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New launch from Monty Miracle at GroundsFest

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New launch from Monty Miracle at GroundsFest: Monty Miracle is returning to Groundsfest with a range of new products for all types of groundspeople and professional landscapers. 

Monty Miracle is an easy-to-use outdoor cleaning range – a patented formulation which significantly reduces time, costs & resources needed for landscaping, amenity management, turf care, and related outdoor cleaning tasks.

New launch from Monty Miracle at GroundsFest

New launch from Monty Miracle at GroundsFest

The company has enjoyed huge success since launching two years ago with its core product, the outdoor cleaner. This year, the team will be using the show to introduce its 750ml hand-held product for the first time, along with its full accessories range and 5 and 25L cleaning products – perfect for both larger scale and more specific tasks.

Monty Miracle Outdoor Cleaner is proven to eliminate black spot, algae, lichen and other organic stains on most external hard surfaces including stone, wood, plastic, concrete resin and coated metals. Made here in the UK, Monty Miracle completely neutralises following the cleaning process and is biodegradable so can be hosed off onto grass or soil leaving no trace.

Since it launched, the range has been expanded and this year team will be introducing the “Complete Your Clean” line of products: Artificial Grass Cleaner, Outdoor Sealant and now the new ready to use, trigger spray bottle of our outdoor cleaner, for easier use on smaller surfaces, as well as larger packs and a full range of accessories.

The entire range will be on the stand and outdoor demonstrations will be carried out on a range of materials by the team.

Monty Miracle Director Peter Beaumont says: “Our products are used by Premier League football clubs, famous racetracks, tennis clubs and a range of public spaces across the UK. This year we’re looking forward to showing off our full range, created with the groundsperson in mind: a one-stop-shop outdoor cleaning collection that cleans and maintains a wealth of surfaces, for long lasting safety and high standards throughout the year.”

The full product list the Monty Miracle team will be showcasing:

* NEW 750ml Outdoor Cleaner

* NEW 2L Outdoor Cleaner

* 5L Outdoor Cleaner

* 25L Outdoor Cleaner

* NEW 1L Artificial Grass Cleaner

* NEW 2L Artificial Grass Cleaner

* 5L Artificial Grass Cleaner

* NEW 2L Sealer

* 5L Sealer

* NEW 1.5L Pump Sprayer

* NEW 5L Pump Sprayer

* NEW Telescopic SS Agitating Brush

* Protective Gauntlet Gloves

* NEW 20m Complete Hose Reel

* NEW Artificial Grass Cleaner Hose Attachment

https://montymiracle.co.uk

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From shears to smart technology

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From shears to smart technology: The forestry team at Bathurst Estate and Cirencester Park have credited STIHL’s battery-powered tools and cleaning solutions in helping them to maintain the world’s tallest yew hedge, which is believed to have been planted on the estate back in 1720. 

The hedge, which is a species of Yew (Taxus Baccata), is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for its towering height, reaching 14m. The hedge, which measures 120m in length, was planted by the 1st Earl more than 300 years ago when he redesigned the mansion that overlooks it. Back then, it was cut back by hand with shears by a team of up to four people using ladders.

From shears to smart technology

From shears to smart technology

Given the feature’s historical and cultural importance, the hedge is carefully maintained annually. In a bid to preserve it, Bathurst’s four-strong forestry team, which includes Forest Manager, Iain Garret, and Lead Forester, Oliver Murray, monitor both the inside and outside of the growth regularly to check for any issues that could result in degeneration.

The most common issues that occur are browning due to needle blights and insects, and a specific type of fungus named Laetiporus Sulphureus, which can cause cuticle root inside the stem. When these problems do occur, the affected areas and surrounding growth are cut to prevent the spread.

The Yew hedge is trimmed once per year, not only is this required to maintain its classification as a hedge, but it also provides an opportunity to look for defects and disease.

The task is no small feat. At 3000 square metres, it takes a team of two a fortnight to complete the maintenance, which sees the professionals trim around 300 square metres from the hedge each day.

Before work gets started, the Bathurst forestry team make sure that its equipment, a selection of STIHL hedge trimmer blades are sharp and clean, thoroughly disinfecting the machines using methylated spirits.

STIHL’s SUPERCLEAN, is also used to spray the equipment’s blades. This prevents resin build-up and keeps blades lubricated to support productivity and preserve hedge health. Daily checking of equipment is also required to guarantee that tools remain in the best condition for cutting.

With such an important and arduous task at hand, Oliver Murray and his colleagues require the best quality tools available on the market. The criteria? Hedge trimmers that are easy-to-use, lightweight, robust, and reliable.

The mammoth assignment is achieved by starting at the bottom using a STIHL battery-powered hedge trimmer, the HSA 130 T. Starting at the bottom and working upwards in the cherry picker, before making a switch to the STIHL HLA 86 Cordless Long-reach Hedge Trimmer, which is used for the top. Its adjustable head allows the team to follow the natural shape of the hedge over the top and achieve the right angle as they reach across the hedge’s width.

