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Pitch Award For Nowlan Park

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Pitch Award For Nowlan Park: Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, has received their 2018 GAA County Pitch of the Year Award, sponsored by Campey Turf Care Systems.

As part of their prize the grounds team at Nowlan Park will receive a specially commissioned award and pitch supplies from Campey and fellow sponsors Irish Turfcare and ICL.

Pitch Award For Nowlan Park

The Kilkenny city venue was chosen in August 2018 after a thorough adjudication process, with McGovern Park, South Ruislip in London announced as the runner-up.

Other venues including Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon, Semple Stadium, Tipperary, Innovate Wexford Park, Wexford and Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow were shortlisted as high achievers in the competition for excellence in playing surfaces.

Assessment of the grounds nationwide was completed by Stuart Wilson, Pitch Manager at Croke Park and the GAA National Games Development Centre, and by Dr Stephen Barker of the Sports Research Institute, who visited all six venues.

The process involved scoring and feedback from referees during the National Leagues in spring and took into consideration a Pitch Quality Assessment based on performance standards, construction, management program, environmental conditions and usage levels.

The awards scheme is part of a wider initiative to improve the standards of playing surfaces around the country and to share some of the expertise and experience used at Croke Park and from the GAA’s National Pitch Committee.

Commenting on the scheme and the results, GAA President John Horan said: “I would like to congratulate all the team who are responsible for the pitch in Nowlan Park on winning this award. It’s a pitch that gets more than its fair share of important, high profile matches and thanks to the time, dedication and investment, there is a surface there worthy of the great occasions hosted by Nowlan Park.

“This is an important scheme for the GAA to champion and I want to thank Stuart Wilson and also the National Pitch Committee for setting standards and encouraging our ground staff around the country to ensure that our pitches are in the best possible condition for our great Games.”

Campey continues to place a high priority on recognising excellence within the professional turf care industry as well as conducting regular educational days for everyone from volunteers to full-time turf professionals.

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Reesink Key For Brookfield Groundcare

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Reesink Key For Brookfield Groundcare: Cambridge based groundscare company Brookfield Groundcare has recently invested in a Toro LT3340 triple cylinder mower because of the “excellent back up service provided by Reesink Turfcare” says company owner, Danny Wright.

With 15 years in the business maintaining everything from small gardens to huge country estates for private and commercial clients across Cambridgeshire, Newmarket and Suffolk, having a reliable backup service is vital.

Reesink Key For Brookfield Groundcare

“Reesink is known for providing really good customer support particularly when it comes to its backup service,” says Danny. “I know that if there was ever a problem with our machine, they would get a replacement out to me immediately. When you’re a relatively small business with a wide client base, that’s vital. I’d actually say that the backup is just as important, if not more than, the quality of the machine itself.”

In fact, it was this reputation that led to Danny going straight to Reesink when the need for more equipment arose. After recently securing more school and council clients, the company needed a new machine to help cope with the increase in work.

“When I was looking for a new machine, I went directly to Reesink to organise a demonstration,” says Danny. “Toro really is leading the market at the moment, so it made sense to go to them first. The LT3340 impressed me so much I didn’t see the need to test out any other brands. I decided pretty much there and then to get it.”

The LT3340 heavy-duty triple cylinder mower, with its sheer durability and strength makes for a perfect addition to a groundscare fleet. With such a powerful and versatile machine, it’s no wonder Danny is already seeing an improvement.

“It’s a lot quicker in operation,” he says. “And the controls are better situated compared to other brands so it’s more user-friendly and comfortable. Based on the performance of the machine, and the service that Reesink provides, it’s likely that as the company continues to grow there’ll be more investment in Toro.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Chemical Cause For Concern

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Chemical Cause For Concern: With a dwindling chemical arsenal, more and more greenkeepers are embracing natural alternatives, chief among them being enriched biochar from UK company Carbon Gold. But who are Carbon Gold, what is enriched biochar and, critically, does it work?  

With iprodione banned and propiconazole and chlorothalonil on their way out, the three “silver bullets” of professional sports turf, which the entire industry has relied on for decades to keep our various courses and pitches green and playable, are all at once unavailable.  Compounding the issue, it’s almost certain that nutrient application will be stymied on environmental grounds to prevent run off into the water table in the near future.

Chemical Cause For Concern

However, although it’s no doubt a source of anxiety, few greenkeepers are truly despairing just yet, and some are completely at ease having already replaced their chemical and nutrient arsenal with an organic alternative before the chemicals have stopped being sold. That organic alternative? Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar product, Turf Improver.

Biochar is a high-carbon form of charcoal that improves the water-holding capacity, nutrient retention, aeration and structure of soils and substrates.  It also provides a permanent protective refuge for beneficial microbiology.

Carbon Gold’s Turf Improver is biochar enriched with beneficial fungi, nutrients and bacteria and delivers improved turf health and vitality, improves rooting and nutrient retention.

Does it work?  Commercial trials indicate yes.

At Mullion Golf Club, the most southernly course in the country, enriched biochar Turf Improver was incorporated into the 14th green which was considered the course’s problem green in Jan 2018. Just eight months on, despite an outbreak of Fusarium on some of the courses untreated greens in the autumn, the 14th green is completely disease free, the grass is showing better rooting, feels firmer and is looking much healthier.

