Tag Archive for: Boost’

DLF Colour Boost brings burst of colour

/in , /by

DLF Colour Boost brings burst of colour: Lees Hall Golf Club are celebrating the success of their growing wildflower initiative, developed in conjunction with DLF Seeds.

Led by Head Greenkeeper Ian Whitehead and Assistant Greenkeeper Danny Tozzi, the club is now entering its third year of using mixtures from the Colour Boost range which has added areas of high visual impact and a real ‘boost’ to biodiversity around the course.

DLF Colour Boost brings burst of colour

DLF Colour Boost brings burst of colour

Established in 1907 as a nine-hole course before expanding to 18 holes in 1921, the picturesque parkland course at Lees Hall is set atop rolling hills with panoramic views across the city of Sheffield. Adding to the visual merit for the past two years are bursts of colour delivered by the club’s newly created wildflower areas. “I first met with DLF’s Stuart Yarwood at BTME 2024 who suggested we start with a small-scale trial to see how we got on” explains Ian.

“We opted for Floral Carpet from the Colour Boost range which provided a bold, but low-growing display which all the members enjoyed on their way to the first tee.” Along with something that would not interrupt lines of sight or play, Ian’s other request was slightly more out of the ordinary! “My allegiance to Sheffield Wednesday meant I couldn’t bear the thought of a red floral display on the course – DLF were more than happy to oblige, tweaking the mixture to incorporate more blues and whites.”

Under the careful management of assistant Danny Tozzi, the success of the trial plot saw the expansion of the programme into new areas in year two. Danny takes up the story, “We continued with Floral Carpet and then, with the guidance of DLF’s Ben Morgan, introduced the Honey Bee & Butterfly mixture into some new areas. Despite some slightly challenging weather conditions, we were impressed with not only the way the new sowing performed, but also how much re-growth and self-seeding we saw in the plots from year one.”

As well as visual appeal, boosting ecology has been a major driver for the project. “There’s no doubt that since we established these wildflower areas we’ve seen an increase in pollinators, birds and wildlife in general enjoying these spaces” Danny adds.

Buoyed by the success, five additional wildflower areas are earmarked for sowing in 2026. “We’ll certainly be continuing with Floral Carpet and the Honey Bee & Butterfly mixtures, along with Carnival which have all delivered exactly what we’ve hoped to date.” Danny concludes, “Everyone is excited to see even more colour on the course.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters

GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost

/in , /by

GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) welcomes the UK Government’s announcement of at least £400 million for new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities across the country.

This significant funding package recognises the vital role that high-quality sports infrastructure plays in supporting participation in communities across the country. It also reflects the collective efforts of the wider sporting sector, including the often-unsung work of grounds management professionals and volunteers.

GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost

GMA Welcomes £400 Million Government Boost

As the leading not-for-profit membership organisation for the grounds care sector, the GMA is at the forefront of improving the quality and safety of playing surfaces across the UK. Since the launch of the Pitch Advisory Service in 2014, the GMA has carried out over 50,000 pitch inspections in England, working alongside National Governing Bodies (NGBs) as well as local authorities and volunteers to raise standards and improve playing surfaces.

The Pitch Advisory Service now extends across Wales, providing practical guidance and development that helps clubs and communities get the most from their facilities.

Geoff Webb, Chief Executive Officer at the GMA, said: “We welcome the government investment as a real boost for grassroots sport. Over the past decade, the Pitch Advisory Service – working hand in hand with national governing bodies and local volunteers – has helped transform the quality of many community pitches across the UK. This funding allows us to continue that vital work, ensuring clubs and communities benefit from well-maintained facilities that inspire more people to play and stay in sport.”

The GMA’s impact is amplified through its long-standing partnerships with NGBs of sport, including The FA, Rugby Football Union, England and Wales Cricket Board, Rugby Football League and many others. These collaborations are central to the delivery of national sport development strategies, ensuring that grounds management is embedded in every effort to grow participation and improve player experience.

