Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours

July 20, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours: Following Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club’s purchase of Ventrac 4500, Course Manager Dominic Lewis is saving hundreds of greenkeeping hours at the 132-year old club. Situated within Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, the club has two 18-hole courses, both over 100 years old and they are proud that no earth was […]

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds

July 20, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Puja Kotecha

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds: Walker Mowers have announced ARB & Grounds as dealers to further strengthen their distribution network within the Derbyshire area. ARB & Grounds is a family owned business, selling and servicing garden/grounds machinery to its loyal customers throughout the years. The Derby showroom recently had some Walker Mowers delivered which […]

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours

July 20, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds

July 20, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Puja Kotecha

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours

July 20, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours: Following Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club’s purchase of Ventrac 4500, Course Manager Dominic Lewis is saving hundreds of greenkeeping hours at the 132-year old club.

Situated within Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, the club has two 18-hole courses, both over 100 years old and they are proud that no earth was moved, no ponds dug or streams diverted during their construction. They are entirely natural and rely on the uncontrived hazards of heather, narrow fairways, hollows and water to test the skill of the golfer.

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours

Dominic Lewis has been in post for just over a year, having held similar positions at Hadley Wood, Harewood Downs, Oakland Park and Datchet golf clubs. Commenting on the Ventrac he said,

“I’ve been in my position since May last year and quickly discovered the huge amount of time the team were spending on strimming work, on the banks and in the ditches. It was amazing the amount of time it took; it was a nightmare and, of course, it’s physical and extremely uncomfortable in hot weather. We looked for a solution and discovered the Ventrac. Our local dealer, Ernest Doe, sourced a machine, we had a demonstration and it was obvious it was what we needed. We chose four attachments; the Contour deck, Tough Cut deck, Trencher and Power Rake, so we have virtually four dedicated machines in one. At around £55K for the package, I would say it’s certainly value for money.”

Dave Wakeley, Deputy Course Manager, is the principal operator of the machine and is more impressed with it every time he takes it out.

“It’s a gamechanger for us and is saving us hours on some of the really time-intensive jobs around the courses. For instance, we have to strim the banks and ditches every three weeks and it used to take five of us up to three days to complete. With the Ventrac we have reduced strimming hours by at least 75%, maybe more.

“Following the very wet winter we took the opportunity to add some drainage bands to some particularly difficult areas on site. The Trencher attachment was great for this, very quick and it left a tidy finish, once we’d laid the pipes and inserted the gravel.

“It’s superb on banks and goes where no other machine can go. It takes a little time to get used to, to gain the confidence to go into steep areas, but you soon get to know where it can go. We have used all four attachments; the Power Rake has proved very useful in reinstating the cart paths and machinery tracks, agitating the compacted material, removing ruts and smoothing out the surface. I used it in both wet and dry conditions and would recommend doing this job when it’s wet!”

Dave Mitchell is the club’s long-serving mechanic, having been in the industry for over 45 years, and for the last 30 at Ashdown Forest. He knows a good machine when he sees one.

“This is a very good and well-built machine,” he said. “It’s made from heavy duty steel; the welding is good and it’s robust. The attachments are belt-driven and easy to maintain, there are a couple of grease nipples that are difficult to access, but that’s being very picky! The lift-up decks are a great feature, so there’s no excuse for not cleaning the machine after use. All-in-all, a good addition to our fleet.”

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.

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds

July 20, 2020/in News, Press Release/by Puja Kotecha

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds: Walker Mowers have announced ARB & Grounds as dealers to further strengthen their distribution network within the Derbyshire area.

ARB & Grounds is a family owned business, selling and servicing garden/grounds machinery to its loyal customers throughout the years. The Derby showroom recently had some Walker Mowers delivered which are on display and ready for customers to view for a demonstration from one of ARB’s specialists.

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds

Ben Gold, area sales manager said; “It is great to have ARB & Grounds on board and we look forward to working with them closely a lot more in the future. Gus and his team are very passionate about Walker and we are delighted that they will represent the brand in Derbyshire.”

Gus, general manager at ARB, comments, “We are thrilled to be the latest business joining Walker’s strong dealership network. They are a perfect fit for our garden and grounds customers. Our specialist team is fully up to speed with the products and ready to get stuck into demonstrating, selling and supporting the brand”.

For any enquiries on the Walker range at ARB & Grounds or general help please visit https://arbandgrounds.com/ or contact via phone on 01332 833366.

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 saving greenkeeping hours

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours

Ventrac saving greenkeeping hours: Following Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club’s purchase of Ventrac 4500, Course Manager Dominic Lewis is saving hundreds of greenkeeping hours at the 132-year old club.

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds

Walker Mowers appoint ARB & Grounds: Walker Mowers have announced ARB & Grounds as dealers to further strengthen their distribution network within the Derbyshire area.

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT