Tag Archive for: golf

Stratford Oaks Golf Club enjoys growth with Suståne

Stratford Oaks Golf Club enjoys growth with Suståne

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Stratford Oaks Golf Club enjoys growth with Suståne: Like most, the objective for James Cleaver – Course Manager at Stratford Oaks Golf Club – is to achieve year-round consistency when it comes to plant health and play quality.

A steady, reliable nutrition programme has become a key part of that effort and, over the last 18 months, Suståne’s 5-2-4+Fe slow-release naturel base fertiliser has played an increasingly important role.

Stratford Oaks Golf Club enjoys growth with Suståne

Stratford Oaks Golf Club enjoys growth with Suståne

Rounds are high at the private members club located on the outskirts of Stratford-Upon-Avon, with James and a team of six working hard to retain high performing greens despite high levels of wear and often challenging climatic conditions. To source an organic ‘base feed’ which would keep the greens healthy year-round and, in particular, provide a boost over the winter months, James spoke to Nathan Scarff at GBR Amenity.

“When it’s wet in the winter and difficult to get a sprayer round, switching to a natural-based granular product meant fewer trips around the course and less reliance on spraying during those periods” says James. “After trialling Suståne’s 5-2-4+Fe in autumn 2024, we emerged in the spring in a healthier place which then encouraged us to up the applications to four or five times a year – focusing on the high disease pressure windows.”

Noting the success of their Suståne applications, James highlights one particular result which came following last year’s severe drought. “We had one green which really struggled without irrigation. I spoke to Suståne’s Russell Riley who suggested putting down some extra 5-2-4+Fe to help with the recovery and, interestingly, we’ve noticed that this is the only green which has emerged into 2026 disease-free. Obviously we can’t say for certain that Suståne is the sole reason but it’s the only thing that was done differently and something we’re looking to explore further.”

“Another great thing with this product is it doesn’t trigger a massive flush of growth like you get with some other fertiliser products. Application is also easy – the small prill quickly gets into the sward so, when applied in conjunction with predicted rainfall it doesn’t disrupt our mowing programme.” James continues, “I also appreciate the honest help and advice we get from both Nathan and Russell who actively encourage you not to over-apply products. It’s a refreshing change from the ‘more the merrier’ approach you get from some sales reps!”

5-2-4+Fe is the original Suståne formula, developed in 1988. Its all-purpose nature makes it ideal for a range of sports turf and landscape applications, providing a quick green up followed by long lasting slow-release organic nitrogen. For more information on this, and other products in the professional range, visit www.sustane.com

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Bernhard become signatories of The R&A Women in Golf Charter

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Bernhard become signatories of The R&A Women in Golf Charter: Bernhard and Company and the Bernhard Academy have become signatories of The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter, underlining their commitment to supporting greater diversity and creating more opportunities for women within the golf and turf management industries.

The Women in Golf Charter, launched by The R&A, encourages organisations across the sport to take positive action to increase the number of women and girls playing golf and working within the industry.

Bernhard become signatories of The R&A Women in Golf Charter

Bernhard become signatories of The R&A Women in Golf Charter

The move is particularly significant within the turf maintenance profession, which has historically been a male-dominated sector. By signing the Charter, Bernhard and Company and the Bernhard Academy are sending a clear signal of their commitment to encouraging greater female participation and progression within the profession.

As part of their pledge, the organisations will advocate for the Charter across the professional turf industry globally, including promoting women in the profession through all available channels, while supporting initiatives designed to encourage more women and girls to consider careers in golf course and equipment management.

Their commitments include promoting the profile of female turf professionals, supporting the recruitment and development of women within the business, providing education and training opportunities through the Bernhard Academy, and helping golf facilities around the world create more welcoming and inclusive environments. Additional initiatives include providing opportunities to attend key industry events and exhibitions to build professional networks and advocating for greater opportunities for women in governance at all levels of golf.

