Tag Archive for: Brings

Fairways GM brings Jacobsen GP400 to Pitlochry GC

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Fairways GM brings Jacobsen GP400 to Pitlochry GC: A busy course manager to two golf courses in the central Highlands has raised over £9,000 in his spare time for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance Service.

Almost a year ago, a helicopter rescued Stuart Griffiths after an on-course accident left him trapped for nearly two hours under a machine. Emergency surgery and thirteen nights in hospital followed, with Stuart happily making a full recovery and back to work in October.

Fairways GM brings Jacobsen GP400 to Pitlochry GC

Fairways GM brings Jacobsen GP400 to Pitlochry GC

Stuart’s day job is split across two glorious Perthshire courses, eight miles apart. Pitlochry GC has 18 dramatic and scenic holes plus a tricky six-hole Pitch & Putt course while near neighbour, Blair Atholl GC has nine holes, also with stunning backdrops of the Cairngorms’ National Park.  Both courses are owned by Pitlochry contractors, RW Bell Electrical, which in the last five years has successfully harnessed positive community momentum and a resurgence of visitors from near and far, to win some prestigious tourism accolades.

“I joined Blair Atholl in 2010 as head greenkeeper. In 2015, when Stephen Carruthers, owner of Pitlochry, decided to merge the two, he asked me to manage them together, which frankly, took a lot of heat off me, as I was caring for a nine-hole course with a large expenditure,” explained Stuart.

“So, I became course manager of both; the first couple of seasons took a little bit of sorting, in respect of taking staff and machinery between two places, but soon we were in a better routine than before. We are very lucky.  Blair Atholl had a decent set of machinery prior to Pitlochry taking over, so actually, there is very little machinery swapping, only say, when we are spraying or top dressing.

“Staff wise, we work it out, essentially, everyone’s at both. We’re a team of five – full timers Billy Hoggins, Douglas Black, Sean Menzies, and Rob Coughlan, plus our long standing volunteer mechanic, and cutter of rough, Frank Brennan. Traditionally, there’s a big weekly Wednesday competition for visitors at Pitlochry, so on Wednesdays after set up, we all come to Blair Atholl.

To boost their fleet, in April, Stuart purchased a Jacobsen GP400 ride on greens mower, exclusively for Pitlochry’s greens. Mike Lindsay, Area Sales Manager, from local dealer, Fairways GM at Kinross, was on hand to provide sales support and demonstration know how.

“It’s May, there’s snow on the hills and we’ve been out cutting with it twice,” laughed Stuart. “That sorts of says it all for the season so far, but we’re extremely positive and excited for warmer temperatures. Feedback from the team on the GP400 is very good. The overall cutting experience is great. Technology-wise, it is a big step up from what we’ve had; it’s got great design, is precise and clean and we’ll be able to cut the greens so much quicker.”

Fairways GM’s, Mike Lindsay, said: “It’s such an all-rounder when you’re against time and got greens to prepare. The swing-out centre cutting unit allows easy access for changing height of cut and routine inspection.  For access, there’s a neat step behind the front wheel and for visibility, the angle of the curved steering arm gives the best view of the right-hand cutting unit. Also a steering arm clamp, lets your arm take up a really comfy position.  It’s a machine that makes life easier.”

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Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home

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Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home: Providing a new home, rest and rehabilitation for rescued animals from across the globe, the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (formally the Isle of Wight Zoo) have, for the last twelve months, been working on a project to support species much closer to home.

With flower mixtures and support from DLF Seeds, the work at the sanctuary and at local schools has been hailed a great success – with Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Bates noting both the improvements in bio-diversity and awareness of the issues affecting our native habitats.

Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home

Colour Boost brings conservation closer to home

Lawrence began planning the habitat creation with the help of DLF’s Paul Hadley in a previous role a few years ago and saw the opportunity to resurrect it upon joining the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary in July 2019. “It can be difficult for people to understand how important our behaviour and efforts are for supporting our own native species that are under threat, when a lot of the media focus is on animals on the other side of the globe. Our vision with this project is to look at spaces closer to home, increase the bio-diversity to provide habitats, shelter and food for invertebrates which, in turn, helps animals further up the food chain.”

“Paul visited the island and advised on the most suitable species for our new flower meadow on site, but also what would work for projects at some local schools, which weren’t going to be maintained by experts!” Selected were Colour Boost 1, a mixture containing quick-to-establish, high impact annuals and Colour Boost 6, comprising of over 40 different species and subspecies, the appearance of which is constantly changing throughout the growing season.

