Tag Archive for: Deliver

Bernhard Academy to deliver new module for GCMA Programme

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Bernhard Academy to deliver new module for GCMA Programme: The Bernhard Academy has expanded its educational offering by becoming a training provider for the Golf Club Managers’ Association (GCMA) Advanced Management Programme.

As part of the Golf and Hospitality Operations section, the Academy will deliver the Golf Course Management for Golf Club Managers module, providing club managers with essential insights into the complexities of golf course maintenance.

Bernhard Academy to deliver new module for GCMA Programme

Bernhard Academy to deliver new module for GCMA Programme

Taking place from April 29 – May 1 at the Bernhard Academy venue at Moortown Golf Club, the first of these three-day courses is designed to equip club managers and senior leaders with a comprehensive understanding of the practices, people, and planning that underpin successful golf course maintenance.

Sami Strutt, Education Director at the Bernhard Academy, commented: “The Bernhard Academy team are experts in agronomy, technical, mechanical, and leadership development. This programme will help club managers better understand greenkeeping practices and the strategic importance of supporting their turf teams.

“A strong relationship between the club manager and the course manager is vital – not only for course conditions, but for aligning business goals with playing performance and understanding what makes the on-course side of the business tick,” she added.

The course will explore key themes including principles of turf management, environmental sustainability, golf course strategy and planning, stakeholder communications, capital planning, and budgeting. Aimed at decision-makers such as general managers, operations directors, and heads of golf, the programme provides essential insight into the operational demands and financial realities of managing a golf course – the main asset of any golf facility.

This marks a significant development in the Bernhard Academy’s mission to diversify its educational offering beyond greenkeepers and technicians, now supporting those in leadership roles who shape the strategic direction of golf clubs.

For more details on the GCMA Advanced Management Programme and to secure a spot, visit: www.gcma.org.uk/gcma-amp-certificates

To find out more about the wide range of agronomy, technical, mechanical, and leadership programmes on offer at the Bernhard Academy, visit: www.bernhardacademy.co.uk

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Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity

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Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity: There is no more valuable resource to golf course managers than time, which is why efficiency ranks highly when it comes to sourcing new maintenance solutions. Looking specifically at turf rollers, the HP11-III from Salsco with three driven rollers is the widest and quickest on the market – delivering proven productivity and performance at courses across the UK.

One club reporting a 40% reduction in the time taken to roll all 18 greens is Cowdray Golf Club in West Sussex, who purchased their Salsco HP11-III from Lister Wilder in May 2024. “Greens ironing plays such an important part in ensuring that people’s experience of their visit is as good as it can be,” explains Course Manager Jonathan Smith. “Previously, we had a much smaller greens iron, and while it did a fair job, it used to take us about four hours to get round where the Salsco can do it to a high standard in under two and a half.”

Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity

Salsco rollers deliver proven productivity

Jonathan also notes the rollers flexibility to cope with climatic challenges. “If the weather is particularly hot, for example, we tend to prefer to roll rather than cut because we believe it gives the greens the best chance and gives our players the best performance.”

“The other beauty of it is that if I am doing any type of renovation work, I will utilise the roller for effective consolidation. If the need arises, we can add water to the individual rolls to increase the psi from 7.0 to 9.2 which has been particularly useful when we are Verti-Draining and Pro-Coring during our maintenance week” he adds. “Within a few days you would never know the work had taken place.”

The three independent rolls that oscillate and articulate on the HP11-III not only allow for complete control over weight distribution, they ensure 100% ground contact. It’s ability to maintain traction without slipping was a key consideration for Graeme Roberts, Course Manager at Hayling Golf Club, and their decision to invest in Salsco.

“Depending upon events, we try to roll between one and three times a week in the main season and then, in the autumn and spring when the growth rate is down, maybe up the rolling in exchange for cutting” says Graeme. “We have a lot of slopes on the edges of our greens and it’s very important that it can roll without losing traction and creating stress, especially when changing direction. Having every roller driven on this model means that you get the best traction possible.”

