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Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

July 5, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre: Leicester City Football Club, last season’s FA Cup winners, is the latest organisation to appreciate the multiple benefits of Ventrac. Delivered by local dealer, Farols, the package included a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor in dual-wheel configuration, a Contour mowing deck, Trencher and Power Broom and will be used […]

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park

July 2, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Sofia Martins

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park: It was the fourth time last Christmas when Cheshire Turf Machinery in Stockport provided another Toro fleet on a five-year operating lease to Haydock Park Golf Club in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside – an agreement that began in January 2006. Terry Wharton, head greenkeeper, who has worked at Haydock Park for 41 […]

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

July 5, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park

July 2, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Sofia Martins

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Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

July 5, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre: Leicester City Football Club, last season’s FA Cup winners, is the latest organisation to appreciate the multiple benefits of Ventrac.

Delivered by local dealer, Farols, the package included a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor in dual-wheel configuration, a Contour mowing deck, Trencher and Power Broom and will be used to maintain their new world-class training centre of at Seagrave in Leicestershire.

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

Following a demonstration earlier this year and with input from his team, John Ledwidge, Head of Sports Turf and Grounds at the Premier League club, specified the purchase. He is an integral part of the team that has developed the world-class training facility, where he oversees the management and development of the 180-acre site. This includes the equivalent of 14 turf pitches, synthetic pitches, a 9-hole golf course and the world’s first dedicated Sports Turf Academy.

Commenting on the latest addition to the machinery fleet, he said,

“Our owner is passionate about this football club and the community we share. He wants the very best and this facility demonstrates that commitment. We all share his vision and our aim is to make this the premier training centre in Europe.

“To be fair, we took a lot of our inspiration from the exceptional job Darren Baldwin has done at Tottenham’s facility, where we first saw the Ventrac in action during the research phase of the plan. I’d also seen it at various trade fairs and in the media. We needed a machine that was highly versatile, that can help us here improve a site that’s going to be constantly evolving over the next five years.

“The Contour deck helps us maintain the numerous banks and sloped areas around the complex, including ‘Mount Vardy’, the nickname we’ve given to a landscaped area of unused spoil from the original build. It is also used on the golf course where its articulated design prevents scalping. We’ve used the Trencher to insert drainage bands in some particularly wet areas of the golf course and the Power Broom does a great job on the pathways and carparks. It’s all about quality presentation and the versatility of the Ventrac helps us achieve the high standards demanded here.”

Chris Minton is the club’s Head Mechanic, supervising a team of three in the state-of-the-art Maintenance Facility located within the Sports Turf Academy building. Commenting on the Ventrac he said, “It’s a very good and impressive piece of kit; robustly constructed and powerful, considering it has a sub-25 hp engine. It’s simple to work on, all the belts are easily accessible as are the greasing points and the flip-up decks make our job easier when we need to access the blades or blade spindles. Definitely a very good addition to our fleet.”

John Ledwidge’s career

John began his career in 2002 as an apprentice groundsman at Coventry City where, at the tender age of 19, he was promoted to Deputy Head Groundsman. In 2008 he was appointed Assistant Grounds Manager at Aston Villa and 18 months later returned to Coventry to take up the Head Groundsman role, where he was responsible for directing pitch preparations for the London 2012 Olympics at the City of Coventry Stadium (now the Ricoh Arena).

Following the much-publicised issues at Coventry during this time, he then joined Ricoh Arena in the role of Grounds Manager and in 2014 was successful when he applied for Head Groundsman’s position at Leicester City. In 2016 he was promoted to Grounds Manager and then in July 2019 he took up his current role as Head of Sports Turf and Grounds, where he leads a team of 52 staff working across multiple sites and is actively involved in the ongoing development and investment in the class-leading sports turf surfaces at the club.

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Fourth fleet for Haydock Park

July 2, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Sofia Martins

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park: It was the fourth time last Christmas when Cheshire Turf Machinery in Stockport provided another Toro fleet on a five-year operating lease to Haydock Park Golf Club in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside – an agreement that began in January 2006.

Terry Wharton, head greenkeeper, who has worked at Haydock Park for 41 years, overseeing a team of six full-time greenkeepers and one part-time, has remained loyal to the Toro brand, crediting excellent build quality, longevity, performance, better ergonomics, user feel, seating, controls and operation as the reasons for constant renewal of their five-year plan with Cheshire Turf Machinery.

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park

Some of the machines included in the order are two Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers, a Reelmaster 3100-D cylinder mower, one Reelmaster 3575-D, a Groundsmaster 4000-D, one GreensPro 1260 greens roller, one Workman HDX utility vehicle, an Agrimetal B35 Blower and one TYM393 tractor with loader.

“It’s what we had in the past so we know how reliable they are,” says Terry. “This combination has always done a perfect job for us. With the TriFlex 3420, we have the 11-blade units for both machines but also the eight blades so we can swap over and that gives us options with the versatility of changing the units. We had the 3250s and we’ve upgraded to the new versions. The quality of the cut is really noticeable.”

Other factors weighing in on the team’s decision to acquire a brand-new fleet are having eco-friendly machines that reduce carbon emissions and consumption. Terry comments on the Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420: “We’ve seen an enormous saving on fuel. We feel that it’s going the right way as far as the energy laws are concerned. It’s good for everyone – the environment and other users – so yes, the Triflexs, especially, are very energy-smart. Fuel consumption has been significantly reduced.”

Terry and the team have maintained a solid partnership with Cheshire Turf Machinery for over 25 years, a dealer they know very well and who has never let them down.

Steve Halley, managing director at Cheshire Turf Machinery, comments: “We are thrilled that Haydock Park Golf Club has chosen to further extend its long-term relationship with Toro and Cheshire Turf Machinery. On each occasion, the club has embraced the opportunity to bring in new technology to help the continued development of the course.”

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

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.

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Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre

Ventrac package for Leicester training centre: Leicester City Football Club, last season’s FA Cup winners, is the latest organisation to appreciate the multiple benefits of Ventrac.

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park

Fourth fleet for Haydock Park: It was the fourth time last Christmas when Cheshire Turf Machinery in Stockport provided another Toro fleet on a five-year operating lease to Haydock Park Golf Club in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside – an agreement that began in January 2006.

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