Four flower meadows were sown at the schools on the island prior to the lockdown in March 2020, with the Sanctuary’s own meadow then planted in June 2020. “The result from these two Colour Boost mixtures was phenomenal! Not only did the students benefit from the educational programme around wildflowers and conservation, but it completely transformed previously neglected areas of the school sites, and our own site, with hardy blooms that created a dazzling, long-lasting display of colour.”

“We received so many lovely comments from Head Teachers with numerous other schools now wanting to get involved. We’re also talking to local churches and a number of businesses through the Green Impact Group about new sponsored plots of land.” Lawrence concludes, “The programme is growing fast and the impact this will have on the wildlife is exponential! Without DLF and their ongoing support, the project wouldn’t have got off the ground.”

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Reesink brings the future to BTME

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Reesink brings the future to BTME: Reesink Turfcare is launching Toro’s most eagerly anticipated technology, the most advanced on the market, at BTME.

The all-new all-electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 ride-on mower with the industry’s first lithium-ion battery powered unit will be on stand 420, in the purple Zone.

Reesink brings the future to BTME

It’s the quietest ride-on greensmower and incorporates features that will revolutionise the market says Toro, and Toro’s innovation could not be more evident in this machine, even if you didn’t focus on its all-electric credentials for a moment, with a ream of patented or patent-pending features bringing a host of benefits and solutions for greenkeepers.

Toro’s ‘radius dependent speed system’ delivers an optimal perimeter cut by monitoring each individual cylinder and traction wheel speed during turns and that, in conjunction with the ‘lift-in-turn’ cutting unit levelling feature, standardises the clip rate of each individual cylinder and virtually eliminates the effect know as ‘Triplex-Ring’. The double A-Arm suspension system, with industry-leading Flex technology, means the cutting units float freely and closely over any terrain and deliver superior contour-following, while the ‘lift-gate footrest’ and ‘tool-free quick change’ cutting units simplify service and maintenance.

But back to that all-important all-electric point. Lower emissions and fuel savings, yet ample power to get the job done, the eTriFlex 3370, which will be joined on stand by its hybrid counterpart the eTriFlex 3360, means customers can respond to business demands for increased revenue by cutting earlier and therefore delivering earlier tee times to customers.

Not only that but responding to environmental concerns is a subject spanning the industries, and there simply has to be the choice for businesses to buy electric whether that be a car or a fine turf mower. No more damaging hydraulic leaks, no more emissions, no more pollution, the eTriFlex 3370 delivers the future to the fine turf sector.

The eTriFlex 3370 is not the only new machine Reesink is launching at BTME. Welcoming to the UK, the latest model in the Greensmaster 1000 series, the GR1026. Like the other models in the range, including the GR1021 which launched at BTME last year and will also be at the 2020 show, the GR1026 brings consistency to fixed-head pedestrian greens mowing. With the industry’s first telescoping handle, each machine in the range can accommodate operators of different heights and skill levels and now with the GR1026 can deliver the widest cut yet at 26 inches.

Representing Toro’s irrigation range will be the ever-popular Lynx Central Control system, with Infinity 35 sprinklers with Smart Access, FLEX 35, T5, T7 and 590G sprinklers with precision rotating nozzles, all from Toro. The Lynx Smart Module and Smart Hub which provide the flexibility of a satellite controller with the cost savings of a two-wire system and launched at the show last year will also be back.

For those managing ponds and lakes and needing to optimise oxygen levels to keep water healthy, there will be Otterbine’s best-selling Fractional five-in-one aerator and the Concept 3 aerating fountain.

Reesink will again have two stands with 211 in the Red Zone South being entirely dedicated to TYM’s range of compact turf tractors and 1st Products, the specialist range of tractor-mounted aeration equipment.

Rochelle Bedford, marketing manager at Reesink, says: “BTME is the perfect launch platform for these two new cutting-edge Toro machines. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the stand, where our specialist machinery team will be on hand to give help and advice about all our products.”

See all this – and more – on stand 420 in the Purple Zone.

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Toro brings improvement for Hamilton

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Toro brings improvement for Hamilton: Based on a recommendation, Hamilton Golf Club in Lanarkshire, Scotland, opted for Toro for its irrigation refit.

And based on its subsequent performance course manager Bruce Cruickshank credited the Lynx central control system and Infinity sprinklers for being “years ahead of the competition” and delivering “a definite improvement to the course” which has helped increase membership.

