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It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow

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It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow: Sports turf contractors W R Sandow have come to swear by Multigreen® temperature-controlled release fertiliser from Headland Amenity, to satisfy the nutritional requirements of more than 60 winter sport pitches.

The introduction of feeding programmes is a relatively recent addition to the list of services offered by the Cornish contractors, but in a short space of time the consistency of results and superior technical support from the Headland team has really impressed Director Andrew Sandow.

It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow

It’s Multigreen® magic for W R Sandow

Established in 1964 and based just outside Penzance, family-run W R Sandow offer the full package when it comes to the construction, installation and maintenance of both natural and artificial playing surfaces. “Until recently, we would go in and do the mechanical maintenance and leave clubs to apply product themselves, but you’d often find that due to time or financial constraints, this wasn’t being done” explains Andrew. “After many discussions and support from the Pitch Advisory Service at The GMA, we began advocating fertiliser programmes based around Headland’s Multigreen®.”

Multigreen® features urea or potassium nitrate prills within a permeable polymer-resin coating which only start to release their solubilised nutrients once soil temperatures rise above 6oc – in line with the requirements of the grass. Nutrient availability is gentle and controlled by temperature alone, avoiding ‘flush’ growth and producing a strong, healthy sward that is sustained for up to six months depending on the analysis.

“We had conducted some trials of controlled-release products and were seriously impressed with the long-lasting results we achieved with Multigreen®. On the back of this, we now use Multigreen® on the vast majority of our football pitches, together with a number of rugby surfaces and cricket outfields, in two different formulations – 28-3-15 which is applied in the spring, following any renovation work and 15-0-22+5MgO which goes down in the autumn. Its consistent release pattern gives the clubs season-long nutrition from a single application, with minimal leaching and without flushes of growth.”

In addition to the performance of the product, Andrew has also been impressed with the support received from Headland. “Whenever we’ve needed technical advice our Regional Technical Manager Andy Lane has been fantastic. Headland were even kind enough to donate some product for a recovery project we were working on, following vandalism at one of our clubs in the spring of 2020. With Headland, alongside the right equipment and expertise, we now consider ourselves to be a one-stop shop to support our customers with their surface needs – from sports pitches to amenity areas, from Lands End to Exeter.”

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Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

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Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club: The owners of Dudsbury Golf Club, Hotel & Spa, Beate and Len Robinson, have supported long-serving head greenkeeper Warren Moss with the purchase of a Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and Contour mowing deck to ensure the course stays in pristine condition. Replacing an old zero-turn machine and an ageing Toro Sidewinder, the new package makes sound commercial sense.

Commenting at the recent handover of the equipment Warren Moss said,

Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

Ventrac for Dudsbury Golf Club

“We have an ageing fleet and we need to be smarter in how we purchase equipment in the future. The owners were very supportive when I made the business case and we are replacing two machines with one. Because of its versatility, we can add more attachments at a fraction of the cost of purchasing new dedicated equipment, so we should be able to upgrade more cost effectively, when we need to.

“I’d seen the media reports and watched some YouTube videos and even arranged a demo a couple of years ago. We had another demo recently, this time with the Contour deck and it performed extremely well. We use it on tee banks, green surrounds, bunker surrounds and can raise the height of cut to manage the semi-rough. Also, as it has a three-point linkage at the rear, we can mount our Sisis Twin Play with sorrel roller and slitter.

“My main reason for specifying this machine is its slope climbing ability. It’s extremely stable on slopes of up to 30 degrees, making it safe and manoeuvrable, especially on tees. About a third of the course is on a flood plain, so can be quite wet in winter. Because of its light footprint in its eight-wheel configuration we will be able to get out during wet spells without damaging the playing surfaces. I’m also impressed by the Aera-vator attachment, which makes aeration on banks possible, so this might possibly be our next purchase.”

Set in 160 acres of undulating Dorset countryside just outside of Bournemouth, the Donald Steel-designed 6,904-yard, par 71 championship course features nine lakes and is bordered by the river Stour. It has hosted several prestigious events including the PGA Europro Tour, which featured on Sky Sports and the BMW PGA Order of Merit Championship.

Warren Moss, who heads a team of six, has been at the club for the past 12 years, the last six as Head Greenkeeper. He started his career at Yeovil Golf Club, where he attended Cannington College and enjoyed a six-month placement in Germany. He was a member of the newbuild/grow-in team at Orchardleigh near Bath in the mid-1990s, where he stayed for 15 years until joining Dudsbury.

