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TinyLineMarker At Medway Norse

TinyLineMarker At Medway Norse: The prospect of at least 30% time savings by using a robot line marker compared to manual line marking – plus the resulting additional benefits in costs and labour resources – proved irresistible to Medway Norse, as the Kent-based grounds and facilities management specialist has become one of the first users of Rigby Taylor’s TinyLineMarker (TLM).

Launched at last year’s SALTEX exhibition, TLM can mark a full-size football pitch in just 20 minutes, compared to around 1.5 hours manually. And for Medway Norse, which has a grounds service remit that includes the maintenance of all of Medway Council’s grass playing surfaces, including 68 football pitches, “that will mean we’ll be freeing up our grounds team from line marking these pitches for at least two days a week”, says Colinda Le Gall, Operations Manager – Grounds.

TinyLineMarker At Medway Norse

“I’m being very conservative with these estimated savings, too, because I fully expect the rewards to be much greater!”

Colinda continues: “Also, as a result of needing just one person to mark the pitches using TLM – instead of two by conventional transfer wheel methods – the investment will also mean that the available resource will be able to be redeployed on other pitch maintenance tasks,” she says.

“So, for example, we will be able to carry out additional pitch maintenance all year round, rather than just the annual end-of-season renovations, and that will surely lead to better quality playing surfaces. It’s all about improving and adding services to users within the same budget model.”

The benefits of TLM don’t end there, either, says Colinda.

“Because TLM uses Rigby Taylor’s ready-to-use Impact paint [producing bright white lines that last longer than other paints], our operators will have virtually no contact with the paint either, as a flow tube is simply inserted into the paint container.

“So, we will also eliminate the need to both de-canter line marking paint from a 1,000-litre tank and mix it with water. That equates to further savings in time, labour and water, and it will make for a much cleaner, greener operation.”

Lightweight and easy to transport, TLM utilises the latest GPS technology with RTK receiver and antenna that connects with global satellites and mobile network connections. It takes the input of pitch line dimensions and multiple pitches via an App and re-positions them to best fit the site using Google Maps. Once stored, the lines are never lost, even if they disappear if a pitch is not used for any length of time.

TinyLineMarker At Medway Norse

Initial marking of a standard size football pitch takes less than 20 minutes – “our initial marking of 68 pitches used to take around four weeks”, says Colinda, “but will now take just one week” – including all perimeter lines, penalty boxes, the ‘D’, centre circle, corner angles and penalty spot all with just one touch on the tablet control. Even pitches with fixed post sockets can be marked.

TLM is able to mark football pitches (any length/width), and rugby union and league pitches as well as multi-lane athletic tracks, tennis, lacrosse and American football pitches, all with no need for formal measuring which is the big time saving.

TLM can just arrive on site and mark standard and bespoke shapes, which is often required for some smaller locations and events such as school sports days, fetes and even boot fairs, marking car parking on the fields.

“TLM operation is so simple,” she adds. “Our operators were very confident after just a few minutes of tuition on the tablet.”

Medway Norse – a joint venture with Medway Council and the Norse Group – has been watching robotised line marking developments for the past few years, says Colinda, “and we are confident that Rigby Taylor has arrived at the ultimate cost-effective and highly-efficient solution”.

She concludes: “While we also expect that TLM will eventually also be applied to the two grass tennis and the pair of cricket pitches we maintain [two bowls greens are also under Medway Norse’s wing], we are also confident that the expertise of our line marking and overall grounds maintenance will attract additional business, from local schools, sports clubs and our neighbouring councils”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Toro Lead The Way At Celtic Manor

Toro Lead The Way At Celtic Manor: The latest Toro fleet, which includes greens, tees, fairways and rough mowers as well as utility vehicles, for Celtic Manor marks a relationship spanning a quarter of a century.

And the reason why is because Toro is “head and shoulders above the competition”, says director of golf courses and estates management, Jim McKenzie MBE.

