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New Verti-Drain for Selby Golf Club

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New Verti-Drain for Selby Golf Club: Course Manager at Selby Golf Club, Chris Goodall, says the arrival of their new Charterhouse Verti-Drain® 7416 in November 2019 couldn’t have come at a better time!

The heathland course is very sandy meaning it is playable all year round and, in turn, makes it one of the busiest clubs in Yorkshire. This level of traffic has seen the Verti-Drain® in high demand over the winter period, tackling compaction on some of the high footfall areas.

New Verti-Drain for Selby Golf Club

New Verti-Drain for Selby Golf Club

“We previously had two separate aerators – one of which was proving too heavy for our ageing tractors, and the other was smaller so only really suitable for work on the greens” explains Chris, who has been at the club for five years. “When the time came to replace them, we wanted a good all-rounder – capable of site wide aeration.” Having been impressed with the Verti-Drain® at a previous club, Chris was keen to go down the Charterhouse road this time and spoke with local dealer F G Adamson and Sons.

“The size of the 7416 model was a perfect fit for our requirements and fleet of tractors. It’s super easy to set up, quiet in operation and covers the ground at good speed. The timing of its delivery meant it was out straight away and every couple of weeks after that, relieving compaction on pathways, walkways and fairways which kept us free of any waterlogging over the very wet winter months.”

Chris purchased his Verti-Drain® with solid tines, and additional hollow tines for year-round flexibility. “In a regular year, we would equip the Verti-Drain® with pencil tines to aerate the greens through the summer then as we head towards the back end of the year we’d then look at hollow coring and using bigger tines on the fairways and other areas.”

The Verti-Drain® 7416 has a 1.6m working width and offers a 14″ maximum working depth. The range of solid and hollow tine options, together with its weight, makes it a popular choice for golf courses; but it’s robust nature also makes it ideal for penetration of hard and compacted soils on a range of sports surfaces.

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INFINICUT to reduce HAV for Loughborough

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INFINICUT to reduce HAV for Loughborough: The Loughborough University Stadium is the jewel in the crown of the dedicated ‘football hub’ at the site’s Holywell Sports Complex.

In June 2019, Team Leader of the complex Kris Nurse took delivery of two INFINICUT® 34” FX mowers, together with a set of TurfClean™ cassettes, which have been working hand-in-hand to keep the stadium’s brand-new SIS hybrid pitch in first-rate condition.

INFINICUT to reduce HAV for Loughborough

INFINICUT to reduce HAV for Loughborough

With such a wealth and breadth of sporting facilities at the University, the grounds department is split into teams – with the cricket division being the first to experience the INFINICUT®. “They’ve used a fleet of 22” and 26” INFINICUT® mowers for a number of years and have always sung their praises” explains Kris, who has a team of three working with him in the football hub. “We obviously had an opportunity to use them too and were impressed with how lightweight they are and how simple the mower is to set-up and use, so I spoke to Oliver Hall at MTD about the 34” fixed head version.”

“Together with the quality of cut and finish they deliver, the University were also keen on the fact that they’re battery powered. Because of the amount of large machinery we operate on a daily basis, we have a real issue with Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) so taking delivery of our duo of INFINICUT® mowers has been a fantastic step forward in improving that.” Since the new hybrid pitch was installed in September 2019, it has hosted over 60 games for student teams, together with a number of external matches including Derby County Under 23’s. To keep the pitch playing at the standard required, the mowers are in use four or five times a week.

Helping with the post-match clean-up, Kris also purchased a set of TurfClean™ cassettes from the renowned TMSystem™. “These have been a god send. We use these after play to rid the surface of any debris and stand the grass plant back up. It then takes less than 10 minutes to swap those out and put the cutting reels in, and we’re straight back out to cut. This has eliminated the wheel lines we used to get by using a rotary mower and gives us a quality of finish that is fitting to the arena and the fantastic level of play that we are lucky enough to host.”

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Year round use for Valdor Flex

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Year round use for Valdor Flex: The residual herbicide, Valdor Flex®, has received a label update, extending usage periods and application areas, providing contractors with an opportunity to adopt a flexible approach to weed control.

Lewis Blois, Bayer’s amenity specialist, says this updated authorisation will allow contractors to adapt their approach depending on weather conditions and weed growth, so they can manage weeds in public spaces effectively and efficiently.

Year round use for Valdor Flex

Year round use for Valdor Flex

“Valdor Flex® can now be used on amenity vegetation (around), permitting applications to be made around the base of trees, shrubs and other plants in amenity areas, allowing this herbicide to be used in a wider range of situations,” he adds.

In addition, this product could previously only be used from February to June, however the application window extension allows Valdor Flex® to be used year-round.

“The new year-round application period allows users to take a different approach and adapt their herbicide programme depending on the weather conditions and weed growth.

“For example, this may mean using Valdor Flex® as a residual control in August to prevent weed growth in the autumn, rather than a spring application of the product in conjunction with Roundup® earlier in the season,” says Lewis.

Valdor Flex® is also a great tool to help with resistance management, as it contains two active ingredients with different modes of action.

“This herbicide prevents the emergence of a broad spectrum of weeds for up to four months, reducing the frequency of traditional applications. It provides residual control of the hardest to manage weeds on a wide range of surfaces, allowing contractors to keep public spaces weed free,” he explains.

Valdor Flex® can be used as a pre or post emergence application “It can be applied alone on bare ground before weeds emerge or if weeds are already present, it can be mixed with Roundup® ProActive or ProVantage which provides the initial knockdown.”

To benefit from these extensions of use, contractors must be using the new product with the updated label.

