Going for the buzz at Sawgrass

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Going for the buzz at Sawgrass: Each year John Deere, in association with the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Ireland, sends seven association members to Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida to join the agronomy team on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass for the duration of The Players Championship – the unofficial fifth men’s Major tournament.

It’s an incredible experience, where the volunteers get completely immersed in the hosting of the PGA Tour’s flagship event with flights, accommodation and other costs all thrown in. Representing the British and Irish associations, the successful seven selected to join the John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme in March 2020, working alongside the home greenkeeping team as part of the volunteer course maintenance force of over 90, are:

7 BIGGA and GCSAI volunteers stand together in front of the John Deere Stand at BTME 2020

The BIGGA and GCSAI volunteers on the John Deere stand at BTME 2020 in January (left to right): Eddie Irvine, Alex Brougham, Mark Tucker, Peter Lewis, Dean O’Connell and Ben Hunter. (Inset) Yannick Weber on his home course in New Zealand.

 

BIGGA

  • South East: Ben Hunter, deputy course manager, The Richmond
  • South West & South Wales: Mark Tucker, head greenkeeper, Neath
  • Central England: Alex Brougham, deputy head greenkeeper, Trentham Park
  • Northern: Peter Lewis, greenkeeper, Royal Liverpool
  • Scotland: Eddie Irvine, deputy head greenkeeper, Trump International Aberdeen
  • International: Yannick Weber, assistant superintendent, Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand

GCSAI

  • Ireland: Dean O’Connell, greenkeeper, Grange Golf Club

Previous successful applicants of the scheme have described the experience as life changing and overwhelming. One of BIGGA’s 2019 delegates, Welshpool Golf Club course manager Jon Gamble, said: “TPC Sawgrass is an amazing venue and is out of this world. The presentation of the whole site is fabulous, from the condition of the course to the flowers and grandstands that sit very high on 17.

“They really do gear the tournament up so that everyone who goes has an awesome time, from a spectator point of view. Going to Sawgrass has made me want to go back every year now, just to get that buzz from what you experience. I would encourage and push anybody that wants to go there, to do so.”

This year’s tournament dates are March 12-15, 2020; the John Deere sponsored group flies out to the US on Friday March 6 and returns on Tuesday March 17.

 

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Johnsons celebrate 200 years

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Johnsons celebrate 200 years: The Johnsons Sports Seed team were joined by members of the press and over 30 distributors and customers to toast their 200th anniversary at BTME 2020.

At a special drinks reception that took place on their stand in Harrogate, they celebrated the company’s rich and varied history since it was founded by 17-year old William Wade Johnson in 1820.

Johnsons celebrate 200 years

Reflecting on the event, Amenity Sales and Marketing Manager Derek Smith said, “BTME was a fantastic platform for staff and key contacts to raise a glass to mark such a huge industry milestone. Their drive to raise industry standards reflects the position that Johnsons has in today’s market, and this is very much testament to the passion of those involved with the brand over the years. We at DLF, look forward to continuing that ethos for many years to come.”

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More Toro for Badgemore Park

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More Toro for Badgemore Park: Following on from Toro’s success at The Drift Golf Club in Surrey, Toro arrives at Badgemore Park Golf Club in Henley-on-Thames, its sister club, for the first time.

Since it was founded in 1972, Badgemore Park has operated a like-for-like machinery replacement plan and never benefitted from the advantages of having a comprehensive machinery fleet, until now.

More Toro for Badgemore Park

For the last 20 years course manager Lindsay Anderson has wanted that to change and now’s the time, with the club choosing Toro for its first ever fleet package deal.

“We’ve undergone a lot of development at the club recently,” says Lindsay. “Making changes with new greens and tees and re-developing all the bunkers. Investing in a complete Toro machinery package is part of a massive investment in the club and another step in the right direction to improve the course, completing our five-year plan of course improvements in time for our 50th anniversary in 2022.”

And it was a very thorough process for Lindsay when it came to choosing a new equipment provider. “We had demonstrations from a few brands and asked around other golf courses for recommendations,” he says. “It became clear fairly soon that Toro was the way to go. Toro is renowned in the industry as being the best and the demonstration cemented that.”

The machines entrusted with maintaining the beautiful parkland course include three Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 mowers, two Groundsmaster 4300-D mowers, two Greensmaster 1000 pedestrian mowers, two Workman MDX-D utility vehicles, a Groundsmaster 4000-D and a ProCore 648 with quick tine change collars fitted, which Lindsay says is his favourite.

“It’s just fantastic. We have a massive aeration programme proposed for the next six months so it’s going to get a lot of use and I know it will be up to the task. It’s a real quality piece of engineering built for ease of maintenance and ease of operation. Plus, it’s durable and reliable.

