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Aspirations of excellence at Trump Turnberry

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

The history of golf at Trump Turnberry in Ayrshire continues to evolve, with the summer of 2016 marking the official reopening of the world renowned Ailsa course, following extensive changes by golf course architect Martin Ebert. In summer 2017, King Robert the Bruce will be unveiled as Trump Turnberry’s second major course. In the largest […]

Pellenc leaves the champions blown away

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

John Ledwidge, grounds manager for reigning Premier League champions Leicester City FC, believes that his new range of Pellenc battery powered equipment offers his staff a safer, healthier and higher performing alternative to petrol powered products. From a team that spent the majority of the 2014/15 season close to the bottom of the table and […]

Aspirations of excellence at Trump Turnberry

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Pellenc leaves the champions blown away

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

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Aspirations of excellence at Trump Turnberry

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

In the largest equipment deal John Deere has ever signed in the UK and Ireland, a new and comprehensive golf course maintenance fleet was supplied by dealer Nairn Brown Ltd of Busby, Glasgow, on a John Deere Financial four-year lease arrangement.

The package of 95 machines included walk-behind greens mowers, tees & surrounds mowers, E-Cut hybrid electric greens and fairway mowers, rough mowers, top of the range compact tractors and both diesel and electric Gator utility vehicles. Additional machines and staff were also provided by John Deere and dealer Nairn Brown as tournament support for the 2015 Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Golf courses and estates manager Allan Patterson, whose CV includes Gleneagles and 10 years on the Castle Course at St Andrews Links, oversees a team of more than 40 greenkeeping, gardening and estate staff at Trump Turnberry. All were involved in some way in the choice of the new machinery fleet, as workshop manager Jim Campbell explains:

“The staff were asked to fill in appraisal sheets, looking particularly at the things they were most comfortable with, which helped the selection and final decision making processes,” he says. “Price is always a key consideration, but back-up is more important still. It’s no good simply having the best kit – if it does break down, the question is how quickly can it be fixed? The relationship with the dealer is also very important.”

In response to the need to maintain a consistent finish across the course, Jim programmes the A Model mowers’ TechControl system before going out with each operator and tweaking the mowing and turning speeds to suit the individual. This strikes a balance between getting the job done in the time available and achieving the best possible cut quality.

“Height of cuts on the tees, surrounds and greens are pretty standard, we try not to change them around too much,” says Jim. “The 8000AE hybrid electric mowers are used on the Ailsa fairways, while 2500E hybrids cut the greens on the Kintyre and 220SL hand mowers cut the greens on Ailsa. The Kintyre has more grass and bigger fairways, so more productivity is required from the mowers on that course.

“We tend to cut the fairways twice a week, the greens every day, the tees and surrounds three times a week and the rough once a week. Generally we aim to hand cut as much as possible, for the visual results. Quality of cut on the John Deere walk-behinds and triples is very good, and meets our expectations.

“The fairway mowers are equipped with Quick Adjust seven-blade cutting units plus rotary brushes instead of groomers – these are less aggressively set, and help to flick up the grass into the boxes. The 220SLs are also equipped with brushes, and 11-blade cylinders.”

Allan Patterson adds: “Mr Trump is the first owner of Turnberry to really address the changes that have been needed for some time. To allow the course to regain and maintain its top status, we have to push on and improve what’s here. Over the last couple of years Turnberry has probably experienced the biggest and most significant of all the changes to Trump courses, and this underlines our desire to return to the very top tier of golf in the UK.

“Our aspiration is to raise standards and the quality of course presentation by increasing cut frequencies. For tournaments and big events, there’s enough kit to cope, and we aim to maintain the very best condition possible. Mr Trump’s support and investment will allow us to move forward with confidence to achieve our ambitions.”

