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Penwortham GC opts for Wiedenmann GXi8 HD

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Penwortham GC opts for Wiedenmann GXi8 HD: A busy Lancashire Golf Club which wants to target excess thatch on fairways and rough has chosen a Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD deep aerator.

Preston’s Penwortham GC is a fine parkland course, situated on the banks of the River Ribble. The northwest club is part of the prestigious Classic Lancashire Tour. It has an active year-round membership and a full-time greenkeeping team of five.

Penwortham GC opts for Wiedenmann GXi8 HD

Penwortham GC opts for Wiedenmann GXi8 HD

Head Greenkeeper, Steve Hemsley, has been in post since June 2021, and already is starting to tick off key projects on his list.

“Ours is quite a clay-based site, relatively flat and reasonably wet.  The recently established USGA greens are doing well. Elsewhere, fairways and roughs are just a little too thatchy, so we needed to develop a regular aeration programme. We brought contractors in last winter, but it made sense to have a machine of our own,” said Steve Hemsley

Following a successful demo with local Wiedenmann UK dealer, Balmers GM at Burnley, the club’s machine arrived at the end of April.  Wiedemann’s lead demonstrator, Andy Kerr, along with Balmers’ salesperson, Ben Cooke, returned to give a thorough session of induction training.

“Its first task, early May was to spike the fairways and some choice areas of rough with 20 mm diameter tines,” continued Steve.  “Our fairways aren’t huge but with a 1.8 m wide machine we easily got finished in around 2 ½ days. When the contractor did the fairways, they went to 150 mm without issue, so with the new machine we targeted around 175 mm, getting more air into the profile and decompacting the surface underneath.  Ideally, we’ll go again in September and, conditions allowing, during the winter again, so three times yearly.

“I had the GXi8 at my previous club, Bolton Old Links GC, so was aware how much time we would save compared to the long-serving machine we retired. The shock absorption and the speed set it apart. The spring systems mean no shock is delivered to the tractor or the operator, so it is an entirely smooth operation. Speed for me though is the biggest thing. It’s just easy to set up and go, just much less time out on the course interrupting play.”

Penwortham’s greens also had deep aeration in May to encourage deeper rooting. “After the fairways, we switched to 8 mm needle tines to do all greens. I’ve renovations booked in for mid-August so they will be done again then, but the priority is elsewhere in the course.

“During Autumn, with 20 mm tines we’ll get back to the spiking the fairways to break up the surface underneath. Then we’ll target the roughs and finally the fairways again in winter when conditions allow.”

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Stylish Sirius for Tottenham

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Stylish Sirius for Tottenham: The role of head groundsman is pivotal at any facility, but especially one the size of Tottenham Hotspur’s. That’s why the club has recently invested in the Sirius, an electric buggy from STAR EV for its Head of Playing Surfaces and Estates.

Darren Baldwin has been at the club in North London for 26 years and has 18 acres to get around including 15 grass pitches and the world’s first dividing retractable stadium pitch, and a team of 45 to manage, so it was essential he had his own transport – and for that the STAR EV Sirius 2+2 was perfect. Unlike other brands that repurpose fleet cars, the Sirius was designed specifically as a personal transportation vehicle.

Stylish Sirius for Tottenham

Stylish Sirius for Tottenham

Darren says: “Being responsible for the delivery of pitch maintenance to the highest standards, managing a team of staff to deliver the highest quality playing surfaces and having first team commitments to work around, being able to work flexibly is really important. I need to be able to get around the grounds at ease and speed. When it comes to vehicles that do that well, it’s not rocket science, but it’s not always done right. When it comes to the quality, the finish, and the details of STAR EV, it’s above and beyond what other brands offer.”

As well as for his own use, Darren also uses the Sirius to host VIP tours and that’s when the quality of the Sirius really comes to the fore, as he explains: “A part of my role is to do VIP tours, and this buggy is a good marketing point for that. Being all-electric the ride is quiet, smooth and there are no fumes. The quality of the seats, alloy wheels as standard, easy read digital display, the built-in screen on the dash – that’s something not all brands have, all amounts to delivering a stylish ride for guests.

“It has a sporty look, too, which is very attractive, and we’ve branded it up, so it really does look the part and is just a pleasure to use.”

Darren opted for the canopy design with a glass screen and wiper, which brings the best of both worlds to those using it, keeping passengers cool, allowing for air flow, providing shade from the sun and shelter from the rain, while offering the best possible visibility in all weathers.