Toro Lead The Way At Celtic Manor

“We originally chose Toro in 1993 because it was the only machinery manufacturer that could deliver us a full fleet of machines, or the closest to it anyway. That sums Toro up, it has always led the way and been market innovators, and that’s why the relationship has lasted.”

Machinery was replaced as and when, but in the main every three years from 1993 to 2008 when Jim decided it was time to agree to a five-year partnership agreement: “Toro and Lely, as Reesink was then, were our preferred suppliers for many years. And the timing was right to formalize the deal in 2008 with us hosting the Ryder Cup in 2010, to have the back up and support that being in such an agreement brings as we took on one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

“Our Toro fleet is as complete as it’s possible to be. We have literally hundreds of bits of kit. And the reason for that is because Toro holds its value and ages well. Toro is part of our image. They look good for many years, and as a result we tend not to sell on the older machines as we replace them. They continue working on estate developments and with the gardening team.”

And at Celtic Manor there’s always something over and above the usual to be getting on with! Whether that’s the redevelopment of all the courses, preparation for The Open and the Ryder Cup, or coming up soon assisting in the planting of thousands of trees around the £4.5 million International Convention Centre Wales which is currently under construction. As Jim says: “We had pretty much every bit of machinery involved in the redevelopment of the courses and the events, and the Workman in particular will be stepping up to the plate when it comes to the woodland management for the ICC. They’re so dinky and can get to all the places a tractor can’t.”

With so many machines at his disposal and his experience of using them over the years, is it possible to pick a favourite? Jim, who was awarded his MBE for ensuring the conclusion – with a helping hand from Toro! – of the 2010 Ryder Cup despite half of the average monthly rainfall landing on the Twenty Ten Course in just two days, says yes.

Step forward the ProCore 648 aerator. Favoured by Jim for its versatility across the three world-class Championship courses, the golf academy and the 9-hole municipal course Caerleon Golf Club: “The ProCore is excellent for all fine turf aeration applications. The club is built on old farmland and is well drained, and hollow coring with the ProCore helps ensure the ultimate condition of the turf.”

But it’s not just the machinery that counts, Jim says the partnership with Reesink and local dealer Ted Hopkins, is just as important: “There’s always been a really good synergy between us, Ted Hopkins, Reesink/Lely. It just works and has done so for 25 years!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Headland Deliver Strong Fairways At Abridge GC

Headland Deliver Strong Fairways At Abridge GC: In what was a challenging year for Greenkeepers up and down and the country, Course Manager at Abridge Golf Club Geoff Smith had no complaints with the way the course emerged from the prolonged period of hot weather. The fairways, in particular, came out looking better than ever, which he puts down to the timely installation of a new Perrot irrigation system, and his tried and tested nutritional programme from Headland Amenity. 

Geoff joined Abridge, a Regional Open Qualifier 2009-2013, as an assistant greenkeeper 17 years ago, on the back of learning his trade at The London Golf Club. “When I took charge 12 years ago in the autumn of 2006, I found out within my first 3 months at the helm that we were going to be hosting a large national tournament in the summer of 2007, which was a daunting challenge to say the least! I decided to call on the expertise of some trusted industry contacts – one of whom was Claire Harley of Headland Amenity.”

Headland Deliver Strong Fairways At Abridge GC

“All those years ago she recommended we apply Multigreen® 28-3-15 temperature-controlled release fertiliser on the fairways, a programme we still follow to this day.” Multigreen® is the only long-term fertiliser where nutrient release is governed by soil temperature only and not affected by other factors such as moisture, pH or microbial activity. Ideal for use on fairways, coarse turf or winter sports pitches, the prills contain their nutrients within a permeable resin-coating to prevent severe leaching loss.

“Abridge can be a bit of a grass factory but with the controlled release of Multigreen®, we get a consistent, healthy growth on the fairways that continues for months. Last year was a great test for our nutritional programme and we’ve emerged with flying colours!” Geoff applies Multigreen® once a year, and compliments this with a tank mix of TriCure and Elevate Fe, applied in September/October, to help in the management of Dollar Spot – another recommendation from Claire.

