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Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC

November 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC: Newbury & Crookham Golf Club have purchased a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and two mowing decks, which course manager Chris Ball says will make the greenkeeping department at the 148-year-old club even more efficient. Purchased from local dealer, T H White, the package included a Contour mowing deck […]

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience

November 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by External Source

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience: While they’ve been using J Premier Pitch at the Lamex Stadium for the last three years, the grounds team at Stevenage Football Club cite this season as the best they’ve ever had in terms of plant strength and surface performance. After germinating in just five days earlier this year, Head […]

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC

November 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience

November 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by External Source

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC

November 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC: Newbury & Crookham Golf Club have purchased a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and two mowing decks, which course manager Chris Ball says will make the greenkeeping department at the 148-year-old club even more efficient.

Purchased from local dealer, T H White, the package included a Contour mowing deck and a Tough Cut deck, which will enable the greenkeeping team to work smarter and safely when maintaining the woodland margins and steep banks on 6,000-yard course.

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC

“My team have done an exceptional job during the pandemic crisis and it is only right that we should ensure they work in complete safety, not just in these exceptional circumstances, but at all times. These two decks in conjunction with the eight-wheel tractor unit guarantee that when working on tee banks or around the reservoir, they can do so in complete safety. As a small team of just six, it’s important that we work smarter; now we can cut areas mechanically using just one person, where we previously used numerous team members with brushcutters, saving many greenkeeping hours that can now be utilised elsewhere on the course.

“The Tough Cut deck will help us both ecologically and aesthetically, keeping the woodland floor open and encouraging more spring bulbs to flourish. We want to see carpets of bluebells in subsequent years. Also, with the Contour deck we’ll be able to maintain steeper areas on the course making the presentation even more appealing for members and visitors. We’ve only had the equipment since mid-May, but already it has proved its worth; it’s a simple, clever design, does the job and is easy to maintain.”

Chris Ball joined Woking Golf Club as an apprentice in 1994 and knew immediately that this was to be his chosen career. In 1998 he moved on to Guildford Golf Club and four years later joined Walton Heath, working under two renowned industry figures in Clive Osgood and Ian McMillan. In 2002 he joined Bearwood Lakes, where he was appointed head greenkeeper, reporting to the course manager. He has been course manager at Newbury and Crookham since 2014.

Newbury & Crookham is one of the oldest clubs in England, established in 1873. The 18-hole, par 69 golf course measures just under 6000 yards and is set amongst beautiful mature woodland. Situated on the south side of Newbury, between Greenham Common and the racecourse, the current course dates back to 1923, when the Newbury and District Club was founded. Crookham Golf Club was founded in 1873 on Greenham Common, but after it was requisitioned in 1940 by the MOD, the members were given temporary membership by their neighbours, which eventually became permanent and the club adopting its current name.

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J Premier Pitch delivers resilience

November 18, 2021/in News, Press Release/by External Source

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience: While they’ve been using J Premier Pitch at the Lamex Stadium for the last three years, the grounds team at Stevenage Football Club cite this season as the best they’ve ever had in terms of plant strength and surface performance.

After germinating in just five days earlier this year, Head Groundsman James Fennessy also notes the fantastic resilience demonstrated by the Johnsons Sports Seed mixture, which has meant they’ve seen no disease on the stadium pitch this year.

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience

Overseeing a team of five, across the stadium, training ground and an academy site, James began using Johnsons J Premier Pitch after seeing the results at other clubs. “Every stadium environment is different and, because of that, you can never be sure how a seed is going to take. Our corners are open, meaning the pitch is exposed to the elements and we have some areas that don’t get any sunlight during the day so it’s about finding a seed that suits the setting – J Premier Pitch has performed fantastically!”

“We had a seven-week window to complete our renovation this year and started by putting 20 bags of Premier Pitch down at the end of June. We couldn’t believe it when we started to see germination within just five days, which then gave us the maximum time to get the pitch ready for play.”

The combination of highly rated perennial ryegrass cultivars in J Premier Pitch not only deliver rapid establishment, but exceptional wear tolerance, disease resistance and a camera-friendly finish – something that James also praised. “The plant is extremely well rooted and gives us great colour year-round which has been ideal for presentation. In addition, the sward is incredibly dense which means we don’t think we’ll need to do any pre-winter overseeding this year – reducing both workload and cost.”

Seed from across the DLF portfolio, specifically the Masterline range, is used at the training ground and academy site where James again comments on the importance of resilience. “The demands on the surfaces here are actually far greater than at the stadium so it’s absolutely crucial the seed we put in the ground is going to be hard wearing. This year they are good and strong, still performing well as we head towards winter.”

“All of the seed we get from DLF is backed up with fantastic technical support from our Regional Technical Manager Craig Spooner, who keeps us up to speed with updates to formulations.” He concludes, “It’s always good to learn about the work going on behind the scenes, which keeps us reassured that what we’re putting in the ground is always being improved to perform at its very best.”

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.

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Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC

Efficiency at Newbury & Crookham GC: Newbury & Crookham Golf Club have purchased a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and two mowing decks, which course manager Chris Ball says will make the greenkeeping department at the 148-year-old club even more efficient.

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience

J Premier Pitch delivers resilience: While they’ve been using J Premier Pitch at the Lamex Stadium for the last three years, the grounds team at Stevenage Football Club cite this season as the best they’ve ever had in terms of plant strength and surface performance.

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