Tag Archive for: Fairway

J Sustain Fairway starts futureproofing fairways

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J Sustain Fairway starts futureproofing fairways: Maintaining top-quality fairways on the rugged west coast of Wales has always been a challenge at Cardigan Golf Club.

With shallow soils averaging just 3-4” over bedrock, achieving strong turf establishment has tested the greenkeeping team for many years – particularly in 2025 with close to no rainfall for many months. That’s why the outstanding results have come as even more of a surprise for Course Manager Stuart Adams, who now wants to shout the benefits of Johnsons J Sustain Fairway from the rooftops!

J Sustain Fairway starts futureproofing fairways

J Sustain Fairway starts futureproofing fairways

“Traditionally, our shallow, sandy soils made it difficult for anything to get a good hold” Stuart explains. “We went back to basics and looked at what was native on the fairways and found that Hard and Sheeps Fescue seemed to cope with our links condition, and for the last few years we’ve been using a bespoke ‘Cardigan mix’ from DLF containing 25-30% Hard Fescue. When Johnsons launched J Sustain Fairway with 40% Hard Fescue in early 2025, the switch was a no-brainer.”

Despite a challenging year weather-wise, the results of the inaugural overseeding operation were so impressive Stuart was quick to share the news with his DLF Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett. “As soon as the rain returned in September, the strike rate was simply incredible – I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was the best establishment I’ve seen from any mix in the last six or seven years.”

Blending 40% Hard Fescue with 15% Sheeps Fescue and other top performing Slender Creeping, Strong Creeping and Chewing Fescue cultivars, J Sustain Fairway from the Johnsons Sports Seed range is a high-performance, fine-turf fairway formulation equipped to withstand the environmental challenges of the future. Ideal for links and heathland venues, it delivers a natural tolerance to a broad range of turf stresses and requires less nutrient, water and chemical inputs to thrive.

“It’s tough, resilient and perfect for coping with hotter, drier summers and wetter winters which is critical for futureproofing our course” he adds. Beyond resilience and rapid establishment, Stuart has also noticed unexpected benefits. “We used to suffer with leatherjackets and pecking damage but haven’t seen that this year. It could be that the toughness of the Hard Fescue roots is making it harder for pests to get through.”

Due to the lack of irrigation on their fairways, Cardigan’s overseeding programme is fixed to the autumn, with J Sustain Fairway already firmly in their maintenance for 2026.

“When something doesn’t work, everyone is quick to point it out” he notes. “But when something works as well as this, it should be shouted from the rooftops!”

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Enhancing Fairway Resilience at Burnham & Berrow

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Enhancing Fairway Resilience at Burnham & Berrow: Burnham & Berrow Golf Club has successfully enhanced fairway resilience and improved turf quality following the integration of ICL’s H2Pro TriSmart into its water management programme. The initiative was driven by the club’s preparations to host Final Open Qualifying for The 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2024.

Like many links courses, Burnham & Berrow faced significant challenges during the severe drought of 2022. Despite an extensive irrigation system, maintaining uniform turf coverage proved difficult, highlighting the need for a long-term solution. Course Manager Rich Whyman, working alongside the R&A’s agronomy team, adopted a strategic approach to water management, incorporating H2Pro TriSmart as a key component.

Enhancing Fairway Resilience at Burnham & Berrow

Enhancing Fairway Resilience at Burnham & Berrow

Applied at 10L per hectare throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons, TriSmart was used in conjunction with reseeding, targeted nutrition, and irrigation refinements. The surfactant’s proven ability to enhance soil moisture retention and improve drought tolerance played a critical role in restoring and strengthening fairway surfaces.

“We’d seen how TriSmart helped improve moisture control in other areas of the course, so we had confidence it could play a key role in strengthening the fairways,” said Rich Whyman, Course Manager at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club.

Since implementing TriSmart, the club has reported measurable improvements, including stronger, more uniform turf coverage, better moisture retention during dry periods, and greater consistency across playing surfaces. Volumetric Moisture Content (VMC) testing has further confirmed more stable moisture levels across the course.

“We’ve seen a real difference in how the fairways respond to dry spells. Areas that struggled in the past have held up far better, and the consistency across the course is much improved,” added Rich.

Burnham & Berrow’s enhanced course conditions have been instrumental in meeting the standards required for Final Open Qualifying, providing firm and consistent playing surfaces for elite golfers. TriSmart has now become an integral part of the club’s ongoing agronomic strategy, supporting long-term turf health and resilience.

“H2Pro TriSmart has played a vital role in improving the resilience of our fairways. Over the past two years, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in turf density and consistency, even during prolonged dry spells. It’s become an essential part of our water management strategy, helping us maintain the high standards required for hosting a Final Open Qualifying event,” said Rich.

Burnham & Berrow’s efforts have been recognised with a nomination for the BIGGA Awards 2024 Championship Performance of the Year, highlighting the club’s commitment to excellence and innovation in golf course management.

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.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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COMPO EXPERT introduce Kick® ‘Fairway’

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COMPO EXPERT introduce Kick® ‘Fairway’: Leading European fertiliser producer COMPO EXPERT has introduced the highly-effective Kick® Fairway wetting agent into the Kick® product portfolio – to help Turf Managers economically and effectively deal with water efficiency issues on sports turf and golf course fairways by keeping the grass sward in excellent condition during drought periods.

Kick® Fairway joins the well-established and highly-effective Kick® family of wetting agents, which includes the Kick® concentrate and Kick® LDS brands for sand-based turf environments. These best-selling European wetting agents are between four and six times more concentrated that other wetting agents on the market – offering superior performance and economy.

