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Carbon Gold Success At Mullion GC

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Carbon Gold Success At Mullion GC: With more and more chemical fungicides getting banned, how can Greenkeepers keep their turf healthy?  A chance encounter at the 2018 BTME conference in Harrogate led Mullion Golf Club to the answer…  

Mullion Golf Club is the most southernly course in the country, just a few miles north of Lizard Point in Cornwall.  Being right on the coast, it’s under constant barrage from the Atlantic winds and, as such, often suffers salt damage, irrigation issues and disease outbreaks, particularly on the 14th green which is considered the club’s problematic green, sited on a cliff and constantly being awashed with salty air from the Atlantic Ocean. The green was built with a fine sand and has always struggled to get good rooting.   

Carbon Gold Success At Mullion GC

Head Greenkeeper, Gordon Tamblyn, happened upon Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar Turf Improver at the Sherriff Amenity stand at the BIGGA’s annual exhibition BTME at the start of 2018 and was intrigued. 

Biochar is a high-carbon, purified form of charcoal that improves the structure, aeration and water-holding capacity of soil.  Its chemical stability means it doesn’t break down, making it a one-time application, and its porous structure provides a permanent refuge for beneficial microbiology.  

Carbon Gold’s biochar is enriched with mycorrhizae, Trichoderma, seaweed and wormcasts and has been shown to improve the health and vitality of turf, improve grass rooting, reduce irrigation costs, eliminate the need for fungicides and dramatically reduce the need to put down fertiliser in trials by Sherriff Amenity.  

In March, during the Clubs greens renovations, Mullion’s 14th green had been hollow-tined ready to have Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar Turf Improver swept into the Rootzone.   

“I was intrigued by Carbon Gold’s Turf Improver because the science around biology made a lot of intuitive sense and the trial results were impressive, plus the fact that it reduces costs and is a one-time application, it was definitely worth a shot.  I’m always looking for new ways of improving soil structure, preventing disease and promoting the Fescue grasses, due to the nature of our environment at Mullion owing to how exposed to the elements we are.” 

Gordon Tamblyn, Head Green Keeper, Mullion Golf Club 

The biochar was used in conjunction with mycorrhizae inoculants and, eight months on, despite an outbreak of Fusarium this Autumn, the 14th green is completely disease free, the grass is showing better rooting, feels firmer and is looking much healthier.  

“I’m really impressed by the fact that our biggest problem-green is a lot healthier, firmer and is disease free.  And the rooting is impressive, I noticed there’s absolutely no break-off when changing holes.” 

Gordon Tamblyn, Head Green Keeper, Mullion Golf Club 

As a result of the trial, Gordon is applying Turf Improver to its putting green and would like to incorporate it to the rest of the course, permanently improving the health of Mullion Golf Club’s turf. 

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Jensen Success At Arb Show

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Jensen Success At Arb Show: The team behind the UK distribution of Jensen woodchippers, the world’s first and original woodchippers developed in 1884, were delighted to host a stand at the 2019 Arb Show this month.

With a prominent stand overlooking the entrance, Jensen woodchippers were on full display to several thousand visitors that attended over the course of the two-day event, drawing in crowds of interested people and resulting in a large number of demonstration bookings throughout the country.

Jensen Success At Arb Show

Jensen are known for supplying the widest range of woodchippers in the industry, from 6” to 12” capacity; towed, PTO, tracked and hydraulically-adjustable ‘Spider’ tracks; as well as turntable functionality on all 8” and above machines.

A wide variety of Jensen machinery was available to see at the show, including towed and tracked machines, having both petrol and diesel models on display.

The 6” capacity, diesel A530L woodchipper is road-towable at less than 750kg, which made it one of the most popular machines on the stand from interested tree surgeons and arborists looking for a powerful but lightweight all-round chipper.

Similarly, the 6” A530L, petrol version, at under 700kg fully braked attracted much attention on the stand. With a 35hp Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine, and electronic safety touch-sensors fitted as standard, the A530L offers power, performance and safety in a practical sized machine.

