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Toro’s sidewinder tech

August 11, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Sofia Martins

Toro’s sidewinder tech: Ratho Park Golf Club in Edinburgh, Scotland, has a long history with Toro and has recently acquired one of the brand’s bestsellers: the Reelmaster 3100-D cylinder mower featuring its innovative Sidewinder technology. Craig McCrorie, head greenkeeper for over three years, and his team of five have been busy this year rebuilding 12 […]

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest

August 10, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest: Ewan Hunter, Grounds Manager at Nottingham Forest FC, has praised the products and service he receives from Mansfield Sand. After starting his career as a greenkeeper, Ewan Hunter moved into football grounds management and has remained in the sector for over 20 years. His first job in football was […]

Toro’s sidewinder tech

August 11, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Sofia Martins

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest

August 10, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Toro’s sidewinder tech

August 11, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Sofia Martins

Toro’s sidewinder tech: Ratho Park Golf Club in Edinburgh, Scotland, has a long history with Toro and has recently acquired one of the brand’s bestsellers: the Reelmaster 3100-D cylinder mower featuring its innovative Sidewinder technology.

Craig McCrorie, head greenkeeper for over three years, and his team of five have been busy this year rebuilding 12 greens on the 18-hole tree-lined parkland course with plans to remodel the bunkers in the next few years, so the need for a machine to make the work easier, faster and with better results became a priority. The Reelmaster 3100-D was, thus, selected for the job.

Toro’s sidewinder tech

“The Sidewinder technology is brilliant,” Craig comments. “The fact that all three cutting units can move 12 inches right or left from the centre position for a full 24 inches of travel allows you to cut the grass exactly how you want it even when in tricky positions. Not having to put so much weight on the bunkers as we drive around them is perfect as we still get that close cut, but the tyres are kept back from the edges.”

The ride-on mower is also being used on the semi roughs, as Craig comments: “We’re cutting those to around 20mm in height and it hasn’t posed a problem for the Reelmaster. It goes through it like butter. It’s a huge step up – a night and day difference – between this and the mower we were using before. Toro really is unique in the technology it delivers.”

Toro’s renowned Dual Precision Adjustment (DPA) cutting units feature a one-click dial for quick adjustment of the bedknife in exact increments for a clean and consistent cut of each blade of grass, which helps keep the sward green and healthy. That, paired with a patented three-wheel drive system that provides an impressive traction in both hilly and wet conditions, with minimal wheel slip that’s gentle on the turf, makes the Reelmaster 3100-D a great addition to any golf club.

Not only can it get under and around trees and other hard-to-reach places while bringing precise control to delicate jobs such as trimming around bunkers, water features, tee boxes and greens edges on the golf course but it also means that more junior members of staff can perform expert edging, as well as trimming neatly and closely around sensitive areas while keeping the mower’s wheels a safe distance away.

“The quality of these machines is unbeatable: the finish, the usability, the longevity, it’s a whole package,” Craig continues. “Everyone agrees. Using them is saving us a huge amount of time as we don’t have to go through the hassle of setting them up. Plus, we’ve had far fewer breakdowns. The frequency of breakdowns of our previous machine is what put us off buying them again. But with Toro, we’ve had a break down this week for the first time since we bought them from distributor Reesink two years ago.

“They were minor issues and solved quickly by Reesink as they were still under warranty. The chances of Toro machines breaking down are very slim – it does happen, obviously, but it’s not common – that’s the difference. And that puts us at ease since downtime is not an option.

“Toro just seems to work on our golf course,” Craig concludes. “Especially the Sidewinder. Its performance has exceeded expectations and we hope to benefit from more of Toro’s technology in the future.”

To talk to someone about Toro technology and how the Toro range could suit your course, call 01480 226800.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest

August 10, 2022/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest: Ewan Hunter, Grounds Manager at Nottingham Forest FC, has praised the products and service he receives from Mansfield Sand.

After starting his career as a greenkeeper, Ewan Hunter moved into football grounds management and has remained in the sector for over 20 years. His first job in football was at Rushden & Diamonds FC before starting at Nottingham Forest FC in 2005. Having been at the club ever since, Ewan’s work has been recognised through numerous groundsman awards, and he can now add the title ‘Premier League Groundsman’ to his CV after Forest recently achieved promotion to the top tier.

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest

Ever the professional, Ewan remains focussed.

“Our work won’t change with us being in the Premier League,” he said. “We will continue to do our job the same way we always have. Obviously, we want to improve standards all the time, and there are future projects, which include new first-team pitches for the training ground, and eventually we will have a new stadium pitch. Yes, the technology we utilise might be better and more modern, but our work will remain the same.”

Ewan oversees a team of seven members of staff that work across the stadium pitch and the training ground. All the pitches across the two sites are of the same construction as Ewan explains.

“All of the pitches we have here are Fibresand, and we use a variety of Mansfield Sand’s products. I’ve been working with Mansfield Sand since my days at Rushden and Diamonds, so well over 20 years.”

Mansfield Sand is a company with history and pedigree – in fact, its origins can be traced as far back to 1840. It has been a long-standing pioneer in the development and production of premium sand-based products and boasts the most up-to-date and advanced equipment currently in the industry.

From winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas – Mansfield Sand has a solution for all.

Ewan continued to offer an insight into how he uses Mansfield Sand’s products.

“Most of the products we use from Mansfield Sand are renovation products. We will strip the pitches, Koro them off and then top dress with Mansfield’s MM40. If we are adding fibre to the pitch then we will use their Fibresand, and that is mixed into the rootzone by the contractor.

“Through the season, we will use their top dressing and a little bit of rootzone, mainly to level out the goal mouths that get a lot of wear.

“Rootzone is very important and is integral to a healthy pitch.”

Furthermore, two pitches at the training ground are currently being reconstructed using 5000 tonnes of gravel, 6902 tonnes of MM40 sand and 4089 tonnes of 85/15 sand soil rootzone, all of which are sourced directly from Mansfield Sand’s Two Oaks Quarry.

The work is being carried out by Ewan’s reliable contractors MJ Abbot and Premier Pitches, who order the products directly from Mansfield Sand. Ewan may not necessarily be involved in the ordering process anymore, but he still maintains a good relationship with the company.

“The customer service from Mansfield Sand is perfect, and Sharon Morris (Sales Manager) is brilliant. She is a life-long Forest fan, and she comes to watch the games. I talk to her pretty much after every home game and she will wander down from the stands after the match to have a chat. She is always on the other end of the phone if we need her, and she always goes out of her way for us.”

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

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Toro’s sidewinder tech

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest

Toro’s sidewinder tech

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Toro’s sidewinder tech

Toro’s sidewinder tech: Ratho Park Golf Club in Edinburgh, Scotland, has a long history with Toro and has recently acquired one of the brand’s bestsellers: the Reelmaster 3100-D cylinder mower featuring its innovative Sidewinder technology.

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest

Mansfield Sand is fab for Forest: Ewan Hunter, Grounds Manager at Nottingham Forest FC, has praised the products and service he receives from Mansfield Sand.

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