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International Thank a Greenkeeper Day

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International Thank a Greenkeeper Day: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, in conjunction with other global greenkeeper and course superintendent groups, is recognising those who help keep golf courses enjoyable and sustainable with an international ‘Thank a Greenkeeper Day’.

BIGGA, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and other partner associations are encouraging those who love golf to take a moment to thank their course’s greenkeeping team.

International Thank a Greenkeeper Day

International Thank a Greenkeeper Day

Thank a Greenkeeper Day will be celebrated on Tuesday 13 September, which also marks the GCSAA’s 96th anniversary.

The celebration will include a commercial that will appear on the Golf Channel and other media outlets and social media messages touting the many ways that greenkeepers benefit the game and their communities’ golfers. Others are encouraged to join in the conversation on social media using the hashtags #ThankAGreenkeeper or #ThankASuper depending on their country’s nomenclature. In addition, golf courses and other groups are encouraged to provide special recognition for their greenkeeping teams on 13 September.

During the 2021 Thank a Greenkeeper Day, social media messages reached more than 9 million followers around the world.

To learn more about BIGGA and the role greenkeepers play in the enjoyment and sustainability of the game, visit www.bigga.org.uk

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A decade of MM seed for Rugby School

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A decade of MM seed for Rugby School: James Mead, Grounds Manager at the world-famous Rugby School in Warwickshire, has revealed why he has used MM50 grass seed for the last ten years.

Rugby School, founded in 1567, is one of the oldest public schools in England, and is renowned worldwide for being the place where the game of rugby was born and developed. In fact, visitors travel from far and wide to visit the school’s small museum and to see where the legendary student William Webb Ellis, took a football in his arms and ran with it.

A decade of MM seed for Rugby School

A decade of MM seed for Rugby School

It is fitting that a school of such status also boasts a fabulous sporting reputation and James Mead and his experienced team work hard to keep the facilities in pristine condition.

James believes that a grass seed is one of the most integral components in producing a high-quality sports pitch and it is for this reason that he chooses to use MM50.

“I initially heard of MM50 through seminars and various events, and I’ve now been using it for just over ten years,” he said. “The quality of the grass and the cleanliness of the mix is very important – we don’t want any rogue grasses or agricultural left in the mix. MM50 is a very clean mixture.”

MM is one of the most respected brands in the UK amenity industry, with over 40 years of experience and knowledge. The extensive product portfolio is second to none with performance proven mixtures that are used at many leading venues in the UK and Europe.

MM50, in particular, is one of the UK’s biggest selling grass mixtures. The hard-wearing ryegrass mix is very fine leaved, has high shoot density, is tolerant to close mowing down to 4-5mm and produces a great colour all year round. It also has quick recovery from damage and play.

“We use MM50 on our cricket squares, wickets, cricket outfields and we also use MM60 on the first team rugby pitch,” said James. “We overseed as much as we can depending on weather, and it gives us great coverage, great density, and a good fineness of leaf. Very rarely do we get disease and it gives us first-class colour. Playability wise it is excellent and it is ideal for the run of a ball. MM50 just ticks all the boxes that we are looking for.”

Both MM50 and MM60 (an ideal mixture for winter sports pitches) are treated with Headstart® GOLD – a revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination. It benefits from minerals such as Phosphorus, Sulphur, Copper and Molybdenum which all help to stimulate root formation, development and growth ensuring that the seedling grass plant develops a strong root system during the critical start-up phase.

“The speed of the germination certainly takes the pressure off the initial seeding,” said James. “We tend not to put fertiliser down with the MM50 straight away, instead we let the seed come through first. The initial protection to the plant from the mix is ideal.

“The quality of MM50 has never diminished and if anything, it keeps improving. It is a very trustworthy product. Seeding takes a lot of time and effort, and you want the best results for your hard work.”

James also praised the support he receives from both MM and Agrovista Amenity (distributor of MM).

“I have a very good relationship with Matt Gresty from MM seed and also with Mark Allen from Agrovista Amenity – who is able to provide various products of great benefit to us.”

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s website www.mm-seeds.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

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A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore: Canmore Golf Club is celebrating 125 years with delivery of the industry’s first and only fairway hybrid mower, the Reelmaster 5010-H from Toro.

It’s quite the achievement to reach your quasquicentennial milestone and Canmore Golf Club in Dunfermline, Fife decided to combine that with also making it the year they chose distributor Reesink Scotland to help address several problems it was experiencing, all of which were solved thanks to this brand-new budding relationship and one of Toro’s most revolutionary inventions: the Reelmaster 5010-H.

