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JCB Golf and Country Club adopts a Sustainable approach

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JCB Golf and Country Club adopts a Sustainable approach: The prestigious JCB Golf and Country Club in Rocester, Staffordshire is preparing to host the LIV Golf UK event next week, from 26-28 July 2024, replacing Centurion Golf Club in Hertfordshire as LIV’s UK LIV stop.

JCB has hosted events in the last two years on the Legends Tour, the DP World Tour’s veteran circuit. They now join an ever-growing list of UK golf courses in connection with LIV Golf and its financial investment in the professional game.

JCB Golf and Country Club adopts a Sustainable approach

JCB Golf and Country Club adopts a Sustainable approach

The new Golf and Country Club opened less than five years ago in September 2019 and its testimony to Golf Course Manager Callum Wark and his 33-strong team that this is already a tournament standard course, having hosted events on the Legends Tour and the DP World Tours veteran circuit.

Previously from Loch Lomond Golf Club, Callum joined the original JCB Course Manager Euan Grant as a Senior Greenkeeper in June 2016, along with another 15 people who were all instrumental in the construction and grow-in of the course.

Kerr Hunter from Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), which encompasses Symbio, Headland Amenity, Rigby Taylor, and Turfkeeper, has dealt with Callum since his inception at the club.  Callum explains, “JBC wanted an organic and sustainable course. Euan had been working with Kerr from his former club and wanted the same results. With the active ingredients in fungicides being slowly removed from the market we wanted to proactively manage our greens moving forward and wanted to adopt a biological programme that required less input from us.”

In 2018 Euan became the General Manager and Callum was promoted to Golf Course Manager. He oversaw the official launch of the JCB Golf and Country Club, which was designed to reflect the bold, ambitious vision of Lord Bamford, Chairman of the iconic construction and agricultural equipment manufacturer JCB who wanted nothing less than the creation of a tour-ready contemporary masterpiece in course design.

Internationally renowned Robin Hiseman of European Gold Design was commissioned to create the stunning, contemporary layout in beautiful rural Staffordshire. The 7308-yard par 72 course has been designed to challenge elite golfers at full distance while allowing corporate golfers an enjoyable experience.

Callum continues, “I’m not against chemical inputs and where I need to, I do use them, but I find that by following a biological programme we only have a limited need for them. There is a high level of expectation that the course is in immaculate condition. We cannot afford for our members to see any disease or scarring so as a preventative we currently spray fungicide preventatively on the greens three times a year, but we are planning on reducing this to two times if possible. I see it as a safety net.”

The course is built on land close to the JCB headquarters in a mixture of established woodland and farmers’ fields. The site wasn’t the easiest to work on as there was a lot of clay and drainage was a challenge. Hiseman and his team moved over 400,000m3 of earth to produce the course.

OAS helped with the specification of a full assembly grow-in programme to enable the course to be built with a biological base. Some of the products used included Mycorrhizal Inoculant for greens and tees and Mycorrhizal SeedCoat for fairways and outfields

along with Caviar, calcium and magnesium.

Callum adds, “Today the soil is biologically active and the course is maintained with a vigorous organic and biological programme. We have four Compost Tea brewers and use Compost Teas every two weeks to feed the soil life and enhance the soil food web. We have a full greens programme to aid in the prevention of disease and improve plant health.  We have fantastic results and the OAS biological products maintain the quality. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it!”

Origin Amenity Solutions is the major supplier to the JCB Golf and Country Club for their putting greens. As well as a myriad of biological products such as ThatchEater, seaweed, CMS Shoot, DegrAid, Biotabs and Liquid Aeration, Callum has been using OAS Iron products for the fairways, ‘it is a high-quality product and one that works with our programme.”

‘Symbio ThatchEater is a core product for us. Our members demand high-performance surfaces. They must be firm and fast at all times. We still need to aerate regularly but ThatchEater is my go-to product.”

“The service and advice I receive from Kerr at OAS is invaluable.  We have a planned programme, but we tweak it accordingly.  A few years ago, I had a problem with plant parasitic Nematodes. Kerr recommended Root Repair.  The problem was eradicated, and I’ve never had an issue since.  The biological approach works for us, our greens are tournament-ready, and the club is looking forward to an exciting year ahead.”

