Tag Archive for: brilliant

Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant

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Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant: When Stuart Broom, Head Greenkeeper at Honiton Golf Club, was looking for a pure sand for top-dressing, he identified Mansfield Sand’s MM35 Golf as the ideal product.

Honiton Golf Club, in Devon, is a short 18-hole parkland course which is 850 ft above sea level and boasts some spectacular views. Stuart has been working at the Club since March 2015 and was appointed as the Head Greenkeeper in September 2019. Throughout his time at Honiton, Stuart has overseen some big changes and is now pleased with the direction the course is heading.

Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant

Mansfield Sand’s MM35 is ‘pure’ brilliant

“I would say that we are work in progress, but we have come a very long way in the past few years,” he said. “The club is doing really well, we have a lot of new members, and the goal is to keep improving course conditions every year.”

Stuart and his five members of staff work hard to make improvements wherever they can, and as soon as one is identified, the team is quick to act.

“Last year it became apparent that our members didn’t like the soil aspect of the traditional 70/30 dressing we were applying,” he said. “We wanted to go down the pure sand route instead, so I did a lot of research looking at all the different pure sands which might be compatible with our old dressing. The product which was most compatible and the one that stood out by far was Mansfield Sand’s MM35 Golf. Not only did it work in terms of particle size distribution, but the pH was also what we were looking for.”

Mansfield’s MM35 Golf pure silica sand is ideal for top dressing greens because it brings a number of benefits such as improved recovery, firmness, smoothness and an improved rootzone. MM35 Golf also makes for a great bunker sand as it has fantastic playing characteristics as well as being aesthetically attractive.

Sourced directly from the company’s Two Oaks Quarry in Mansfield, the Mansil Silica products are predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces – from winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas.

“One of the main reasons for choosing MM35 was the pH level – which is 6.6,” continued Stuart. “The pH was just too high on all the other competitive products we looked at. In fact, the next nearest match was 7.3.

“MM35 is a great product to work with; we can get the dressing down early in the morning, give it an hour or so to dry, and we can then brush it in before the golfers arrive. We can tell that the MM35 has signalled an improvement because members don’t really know that we’ve done it now, whereas before there was always a bit of debris laying around.

“It is our go-to product for regular light top dressings through the season and we also use it for our renovations in September. MM35 is mainly used on greens but because it has worked so well, we have started using it on the approaches as well.”

Stuart estimates that he will apply approximately 120 tonnes of the MM35 Golf over the course of the year and claims that ordering the product could not be a smoother process.

“From start to finish it is great. Delivery is always on time and well organised and Sharon Morris (Sales Manager for Mansfield Sand) has been superb from a customer point of view.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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ISEKI is brilliant in Bradwell

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ISEKI is brilliant in Bradwell: A volunteer who is passionate about helping his local sports club has revealed how an ISEKI compact tractor is significantly improving the standard of pitches.  

The picturesque village of Bradwell in Milton Keynes boasts successful football and cricket teams and both sports are played at the Bradwell Sports & Social Club. Until recently, the Bradwell teams had no control over the condition of the pitches as David Keene – Old Bradwell United FC’s Manager, Groundsman AND Chairman explains:

ISEKI is brilliant in Bradwell

ISEKI is brilliant in Bradwell

“We were at the mercy of the parish council who carried out the groundwork on the football and cricket pitches, and they did it at their convenience, but it wasn’t always convenient for us.

“It got to the point where our pitch was deemed poor by the Football Association and as a result, we secured some funding through a Football Foundation grant. This finally enabled us to purchase our own machinery so that we could maintain the pitches ourselves.

“Our local dealer, RT Machinery, recommended some tractors and specifically the ISEKI TM3267. We found that during the demonstration, the ISEKI tractor was the best within our budget.”

