Tag Archive for: Club

Sleaford Golf Club seeks higher standards

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Sleaford Golf Club seeks higher standards: Set in the heart of Lincolnshire, Sleaford Golf Club is an 18-hole private members course redesigned by Peter Alliss, with an additional 6-hole Academy par 3 course. Described as an inland links with sandy, well-draining soil, it is renowned for once having the longest first nine holes in the country, with no par 3s.

Much of the course is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) that includes some of the most important calcareous grassland areas in the county, if not the UK. Nick Lawson, chairman of the club’s management committee and also greens chairman, has developed a passion for wildlife and environmental management and says:

Sleaford Golf Club seeks higher standards

Sleaford Golf Club seeks higher standards

“We are delighted to be working with Natural England and to play our part in maintaining the biodiversity of our environment, while ensuring that a natural evolution of the course is maintained.”

Part of this evolution has seen the introduction of the club’s first John Deere course maintenance equipment fleet supplied by local dealer F G Adamson & Son at Langworth, and supported by a five-year John Deere Financial lease deal. The new machines include a 2750E hybrid electric triplex mower, 7700A PrecisionCut fairway mower, 9009A TerrainCut rotary rough mower, a ProGator 2030A utility vehicle equipped with an HD200 amenity turf sprayer, and a TH 6×4 Gator utility vehicle.

The combination of new hybrid electric and programmable TechControl mower technology and advanced sprayer controls now enables the course to be managed in a more environmentally friendly manner, while also saving costs.

Nick Lawson has been a member at Sleaford Golf Club for over 30 years, and was persuaded to join the management committee in order to bring his financial and accountancy experience to bear. Together with director of golf Nigel Pearce, who has been at Sleaford for 20 years and was the club professional, and new course manager Brian Sharp – all three have been in post for less than three years – they embarked on an investment programme to improve the overall maintenance regime and bring everything back up to a higher standard after several years of decline.

“We had inherited an old five-year lease contract, so the new management committee set a good budget pre-Covid to replace and upgrade the machinery fleet,” says Nick Lawson. “This was put on hold during lockdown, but we consider the golf course to be the club’s prime asset. As soon as we were able to, we asked Brian for his wish list and then arranged a number of machinery demonstrations by the different manufacturers to see what worked best for us.

“We then went to tender, with John Deere and Adamsons giving the best presentation and their all-round choice of machinery just a little ahead of the others, so we signed the deal at the beginning of April. With the finance, we need flexibility to take advantage of the latest technology and different machinery wear rates, so in time we may have to adjust our budgets accordingly.

“We’ve never been down this route before, so we’re still learning the best way forward for the club and the course, but Brian and his team now have all the tools they need to do the job to the best possible standards.”

“One of the key reasons we chose the A Model mowers is being able to set up the mowing speed and frequency of cut for a consistent finish across the course, whoever’s on the machine,” says Brian Sharp. “We also needed a sprayer that was accurate and could speed up the job, particularly on the fairways.

“With our old tractor-mounted sprayer there was no calibration and we had no real idea of application rates. The HD200 is much more accurate, there’s no over-application and we know we’re hitting the target with whatever we spray, which really helps to lower our environmental footprint. We can now do all 18 holes in one go instead of having to refill halfway round, so we also save on man hours and keep ahead of the golfers.”

Nick Lawson adds: “By offering more flexible membership and guest options, our numbers are picking up again now. There’s been a net gain since the beginning of lockdown, and we’re confident things are now moving forward for the club.”

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Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

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Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club: The owners of Dudsbury Golf Club, Hotel & Spa, Beate and Len Robinson, have supported long-serving head greenkeeper Warren Moss with the purchase of a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and Contour mowing deck to ensure the course stays in pristine condition. Replacing an old zero-turn machine and an ageing Toro Sidewinder, the new package makes sound commercial sense.

Commenting at the recent handover of the equipment Warren Moss said,

Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

“We have an ageing fleet and we need to be smarter in how we purchase equipment in the future. The owners were very supportive when I made the business case and we are replacing two machines with one. Because of its versatility, we can add more attachments at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new dedicated equipment, so we should be able to upgrade more cost effectively, when we need to.

“I’d seen the media reports and watched some YouTube videos and even arranged a demo a couple of years ago. We had another demo recently, this time with the Contour deck and it performed extremely well. We use it on tee banks, green surrounds, bunker surrounds and can raise the height of cut to manage the semi-rough. Also, as it has a three-point linkage at the rear, we can mount our Sisis Twin Play with sorrel roller and slitter.

