Tag Archive for: Air2G2

Air2G2 336 last piece in aeration puzzle

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Air2G2 336 last piece in aeration puzzle: England’s finest links, Royal Cinque Ports, has found the final piece of their aeration puzzle by using the Air2G2 336 on their greens and fairways.

Course Manager, James Bledge, has been in charge of the Kent based links for nine years, and for a majority of that time, has hired an Air2G2 for use on the club’s large greens. Brilliant results over that time and a desire to work freely between tournaments and trial ideas led the club to purchase their own machine in August 2021, from Campey Turf Care Systems and put it straight to work to do what it does best.

Air2G2 336 last piece in aeration puzzle

Air2G2 336 last piece in aeration puzzle

James explains: “It’s one of these machines that’s hard to quantify because you don’t see instant results, but it’s part of the jigsaw puzzle that comes together with everything else. We maintain really nice surfaces here, and I believe that to be part of it – we’ve had far less disease than we’ve ever had, and our greens have been firmer than ever.

“We had four big back to back competitions in this last month. First, we’ve had the Boys Amateur Championship, which is one of the biggest R&A events, then we had a week off before Deal Week, the South East Links Championship and the Halford Hewitt, which is the world’s largest amateur golf competition at the end of that with 640 competitors. So this week, we managed to get out and aerate everything, and it’s been well-timed because we got heavy rain at the end of that week, which could have seen the greens puddle up, but instead, they were fine.

“Not one single person could tell we’d been out with the Air2G2 the Monday following the Boys Amateur, and that’s a seven-day competition with all your practice days and qualifying. These greens were cut and rolled every single day, which could potentially bake them or form a hardpan near the top because it’s such intensive work, but the Air2G2 after that was the ideal thing to do, and they haven’t seemed stressed out since.”

With their own Air2G2, James can now deploy it as and when needed, which includes working on fairways. In the past, the club hired the smaller model, but with the 336, they are able to cover all of their greens in less than three days and build in time to aerate the new 0.8 hectares of fairway extensions.

“We’ve got it back out this morning on fairways which is probably a first, and I don’t think many people would do that, but with the crane fly and leather jacket activity high just now, and it probably will be for the rest of the year, I’m intent I want to watch when putting holes in the ground. The Air2G2 is a fantastic tool for that if you can explain to your team when they’re being sent out to do bits of fairways here and there.

“Our two new fairways are a lot firmer than the rest so you really need to get that into it to break up the soil, create some air and pore space and get the roots and moisture going through it. You can see there are some places where it’s pulling up a little bit, but I’m trying to explain to the staff that this will only be for a certain amount of time. The more we can get the Air2G2 into it, the more space there will be for the roots to dive down, and the fairway will get better.”

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Troon Abu Dhabi experience Air2G2

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Troon Abu Dhabi experience Air2G2: Troon Abu Dhabi is using the Air2G2 Air Inject from Campey Turf Care Systems to further their aeration programme on three world-leading courses.

The property group operates and maintains the spectacular Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links Abu Dhabi. This trio of courses has hosted prestigious events such as the popular European Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the first Ladies European Tour event in Abu Dhabi.

Troon Abu Dhabi experience Air2G2

Troon Abu Dhabi experience Air2G2

Keeping these world-renowned courses to the highest standards brings about its own challenges in the desert heat with little rainfall. It is the job of Group Head Mechanic Troon Abu Dhabi Properties, Richard Koen, to oversee the machinery used by each greenkeeping team of 20 per course. Initially sceptical, Richard now sees the Air2G2 as a vital part of the operation.

“I first got to see and work with an Air2G2 back in South Africa,” Richard begins. “To be honest I was a little unsure at first, as I was unfamiliar with the concept and the technology behind the development of the machine. But, despite looking complicated, I soon realised that the Air2G2 is simply designed and easy to operate, and at the time we only used the machine on a rental basis as and when we needed it, so my experience was limited. Once I moved to Abu Dhabi, I was lucky enough to have a new Air2G2 in my fleet.