For further information or to discuss a bespoke programme for your club contact the OAS team on 0800 138 7222 or email sales@originamenity.com

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Spray and flail with Faunamaster

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Spray and flail with Faunamaster: BOSS Off Road Vehicles has introduced two new accessories for use with ATVs and UTVs. Complementing the Danish Faunamaster compact seed drills, the Sprayer 70 and FM 130 ATV flail mower are built for the professional user demanding reliability, efficiency and economy.

The innovative Faunamaster Spray 70 is designed for use on quads and UTVs with a boom specially designed to resist damage by sliding off obstacles through a spring-loaded system. This reduces the risk of damage to both the sprayer and its surroundings. The Spray 70 boasts high-quality components and is equipped with precision spray nozzles from Lechler, Germany, for optimal performance. The three-metre spray boom is height adjustable and folds for easy transportation. There is an efficient mixing function built into the tank to ensure constant, uniform mixing of the spray liquid during use. Spray tank capacity is 70 litres and there is a 10-litre clean water tank for hand washing. The Spray 70 operates on a power supply of 12V 6.0 amp and at a pressure of 120psi/8.3 BAR. The hose reel extends to ten metres with the spray lance. The sprayer comes complete with only the major elements requiring assembly, which takes about thirty minutes.

Spray and flail with Faunamaster

Spray and flail with Faunamaster

Professional users looking for an ATV flail mower for all types of terrain will find the Faunamaster FM130 the ideal tool for their arsenal. Engineered with carefully selected components to ensure durability and optimum performance the mower has an advanced adjustability system. The cutting height is easily adjusted directly from the ATV using remote control and the tailgate can also be opened for working on dense surfaces, allowing quick removal of grass clippings. There is a choice of impactor with either a hammer or a Y impactor. Hammer flails are versatile for all-round use and Y flails are effective for grassy area and speedy mowing. Power for the Faunamaster FM130 comes in the form of a Honda V-Twin GX 690, 22hp, and the mower has a working width of 130cm. For more information on BOSS ORV products, you can call 01785 561046

E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk

Web: www.bossorv.co.uk

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STIHL’s new route to market for battery and electric tools

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STIHL’s new route to market for battery and electric tools: The STIHL Group, a leading manufacturer of chainsaws and outdoor power equipment, continues to significantly invest in its battery strategy.

To support the company’s position as a leading consumer brand in the premium battery tool segment, STIHL is announcing a new electric and battery retailer in Great Britain in addition to the successful partnerships with independent Approved Dealers.

STIHL's new route to market for battery and electric tools

STIHL’s new route to market for battery and electric tools

Commencing in July, STIHL electric and battery powered tools, along with a selected range of accessories, will be sold by omnichannel retailer, Screwfix. The STIHL battery and electric range will be available in store, online and on the Screwfix App for Click & Collect from over 880 Screwfix stores in England, Scotland and Wales. In addition, Screwfix will feature a STIHL display system and offer a handover service at its Yeovil – Lysander Road store.

Warranty support and repair will be offered through Screwfix’s fast and reliable repair service and customer advice and support will be available from the company’s contact centre.

“We know from our market data, that a high proportion of prospective customers of battery tools are already shopping online and many of their home and garden project purchases are already made at Screwfix” said Kay Green, STIHL GB’s Managing Director.

“This new relationship with Screwfix represents an opportunity for STIHL to grow its consumer battery footprint as well as further increasing our brand exposure. It will offer a complementary new dimension to the business we have built with our Approved Dealer network over the last five decades.”

Matt Compton, Screwfix Commercial Director, said: “We’re delighted to announce this new partnership with STIHL which welcomes another leading brand to the Screwfix family. Our customers demand high quality products and with this new range of electric and battery tools and accessories, we’re going even further to provide them with the tools that help them get their jobs done quickly, affordably and right first time.”

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BASF – at the forefront of research and development

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BASF – at the forefront of research and development: Professional turf care is an art form that requires skill, precision and high-performance products to be successful.

Sometimes even the most experienced and skilled greenkeepers have been let down by their products, which is why BASF invests heavily in cutting-edge technology and the best experts in the business to ensure that its solutions are ahead of the game, providing exactly what is needed and when.

BASF – at the forefront of research and development

BASF – at the forefront of research and development

Whether a golf course manager, agronomist, farmer or landscape architect, many professionals rely on effective products that keep turf free of diseases, pests and weeds through every season.