Steven Nixon, Managing Director of Bernhard and Company, said: “Turf management has traditionally been a male-dominated profession, but that is changing and it’s important that our industry continues to evolve. By becoming signatories of The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter, we want to demonstrate our commitment to supporting greater diversity and encouraging more women to see turf management as an exciting and rewarding career. Through the Bernhard Academy and our global network, we are proud to support initiatives that help open the doors for the next generation of professionals.”

Jackie Davidson, Director – Golf Education, The R&A, added: “We are delighted to welcome Bernhard and Company and the Bernhard Academy as signatories of the Women in Golf Charter. Their commitment to encouraging more women to pursue careers within turf management and supporting professional development across the sector is an important step in helping the golf industry become more inclusive and representative.”

Through their pledge, Bernhard and Company and the Bernhard Academy will also continue supporting initiatives that strengthen professional networks, raise awareness of turf management careers among women and girls, and encourage greater female representation across the sport.

To find out more about Bernhard and Company, visit: www.bernhard.co.uk

To learn more about the Bernhard Academy and its educational offering, visit: www.bernhardacademy.co.uk

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Its all about the cut for South Herts Golf Club

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Its all about the cut for South Herts Golf Club: South Herts Golf Club is underlining its commitment to exceptional course presentation and outstanding playing conditions through its continued investment in Baroness mowing technology.

With two LM66 tee mowers, four LM56 hand mowers dedicated to greens, and an LM331 already in use as well as a Agrimetal GR400 Greens roller, the impact on turf quality has been immediate and unmistakable. The superior quality of cut has been widely recognised by both the greenkeeping team and players alike, prompting the club to further strengthen its fleet with the addition of two new LM311 triple greens mowers, due for delivery in spring 2026.

Its all about the cut for South Herts Golf Club

Its all about the cut for South Herts Golf Club

Course Manager Sean Brocklehurst joined the South Herts team in March 2023, spearheading the maintenance of the club’s 18-hole Vardon course and its 9-hole Rees Course. “I was introduced to Baroness at a previous role back in 2003, so am very familiar with the quality of the machines. The biggest selling point has always been, and continues to be, the cutting reels” Sean explains. “The quality of the bedknives and how long they stay on cut is by far and away the best on the market. At my previous club we changed the bedknives on our Baroness fairway machine, which had run the same set for seven years – and they still had life in them!”

The Baroness range delivers a low maintenance, quality-built solution ideally suited to the club’s ‘North London Clay’ construction – with the hand mowers helping to elevate the course not only in appearance but in agronomic condition. Between October and February, when ride-on machine usage is reduced to minimise weight and tyre marking when travelling between greens, the pedestrian LM66’s and LM56’s become the mowers of choice.

“The LM66 mowers deliver the cherry on the cake to year-round presentation on the tees. The cut is uniform and, from a maintenance perspective, there’s so little we need to do with them to retain that high level of finish.” Sean continues, “When we switch from ride-ons to the LM56’s on the greens, the players notice the difference in cut quality straight away! Here, we’re cutting roughly twice a week at a height of 6mm and it really takes the surfaces to new levels.”

“We also find that we are saving both time and money with the Baroness machines, by not having to replace blades so frequently or spend hours on upkeep and maintenance.”

Sean also praises the support from Baroness and local dealership George Browns which has also played a part in his loyalty to the brand. “We’ve always found support readily available, whether its advice, parts or even the odd favour here and there. Stuart Gray at Baroness and David Fisher at George Brown’s are always more than willing to help when needed.”

“I also like that Baroness are doing their part to support the wider industry, with educational initiatives and updates to their facility which hopefully means we’ll be able to make a trip for some training to ensure we’re using our machines to their full potential” he concludes.

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Brand switch for Massereene Golf Club

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Brand switch for Massereene Golf Club: Massereene Golf Club in Northern Ireland has recently changed its cutting fleet to Toro. The significant overhaul was driven by performance, reliability, and reassurance in the brand and dealer service in Keys Brothers who managed the deal.

