Tag Archive for: golf

Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal

Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal: Outstanding service and product quality have seen one of Europe’s most prestigious golf clubs, Le Golf National, renew their Jacobsen partnership for a further five years and include an E-Z-GO fleet. 

Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal

Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal

The club has had great success with Jacobsen mowers with the Albatros course for the Ryder Cup in 2018 widely recognised by participants and spectators as one of the best the tournament has seen. That quality isn’t reserved for the Ryder Cup and is regularly seen during the Open de France which the club has hosted 27 times between 1991 and 2019.

A wide range of mowers including the new lithium-ion powered Eclipse 360 ELiTE and AR530 articulated contour rotary mower are included in a 27 strong list that also features models from the HR, TR and SLF ranges as well as GP400s. Following an audit of the machines currently used on the course from the previous leasing agreement, 39 Jacobsen and Cushman mowers and utility vehicles have been purchased by the club for continued use.

Thirty-four RXV Elite E-Z-GO golf carts that use the industry-leading ELiTE lithium-ion battery technology now shared with the Eclipse 360 ELiTE are also included and will feature the Textron Fleet Management (TFM) 10EX system.

For Ransomes Jacobsen, France’s General Manager, Laurent Proupin, Le Golf National’s commitment to Jacobsen comes not just from the signature cut or industry-leading features, but from the service they receive during tournaments and throughout the year.

“I’m very, very excited to have one of France’s major courses continuing to use the Jacobsen brand,” Laurent begins. “It’s been a considerable effort by the entire team at Ransomes Jacobsen France, and one which is a result of always, whoever the customer is, giving the best service we can. I think the support we offer during a tournament and on a day-to-day basis is as important as the quality of cut and is very valued by superintendents.

“The importance of the deals with firstly Le Golf National and then the Ryder Cup was huge because it showed that the Jacobsen brand is very strong. We can point to Le Golf National and the 2018 Ryder Cup which was played on one of the best courses the tournament has had, and that feedback has come from the players.

“And that is the importance of tournament service. We are very close to the customer, and I try to have a spirit that when there is a tournament it isn’t just a tournament for Le Golf National, it’s a tournament for Le Golf National and the Ransomes Jacobsen France team. That worked brilliantly for the Ryder Cup and many Open de France competitions, and we are already looking forward to carrying that into the Golf Amateur World Championships in 2022 as well.

“During each tournament, there are two technical staff from my team on the course, ready to step in if there is any problem. For us, that is assuring them that they will have no problem. And I think it is the main argument for using one company because you can get your mowers and golf cars serviced by the same people.

“For the other brands, several providers are necessary, but for us, all of our technical staff can work on E-Z-GO, the Textron Fleet Management GPS system, Jacobsen or Ransomes and it makes it much easier to manage for our customers.”

Commenting on the renewal of this partnership, Pascal Grizot, President of the French Golf Federation, said: “Golf National must remain the venue for major international golfing events and offer optimal maintenance conditions throughout the year for all types of public. The new high-performance training area also requires technical equipment that matches our sporting ambitions. The continuation of our partnership with Jacobsen EZGO, both in terms of equipment and human resources, allows us to remain confident in preparing for the future French Open and the World Team Championships in 2022. We share together the will to prepare excellent quality courses with the necessary support for our field teams.”

The Director of Le Golf National, Mr Philippe Pilato, detailed the main reasons for this choice: “The teams of Golf National and Ransomes-Jacobsen have built a relationship of trust over many years. Beyond the quality of the service and the machines, we were very sensitive to the knowledge and know-how that guided our collaboration.

Ransomes-Jacobsen has accompanied us through various incredible experiences. The renewal of this partnership highlights our common ambitions to offer excellence in the quality of maintenance and to ensure the durability of this excellence. ”

Ransomes Jacobsen France services many of the country’s leading golf clubs from branches in Paris, Rennes and Toulouse. The quality of the products on offer along with the customer service, has been a pivotal selling point for clubs such as the Evian Resort, the Terre Blanche Golf and Spa Resort, the Roquebrune Resort, Golf du Touquet, Blue Green Golf Course of Pléneuf-Val-André, Golf du Prieuré and many others

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Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal

Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal: Outstanding service and product quality have seen one of Europe’s most prestigious golf clubs, Le Golf National, renew their Jacobsen partnership for a further five years and include an E-Z-GO fleet. 

The club has had great success with Jacobsen mowers with the Albatros course for the Ryder Cup in 2018 widely recognised by participants and spectators as one of the best the tournament has seen. That quality isn’t reserved for the Ryder Cup and is regularly seen during the Open de France which the club has hosted 27 times between 1991 and 2019.

Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal

Le Golf National signs Jacobsen deal

A wide range of mowers including the new lithium-ion powered Eclipse 360 ELiTE and AR530 articulated contour rotary mower are included in a 27 strong list that also features models from the HR, TR and SLF ranges as well as GP400s. Following an audit of the machines currently used on the course from the previous leasing agreement, 39 Jacobsen and Cushman mowers and utility vehicles have been purchased by the club for continued use.