Always one of the machines to draw a crowd is the Jensen A540 Spider, and at this year’s Arb Show it was no different.

Capable of tackling timber up to 190mm effortlessly, the A540 with Spider tracks is designed for embankments and awkward terrain.

Agile and manoeuvrable, visitors to the stand were impressed to learn about the stability benefits of the A540 Spider, which features independently adjustable hydraulic tracks both horizontally and vertically.

Visitors to the stand were varied with hugely interesting careers and equipment requirements, from independent tree surgeons looking for a single woodchipper for daily tasks through to large, crane-fed machines for highway and railway maintenance.

“This is the third year we’ve attended the Arb Show with Jensen and we were delighted with not only the turn out to the event but the huge level of interest in the brand”, says Bill Johnston, Head of Machinery Imports division and Business Manager for Jensen in the UK.

He continues, “It was excellent to meet a large number of existing Jensen owners who were pleased to share their experience of Jensen machinery with us, as well as a whole host of new customers booking on-site demonstrations.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing lots of those visitors again over the coming weeks, giving them the opportunity to try a Jensen for themselves and experience the power and performance of the world’s original woodchippers.”

The Jensen dealer for Wales, Riverlea, supported the stand at the show and was represented by Sales Manager Paul Austin.

“This was my first time at the Arb Show and I found it very interested. We were pleased to speak to visitors and leave at the end of the show with some leads, which I hope will generate some more sales for Jensen over the coming months.”

To find out more about the wide range of Jensen woodchippers available, and to locate your local Jensen dealer, visit www.jensenchippers.co.uk

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Toro A Hit At Radley College

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Toro A Hit At Radley College: Four years ago, Radley College welcomed a new Toro fleet of Groundsmaster and Reelmaster mowers to the independent boys’ school in Oxfordshire. As the facilities continue to grow we hear how Toro has performed during its tenure.

There’s a lot of pressure on Radley College’s grounds team. Not only does it have the upkeep of some of the most extensive and finest public school sporting facilities in the country on its hands, but with the school increasing the number of bursaries and scholarships for the first time in its 172-year history, the sports facilities are expanding too.

Toro A Hit At Radley College

Luckily, grounds manager Adam King and the 19-strong team in the estates department, including groundsmen, greenkeepers and gardeners, have the benefit of a Toro fleet of Groundsmaster and Reelmaster mowers working across the 14 rugby pitches, 10 cricket squares and football pitches, three astroturf hockey pitches, tennis courts and a nine-hole, par 34 golf course.

The College’s latest fleet joined four years ago in a significant lease agreement with Reesink,

Adam says: “With more to do, the biggest benefit from our Toro fleet in the last four years is how it’s saved us time, allowing us to be more efficient and productive. Having two Reelmaster 3100-D mowers for the weekend cutting of the cricket outfields and aprons has been particularly beneficial.”

As the school gears up for a new boarding house opening in 2020 and the expansion of the sporting facilities to accommodate, the reliability of the fleet as well as its time-saving aspects has not gone unnoticed by Adam.

“We chose this combination of machines with specific work in mind and they’ve not only delivered on that but more. We’ve built more natural and artificial sports surfaces into the equation and got them into play. Plus, there have been no problems running the fleet, no breakdowns or issues.

“The lease agreement with Reesink allowed us to have new machines straight away, while also covering winter service, and all at a fixed cost. We were able to manage our budget and benefit from new and upgraded equipment at an important time in the College’s history.”

So, what’s next for Adam and the team? “We were at BTME to take in the new technology and product development on offer, and I was most interested in seeing lightweight three-wheel fairway mowers and greens mowers which we haven’t specifically had before. Plus, there’s been developments in engine size and I’ll be interested in seeing the effect of that on our surfaces here.”

Since then, Adam and the team have trialled the Toro Reelmaster 3555 and 3575 mowers across the School, based on which Adam concluded they are the “best bits of new kit I’ve seen in a long time and versatile enough to be multi-sports mowers”.

