Tag Archive for: GC

Weybrook Park GC Implements Sealed Bunker Solution

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Weybrook Park GC Implements Sealed Bunker Solution: Weybrook Park G.C. in Hampshire has just completed the full renovation of all 22 greenside bunkers on the back nine of its West course, in partnership with Bunker specialists EcoBunker.

Faced with an ongoing environmental battle born form a chalk based site, open landscape and menagerie of burrowing animals, EcoBunker and the team at Weybrook devised a fully sealed solution that is already reaping rewards for the club.

Weybrook Park GC Implements Sealed Bunker Solution

Weybrook Park GC Implements Sealed Bunker Solution

“The course was well regarded by members and visitors, but the bunkers were by far the most complained about feature. We are on a chalk based site so the bunkers were prone to erosion around the faces and edges, which didn’t look great and regularly contaminated the sand,” reported Luke Kenney, course manager at Weybrook Park G.C.

“In addition to contamination, the wind moved the sand around, and with 800 members, the footfall through bunkers made it very hard to maintain consistent playing conditions. Add in poor drainage and regular sand washout in heavy rain, and the bunkers were a real headache for the greenkeeping team and the club.”

In response to the challenge at Weybrook, the team consulted EcoBunker and agreed that a fully sealed bunker solution would address the issues faced at the club, while a training and self-installation plan would keep the project within budget.

“We knew that we needed a full bunker solution – liner, walls and edges – but we also needed to keep costs down, so a product that the team could fit ourselves was really important. Having researched the market, EcoBunker liner and edging was simple to fit in all conditions, incredibly durable over the long-term, and the team was happy to share its expertise and help us develop the necessary fitting skills in-house. Not only has the product been superb, the team at EcoBunker has been great to work with at every stage of the project.”

While EcoBunker synthetic edges and walls are known throughout the worldwide golf industry, a lesser known innovation is it’s EcoTec™ bunker liner featuring a proprietary filament matrix, seamless finish and forgiving playability.

“As soon as I saw the EcoTec liner I could visualise how efficient it would be holding the sand in place, which wasn’t the case with the alternatives I saw. We’ve also had feedback from the general manager on how forgiving it is on impact. He is really happy from a health and safety perspective, that golfers will be protected if they do play shots that reach through the sand.”

With the first 22 bunkers complete, the team at Weybrook is preparing for the next phases of the project, with a view to completing all bunkers on the West course within the next 3 years. With the initial phase being met with unanimous appreciation, the question only remains of how fast the team can work!

“The new bunkers look great,” concluded Luke. “The edges are sharp and tidy, we have no erosion or issues with animal damage, the maintenance burden has reduced and most of all our golfers are happy. The whole project has been a huge success and we look forward to finishing the course in phases over the next three years.”

And for more information on how EcoBunker can help meet the challenges faced at your course, visit www.ecobunker.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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Royal Jersey GC recovers after devastating fire

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Royal Jersey GC recovers after devastating fire: Royal Jersey Golf Club has overcome a catastrophic fire, which destroyed much of the club’s greenkeeping buildings and equipment, with vital support from Reesink Turfcare, Toro, and local supplier JFTU. Now, with a fresh fleet of Toro machinery and new and improved facilities, the club’s future looks brighter than ever.

The fire, which broke out in the early hours of May 20th 2023, wiped out the club’s welfare building, workshop, and 15 Toro machines. As Course Manager, Allan Black, remembers: “I arrived at four in the morning to a disaster. It looked like a scene from a war film. Equipment wise, we’d lost everything required for cutting greens and approaches, plus six electric trucks and most of our tools.”

Royal Jersey GC recovers after devastating fire

Royal Jersey GC recovers after devastating fire

Fortunately, some equipment was spared, which allowed Allan and his greenkeeping team to continue hand cutting greens and tees on foot while adjusting the height of the cut as needed, while they worked on a recovery plan. But being the start of the season, they had to act fast.

“I contacted Andy Brown at Toro, who put me in touch with Jon Cole, Reesink’s Divisional Business Manager,” Allan explains. “With the help of John Renouf, General Manager at JFTU, they put together a plan for renewing the fleet. 

“Jon reassured me Reesink could quickly source two Workman utility vehicles and a Toro Greensmaster 3400. It was a huge relief because now we could get around the course and maintain our greens.”

By August 2023, the club had received six Toro Workman GTX vehicles. Over the next 12 months, Reesink delivered a Greensmaster 3250, five Greensmaster Flex 1021 walk-behind greens mowers, and three Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3420 hybrid greensmowers, enabling the club to rebuild its course maintenance capabilities.

“Reesink did all this while supporting Royal Liverpool in the build up to The Open and against a machinery backlog and long lead times,” Allan continues. “Without their support, the club would have struggled and we might have had to shut the course. We couldn’t be more grateful for Reesink, Toro, and JFTU.”

