Deal - Turf Matters

Okehampton GC Sign Sherriff Deal

July 8, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Okehampton GC Sign Sherriff Deal: Devon’s Okehampton Golf Club have signed a new deal which sees Sherriff Amenity as its preferred supplier of products for a period of three years.

Okehampton Golf Club features an 18 hole parkland course, sheltered by the highest tors of Dartmoor, on the northern edge of Devon’s magnificent National Park. It is a challenging course and can be deceptive if the wind is blowing – especially on the 12th hole where the West Okement River awaits to the left and behind the green.

Stuart Entwistle has been the course manager at Okehampton for just over four years and is pleased with the progress he has made in that time.

“I used to work at a large club but was quite restricted in trying new methods and products. However, once I came here I had a free reign to trial a number of new products. I personally feel there has been a big improvement to the course. My main goal to start with was to be able to offer golf all-year round and we have already achieved that.”

Stuart initially focused his attentions on the tees and after a recommendation from Sherriff Amenity’s David Chammings, he turned to Evolution Xtra 24.4.4 granular fertiliser for the summer and then Evolution Controlled 18.0.32 in the winter.

“I would say that the majority of our members have said that the biggest improvement here has been on the tees,” said Stuart. “When I first arrived the tees just looked tired and weak so they needed immediate attention. I went with an initial application of the Evolution Xtra 24.4.4 at a rate of 30g/m² in the middle of March. It gave me a great initial hit and I applied it twice more in that first year.

“This really worked in getting them in a better condition and for the second year we went with two more applications of the 24.4.4 but then for winter we went with the six month release fertiliser – Evolution Controlled, which was the perfect feed to see us through. The growth was steady and strong – exactly what we needed.

“The other good thing about Evolution Controlled is that it is chloride free so it has a low scorching index. Therefore, I can put it down and not worry about the scorch, which was one of my concerns at first because we don’t have any irrigation on the tees.”

For the greens at Okehampton, Stuart claims that he just wouldn’t be without Sherriff Amenity’s GoGreen Energy – a concentrated bio-stimulant, formulated to assist plant health and relieve stress symptoms.

“GoGreen Energy works really well for us – we go through the summer with it at four weekly intervals at the full rate of 60 l/ha. Before we started using the product, the greens were starting to yellow and were a bit stressed but now they are a beautiful green colour and it has really helped with root depth.

“We have tried a number of similar products in the past but GoGreen is the one we have consistently stuck with. I honestly believe that if we didn’t use it for one summer then we would notice the difference.

“It’s a nice low nitrogen product, contains simple sugars, a bit of chelated iron, has a bit of seaweed in it and is a complete trace element package – but not too much of one thing and that’s what we want. It just gives you a nice steady pattern.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity.

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JCB Secure Plant Hire Deal

April 18, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Nigel Chell

JCB Secure Plant Hire Deal: JCB has secured a major deal with Plant Hire UK for new fleets of Loadalls and compact excavators worth almost £17 million.

The deal will see the leading UK hirer strengthen its construction machinery line-up by purchasing 300 new JCB Loadalls and 50 compact excavators along with site dumpers and tandem rollers. The new machines will be put to work by contractors on construction and civil engineering projects across the country and will add to Plant Hire UK’s vast fleet of JCB machines.

Plant Hire UK Managing Director Graham Jones said: “As the construction sector goes from strength to strength this investment in new JCB Loadalls and compact midi excavators ensures our customers are guaranteed the highest specification machines with outstanding safety features and telematics support as standard.”

JCB Group Managing Director of Global Key Accounts Yvette Henshall-Bell said “Plant Hire UK has a reputation for delivering the best machines and market-leading service, which perfectly complements the JCB ethos. As the world’s number one telescopic handler, the Loadall has a proven track record that construction firms trust implicitly, while our compact excavators are hard-working on-site machines.”

The machines are supplied and supported by Gunn JCB. Managing Director Paul Hartshorn said: “Plant Hire UK is one of our largest and most successful customers. Gunn JCB depots are perfectly located to support the ever-growing number of machines as Plant Hire UK has continued to invest in its fleet.”

Plant Hire UK was founded in 2005 by Managing Director Graham Jones and Finance Director Wayne Illidge. Based in St Helens, Merseyside it has a national customer base, hiring, maintaining and servicing thousands of machines on sites across the UK.

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VAT-Free Deal From Etesia UK

April 2, 2019/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

VAT-Free Deal From Etesia UK: Etesia UK has announced that from 1st April until the 30th June 2019, it will be running a VAT-free offer on several of its ride-on mowers, and offering up to £1000 off the price of other models.

The VAT-free offer applies to the Bahia and Hydro 80 ride-on mowers.

If you require a large ride-on mower, Etesia UK has announced a ‘try before you buy’ offer.

Following a demonstration with an Etesia member of staff in attendance, customers will be presented with a cheque which will entitle them to an additional £500 discount on the purchase price of the Buffalo 100 range (BVHP2, BVHPX2, BPHP & BPHPX models) or a £1000 discount on the purchase price of the Hydro124 range (H124 DX, H124DN and H124DL models). This offer is in addition to any discount the customer undertakes with the supplying dealer and runs until 31st December 2019.