For the parkland course with narrow fairways and small greens, accuracy is the key to successful play. The same rule applies for cutting these areas. It needs to be precise and exact and Course Manager Mark Cassidy knew it would be Toro that could best handle these intricacies.

Brand switch for Massereene Golf Club

Brand switch for Massereene Golf Club

“I’ve been working as a greenkeeper for 35 years and know what’s required to deliver the best results,” he says. “I know from experience that when it comes to performance Toro is what we can rely on when it comes to ensuring the best finish across the course, but it especially withstands the test in the trickier areas. We couldn’t be happier with the results.”

Trusting in the brand’s performance is equally as important as ensuring a top quality finish, and this was something the club as a whole needed to get behind.

Mark explains: “The committee was of course involved in the decision to move away from our previous supplier and bring Toro on board – everyone needed to be in agreement that this was the best route forward for the club to guarantee its success over the next five years. We had to consider the tournaments we were hosting, machinery servicing and backup and support.

“For the ISPS HANDA World Invitational for example, Toro stepped forward with loan machines for us to use in preparation for and throughout the event. We were well supported and the view from everyone was that using Toro guaranteed the immaculate presentation we needed.”

The maintenance support and customer service from Keys Brothers completed the package and the club will take advantage of a full service plan from the dealer including regular sharpenings, new blade fittings and preset checks.

“We don’t have a mechanic but by having the maintenance supplied by Keys Brothers it’s like we do. It enables us to be consistent with our records and keep on schedule. It guarantees peace of mind when it comes to health and safety too.”

The deal comprises a full cutting fleet of greens, tees, fairways and rough mowers including hybrid cutting options such as the Reelmaster 5010-H and three new Workman models in a utility vehicle refresh.

Andy Keys, Company Director for Keys Brothers, says: “Massereene is a club with big plans and aspirational goals. They didn’t want the equipment they were using holding them back. By talking to us they realised there was a way to have the quality machinery and the support they needed in a comprehensive package that brings better value for money. Now they have a fixed price for the machines and the maintenance and no unexpected bills or unwelcome surprises like they were having before.”

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Ecorobotix steps strongly into sustainable golf

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Ecorobotix steps strongly into sustainable golf: Swiss company Ecorobotix has added to its exciting entry into golf with the announcement of a multi-year collaboration with longstanding sustainability partner to the industry – GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation.

The move compliments the company’s global launch of ALBA – the new, ultra-high precision turfgrass application equipment, which is currently being profiled at back to back BIGGA and GCSAA industry events in Europe and the US. Ecorobotix is a certified B Corp and a UK signatory to the UN Global Compact.

Ecorobotix steps strongly into sustainable golf

Ecorobotix steps strongly into sustainable golf

Ecorobotix joins a diverse range of other leading industry stakeholders, including national and international associations, tours, companies, clubs, developments, tournaments and players that are already connected through the Foundation’s collaborative work and non-profit resources.

Speaking about the relationship Claude Juriens, CRO of Ecorobotix said – “2026 is a very exciting year for us.  It sees us enter the global golf market with brand new technology that combines custom software and hardware to reduce inputs into turfgrass by as much as 90%. This is technology with a well proven track record across agriculture, now fully adapted for fine turf.

“As a demonstration of our commitment to the importance of sustainability to golf, we are delighted to also collaborate with GEO Foundation. Over the last 20 years they have helped build an important collaborative platform of partners, resources and expertise that is helping to advance golf’s collective action and its stewardship.”

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director of GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation said:  “Sustainability at scale takes a full team effort – involving leadership, innovation and collaboration from many diverse stakeholders. Ecorobotix bring all of those things to the industry.  Their support is a great boost in our missions to help more parts of golf get engaged, accelerate their efforts and promote their results. It’s a movement that continues to be so important to the future of golf and communities around the world.”

A specific focus of joint activities will be the promotion of the science of ‘ultra-high precision’ applications to turf.  Focussing on how improved targeting at scale can lead to significant further reductions in chemical use and associated water and fertiliser inputs.

More can be found out at https://turf.ecorobotix.com/ and sustainable.golf

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