Toro a driving force at The Drift

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Toro a driving force at The Drift: The Drift Golf Club in Surrey has continued its investment in Toro as it embarks on a £1 million project to bring in new facilities and continue the improvement in the course seen over recent years.

In an enduring relationship with Toro, the club has purchased some equipment to run alongside its Toro lease deal, citing the brand’s quality and longevity.

Toro a driving force at The Drift

Course manager Mark Ogden says: “We see the value in both leasing and purchasing Toro. With a lease deal we can spread our budget across the year and upgrading to new machines every five years decreases the maintenance time needed and ensures the best quality cut at all times.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Toro as the quality of their machines is clear. We’re so confident with the quality and robustness of the Toro machines we bought some equipment alongside the lease deal, so we’re in a win-win situation.”

The new fleet comes at a prime time for The Drift, with the course undergoing extensive improvements and developments, as Mark explains: “We’ve just started work on our driving range, which is a £1 million project to bring in new facilities, and part of a wider plan to improve the course. Having new Toro machinery is a large part of that process. Ensuring we have high quality equipment to keep up with the maintenance of the improved course is vital.”

With a Groundsmaster 4300-D, two Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 mowers, two Reelmaster 5610-D mowers and two Workman MDX-D utility vehicles, it’s a fleet more than capable of not only maintaining but also improving the impressive 18-hole championship course.

“Most of these machines are like-for-like upgrades,” says Mark. “Which is great for us because it means the whole team is familiar with them. We’ve also brought in two new Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 machines for the tees and approaches and we’re already seeing a huge difference in both the aesthetics and quality of the playing surface.”

Mark concludes by saying: “The course has really flourished recently with a growing membership to prove it. Having Toro on board keeps the team and our members safe in the knowledge the course will be maintained to a consistently high standard.”

And with Toro clearly more than worth the investment, the owner of The Drift has also chosen Toro for its second club – Badgemore Park Golf Club in Oxfordshire!

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Mansfield Sand head to BTME

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Mansfield Sand head to BTME: Mansfield Sand will feature a wide range of innovative products for sports, landscaping and equestrian uses on Stand 126 in the Blue Zone at BTME 2020.

Pioneers in the development and production of premium quality silica sand-based products for over 170 years, Mansfield Sand is the market leader in supplying to some of the most prestigious sporting venues across the UK and Europe.

Mansfield Sand head to BTME

Here is a taster of just some of the products that could well make a significant improvement to your turf.

Mansil Silica Sand Sports Range

Sourced from the company’s Two Oaks Quarry in Mansfield where the Mansil range of Silica Sands is produced. These products are predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces – from winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas.

Top Dressing

Produced for the fine turf market, Mansfield Sand’s Soil Top Dressing is a manufactured homogenous product made from their own premium silica sands combined with top quality soils. All passed through a sterilising unit, over a 3mm screen to produce an easy to spread, stone and pebble free dressing. Mansfield Sand can also produce bespoke dressing blends and combine soil amendments into any product.

Sand Soil Rootzones

Mansfield Sand understands exactly what is needed to achieve the surface that turf managers require week-in-week-out and that is why their rootzones contain only the best quality materials to meet that demand. For renovation or construction, the company’s superior rootzone blend Mansil 40 Silica Sand with a quality screened topsoil, guarantees the perfect start.

Sand Compost Rootzones

A range of premium quality sand organic material blends which are perfect for creating a rootzone where an organic rich material is required within the profile, aiding in the retention of nutrients whilst providing increased drought resistance.

Reinforced Rootzone

A range of reinforced rootzones developed to obtain greater use from natural turf surfaces whilst maintaining the high standards demanded by today’s sports industry and meeting the expectations of ground staff at all levels. Mansfield Sand’s reinforcement technology provides stability and durability to all sand dominated rootzones allowing the pitch to remain free draining and consistent over the whole surface.

Products include Fibre Reinforced Rootzone – reinforced with polypropylene fibres; Fibrelastic Rootzone – reinforced with polypropylene fibres and flexible elastane fibres and Fibresand – particularly advantageous when grass cover has been reduced due to heavy usage and wear during the winter period.

This is just a snapshot of what visitors can expect from Mansfield Sand at BTME 2020. If you are involved in groundscare, sports turf, amenities, estates or green-space management, then ensure that a trip to Stand 126 in the Blue Zone is on your BTME 2020 agenda.

