point spending six or seven grand if the pitches are going to be alright for the next season anyway. It could be September before they’re played on again. We don’t know.”

Kyle, one of three groundsmen, said: “The work we’re doing is fairly straightforward. We fertilised the pitches last week and the grass would be cut once a week just to keep it down.

“It is a lot easier to maintain when there’s no one playing on it. You don’t have to mark the pitches every week, you don’t have to repair divots or ruts.”

He added: “The one consolation if there’s no cricket season would be that we don’t have to take the lights and the posts down.

“Though if it needed to be turned around it would only take a day to do it. The square is in good nick. It was reseeded at the end of last season.”

The club is one of a number of sporting organisations in the Lurgan area, who as part of Lurgan Aid Group, are putting together care packages every week to be delivered to those who need them in their communities.

Davy Wilson is one of the volunteers helping to keep Larne Rugby Club in pristine condition.

He said: “We’ve about 18 acres here. There’s four or five of us who do it all voluntarily.

“They come out different days and if they’re ever out together they’re more than two metres apart. They’re able to work away isolated.

“We’re totally self-sufficient looking after the grounds. We don’t get any financial help from the council or other bodies.

“We always have them pristine. There’s three pitches and two training areas plus all the surrounding areas plus the clubhouse. There’s a lovely setting here by the lough.”

He added: “I remember my first season here there was a silage harvester going round and the grass was about three foot tall when you were doing pre-season training. Times have moved on.

“I wouldn’t say it’s helped or hindered having no play on the pitches. There wasn’t long to go in the season. We’ve always worked at them rain, hail or shine so whether or not there’s play on it doesn’t make a difference to what we do.”

Hubert Watson has been president and chairman of Dollingstown FC, but that doesn’t mean he’s shy when it comes to tasks like watering the goalmouth.

He’s been busy at Planter’s Park during lockdown maintaining the pitch for the Premier Intermediate League club.

He said: “Once I knew that it was going into lockdown in mid-March, I contacted Clive Richardson who does all our ground works during the close season.

“We’d already scheduled him for the end of May to do the work, which gives us June and July to allow the grass to grow.

“I gambled and I went ahead and did it in March.

“If football comes back, which I think it probably will at the end of June, one season will roll into another, you might have a three-week gap or something. It wouldn’t be long enough to do what needs to be done.

“So I got Clive in the next week. I got it vertidrained, I got 50 tonne of sand on it and I got it completely reseeded.

“They did all that in a couple of days then I put eight bags of fertiliser on it to help it green up, although it would need a bit of rain.

“We were lucky we got that work done in March.

“Whether clubs would still be allowed to do that I don’t know.”

Explaining what is being done on a weekly basis to look after the ground, Hubert said: “All I do is go down every other day and water the goalmouth because that’s as far as the hose will reach. There’s taps at each end of the pitch.

“The goalmouth is the hardest part to get the grass to grow.

“I’m going out on my own, so no one is getting hurt.”

Dollingtown were in third place in the Intermediate League when the season was suspended: “It’s the highest position we’ve ever been in our 40-year history.

“We were in a great place mentally, physically. We’re in the semi-final of the Intermediate cup, one step away from the National Stadium.

“I never would have dreamt 21 years ago when I came to Dollingstown we could see a team running out at the National Stadium.”

He said: “The players are desperate to get back, it’s hard for them.

“They can’t meet together and do their training together. They’re all out doing their own exercise but it’s not the same intensity.

“I’ve been at this 45 years. I eat, drink and sleep it, but as the man says ‘there’s bigger issues out there’.”

He added: “I don’t think the Premier Intermediate teams are too badly affected with expenses, there’s very few pros in this league. The crowds aren’t bringing in that much of a revenue.

“Our biggest income would come from advertising around the ground. We’d normally invoice our sponsors in March or April, I didn’t do it because that’s the last thing businesses need to see now.”

