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Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

March 10, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club: Every blade of grass at West Essex Golf Club is cut by a Baroness mower – the case for the last seven years and one that looks set to stay for the foreseeable future according to Course Manager Paul Kimber. The fleet currently consists of two LM315 […]

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

March 10, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate: With a career spanning 20 years, Jamie Melham, Head Greenkeeper at one of the finest in Sussex, Highwoods Golf Club, brings his experience and collaboration with specialist for Consolidate Turf, Rob Welford, to enhance the health and aesthetics of the golf course. Jamie began his greenkeeping journey two decades ago, […]

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

March 10, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

March 10, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

March 10, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club: Every blade of grass at West Essex Golf Club is cut by a Baroness mower – the case for the last seven years and one that looks set to stay for the foreseeable future according to Course Manager Paul Kimber.

The fleet currently consists of two LM315 greens mowers, two LM2700 fairways mowers, an LM331 for tees and a GM2810 rotary mower for roughs which the team say demonstrate outstanding reliability and cylinders which deliver an industry-leading quality of cut.

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

Paul has been at the parkland course on the outskirts of Epping Forest for 37 years, and in the top job since 2018. He explains that the origins of the club’s relationship with Baroness was very much a happy accident! “We were welcoming a new Head Greenkeeper who purchased a suite of Baroness machines, and then didn’t end up actually joining – leaving us with these mowers we knew very little about. We started using it and that was it, we were sold straight away and have never looked at anything else since.”

“Our team all have experience with various makes of mower and consider Baroness to not only be superior, but also at a more competitive cost point.”

In particular, Paul notes the quality of the cutting units. “These are just next level. You barely have to touch them to put them on cut, and they then stay on cut forever. They do not wear down easily, robust enough to cut through anything!” The robust theme continues, “The machines as a whole are well built and reliable. We like that everything is mechanical, not electronic, so we can keep on top of routine maintenance ourselves and not end up with graveyards of kit waiting for diagnostic testing or replacement parts.”

The fleet of cylinder and rotary mowers were supplied by dealer George Browns Ltd who, together with Stuart Gray at Baroness, have delivered second-to-none support and service. “They’re all a pleasure to deal with and go the extra mile to get answers or solutions to any questions we have. It’s just another reason why we’d never look anywhere else.”

Complimenting the mowers is a Baroness SP05A bunker rake which Paul admits the club could now not live without. “It’s one of those few machines where, if it broke today, we’d be ordering a new one tomorrow! We use this machine at least three times a week to brush and smooth the bunkers but, in addition, ours has a front blade which acts like a plough so we can use it for moving and spreading path material.”

He concludes, “Anyone who hasn’t thought to try a Baroness mower, get your hands on one and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!”

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Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

March 10, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate: With a career spanning 20 years, Jamie Melham, Head Greenkeeper at one of the finest in Sussex, Highwoods Golf Club, brings his experience and collaboration with specialist for Consolidate Turf, Rob Welford, to enhance the health and aesthetics of the golf course.

Jamie began his greenkeeping journey two decades ago, accruing experience at Dale Hill Golf Club and Lamberhurst Golf Club before joining Highwoods Golf Club, where he has been for over eight years leading a team of six greens staff. His role involves not just maintaining the course but also continuously experimenting with and refining turf management practices.

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

Jamie’s partnership with Rob Welford from Consolidate Turf started 3 years ago and has been instrumental in transforming the nutrient management approach at Highwoods. Rob’s expertise and responsiveness have provided Jamie with confidence and reliable support, and the use of consolidate products played a big part in the presentation of the course, when the club celebrated its centenary year in 2024.

One specific challenge Jamie faced was the inconsistency in fertilizer prill size from a different supplier. Initially, Rob assessed the golf course’s overall plant health, leading to the transition from granular to liquid fertilizers for more consistent results, using Consolidate Plus to kickstart the greens early in the season. This approach has proven successful for three consecutive seasons.

Jamie explains “I began by applying Consolidate products to the approach areas and soon extended their use to the greens. I am now on a full annual package of Consolidate liquids, including seaweed, potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients, which are customised yearly to meet the specific needs for growth, colour and overall turf health.”

“Like all our customers we have a bespoke programme for Jamie,” explains Rob “The use of the Consolidate nitrogen source gives the turf an efficient food source to make the building blocks of proteins and amino acids to deliver healthy results on the greens without any of the associated drawbacks of conventional nitrogen sources. The liquids provide the control needed to deliver the correct dosage. We do leaf analysis to check the plant is receiving everything it needs. This is coupled with a programme for approaches and fairways, tailored for his individual needs and requirements in these different areas.

For the approaches, Jamie maintains a treatment schedule of every three weeks, a practice he also applies during the winter to prevent disease. “The results speak for themselves” said Jamie “With consistent progress across every area treated. Improvements in colour, grass strength and wearability, less disease and faster recovery.” This has led to expanding these practices to the fairways, using Consolidate products across all key areas of the course and making ongoing adjustments based on Rob’s recommendations.

In addition to using Consolidate products, Jamie incorporates feedback from the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) into his maintenance program. STRI provides annual soil analysis, which Jamie, and Rob review to adjust the nutrient program, as necessary. This collaboration ensures that the turf management practices are continuously optimized based on scientific data.

The structured and scientifically backed approach to turf management, combined with Rob’s products and STRI’s analysis, provides reassurance to the club’s board, allowing Jamie to focus on maintaining his own ambitious standards.

For further information visit www.consolidateturf.com

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.

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Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club: Every blade of grass at West Essex Golf Club is cut by a Baroness mower – the case for the last seven years and one that looks set to stay for the foreseeable future according to Course Manager Paul Kimber.

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

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