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Toro deal for Downfield GC

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Toro deal for Downfield GC: Having worked at Gleneagles and St. Andrews, John Watson, course manager at Downfield Golf Club in Dundee, knows a thing or two about immaculate greenkeeping. As well as expertise and timing it’s about having the right equipment, which is where the club’s exclusive relationship with Toro comes into play.

John explains: “I’m a firm believer that when it comes to maintaining greens, it’s best not to overcomplicate it. Simply, if you want to produce the best finish you need the best machines.

Toro deal for Downfield GC

Toro deal for Downfield GC

“That’s why we work exclusively with Toro – the quality of the machines and the standard of the cut is better than anything.

“We’ve been using Toro for years and you get what you pay for. The machines are simple to operate, have very few technical problems and the build quality is the best in the market. We like the ease of servicing and that a lot of the bearings are sealed meaning they require less maintenance.”

Downfield Golf Club has a full mowing fleet on site, which includes greens, tees, fairway and rough mowers, utility vehicles, sprayers and aerators.

“In having an all-Toro fleet we are able to streamline our consumables,” continues John. “For example, we use one type of engine oil and one type of hydraulic oil which, from a servicing point of view, makes our job more straightforward.”

John heads up a six-strong greenkeeping team who are responsible for maintaining the course, which has previously hosted prestigious tournaments such as S.P.G.A Masters, P.G.A Scottish Open and been a former British Open Qualifying Course. The course is famed for its location within lush Scottish parkland, as well as its diversity of tree species and native wildlife.

The Toro fleet is operational all year-round with the Greensmasters out daily, the apron mowers out three times a week and the fairway mowers cutting twice a week.

Having such a rigorous schedule it’s imperative that the machines are in excellent working order and John credits Rab Wilson from exclusive Toro distributor, Reesink Turfcare, with quickly trouble-shooting any issues to minimise down-time.

John continues: “Rab is fantastic. We get on very well and he will always come to our assistance immediately if we have any problems, although they are few and far between.

“It’s all about getting the job done at the right time and if you haven’t got the right kit you can’t do it. We are experiencing more extremities in the weather – colder, drier springs, milder winters, prolonged periods of snow and ice – so in having the Toro fleet we know we have the very best machinery for the job!”

To find out more about the Toro range or the finance options available, call Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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A Track Set for Records

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A Track Set for Records: The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is at last upon us, the delay as a result of Covid-19. While the world’s best athletes had extra time to prepare, did you ever stop to wonder about the preparation that went into the track to guarantee all athletes a safe and fair opportunity to break records?

Sports Labs was the entrusted independent testing institute responsible for the in-situ performance testing of the track at the National Stadium in Tokyo and this article will give insight into what was required.

A Track Set for Records

A Track Set for Records

The purpose of testing is simple – to certify the venue is safe for all athletes and the surface will provide the ideal platform for athletes to excel. The focus was on the surface which needed to be designed and installed to support the athlete over short and long distances.

World Athletics has a quality program to protect the integrity of records and to ensure they will be ratified only if the track conforms to a stringent series of safety and performance tests.

The Tokyo track is the National Stadium and it is registered as a Class 1 venue, one that has been both in-situ performance tested as a surface and also had a dimensional survey carried out to verify the slope, distances, and ancillary infrastructure are adequate.

There are two types of certifications for tracks.

Class 2: A dimensional conformance survey used to prove the accuracy of the line-markings for position and distance.

Class 1: A measurement conformance survey to prove the accuracy of the line-markings for position and distance and testing of the running surface, as laid, to prove compliance with the performance requirements.

For an international competition or meets such as the Olympics, Rule 140 recommends Class 1 certification. It means the product used must be registered and certified as well as the facility after installation.

But before ground is broken or a track is laid, the process requires a manufacturer to have the track product laboratory tested. These include tests at varying temperatures to ensure the product shows compliance in different climates.

The Italian manufacturer and installer, Mondo S.p.A., installed the MONDOTRACK WS-TY at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The responsibility for Sports Labs was to certify the performance testing of the surface, which looked for the following:

Visual Imperfections
Ensuring a facility has no defects such as delamination, uncured areas, or irregularities. This is important for athlete safety but also important when televised in high definition for elite competitions.

Slip Resistance (≥47 Wet)
A measurement of underfoot friction, a very important part of an athlete’s performance and foot/surface interaction during Gait. The surface texture plays a key part in providing the underfoot friction in dry or wet conditions.

Total and Absolute Thickness Depth
With more than 200 total thickness measurements taken at the venue to check the areas of minimum, maximum, and deliberately thickened areas, this tends to be more consistent in prefabricated products. Absolute thickness is also measured in the laboratory from extracted site samples and is a measurement considering 50% of the texture.

