Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

June 13, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Val Graham

Extra Wide 3.95 m Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish – A golf club celebrating its bicentenary this year has taken delivery of a double width Wiedenmann Terra Brush. Scotscraig Golf Club is the world’s 13th oldest course and was founded in 1817 by members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers. Just 15 minutes north […]

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

June 12, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

John Deere names apprentices of the year – A total of 33 young service technicians have graduated from the latest John Deere Ag Tech, Parts Tech and Turf Tech advanced apprenticeship programmes, run in partnership with national training provider ProVQ. John Deere has also been listed for the first time as one of the best […]

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

June 13, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Val Graham

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

June 12, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

June 13, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Val Graham

Extra Wide 3.95 m Wiedenmann Terra Brush Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish – A golf club celebrating its bicentenary this year has taken delivery of a double width Wiedenmann Terra Brush.

Scotscraig Golf Club is the world’s 13^th oldest course and was founded in 1817 by members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers. Just 15 minutes north of St Andrews, it features a championship course in a traditional loop, influenced firstly by Old Tom Morris and later by James Braid.

Course Manager, Chris Barnard, and his greenkeeping team of five have newly finished an intensive two year renovation project which reinstated many original features of the famous links and heathlands layout.

Chris Barnard said: “We’ve wanted a brush for a while. Last year we improvised and fashioned one ourselves but it didn’t quite do the job. We chose the Terra Brush with folding wings, and yellow bristles, the firmest ones, because it suited our situation best.

“Its arrival coincided with just 9mm of rain in nine weeks so we took immediate advantage of a dry course, though careful to avoid drought stressed turf.”

The Wiedenmann Terra Brush comes with four rows of bristles, two rows aligned perpendicular to the direction of travel and two in a zig zag formation, making it ideal for intensive and even brushing. On large area such as fairways, the wings can be deployed to extend the working width to 3.95 m.

“Stiff bristles help lift matted areas of the Sheep Fescue fairway sward as well as pulling out dead or dying foliage prior to mowing. In the last few weeks there’s been increasing amount of seeding on greens by the Annual Meadowgrass. We’ve brushed it to stand it up then immediately cut off as much as possible. The brushing has the added benefit of standing up any other lateral growth prior to mowing. Continual brushing means we remove the need to verticut almost completely, detrimental to our good grasses if done too frequently.” continued Chris Barnard.

“Here we have a predominantly Fescue and Bent sward and the bristles help to stand up the grass better and give it a more polished look. The brush will also be a valuable tool in spring, prior to growth starting, as we can use it to create definition around the fairways.”

The team at Scotscraig GC plans to groom all over with their new brush including tees and greens. Gareth Rogers, Area Sales Manager for Fairways GM, Wiedenmann UK’s dealer for Scotland, helped install the new Terra Brush.

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

June 12, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

John Deere has also been listed for the first time as one of the best 100 employers for school leavers in the UK, the only agricultural and turf machinery company to be so recognised (for the full list, click here: www.allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk/employer-rankings).

Three of the company’s apprentices won overall awards for the 2016 graduation year. Jack Robbens of dealer Ben Burgess, Norwich was named Ag Tech Apprentice of the Year, for which he received a crystal plaque, a certificate and vouchers for workshop tools worth £250.

Lewis Parker of Mona Tractors, Llangefni was awarded Turf Tech Apprentice of the Year and Grant Roberts of Cornwall Farm Machinery, Penzance won Parts Tech Apprentice of the Year. Both also received a crystal plaque and certificate, and the same value workshop tools and shopping vouchers respectively.

The presentations were made by Deere & Company’s Region 2 training delivery manager Dr Lutz Schueppenhauer and John Deere Limited training centre manager Richard Halsall at the John Deere Forum visitor centre in Mannheim, Germany. They took place during the apprentices’ annual graduation visit to the company’s tractor and cab factories and European Parts Distribution Centre (EPDC).

John Deere’s three-year Ag Tech and Turf Tech and two-year Parts Tech apprenticeships lead to IMI Level 2 & 3 Diplomas in Landbased Engineering, and registration at LTA2 level in the industry’s Landbased Technician Accreditation scheme. In subsequent years qualified technicians undergo further education and adult training within the John Deere University programme, on a career path that can ultimately lead to the highest possible LTA4 Master Technician accreditation.

Now in its 25^th year, Ag Tech was the first such scheme to be introduced in the UK and won a National Training Award at the end of 1997, the only one ever made to an agricultural machinery apprenticeship programme. Since the first programme started in 1992, nearly 700 apprentices have graduated through the three main John Deere schemes (Ag Tech, Parts Tech and Turf Tech) and are now working in the company’s nationwide dealer network.

The John Deere and ProVQ schemes were recently included in the 2017 School Leaver Awards, in recognition of the programme’s quality and the opportunities it presents to young people working productively in the agricultural and turf sectors.

“We beat some very strong competition from other household names, coming first for an engineering and manufacturing company and third overall in the ‘Best Intermediate Apprenticeship Programme’ category,” says ProVQ managing director Julian Lloyd. “To be recognised as one of the country’s top 100 employers for school leavers, as judged by the apprentices themselves, makes us all very proud of the achievement.”

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Wiedenmann Gives Scotscraig GC Additional Polish

John Deere Names Apprentices Of The Year

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT