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ICL is the one for Chart Hills

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ICL is the one for Chart Hills: Neil Lowther, Course Manager at Chart Hills Golf Club, has revealed how utilising a range of ICL products has resulted in vastly improved fairways and greens.

Situated in Kent, Chart Hills is the first signature Sir Nick Faldo-designed golf course in Europe. Dramatically undulating fairways, numerous water features, Europe’s largest bunker and complex greens present a challenge to all levels of golfer.

ICL is the one for Chart Hills

ICL is the one for Chart Hills

However, it is safe to say that the club has experienced mixed fortunes over recent years, but new owners have signalled an exciting new era.

“From my point of view, I would like to be 20 years younger – it certainly has been a roller coaster,” said Neil. “Our new owners are passionate about making improvements and they are investing in all the right areas so it is nice to have their full backing.”

Neil admits that a lack of investment previously prevented him from using the products that he wanted to, but the new owners gave him an opportunity to reassess exactly what he needed.

“After looking at all the nutritional products we were previously using, we decided that there was no reason to keep chopping and changing,” he said. “We felt that going with fewer manufacturers was the way to go, certainly in terms of consistency and results.”

Neil credits Craig Brisley, Sales Director at Collier Turf Care, for suggesting ICL products and says that he was sold on them following a trial with Sierrablen Plus Turf Starter 5.28.0 which features Pearl technology to aid early establishment.

Through independent trials, data has revealed significantly increased rooting when Sierrablen Plus with Pearl technology is used as part of a seedbed preparation and during turf-laying.

Furthermore, there was a 2.5 x increase in rooting when compared to another existing high-performing product.

“Craig advised Sierrablen Plus Turf Starter because he felt the product would help us establish as quickly as possible,” said Neil “So we tried it on a trial area to start with.

“What I like about this product is that you are incorporating it into the top part of the rootzone and you don’t lose any nutrients. No matter how much irrigation you put on, you won’t lose the product. Also, with Turf Starter being a slow release fertiliser that releases its nutrients over a 3+ month period, it gave us more time to concentrate on other jobs without worrying about getting more nutrition on.

ICL is the one for Chart Hills

ICL is the one for Chart Hills

“It had a great impact and members were saying they had never seen grass establish so quickly. We seeded the area on 21 May and were cutting regularly on 21 July.

“This process allowed us to demonstrate what was achievable in that amount of time to the owners and from that point onwards all our products have been ICL.”

Neil continues to use a range of ICL products from the Sierrablen Plus range and says Sierrablen Plus Stress Control 15-5-22 fertiliser helped his fairways recover after a Red thread disease outbreak and loss of coverage at the end of 2021. As part of his ICL programme, Neil also relies on products such as Sportsmaster Spring & Summer 9.7.7, Sierrablen Plus Mini 37.0.0, H2Pro AquaSmart wetting agent on his fairways and a range of SierraformGT products on the greens.

As well as the support he receives from Craig at Collier Turf Care, Neil also has regular communication with Andrew Pledger from ICL.

“I really like the technical back-up from both Andrew and Craig,” he said. “They’re very knowledgeable and they take the time to explain how the products work. This is essential because I want to know how it all works, and in turn I want to explain it to my members of staff.”

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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New TYM customer for Reesink’s Scotland branch

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New TYM customer for Reesink’s Scotland branch: After 17 years with the same dealer, Bathgate Golf Club in Scotland has chosen Reesink Scotland to supply it with its first ever TYM tractor.

Head greenkeeper Rab Burns, who has been at the club, which is home to two former Ryder Cup captains, for 29 years, couldn’t be happier with the change: “We’re very happy with our new TYM tractor. It does everything we need it to and is so reliable. We got it through Reesink’s Livingstone branch, whom we’d heard really good things about as a dealer, and they’ve delivered on price and support.

