Tag Archive for: Club

Royal Norwich joins Ventrac club

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Royal Norwich joins Ventrac club: Royal Norwich, the first ‘Royal’ golf club ever to relocate to a new site, is the latest organisation to appreciate the multiple benefits of Ventrac. Situated on the Weston Estate to the north of Norwich, they recently took delivery of a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor in dual-wheel configuration and a Contour mowing deck.

Peter Todd is the highly respected turf manager who, in his role as estate manager and director on the Club’s board, specified the purchase following a demonstration earlier this year.  He began his career in 1990 working for Transcontinental Golf Construction, a hands-on role that included constructing the Nicklaus Signature courses at both Gleneagles and then the London Golf Club. He stayed on for the grow-in at the London, rising through the ranks to course manager, and managed the staging of numerous televised tournaments including the Volvo World Match Play Championship 2014 and the European Opens in 2008 and 2009.

Royal Norwich joins Ventrac club

Royal Norwich joins Ventrac club

“I first met Rupert Price, the owner of the UK Ventrac franchise, at London Golf Club just prior to leaving to take up this appointment,” he said. “I was extremely impressed by it’s all-round capabilities, but as I was leaving to join Royal Norwich, I didn’t think it pertinent to pursue the purchase.

“However, that positive impression stayed with me and I contacted him for another demonstration, so that my new team could see it on our course and have the chance to evaluate it; a structured process of evaluation that we always go through when considering a major cap-ex machinery purchase.

“My primary concern is the safety of my staff when operating equipment, especially on sloping terrain around greens, bunkers and tee surrounds. We demoed machines from the major manufacturers, but none could safely carry out these two prime tasks on the sloping ground.

“The Ventrac is the only machine that can handle the pronounced shaping around the course without scalping. It’s exceptionally stable, especially with its dual-wheel configuration, articulating frame and low centre of gravity. The Contour deck flexes superbly to follow the ground contours and its counter-rotating blades ensure the cuttings are thrown backwards and not on to the greens. Its manoeuvrability around our rectangular tees is exceptional, allowing it to turn through 90 degrees easily and efficiently. What you get is all the attributes of a four-wheel mower with the manoeuvrability of three-wheel machine.

“I also like the out-front set-up of the Ventrac with all the attachments clearly visible to the operator. The 3-point hitch at the back is useful as we can attach drag mats and, because of its very low ground pressure, use it on greens for brushing in top dressing.

“Obviously, mowing slopes in the wet is challenging for most equipment, but this is where the Ventrac excels. However, in dry conditions the grass becomes ‘glassy’ and can be equally slippery, but again, not an issue for this machine.

“We had a demonstration of the Trencher attachment and I can see this being beneficial in soft areas, especially in the autumn and the blower is a definite possibility as we are a parkland course and can get out in the very wet winter and spring conditions that have become a feature of our weather. This is undoubtedly, a very versatile machine.”

The Royal Norwich course at Weston Estate opened on 16th September 2019 with Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter playing the inaugural round to mark the completion of the 10-year project to create a world-class sporting venue in East Anglia.

The 18-hole genderless course was designed by Ross McMurray of European Golf Design and built by the UK’s leading golf course contractors to the highest industry standards. It is capable of hosting the sport’s leading events in the future. It also includes a 6-hole academy course, built to the same specifications as the main course and designed to both encourage new players into the sport and limit playing time to under an hour; something which has been identified as key to growing engagement in the sport.

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New appointments at Els Club Malaysia

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New appointments at Els Club Malaysia: The Els Club Malaysia, managed by Troon International, the leaders in upscale golf course management have made two new senior appointments.

The championship venue welcomes Steven Thielke as General Manager of The Els Club Desaru Coast and Sean Kinsley as Group Director of Agronomy across The Els Club Malaysia – Desaru Coast and Teluk Datai facilities. Steven and Sean replace long term Troon veterans Stephen Havrilla and Terrance Mohamed who move onto new opportunities in the USA and South East Asia respectively.