“The Air2G2 has not replaced any machine or agronomy practice but rather is giving additional benefits. We got it to help with compaction and salt build-up caused by the quality of water we have at our facilities. It gets very hot in the UAE, and the Air2G2 allows us to provide deep aeration in the soil profile without exposing or opening the entire surface to the desert heat compared to more traditional aeration methods.

“Due to the Air2G2’s minimal disturbance to the playing surface, we can use it more frequently, creating more oxygen exchange in the profile, allowing us to better flush salts.

“And the no disruption element is a very important aspect for us. Our goal is to present all turf and putting surfaces in the best possible condition to our members and guests and using the Air2G2 allows us to do routine aeration throughout the year.”

Nick Brown Campey Product Specialist for Campey Turf Care said “We are delighted to have Aldar Golf as customers of the Air2 and Campey product portfolio. It is important to have close working relationships with customers like Richard in the Middle East Region. When companies like ours work closely together we invariably discover new fresh machinery solutions to help the Turf market in all our International regions”.

The Air2G2 uses three probes to latterly inject pressurised air up to 12-inches beneath the surface of the soil to fracture the compacted layers that form as a result of foot traffic, mechanical traffic and daily wear and tear. Because the air is injected directly into the root zone, the surface of the turf is left undisturbed, allowing play to continue instantly.

For more information on Campey’s range of Air2G2 products, visit www.campeyturfcare.com.

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Emirates Golf Club and the Air2G2

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Emirates Golf Club and the Air2G2: The Air2G2 from Campey Turf Care Systems is being used at Emirate’s Golf Club, Dubai, to keep the award-winning Majlis Course in prime condition.

As Dubai’s number one golf course, it is imperative that machinery manager and second assistant, Dónal Mulvey, and the 72 strong golf course maintenance department consisting of greenkeepers, mechanics, irrigation, landscape and spray technicians maintain the high standards expected by members and customers.

Emirates Golf Club and the Air2G2

Emirates Golf Club and the Air2G2

Dónal has worked for Emirates Golf Club since January 2017 having completed a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, which included a 30-week placement at Royal Dublin Golf Club as a greenkeeper, where he stayed for a further five years training as a greenkeeper and mechanic. With almost four years of experience working on the Middle East’s first grass golf course, he is familiar with the issues faced in one of the driest and arid regions of the world, where reusing salt-rich treated sewage effluent (TSE) water is common practice.

After seeing the Air2G2 on various social media platforms and first-hand at GIS, the club thought the machine could be a huge asset to the Majlis’ 30-year-old push-up greens that host 45,000 rounds of golf a year as well as the Faldo Course, which takes 55,000.

“We purchased the Air2G2 for many different reasons,” Dónal explains. The main one being the Majlis greens are 30-year-old push-up greens with no drainage. Given the high volume of water we put out which is all TSE water, we have a constant issue with salt build-up and air exchange. We also have a high volume of golf throughout the year, and any aeration we can do with no disturbance to the greens is extremely beneficial.

“The machine does exactly what it claims to do providing deep aeration with no surface disturbance. We can run it at any time, and the golfers are none the wiser. We mainly tackle weak areas on the greens, and the machine is used three times a month on the entire green and four to six times on collars and affected areas.

“The more and more we use it, the less noticeable it is. When we first started the ground would move slightly due to compaction. Now that we run it regularly, there is no movement in the soil, and there is less compaction and more oxygen, and we can also see moisture and EC levels drop after using the machine.”

Nick Brown Product Specialist for Campey Turf Care is delighted to be working closely with The Emirates Golf Club to provide turf maintenance solutions. “Campey Turf Care always encourages best practice, and we like to work closely with our end users to ensure they have access to the right advice and equipment to suit their specific needs. Working closely with Dónal, we have examined all the options and helped provide the right solution. In this instance the Air2G2 has delivered the results and we are extremely pleased.”

The Air2G2 uses three probes to latterly inject pressurised air up to 12-inches beneath the surface of the soil to fracture the compacted layers that form because of footfall, mechanical traffic and daily wear and tear. Because the air is injected directly into the root zone, the surface of the turf is left undisturbed, allowing play to continue instantly.

For more information on the Air2G2 or any of Campey’s aeration machinery, please visit www.campeyturf.com

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