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Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

March 20, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland: Simon Grand, Course Manager at North Foreland Golf Club in Kent, has reported impressive results from using BASF’s Attraxor, a plant growth regulator recommended and supplied by Agrovista Amenity. Known for its unique coastal setting and historic courses, North Foreland faces the dual challenges of high traffic and […]

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s

March 19, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s: Hibernian Football Club, celebrated as Scotland’s greenest football club, has made significant strides in sustainable grounds management with the purchase of the Dennis ES-860 battery-powered mower. Head Groundsman Steven Thomas has found the ES-860 invaluable for its maintenance efficiency, environmental benefits, and ability to meet early game day […]

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

March 20, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s

March 19, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

March 20, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland: Simon Grand, Course Manager at North Foreland Golf Club in Kent, has reported impressive results from using BASF’s Attraxor, a plant growth regulator recommended and supplied by Agrovista Amenity.

Known for its unique coastal setting and historic courses, North Foreland faces the dual challenges of high traffic and dry, windswept conditions. For Simon, the location was a major draw when he joined nine years ago. Moving from a North London clay course, he was eager to manage turf on the free-draining chalk downland and embrace the challenges of this coastal environment.

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Managing the club’s courses, which host approximately 60,000 rounds of golf annually, presents unique challenges. The main course is particularly demanding, with its exposure to winds and a need for consistent, high-quality turf management. With a relatively small team of eight full-time staff, efficiency and innovative solutions are key.

Simon’s relationship with Agrovista Amenity dates back years. Familiar with their product range and expertise, he has trusted the company’s advice and offerings to optimise the club’s turf management.

This year, Simon decided to trial BASF’s Attraxor plant growth regulator: “I’d read positive studies and listened to feedback about the product from other users, particularly its seed head suppression and disease management benefits. The buzz around it grew to the point where I had to see for myself,” he said.

Attraxor is designed to reduce vertical grass growth while promoting lateral spread and tillering. This leads to a denser turf with improved playability and less frequent mowing, freeing up valuable time for other maintenance tasks. The product is especially beneficial for suppressing seed head production and can play a role in disease management.

Simon’s first application on the Northcliffe course was in early spring. “We applied it at the full rate during a mild March. The results were immediate. Within the first few weeks, we noticed significantly reduced growth leading to less leaf removal when cutting and more consistent putting surfaces. I definitely noticed a reduction in seed head as well, when normally they would have been very prevalent at that time of year. There was also a major decrease in disease considering the conditions we were facing. After the initial application we are generally applying it every three weeks and have continued to do so ever since.”

The results impressed Simon enough to integrate Attraxor into the main course maintenance plan later in the summer. “It wasn’t just a short-term solution; it became part of our long-term strategy.”

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Attraxor’s use on the two courses demonstrated benefits like reduced mowing frequency and lower disease presence, which were crucial given the limited resources of the team. “We’re not the largest team managing two busy courses, so any product that helps us maintain quality while reducing workload is invaluable. The challenges we face now as an industry are immense. Greenkeeping can be a tough environment based around labour shortages and the limited products you can use, so a good growth regulator can be a key product in this respect,” he said.

Simon values the ongoing relationship with Andrew Norman, his Agrovista Amenity representative, whose knowledge helps guide North Foreland’s maintenance practices. “Andrew and I have a great understanding, and we work well together. Furthermore, Agrovista’s seminars and resources have been great for learning about new products like Attraxor and fitting them into our programmes,” he added.

The positive results from the initial trials have encouraged Simon to explore Attraxor’s use on tees, aprons, and even bunker faces as time and conditions allow. He remains committed to building on this year’s success and integrating Attraxor into a broader, year-round turf management plan. “I think all the time the grass is growing, Attraxor will be a part of the programme,” Simon said.

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s

March 19, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s: Hibernian Football Club, celebrated as Scotland’s greenest football club, has made significant strides in sustainable grounds management with the purchase of the Dennis ES-860 battery-powered mower.

Head Groundsman Steven Thomas has found the ES-860 invaluable for its maintenance efficiency, environmental benefits, and ability to meet early game day demands, reinforcing the club’s commitment to top-tier pitch quality and sustainability.

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s

The Dennis ES-860 is a 34-inch battery-powered turf management system, renowned for its versatility, with 13 interchangeable cassette options that handle a wide array of essential tasks like cutting, scarifying, brushing, and verticutting. For Steven, this level of flexibility has been transformative in his approach to maintaining the stadium pitch at Hibernian.

“We’ve had the ES-860 for almost twelve months, and it’s exceeded all of my expectations,” Steven explains. “When I joined the club, we had limited machinery, and upgrading it was a priority. After testing a few brands, the difference with the ES-860 was night and day. As soon as I tried it on the pitch, I knew it was the one for us. The ease of use was far superior to anything we tried.”

Switching to battery power was also a strategic choice, aligning with the club’s environmental goals. As the first Scottish football club to join the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, Hibernian is deeply committed to sustainability. “When I first started, Hibs had recently won an award for being the greenest football club in Scotland, and so getting the ES-860 was a no-brainer—it aligned perfectly with that recognition.”

The ES-860 has made a considerable difference in daily routines for Steven and his team. With its low noise level, the ES-860 enables the grounds team to start work earlier without disturbing nearby residents. “Where we store the equipment, there are adjacent houses,” says Steven. “Starting petrol mowers at 7 a.m. is challenging due to noise regulations, so having the ES-860 lets us get an early start without disturbing anyone.”

This quiet operation is invaluable for early kick-off days, especially when games are scheduled at 12 p.m. on Sundays. “For Sky Sports games, we often need the pitch ready by 8 a.m., which means cutting at 4 a.m. The ES-860 lets us meet this demand. It’s been a game-changer for those high-pressure mornings.”

This mower has become central to Hibernian’s daily maintenance, used up to twice a day in the summer and at least once a day during the winter. “The quality of cut and the quality of finish is first-class,” Steven adds.

The battery life of the ES-860 is another highlight. “After a year of use, the battery performance remains exceptional. Our rule of thumb is that it should be able to handle a full pitch cut once or twice, and it consistently does that without any issues. The battery life hasn’t dipped, which is key for me.”

Working with Dennis has also proved valuable beyond the machine itself. “The support from Dennis has been fantastic. In the past, I’ve had new machinery where, once sold, you never hear from them again. Dennis is different—the team is always on hand, ready to help, and go out of their way if I need them.”

With features that support both environmental initiatives and practical day-to-day demands, the Dennis ES-860 has become indispensable at Hibernian FC.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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)

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland

Attraxor powers turf success for North Foreland: Simon Grand, Course Manager at North Foreland Golf Club in Kent, has reported impressive results from using BASF’s Attraxor, a plant growth regulator recommended and supplied by Agrovista Amenity.

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s

Hibernian FC Goes Greener with Dennis ES-860’s: Hibernian Football Club, celebrated as Scotland’s greenest football club, has made significant strides in sustainable grounds management with the purchase of the Dennis ES-860 battery-powered mower.

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