“I also like the fact that it has wider self-cleaning rollers so is a lot more efficient and effective in the finish that it achieves.” He concludes, “The ball roll definitely improves with it, and it’s proven invaluable in getting sand into the soil profile when you have top dressed, while also helping to reduce the mess that is often left by other rollers.”

For more information on the HP11-III or the other rollers in the Salsco range, visit salscorollers.co.uk or get in touch with the team at Lister Wilder.

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Trio of INFINICUT’s deliver impressive quality

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Trio of INFINICUT’s deliver impressive quality: Three 22” INFINICUT® golf cutting units are described as delivering outstanding cut performance on the 18 greens of Hallamshire Golf Club.

The trio of battery powered mowers are the latest step in the club’s environmental strategy and are giving Course Manager Ben Burrill and the team not just quality of cut, but enough run-time to mow all greens and return to the shed with as much as 60% charge remaining!

Trio of INFINICUT’s deliver impressive quality

Trio of INFINICUT’s deliver impressive quality

Nestled between Sheffield and the Peak District National Park, Hallamshire’s heathland course boasts year-round condition, with their greens renowned in the region for speed and consistency. Proudly hand-cut, this has been executed with the new fleet of INFINICUT® 22” mowers, since their delivery in May 2023 by local dealers Balmers GM. “Our previous pedestrian mowers were reaching the end of their working life and, with the club actively encouraging more sustainable alternatives, I had demonstrations of the different battery options available” explains Ben. “The price point of the INFINICUT® was better and, compared to the other brands we tried, the battery life impressed us straight away.”

“In practice, we can get as many as nine greens done with one mower which, with three in the shed, is above and beyond what we need. Even working on a 25% reduction in battery life over the next five years, we’ll still be able to cut all 18 greens relatively comfortably.” He continues, “Charging them has just become part of the daily routine. They return to the shed with anywhere between 40-60% charge left, we plug them in, and they quickly get to full charge and sit ready for the next day.”

Launched in early 2023, the INFINICUT® 22” cutting unit promises even more refinement for turf management, incorporating many of the features synonymous with the INFINICUT® range together with precise cut quality from the dynamically-balanced SMARTCut™ reel. “We opted for the 14-blade cutting reels which increases the clips per inch and works really well for us, delivering an outstanding quality of cut and finish.”

“We were also able to specify 3mm groomer spacing to manage the lateral growth on our bent greens which other manufacturers would have been unlikely to be able to accommodate.” Ben adds, “The team have been very impressed with the simplicity in functionality, things like the sensor in the floating head which automatically slows the mower down when lifted for easier end of line turning. They’re well designed and will be critical to the delivery of our course, in a more environmentally-friendly way, for the years to come.”

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ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

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ICL products and Agrovista service deliver: Stuart Hogg, Course Manager at The West Lancashire Golf Club, believes that ICL’s products and Agrovista Amenity’s service help to keep course standards impeccably high.

Founded in 1873, The West Lancashire Golf Club in Liverpool, is one of the 9 oldest clubs in England. It is currently ranked 28th in Golf World Top 100 in England; 49th in Golf World Top 100 Links GB & Ireland; and 23rd in National Club Golfer Top 100.

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

The West Lancashire has also recently been selected by The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) as one of four renowned golf clubs to stage final qualifying for The Open.

Stuart, who has been at the club since 2015 and manages a team of seven members of staff, underlined the importance of keeping up standards at such a highly regarded club.

“It certainly puts pressure on us to deliver,” he admitted. “As a business, we have grown massively, and so has the reputation. We have to keep standards high and constantly need to deliver high-end surfaces and to do that we need to rely on proven, quality products.

“For example, when we first started using ICL we quickly realised that the products being developed and launched were matching where I wanted to go, and they were making it easier to achieve our goals.”

Stuart sources all his ICL products through Agrovista Amenity – an ICL distributor, and he has recently reported excellent results from Qualibra wetting agent and Sportsmaster WSF SMX 20-0-0 – a beneficial nitrogen source in the form of ammonium sulphate coupled with SMX – an effective and sustainable seaweed concentrate.