The Sirius joined the club alongside a fleet of 18 other all-electric work machines and ambulance vehicles and is probably as big a leap from the technology present at the club when he started as could be. Daren explains: “When I started it was just me, I had one pedestrian mower for the stadium, a set of three gang mowers for the training pitch and a compact tractor. There was no electricity or water to the shed. I’ve literally seen it go from the worst facilities to the best in the world.

“Now the club leads the premier league when it comes to reducing its emissions and we’re doing our part on the grounds side of that. We use battery-powered mowers for maintaining the pitches and with the arrival from STAR EV now have an all-electric fleet for the grounds too. It really represents how far the club has come.”

Contact Reesink about the STAR EV range by calling 01480 226800 or go online at reesink-evehicles.co.uk

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A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

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A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore: Canmore Golf Club is celebrating 125 years with delivery of the industry’s first and only fairway hybrid mower, the Reelmaster 5010-H from Toro.

It’s quite the achievement to reach your quasquicentennial milestone and Canmore Golf Club in Dunfermline, Fife decided to combine that with also making it the year they chose distributor Reesink Scotland to help address several problems it was experiencing, all of which were solved thanks to this brand-new budding relationship and one of Toro’s most revolutionary inventions: the Reelmaster 5010-H.

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

A quasquicentennial celebration for Canmore

Golf course manager Graeme Holland, who has been overseeing operations at the club for over 30 years, explains the decision-making process: “It was time to make some changes. We needed to reduce fuel consumption and noise pollution and just felt the time was right to go the hybrid route for environmental reasons, and we needed a dealer we could rely on.”

Recognised as the industry’s first and only fairway mower with a true hybrid drive system, the Reelmaster 5010-H represents an absolute breakthrough in technology and is a big highlight in the turfcare machinery journey towards electric power. And now two are part of Canmore’s arsenal.

Graeme continues: “The reliability is there with Toro. They test the machines a lot more than the competition so they’re a lot more user-friendly and easier to work with. They have similar controls as the greens machines and that means we can swap machines with no issues. Sometimes we don’t even need to call in a mechanic because we can work out the problem ourselves as they’re so intuitive.

“The price of fuel is horrendous right now so any savings we could make and redistribute to other parts of the golf course were most welcome. We’re saving around 20 percent on fuel now and that works out to be quite a substantial figure on the total cost of ownership.

“Three quarters of the course is surrounded by houses, so noise was an issue when we started work in the mornings. Now we carry on with our routine as normal but with less disturbance. Pollution-wise, they’re a lot cleaner than diesel and of course there’s no risk of hydraulic oil spills.”

Graeme further comments on the performance of the Reelmaster and how he had some reservations at the start:

“We have a lot of slopes to cut so we needed a fairway machine that had four-wheel drive and enough power to get the job done,” he explains. “I was a bit sceptical as the 5010-H only has a 25hp engine but with the batteries also producing power, it’s more than enough and we can safely work in any conditions on the course. We’re getting a very consistent cut throughout and thus there’s a much better level of play on the fairways.”

The decision to change dealers came into play as the service the club was receiving from its previous dealer was not up to par with Graeme’s standards. He comments: “The overall experience is better with Toro and Reesink. The service department at Reesink Scotland, from the reps to the mechanics, is brilliant. Their back-up and knowledge of the machinery is fantastic – they know everything there is to know. Their service van holds maybe fifty common parts that we would use, so all it takes is a quick call and they’ll have whatever it is we need ready the next day.

“We’re always extremely busy as we’re a small club with just about one of every machine. So, if one goes down, we need that quick turn-around to allow us to keep things always moving. Reesink fits the bill for that, and we couldn’t be happier we made the switch especially in such a key year in our history.”

To talk to someone about Toro technology and how the Toro range could suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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MM and Designer terrific for Truro

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MM and Designer terrific for Truro: After experimenting with various seeds, Dominic Gibbard – Head Greenkeeper at Truro Golf Club, found that the market leading MM and Designer brands of grass seed produced the best results.

Dominic has been working at Truro Golf Club for four years. He spent three of those as the Deputy Head Greenkeeper but last year his hard work and dedication to the role was rewarded with a promotion.

MM and Designer terrific for Truro

MM and Designer terrific for Truro

He now oversees a team of three who work around the clock to maintain the stunning 18-hole, par 67 parkland course in Cornwall.

“It’s a great place to work,” said Dominic. “Truro is a short, tight and challenging course, which attracts a lot of golfers – in fact we are picking up members all the time.”

One look at the course will tell you why Truro is so popular – it is beautifully maintained by the team, and Dominic is considerably careful when it comes to selecting the correct products.