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow Mansfield Sand on Twitter – @MansfieldSand

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A win for Dorset Soils & Aggregates

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A win for Dorset Soils & Aggregates: BALI Registered Affiliate, Dorset Soils and Aggregates, have been awarded the British Association of Landscape Industries’ (BALI) prestigious award for Exceptional Affiliate Service.

Much excitement and anticipation was felt amongst the team as it led to the day they’d receive this respected award from the BALI adjudicators.

A win for Dorset Soils & Aggregates

This significant award ceremony was the 43rd annual BALI National Landscape Awards, held on Friday 6th December at the iconic JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.  Sponsored by BALI Registered Affiliate, Green-tech, it was this glamorous event that saw the celebratory awards ceremony for the skills, hard work, quality, commitment and successes of BALI Registered members. This is the largest landscape Awards in Europe, being an association which recognises excellence in landscape design, construction and maintenance both in the UK and overseas, as well as awarding Affiliate customer service and employer excellence.

Dorset Soils and Aggregates are a national supplier of soft and hard landscaping materials, ranging from specially blended soils, to their flagship Wessex® Coolfresh turf to a vast range of both porcelain and Indian sandstone paving. The business began in 1998 and has since expanded year on year to now consist of 3 different branches, a recycling yard/ distribution centre and head office. Their three branches are based in Ferndown, Dorchester and Bournemouth, all of which have inspirational display areas created by their landscaping customers and a friendly team of customer advisors with many years of training and experience behind them.

Dorset Soils and Aggregates stand for two things: unbeatable prices and the highest levels of customer service. This was consistently demonstrated to the BALI adjudicators and led to the success of winning this highly respected award. As the South’s leading supplier of landscaping materials, this company could give examples of regular, returning customers that gave outstanding testimonies to the business, highlighting their ability to source any required products from around in the world, along with their friendly and knowledgeable manner.

The staff members possess over 75 years of experience in the landscaping and building industry between them, ensuring Dorset Soils and Aggregates are able to give the best possible service from start to finish. Offering an inviting and friendly atmosphere for both the trade and DIY enthusiasts; their customer advisors are always on-hand to offer advice, source products at the best prices, arrange fast and efficient delivery and guarantee the customer received a good experience.

This was the second year the Awards were successfully delivered in-house by the team at BALI’s Landscape House. Events Project Manager Leah Brookes, who attended the 2018 Awards and project managed the 2019 event said, “It has been an immense pleasure managing the BALI Awards 2019. From attending the event last year, to meeting and working alongside the expert adjudicators, to managing the whole entry process and advising members on their submissions. To see the fruition of a year’s work come together on this special day and celebrate together with each and every member is fabulous. I send my heartfelt congratulations to all our winners and thanks to all our sponsors, adjudicators and stakeholders for their continued support of the prestigious National Landscape Awards.”

Sport and lifestyle presenter Mark Durden-Smith played host for the afternoon’s proceedings in front of over 1,000 BALI VIPs, members and guests, including Adam White MBALI, President and Fellow of the ‘Royal Chartered’ Landscape Institute and BALI Registered Designer; Chair of the Society of Garden Designers, Sarah Morgan; Rod Winrow, Chairman of the Association of Professional Landscapers; Sue Biggs CBE, Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society and Gerald Bonner, President of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIOH).

This is a great accolade for Dorset Soils and Aggregates and gives them the recognition and credit that each member of staff has worked so hard to achieve. This year, BALI saw a record-breaking amount of first-time entries; receiving a total number of 145 entries to go through, making it even more impressive that Dorset Soils and Aggregates secured the Exceptional Service Award.

Paul Miller, Managing Director: ‘Well done to all our staff for helping achieve this prestigious National Award – twenty-one years in the making. We’ve come a long way since one man and a transit tipper!’

www.sandandgravel.uk.com

A full list of award-winners and a description of the winning schemes is available on the BALI Awards website here.

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MM the key to course improvements

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MM the key to course improvements: Visitors to the Limagrain UK stand (162), located in the Blue Zone at BTME 2020, can expect a range of market leading products that can significantly improve both the quality and aesthetics of a golf course.

For 2020 there will be two new exciting MM mixtures which will offer turf managers new grass seed solutions for golf and general sports turf.

MM the key to course improvements

As the demand and pressure placed on the modern-day greenkeeper to produce a consistent playing surface continually grows, seed quality, purity and vigour are the essential ingredients for a first-class golf course and Limagrain’s MM range of seed mixture provides exactly these.