Toro brings improvement for Hamilton

Bruce explains the journey to this point: “Our irrigation system, like many clubs across the UK, was originally installed in the late 70s so was overdue an update. We started the process by speaking to irrigation consultants about specific issues we were having with an excess of wet areas on the course. We weren’t sure if they were caused by ineffective irrigation or drainage and they were able to recommend an irrigation upgrade to solve that.”

It was bringing in Applied Irrigation to install the new system who recommended Toro as the best system to solve the problem, comments Bruce: “We were advised to go with Toro by Callum Oliphant from Applied Irrigation. He vouched for Toro as the best system on the market and as far as we’re concerned, he’s right!”

Not only was the process completed smoothly, but the new system also proved vital for keeping the greens to a high standard during the heatwave last summer, as Bruce explains.

“Using the computer to adjust the sprinkler water percentage was very useful during that time and we would have really struggled without Toro irrigation,” he says. “The incredible results we’ve seen really are a testament to the quality of the product. And praise must of course go to Applied Irrigation for the expert installation, Reesink Turfcare for the great back up provided, and to the club captain Michael Reilly for his work and support.”

Since having Toro irrigation on board, Bruce and the members at the club have seen “a definite improvement to the course” which can only certify the club’s first investment in Toro as a success.

“The Toro Lynx controller and Infinity sprinklers have taken updating to another level – they’re years ahead of the competition in terms of the technology and quality they offer,” says Bruce. “The control system is just fantastic and it’s so easy to use, being able to control so much on my phone is really useful. With the sprinklers, I particularly like that the spray height can be adjusted to deal effectively with windy conditions, plus being top accessible makes maintenance far easier.

“From start to finish, this process has been a joy to see carried out.”

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Wick GC Brings Toro On Board

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Wick GC Brings Toro On Board: After receiving two grants alongside fundraising efforts from its members, Wick Golf Club in Scotland has purchased a new Toro Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 to help improve its course and the environment.

And not only did the GR3420 impress head greenkeeper Dougie Thorburn, but its sustainability credentials were key in securing grants to make the purchase of the machine possible. The club received grants from the Caithness and North Sunderland Fund and Beatrice Caithness Windfarm Fund, both of which support projects that develop or maintain community assets and achieve environmental improvements.

Wick GC Brings Toro On Board

Dougie explains: “Wick Golf Club is a traditional links course and the oldest in the highlands with our 150th anniversary next year. It’s a beautiful course, but the machines we’d been using weren’t keeping the course up to the standard we wanted.

“Our last greensmower was suffering from hydraulic leaks. Not only was this causing damage to the turf, but we have a lot of ditches on the course that lead to the ocean, so it’s possible for oil leaked on the course to run off into the sea. We needed something that would be more reliable and stop the damage to the course and runoff into the ocean.”

And it was the Toro Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420, with its advanced technology meaning hydraulic leaks are almost eliminated, that was able to provide high-quality turf maintenance and peace of mind for Dougie.

“It’s just a brilliant machine, simply put,” he says. “It’s reliable and provides us with an excellent quality of cut. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about it.”

And it’s not just Dougie who’s been singing Toro’s praises. In fact, Dougie didn’t opt for a demonstration of the GR3420 because its reputation preceded it so well.

“I asked around at other courses that had been using the machine and was told they’d had zero problems with it, and then I saw it in action at another course and that was it for me, I was sold,” says Dougie. “Although this is the first Toro machine at Wick, I’ve been around Toro since I started my career, and it’s always been number one for me. I knew that as soon as I got the chance to get some new machines, they were going to be Toro.”

And credit where credit is due, says club secretary Catherine McLeod to the grants and fundraising from the members for their support to the club: “Both of these funds should receive credit for the wonderful help they provide the area. And, of course, thanks must go to the tireless fundraising efforts of our members. As a small club with only 200 members, we wouldn’t have been able to make this kind of investment to improve the course without their help.”

With the GR3420 and the service from Toro UK distributor Reesink Turfcare impressing Dougie, another Toro machine is now on the cards. “We have some big plans for the next five years, particularly with our 150th anniversary coming up, and getting the right machinery in place is a big priority,” says Dougie.

As the most northerly course on the east coast of Scotland, Wick Golf Club is surrounded by natural beauty and captivating historical sights. With views over Sinclair Bay to Noss Head and its lighthouse and castles, maintaining the course to be in keeping with its stunning surroundings is a challenge, but Dougie sees this as a process made a lot easier with Toro on board.

He concludes: “The team love Toro and our members have all seen the difference it’s made to the course, so everyone is behind the move to get another. We’re looking at a Toro mower for the fairways and I’m confident that with more Toro, Wick Golf Club will only continue to improve in its environmental sustainability.”

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