Geoff adds, “I have a great working relationship with Claire and know she’s always on the end of the phone if I need help or guidance. Undeniably, the Multigreen® feeds, together with a verti-drain and scarification programme, has helped me to produce fairways that our visitors and members describe as carpets! They love to play on them and that’s really what counts.”

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Versatility Key At Sitwell Park

Versatility Key At Sitwell Park: Sitwell Park Golf Club in Rotherham has taken delivery of a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor and two attachments from Russell Group’s Groundcare Division. And versatility was a key reason for the purchase according to Course Manager Martin Hayward.

“It’s an incredible machine,” he said, “so versatile and it can do what other machines can’t do. We’ve purchased it with a Contour deck and a blower, which basically means we have two machines in one; three if you count the stump grinder attachment we have on loan from Russells.

Versatility Key At Sitwell Park

“We’re a parkland course situated in a valley with some severe undulations, so maintaining some of the slopes are an issue. Previously we’ve used strimmers in these high maintenance areas, but with a small team it takes a lot of man-hours and anything we can do to reduce that drain on resource is good and the Ventrac does just that.”

Sitwell Park Golf Club opened in 1913 with the support from local landowner, Sir George Sitwell, who offered part of his estate and agreed to bear the cost of building the course providing that a minimum of 100 members could be guaranteed by the time nine temporary holes were built. The club was a great success with over 100 members enrolling within a week and in May 1913 the club formally opened with over 200 members. With open countryside to the North, South and East, this was the first course Dr Alister MacKenzie built for a private client rather than for a committee.

Martin Hayward is a career greenkeeper, who has worked in Yorkshire for over 22 years. He entered the profession at Town Moor in Doncaster, moved on to Bawtry Golf Club after seven years and then to Hessle Golf Club. He joined Sitwell Park as Course Manager in April 2018 and leads a team of four dedicated greenkeepers.

“When I came here I identified a problem with shade on some of the greens, the 5th having the biggest issue, so we’re currently working on a programme of extensive tree removal to allow more light and increase airflow into these areas. Glen Sawyer at Russell’s kindly loaned us the stump grinder attachment and it has certainly impressed the lads. The Ventrac is certified to work on slopes up to 30 degrees and this has enabled us to get into areas that were previously not maintained. This will certainly help with the presentation of the course and I’ve already had positive comments from some of the members.

“I’m very lucky here having a supportive committee who have agreed to a planned replacement programme for our equipment. When we were looking at the Ventrac, all of my team were part of the decision-making process. To a man, they were all impressed and then it was just about making a business case for the committee to agree. It wasn’t that difficult as they quickly saw the versatility of the machine and how, in the long-term, we can add attachments at a fraction of the cost of buying a dedicated machine.”

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Attila 98X A Hit At Glanusk

Attila 98X A Hit At Glanusk: Harry Legge-Bourke, custodian, managing partner and trustee of the Glanusk Estate, believes that the ride-on Attila 98X brushcutter from Etesia has exceeded all expectation at the truly prestigious venue.

Situated in the beautiful countryside of the Usk Valley, Crickhowell, South Wales, Glanusk, which has been in the ownership of the same family since 1826, boasts 400 acres of private parkland, 800 acres of forestry, 3,500 acres of lowland and hill farms, the Park and forestry, 16,000 acres of Common Land hills and 5 miles of the River Usk. It also contains an array of historic buildings, including the iconic Tower Bridge, the ancient Celtic standing stones, the private chapel, farm buildings and stables, all of which are either Grade II listed or Grade II starred.

Attila 98X A Hit At Glanusk

Today, Glanusk features a multi-diversified business portfolio that includes weddings, farming, festivals, fishing, corporate events, unique holiday cottages and residential lettings. Within the Estate’s grounds there is also the third largest selection of Oak trees in the United Kingdom. This wondrous display of Oak is set to be unveiled to the public and it is for this reason that the Estate was in need of some new groundcare equipment.