Commenting on his use of Qualibra, Stuart said: “We’re now using Qualibra across the whole course because over recent years we’ve developed a huge amount of trust in the product. The standards and expectations here are so high that I need to be using market leading products. I like the fact that its widely tank-mixable with other products and I can buy it in bulk, ensuring we keep within budget.

“We always make sure that we get plenty of applications of Qualibra throughout the course by the end of May, so we are prepared for any further dry spells ahead of us,” he continued. “I like to do a simple test when I’m concerned about the soil accepting any rainfall or irrigation and that’s to simply pour some water over the treated area to see if the water is absorbed or just sits on top. This tells me that everything is in place to accept any irrigation or rainfall. I am currently very happy with the results this product gives me and can’t see any reason to change currently.”

On SMX, Stuart said: “After some trial work with ICL we started to incorporate WSF SMX 20.0.0 into our programme and it has been a great product. I like the makeup of it because it is environmentally friendly, and it is in line with traditional greenkeeping. It’s delivering sufficient nutrition and helping mitigate stresses on the turf which is hugely beneficial because we are quite a stressful site.”

As well as being impressed with the products, Stuart underlined the importance of working with both the manufacturer and distributor.

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

“Ask anyone – Agrovista Amenity and ICL provide the same level of service to the local club down the road as they do to some of the biggest sporting clubs in the world. Both companies’ values align with my own values.

“I buy the products through Agrovista Amenity, and I have their support, but I also have the back up from ICL. I believe all Course Managers need to trust the companies they deal with in product deliveries, and I have never had any issues at all.

“Having two of the industry’s biggest companies working in partnership together helps our golf course – that’s for sure. There is absolutely no reason to move away from ICL and Agrovista when everything works incredibly well for us.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-growingsolutions.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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Trilo’s deliver twenty plus years of reliability

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Trilo’s deliver twenty plus years of reliability: Whether it’s for the collection of grass clippings or debris following scarification, or out on hire during autumn’s leaf fall season, Fineturf have got a Trilo machine for the job!

It’s more than 25 years since Owner Simon Hutton purchased his first refurbished Trilo and, more than two decades on, that SG700 continues to deliver reliable service alongside more than 20 other vacuum units from across the Trilo range.

Trilo’s deliver twenty plus years of reliability

Trilo’s deliver twenty plus years of reliability

An extensive fleet of equipment assists Simon and the teams across the group of companies which includes Tillers Turf and Fineturf Machinery – delivering maintenance and contracting services to leading venues across the sporting spectrum. Undertaking work on racecourses, football pitches, cricket, tennis and fine turf surfaces demands flexibility from their machinery, with a wide variety of Trilo machines used for a multitude of tasks.

Simon explains “Over the businesses we have an SG700, an SG1165, four SG1100’s, 11 SG400’s, an S3, two S4’s and an S12 – all purchased at different times when workload has demanded the investment. The higher capacity machines such as the S12 and SG1100’s are used primarily for grass collection and large scale clearance work such as post-concert clean-ups. The mid-sized and smaller units including the SG700 with its 7m3 capacity are used for contracting and contract hire – vacuuming after koroing, or after scarifying cricket outfields for example.”

“There are three things we really like about the Trilo brand; namely the simplicity of use, build quality and reliability we get from the brand. It’s equipment that stands the test of time!” An example of that is the SG700, which was refurbished by Trilo’s Jeremy Vincent more than 25 years ago and still out working today. “As we speak, that machine is up at the Manchester United Training Ground with a team there completing new season renovation works.”

The SG1165, equipped with six-metre wings is the only machine dedicated to work at the Tillers Turf site, while the rest are utilised year-round by the contracting division – switching from grass collection to leaf collection when autumn arrives. “We see a big spike in hire requests from sports venues, golf clubs and local authorities when the leaves start to drop. The Trilo range being so straight forward to set-up is ideal to go out in those instances, where multiple operators can get stuck in, clear large areas and achieve a great finish.”

“We work closely with both Jeremy and James Boyle who keep us up to speed on new developments and ensure everything keeps running like it should.” He concludes, “With such a large number of people depending on us and our equipment, we need machines we can rely on and with Trilo, that’s never in doubt.”

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