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A short course with a long lifespan

April 22, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Vanessa Gardner

A short course with a long lifespan: Edinburgh’s Swanston Golf Club has reinvested in its Templar Course, some thirteen years after it first opened. The 9-hole par 3 course partners the Club’s 18-hole course and its short format is proving more popular than ever, appealing to many who appreciate the ability to play a round […]

Downfield GC choses Super 500

April 21, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Val Graham

Downfield GC choses Super 500: The resourcefulness and positivity of Course Manager, John Watson, and his team of six, at the parkland course of Downfield GC, Dundee, saw them through a tough ‘stop-start’ winter. “You can only worry about what you can control,” said John Watson, brushing aside that a relentless combination of ice and […]

A short course with a long lifespan

April 22, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Vanessa Gardner

Downfield GC choses Super 500

April 21, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Val Graham

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A short course with a long lifespan

April 22, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Vanessa Gardner

A short course with a long lifespan: Edinburgh’s Swanston Golf Club has reinvested in its Templar Course, some thirteen years after it first opened. The 9-hole par 3 course partners the Club’s 18-hole course and its short format is proving more popular than ever, appealing to many who appreciate the ability to play a round in under an hour.

Situated at the foot of the Pentland Hills with wonderful views across Edinburgh, Fife and beyond, Swanston Golf Club was founded in 1927, originally as a ladies-only course. Such was the panoramic beauty and challenging hilly nature of the course, demand from members’ partners meant that it wasn’t long before the Club was opened to all. It now prides itself on inclusivity, with a thriving junior section and a spacious, family-friendly Clubhouse that is open to members and non-members alike.

A short course with a long lifespan

Recognising the popularity and further potential of the Templar Course, the Club’s management team re-engaged Huxley Golf in early 2021 to recreate all of its nine tees. As there are no natural grass alternatives, the whole course benefits from reliable artificial tee surfaces which guarantee year-round play.

Thirteen is unlucky for some but not for us it seems!” remarked Club Manager Secretary Mike Robson. “I understand that Huxley Golf worked on the initial installation thirteen years ago, so its testimony to their product and installation skills that Templar has stood the test of time. This is the first occasion that I have had the opportunity to work with Huxley Golf, but I had no hesitation in putting my trust in the company to revamp what is an increasingly popular feature of our Club.

From the longevity and performance of the initial installation, it was clear to me that the quality and playing experience of Huxley Golf surfaces remain unbeatable.”

Huxley Golf’s Hugh Fraser oversaw the project from removing old rotten wood bases to creating brand new playing surfaces using the company’s renowned Premier Tee Turf 2. “We were delighted to be entrusted with reinvigorating this fabulous short course, which will undoubtedly attract an even wider range of people and help the Club develop golf in the Lothian area,” he commented.

At the same time, the Huxley Golf team helped the Club lay a brand new practice tee strip near to the driving range. Measuring some 6ft (1.8m) by 75ft (22.8m), this large all-weather feature marries perfectly with adjoining natural grass to create a facility with season-long playability.

For over half a century, the name Huxley has been synonymous with premium all-weather golf surfaces and products. Endorsed by the UK’s leading golf organisations as well as many legendary golfers and celebrities and their coaching teams, the Hampshire-based company’s artificial golf surfaces are in use all around the world at top-flight courses, resorts, and training academies. For more information visit www.huxleygolf.com.

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Downfield GC choses Super 500

April 21, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Val Graham

Downfield GC choses Super 500: The resourcefulness and positivity of Course Manager, John Watson, and his team of six, at the parkland course of Downfield GC, Dundee, saw them through a tough ‘stop-start’ winter.

“You can only worry about what you can control,” said John Watson, brushing aside that a relentless combination of ice and 12 weeks’ snow cover, played havoc with well laid plans for the first quarter of the year.

Downfield GC choses Super 500

Fortunately, John Watson’s purchase of two machines from local dealer, Fairways GM at Kinross, last November, helped him make the best of any weather windows.

The first was a Wiedenmann Super 500, 3-in-1 high dump, sweeper collector, which is famed for being able to keep working in frosty conditions.

“It’s been permanently attached to a hydrostatic tractor; it works a treat on that, so smooth. Primarily, it was for leaves and then of course, rough management. It picked huge amounts of leaves right away, and then a few storms meant we virtually had to start again. Leaves are vacuum packed nice and tightly. We high dump them into one of our 5 tonne cage sided trailers. We’ve taken photos of what it does and quite honestly, it’s so good, people think we’ve used Photoshop,” continued John.

The second machine is the Maredo MT200 Flex Verticutter, supplied via GroundPro to Fairways GM and indeed, to all Wiedenmann UK dealers.

The Maredo has three mechanically driven heads which follow contours individually and can give either a light groom or verticut, or a deep scarify, down to a maximum 25 mm, particularly appropriate to greens, tees and aprons.

“I chose the Maredo for its manoeuvrability. It’s on a three point linkage behind the tractor so when it comes to doing tees or greens, it’s just a case of pulling up the lift lever. They are light, quick and easy to position in the tightest of spots. What I like is they drop the organic matter and debris behind the machine rather than up in the air and there is no running it over. I was also conscious if you hit a stone, it wasn’t airborne, so for me it surpassed the H&S requirements and it worked better for us than others demonstrated. Just in the last few weeks have we been out scarifying the practice area ridding it of moss and organic matter down to about 8 mm. It’s neat and thorough.”

John’s ethos is to work smartly and productively, maximising output with all of his team involved.

“We have three tractors and they all work in tandem when we cut and collect the rough, we have one tractor running back and forward with the trailers, taking them to be emptied and to drop off points around the course, one blowing and the other working the Super 500 constantly with no wasted journeys back and forward to empty. Same principles with the Maredos; when we are scarifying, we use our blower to row up the debris, the Super 500 to collect and trailers positioned for high dumping. None of this is rocket science but organise well and you make the most of a good day,” continued John Watson.

Mike Lindsay, Fairways GM’s Area Manager said: “The Super 500 and Maredos will work well together. John had been keen to add them to his machinery feet for some time and now they are doing exactly what he’d planned.”

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A short course with a long lifespan

Downfield GC choses Super 500

A short course with a long lifespan

Downfield GC choses Super 500

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A short course with a long lifespan

Downfield GC choses Super 500

Downfield GC choses Super 500: The resourcefulness and positivity of Course Manager, John Watson, and his team of six, at the parkland course of Downfield GC, Dundee, saw them through a tough ‘stop-start’ winter.

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