“I was looking for a machine for a very specific requirement, owing to the fact we are opening up the Oak Collection,” said Harry. “I needed a machine which could prepare the ground for visitors.

“By chance, after looking on the internet, I came across Etesia. I then looked at the videos, found out a bit more about the product and contacted the company. It was an absolute priority of mine to see the machine in action and so within days Etesia, along with our local dealer Forest Park and Garden, came to the Estate to carry out a demonstration.

“On the day of the demonstration we were faced with horrendous weather conditions but the 98X absolutely proved its worth.”

Etesia’s Attila 98X ride-on brushcutter is reliable, efficient, comfortable and safe. The output, combined with 4-wheel-drive and performance makes it ideal for some of the toughest jobs. The 98X has a 98cm cutting width for more efficient working while eight cutting heights are available between 50mm to 120mm, with one transport position, which is easily adjusted with a centralised lever.

It can be used on slopes up to 30% and its strengthened structure welded tubular chassis offers its operators a better driving position. Furthermore, the electric start offers a high comfort level, rack and pinion steering, plus hydrostatic drive. Special attention has also been paid to sound and vibration levels to reduce them to a very low level – making it ideal for public areas.

“I have been using the Attila 98X throughout the Oak Collection, new plantation sites in the park and along the river bank – all day every day,” said Harry.

“I’m sceptical and I really didn’t think the machine would be able to do what it did. The demo was great but it is different when you sit on the machine yourself, and I have managed to do exactly what I wanted to do. The machine just cruised up and down and it destroyed everything that it needed to. The work would have normally been done by hand on that bank and taken two weeks, but that work with the 98X was completed in an hour.

“It has exceeded all expectation and you wouldn’t recognise the areas where we’ve used it. It is an outstanding bit of equipment.

“The Oaks area I could open tomorrow, with access right up the trees and pathways all clear – no hairy moments on that bank in the brambles either! I now consider myself an expert with the 98X and really know how to use it to its maximum capability.

“I would say that the stability and the cut are the best features of the machine.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Etesia UK on Twitter and Instagram @EtesiaUK and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/EtesiaUK. You can also view the latest Etesia videos by visiting www.youtube.com/EtesiaUK.

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Pitch Perfect At Swindon Town

Pitch Perfect At Swindon Town: Long summer hours, ensuring a pre-planned fertiliser programme is on target and achieving the right aeration balance – you could consider all of the above to be traits required by one of Wiltshire’s many farmers.

But it also applies to Swindon Town’s chief groundsman Marcus Cassidy, who is midway through his 18th season at the club.

Pitch Perfect At Swindon Town

It’s a job that started for the Stonehouse-born groundsman by chance after he landed the role through a friend before completing various courses to expand his qualifications.

He now works alongside apprentice Conor Collins – who spends his Saturday’s working on Southampton’s pitch – while using an army of 10 volunteers to ensure the pitch is prepared to perfection ahead of matchday.

A fortnight ago on Saturday proved a rare occurrence for Cassidy as Town’s home game against Forest Green Rovers was postponed due to heavy snowfall.

But it was only dangerous conditions around the perimeter of the Energy Check County Ground that forced the game off – with the club deeming the pitch as fit to play on.

“Snow is a great insulator,” explained Cassidy. “So if the ground isn’t frozen, the snow will keep the frost out – and vice-versa.

“Our pitch is a very old pitch, it’s essentially a sand and soil pitch. Premier League, Championship and even some pitches in League Two are hybrid – they are three to five per cent plastic.”

assidy has every right to claim the County Ground as one of the truest pitches in League Two, and he pinned that down to the investment provided by chairman Lee Power and chief executive Steve Anderson.

While he accepts he is a way off having the tools Premier League staff have to their disposal, Cassidy revealed the club is more than half way there to being home to world-class equipment used by top teams including Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

He added: “The club has invested in the machinery that I can use in the last three years.

“That makes things a lot easier. When you’re waiting on contractors, they might not be able to get there or might be on another job.

“With the tools I’ve got, I can go out and do what I want, when I want.

