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More cricket? No problem for Durham

June 12, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

More cricket? No problem for Durham: As the old saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – exactly the motto of Durham County Cricket Club’s Head Groundsman Vic Demain when it comes to his usage of Johnsons J Premier Wicket. Now into his seventh season with the 100% perennial ryegrass mixture, he cites […]

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter

June 12, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter: Seaton Carew Golf Club, a historic championship course and the 10th oldest in England, has recently undergone a transformative upgrade with the installation of a state-of-the-art Hunter irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK. Course Manager Tom Coulson, who took charge of Seaton Carew in 2020, has spent […]

More cricket? No problem for Durham

June 12, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter

June 12, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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More cricket? No problem for Durham

June 12, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

More cricket? No problem for Durham: As the old saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – exactly the motto of Durham County Cricket Club’s Head Groundsman Vic Demain when it comes to his usage of Johnsons J Premier Wicket.

Now into his seventh season with the 100% perennial ryegrass mixture, he cites the early season establishment, wear tolerance and visual merit as the reasons he’s never considered changing as the club gets set for one of the longest and most intense seasons of cricket to date!

More cricket? No problem for Durham

It’s not just the number of years clocking up for Vic at the Bank Homes Riverside Stadium, as are the demands on the playing surface – with the season extending at both ends and fixtures starting earlier every year. “The windows we have to get onto the ground have reduced significantly due to the quantity of games and training sessions meaning we rely heavily on having a well established and strong sward going into the season” he explains. “Theoretically this is not too much of a problem, except that we also have to battle the cold and dry northeastern climate!”

“Typically we won’t see consistent growth until the end of May, by which point we can be halfway through our county championship season. This makes speed of germination crucial for our autumn renovation work, achieving that germination before we lose the temperature to ensure we go into the following season with good coverage.”

Not just renowned for rapid establishment, the four top-rated cultivars in J Premier Wicket ensure outstanding wear tolerance, high disease resistance and fineness of leaf for aesthetic and play quality across squares and outfields. “It’s the only seed we use, both for renovations and in-season repairs if and when needed” Vic adds.

“Besides germination, fineness of leaf is also incredibly important to us for both play and presentation purposes. The team and I take incredible pride in how the ground looks from the stands and with J Premier Wicket we get it looking its best from every angle.” He continues, “This is assisted by the fact that we see very little in the way of disease.”

On the topic of assistance, Vic also rates the back up technical support from Martin Stephenson of Aitkens and, more recently, DLF’s Ben Morgan. “I have always had nothing but quality advice from Martin and the DLF technical team, many of whom I’ve known for a good number of years. It’s a great product, at a great price, which performs year after year. Why would I consider using anything else?!”

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Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter

June 12, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter: Seaton Carew Golf Club, a historic championship course and the 10th oldest in England, has recently undergone a transformative upgrade with the installation of a state-of-the-art Hunter irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK.

Course Manager Tom Coulson, who took charge of Seaton Carew in 2020, has spent over 20 years in greenkeeping, driven by a passion that started as a junior golfer trying to improve his local course. Recognising Seaton Carew’s potential, Tom knew that with the right plan, the course could be elevated to an even higher standard.

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter

However, one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of that vision was an outdated irrigation system.

“It was immediately clear that one thing holding Seaton Carew back was the existing irrigation system, which was not fit for purpose,” Tom explained. “There was a 100% correlation between poor examples of turf and little to no irrigation coverage. For Seaton Carew to progress, it needed a fully functional modern irrigation system, especially now considering how busy golf courses are all the time.”

After a careful evaluation process and with guidance from KAR UK & Hunter, Seaton Carew selected the Hunter GT-885 sprinklers for its fairways, greens, and surrounds. This was installed alongside completely new main pipework and cabling. The club have implemented a phased in-house installation of I-20’s and GT885’s on tee boxes, with a 5-10 year plan to reconfigure, level, and irrigate them.

Additionally, grass pathways were enhanced with Hunter MP rotator sprinklers, allowing the club to gradually move away from the astroturf that previously lined the pathways.

Before any of this could be implemented, a new pump set was installed in 2022. Sized specifically for the new system, this pump set was integrated with the existing setup and laid the foundation for irrigation upgrades.

To ensure a smooth and efficient installation, Seaton Carew partnered with Arden Lea Irrigation, a company with an impressive track record of previous installations.

“Arden Lea was chosen because their previous client list was the ideal reference, but it was their honest communication and ability to phase the work while keeping the course fully functional for members that made them a perfect fit,” Tom noted.

The new Hunter system has already delivered significant improvements.

“The key benefit is having the ability to irrigate and control turf conditions across the course, rather than just in certain parts,” Tom explained. “Water is now applied more accurately, reducing waste and ensuring better turf health. The turf has responded superbly—recovery has been quicker, and the system is now used to prevent damage and aid divot recovery.”

The upgraded pipework has also resulted in a much higher flow capacity, reducing run times and allowing irrigation to take place during optimal conditions, such as the short, low-wind periods at night – a critical factor for a links course.

Additionally, the Hunter GT sprinklers have proven superior in real-world conditions, outperforming other systems by delivering a higher bulk water jet that carries through light winds to hit its target effectively.

KAR UK played a pivotal role in the project’s success, providing expert advice, technical support, and high-quality Hunter products from the outset.

“Our experience working with KAR UK was very positive,” Tom said. “Wesley Henshaw from KAR UK provided support from the very start, demonstrating the quality of the Hunter product even before any official agreement was made. The software training, database creation, and hardware management were all provided seamlessly, which made the entire process very free-flowing.”

“I would definitely recommend KAR UK to other golf clubs looking to improve their courses by upgrading their irrigation facility. The quality of the product, combined with their support throughout the process, makes them an excellent choice.”

With the new Hunter irrigation system fully operational and a phased plan in place for continued improvements, Seaton Carew Golf Club is well-positioned to maintain its status as one of the finest links courses on the east coast.

For more information, please visit www.karuk.com

You can also follow KAR UK on X and Instagram @KARUK_LTD for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

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)

More cricket? No problem for Durham

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter

More cricket? No problem for Durham

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

More cricket? No problem for Durham

More cricket? No problem for Durham: As the old saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – exactly the motto of Durham County Cricket Club’s Head Groundsman Vic Demain when it comes to his usage of Johnsons J Premier Wicket.

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter

Seaton Carew Improves Turf Quality Thanks to Hunter: Seaton Carew Golf Club, a historic championship course and the 10th oldest in England, has recently undergone a transformative upgrade with the installation of a state-of-the-art Hunter irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK.

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