New TYM customer for Reesink's Scotland branch

New TYM customer for Reesink’s Scotland branch

“It’s been a fair bet working with them, whatever we ask them to do, it’s done,” he continues. “It’s been very reassuring and a first-class service.”

The club chose the T555 model, one of the compact tractors recently involved in TYM’s redesign and a long-term customer favourite – for very good reasons.

Rab says: “This one has the same horsepower and similar performance as the previous tractor we had from a different brand, but the controls and the safety devices are much better. It’s easier to fix the attachments to the back and overall, it’s much more user-friendly, and seeing as everyone uses it, this was a big selling point. It’s the perfect size, spacious and easy to control. It just suits us. Plus, it’s good value.”

Being so user-friendly allows the team to get the job done more quickly and efficiently, says Rab: “There’s less time wasted fiddling with complicated controls or with extensive operator training, which means there’s more time spent preparing the course and making sure it’s up to the members’ standards, which is every golf club’s ideal scenario.”

The new tractor will be used mainly for loading sand and aggregates and for transporting a debris blower to help clear the course and surrounding spaces from leaves and grass cuttings.

Gareth Rogers, area sales specialist at Reesink’s Livingstone branch in Scotland, adds: “The redesigned 55hp engine in the T555 produces more power than its predecessor while still maximising on fuel efficiency, and the updated panel has a new digital element that shows the tractor hours, fuel gauge and information on the engine and emission system, which all makes for much-improved user control.

“So, it’s easy to see why Bathgate decided to go with TYM and what we’re incredibly pleased about is that they’ve chosen us as their new dealer. It’s a move that represents the work we’ve been putting into offering customers in the area the very best service and support,” he concludes.

To find out more about the TYM range and the tractor attachments available from Reesink call 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk, or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Demand for trenchers ‘sky high’

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Demand for trenchers ‘sky high’: Trencher Hire UK has had its busiest August ever since starting out a decade ago – bucking the usual  trend of a slowdown during this, the main month in the holiday season.

Operations Manager Steve Kingdom commented: “We’ve been working flat-out delivering and picking up machines, then preparing them prior to hiring out to the next customer. Demand has exceeded supply and we are now having to offer dates in September.

Demand for trenchers 'sky high'

Demand for trenchers ‘sky high’

 

“The weather has been for the most part sunny and the ground conditions dry and very hard in places, but nothing to worry our fleet of trenchers which are real workhorses that just keep neatly digging-out out sometimes hundreds of metres of channelling in a day.

“September looks like being a very busy month too – so it’s best to make an inquirer sooner rather than later.”

The current fleet of units comprise Toro and Vermeer machines covering trenching depths of between 150mm up to 900mm.  The units available to hire comprise: Toro TRX-16, Toro TRX-20, Toro TX-525 with trencher head, Vermeer RTX200 and Vermeer RTX525.

To find out more about Trencher Hire UK call: 01939 211900, or email: team@trencherhire.com, or visit our website: www.trencherhire.com

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Worldwide support for SALTEX

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Worldwide support for SALTEX: SALTEX, Europe’s largest FREE sports turf, amenities, and landscaping trade exhibition, proves Britain’s exhibition scene is back to pre-Covid levels with international exhibitors and visitors from over 40 countries now signed up to attend.

Such overwhelming overseas support with 12 weeks to go before the show opens its doors on 2 November shows the strength of this event, now in its 76th year, and it’s a great indication that Britain is back to being fully open for business as exhibitors and visitors travel to the event from as far afield as Australia.

Worldwide support for SALTEX

Worldwide support for SALTEX

But what is it about SALTEX that is generating such international interest? Francesco Dotto, president of GrAssMed, the Mediterranean Groundsman Association, tweeted: “[SALTEX] is the most important green fair in Europe, for real professionals, but also for those who to approach sustainable and serious green.” He refers to, of course, the show’s focus on sustainability and the environment, key topics at this year’s show featuring prominently in the Learning LIVE seminars, with the show bringing together the best in the business from around the world and the most effective products and innovations to help tackle current issues.