“That’s why the pitch is holding up well, because the club has invested.

“I’m always asking for more equipment. In the Premiership, they get what tools they want.

“We try and improve a little bit each year. I’m under no illusions, when you get relegated into League Two budgets will be cut.

“But Steve Anderson and Lee Power do try and keep the pitch to the standard it is. They expect a good pitch, and they want a good pitch.

“It’s a slow process – I’ll always ask for more than I can get. They can only say no.”

Watching the game often comes second on Cassidy’s list, who has his eyes on the ball more than anything else come 3pm on Saturday.

And you can rest assured he and his hard-working team of staff will be putting the hours in ahead of Town’s next home game against Grimsby Town on February 23.

“You try and watch the game, but I’m watching the ball more than anything,” said Cassidy.

“I want to see the ball rolling well. When I watch the highlights, I’ll watch them twice – I study the pitch first and then the goals.

“It’s pretty sad, but that’s my job.

“We do less hours in the winter – sometimes you just leave it alone. You can do more damage by overworking a pitch.

“Less is more in the winter.”

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Otterbine Fountain At Ladbrook Park

Otterbine Fountain At Ladbrook Park: For the past 15 years, Otterbine’s Sunburst aerating fountain has created a stunning centrepiece to the heart of Ladbrook Park Golf Club in the midlands.

Three impressive interconnecting lakes make up the centre of Ladbrook Park and with 12,000m² of water in total, it’s paramount a high-quality aerating system is in place to keep the water clear and healthy. And for 15 years, Otterbine’s Sunburst aerating fountain has been more than up to the task, says course manager, Kevin Fellows:

Otterbine Fountain At Ladbrook Park

“The lakes are central to the course and provide the backdrop to many of our 18-holes, so having a reliable aerating fountain that keeps the water clean and clear, while also creating a striking centrepiece is of the utmost importance.

“For 15 years, the Sunburst has given us everything we needed. When we first excavated the lakes in conjunction with a local contractor, there was a transition period when we had a lot of weed and algae build up which was causing problems and fixing that as soon as possible was a real priority.”

To combat this, the club worked with a water management company who recommended the Otterbine Sunburst fountain. Everyone was confident the Sunburst was up to the task of keeping such a large body of water in good condition, and that confidence was well founded!

“Once we had the fountain installed it solved all of our problems within a couple of weeks,” says Kevin. “You could see the improvement pretty much immediately, which definitely gave us peace of mind we’d made the right choice.”

The club excavated the lakes itself, not just to create beautiful surroundings for golfers, but to give themselves a source of water for irrigation purposes. With the Otterbine aerating fountain, the water is a good enough quality to use for irrigation across the course and without having to rely on the mains water supply, the club has saved money and gained peace of mind from its ability to be self-reliant, which “has been a real bonus” says Kevin.

During its time at the club, the fountain has performed brilliantly, and Kevin doesn’t expect that to change. “The fountain hasn’t let us down yet, and it’s over a decade old! We have routine inspections anyway and knowing we have the back-up from Otterbine and its distributor Reesink Turfcare should we need it is enough to guarantee peace of mind.”

He concludes: “The Otterbine fountain has not only been one of the best investments we’ve made, it’s part of the scenery here at Ladbrook Park. It’s cost effective to run and has proven itself to be a really reliable product which is quite literally at the heart of the course.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Limagrain Key At York Racecourse

Limagrain Key At York Racecourse: Having been a long-term user of Limagrain grass seed, Adrian Kay, head groundsman at York Racecourse, believes that an improvised MM25 mixture gives him the confidence to keep the course to an exceptionally high standard all year long.

Adrian, the man in charge of keeping York Racecourse ahead of the pack, has been the head groundsman for twelve years. He joined York from Aintree Racecourse in 2006 and two years later was instrumental in a huge £2.6 million track development project.