“These changes to the use of Valdor Flex® will allow amenity contractors to take a flexible approach to weed control, by adapting their herbicide programme to suit weather conditions and weed growth, ensuring they keep weeds at bay in public spaces,” concludes Lewis.

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Great products for the great outdoors

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Great products for the great outdoors: Leading manufacturer of outdoor equipment and power tools, Makita UK has expanded its line of cordless power equipment with an impressive range of new garden machinery tools, specifically aimed at the outdoor sector.  

Building upon its vast experience in cordless technology, Makita has added to its line up with a wide range of equipment that now offers professionals over 70 cordless outdoor power equipment (OPE) tools within its innovative LXT battery platform. The platform is designed with professionals in mind, to provide beneficial solutions against petrol products to offer lower noise and vibration levels, reduced maintenance and zero emissions, whilst providing the levels of power and torque professionals need to tackle the many outdoor tasks and applications they face on a day to day basis.  

Great products for the great outdoors

Great products for the great outdoors

By adding to the existing range, these higher specification, new products ensure there is a tool for any job, that matches the daily demands of working outdoors, including: 

Brushless Lawn Mowers 

The lawn mower range includes one new aluminium deck (DLM533) and three new steel deck models (DLM462, DLM530, DLM532). Powered by two 18V Li-ion batteries in series to supply energy to the powerful 36V DC motor drive system, these machines can be fitted with four batteries to give contractors extended cutting time. With a manual battery selection, simply flick the switch to change over to the second pair of batteries when the initial set has discharged. 

All Twin 18V, the new models include an electric brake and a large grass box with a useful level indicator, as well as a built-in mulching option and weather–proof cover. By adding to the existing three models in the range, professionals can choose the model to suit the scale of their lawn groundwork, from smaller domestic lawns right up to areas of 2,300m2. 

Brushless Hedge Trimmers 

Ideal for tackling mature growth, thick branches and hedges, two new single sided hedge trimmers offer improved and safer handling, thanks to the single blade, lightweight design and two-handed start up. The 18V DUH604S and DUH754S both feature three speed settings, a reverse switch to clear the blades if branches get jammed and automatic shut off if the machine is not operated for 60 seconds after being turned on. The blade profile has been designed for smother cutting, whilst low vibration and high power allows operators to work efficiently, even on large hedges, with less fatigue.  

Brushless Linetrimmers and Brush Cutters 

Providing access to varied shrubland and undergrowth, the new Twin 18V Linetrimmer (DUR369L) and Brush Cutter (DUR369A) models provide an excellent alternative to manoeuvring heavy and cumbersome machinery. Both operate using a 1kW motor – equivalent to a 33cc 2-stroke engine machine and include automatic torque drive technology (ADT), which adjusts the RPM according to the density of the weeds, plus active feedback sensing technology (AFT) which shuts down the tool to protect the user if the rotation speed suddenly slows down. Alternatively, the new UR101CZ and UR201CZ models are equivalent to the DUR369 products, however these are designed for use with Makita’s backpack battery rather than connecting individual batteries to the machines, making these models better suited for contractors who require longer run-times for larger areas.      

Portable Battery Pack 

The PDC01 battery backpack provides ‘portable fuel’ enabling operators to continue to work and reducing the frequency required to replace batteries. The backpack neatly holds four 18V LXT batteries for use with the 18V adaptor or twin 18V adaptors that attach to the tools, in order to create a portable power supply – which is ideal for use with high-drain products. Unlike other backpack battery systems where the entire unit needs to be recharged, the Makita system uses interchangeable 18V batteries, enabling operators to double or quadruple the run time of their work depending on the tool being used. Simply replace the batteries when the first sets are empty and then carry on working whilst recharging your initial battery sets! 

Commenting on the new releases, Mark Earles, Business Development Manager for garden machinery at Makita said: “We are delighted to offer outdoor professionals even more choice with this exciting new line-up. All the new releases are powered by Makita’s Lithium-ion LXT battery technology, the biggest battery platform in the world. With over 200 products within this system, operators can seamlessly interchange between projects and equipment, so whatever challenge the great outdoors presents, professionals can be confident that using Makita will get the job done.” 

All products are available to order.

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NZ courses braced for no upkeep

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NZ courses braced for no upkeep: Normally at the weekend, stadiums around New Zealand are full of kiwis watching rugby and cricket or for the thousands of weekend hackers, it’s time for a round of golf with their mates.

But with the country in lockdown, those stadiums and golf courses aren’t just bare of people they’re without care and maintenance, and the cost economically and socially hurts.

Hundreds of clubs around the country were forced to close with upkeep not permitted.

“Greens are our babies,” New Zealand Greenkeepers president Steve Hodson told Newshub.

“If we lose our greens, we lose our golf course and we’ve lost our revenue, then we’ve lost jobs.”

He is among thousands of volunteers and is devastated.

“[It’s] a massive social cost as well, as financial cost to the clubs,” he told Newshub.

NZ golf has been lobbying to get a dispensation to allow a skeletal staff to cut the greens, until a decision is made.

“The grass keeps on growing,” Hodson added.

But while the lockdown effects may be permanently crippling for many small golf courses, the grounds in our big stadiums are in better shape

Turf manager Karl Johnson says FMG Waikato Stadium has sprayed a product to slow growth.

“Hopefully it will hold on for 4 weeks,” Johnson told Newshub.

“Our irrigation systems are managed by mobile devices so we are able to irrigate from home”

Instead, Johnson will spend the month preening his own lawn and is hopeful the grass will be greener for all when this finally ends.

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