“In fact, all the machines are, which makes my job easier on a daily basis. I’m no longer constantly answering the phone to members of the greenkeeping team and having to run to fix issues with the machines, and that’s had an effect on us all. We’ve all got confidence in the machines and it’s really boosted morale and productivity.”

Of course, committing to one machinery brand usually means a change in dealer with Reesink being keen to demonstrate to Lindsay how it offers its customers more.

Reesink sales manager Robert Rees soon made the introductions for Lindsay with his local Toro service centre, CTH Engineering, which reassured Lindsay about the backup service available. He says: “I was unsure where we would go for our servicing if we switched brands, but Robert was great. He put me in touch with another local dealership that dealt with Toro machines and discussed the whole thing in detail which cleared up the concerns I had. And the backup to date – well there have been no issues.”

But when it comes down to it, what has impressed the team and members of the club alike most are the results seen across the course.

“The quality of cut is incredible,” concludes Lindsay. “Within a month members were commenting on the quality of the playing surfaces having improved.”

This is no surprise considering The Drift experienced a similar improvement in both the aesthetics and quality of the playing surface too!

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New Case IH front axle

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New Case IH front axle: A new suspended front axle option is now available for Case IH Quantum tractors, bringing to the specialty tractor sector the same levels of on-road and in-field comfort that operators of larger models in the Case IH range already benefit from, helping to reduce fatigue and increase productivity.

New suspended front axle

The new suspended front axle suspension option has been designed by Case IH engineers along similar lines to the established design proven on larger tractors. Utilising a swing arm design connected by a saddle-type pivot, the layout of the suspension system means the structure is particularly robust which ensures no friction is created between the saddle bar and the front axle.

New Case IH front axle

With its pivot center located in a higher position than on alternative systems, the suspension provides higher levels of rolling comfort. There is +/- 3° of movement at the compression end-stop position, and +/- 8° at all other positions.

Suspension height can be set up manually from the cab, and this also allows any front implement to be attached and adjusted more easily. The system has four ride modes to suit all applications: locked, soft, medium and hard.

Additional features have been developed in order to further improve the driving experience of the new suspended front axle Quantum models. These include automatic ride height control, which ensures the full travel of the suspension is made available regardless of the load on the front axle.

An anti-dive/squat feature is designed to maximize tractor stability even when heavy implements are attached, while axle roll control balances the oil flow between the two cushioning cylinders, providing greater stability and comfort in hilly terrain.

Availability of the new features

The new suspended front axle option can be ordered on Quantum V, N and F models specified with a cab, and is available whether the tractor is fitted with front axle brakes. Operation of the front linkage, where specified, is unaffected.

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Tempest in a Toro

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Tempest in a Toro: Reesink Turfcare is extending its Toro genuine parts range to include Tempest flail blades to keep the UK’s flail mowers in the ultimate condition.

While suited to all flail mowers, Tempest blades are certainly a match made in heaven for Toro’s LT-F3000 triple flail mower.

Tempest in a Toro

Since its arrival in the UK the LT-F3000 has been widely viewed as a game changer for meeting the increasing demands of maintaining short and long grass in the face of restricted budgets for groundscare customers. And making sure this workhorse delivers consistently and constantly are Toro’s exclusive Tempest blades.

The independent, dedicated flail cutter units of the LT-F3000 are complex with numerous benefits. They have 48 unique blades to enable a variable cutting width from 75cm (30ins) to 212cm (83.5ins) to be as productive in wide open areas as on narrow verges or in tight spaces. The blades fold away with ease on impact of foreign objects and are easily and safely sharpened without needing to be removed, but should they need to be replaced or removed that’s easy to do too.

The fine cut it delivers produces very little debris blow-out and post-cut clean-up operations with strimmers and blowers is reduced which is surely music to any groundsperson’s ears, resulting in far less grass clipping ‘clumping’ and hence their reputation for unrivalled performance in all types of grass and in all types of weather.

But Toro’s Tempest blades are a match for all of that, ensuring a flail’s advanced cutting system never fails says Michael Hampton, parts manager at Reesink Turfcare: “It’s clear in the design of Tempest blades that Toro completely understands the needs for grounds customers to have the parts to match the machine. All Toro’s flail machines and the LT-F3000 in particular are built to always deliver even in the most challenging of environments, so it makes sense that the blade designed to suit the specific needs of a hard-working, heavy-duty flail is the uniquely crafted strong, durable and ergonomic Tempest.”

Quite frankly it had to be something pretty impressive to be paired up with the unmatched LT-F3000 and in long and short grass the advanced blade design of Tempest leaves a clean cut and even clippings dispersal for a great after-cut finish each and every time.

Michael concludes: “Ironically, Tempest blades do anything but create a tempest in a Toro. With these blades in your flail everything is calm, reliable, dependable delivering time after time and never letting the side down.”

To find out more or place an order, contact Reesink’s parts department on 01480 226870.

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