New appointments at Els Club Malaysia

New appointments at Els Club Malaysia

Steven Thielke joins The Els Club Malaysia and Troon International with over 30 years of golf and hospitality industry experience. In 2019, Steven successfully completed his Club Managers’ Certification (CCM) with the Club Management Association of America (CMAA), a professional qualification and the gold standard in club management.

Most recently, Steven has spent the past eight years as CEO of TPC Kuala Lumpur, overseeing the club’s transformation process, and under the South African’s management, TPC Kuala Lumpur captured the golf world’s attention through staging PGA Tour, European Tour and LPGA events annually for over three consecutive years.

Steven Thielke commented of the appointment: “It’s a true privilege to be associated with, fellow countryman, Ernie Els’ brand and to be part of the Troon International family. The natural beauty, wildlife and high-quality of golf on offer at The Els Club Desaru Coast is simply spectacular. I have yet to experience anything equal in the world of golf that offers such world class facilities with uninterrupted views and a fresh sea breeze in an authentic tropical destination.

“I’m extremely excited to be part of team at The Els Club Desaru Coast and add value to the overall growth of the club and the destination, particularly in the recovery from the past year as we look to re-open borders and welcome golfers from outside Malaysia to Desaru Coast.”

The Els Club Malaysia’s second exciting appointment, Sean Kinsley, has been a part of the Troon family for the past 13 years. He joins as Group Director of Agronomy having truly embraced the international opportunities working for the leader in golf management brings. Prior to his new role in Malaysia, he previously worked in Australia, USA, Russia, India and the UAE.

Sean joins The Els Club Malaysia from Dubai where he was Cluster Director of Agronomy across Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Dubai Hills Golf Club, and Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai. During his tenure, Dubai Hills Golf Club was awarded ‘World’s Best New Golf Course’ at the 2019 World Golf Awards, a true recognition of the high standards Sean upholds across course conditioning and presentation.

The Els Club Malaysia’s new Director of Agronomy, Sean Kinsley, expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity: “Having personally visited the location on more than one occasion I am delighted to be joining The Els Club Malaysia team. The opportunity to be involved in the management of such a strong group of courses located in such a stunning setting is one that I am eagerly anticipating. Each of the three courses is distinct in terms of style and the role certainly promises to be one that will require a varied approach when it comes to the maintenance of each property.

“Being aware of the growing portfolio of the golf courses and the recent progress made by the Agronomy team, I am very excited at the prospect of consolidating that momentum and continuing to drive and deliver further improvements in course conditioning and international recognition of each club over the years ahead.”

Managed by Troon under the Troon Golf brand and created by four-time Major Champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, Ernie Els, with the Valley Course being designed by Vijay Singh, the three golf courses across both properties at The Els Club Malaysia, in Desaru Coast and Teluk Datai, are all of the highest possible standard. Collectively, this has enabled the clubs to quickly assert themselves as one of the most talked about experiences in the golf market.

Additionally, with three clubhouses, each with their own distinguished F&B and Golf Shop outlets, as well as a dedicated team of hospitality professionals, guests are treated to five-star service from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave. With easy accessibility via road, air and sea, both destinations are growing in popularity and with the introduction of a series of luxury hotel brands it makes for an ultimate golfing getaway in South East Asia.

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Grant scheme for sports club

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Grant scheme for sports club: A new grant scheme for deserving sports teams and clubs of all shapes and sizes has been launched by the UK’s largest independent pest controller, Pestokill, to help support sport, exercise and activities as the nation emerges from the latest lockdown.

The company is offering grants of £1,000, £500 and £250 to clubs, teams and societies located throughout the UK, regardless of whether or not they have received other grant funding or ever used Pestokill’s services. The company plans to hand out £19,000 worth of grants to a total of 46 clubs and teams.

Grant scheme for sports club

Grant scheme for sports club

To apply for the funding, clubs and teams need to complete a short online form on Pestokill’s website at www.pestokill.co.uk/sport that contains details about the club’s key activities and provide a brief explanation of what they would use the money for. The deadline for applications is Monday 31st May 2021, and the donations will be made shortly afterwards.