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Woll GC keep things moving

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Woll GC keep things moving: The Woll Golf Course were taking another step forward before the season was stalled due to the coronavirus. Now they are re –setting the membership clock to keep things moving forward!

The Owners of the Woll Golf Course at New Woll Estate were showing great confidence in the golf market with their growing membership at Woll and increasing visitor numbers.  Together this encouraged them to continue with their development of the course over last winter. But now they are having to take bold moves to help their members and ensure the course keeps moving forward.

Woll GC keep things moving

Woll GC keep things moving

The work took on the redevelopment of 2 more greens, the green complexes (surroundings of the greens), new bunkers, 3 new tees and new irrigation, but it doesn’t stop there a number of changes are being made with more new tees coming into play some specifically to encourage the lady golfers. There are also new paths designed to improve movement around the course and help in the winter where the course is able to stay open and playable all year round with normal greens and tees!  Since 2013 16 holes of the 18 hole course have been redeveloped

However now the course is looking better than ever and there are no golfers! Like all the courses in the Borders it is just being looked after by a skeleton staff with essential maintenance until the green light is given to re-open.

Everyone is desperate to welcome golfers back to enjoy it when it is safe to do so and the Owners are trying to help.  They have confirmed to all their members and potential new members that they are  re-setting the membership year – So depending on when restrictions on golf are lifted in the Borders their membership year will restart so no one  loses out.  Essentially existing members, membership year will be extended and new members will benefit from their membership lasting from the date of restrictions lifting for an entire year.

David Brown one of the Owners said
 ‘Up till now Continuing investment and development in the course and all the facilities has seen real benefits with our strong and growing membership.  In the current environment though we are trying to do what is best for members and look to the future.
We are trying to offer the best course, playable all year round and enjoyable and accessible to golfers of all standards.  We are lucky to have such good and hardworking teams throughout the business giving us great end results.  We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to golf!

Nicholas Brown one of the owners stated
 ‘We believe it is important to actively move forward and ensure we improve all golfers enjoyment of the game with the best course possible and facilities to match, sometimes though it is not all about these large developments but also continued small improvements and robust ongoing maintenance programs and most important of all looking after the members’

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Add mowing to TYM Tractor to-do list

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Add mowing to TYM Tractor to-do list: With TYM’s subcompact T194 and TS25 customers can expand their tractors’ to-do list to include mowing.

Both models are truly versatile additions to maintaining and caring for the grounds of private estates and large gardens. They tackle all the small and mid-duty tasks around the garden, orchard, paddock, woods and fields with ease and, in the T194, deliver a quality cut to lawns too.

Add mowing to TYM Tractor to-do list

Add mowing to TYM Tractor to-do list

A dependable 19hp engine in the innovative T194 has generated acclaim in the market since its launch last year because it brings customers the functionality of a ride-on mower with the additional features of tractor.

Equipped with a 54-inch mid-mounted deck as standard, mowing height can be adjusted from the seat via the onboard height-of-cut lever which is easy to use and intuitive to set. Its tractor credentials excel on the category one three-point linkage and 540 rpm rear PTO which allows for many rear-mounted attachments to be fitted.

The TS25 meanwhile brings more power, upping the ante from 19hp to 25hp, and with a mid-mounted mowing deck will mow brilliantly too. With a hydraulic lift capacity of 600kg, it’s renowned for delivering superb value and outstanding performance. An optional front loader further increases its versatility opening it up to many more applications such as landscaping and light groundworks.

Both can just as easily handle the tasks of summer and autumn, as well as winter sweeping and clear-up, and spring aeration, it’s what gives both their reputation as all-season machines, says Steven Haynes, TYM’s sales manager at distributor Reesink Turfcare: “These machines really are neat little workhorses and particularly appeal to customers who want a powerful, multi-purpose option in a compact package all-year-round.”