A key example of this is the recently launched Premier League Pitch Standards Framework – a resource developed in partnership to help Premier League clubs assess and improve the quality of their playing surfaces, ensuring consistency, safety of players and longer-term sustainability.

Beyond technical support, the GMA plays a central role in training and upskilling the grounds management workforce all the way from volunteers at grassroots clubs to full-time grounds staff at elite venues. Through a wide range of accredited qualifications and online learning, the GMA helps ensure that grounds staff have the knowledge and confidence to deliver safe and high-quality playing surfaces.

A key driver of this progress is SALTEX, Europe’s cutting-edge grounds management show. As a free-to-attend event, SALTEX enables the GMA to reinvest monies back in the sector, helping fund training, resources, subsidised memberships, GMA Industry Awards, #GroundsWeek and other initiatives that directly benefit sport.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, said: “Sport tells our national story in a way few other things can – uniting communities, inspiring millions, and showcasing our nation on the global stage. This major backing for world-class events will drive economic growth across the country, delivering on our Plan for Change. Coupled with strong investment into grassroots sport, we’re creating a complete pathway to allow the next generation of sporting heroes to train and take part in sport in communities across the UK.”

With the backing of this new government funding, and the continued engagement of the industry through events like SALTEX, we’re well placed to drive further improvements that benefit grassroots sport and communities across the UK.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

JCB’S NSPCC appeal receives £15,095 boost

/in , /by

JCB’S NSPCC appeal receives £15,095 boost: One of the world’s most accomplished male voice choirs hit the right note at a concert in aid of JCB’s NSPCC Appeal – helping to raise £15,095.

The internationally renowned Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir – known affectionately as ‘The Fron’ – performed to a sell-out audience in the theatre at JCB’s World HQ at Rocester.

JCB’S NSPCC appeal receives £15,095 boost

JCB’S NSPCC appeal receives £15,095 boost

The audience broke into spontaneous applause as it was announced that JCB and its employees were raising £2 million for the NSPCC to help with the charity’s work in Staffordshire – and that proceeds from the concert would go towards the fundraising. There were also cheers as JCB sponsored athlete and Olympian Adam Burgess, of Stone, Staffordshire, stepped on to the stage and showed off his Paris 2024 silver medal – ahead of helping to pull a giant Christmas cracker to reveal the total amount raised at the event.

He was joined in pulling the cracker by three talented young pianists who also entertained the audience with performances at the event. They were Thomas Pham, 15, a former pupil at the Co-op Academy Glebe in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, and Ukrainian sister and brother Sofiia Uvarova and Andrii Uvarov, who have settled in Uttoxeter under JCB’s Homes for Ukraine initiative.

JCB Group HR Director Max Jeffery attended with fellow JCB directors, employees, retired employees and members of the public. He said:  “It was an absolutely wonderful evening and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. The singing was outstanding and the fun the choir brought to the occasion was fantastic, particularly the audience participation, which took place during the singing of the Twelve Days of Christmas!”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Fleet from Toro brings boost in productivity

/in , /by

Fleet from Toro brings boost in productivity: Forres Golf Club in Moray, Scotland has gone all-in on Toro with a small fleet to optimise operations and do more with its experienced team of four. 

Before committing to a five-year hire purchase deal with Reesink Turfcare which allows the club to upgrade its machines regularly, Forres was using mowers from two different brands with mixed results across its 18-hole course.

Fleet from Toro brings boost in productivity

Fleet from Toro brings boost in productivity

Now, with the Toro Reelmaster 5010-H, two Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 and Workman MDX, Head Greenkeeper Ross Macleod is seeing improvements in productivity and operations and receiving compliments from members noticing the difference.