This is certainly a view shared by SGL, manufacturers of grass growth products such as grow lighting systems and data monitoring tools, based in The Netherlands – and just one of many international businesses exhibiting at this year’s show. Derk Pelle, content marketeer at SGL, confirms the reason they attend is because “SALTEX is an inspiring, international event where turf professionals come together to exchange knowledge and learn about the latest innovations in the industry and engage with turf professionals face-to-face.”

Matthew Williams, national account manager UK and Ireland at Compo-Expert, said: “European visitors come to SALTEX because they recognise it as the best golf and groundsmanship event in Europe.”

The International Greenkeepers Association will again have a presence at SALTEX with members from around the world registering to visit. Among these is Daryl Davidson, head groundsman at Sydney University, who is excited to be making the journey: “This is a great opportunity to catch up with a heap of new and old friends from our great industry,” it was he says, “an easy decision to jump on board”.

And it’s not just international exhibitors who are signed up for the show, overseas visitors’ enthusiasm for SALTEX is at an all-time high too. Geoff Webb, CEO of the Grounds Management Association, says: “There promises to be a diverse visitor profile this year, we know there are visitors from over 26 countries already. We had a good show last year with our post-show visitor survey, showing that 83 percent of attendees rated SALTEX 2021 overall as excellent, very good or good, and 67 percent of those saying they attended specifically to purchase new products or services, and 84 percent either had full purchasing responsibility or contributed to the process. These are great stats, but we knew that it was post pandemic and people were longing to get out and meet up again but to continue this momentum is really encouraging.”

For visitors keen to confirm their attendance at this show which is promising to be its biggest and best yet, find out more about SALTEX 2022 and register online at www.saltex.org.uk

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Terrain Aeration relief for housebuilders

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Terrain Aeration relief for housebuilders: One problem facing housebuilders both before and after development is ground compaction. Open spaces designated for building may suffer years of neglect, constant foot traffic or use of wheeled machinery resulting in panning deep below the surface.

Similarly, during the building process bulldozers, diggers, dumper trucks and concrete mixer lorries flatten the air out of the soil in areas that will eventually become gardens and shared grassed areas. Often the land itself may have had previous buildings, and the subsoil contains old bricks, rubble and landfill. All these factors contribute to waterlogging which normal aeration cannot relieve.

Terrain Aeration relief for housebuilders

Terrain Aeration relief for housebuilders

Terrain Aeration’s Housebuilder’s Division has developed the specialist machinery and a full service needed for deep penetration aeration to relieve the problem of heavy compaction and waterlogging. Designed to access tight areas, their Terralift tracked aerator can enter small gardens through a gateway or garage and provide unique one-metre-deep aeration. At this depth, compressed air is released via a probe to fracture the soil and create fissures, allowing drainage and letting oxygen reach deep into the soil. Such work has been carried out for many years by Terrain Aeration for the UK’s leading housebuilders including Taylor-Wimpey, Barratt and Persimmon. A typical recent contract saw them treating ten small gardens and a small open flower meadow for Barratt David Wilson Homes in East Anglia while a project for Taylor-Wimpey was treating an open space so the housing development could be signed off with the council as ‘decompacted’. In this instance, the full-size Terralift machines were used, driving the JCB road breaker probe into the ground. At one metre depth the compressed air, up to 20Bar/280psi, was released from the probe which, on the tail-end of the blast, injects dried seaweed. This sticks to the fissures created as the Terralift process is repeated at two-metre centre spacing on a staggered grid. The seaweed expands and contracts with the soil’s moisture content to allow drainage and aeration.

The Terrain Aeration process has been in operation for over thirty years, providing compaction relief for new-build gardens, sports grounds, golf courses, amenity areas and public spaces. The Terrain Aeration Tree Division provides the specialist treatment for Royal Parks and arboriculturalists throughout the UK.  Terrain Aeration 01449 673783 www.terrainaeration.co.uk

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