For more information visit www.JohnDeere.co.uk

Pellenc leaves the champions blown away

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

From a team that spent the majority of the 2014/15 season close to the bottom of the table and among the favourites for relegation for the 2015/16 season, a combination of hard work and talent saw them transform into Premier League champions. In doing so, Leicester City FC captured the imaginations of football fans around the world with one of the most unlikely sporting triumphs ever seen.

Arguably, the key ingredient in that success was team-spirit and that applied to everyone at the club – from the manager and players through to the employees who do a magnificent job on a daily basis behind the scenes. It is safe to say that Leicester City FC is a tightly-knit family, so when the opportunity arose to provide a healthier and safety working environment for his grounds staff – John wasn’t about to dismiss it.

“As a manager it is imperative that I consider health and safety as well as the comfortable use of machinery for my staff. For example, heavy vibrating tools can bring about White Finger (an industrial injury triggered by continuous use of vibrating hand-held machinery). Then of course if you’ve got a hand held product with the engine at the base – they are quite heavy and cumbersome and they take their toll on your arms. Then there are the petrol fumes to consider.

“The Pellenc equipment had been recommended to me on a few occasions so I felt that I needed to see them in action. To be honest, I was a little sceptical because I wasn’t sure if you would get enough power out of battery products compared to a petrol engine. However, a full demonstration ensued and every one of us tried every product. We were all blown away and were exceptionally impressed with just how powerful they were. By our own admission I think we were a little ignorant as to just how far advanced battery powered products had become.”

With more than 100 experts including engineers and technicians specialised in research, computer modelling, prototyping, electronics, electrical engineering and mechanics, Pellenc works tirelessly to create the most innovative battery powered products which contribute to reducing the consumption of fossil fuels while increasing your productivity and cost effectiveness.

John went onto purchase a range of Pellenc equipment, including an Airion blower, a Helion hedge cutter, a Selion M12 chainsaw, a Selion polesaw and the Rasion Smart rotary mower – which are all used at the King Power Stadium and its surrounding areas as well as at the club’s training ground.

“We have been over the moon with all of the products but the one we use the most is the Airion blower. Not only do we use it for clearing leaves and debris but we also use it to ‘blow off’ our machinery. Everything that goes into our store has to be clean and dry so that we haven’t got any water sitting on any of the products. For that reason we use the Airion blower on the highest setting, which knocks all the water out of the bearings or joints.

“The engineering behind the Rasion mower is simply fantastic. The way it adjusts itself, the different speed settings, and the way it moves the deck up and down simply knocked our socks off – it was almost like someone landing a spaceship. Outside the stadium we have a nature reserve which is cut down to 70mm and a memorial garden which is cut to 25mm – to be able to press just two buttons to drop the deck according to the height of cut you require is fantastic.”

The products are all powered by Pellenc’s ultra-lithium batteries which feature carrying harnesses to effectively and evenly distribute the weight of the battery. This multi-purpose battery can be used to operate any tool from Pellenc’s electric handheld range and they have been designed to last for up to a full day’s work.

“I’m really impressed with the battery life and how you can get a full day’s work out of one charge. The versatility of simply plugging in a number of products to one battery is also extremely beneficial. Then of course there are the savings – your battery is in effect your fuel costs and electric is considerably cheaper than fuel. I think that just with the mower, we forecasted that we will save around £4,500 over the course of a few years.

“For me, ultimately it’s always about the end product. Is it as powerful as a petrol engine? Yes. Does it do as good a job? Yes. If all that falls into place as well as having the added bonus of being environmentally friendly and being better for my staff to use – then it makes complete sense. I think more and more people are gaining confidence in battery powered equipment and they are right to do so.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk where you can also find more information on Pellenc which is sold exclusively in the UK by Etesia UK.

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Aspirations of excellence at Trump Turnberry

Pellenc leaves the champions blown away

Aspirations of excellence at Trump Turnberry

Pellenc leaves the champions blown away

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Aspirations of excellence at Trump Turnberry

Pellenc leaves the champions blown away

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