COMPO EXPERT introduce Kick® ‘Fairway’

COMPO EXPERT introduce Kick® ‘Fairway’

Designed to improve water infiltration in hydrophobic situations, the environmentally-friendly Kick® Fairway wetting agent, helps Turf Managers increase their effective water management by improving water penetration and absorption in all natural soil profiles. Kick® products reduce the effects of drought conditions and stress by promoting root growth into deeper horizons. This NEW product provides a cost-effective answer to large outfield areas across golf and sports turf, while utilising the unique global Kick® technology.

Kick® Fairway application rate is 2 litres per hectare in 600 litres of water. For best results, apply monthly from April to September.

COMPO EXPERT National Sales Manager, Matt Williams, says that the extremely effective Kick® Fairway wetting agent has been introduced to the Kick® portfolio to allow Turf Managers to improve the quality of their fairways and sports surfaces in a cost-effective manner, while having the benefits of Kick® technology. Kick® Fairway will ensure that turf can respond to the vagaries of the weather and retain that much valued sward in the height of the season.

Kick® Fairway is available from Agrovista Amenity. https://amenity.agrovista.co.uk/

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SpeedSeed 1100 completes fairway recovery

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SpeedSeed 1100 completes fairway recovery: While the drought of the summer of 2018 may be a distant memory for some, other clubs are still feeling the effects of the damage caused.

One such club is Boat of Garten Golf Club in the Scottish Highlands, where Head Greenkeeper Michael Mann is still tending to some of the worst affected fairways. The overseeding of which is now much quicker and easier thanks to their new SpeedSeed 1100 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery.

SpeedSeed 1100 completes fairway recovery

SpeedSeed 1100 completes fairway recovery

The 18-hole, James Braid designed course is renowned for its challenging play and the cleverly shaped, undulating fairways. “The sharp undulations can pose quite a challenge when it comes to maintenance and finding machinery that can work with the challenging terrain” explains Michael, who has been at Boat of Garten for just under a year. “When we needed a new overseeder, we looked at three or four different makes and models, one of which was the new SpeedSeed from Charterhouse. Its compact size meant it could closely follow the uneven ground, so it worked out to be the best option for us.”

Offering a 1.1m working width, the SpeedSeed 1100 does not compromise when it comes to coverage and performance. Creating 990 holes per sq. metre, with an optional second spiked rear roller to double that, it can cover both large and small areas quickly, working at depths of up to 20mm. “After we took delivery of the SpeedSeed from MacGregor Industrial Supplies in July 2019, we were out with it pretty much straight away, overseeding the greens and some of the worst affected fairways. It’s such a great size, suitable for use site-wide.”

“The set-up and controls of the machine are all nice and user-friendly, and it’s accurate seed calibration system is easy to adjust and operate. It’s a very clean machine, that leaves minimal surface disruption and hardly anything to tidy up in its wake.”

By the back end of 2019, thankfully recovery work reached a conclusion, but Michael now looks forward to utilising the SpeedSeed to its full advantage as we enter the new growing season. “While we don’t have a set overseeding programme, now that we have the seeder at our disposal we can look to capitalise on any growth windows and start to work on other projects around the course – weather permitting of course!”

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John Deere expands fairway line-up

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John Deere expands fairway line-up: John Deere has announced two new additions to the economical 6000A Series fairway mower line-up, which will be previewed at BTME 2020 in Harrogate from January 21-23.

Sharing technologies with the award-winning A Model mower range, the 6080A and 6500A E-Cut hybrid electric fairway mowers feature high-performance electric reel drive, which greatly reduces the number of potential hydraulic leak points to ensure maximum productivity and performance. In addition to their economical price, these new mowers can be operated at lower engine speeds, which further reduces operating costs by decreasing fuel consumption.

John Deere expands fairway line-up

“We’re excited to bring the E-Cut hybrid mowing system to the 6000A Series fairway mowers,” says John Deere’s European turf sales & marketing manager Carlos Aragones. “Powerful and full of premium features at an economical price, the 6080A and 6500A combine our proven E-Cut hybrid electric technology with the popular 6000A Series model design.”

John Deere was first to market with its electric reel drive system in 2005 on the 2500E triplex greens mower, and this was added to the fairway mower range in 2009 with the 7500 and 8000 E-Cut hybrid models. By removing all hydraulics from the reel circuit, the risk of hydraulic leaks has been reduced by over 90 per cent. In addition, the hybrid system is powered exclusively by an alternator, which offers consistent performance without additional batteries to maintain.

Equipped with a powerful 24.7hp (18.4kW) diesel engine, the 6080A and 6500A E-Cut hybrid mowers feature a three-wheel smooth tyre configuration on a durable chassis, with premium performance and comfort features for all-day mowing. Width of cut is 80in (2m) on the 6080A and 100in (2.5m) on the 6500A, with 18 and 22in (46 and 56cm) QA5 cutting units respectively.

These new models include the proven eHydro transmission and LoadMatch as standard, which maintains a high quality cut even when working on slopes. A mowing speed of 8mph (13kph) on both models allows operators to be more productive by covering larger areas in less time.

Another advanced technology feature adopted from the existing A Model range is the innovative, password-protected TechControl display. This gives turf managers and technicians complete control over cut quality and performance by enabling them to input commands such as mowing speed, transport speed and service times, while also capturing on-board service diagnostics.

Cut quality on the new John Deere 6080A and 6500A E-Cut hybrid electric fairway mowers is further enhanced with rear-attaching yokes on the cutting units and standard hydraulic down pressure, which can tackle even the toughest mowing conditions. Additionally, the hybrid reel drive system allows more power to be available for the standard GRIP all-wheel drive traction system, to further improve performance on slopes.

Other operator friendly features include internal hydraulic wet disk brakes, which eliminate linkage adjustments and grease points in the brake system, and a comfortable operator station with CommandArm-mounted controls that move with the seat.

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