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Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

November 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club: Saunton Golf Club, situated south of Woolacombe on the coast of north Devon, is the latest golfing venue to purchase a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and a selection of attachments. Delivered by local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery, the package includes the 25 hp tractor unit in its 8-wheel configuration, […]

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

November 25, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Alyson Helwagen

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000: Spectrum® Technologies Inc., expands its broad product offering with the release of the WatchDog® Wireless ET Weather Station. Through the single station, customers can now receive real-time, site-specific weather data on their smartphone, including temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed/direction and solar radiation. With an LTE CAT-M1/NB-IoT cellular radio, the 3000 […]

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

November 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

November 25, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Alyson Helwagen

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

November 26, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club: Saunton Golf Club, situated south of Woolacombe on the coast of north Devon, is the latest golfing venue to purchase a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and a selection of attachments. Delivered by local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery, the package includes the 25 hp tractor unit in its 8-wheel configuration, a Contour deck, a Tough Cut deck and Power Rake.

Formed in 1897 as a 9-hole course, the 103-year old club now has two 18-hole championship-standard links courses, with reputations that stand comparison with the finest in the UK. The East Course is ranked No.12 in the Golf World ‘Top 100 Courses in England’ and the West Course is No. 98.

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Murray Long, the former Courses Manager at Sunningdale, has recently been appointed Course Manager at Saunton. Commenting on the Ventrac he said,

“We need to control bramble and scrub around the courses and we have pathways made of seashell shingle, which can become rutted and uneven over time. The practice ranges are enclosed by steep banks, which we maintain by the labour-intensive job of strimming. To tackle these issues, we needed a versatile machine and thought that a Ventrac might provide the solution.

“I first saw it during visits to BTME and then became aware of the positive feedback from respected industry professionals in our trade magazines and on social media. Following our initial enquiry to local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery, they quickly provided quotes and a demonstration, which confirmed the premise that this was the machine for us. Their service has been excellent throughout.

“Until you experience it working, it’s had to appreciate how versatile it is. We purchased the Tough Cut deck, which will help combat the bramble and scrub issue; the Contour deck will be used on the banking around the practice area and some areas of rough. The Power Rake is great attachment as it agitates the shingle, smoothing out the ruts, leaving pristine pathways.

“It will certainly increase productivity and reduce the use of machinery linked to hand/arm vibration hazard, such as strimmers. It is unique in its multi-use applications giving it extreme versatility. I have seen many machinery demonstrations but none have been as impressive as the Ventrac. Every course would benefit from having one.”

Saunton’s General Manager, Jon Sutherland added,

“As Murray has indicated, it was a very impressive demonstration. I hadn’t seen the machine before, but it quickly became apparent that not only would it increase the productivity of the greenkeeping team, but also safeguard them as well. Paul Vickery, our Chairman of Greens, attended the demonstration and we quickly made the purchasing decision. It will certainly contribute to raising the already high presentation standards of our facility, for members and visitors alike.”

Saunton has hosted the R&A Boys Amateur Championship on two occasions. In August 2019, 252 of the world’s most talented boys battled it out over our East and West Courses. After 91 holes of play, the winner Tom Gueant of France beat Wilmer Ederö from Sweden in a sudden-death play-off on the first hole of the East course. Saunton also hosted the Championship back in 1997, when a young Sergio Garcia won the title, before amassing the highest points total for Europe in Ryder Cup history, and also winning the Masters Tournament back in 2017.

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Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

November 25, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Alyson Helwagen

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000: Spectrum® Technologies Inc., expands its broad product offering with the release of the WatchDog® Wireless ET Weather Station. Through the single station, customers can now receive real-time, site-specific weather data on their smartphone, including temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed/direction and solar radiation.

With an LTE CAT-M1/NB-IoT cellular radio, the 3000 Series can monitor the widely dispersed turf areas on a golf course and send data to the SpecConnect™ cloud. After an overnight rainfall, a turf manager can see which areas of the course received different amounts of rainfall with a separate Wireless Rain Temperature/Relative Humidity Station and adjust irrigation run times accordingly. The varied microclimates of a golf course are capably tracked, with localized disease pressure warnings available. The all-in-one design with smartphone setup makes installation quick and easy for someone whose real job is not setting up weather stations.

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

“With this new wireless station, you no longer have to rely on local weather services providing inaccurate rainfall and ET data,” says Mike Thurow, president and CEO of Spectrum® Technologies. “And you can view current weather conditions for your course on your smartphone. With site-specific rainfall and temperature data through the season, more effective decisions are made, and playing conditions are optimized and consistent.”

Spectrum® Technologies is proud to announce that the WatchDog® 3000 Series Weather Station product line recently received the 2021 AE50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). This marks Spectrum®’s 25^th AE50 award recognizing the top innovative new products produced in agricultural equipment.

About Spectrum^® Technologies

Spectrum® Technologies was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois. The company manufactures and distributes affordable, leading-edge, plant-measurement technology to agricultural, horticultural, environmental and turf markets throughout the world, serving more than 14,000 customers in more than 80 countries. Spectrum^®Technologies brands include: WatchDog^®, FieldScout^®, WaterScout^®, DataScout^®, LightScout^® and SpecConnect™. Spectrum has won 25 AE50 Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, which demonstrates the company’s deep commitment to innovation and quality. For more information, call 815-436-4440 or visit www.specmeters.com.

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)

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Ventrac at Saunton Golf Club

Spectrum® unveils WatchDog® 3000

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