Allan is feeling optimistic about the future. “We’re now back to a full fleet,” he says. “Three mowers are still at JFTU, awaiting transfer to our new mower sheds, which will be ready by the end of March. Once complete, we’ll see staff morale soar and our 1000-plus members will see that reflected in the course.

“It goes to show that even the most dire circumstances can turn around and bring people together. Ultimately, our club, members, and partners like Reesink and JFTU are closer now than ever,” Allan concludes. 

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Kings Lynn GC completes phase 3 of EcoBunker Project

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Kings Lynn GC completes phase 3 of EcoBunker Project: Faced with the challenges of sandy soil and bunker erosion, Kings Lynn golf club has employed synthetic bunker experts EcoBunker to meet their ongoing maintenance challenges. Now in the third phase of a 40 bunker renovation project, the team and members at Kings Lynn are already enjoying the benefits that the EcoBunker system brings to their course.

“We’re a sandy course which can cause real structural problems with the bunkers,” said Michael Fahy, Deputy Head Greenkeeper at Kings Lynn. “Our bunker walls erode very easily, and we have had several occasions where they’ve collapsed completely. With EcoBunker we are getting that strength and integrity along with a sharp looking finish. The members love the looks and the playability, and the team love how easy they are to maintain.”

Kings Lynn GC completes phase 3 of EcoBunker Project

Kings Lynn GC completes phase 3 of EcoBunker Project

With a mix of high wall and low edged bunkers, and several significant height transitions leading into greens, the bunkering at Kings Lynn poses a variety of maintenance challenges. But whatever the type of bunker – all of which EcoBunker offer ultra-low maintenance solutions – the local surroundings pose consistent challenges across the course.

“We have a real problem with soil erosion and rabbit scraping and burrowing, which quickly contaminates the bunker sand,” continued Michael. “To counter this, we have fitted EcoTec bunker liners alongside the synthetic walls to create a fully closed system. This requires virtually no maintenance and eliminates all contamination. Previously we could spend half a day picking out stones, weeding walls and topping up sand on a single bunker, but now we simply brush the faces, knock the sand off and strim the top edge. We’re saving time and budget with every bunker we replace.”

Now in the third phase of renovations, all Par 3’s have been completed and the team is moving on to those bunkers next most in need of attention. Having been trained by EcoBunker during the first installation, Michael and his colleagues, Tim Race and Mason Bernstein, use the EcoBunker system to renovate the bunkers themselves and plan the schedule of work accordingly.

“We re-build a few bunkers each winter, knowing that by the time we get to the last phase, the first EcoBunkers we built will still have many years life left in them, even though it could be a 10 year project. The club are investing for the long term which makes so much more sense than the continual rebuilding and patching of the traditional bunkering on the course.”

For more information on how EcoBunker can help meet the challenges faced at your course, visit www.ecobunker.co.uk

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GXi8 HD for Prestwick GC

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GXi8 HD for Prestwick GC: Prestwick Golf Club, the birthplace of The Open Championship, is one of Scotland’s oldest and most famous courses.

A machinery replacement budget allows Course Manager, Dave Edmondson, an injection of capital, annually, to add and replace machines.

GXi8 HD for Prestwick GC

GXi8 HD for Prestwick GC

“We made provision for the club’s 14-year-old Wiedenmann Terra Spike XF6 to retire in 2023. However, it was still doing such a clean and efficient job that I knew it could easily finish a 15th year of service, so pencilled its replacement for December 2024, instead.

“At a demo mid-summer, it took only a few minutes to choose it would be followed by a GXi8 HD. After watching it take a run across the practice chipping green on 12 mm tines, leaving such little surface disruption, I didn’t need to see anything else. The elderly XF6 was traded in very favourably; a good bit of business, all round.”

Dave joined the South Ayrshire club during 2020, appointed to his post from The Island Golf Club in Donabate, County Dublin, and heads a team of eleven.

“Prestwick is a classic links site; there’s a lot of history here. We are very traditional in our management, low input, very little fertiliser, no pesticides, aiming always for minimum disturbance.

“I plan aeration to go once; usually the last week of January, conditions allowing. We’ll do greens, tees, aprons and sections of the fairways with 12 mm tines.

“I chose the GXi8 on the basis it brings a choice to go again, maybe once or twice across the season, on the greens with smaller 8 mm tines. I don’t want to disrupt golf, and this is the best machine to suit us.”

Stuart Cameron, Area Sales Manager at Fairways GM, Wiedenmann UK’s Scottish dealer and Wiedenmann’s, lead demonstrator, Andy Kerr, installed the machine for the Prestwick team.

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