Thirty-four RXV Elite E-Z-GO golf carts that use the industry-leading ELiTE lithium-ion battery technology now shared with the Eclipse 360 ELiTE are also included and will feature the Textron Fleet Management (TFM) 10EX system.

For Ransomes Jacobsen, France’s General Manager, Laurent Proupin, Le Golf National’s commitment to Jacobsen comes not just from the signature cut or industry-leading features, but from the service they receive during tournaments and throughout the year.

“I’m very, very excited to have one of France’s major courses continuing to use the Jacobsen brand,” Laurent begins. “It’s been a considerable effort by the entire team at Ransomes Jacobsen France, and one which is a result of always, whoever the customer is, giving the best service we can. I think the support we offer during a tournament and on a day-to-day basis is as important as the quality of cut and is very valued by superintendents.

“The importance of the deals with firstly Le Golf National and then the Ryder Cup was huge because it showed that the Jacobsen brand is very strong. We can point to Le Golf National and the 2018 Ryder Cup which was played on one of the best courses the tournament has had, and that feedback has come from the players.

“And that is the importance of tournament service. We are very close to the customer, and I try to have a spirit that when there is a tournament it isn’t just a tournament for Le Golf National, it’s a tournament for Le Golf National and the Ransomes Jacobsen France team. That worked brilliantly for the Ryder Cup and many Open de France competitions, and we are already looking forward to carrying that into the Golf Amateur World Championships in 2022 as well.

“During each tournament, there are two technical staff from my team on the course, ready to step in if there is any problem. For us, that is assuring them that they will have no problem. And I think it is the main argument for using one company because you can get your mowers and golf cars serviced by the same people.

“For the other brands, several providers are necessary, but for us, all of our technical staff can work on E-Z-GO, the Textron Fleet Management GPS system, Jacobsen or Ransomes and it makes it much easier to manage for our customers.”

Commenting on the renewal of this partnership, Pascal Grizot, President of the French Golf Federation, said: “Golf National must remain the venue for major international golfing events and offer optimal maintenance conditions throughout the year for all types of public. The new high-performance training area also requires technical equipment that matches our sporting ambitions. The continuation of our partnership with Jacobsen EZGO, both in terms of equipment and human resources, allows us to remain confident in preparing for the future French Open and the World Team Championships in 2022. We share together the will to prepare excellent quality courses with the necessary support for our field teams.”

The Director of Le Golf National, Mr Philippe Pilato, detailed the main reasons for this choice: “The teams of Golf National and Ransomes-Jacobsen have built a relationship of trust over many years. Beyond the quality of the service and the machines, we were very sensitive to the knowledge and know-how that guided our collaboration.

Ransomes-Jacobsen has accompanied us through various incredible experiences. The renewal of this partnership highlights our common ambitions to offer excellence in the quality of maintenance and to ensure the durability of this excellence. ”

Ransomes Jacobsen France services many of the country’s leading golf clubs from branches in Paris, Rennes and Toulouse. The quality of the products on offer along with the customer service, has been a pivotal selling point for clubs such as the Evian Resort, the Terre Blanche Golf and Spa Resort, the Roquebrune Resort, Golf du Touquet, Blue Green Golf Course of Pléneuf-Val-André, Golf du Prieuré and many others.

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Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate

Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate: A unique new docuseries telling the remarkable story of one woman’s mission to turnaround a rundown golf club and make it a friendly, accessible and inclusive community venue is now streaming on syngentagolf.com

In a first for the golf industry, the fly-on-the-wall documentary, Changing the Business of Golf, follows former Ladies European Tour professional Fame Tate as she breaks with tradition and aims to transform the course and customer experience at Stanedge Golf Club, Derbyshire.

Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate

Changing the Business of Golf with Fame Tate

In the first episode, Fame recalls the life-changing decision to acquire the golf course and how she is turning the club into an open, friendly venue at the heart of her local community.

Meanwhile, as the team prepares for a new season, they are faced with the prospect of preparing the golf course for reopening without their head greenkeeper.

“If you’d said to me one day you’ll own a golf club, I’d have probably sat there are laughed,” says Fame, whose playing career was cut short by injury. “My vision from day one was to break away from the traditional golf club model. It’s about making a place that’s welcoming, affordable, accessible, inclusive.”

Working closely with her greenkeeping team – and revealing how she rolled up her sleeves to get stuck in to groundwork – Fame is investing in a major course upgrade to improve playing conditions.

The series documents day-to-day happenings, including course management work led by head greenkeeper Christian ‘CJ’ Johnson.

“It was a tough task for Fame and everybody involved to get the course back to where it was,” says CJ. “But since then we have really tried to improve it as a team and get it moving forwards.”

