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Pitch Renovations At Wycombe

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Pitch Renovations At Wycombe: Campey Turf Care Systems has assisted contractors Turf Tonics with the first in-house renovation of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club’s award-winning pitch at Adams Park.

 The Buckinghamshire club enjoyed success on two fronts on the pitch during the 2017/18 season, not only achieving automatic promotion to League One but also scooping the League Two Grounds Team of the Year for the work conducted by Turf Tonics, led by full-time groundsman Sean Woodley.

Pitch Renovations At Wycombe

Preparations are now underway for the Chairboys’ first campaign back in League One since the 2011/12 season, with the playing surface playing an integral part to the team’s aspirations of another successful year, as Wycombe Wanderers general manager Michael Davies explains:

“We aspire to have a pitch which complements the football team rather than inhibits them, and it worked extremely well for us last season. Naturally, the players and the management staff request the best possible pitch that we can provide with the resources available to us, and our long-standing partnership with Turf Tonics enables us to meet those requirements with an outstanding surface.

“It’s testament to Turf Tonics and their hard work, expertise and dedication that we won the League Two Grounds Team of the Year award. It’s a phenomenal achievement and it is something we will be striving for again in League One.

“Last season we staged 50 games on the pitch, including 28 of our own in league and cup fixtures, plus Reading Ladies and Reading Under 23s matches as well as tournaments after the season had finished.

“Our club president, Ivor Beeks, is effectively the custodian of the pitch and carefully manages its usage and availability to ensure it remains in the best possible condition. The pitch is a highly sought-after commodity, and we receive many requests for private hire for matches or commercial use, but football comes first and it’s vital that we strike the right balance,” he added.

Bringing in additional income via third party pitch usage is important to the club, and whilst it’s clear that they respect the limits of the surface, the recent success has led to expectation and for Steve Gardner, a managing partner of Turf Tonics, a successful first in-house renovation is vital for the club’s financial and football plans.

“We’ve seen the renovations Premier Pitches have done at Adams Park in the last two seasons and they used what I’d regard as the industry standard machines by Campey,” he said.

“Because it was our first in-house renovation, it was important to us that we used the best equipment and Ben Taylor at Campey has really helped us out. We used their new 1.6-meter Koro FTM with Universe Rotor because it’s a Desso Grassmaster pitch and that went one direction across the pitch yesterday and took a majority of the top off.

“We also used Campey’s Raycam TB 220 brush, Raycam Speedresser and Raycam Aeraseeder to complete the rest of the work. Our first game is on 14th July, we’re making excellent progress to be able to provide the highest quality of surface for the season ahead.”

As part of the renovation, groundsmen were invited to attend and view the machines in action to gain the first-hand experience of best practice and learn more about renovating a hybrid pitch as they continue to grow in popularity throughout all professional tiers of football and rugby.

For more information, visit: www.campeyturfcare.com

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Toro Impresses At SALTEX

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Toro Impresses At SALTEX: At SALTEX 2017 last November, Toro’s LT-F3000 triple flail mower stood out from the crowd to Harlow Council-founded facilities management company, HTS Group Limited. In fact the company, which deals with grass cutting and landscape maintenance for the postcode, was so impressed it promptly invested in two machines.

As Andrew Bradley, landscapes manager at HTS Group, explains: “The LT-F3000 not only stood out with its signature Toro red, but for looking professional and robust. After making some enquiries, it was clear that it would tick all of our boxes, too.

Toro Impresses At SALTEX

“Post-show, I got in touch with our local Reesink Turfcare representative, Danny Lake, who took me on a tour around the Spellbrook Toro Factory in Bishop Stortford. Seeing machines hand built before my eyes convinced me that for quality and robustness, Toro was the way to go.”

Two LT-F3000 flail mowers join HTS Group’s fleet of 19 grounds machines and replace a 12-year-old cylinder mower to maintain medium-sized open spaces across the Essex district too small for a tractor-drawn mower and too large for a rotary.

Another box ticked for Andrew is that the LT-F3000 is road legal. He says: “With most sites six miles away, and their proximity to busy roads making parking a nightmare, being able to drive our machines to jobs is a must. A bonus with Toro’s triple flail is that it has a good road speed of 15.5mph.”

And the machines are proving their worth in action too, meaning Andrew’s show instincts were well-founded: “The wet spring has made grass grow like mad, but the flail mowers are chewing through it effortlessly. This would have been too much for our cylinder mower,” he says.

“The Toros, however, make light work of the grass and even leave a beautiful striped finish to really top it all off,” Andrew concludes.

To find out more about Reesink’s groundscare range, tailored to the needs of the UK groundsman, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Pitch Work At Pirelli Stadium

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Pitch Work At Pirelli Stadium: Work has been completed on a new drainage system at the Pirelli Stadium as the pitch is prepared for the 2018-19 season.

Burton Albion groundsman Simon Marshall says the groundstaff are “always keen to improve the surface”, and extra work has been undertaken this summer to get the pitch in the best condition for Albion’s attempt at earning promotion back to the Championship next season.