Pestokill was established in 1985 and operates throughout the UK protecting property, employees and clients from all types of pests and disease. The company works across every industry including food and beverage, leisure, hospitality, cinema, entertainment, healthcare, transport, retail, office, manufacturing and logistics, as well as providing its services to a wide range of sports clubs and teams.

Dave Clements, managing director of Pestokill, said: “We know from our experience working with lots of sports clubs and teams up and down the country that many have had a really difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, these organisations are vital to the health and wellbeing of the nation, as well as the local communities they operate in.

“As a successful national business, we’ve launched this scheme to offer our support to clubs as we begin to emerge from the latest lockdown and hopefully return to normal. We’ve kept the application process as simple as possible, and it takes less than five minutes to complete. We’ve asked applicants to provide a brief description of what the money will be used for and we’ll then select the most deserving 46 clubs and send them a payment.”

Dave added: “We’re already receiving fantastic feedback about the scheme and we’re really looking forward to distributing the money and helping to make a difference.”

For further information about Pestokill’s scheme and to apply for a grant, visit www.pestokill.co.uk/sport and complete the online application form by Monday 31st May 2021.

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Club chooses Reesink Turfcare

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Club chooses Reesink Turfcare: Reesink Turfcare’s ReeAssure maintenance scheme has been worth its weight in gold for course manager Rob Peers at Hever Castle Golf Club in Kent.

Rob knows all too well what a worry it can be when you don’t have maintenance cover when very suddenly a few years ago, his full-time mechanic had to leave his job and the club was left without someone covering the maintenance of its extensive and comprehensive fleet.

Club chooses Reesink Turfcare

Club chooses Reesink Turfcare

Rob says: “We were unexpectedly directionless which was a real worry. We’re a mainly Toro club, so I put a call into Peter Clarke at Reesink’s Sheffield Park branch to see if he could help and he introduced me to the ReeAssure scheme. I signed up and the weight was taken off my shoulders and dealt with. In a nutshell, what Reesink’s maintenance plan has given me is an immediate and ultimate peace of mind.”

Rob chose the Gold plan and couldn’t be more surprised or pleased at the value this offers: “The pastoral care is fantastic and absolutely everything is included from nuts and bolts and cable ties to cylinders and bottom blades,” he says. “I am genuinely gobsmacked at what good value it is and amazed that they can do it all for the price.”

This is the whole idea behind the scheme which also has a Silver and Bronze option as David Jackman, operations manager at Reesink, explains: “We designed these plans to provide an affordable option for everyone with the best support at a fixed price and no hidden surprises. Whether you choose the Bronze, Silver or Gold plan, they are perfect for efficient budgeting and cost control. Reassurance comes from knowing you can be assured your machines will perform to the best of their ability whichever package you have.”

Rob couldn’t agree more as he says: “The cost is ringfenced and I don’t have any hidden surprises which means I have absolute control over my budget.”

Not just that though, regular maintenance helps maintain the optimum retail value for his machines should Rob wish to sell them on. “It’s a real selling point that these machines are kept in the best possible condition, with regular maintenance and everything documented,” he says. “It’s like selling a car, the more detail you can give for its maintenance history the best retail value you’ll get.”

But Rob’s concluding point was undoubtedly the best of all. When asked if there was anything else to add, he said simply: trust. “I trust them to react quickly, keep my machines running and deliver a fantastic service; so much so that they have become such a valued member of the team that they’re now essentially key holders.

“There aren’t many people I’d trust my keys to, but the Reesink team is one of them. If they haven’t finished by the time I need to get off, I am more than happy to give them the keys and leave them to finish, lock up and turn the alarms on.”

With Reesink’s ReeAssure plans there’s the option for warranty programmes and the guarantee that buying Toro comes with buying into a support network like no other. The parts backup is second-to-none and as a Toro customer you are never more than a maximum 72-hours away from the part you need, for minimum downtime and maximum productivity.