Just one year after acquiring the club, Fame faced the potentially catastrophic challenge of the Covid pandemic and enforced lockdown, forcing her and the team to call on their inner reserves of strength and resilience to keep the business afloat.

Will she realise her vision and succeed? The series will follow Fame and her team as she reopens Stanedge Golf Club and takes on the business of golf.

Watch the first episode now on Syngenta Golf: https://www.syngentagolf.com/changing-business-golf

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BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf

BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf: The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) and the Golf Club Managers Association (GCMA) have welcomed today’s announcement regarding the reopening of golf courses in Wales following an easing of restrictions and it is heartening that the Welsh Parliament has recognised the incredible role golf can play in maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle in a COVID-safe manner.

As welcoming as the relaxing of restrictions are, the incredibly short notice of just one day presents a significant challenge for the golf facilities of Wales to achieve readiness. There are many logistical challenges to opening a facility at short notice and a number of facilities will be part-way through significant on or off course projects that may take time to complete.

BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf

BIGGA and GCMA welcome return to golf

Golfers will no doubt be eager to head back out on the course as soon as they can get an available tee time and we look forward to golf clubs becoming thriving hubs of activity once again as people enjoy the many benefits that golf can bring.

However, on behalf of our members, both BIGGA and the GCMA ask for consideration from golfers and an understanding that courses may not be able to open immediately and, when they do, they may not be prepared to the usual standards golfers have come to expect. It can be reasonably anticipated that limitations on winter maintenance and renovations caused by an exceedingly wet winter, restrictions on activities due to COVID safety measures and the potential placing of staff onto furlough to protect the golf club business will have restricted what the team have been able to achieve. Additionally 2020 saw participation at unprecendented levels which reduced maintenance opportunities and created more wear and tear on turf and other areas than usual.

The preparation and maintenance of a golf course is a year-round process; as life returns to the golf club following the reopening, so too will life return to the course itself. Spring will hopefully bring drier and warmer weather aiding turfgrass plants to come out of dormancy, meaning they recover from damage quicker. While drier conditions will mean less damage from divots or compaction of the turf. As golfers return to the fairways, we ask for patience and consideration of the activities of the entire golf club team, from managers through front-of-house staff and the greenkeepers who have, like each of us at some time in the past year, worried about their livelihoods, their personal health and wellbeing, and who take great pride in their work but due to circumstances beyond their control have perhaps been unable to achieve the high standards they set for themselves.

If you have any questions about the maintenance of the course, please contact your club manager, course manager or head greenkeeper, who will be able to offer more information about the site-specific activities that have taken place at your golf club.

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EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley: Built between 2007-8 by architect David Krause, Golf Valley is a major development, around 35km south of Munich.

Created by developer Michael Weichselgartner with the aim of hosting major tournaments and the Ryder Cup, Golf Valley was built in a links-style, with over 3,000 sq m (32,000 sq ft) of bunker sand area and, according to Andy Matzner, the club’s first course manager, who now works there in a consulting capacity, has always struggled with the impact of rain on its bunker faces.

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

“With such a massive area of sand, it was always a huge workload every time there was serious rain,” says Matzner. “In Bavaria, in the early summer, there are regular lightning storms, and every time there was a rain event, the whole greenkeeping crew would be occupied pushing sand back up the faces. And then the next day, it would happen again! I had real difficulty motivating my staff to keep shifting sand, and obviously the impact on our maintenance costs was huge.”

Matzner, by then consulting at Golf Valley, met Richard Allen, founder of synthetic bunker edging solution provider EcoBunker, in 2017. “By that time, I had realised that the bad weather, and the consequent washouts, were just something we had to deal with,” he says. “Golf Valley has no trees, and the course is quite links-like in look and feel, and it occurred to me that revetted walls, sensitively installed, would fit in nicely, and would give the place a more authentic links character. Richard visited and assessed the bunkers, and agreed with me that revetting would improve both their appearance and their performance, so we commissioned EcoBunker to install its product on an initial 200 sq m of bunkerfaces.”

That project, in spring 2018, was handled by EcoBunker construction manager Llewelyn Matthews. Covering thirteen bunkers, Matzner and the Golf Valley team were impressed by the results. “A revetted wall in sunlight and shadow looks very impressive,” he says. “But the most important thing was the prevention of washouts. A flat sandy bunker never washes out. It may fill up but so long as the drain operates effectively, the bunker will always work.”

In late 2019, Golf Valley was hit by a huge rain event. Almost every bunker, apart from the ones that had been rebuilt by EcoBunker, was virtually destroyed. The EcoBunkers survived the storm completely intact. At this point, owner Weichselgartner decided that as many as possible of the course’s bunkers should be rebuilt using the EcoBunker solution. The EcoBunker team came back on site in October 2020 to build the next set of bunkers. That project was substantially completed in December, and Matzner says the results are impressive. “The course looks much more like a real links now, and the bunkers perform far better,” he explains. “And that is all down to EcoBunker.”

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