“My main reason for specifying this machine is its slope climbing ability. It’s extremely stable on slopes of up to 30 degrees, making it safe and manoeuvrable, especially on tees. About a third of the course is on a flood plain, so can be quite wet in winter. Because of its light footprint in its eight-wheel configuration we will be able to get out during wet spells without damaging the playing surfaces. I’m also impressed by the Aera-vator attachment, which makes aeration on banks possible, so this might possibly be our next purchase.”

Set in 160 acres of undulating Dorset countryside just outside of Bournemouth, the Donald Steel-designed 6,904-yard, par 71 championship course features nine lakes and is bordered by the river Stour. It has hosted several prestigious events including the PGA Europro Tour, which featured on Sky Sports and the BMW PGA Order of Merit Championship.

Warren Moss, who heads a team of six, has been at the club for the past 12 years, the last six as Head Greenkeeper. He started his career at Yeovil Golf Club, where he attended Cannington College and enjoyed a six-month placement in Germany. He was a member of the newbuild/grow-in team at Orchardleigh near Bath in the mid-1990s, where he stayed for 15 years until joining Dudsbury.

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Nottingham Gun Club credits Husqvarna

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Nottingham Gun Club credits Husqvarna: Nestled in the heart of Sherwood Forest lies Nottingham & District Gun Club, established for over 55 years, the club has turned its attention to robotic mowing, crediting Husqvarna Automower® for maintaining the club’s immaculate grounds.

Directing their attention to innovative mowing in 2019, the Club chose Husqvarna Automower® 550 to maintain four of its shooting layouts. Covering up to an acre of land, the robotic mower has enabled the grounds team to free up hours of time, previously spent mowing.

Nottingham Gun Club credits Husqvarna

Nottingham Gun Club credits Husqvarna

Offering lessons, shooting memberships, events, and stag and hen parties, the Gun Club requires picture-perfect grounds, all year round. With a restricted amount of time to mow, fears of theft, and the limitations of shared equipment, the Club turned to B&B Tractors and Husqvarna Automower®, to help assist with their challenges.

Carl Smith, Owner at Nottingham & District Gun Club, discussed the switch to Automower®: “For many years we’ve worked with the team at B&B Tractors as their service has always been fantastic. When we discussed the idea of turning to robotic mowing, it quickly became evident that it would be the smart thing to do, and Husqvarna Automower® stood out as the obvious choice.

“The Club has always had the challenge of maintaining the grounds when clients are there, which means limited hours in which to do so. Time is the most precious thing that the ground staff has, but with limited hours to work in, it’s never something we’ve had surplus of.

“Trying to keep the layout tidy has always been a challenge we’ve faced, with dandelions and daisies becoming a particular issue in the past. As quick as we’d be at removing them, the quicker they’d be at growing. We knew we needed an innovative solution, and so purchased Automower® 550.

Ever since the first Automower® was introduced in 1995, Husqvarna has been known as the world leader in robotic mowing. With over 2 million sold worldwide, Automower® is renowned for its low energy consumption, zero emissions, low noise and high productivity. Covering everything from smaller urban gardens to challenging areas up to 5,000m2, Automower® can also handle difficult inclines up to 70%.

Carl continued: “Shortly after our Automower® was installed, it wasn’t long until we were seeing the fruits of its labour. Being able to mow day or night, in rain or shine, our layouts looked better than ever. The dandelions and daisies were also no longer an issue, as Automower® keeps the grass at a short length. Just as we need it.”

One of the biggest issues the Gun Club faced was the breakage of garden machinery while being swapped between the grounds team, and the threat of theft while being stored overnight. Carl discussed: “Storing expensive equipment has always been a worry in case of break-in’s, and when tools are being swapped between many different team members, breakages are inevitable, and so it became a conscious decision to stop buying expensive equipment.

“Using lower-quality equipment was okay in the short-term, but eventually we decided it was time to invest in Automower®, thanks to its abilities to avoid these issues.”

Featuring GPS theft tracking which registers the mower’s GPS position every 30 seconds, as well as a high-pitch alarm which starts when moved and can only be deactivated with the mower’s unique pin code, extra security is provided with the Automower® models.

“One of the best things about Automower® is that it never gets ill, doesn’t need any holidays, and can work day or night, in any weather condition. With minimal input needed, the risk of damage is minimal, which has eased my worries about breakages significantly. In addition, the amount of time it has saved our team is incredible and allows us to spend more hours on tasks that require more skill and precision.”

“With the Automower® Connect app, we’ve been able to remotely control the mower through our phones and tablets. We’re able to change its settings, track its movements, and check its status, at any time, wherever we are, it’s really remarkable.”

“I have to admit, I was initially sceptical whether the Automower® would be able to deliver all that it promised, but it has certainly proved its worth. In the future we look forward to expanding our Automower® range and taking further advantage of Husqvarna’s innovation.”