For over 30 years, greenkeepers and course managers have been enjoying the benefits by choosing the MM brand and the high-quality varieties used in MM mixtures. All varieties are thoroughly tested at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) – ensuring that the finished product will meet your requirements for play, appearance and maintenance.

For golf greens MM9 – a three-way Browntop bent mixture continues to be a leading mixture for renovations and species exchange. For links style courses and sustainable golf, MM8 offers a great option – a three-way fescue mix with excellent disease resistance, drought tolerance and minimal fertiliser requirements gives course managers a fine, dense sward. MM8 contains varieties such as Nikky and Aporina which have proved to be successful in coastal conditions.

If you are looking for a mixture ideal for tees and fairways, then the 100% ryegrass MM50 should be considered. It is capable of rapid establishment and fast recovery from divot scarring plus high wear tolerance and has extremely fine appearance

For links style golf where damage and wear are lower, MM12 or MM13, are both well suited to this challenging environment as they are drought tolerant and have low maintenance requirements.

Visitors to the stand can also find out how Limagrain’s Wildflower and Colour Splash mixtures have been benefiting countless golf courses throughout the UK and beyond. The mixtures are ideal for those wanting to bring a splash of colour to their golf course as well as attracting some fantastic wildlife.

With a wide range of mixtures available, both the Wildflower and Colour Splash mixtures are extremely easy to sow and the resulting flowers are vigorous plants which are more than capable of competing with weeds. Their vigour is equally matched by robustness; resisting long periods of drought. They are also fast flowering and cost effective.

Limagrain’s amenity seed specialists will all be on hand at BTME to discuss the products in more detail and will also be available to offer their expertise on any queries you may have.

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

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KAR UK & Hunter join forces at BTME

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KAR UK & Hunter join forces at BTME: KAR UK and Hunter Industries are joining forces to exhibit at BTME 2020 on Stand 270 in the Red Zone.

KAR UK, the leading wholesaler of irrigation equipment in the UK and an integral distributor of Hunter Industries irrigation equipment, will once again be exhibiting at the Harrogate based show. Visitors to the joint stand can expect to discover a wide range of market leading irrigation products that could make significant improvements to turf.

KAR UK & Hunter join forces at BTME

Here is a glimpse of what to expect:

NEW Hunter TTS rotors

The Hunter TTS-800 rotors provide maximum uniformity and longevity. The high-torque gear drives are the strongest in the industry, so the challenges of reclaimed water use or poor water quality are mitigated. An extra-large, fast-access flange compartment comfortably accommodates wire connections and other components.

The new 800 series feature Hunter’s patented TTS (Total-Top-Service) technology which allows for every serviceable element of the rotor to be accessed through the top. Mechanical and electrical, big and small, you can get to every component without disturbing the playing surface. That means there’s no more digging, no more unsightly scars, and more importantly, one less item on a busy turf manager’s schedule.

NEW ST-1700V rotor

Another highlight on the KAR UK and Hunter stand will be the recently launched ST-1700V rotor which offers unrivalled high-performance irrigation for synthetic turf. Simplicity is the key to the ST-1700V as it integrates Valve-in-Head (VIH) capabilities and a TTS design to simplify installation and maintenance.

I-80 rotor

Engineered for sports turf, the I-80 is built with a robust, dirt-tolerant gear drive that offers the highest torque output of any rotor in the commercial sphere, and extends a radius range from 11.3 to 29.6 meters. The I-80 features a wide range of highly efficient, dual-trajectory, wind-fighting nozzles for highly efficient performance in a range of applications. It also provides TTS via its integrated, surface-mounted snap-ring for no-dig easy maintenance.

ACC2 and ICC2 controllers

Hunter’s line-up of controllers offer an array of user-friendly features and smart controller water-saving options built to fit any sports and landscape irrigation system. The modular design of the ICC2 and the ACC2 controllers set yet another industry standard for easy-to-use and expandable automatic irrigation controllers.  KAR UK will also demonstrate the new Centralus Software which is available to the ICC2 and ACC2. Both of these controllers will be showcased on the stand at BTME.

Pilot PC-based central control system

A PC-based software package that makes central control of large-scale irrigation systems affordable, usable, and comprehensible.

Experienced members of staff from both KAR UK and Hunter Industries will be on hand throughout the three-day event to provide advice and support for any of your irrigation projects.

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com or www.hunterindustries.com

You can also follow KAR UK on Twitter @KARUK_LTD for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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