“My advice to anyone would be, do it, you won’t regret it,” finishes Rob.

Call 01480 226800 or go online at reesinkturfcare.co.uk to find out more.

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Club continues to invest in technology from Toro

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Club continues to invest in technology from Toro: Royal Norwich continues to invest in the latest innovation from Toro. The club in Norfolk has taken advantage of the electric power revolution Toro spearheads with the delivery of an electric Workman GTX-e utility vehicle, alongside the latest pedestrian mower, Toro’s Greensmaster 1026 and is the first club in the country to order Toro’s new NozzAlert Flow Monitoring System with MultiPro 5800 sprayer.

It would have been hard to miss Toro’s meteoric rise in bringing electric and hybrid power to the turfcare market. Off the back of last years’ launch of the first all-electric riding greens mower, the Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370, it’s good to revisit the machine that in a way started it all; the Workman GTX-e utility vehicle, one of the brand’s first triumphs in the electric power arena.

Club continues to invest in technology from Toro

Club continues to invest in technology from Toro

The Workman GTX electric features a 48-volt brushless AC induction drive along with an easily accessible on-board charger, about which estate manager and director at Royal Norwich Peter Todd says: “Toro led the way with the inception of electric power and continues to do so; it’s hard to believe they are still the only brand with a lithium battery electric utility vehicle! By simply removing the lead acid diesel battery in the GTX-e Workman, Toro made this machine much lighter, it’s the equivalent I’d guess of removing a passenger! When running it over fine turf, that’s an important consideration. The battery is sealed for life, there’s less maintenance and performance is better.”

Royal Norwich is the first club in the country to benefit from even more precise spraying. The efficient flow of spray the new NozzAlert provides when installed on Toro’s Multi Pro sprayers is essential for reducing waste and ensuring application efficacy and ideal spraying conditions.

Peter says: “Royal Norwich has been a Toro customer for many years and the reason being is that it has constantly and consistently delivered the quality we need and the innovation we’re after to continually improve the course.”

“I saw the NozzAlert when it launched at the GIS show last year and talked through the new technology with the design engineers on stand. They explained how operators no longer have to judge spray flow based on visibility when using this new bit of kit; instead, NozzAlert delivers continuous monitoring of the entire spray boom and provides both visual and audible alerts if there are any flow disparities. To be told immediately when there’s a blocked nozzle rather than having to wait until your return trip down the fairway appealed then and there!

“Since using the NozzAlerts we’ve become aware of so many advantages that make the vital job of spraying that much easier. It eliminates the chance of spray misses for example and improves the quality of the application.”

The Greensmaster 1026 pedestrian mower is part of Toro’s redesigned classic Greensmaster 1000 series and is new from the tip of its handle to its driveline and chassis. All that remains the same are the patented DPA cutting units, but even that has a modular build to allow the driveline and chassis to be removable for eased servicing.

The reason for this choice was, says Peter for more efficient cutting of the rectangular tee boxes: “Previously we were using a ride-on for cutting the corners and it was a faff and taking too much time,” he says. “We already use the Flex 2120 on the greens and everyone finds it really easy to use and love the telescoping loop handle. The telescoping handle on both makes light work of adjusting for operator heights and handling more user friendly with the loop shape. It’s easy to see more engineering has been brought in with the redesign.”

This approach to having the latest and most innovative turfcare machinery technology is an attitude that spreads across the whole ethos at Royal Norwich as Pete explains: “We’ve always sought to use the most innovative methods. From our greenkeeping facilities which are mostly green – we used recycled materials to build it and PV solar panels to power it. The golf buggies have the latest GPS mapping so we can zone out areas and measure distance to the pin, which means we don’t need markers on the course, and we have Trackman in the practice range providing accuracy stats for players. We’re always on the look-out for the next big thing to make our jobs more efficient and effective and the game more enjoyable for our members.”

And it’s certainly an approach that’s working with membership up by 1,000 since relocating to the new site in 2019.

To talk to someone about Toro technology and how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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