For more information on Husqvarna Automower®, visit: https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/

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John Deere mowers excel at The K Club

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John Deere mowers excel at The K Club: One of Ireland’s top golf resorts has taken delivery of two new John Deere 9009A TerrainCut rotary rough mowers to keep its courses in pristine condition. The famous K Club 5-star golfing resort in Kildare, just half an hour’s drive from Dublin, hosted the Ryder Cup in 2006 as well as the Irish Open in 2016 and 13 European Opens.

When the need arose for new rough mowers at the resort, thorough research was carried out by the greens staff to investigate what each brand had to offer. In the end the top cutting quality and reliability of the John Deere models trumped the competition, and two 9009A mowers were ordered from local golf & turf dealer Dublin Grass Machinery.

John Deere mowers excel at The K Club

John Deere mowers excel at The K Club

Powered by a 55hp engine, the John Deere 9009A is a five-gang 68.6cm (27in) independent rotary deck mower with a cutting width of 2.7m (9ft), providing the all-day productivity needed for golf course rough mowing.

Gerry Byrne has been Resort Superintendent at The K Club for the past 24 years and is well pleased with the machines’ performance. “We recently bought the two new John Deere rotary mowers as we wanted to improve the overall presentation of the rough areas on both the Palmer North and Palmer South courses,” he says. “We carried out extensive research into all the main brands and decided that the 9009A suited our needs best of all.

“I have used John Deere mowers in the past but not that recently, just the company’s tractors. It’s been good to reconnect with Dublin Grass Machinery, as I have known Stan Mitchell and the dealership team since I was a trainee many years ago.

“We have operated other makes of rough mower here, and they carried out a good job of overall course maintenance. However, we felt the more versatile John Deere 9009A mowers would give us a better quality of cut. Both mowers not only provide a premium, precision cut but importantly they are also able to cope with our intricate dune style mounds, particularly around sensitive areas of the courses. I find them to be very proficient and user friendly,” he adds.

Most of the servicing and maintenance of the machinery at The K Club is carried out by the resort’s staff mechanic. A good parts and backup service from Dublin Grass Machinery was another influential factor in the purchasing decision for Gerry Byrne and the greenkeeping team.

“Our mechanic Pat Freany has been with us for over 25 years,” he says. “Pat carries out all the servicing and repairs and has a very good working relationship with the dealership. The quick turnaround on parts delivery and service kits is a unique selling point for John Deere, which Pat really appreciates.”

As for future investments in new machinery at The K Club, Gerry Byrne is confident that John Deere will feature again. “The K Club has significant investment plans for the whole estate, and John Deere mowing equipment will certainly be part of our continuing strategy to enhance the overall presentation standards for our members and guests.”

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Club Car & London GC extend relationship

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Club Car & London GC extend relationship: Club Car, the world’s largest manufacturer of small-wheel electric vehicles, has continued its long association with London Golf Club by delivering a new fleet of high-spec golf cars.

The fleet of 50 Tempo cars, famous for their industry-leading durability and premium comfort, feature Club Car’s innovative connected GPS technology which supports the maintenance of the club’s two Jack Nicklaus-designed courses as well as offering players a range of in-car services.

Club Car & London GC extend relationship

Club Car & London GC extend relationship

London Golf Club, a European Tour Destination and the host venue of this summer’s English Open, has chosen Club Car as its supplier for 22 years.

Stephen Follett, CEO of London Golf Club, said: “We decided to renew the fleet towards the end of last year following the huge amount of use the cars had last summer and with another busy season ahead. We viewed the reopening in March as if we were opening a new venue, and that meant reopening with a new fleet of cars. We also carried out renovations in various areas of our clubhouse, made upgrades in our IT and carried out refresher training with our staff.

“We wanted to show our members, guests, and visitors that we are a forward thinking venue that is committed to continuously investing in our product, services and people. This is our second fleet with the connected technology – we love it, our customers love it and it’s synonymous with London Golf Club.”

Kevin Hart, Director of Golf Sales EMEA at Club Car, added: “London Golf Club is one of the most prestigious venues in Europe and we are proud that Club Car has been its chosen supplier for so long.

“The club and its leadership are very much in tune with what the customers want and never fail to deliver an exceptional golfing experience. We look forward to this long relationship continuing in future.”

London Golf Club has hosted the European Open (2008 and 2009) and the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship (2018 and 2019), and will welcome the English Open from August 12-15 this year.

The newly installed fleet of Club Car vehicles marks the sixth that local dealer Bradshaw has delivered to London Golf Club over the duration of the 22-year relationship.

For more information about London Golf Club, visit: https://www.londongolf.co.uk

For more information about Club Car, visit: https://www.clubcar.com

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