Etesia UK Managing Director Les Malin said: “The exceptional success of our VAT offer a few years ago meant we were understandably keen to offer the discount again.

“Our dealers up and down the country have been busier than ever, and now, with the announcement of these great new retail offers, I’m sure they can look forward to a fantastic year.”

*These offers are available at participating Etesia UK dealers until the dates specified above or until stocks last. The VAT-free price refers to the VAT element removed from the suggested retail price – VAT will be paid on the lower promotional price. Terms and conditions apply.

To find your local Etesia UK authorised dealer, and for further information on the range of Etesia mowers, visit www.etesia.co.uk

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

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Rigby Taylor Agree BIGGA Deal

February 25, 2019/in News, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

Rigby Taylor Agree BIGGA Deal: Rigby Taylor has announced a major sponsorship with BIGGA to tee off the company’s 100th anniversary campaign this year – a two-year sponsorship deal.

The agreement includes BIGGA’s three annual golf tournaments:

The National Championship
The Golf Management Trophy and
The Greenkeepers Benevolent Fund Golf Day.

Rigby Taylor will also be involved in all qualifying matches for each tournament and offering further support through the involvement of its key suppliers.

In addition, where the opportunity exists, the company will provide technical advice on tournament preparation and product support.

Commenting on the announcement, Richard Fry, Rigby Taylor’s Marketing Director, said: “Rigby Taylor has a long history of supporting those who work in the golf industry and, as a founding member of BIGGA’s Golden Key Education initiative (as was), has always had a close relationship with the association.

Rigby Taylor has announced a major sponsorship with the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) to tee off the company’s 100th anniversary campaign this year – a two-year sponsorship deal as BIGGA’s Golf Partner. The agreement includes BIGGA’s three annual golf tournaments:

The National Championship
The Golf Management Trophy and
The Greenkeepers Benevolent Fund Golf Day.

“Our sponsorship of the BIGGA golf tournaments is the company’s expression of confidence in the industry and a vehicle for gaining closer ties not only with golf course managers and greenkeepers but also their greens committees and other key decision-makers.”

Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO, added: “I’m thrilled that Rigby Taylor is supporting BIGGA in its golf activities for the next two years. The events are an opportunity to not only have some fun, but competitions such as the Golf Management Trophy also bring together all levels of the golf club structure, helping to build stronger relationships within teams and across barriers. And that’s incredibly important to us as an association.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Rigby Taylor’s Amenity Supplies Deal

August 29, 2018/in News, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

Rigby Taylor’s Amenity Supplies Deal: Clive Liddiard is a grounds professional who knows what he wants, when he wants it and what he wants it for! It’s a vision that has underpinned his illustrious career, first as a greenkeeper and, more recently, as a groundsman – which has included winning an IOG Industry Award.

And it is a strategy that he is now successfully applying at Framlingham College in Suffolk.

His expert outlook explains why he has signed a three-year preferred supplier deal with Rigby Taylor for all the amenity supplies, including line-marking machines and paints and aerosols, that he and his team of eight groundsmen will need to improve and maintain the standards of the college’s rugby, football and cricket pitches, as well as tennis courts.

The agreement – which he affirms “will bring the sports fields and horticultural areas up to scratch and consistently playable and well-presented” at the college’s two sites (the main college campus and the nearby junior school) is, he says, a win-win situation.

Clive, who in January 2018 was appointed head of grounds at the independent school’s sprawling 108-acre Suffolk site which accommodates pupils aged three to eighteen, adds: “Rigby Taylor get a firm, long-term contract for a set of products and I get all the best products at the best possible price – along with superb and reliable back-up from Rigby Taylor’s technical sales representative, Mark Keysell!”

Clive’s shopping list includes the R9 and R5 seeds (100% ultra-fine rye and 100% fescue blend, respectively), Crossbar selective herbicide and Chikara contact/residual herbicide, as well as Gallup Biograde Amenity foliar-applied herbicide and the Qualgex surface biocide, plus two iGo Advance and an iGo Mini Exclusive line-markers and Impact line-marking paint along with a variety of loams and dressings.

Speaking at an ‘Innovation, Education and Demonstration’ event of Rigby Taylor’s line-marking products at the college – which included GPS line-marking and the award-winning Impact paint technology – Clive commented:

“I haven’t got an enormous budget, but I wanted the best array of products possible to create the ‘perfect picture’ for an outstanding college estate that was founded in 1864 in memory of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Consort.

“It embraces a Victorian school building and a lake, and it overlooks a 12^th century castle. We also have a range of sports fields including 17 grass tennis courts and two astro turf pitches (both floodlit).

“The use of these products will not only improve the facilities but, in turn, will also enhance the work of the grounds team. They are a very experienced group and they know what to do and when to do it, but there’s no doubt that with Rigby Taylor’s help we will all see further improvements in the results of our efforts.”