Force Reduction (35-50%)
This is a measurement of how hard a surface is compared to calibrated concrete. It is also referred to as Shock Absorption. Using the Berlin Athlete, it can’t be too hard or too soft, Most importantly, it must be consistent.

Vertical Deformation (0.6 – 2.5mm)
This is a measurement that also uses the Berlin Athlete. It utilises linear vertical displacement transducers to ascertain how much the surface deforms under impact.

Evenness (6mm/3mm)
Evenness is measured with a calibrated 4m straight edge to ensure a track has no surface deviations greater than 6mm in both the longitudinal and lateral direction. This test is focused on user safety to remove the risk of undulations and tripping hazards. A 1m straight edge is also used with a tolerance of 3mm.

Tensile Strength & Elongation
This test is to ensure the polymer, binder and all components are set and cure adequately. It is important to protect the life expectancy of the track and the tolerances vary for product type porous (≥0.40MPa/40%) or non-porous. (≥0.50MPa/40%). Samples are extracted from the site and tested in a Sports Labs laboratory.

Drainage
No surface water should be above the texture of the track after 20 minutes of free draining.

Conditions for New Records

Every athlete has their surface preference, but a track that is consistent in depth, shock absorption, and underfoot friction is ideal. Elite athletes commonly lean toward a track that has high energy restitution and sits closer to the minimum tolerance for Shock Absorption and Vertical Deformation.

Future Innovation

User feedback and athlete perception is becoming more important to manufacturers. Technologies that work to categorise feedback are becoming more widely available, including athlete feedback apps, built-in track sensor technology, and wearable technologies that collect multiple streams of data. Developments may come from test methods like the inclusion of Energy Restitution or refined tolerances on existing tests. This might be needed as innovation, manufacturing, and installation techniques drive forward.

The world is watching the Olympics and the remarkable stories of success coming out of Tokyo. Sports Labs is humbled and honoured to play a role in this historic event.

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New regulations for plant protection product suppliers

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New regulations for plant protection product suppliers: The Official Controls (Plant Protection Products) Regulations 2020 (the 2020 Regulations) have recently been issued with a policy statement.

These apply to the whole of Great Britain and supplement existing regulations that govern the sale and use of plant protection products or PPPs. The Northern Ireland Executive has put in place its own legislation implementing and enforcing official controls for PPPs.

New regulations for plant protection product suppliers

New regulations for plant protection product suppliers

The regulations are in place to:

  • allow regulatory authorities to enforce legal requirements that apply to the placing on the market and use of PPPs throughout the supply chain
  • explain the action enforcement authorities can take where non-compliance is identified or suspected

The 2020 Regulations also apply to components of PPPs such as active substances, synergists, co-formulants and to adjuvants.

Under the Regulations, businesses concerned with the placing on the market of PPPs authorised for professional use, and/or the placing on the market of components of PPPs are required to notify competent authorities of their details and business activities by 22 September 2021. This includes businesses that produce, manufacture, process, import, distribute and sell those products. Information will be requested about company details and contact information, product types, storage and capacity.

Similarly, all users of PPPs in a professional capacity will need to follow a similar process by 22 June 2022. Further information is to be provided for these businesses over the coming months. The HSE will operate controls and enforce the 2020 Regulations in Great Britain, taking a proactive, risk-based approach. It is also expected that Local Authorities will have a role. Enforcement of existing PPP regulations will remain unchanged.

Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are finalising the details of the control programme. These will be provided in communications over the coming months and the Amenity Forum has already engaged with all involved in such discussions. As further information comes available, the Forum will issue further releases. These control measures come at a time of significant policy change when the UK Government is already preparing its revised and refreshed National Action Plan in relation to weed, pest and disease management.

A key element of the Amenity Forum conference will be a focus on policy change and how it impacts on the sector. The conference is to be held at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton on Trent on October 21st. Registration for the conference and associated exhibition is now open and further information can be obtained by contacting Kate at admin@amenityforum.net . Given support from the sector, this allows ticket price to be maintained at 2019 levels of £95 with early bird discounts for registrations prior to September 1st.

Professor John Moverley, Chairman of the Amenity Forum, said ‘’this issued policy statement is highly significant for our sector. However all operating to professional standards has nothing to fear and such controls chime well with the introduction of the UK Amenity Standard, providing full assurance to all involved that organisations are meeting requirements seeking to create safe and sustainable amenity and sports spaces fit for purpose.

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