The HSA 130 T cordless hedge trimmer offers a high-performance and robust experience for professional users, with a high blade speed for precise, neat and powerful cutting. Its rotatable multi-function handle enables comfortable work, depending on whether trimming the tops or sides of hedges.

The HLA 86 is a telescopic long-reach hedge trimmer, designed for professionals working on tall hedges where extra length is required to master cutting, trimming, and maintenance work. The perfect choice for the largest Yew hedge in world.

The hedge trimmer, which is powered by a 36V lithium-ion battery, is light and easy to handle, whilst the extendable length makes it hugely versatile. Given that it is powered by battery, the machine is quiet too, ideal for noise-sensitive areas, such as those around the Bathurst Estate.

Both machines are compatible with STIHL Connected, a smart fleet management system that allows teams to digitally manage machine fleets and workflow, with the STIHL Connected Portal providing a detailed overview of the status of the fleet, as well as information such as the duration of use.

Here, Oliver comments on the further advantages of STIHL’s battery-operated tools:

“We are using STIHL battery-powered hedge trimmers as they are quieter and don’t produce any emissions, and in order to get a full day’s work done, we just need to charge them once on our lunch break. This avoids the need for us to get in and out of our cherry picker. 

“The quiet operation of the tool is also important to us as we are based in the centre of town and don’t want to upset the neighbours, or residents of the Bathurst Estate.” 

The Bathurst Estate is located at the heart of the Grade I listed Cirencester Park. It is a destination rich with heritage, open to visitors every day of the year for a host of leisure activities.

Sir Benjamin Bathurst purchased the Cirencester Estate, which lies in the Cotswolds, in 1695. It still belongs to the Bathurst Family today, 330 years later, and is home to the 9th Earl and Countess Bathurst.

To watch how the team tackle the annual trim, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s32U3fmfIWE

For more information on STIHL’s wide range of professional power tools, please visit www.stihl.co.uk

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Spraying precision from Toro’s GeoLink

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Spraying precision from Toro’s GeoLink: Royal Worlington and Newmarket Golf Club in Suffolk is the latest club, and first club in East Anglia, to invest in the most advanced spraying system on the market – Toro’s GeoLink with Multi Pro 5800 sprayer.

Course Manager Martin Turna was looking for a spraying solution that would allow him and his team to apply the correct nutrients in the correct locations to improve turf health, benefit the environment and make savings.

Spraying precision from Toro’s GeoLink

Spraying precision from Toro’s GeoLink

Using GeoLink technology for its mapping capabilities, the Multi Pro 5800 from Reesink Turfcare will give Royal Worlington and Newmarket Golf Club better control and accuracy in its spraying technique and reduce the amount of product it uses.

GeoLink will take care of accuracy, shutting off individual nozzles to prevent over spraying, essentially eliminating the risk of misalignment issues with conventional sprayers. Going forward the club will be able to track the amount and areas of product coverage, volume, pressures, speed of sprayer during and after the application.

At this nine-hole inland links course, the grass is fine fescue and the soil is free draining and sandy. We apply a monthly wetting agent to all playing surfaces to manage soil moisture and occasionally spray selective herbicides to control the weeds to produce the great turf on which to play.

Martin says: “We don’t use many chemicals, but we need wetting agents to maintain the moisture as it’s an extremely dry course. Now, there will be no over-spraying or overlap and as we will only be spraying the areas that need it, not wasting chemicals on non-targeted areas.”

Derek Kuziw, whose role on the Green Committee is to liaise with Martin and help assess the equipment needs of the club and channel the budget into the appropriate areas, says they had recognised there was a way for technology to improve the club’s spraying processes.

“We were using a tractor-mounted sprayer which didn’t give accurate control of application. The individual nozzle control of the Multi Pro means there’s less spray outside of the defined areas and the operator is no longer forced to turn on and off boom sections when spraying. The sprayer, or should I say, the technology takes over.”

The sprayer arrives in the middle of the club’s five-year development programme to turn the fairways into fast running golf. Working with The R&A, the improved spraying techniques, along with using lightweight Toro fairway mowers to help with compaction, will help improve the overall condition of the turf.

Martin says: “Over or under spraying is not good for turf health. More precise application is going to reduce the stress on the turf and improve its quality. We looked at lots of options, but Toro was technically the best answer and met our requirements exactly. Lee Rowbotham from Reesink came with his team to provide training and show us the full capabilities of the sprayer and the technology. We didn’t look anywhere else from there.

“This purchase is an investment. We’ll be spraying across the course from the greens, fairways, approaches, and from now on we will only mix up the exact amount of product we need for those areas. There will be no educated guesswork since we will know the exact areas to spray, so the savings could potentially be significant. We’ll even know how much is needed for the last partial tank to finish up.”

Find out how choosing Toro technology could benefit your course by calling UK distributor Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800, emailing info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visiting reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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It’s Baroness from tee to green at Ilkley GC

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It’s Baroness from tee to green at Ilkley GC: What started as just one hand mower purchased close to 30 years ago has blossomed into a full fleet of mowing equipment from Baroness for the team at Ilkley Golf Club.