Both tractors benefit from a powerful diesel engine, hydrostatic power-steering for effortless manoeuvrability, a tight turning circle ideal for barn work and paddock clearing, and a heavy-duty, four-wheel-drive front axle for greater traction where needed.

Steven continues: “TYM understand the requirements of its customers: one machine with a range of abilities and the benefit of being able to mow earns its place in any shed. It brings value and versatility to towing, moving and maintenance tasks. These smaller tractors are widely termed a multi-tasking wonder and with good reason – they provide customers an effective, but compact solution for most of their needs.”

Reesink Turfcare, the UK distributor of TYM, has long been known for offering more when it comes to its service, after-sales support, parts and warranties and new for 2020 these models are available with a three-year bumper to bumper warranty package to safeguard customers’ investment.

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Glassboys raise toast to MM60

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Glassboys raise toast to MM60: Volunteers are the lifeblood of grassroots football and you would be hard pressed to find anyone as dedicated to the cause than Ian Pilkington. In fact, he spends most of his free time tending to the pitch at Stourbridge FC’s War Memorial Ground, which he says has been hugely benefited by Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed.

Stourbridge through and through, Ian’s involvement with his beloved club, who are also known as the Glassboys, goes back a long way. When he attended his first game as a seven-year old boy, little did he know that one day he would become a director and a groundsman.

Glassboys raise toast to MM60

Glassboys raise toast to MM60

“My dad started taking me to watch the matches at Stourbridge when I seven years old and I’ve followed them ever since,” said Ian. “After the club got relegated in the year 2000 a number of us were invited to run the committee and then we evolved into a limited company and became directors.

“I started helping to run the club in a number of areas and was lending a hand to the groundsman. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury and there was no one to do the work, so I thought I’d better have a go myself.”

That was 16 years ago, and Ian has tended to the pitch ever since. Without fail, he is at the ground every Sunday morning and every spare moment he has during the week, preparing, repairing, and treating every inch of the pitch to keep it in superb condition.

“I’m a keen amateur,” he says. “I’ve found that you never stop gaining knowledge in the groundcare industry. There are always people that I can ask for help and advice and that is how I have managed to do this job for so long.

“To be honest, I could probably do with retiring, but I enjoy spending time at the club. I love being outside and working on the pitch. However, I have found that you can never do enough in this game, and I am always thinking about what else I can do to improve the pitch.”

Ian claims that he saw a remarkable development in the pitch ever since he started using Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed ten years ago after it was recommended to him by trusted supplier Agrovista Amenity.

Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed is renowned for producing an excellent playing surface. It is a 100% Ryegrass formula which is perfect for renovation and divot repair, has a high disease resistance, fantastic aesthetic qualities and offers extremely fast germination – which is boosted by the inclusion of Headstart GOLD®.

“We use MM60 for our renovation at the start of May. We share the ground with a cricket club so as soon as we finish the football season there is change over to cricket. Therefore, we need something which is very quick in establishment and we’ve found that the MM60 is ideal for that – it gives us great coverage.”

“I also tend to overseed in autumn – so I will use the MM60 on areas which need a bit of a boost, or where the fox has been or where the birds have been pecking at the surface.

Glassboys raise toast to MM60

Glassboys raise toast to MM60

“The colour is also very strong throughout the year – it’s always a vibrant green and is healthy.”

MM60 also includes Limagrain’s Ryegrass cultivar Annecy which has outstanding disease resistance particularly against Leaf Spot. The mixture’s high disease resistance coupled with its hard-wearing sward makes MM60 a seed that Ian can rely on.

“We never suffer from any disease here and I’ve found that the MM60 provides great recovery – even in bad weather conditions. Ultimately, we have consistently good results year in year out.

“I’ve been working with Mark Allen from Agrovista Amenity for more than 10 years and have been using the MM60 throughout that whole time. It’s been a fruitful partnership, which combined with use of the Limagrain seed, only benefits the club and will continue to so in the future.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm – you can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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