“Over the years I have experimented with lots of various seeds, but I haven’t found any particular benefits from using others compared to the MM and Designer brands,” he said.

MM is one of the most respected brands in the UK amenity industry, with over 40 years of experience and knowledge. The extensive product portfolio is second to none with performance proven mixtures that are used at many leading venues in the UK and Europe.

All the varieties have an excellent breeding pedigree and have been selected and bred for their ability to deliver a range of quality turf characteristics. The Designer range is also formulated specifically to meet the needs of landscapers, local authorities and sports clubs.

Investing in the Designer range offers true value for money as they combine high performance with competitive pricing.

At Truro Golf Club, Dominic relies on two specific mixtures from the MM and Designer brands which he purchases through David Bevan of Agrovista Amenity.

For the greens he uses Elite Green from the Designer range which is an excellent, all bent (70% Sefton Browntop bent and 30% Arletta Browntop bent) mixture that produces a fine, dense hard-wearing surface.

“It is a brilliant seed which gives us great germination,” he said. “We are really increasing the amount of bent and reducing the Poa in the greens and this mixture is helping us.

“I have found it is quite soil temperature dependent for us, so I don’t tend to overseed with Elite Green until mid-summer after our big golf week. I’ll follow up with another overseed towards the end of September, early October, and these two big hits work incredibly well for us. The greens are in a great condition and the seed has been integral.”

On the tees Dominic relies on MM50 which possesses exceptional shoot density along with tolerance to close mowing making. This superior mix contains the perennial ryegrass cultivars, Venice, Alison and Malibu, which are renowned for providing a great sward for golf use.

“It is great for repairing divots and worn areas,” he said. “We have even used MM50 really early in the season in February and we had germination in temperatures of 6-7 degrees Celsius, which it is not even meant to do. We couldn’t believe it.”

Both the Designer and MM seeds are treated with HEADSTART® GOLD – a unique seaweed-based seed treatment which helps to ensure rapid and even germination. This tried and tested grass seed treatment helps the seed get off to the best possible start.

“I’m really impressed with the products, and they are very good value for money,” said Dominic. “It is for these reasons why we keep choosing MM and Designer.”

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s new website www.mm-seeds.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Applications open for Bernhard BIGGA Delegation experience

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Applications open for Bernhard BIGGA Delegation experience: Industry-leader in sports turf technologies, Bernhard and Company, has today announced that the application process is officially open for the 2023 BIGGA Delegation trip.

Open to all full BIGGA members, the Bernhard and Company BIGGA Delegation is one of the most highly regarded and sought-after personal development opportunities for greenkeepers and turf professionals in the UK.

Applications open for Bernhard BIGGA Delegation experience

Applications open for Bernhard BIGGA Delegation experience

The 10 successful applicants will embark on a week-long trip with BIGGA and Bernhard and Company to the coveted GCSAA Trade Show and Conference in Orlando, USA, in February 2023. During the trip, delegates will participate in numerous specialist educational experiences, and benefit from site visits to leading golf facilities.

In its 20 years of running, the delegation has adapted and evolved to continue offering the very best experience for British greenkeepers. All seminars and educational classes are carefully selected to deliver the very best and most relevant material that will enable delegates to enhance their skillset and elevate their careers.

Whilst on the trip, the chosen BIGGA members will represent the UK’s greenkeeping industry, as they strive to develop their network with likeminded turf professionals from around the globe. They will also have full access to the largest turf management exhibition in the world, where they can navigate the exhibition floor, and enjoy time with the Bernhard and Company team on the stand.

Lucy Sellick, Head Greenkeeper at Wenvoe Castle, and a member of the 2020 delegation party to Orlando, commented: “Whether it is improving yourself, or deepening your knowledge of the turf industry and the people in it, Bernhard and Company has you covered. Take some time to apply for this amazing opportunity – you really won’t regret it.”

Steven Nixon, Managing Director of Bernhard and Company, added: “We are once again excited to take the successful applicants on this incredible educational experience. We are passionate about giving back to the industry we love so much and, in collaboration with BIGGA, we are able to offer 10 of its members a potentially career-defining opportunity.

“You don’t have to be an Assistant or Head Greenkeeper to be accepted onto the trip. Turf professionals with varying levels of experience will benefit hugely from the delegation – it really can offer something for everybody.”

The GCSAA educational conference takes place from the 6th – 9th February 2023, in Orlando, and the deadline for applications is Sunday 18th September 2022 at 5pm BST.

To apply, head online to: https://bernhard.co.uk/delegation/

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