With the backing of thousands of employees worldwide, BASF is perfectly positioned to create a powerful portfolio of product solutions that can be tailored to meet the demands of every turf landscape. Effective and efficient research and development underpins every solution that BASF creates, and it is not a company that is content to rest on its laurels. It constantly invests in the growing opportunities that digitalisation and supercomputing power offers, meaning that it constantly maintains its place as an industry leader. In fact, it invested 2.1 billion euros into research and development expenses last year alone, with 1000 products being patented.

For example, brand-new product Maxtima was launched at BTME 2024 by BASF Turf, a new cutting-edge demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicide. This crop safe solution was devised after BASF’s scientists discovered new enzyme assays in their research.

Rob Gladwin, head of technical management for UK said: “The assays test the efficacy with which the DMI chemistry, which includes azoles, inhibit the fungal target site, CYP51 –– blocking this enzyme prevents a fungal cell from producing ergosterol causing it to die.

“Together, the team discovered a unique property of an entirely new family of triazoles –– this molecule has a ‘hook’. It’s an isopropanol linker. This moiety is a small part of the larger molecule and it’s unique for a DMI. We synthesised it and noticed very strong fungicidal effects.”

The launch of Maxtima pays testament to the cutting-edge research and development that the BASF team undertakes every day. In fact, BASF’s researchers are working on hundreds of products at any one time, with research centres in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

Furthermore, BASF collaborates with a global network of top universities, research institutes and companies, giving direct access to external scientific expertise, talented minds from various disciplines, as well as new technologies. This helps to quickly develop targeted, marketable innovations, strengthening its portfolio with creative new projects and reaching its targets for worldwide expertise and growth.

To find out more about BASF’s industry-leading turf products, visit https://www.pestcontrol.basf.co.uk/en/Products/Product-innovation/Turf/

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Powering Success for Whitby Town FC and JC Gardening

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Powering Success for Whitby Town FC and JC Gardening: In the coastal town of Whitby, Joe Cook wears many hats. Not only is he the Head Groundsman for Whitby Town FC, overseeing the maintenance of their pitch, but he also runs his own gardening business, JC Gardening. In both of his roles, one tool stands out as indispensable: the Avant compact loader.

“Whitby is a very close community, and the football club is at the heart of the town,” says Joe. However, maintaining the pitch hasn’t always been easy. “Over the years it has been fair to say that no real renovations have been carried out, and no programme set in place. I’m starting to change that now.”

Powering Success for Whitby Town FC and JC Gardening

Powering Success for Whitby Town FC and JC Gardening

Enter the Avant compact loader, a versatile workhorse that has become Joe’s go-to solution for pitch renovations and maintenance tasks. “For the renovations, we put the bucket on to fill the contractor’s trailer up when they are spreading the sand. It is very useful,” he remarks.

Additionally, the Avant aids in accessing hard-to-reach areas of the football ground. “At the football ground, I use it to carry people up to the floodlights where they can receive maintenance or be readjusted where needed.” The Avant’s versatility shines through as it also occasionally transitions to cutting the pitch with the mower attachment.

Joe relies on loaders from the Avant 500 series, sourced through APSV, the main dealers for Avant compact loaders in North Yorkshire, Co. Durham, and Northumberland. “The relationship with APSV is brilliant,” Joe praises. “They are always on the other end of the phone if I need them and will always accommodate the best they can.”

The Avant 500 series, known for its power and manoeuvrability, has become a reliable partner for Joe’s diverse needs. With over 200 attachments available, the Avant offers a solution for every task, from plowing and sanding to lawn care and brush clearance. “I use it a lot for my own business too, particularly for clearing brush land with the flail mower attachment,” Joe adds. “It excels on a brush land area which is a couple of acres, all of different levels. It cuts through the brush in no time at all.”

Describing the Avant as a “Swiss army knife,” Joe highlights its versatility and adaptability. “Whether you want a snow blower or a rake for clearing out stalls on farms, it can do anything. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Avant – I have already passed on APSV’s number to lots of other people who the machine would benefit.”

As Joe continues to juggle his responsibilities at Whitby Town FC and JC Gardening, the Avant compact loader remains an essential machine which enables him to tackle any challenge with ease and efficiency.

For more information, please visit www.avanttecno.com/uk

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