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

Golf course manager Graeme Holland, who has been overseeing operations at the club for over 30 years, explains the decision-making process: “It was time to make some changes. We needed to reduce fuel consumption and noise pollution and just felt the time was right to go the hybrid route for environmental reasons, and we needed a dealer we could rely on.”

Recognised as the industry’s first and only fairway mower with a true hybrid drive system, the Reelmaster 5010-H represents an absolute breakthrough in technology and is a big highlight in the turfcare machinery journey towards electric power. And now two are part of Canmore’s arsenal.

Graeme continues: “The reliability is there with Toro. They test the machines a lot more than the competition so they’re a lot more user-friendly and easier to work with. They have similar controls as the greens machines and that means we can swap machines with no issues. Sometimes we don’t even need to call in a mechanic because we can work out the problem ourselves as they’re so intuitive.

“The price of fuel is horrendous right now so any savings we could make and redistribute to other parts of the golf course were most welcome. We’re saving around 20 percent on fuel now and that works out to be quite a substantial figure on the total cost of ownership.

“Three quarters of the course is surrounded by houses, so noise was an issue when we started work in the mornings. Now we carry on with our routine as normal but with less disturbance. Pollution-wise, they’re a lot cleaner than diesel and of course there’s no risk of hydraulic oil spills.”

Graeme further comments on the performance of the Reelmaster and how he had some reservations at the start:

“We have a lot of slopes to cut so we needed a fairway machine that had four-wheel drive and enough power to get the job done,” he explains. “I was a bit sceptical as the 5010-H only has a 25hp engine but with the batteries also producing power, it’s more than enough and we can safely work in any conditions on the course. We’re getting a very consistent cut throughout and thus there’s a much better level of play on the fairways.”

The decision to change dealers came into play as the service the club was receiving from its previous dealer was not up to par with Graeme’s standards. He comments: “The overall experience is better with Toro and Reesink. The service department at Reesink Scotland, from the reps to the mechanics, is brilliant. Their back-up and knowledge of the machinery is fantastic – they know everything there is to know. Their service van holds maybe fifty common parts that we would use, so all it takes is a quick call and they’ll have whatever it is we need ready the next day.

“We’re always extremely busy as we’re a small club with just about one of every machine. So, if one goes down, we need that quick turn-around to allow us to keep things always moving. Reesink fits the bill for that, and we couldn’t be happier we made the switch especially in such a key year in our history.”

To talk to someone about Toro technology and how the Toro range could suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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Three of a kind for Reesink

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Three of a kind for Reesink: Continuing with its firm focus on sales, servicing, training and parts for all brands with a locally-focused team, Reesink UK has opened its third branch in Burwell, Cambridgeshire.

The branch which serves the areas of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, joins Reesink Scotland and Reesink South East and opens up direct access to local turf machinery specialists in an extensive new area.

Three of a kind for Reesink

Three of a kind for Reesink

The brief for branch manager, Trevor Chard, was to set up a dealership that builds relationships on a local level, deals directly with customers and responds to specific customer needs for the area. Not only has that been achieved but surpassed, as he explains: “The pleasure of managing a branch is that the autonomy to make decisions in terms of what we stock, distribute and deliver is, to a degree, for us to determine based on the specific needs of customers in the area.”

Customers will be familiar with the brands Reesink UK distributes: Toro fine turf and groundscare machinery, STAR EV utility vehicles and golf buggies, Farmtrac tractors and TYM tractors which are all available through the branch, about which Trevor comments: “These brands, in particular STAR EV, are doing very well in this area, but breaking it down even further customers are particularly interested in the sustainable options offered by each brand. The all-electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 riding greens mower, Workman GTX Lithium Ion utility vehicle and the Reelmaster 5010-H hybrid from Toro, and the FT25G all-electric compact tractor from Farmtrac for example.

“As a result, we’ve been able to fine-tune the range we offer our customers, we’ve taken on board new brands specific to what the market here is responding to and that’s proving to be a winning formula.”

The wide-spread interest in reducing CO2 emissions by businesses in the area led to Reesink Burwell widening its offering since opening to include Cramer, the biggest amperage available for battery-driven power tools, and Biocircle for sustainable cleaning of turfcare machinery.

Alongside the brands it offers its customers, a large part of the branch’s business is servicing maintenance contracts. The ReeAssure scheme has three plans available for machines and what particularly appeals to customers is that you can put certain machines on different plans.