One of the reasons for the increase in productivity is how fast and convenient it is to change the cutting units in the Greensmaster TriFlex says Ross: “With the TriFlex, we can easily swap the cutting units without tools, quickly switching from greens to tees units to mow the different areas of the course. Previously, we were experiencing cutting inconsistencies due to using different machines and having to fine-tune the height of cut every time which led to excessive time wasting.

“Since using Toro, we’ve been far more productive. We can consistently mow multiple times without having to adjust the units. The set-up efficiency means we have finally freed up time because the team is spending less time in the sheds setting up the machines and has more time to be outside improving the course. We’re now getting round to doing all those small jobs that always seemed to be delayed, such as tidying up the bunkers and pathways.”

Ross has been at Forres for 29 years and as he and the team undertake a new rough management programme, he’s been particularly happy with the fuel efficiency provided by the Toro Reelmaster 5010-H.

He says: “Before we purchased the Reelmaster 5010-H, we used to cut the grass wall to wall, mowing all the roughs and fairways every week. Now, we are simply thinning out the roughs, allowing for the growth of wildflowers which enables us to cut less often and save manpower, man hours and fuel, which is just better in every way. The fact that the machine is a hybrid brings even more fuel-savings and its quality of cut really is outstanding.”

“All in all, we’re very happy with our new Toro machines,” Ross concludes. “They are elevating the quality of mowing, are incredibly comfortable to use, don’t require much maintenance and are helping us do much more with the same small team. What’s even better is it’s not just us noticing, the members have noticed the difference Toro has brought across the course, too.”

Discover how Toro’s technology could benefit your course by calling distributor Reesink Turfcare at 01480 226800, emailing info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visiting reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity

/in , /by

Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity: After witnessing good results with the Johnsons J All Bent mixture, Woolley Park Golf Club are now enjoying similar success with new eco-friendly areas created with DLF’s Pro Flora range.

The project to enhance habitats and encourage diversity of wildlife has gathered pace in recent years under the stewardship of Head Greenkeeper John Rowbottom who, with the help of DLF’s Stuart Yarwood, has not only boosted biodiversity but brought new life to previously unmanageable areas.

Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity

Pro Flora helping to boost biodiversity

The West Yorkshire club are longstanding users of seed mixtures from DLF. “We’ve used many different mixtures over the years, and specifically J All Bent for the last five. This just seems to really suit our conditions” explains John, who has worked at Woolley Park since its inception in 1995. “We’ve got USGA spec root zone and we’ve found that the bent grass thrives here, the benefits of which are two-fold – improving the quality of the sward and helping us in the constant fight against Poa, with the Bent outcompeting fescues and other varieties.”

Oversown twice a year during spring and autumn renovations, the reliability and results of the J All Bent programme on the greens is ongoing, allowing John to turn his attention to the viability of other areas. “During the COVID lockdowns we had the time to fully appreciate the rich abundance of wildlife that returned to the site while the course was closed. This really kickstarted our trials with wildflower areas, and since then we’ve worked on another patch of land each year with the results getting better and better! It’s been great to see that, as a result of this work, much of the fauna that returned over that time has stayed.”

“For me, it is essential that whatever we do on the course is sympathetic to the environment around it” he adds. So, when a major renovation project two years ago left a large area of ‘unmanageable’ land, it was then that John consulted with his DLF Regional Technical Manager Stuart Yarwood for advice. “I didn’t want bright, bold colours, instead something more subtle and in keeping with the surroundings that would provide some cover and habitat for pheasants and ground nesting birds.”

Stuart recommended Pro Flora 13, delivering a species-rich mix of UK native origin wildflowers and fine leaved low growing grasses. “This has given us exactly what we wanted from an ecological perspective and, visually, blends in brilliantly beside our in-play areas.”

“I believe it is our responsibility as custodians of land to ensure we are doing what we can to protect the environment, and this is something both Stuart and I are keen to continue developing with our wildflower projects. We are incredibly fortunate to be able to look after 150 acres of land and seeing golfers and wildlife out there enjoying what we craft is priceless.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.