Tag Archive for: Ferry

New bunkers to greet Korn Ferry players

New bunkers to greet Korn Ferry players: Opened in 2000, the course at the Country Club at Wakefield Plantation, in Raleigh, NC, has hosted the Korn Ferry Tour throughout its life – when this year’s REX Hospital Open is played at the course, between June 2-5, it will be the twenty-second time that Wakefield Plantation has played host to the Tour.

But, as course superintendent Todd Lawrence explains, the players will see a very different course this year from last.

New bunkers to greet Korn Ferry players

New bunkers to greet Korn Ferry players

“The course has high flashed bunker faces, and every time we received a significant rain, they would wash out,” he says. “Over the years, the bunkers had gotten so contaminated and it got to a point where they would hold water so we would have to pump them out. We would have 15-20 bunkers holding water after a three quarter inch rain.”

When Wakefield Plantation was built, at the turn of the century, bunker liner technology was in its infancy. “There was a polymer sprayed to a half inch on the faces originally, but it didn’t really hold the sand up, and in time it broke down,” Lawrence explains. “In 2006-7, we did an in-house project to install a fabric liner, and that helped for a while, but over time it started to fail. We knew the bunkers needed to be rebuilt completely.”

Wakefield is run by management company McConnell Golf. “Given the projects going on elsewhere in the company, we obviously had to plan very carefully as to when we could do the work, and for a while we had this year in mind,” says Lawrence. “But that came to a head after last year’s tournament. We had over an inch of rain in two consecutive nights. Bunkers were washed out completely to the bottom both days and it took every person available to get them pushed up and ready for play – and even after play started we had some bunkers that were still holding water. The decision to rebuild was finalised quickly after the tournament!”

Lawrence and his colleagues from McConnell carefully evaluated the liner products on the market before settling on Capillary Bunkers. “The company had already used the product on a number of other project, and it was working really well,” he says. “I like the fact that the concrete is a homogenous two inch layer. Other products seemed to depend much more on the contractor to get the consistency and depth of the product right. With Capillary Bunkers, I knew that as long as it came out of the truck properly mixed, it would give me that solid two inch layer.”

Wakefield is normally open year round. The course closed the front nine in December 2021 to begin the renovation, and then moved on to the back nine in early February. “We have four holes yet to finish and expect to be done in the next three weeks,” says Lawrence. “So far, the product has done everything we expected it to. We had rain last night and this morning the bunkers looked just as they did before the rain. Our members love it!”

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Felixstowe Ferry Opts For Toro

Felixstowe Ferry Opts For Toro: Suffolk-based Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club has once again opted for Toro as it scales up its fairway aeration programme. The Toro ProCore SR72 has been purchased through UK distributor Reesink Turfcare alongside a TYM T603 tractor to pull it.

The SR72 aerator joins the smaller Toro ProCore SR48, as course manager Glenn Rayfield explains: “We were already operating a SR48 aerator on smaller areas of approaches and fairways. After hosting the Ladies National County Finals, we decided to embark on a fairway aeration programme to keep the standard of the course up, and the SR72 is ideal for that.”

Felixstowe Ferry Opts For Toro

With a working width of 72 inches, the SR72 is a good choice for large scale aeration. This tough machine is able to puncture up to 40cm of the most compacted soil, while being light enough to work on greens and fairways. Depth control is made while the machine is in operation by using the hydraulic top link from the tractor. This one-of-a-kind feature means the operator can apply the ideal tine position for every soil type and condition without leaving the tractor’s seat.

Purchased to tow the SR72 is the 60hp T603 tractor, which enables the club to scale up its tractor tasks, bringing the power to do all the jobs the club previously couldn’t. Glenn explains: “We chose the T603 because it can handle large volume equipment and the club didn’t have another tractor like it.

“Aeration is just one of many tasks it will be performing around the club. With it we can also tow flail mowers, hedge trimmers and larger trailers for construction. Plus it is installed with a front bucket which is used for loading and moving tasks.”

Both machines are a hit with Felixstowe’s greenkeeping team: “The guys were fully onboard with the choices as they played a large part in the selection process. After trying a range of machines, their feedback cemented the order,” Glenn says.

Another factor in the decision was Glenn’s previous experience with Toro and Reesink, having most recently purchased two Toro Triflex 3400 mowers in 2016: “Reesink distributes reliable equipment and is all about customer service. The two Toro mowers we purchased from them in 2016 are superb and they provide cut perfection!”

He continues: “Whenever I’ve had a query, Reesink has been on the case straightway. Over the years I’ve secured a friendship with our local representative Julian Copping, who provides good service, knowledge and can’t help enough.”

It all means exciting times are ahead for one of the oldest and finest links courses in the country, as the addition of the Toro ProCore SR72 and TYM T603 allows all sorts of new tasks for the greenstaff to keep the course in excellent condition.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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