Efforts began immediately following the European Under-17 Championships last month, with games having taken place at the Pirelli.

On top of the usual seeding of the playing surface, which is done annually between campaigns and is currently being carried out, the new drainage system was put in place to maintain a better condition for the pitch throughout the coming season.

“Over the years we have had problems with the drainage, so we are having a new major drain system that should keep the pitch in better condition,” said Marshall.

“Then we won’t need to put down as many waterproof sheets due to the inconsistencies across the pitch.

“From the groundstaff’s point of view, we are always keen to improve the surface, and with the chairman and the club’s backing, we are making progress year on year.”

After a season in which the Brewers went seven months without a home victory, Nigel Clough will be hoping his side can become a tougher proposition at the Pirelli again in 2018-19.

That will rely on the quality of football they can produce in League One – and the surface they are playing that football on.

“Pitch work is done every year, but they need continued investment and major work now then,” said Clough.

“You can see from the pictures the amount of work going on out there, and hopefully it will give us a good playing surface for next season.”

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Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle

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Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle: Hever Castle Golf Club’s head greenkeeper Rob Peers is a man on a mission: “to encourage visitors to both the golf course and the castle estate to fully enjoy and be fully immersed and engaged with the complete site”.

And he is confident that by using a variety of Rigby Taylor’s Euroflor urban meadow flower seed mixes he will achieve this and, by so doing, ‘integrate’ the golf course with the castle estate and enable and encourage all visitors to Hever – golfers and their partners/guests and, likewise, castle visitors – to be fully aware of everything that the historic site in Kent has to offer.

Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle

Built in the 13th century, Hever Castle was originally a country house which came into the hands of Henry VIII who, in 1539, bestowed it upon Anne of Cleves in 1540 as part of the settlement following the annulment of their marriage. The property has since passed through various ownerships.

“With over 400 acres of golf course and estate, including formal gardens, there’s something here for everyone,” says Rob, “and by using the Euroflor mixes to create colourful and eye-pleasing areas with the wow factor, I can foresee a real crossover of visitors between the different areas of Hever – effectively bridging any ‘gap’ between the golf course and the estate.”

Rob and his eight-strong greenkeeping team devote around 80% of their time managing and maintaining the 27-hole golf course; the remainder is spent on areas of the estate that border the golf course and are outside of the remit of the castle’s gardening team.

After studying at university as a quantity surveyor, Rob joined the golf course team in 1994 as a casual and, he says, “I immediately fell in love with greenkeeping”. Since then he has undertaken a swathe of training courses, including gaining Level 3 in Amenity Horticulture Sports Turf Maintenance, as well as tuition/certification courses for aboriculture and pest control. A year ago he was appointed head greenkeeper, after a spell as deputy head greenkeeper.

While his first year as head of the team has, he says, enabled him to recognise the full potential of the benefits of ‘marrying’ areas of the golf course with the wider estate it has also, he adds, “been an exciting, challenging and at times scary period”.

Rob has an infectious enthusiasm for biodiversity and environmental issues – “on the greens, for example, we are doing more to make the sward as healthy as possible by, for example, increased aeration and using more sand rather than chemicals” – and this embraces measures (including bee hives) to improve the incumbent fauna and flora.

It was while he and the team were clearing certain ‘border’ areas (which led to a natural upsurge in bluebells and wild garlic, for instance), that Rob began having thoughts about the potential use and effectiveness of wildflowers in certain areas; some close by/on golf course areas; others in areas sandwiched between the course and the estate.

“Aside from converting unused, largely overgrown plots into colourful and attractive areas for everyone to enjoy, I also know that a project like this is great for my greenkeeping team. It raises our skill sets, improves our engagement with the site and lifts job satisfaction levels.”

Several areas of the estate have been made ready for the Euroflor mixes and in most cases this has entailed clearance of grass, brambles and weeds or a reduction in lake-side reed beds.

One area with particular focus will be the recently-discovered (by him) remains of a riverside bower (shelter) that was inspired by Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII. This brick-built construction dates back to the early 1900s. “It was in an area previously masked by long grass, brambles and weeds,” adds Rob, “but I think it will be the perfect showcase for a white-based wildflower mix.”

But why Rigby Taylor and why Euroflor seeds (from Top Green, the largest seed producer in Europe)?

“Each week I meet up with a good friend, a fellow head greenkeeper who, despite operating on a relatively small budget on a nine-hole course, commented that he receives excellent service from Rigby Taylor’s regional sales director, Mike Ring, and he suggested I contact Mike.

“I thought that if Rigby Taylor responded so well to such a customer then as sure as anything the company would pay attention to me! And that has certainly proved the case because I can’t fault Mike’s response, back-up and level of support.”

He continues: “Mike also put me in touch with Howard Wood, Top Green’s Euroflor consultant, and it was after a conversation with Howard – a man with more than 35 years’ landscaping/wildflower experience throughout Europe and Africa – that the project here really gained momentum.