The ISEKI TM3267 compact tractor is a versatile 25hp diesel compact tractor with a F8/R8 mechanical transmission. The ISO-mounted operator’s platform combined with ergonomically positioned controls ensures operator comfort during extended working periods. The 3-point linkage has a lift capacity of 600kg or 800kg when fitted with the high-capacity lift kit.

It also features, as standard, a rear-PTO, two double acting valves, mid-PTO, two double-acting auxiliary valves, weight frame and a choice of AG or Turf tyres. The TM3267 is available with an optional front loader. Should you ave any other questions please give me a call, included do

Further benefits include:

  • Excellent performance coupled with high efficiency
  • ISO mounted operator platform for reduced noise and vibration
  • Power: 18.9 kW (25.3 hp)
  • Drive System: Mechanical or HST

David was quick to stress the importance of the ISEKI TM3267 being user friendly and explained how it has helped to improve the pitches.

“I’m not a mechanically minded person – I work in an office,” he said. “I have absolutely no problems using the ISEKI tractor – which tells you how easy it is to use. Swapping the mower and other attachments is very straightforward. No preparation is needed – it is simply a case of getting onto it and then start using it.

“We use it specifically for the football pitch and the cricket outfield,” continued David. “We will attach the mower to it predominantly in the dry months, and we then we attach a SISIS Quadraplay (a mounted frame which allows for up to four implements) to it in the winter months to break up compaction and allow for drainage. Since we have been using it the quality of the pitches have improved no end.

“I would recommend the TM3267 to any sports club who are looking to take control of their own ground maintenance. Essentially, any club – from grass roots to semi-professional – would benefit from this.”

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Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies

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Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies: Rob Lane, Head Groundsman at The Hawthorns stadium, recently decided that a Dennis G34D cylinder was the mower that would help him achieve that all important pitch-perfect-presentation.

Back in the seventies when Rob was stood in the stands watching his beloved West Bromwich Albion FC, little did he know that he would one day be responsible for looking after the pitch. Fast forward a decade and he was about to do exactly that.

Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies

Dennis G34D brilliant for the Baggies

“I wasn’t good enough to play the game, but I knew I wanted to be involved in football,” he said. “That was when I first thought about becoming a groundsman. So, I contacted all the football clubs in the area closest to me, and the only vacancy available was at my childhood club. I jumped at the chance. My whole family are West Brom fans, so it was a proud moment.”

Rob embarked on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) which included a day release where he studied Sports Turf at college. That was in 1988 and he has been at the club ever since.

The one-club man is committed to preparing the best pitch possible for the players, the staff, the fans, and of course his family, so Rob never cuts any corners. Therefore, when it came to finding a new mower to give the pitch that all important matchday cut, it was a decision he was not going to rush into.

“Our previous mower we had for presenting the pitch needed replacing and I looked long and hard at what was available,” he said. “I just couldn’t look past the Dennis G34D and that was based on our experience with the Dennis G860 cylinder mower – which is a machine we use a lot here. It is the same height; the same weight and we liked the thought of having two Dennis mowers for the pitch. It would be nice and uniformed.”

As Rob says, the Dennis G34D has been designed and built following the same concept as the popular Dennis G860 cylinder mower. Available in three different cutting sizes – 26”, 30” and 34” – the mowers incorporate a large-diameter eight bladed cutting cylinder to cater for a wide range of uses to leave a precision cut. The handlebar design makes manoeuvring easy and the wide adjustment makes it comfortable for all cutting heights.

Rob now uses the two mowers in conjunction with one another to prepare the pitch. While using cassettes such as the verticutter and the brush on the G860, he will save the G34D for matchdays.

“On a Friday before a game we will use the G34D to cut widthways and then on a Saturday morning we will cut lengthways,” he said.

“It provides a fantastic finish every time. We also like the fact that if it is a bit dewy or a bit wet then it doesn’t drop the grass clippings like our old machine used to. It also has a much bigger grass box to get more in and you don’t have to keep stopping to empty it.

“I’m very pleased – it is a superbly engineered mower.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

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

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