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Toro The Choice At Bridgnorth

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Toro The Choice At Bridgnorth: Bridgnorth Golf Club in Shropshire recently signed their fourth renewal agreement with Toro despite competitive offers from other brands because “nothing matched up” says head greenkeeper, Martin Jones.

When it came to the end of the club’s third renewal agreement with Toro, Martin chose to consider all the options to find the best possible machinery for the parkland course situated alongside the River Severn.

Toro Beats Competition At Bridgnorth

“One company even brought a whole fleet for us to trial,” says Martin. “But at the end of the day, myself and the whole team agreed that nothing matched up to Toro.

“Since our first agreement, we’ve been impressed with the quality of machines, service and the improvement to the course, and it’s continued to get better through the tenure of two more agreements. In fact, in the last five years, I can count on one hand the number of issues we’ve had! That’s an incredible track record that’s hard to beat.”

Martin also credits the service from local dealer Oakley’s Groundcare and Reesink Turfcare, an official Toro UK distributor, as largely influencing the decision to renew for a fourth time.

“We’ve got a great relationship with Oakley’s. On the rare occasion we have a problem, I know I can pick up the phone and they’ll get a mechanic out to us in an hour and a replacement machine within a day. Similarly, Reesink’s area manager John Pike has been really helpful, from general advice to the training; it’s all been great.”

Having been at the club for 42 years and head greenkeeper for over 20, Martin knows quality when he sees it, which he says is exactly what Toro provides.

“The quality of Toro machines is second to none and every single machine does exactly what it says on the tin. That’s why we’ve renewed like for like as well as purchasing a couple machines from our previous fleet.”

The new fleet consists of a Greensmaster TriFlex 3400, Groundsmaster 5610, GM4000-D, GM3500-D and Reelmaster 3100-D alongside a purchased Workman HDX-D and GR3250-D. “The quick release unit of the Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 in particular is fantastic,” says Martin. “It’s a real time saver and the standard of cut is outstanding.”

“With every new renewal the course has improved, particularly the fairways and the tees,” Martin concludes. “With Toro things just keep getting better!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Graden CSI Key At Bransford GC

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Graden CSI Key At Bransford GC: With changes in pesticide legislation having an ever-deepening effect on Sportsturf quality, the drive for turf managers to shift their nutritional and mechanical maintenance to a proactive approach has never been more important. Graham Wallace, Golf Course Manager at the Bank House Hotel’s Bransford Golf Club, is doing just that and has recently invested in a Graden CSI from Charterhouse Turf Machinery to help them produce strong greens.

“The course has sand-based greens but, due to the poor quality of sand used during construction, are unfortunately susceptible to holding water” explains Graham, who is supported by a greenkeeping team of five. “With the upcoming changes in fungicide regulations it is becoming essential to keep the surfaces dry, and the plant healthy, as much as possible to prevent disease from taking hold.” To help improve drainage, Graham has conducted in-house drill ‘n’ fill across the 18 greens for many years, followed by passes with the Graden CSI to keep channels open.

Graden CSI Key At Bransford GC

“We were lucky enough to borrow a CSI from another course, but last year this was not possible, and we noticed a real difference on how wet the greens were compared to previous years.” Graham put a case to the owner and was successful in purchasing his own unit, from dealer Tallis Amos in February 2019. “Now we have our own machine, we can look to get out with the machine more frequently and can trial various depths and settings to achieve maximum impact with minimal surface disruption.”

Graham is hoping to employ the CSI at least twice a year, working at depths of up to 40mm to simultaneously scarify and backfill the grooves with better quality sand. “I made the decision last year to not spray any fungicides, with mixed results. I was hugely thankful that the members and club management understood it could be a challenging time to keep surfaces first-rate. These last few months certainly haven’t been easy however, by using our CSI in conjunction with overseeding and the correct fertiliser programme, we are in a great place to push ahead with our proactive approach and produce a strong plant in the on-going fight against disease.”

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