Limagrain Key At York Racecourse

As part of the project, significant drainage works were carried out in order to remove and keep water at bay from the surface, which is situated on an old river bed and flood plain. Although that project was undertaken over nine years ago, Adrian and his team still continue to focus their attention on maintaining and improving the surface and primary drainage.

It could be argued that Adrian is somewhat of an industry pioneer as he continues to adopt new methods, particularly in his decision to embrace the Koro process in order to strip the top of the surface and remove all vegetation and rootzone – something which is practically unheard of in horse racing turf maintenance. As a result, Adrian admits that whichever grass seed he uses, he must have full confidence that it is going to provide him with exceptional results and guarantee a fast return to usability.

“I’ve been using Limagrain seed for about 16 years now and I’ve got every confidence in the seed. I used MM25 when I was at Aintree and then we played around with the mixture here at York to suit our renovations.

“The mixture we use consists of 50% Tetraploid Perennial Rye, 30% Diploid and 20% Slender Creeping Red Fescue – and it’s treated with HEADSTART® GOLD. It’s a perfect mixture here for what we are trying to achieve and occasionally we use 100% Tetraploid when we are carrying out our renovations.”

With the race season at York finishing in mid-October, Adrian typically uses this period to start his renovations. Although renovating this late in the year can present certain challenges, Adrian believes that his Limagrain mixture ensures a smooth process.

Limagrain Key At York Racecourse

“We normally begin our renovations in October after the race season, which is sometimes not ideal, but we have full confidence in the Limagrain mixture that it will begin to germinate.

“This year renovations were very late with the seed being sown in early November. Unfortunately for us, we then had an extreme winter with Beast from the East followed by a very wet start to the spring.  However, the track couldn’t have looked better with a very good coverage of new grass ready for the first meeting of the on the 16th May – this really is testament to the quality of the seed.”

Racecourses have to withstand a high degree of damage from horses over a whole season which means that selecting the right mixture for renovation and divot repair is vitally important. Adrian’s tailored mixture provides him with a dense hard wearing surface which offers quick germination and provides cushioning in the bottom of the sward.

Adrian says, the mixture which is treated with HEADSTART® GOLD – Limagrain’s unique seaweed based seed treatment helps to ensure rapid and even germination. This tried and tested grass seed treatment helps the seed get off to the best possible start – something which Adrian has been quick to notice.

“I use Limagrain because of the attributes of germination, establishment and the quality of leaf. If I put the seed down two weeks before we are racing, I absolutely know that in ideal conditions we are going to get the germination and establishment that is required.

“For me, it’s a year round product that I use. We use the same mix for repairs on the track as well which we apply after every race meeting. It really is the full package.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm.

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Toro Irrigation At Leicester City

Toro Irrigation At Leicester City: Leicester City Football Club has selected a Toro Lynx central control system, 10 Infinity sprinklers on the pitch’s perimeter, eight T7 sprinklers in the centre and the Turf Guard wireless soil monitoring system on each corner to ensure problem-free irrigation at the King Power Stadium.

Simon Gibson, head groundsman, says he switched to Toro because he wanted more precise control: “We conducted a side-by-side trial with Toro at the stadium and straight away the even distribution the Infinitys produced was evident. You could see the consistent moisture curtain from the beginning to the very end.”

Toro Irrigation At Leicester City

Simon decided on 10 Infinity sprinklers but instead of placing them into the pitch, he put them into the 4G tracking run-off areas in stacked up irrigation boxes covered with blue astroturf. He says: “The sprinklers can’t be seen when they’re not in use and it means the pitch is 100 percent grass. The boxes aren’t filled, we simply lift the lid to access the whole unit.”

Another major advantage Simon and the team are finding is the control for spot watering. He says: “We like to keep the goal area drier than the rest of the pitch. With the Toro sprinklers and the slip clutch feature you can manually position the sprinkler where you want it without damaging the pop-up. Now on match day when we set the irrigation on, we send a member of the team round to spin the sprinkler out of the direction of the goal area. It’s great to be able to do that and have that level of control.”

