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GKB aeration duo making a real difference

January 15, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

GKB aeration duo making a real difference: For Mike Powles and his team of six volunteer grounds staff at Walsham Le Willows Sports Club, the aim of their maintenance is simple: to keep the surfaces in the best possible condition all year round. That task is now much easier thanks to the purchase of a […]

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters

January 15, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters: Husqvarna, a global leader in robotic lawnmowing and part of Husqvarna Group, has signed a multi-year agreement to become the new Title Partner of the British Masters – one of the world’s most historic golf tournaments. The 2026 Husqvarna British Masters will be staged at The Belfry […]

GKB aeration duo making a real difference

January 15, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters

January 15, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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GKB aeration duo making a real difference

January 15, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

GKB aeration duo making a real difference: For Mike Powles and his team of six volunteer grounds staff at Walsham Le Willows Sports Club, the aim of their maintenance is simple: to keep the surfaces in the best possible condition all year round.

That task is now much easier thanks to the purchase of a Deep Tine Aerator (DTA) and Combislit from GKB Machines – allowing the club to maintain consistently high-quality pitches, without reliance on external contractors.

GKB aeration duo making a real difference

Located in the heart of Suffolk the club is a hive of activity, with 24 football teams and eight cricket teams just a few of those making the most of the multi-sport facilities. While the team of volunteers can keep on top of the regular grass cutting and general site maintenance, historically, they relied on contractors to aerate the pitches twice a year. However, as Mike explains, this approach came with challenges. “Contractor availability rarely aligned with our schedule or the ideal ground conditions which meant that costs quickly mounted, but the results weren’t always as we’d hope.”

Looking for a more flexible and cost-effective solution, Mike attended SALTEX, where he said the GKB Deep Tine Aerator (DTA) stood out straight away. “It looked solid and strong. You could tell it was built to last.” Despite torrential rain on demo day, the results were evident – leading to the purchase of a 1.6m model via Ernest Doe close to two years ago.

“We now have full control over where and when we aerate. If conditions are good, we get it on the back of the tractor and away we go” he says. “It’s lovely and straight forward to operate which is important for us as a volunteer team and has meant we’ve been able to get the DTA out more often which is paying dividend in terms of surface quality.”

Impressed by the performance of the DTA, the club returned to Ernest Doe earlier in 2025 to add a GKB Combislit to their fleet. “We attended a GMA event where the pitch advisor suggested we look at a slitter and, because the DTA has worked so well, we only looked at GKB.”

Together, the DTA and Combislit now give Walsham Le Willows year-round options for aeration, whether the upper surface needs opening or for when deeper penetration is required. Mike adds, “We’ve always been impressed with the service from Ernest Does, particularly Adrian Kersey who has been our point of contact for the last eight years. His support, together with that of GKB’s Tom Shinkins has got us up and running and, going into winter, the pitches have never looked better!”

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Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters

January 15, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters: Husqvarna, a global leader in robotic lawnmowing and part of Husqvarna Group, has signed a multi-year agreement to become the new Title Partner of the British Masters – one of the world’s most historic golf tournaments.

The 2026 Husqvarna British Masters will be staged at The Belfry on the iconic Brabazon Course in England. In addition, Husqvarna will also be the official robotic mowing partner of the DP World Tour.

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters

“Golf is the perfect stage to demonstrate the performance of Husqvarna’s robotic lawnmowers, already delivering world-class results at over 1,700 courses worldwide. This partnership marks a shared commitment to reinvent golf course maintenance for a new era”, says Yvette Henshall-Bell, President Europe BU Husqvarna Forest & Garden Division, Husqvarna Group.

First played in 1946, the British Masters has a distinguished history with past champions including Peter Thomson, Tony Jacklin, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Sweden’s Alex Noren in the 2025 tournament. Six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo, himself a Husqvarna Brand Ambassador, will return as host of the Husqvarna British Masters in 2026.

“As a former Champion, I take great pride in hosting this iconic tournament and it’s about to enter an exciting new era with this new partnership. I love Husqvarna’s products, and they will be out in full force at The Belfry next August to make sure the Brabazon Course is in perfect condition”, says Sir Nick Faldo.

As part of the agreement, Husqvarna also becomes an Official Marketing Partner of the 2026 DP World Tour, building on the successful partnership in 2025. In 2026 Husqvarna will be the Official Tournament Partner to the British Masters and the Amgen Irish Open, Corporate Partner to the BMW International Open, KLM Open and FedEx Open de France. With this elevated status, Husqvarna will showcase its products across DP World Tour channels throughout the season, and partner with green keepers and course managers to deliver consistent quality on the tournament courses.

Recently, at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, 15 Husqvarna CEORA robotic mowers maintained all 18 fairways during the tournament, marking the first time robotic mowers have maintained fairways live on the world golf stage.

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.

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Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

GKB aeration duo making a real difference

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters

GKB aeration duo making a real difference

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

GKB aeration duo making a real difference

GKB aeration duo making a real difference: For Mike Powles and his team of six volunteer grounds staff at Walsham Le Willows Sports Club, the aim of their maintenance is simple: to keep the surfaces in the best possible condition all year round.

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters

Husqvarna becomes Title Partner of the British Masters: Husqvarna, a global leader in robotic lawnmowing and part of Husqvarna Group, has signed a multi-year agreement to become the new Title Partner of the British Masters – one of the world’s most historic golf tournaments.

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