Trevor continues: “This is a key part of the business – we have 77 ReeAssure Maintenance contracts of which 21 percent are Gold. As the customer puts individual machines on a plan and not necessarily the whole fleet, we have many customers with machines in all three plans. That takes some managing and it’s why we’ve staffed the division up with three really experienced mobile technicians. These guys can do everything from routine maintenance to scheduled servicing on mowers, sprayers, aerators, you name it. Our customers need to know that with their machines on plan with us, downtime becomes a thing of the past, especially with our parts distribution running as the head office’s does, on 24 hours delivery.”

Completing the offering available through the branch is training, with space on site to accommodate practical training in the workshops and forecourt and theory in meeting rooms. Trevors explains: “Again, we have the autonomy to produce and provide training specific to what our customers want and need, stepping away from the general plans available through head office. We can design our own packages, making training even easier for customers.”

What is next for the branch, which thanks to remodelling an office in COVID restricted times, is a little later than planned? Trevor says: “We just want people to know we’re here. That through us they can get access to the best international brands available on the UK market, but with the benefit of working with local turf machinery specialists. We’re independent, we don’t funnel into a system, we can respond instantly to local market changes and design our business to offer the right products for the local industry as it moves forward in new directions.”

To speak to Reesink Burwell about what brands, services and expertise it can offer, call 01638 594 340.

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MM Seed – Fit for a King

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MM Seed – Fit for a King: The market leading MM grass seed is working wonders for the King’s Bruton Foundation according to Director of Grounds, Graham Kitley.

The King’s Bruton Foundation, in Somerset, comprises three schools – King’s Bruton, Hazlegrove Preparatory and Bruton School for Girls. The three boarding schools are united by a common set of values and principles and bound by a shared history that stretches back five hundred years to the foundation of King’s in 1519.

MM Seed - Fit for a King

MM Seed – Fit for a King

Standards are everything to the Foundation and that also applies to the extensive twenty-two acres of grounds which are managed by Graham Kitley. With twenty years’ experience of working in independent schools, it is safe to say that the grounds and sports facilities are in good hands.

Before being promoted to the position of Director of Grounds in July 2021, Graham spent just over four years working solely on the Hazlegrove site. He now oversees the King’s Bruton and Hazlegrove sites the two separate grounds teams.

“How the schools are presented is incredibly important,” said Graham. “We take pride in the grounds because it is the first thing you see when you arrive, and first impressions are everything. Furthermore, both of the Headmasters are very sport minded people, and it is important that the pupils are out playing as much sport as they can on the very best facilities.

“As a grounds team we are backed by the School and the Bursar in terms of budget for products and machinery.”

Graham admits to being in a fortunate position and insists on using only the finest products. This was certainly the case when it came to choosing a grass seed.

“I speak to many people in the industry about products and it became apparent that a lot were using MM seed. Because everyone was raving about the benefits of MM, I thought I’d try it. It did exactly what everybody said it would do and it has been phenomenal ever since.”

MM is one of the most respected brands in the UK amenity industry, with over 40 years of experience and knowledge. The extensive product portfolio is second to none with performance proven mixtures that are used at many leading venues in the UK and Europe.

All the varieties have an excellent breeding pedigree and have been selected and bred for their ability to deliver a range of quality turf characteristics.

Graham uses MM50 – a hard-wearing ryegrass mix and MM7 – a mix of fine leaved ryegrass, fescue and bent which is suitable for fine turf.

“Across both schools, we use MM50 on all our cricket pitches and all our formal lawns, and then we use MM7 on our golf greens.

“We have such a short turnaround period between terms, and I need to have faith in the products,” he continued. “MM seed has excellent germination and is up and growing strong within days. This is particularly beneficial because it allows us to get on with other jobs while having confidence in the seed to be working away.

MM Seed - Fit for a King

MM Seed – Fit for a King

“It also responds well over the winter, and we have very little disease. The recovery is good, the colour is good, and it has never let me down.

Graham purchases MM seed from David Bevan of Agrovista Amenity and was quick to praise the support he receives.

“David and Matt Gresty (MM and Designer Sales and Brand Manager for DLF UK) are both brilliant in looking after me in terms of what I need. They are both very knowledgeable and are always available to talk to, and I’ve never had any problems with MM seed. Quite simply, I order what I need, it arrives on time, and it always works.”

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s website www.mm-seeds.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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