Today, the 18-hole parkland course is mown from tee to green with 11 machines from the Baroness precision fine turf range, bringing not just cut quality but outstanding reliability to operations at the third oldest club in Yorkshire.

It’s Baroness from tee to green at Ilkley GC

It’s Baroness from tee to green at Ilkley GC

It isn’t only the Baroness brand that has been a stalwart to proceedings, Head Greenkeeper Duncan Campbell has chalked up over 43 years of loyal service – today supported by a team of six. “Our approach has always favoured hand mowing the greens most mornings which was why we purchased our first Baroness (formally Saxon) back in the mid 1990’s” explains Duncan. “From the off, the build quality of these machines was evident and the team enjoyed using them so one quickly became two, before becoming five which is what we continue to run today on a turnover programme.”

Alongside the five Baroness LM56 pedestrian greens mowers are an LM66 hand mower for tees, an LM315 greens mower, an LM331 for surrounds and approaches, an LM2700 and LM551B for the fairways and a GM2810A semi-rough mower – the latest purchases delivered by local dealers GGM in early April.

“There’s a lot to like about the Baroness machines starting with the build quality and simplicity of operation.” He emphasises, “We have a highly skilled team that don’t need to rely on fancy gadgets or a computer to do an incredibly good job. Then there’s the cut quality which is consistent throughout the range, both rotary and cylinder. With fewer chemical controls we get a lot of worms and wormcasts here at Ilkley which is, unfortunately, another thing to bear in mind with mowing equipment. The Baroness cylinders deal with this incredibly well, retaining sharpness for a quality cut.”

Duncan goes on to further note the support from GGM and Baroness’ own Andrew Darley. “While we’ve barely had any issues over the years, the back up support and advice we’ve had from Andy and the team at GGM has been brilliant. It helps to make Baroness the ‘complete package’.”

The recent delivery of the GM2810 five-deck rotary mower, together with Duncan’s LM551B are also equipped with the optional Baroness weather cabs. Providing a cost-effective alternative to a full cab, the windscreen and wiper utilise the existing roof, while the soft back and sides provide protection from the elements when needed or can be simply rolled up to optimise airflow in the warmer weather.

For more information on the Baroness range, or to find your local dealer, visit www.baronessuk.com

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Breadsall Priory Benefits from SISIS Rotorake TM1000

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Breadsall Priory Benefits from SISIS Rotorake TM1000: Nestled on the edge of the picturesque Peak District, Breadsall Priory Golf & Country Club spans 300 acres of pristine parkland. This renowned club boasts two distinct 18-hole golf courses, including the Championship Priory Course, alongside a putting green and driving range.

Maintaining such expansive and varied grounds is no small feat, and the SISIS Rotorake TM1000 has proven to be an invaluable asset.

Breadsall Priory Benefits from SISIS Rotorake TM1000

Breadsall Priory Benefits from SISIS Rotorake TM1000

Course Manager John Smith, who has dedicated 28 years to Breadsall Priory, originally started his career at the club as a mechanic. “I was born on a farm, and was born to be outside,” he reflects. Over the years, John has faced numerous challenges, especially with the club’s dual-course layout. “We have two very different courses which is great for membership.”

These differences require different maintenance strategies. “Having two different courses has its challenges, more and more so with climate change. We had 1.7 metres of rain in just over 15 months, which is unheard of,” John says. To address these challenges, the club relies heavily on specialised equipment like the SISIS Rotorake TM1000.

The Rotorake TM1000 is a tractor-mounted scarifier unit featuring a choice of five quick-release interchangeable reels designed to tackle thatch removal and control, improving water infiltration and reducing standing surface water. Its contra-rotating reel ensures a clean, consistent performance, while various blades cater to key tasks such as scarifying, linear aeration, verticutting, and brushing. The TM1000’s quick-release reel system and no-tool depth setting enable fast, simple adjustments, making it highly efficient for the team.

“The TM1000 is a great machine for us. We even scarify in November because it results in less disease due to greater airflow through the roots,” John notes. “We use it on greens, aprons, tees – we just change the reel from 2mm down to 1mm up to 3mm. The ability to do that quickly, along with its cleanliness and speed, really helps.

“Since using the machine, thatch levels have reduced by 15% over a 12-month period.”

John also praised the TM1000 for its reliability and ease of maintenance. “There’s no complicated electrics on it,” John points out. Its standard Cat. 1, 3-point linkage and optional hydraulic tipping kit further enhance its functionality.

“The best feature on the TM1000 is its cleanliness, the speed, and the fact you can use it anywhere, even if it’s raining. The ability to change the cassettes quickly and its power to do that make it fantastic,” John concludes.

With the SISIS Rotorake TM1000, Breadsall Priory Golf & Country Club continues to thrive, offering members and visitors alike a top-tier golfing experience amidst the beautiful Derbyshire landscape.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter or Instagram @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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