Simon has had Turf Guard placed onto all four corners of the pitch and linked it to the Lynx control system. He says: “By having Turf Guard in all corners means we have a more accurate picture of what the moisture content is through the profile. It allows us to detect the dry areas before they impact on the turf’s health and prevent overwatering. It’s taken away so much of the guesswork.”

Simon has been more than impressed with the Lynx system, like so many, for its ease of use and accuracy. There is only thing he’s now waiting on and that’s a radio licence to enable direct access with the system on match days: “When there are 35,000 people on the Wifi and 4G, the service gets overloaded. We have applied for a radio licence and that will let us bypass the issue.”

With the irrigation of the pitch safely in Toro’s hands we wondered what’s next on the cards at the King Power Stadium for Simon, who has been with the club now for 20 seasons. “I always relate my time at the club by seasons,” he laughs. “Plans for the next couple of years are to reconstruct the irrigation system pipework to enable us to put TS90 sprinklers in the middle of the pitch. The configuration of the existing pipes meant we couldn’t go for this option this time and while the T7 sprinklers are brilliant once the pipe configuration has been updated it will allow us to install Toro’s ultimate infield sprinkler, the TS90. We’ll have turf cups of course and will grow the grass in a pot at the beginning of the season and then drop it into the cup so it will be a seamless playing surface.”

There seems to be a great deal of pressure on all grounds team come the start of each season, and Simon says that’s a situation that never changes: “Expectations for sports surfaces are always high and the pressure for the best surface possible only ever increases. Toro irrigation delivers on everything you ask for. You’ve got to get the best results and you do with Toro.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Triple Toro Launch At BTME

Triple Toro Launch At BTME: Reesink Turfcare brought visitors to BTME a Toro triple this year: three new launches – two on the machinery side and one for irrigation. And all three reflected what Toro does best – innovation.

David Cole, managing director, says: “It was a first for us to have three launches at one show, but this demonstrates our dedication for bringing our customers the very latest advancements in turfcare technology.”

Triple Toro Launch At BTME

The eTriFlex is a classic example of Toro responding to customer demand by creating a machine which significantly reduces noise. The new hydraulics-free Greensmaster eTriFlex 3360 with lithium-ion battery cuts noise to deliver quiet, leak-free, clean cutting. This allows work to start earlier and may circumvent noise regulations. It will help avoid complaints from area residents and prevent having to delay mowing certain greens early in the morning or during the day. Plus, with greens ready earlier, it could enhance revenue by allowing earlier tee times.

The new Greensmaster 1021 brings a new level of consistency to pedestrian mowing and takes all that was revolutionary, popular and legacy-making about the 1000 pedestrian mower and adds design improvements to make operation smoother, green-to-green cut more consistent and adjustment easier. The 21-inch mower features a new telescoping loop handle which can be easily adjusted to comfortably accommodate operators of all heights and skill levels and handle isolation mounts to give the cutting unit constant contact with the ground throughout the mowing process.

David says: “These machines launch in America at the GIS Show 2019, so they really are the latest in terms of cutting-edge design and technology.”

Visitors to BTME were also given the first glimpse of Toro’s Lynx Smart Module and Smart Hub irrigation setup which provides the flexibility of a satellite controller with the cost savings of a two-wire system.

Based on decades of engineering experience from Toro to deliver high speed diagnostics using rapid two-way communications, the Lynx Smart Module two-wire system is an adaptation on the already successful GDC control system. It’s a forwards and backwards compatible add-on tool which provides backup and operation should connection to the central control be interrupted so irrigation continues.

It comes with attachments to expand the capabilities of the Lynx central control system to another level. The module makes irrigation smart – add it to a GDC system, for example, for extra precision and speed. Meanwhile, the pedestal or wall-mounted Smart Hub enables the system to be segmented into manageable areas by strategically placing up to nine Smart Hubs over the site for simplified maintenance.

David concludes: “To have three such interesting launches at BTME meant we had a consistently busy stand! It was great to see so much interest in the new technology from Toro and for our other brands Otterbine, TYM Tractors and 1st Products.”

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