At Okehampton Golf Club in Devon, the incorporation of enriched biochar Turf Improver into the 5th and 12th greens in March 2017 resulted in a 20% fertiliser reduction and a 100% fungicide reduction on both greens.

So who are Carbon Gold?

The company was founded by Craig Sams, founder of Green & Blacks Chocolate, back in 2007 as an organic, peat-free planting aid for the retail sector.  But with a few years of incredible results from third-party scientific trials looking into enriched biochar’s effect on plant health in the commercial crop growing and tree care sectors, trade eventually superseded the company’s retail offering.

Chemical Cause For Concern

Enriched biochar is used extremely effectively in the incredibly controlled growing conditions of both organic and conventional greenhouses in the UK and Europe, and is quickly establishing itself as the standard for tree planting and care.  It was introduced to the professional sports turf market by Carbon Gold only a year ago but has already picked up the distribution support of Sherriff Amenity, the UK’s leading sports turf consultants and suppliers.

The times are certainly changing, but so are the tools we have at our disposal to keep our turf healthy.  With this new generation of environmentally friendly products, like Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar, retiring chemical fungicides and pesticides might not be the handicap it’s expected to be.

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New Terra Spike For Premier Pitches

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New Terra Spike For Premier Pitches: Specialist sports turf contractor, Premier Pitches, has added a Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD to its list of machinery, specifically for work at renovation time.

Director, Jonathan Woolfall, of the Sheffield firm which won The IOG Contractor of the Year in both 2016 & 2017, said:

New Terra Spike For Premier Pitches

“A lot of clubs want deep aeration built into end-of-season packages.

“We bought this machine principally to use during the renovation period, so mainly April, May and June. When you do renovations there can be many tractor and trailer movements across a pitch which inevitably lead to compaction.  After we’ve put the sand and seeds in the ground, an efficient deep tine with the GXi8 helps air circulate below the surface, then, we just leave it alone…it’s a good way to conclude such works.

“We needed to replace a machine so with dealer, Balmers GM, we looked about to see what was available. The precision and build quality of the GXi8 were second to none. It’s light, fast and easy to transport around the country on a small truck.  We bought it with the knowledge that it will be with us for a very long time.”

Easy tool-free adjustments mean that heave and depth settings can be finely tuned to suit conditions.  Importantly, the GXi8 HD offers Advance Tine Control a uniquely patented feature which makes sure the tines’ incision into the ground is always precise leaving a neat finish. It has a working depth of up to 250 mm and covers a whole pitch in less than three hours.

For more information, visit: www.wiedenmann.com

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New Home For Toro At Royal Norwich

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New Home For Toro At Royal Norwich: The state-of-the-art greenkeeping facilities and workshop at Royal Norwich are complete, meaning Toro now has a home at the new site to work and live.

Only the second all air-conditioned facility in the country, the building was reclaimed from an old refrigeration warehouse and now houses a team room with pool table, stylish meeting rooms for business meetings, state-of-the-art workshop and parts storage, a ‘boot room’ with washing machine and dehumidifier, showers, every convenience has been thought of, confirms Peter Todd, director and estates manager, including its green credentials:

New Home For Toro At Royal Norwich

“It’s completely insulated, so will be highly efficient. 100 percent of its daytime power is generated from the solar panels on the roof as well as supplying 40 percent of the clubhouse electricity needs.”

The facility has been home to a loan fleet of used Toro equipment, compiled to accommodate the growing-in phase of the courses, but now it welcomes the beginning of Peter’s Toro fleet.

Reesink’s Trevor Chard who has worked with Peter for more than 18 years, first at The London Club where they introduced of a new Toro fleet of machinery and now at Royal Norwich, says: “There are so many different requirements when tending new and growing-in turf. For example, it’s pedestrian mowing to start with to prevent bruising the grass and only once the grass is more established that ride-ons will be required. It’s tough, unforgiving work for the fleet, there’s a lot of dust and stones to contend with as the earth moves and settles into its new formation.”

Here, Peter takes over again: “If my time in construction at Gleneagles taught me anything, it’s that you can never predict what a new course will throw at you. One thing I didn’t envisage was using rotary mowers on the tees for example! But dwarf perennial rye grass in a blend with fescue took hold and grew so quickly in those early days, we needed to get on top of it fast and only a rotary would do.”

It’s clear to see then, why a loan fleet of used equipment made economic sense! Now joining that loan fleet which has worked so hard in the early stages are four Flex 2120 pedestrian mowers for hand cutting the greens, the Greensmaster 1600 is Peter’s top choice for the tees and the Groundsmaster 4500-D and Groundsmaster 3500-D are taking on the initial mowing of the fairways and semi-roughs.

It’s a partnership for the long-term and Peter concludes by saying: “With things on a new course moving so fast and so many different requirements at each stage, I knew I needed a machinery partner that would be flexible and accommodating. I respect the Toro brand and have enjoyed working with Trevor for all these years, but I needed to know I had flexible and immediate support, Reesink’s East Anglia service division gave me that.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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