Euroflor To Enthrall At Hever Castle

“Howard offered invaluable advice and recommendations on which Euroflor mixes would sit best in the various locations I had identified in terms of colour and height, as well as texture and form.” The chosen mixes are:

  • Flora Britannica – 26 species including  Black Medick, Viper’s Bugloss and Red Clover – on/near the 8th hole/green;
  • Rainbow annuals – 14 species including English Marigold, Tickseed and China Aster – being used on two areas, including one that links the course and estate;
  • Posy (cut flower mix), comprising 12 species;
  • Sarah Bouquet – 30 species;
  • Peace (white, six to eight species – being used for the Anne of Cleves bower; and
  • Honey – 12 species including Borage, Cosmos and Baby’s Breath – being used on/near the 6th hole/green.

Rob will also be using the Souvenir 100% Red Poppy mix, fittingly in the surrounds for the 11th tee. The poppies will be planted to mimick a clock face at 11.00am (if viewed from above). In addition, the Souvenir mix will also be planted sympathetically at the entrance of the Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry Military Museum which is situated within the castle grounds.

Howard also advised Rob on bed preparation, including soil analyses for mineral deficiencies or extreme pH levels before the removal of all vegetation then the application of a glyphosate-based weed killer or hand weeding.

That said, Rob will also be using Rigby Taylor’s latest FloraFleece biodegradable matting for some planting. This weed suppressant and support for Euroflor sowing is a recycled fabric composed of 50% jute, 25% cotton and 25% brown wool, with a hessian scrim. Laying this effectively eliminates the need to ‘clear’ an area of weed.

“Howard and I got together and discussed every plot, in some cases viewing it from afar to judge whether the chosen colours and heights would potentially have the desired impact,” says Rob. “Leaning on Howard’s expertise, I’m sure I’ve chosen correctly and now it’s simply a matter of time before we find out!”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Toro A Cut Above At Cruden Bay

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Toro A Cut Above At Cruden Bay: The performance of Toro’s Reelmaster 5410-D mowers on the fairways of Cruden Bay Golf Club, the traditional Scottish links course in Aberdeenshire, is preferred over all others.

Course manager, Alister Matheson, comments: “The first thing I noticed about the Reelmaster in the demo was the way it handled the ground. The course at Cruden Bay follows the original lie of the land to great effect and as a result the fairways have a few humps and hollows. This didn’t pose a problem to the RM5410, its quality of cut was by far the best. As a result, we decided to buy two.”

Toro A Cut Above At Cruden Bay

Alister and his team are proud to present their perfect example of firm and fast undulating natural links fairways, back after five years thanks to a particularly dry end to spring. As Toro’s UK distributor Reesink Turfcare’s David Raitt says: “The game originated here in Scotland and this is the way links courses should look at this time of the year. Many foreign golfers, especially Americans, love this set up for links golf because it represents how the sports should be played in the natural environment.”

The grass looks like this when the ground is dry and there is little moisture for the plant so it goes dormant. When enough rain comes, which it undoubtedly will, the grass will come out of dormancy and its familiar green colour will return.

Not that any of this has been a problem for the Reelmasters brought in for the fairways, as Alister confirms: “They can cope with all conditions.” The fact that the RM5410-D is designed with improved operator comfort in mind, did not go unnoticed by Alister either: “This machine is so much nicer to the driver,” he says. Alister’s right: tilt steering, a deluxe suspension seat, improved visibility and lower operating noise, all go a long way to enhancing the operator experience and helping to reduce fatigue.

Alister completed the order by selecting the Multi Pro 5800-D sprayer for the Championship course, which is ranked 24th in the country by the Top 100 Golf Courses, and primarily chose the machine for its increased tank capacity: “We had a tank capacity of 700 litres before, whereas the Multi Pro 5800-D can hold 1136 litres. This will be far more cost effective, and productive to use.” But it was in the demo that Alister realised just how “robust and reliable” the Multi Pro is too, and that sealed the deal.

Alister has a formidable CV with many of the golfing greats on it. Before his ten years at Cruden Bay, he spent five years at one of the best clubs in the world, Royal Dornoch, and before that was at the club that needs no introduction, The Wentworth. However, it could be said that Cruden Bay is the club delivering some of his biggest challenges, due, mainly, to the club’s location.

Alister explains: “Here at Cruden Bay we have true Scottish light and dark seasons. In the summer, we can have up to 21 hours of sunlight a day, in the winter, only seven hours. Plus, the growing season is much reduced here to just five months of the year. We have a sharp easterly wind to deal with and the usual challenges of being a sandy links course; we’ve been known to have sand dunes as high as three-story buildings! And all this against the backdrop of the North Sea.”

But with a team of nine full-timers and a machinery replacement programme which sees machines selected on their individual merit, it’s easily handled by the team and fleet.

So, what’s next for the top Scottish club? Alister is working towards a new Toro irrigation system for installation this winter on the greens, tees and approaches, which will ensure precise irrigation of the course even in its windy, exposed location. Until then, we leave Alister, the team and the club’s members enjoying improved fairways, thanks to Toro.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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