Tag Archive for: golf

Royal Ascot Golf Club trials robot mowers

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Royal Ascot Golf Club trials robot mowers: A fleet of robotic mowers which reduces carbon emissions and enhances greenkeeping capabilities is being trialled at Royal Ascot Golf Club as part of its development strategy.

The Winkfield Road venue introduced BigMow technology to its 150 acre wooded Crown land course this week with a view to further enhancing the playing quality and experience of members and visitors alike.

Royal Ascot Golf Club trials robot mowers

Royal Ascot Golf Club trials robot mowers

Each mower is capable of cutting rough, semi-rough and fairway patches of ground for two hours using GPS technology, can operate in all weather conditions and will save an estimated five tonnes of carbon emissions each year – the equivalent of a return journey by plane from London Heathrow to Perth.

It is hoped the move will streamline tasks currently delegated to the club’s team of eight greenkeeping staff who will be able to invest more resource into green preparation, aeration, top dressing and overall presentation.

The demo will help the club to better understand how technology can be used to its advantage in the long-term with a fleet exchange planned for 2027.

Benefits of BigMow technology

Ian Hockley, Course Manager at Royal Ascot Golf Club, said: “The benefits of BigMow technology to the club are fourfold.

“Mowing is typically a greenkeeper’s most laboursome task, and although we always aim to be out on the course during quieter hours the occasional disruption to play is inevitable.

“Robotic mowers operate with minimal intrusion and are efficient at providing the best playing surface on areas of rough and semi-rough ground plus our fairways. This allows our existing greenkeeping team to prioritise tasks elsewhere on the course which will be a huge asset for us.

“There’s the environment impact too and due to the weight of each robot we can confidently send them out on the course when conditions wouldn’t be suitable for heavier, more traditional, machinery.

“We’re excited about the benefits this can bring to the aesthetics and playing quality of our course which we take great pride in.”

The trial is taking place after Royal Ascot Golf Club’s senior leadership team attended this year’s BTME Exhibition in Harrogate, Europe’s leading greenkeeping and turf management show.

The exhibition allowed the club to explore the latest equipment, learn about sustainable practices and attend a series of seminars.

Stephen Nicholson, General Manager at Royal Ascot Golf Club, added: “We’re continually exploring how we can remain at the forefront of greens maintenance to continue providing an enviable course in the years to come.

“Ensuring our through the door and playing experiences for members and guests alike are at the highest levels possible is a key priority for the team.

“Trialling BigMow technology forms part of this process and we’re grateful to AMS Robotics for their insights into how we can best utilise the technology while retaining our existing greenkeeping team.”

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Ladyback Golf Club commit to Ventrac

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Ladyback Golf Club commit to Ventrac: Ladybank Golf Club, situated in wooded heathland 10 miles west of St Andrews in Fife, is the latest prestigious Scottish golf club to purchase Ventrac equipment to assist in the maintenance of their challenging heathland championship course.

Designed by Old Tom Morris, Ladybank is a rare course; although situated in Fife, it’s not one of the famous links courses that dots the coast. It measures almost 6,800 yards from the championship tees, making great use of its heathland terrain and has changed little over the years. It requires the golfer to display real precision to hit the small and contoured greens.

Ladyback Golf Club commit to Ventrac

Ladyback Golf Club commit to Ventrac

Grant Frogley is the Course Manager and is responsible for a team of 8 full-time greenkeepers, who maintain this beautiful and challenging course. During the winter of 2021-22, the club purchased an ex-demo Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor and two attachments to help maintain the course.

“I’m one of the many converts to the Ventrac compact tractor and attachments,” he said. “We had two rough mowers when I came in, each one for different areas of the course. We’re a relatively flat site in terms of elevation, but we do have quite a lot of subtle movement with some extreme hollows and bumps. The rough mowers weren’t the best at following contours, so we found ourselves doing a lot more hand work.

“I’d seen the Ventrac at a demonstration at Gwest and knew it would be the perfect piece of kit here; a versatile machine that could do more than one task. We got it in on demo and sure enough it flew round, coped with every contour out there, without a problem.

“We’ve got the Contour deck and the Tough Cut deck. We use the Tough deck a lot during the winter to clean up the woodlands and remove the gorse and broom. We basically cut everything that’s not on the maintained grass areas. We cut every blade of grass during the winter, so it’s very versatile and mobile for getting in amongst the trees. As I said previously, it’s very good at removing brash, gorse and broom.

“It came with a rear three-point linkage kit, which is brilliant. We bought a small sprayer with hand lance that hooks up on the back of it and we also have a terra rake, which we use a lot during winter projects, especially if we’ve got soil that just needs a tilth-up before we re-turf. It’s brilliant and such a light footprint, it just glides over the surface.

“The options are endless; we’ve demoed the stump grinder and blower. We’ve got a rear-mounted blower on a tractor, and perhaps it’s just my age, but I find looking out the back for a period of time is very uncomfortable. The seating position on the Ventrac is very comfortable and the out-front blower makes it much more user-friendly. We’ve had nothing in the way of breakdowns, servicing has been fine, one little repair on the deck and it’s hardly missed a beat.”

Grant began his career at Gleneagles in 1999, working under Peter Pattenden, and six years later went to New Zealand for a year, before returning to Gleneagles at a time when the renovations for the Ryder Cup were taking place, remodelling the PGA Centenary course. This led to construction work at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club near Dublin followed by a spell in Sweden constructing the PGA of Sweden National Golf Course near Malmo.

Returning to the UK, he was appointed deputy course manager at Gwest, where a new championship course was being built next door to Gleneagles. Gwest never materialised into the great golf course and property that it could have been, so he took up his first course manager’s job at The Roxburghe in the Scottish Borders. Three and half years later he returned to Gwest as course manager, with a commitment from the owners that it would be completed. Covid struck and, and unfortunately, progress with the development stalled, so in 2021 he applied for, and was successful in securing, the vacant course manager’s position at Ladybank.

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Tenant sought to run South Buckingham Golf Course

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Tenant sought to run South Buckingham Golf Course: A rare chance to lease an established golf course has arrived on the market through national property consultancy Carter Jonas on behalf of Buckinghamshire Council.

South Buckingham Golf Course in Stoke Poges boasts a well-maintained 18-hole golf course with a modern clubhouse, together with ancillary buildings and an adjacent playing field complex.

Tenant sought to run South Buckingham Golf Course

Tenant sought to run South Buckingham Golf Course

Available to let as a whole or in parts, there are also facilities supporting several other sports including rugby, football, softball and baseball, as well as martial arts facilities.

“The course has many established trees and ditches crossing the fairways, plus a small practice area, two practice nets and a practice putting green,” says Carter Jonas Head of Rural Agency, Andrew Chandler.

“It has lovely scenery, a great variety of holes and several subtle elements that make every round both enjoyable and challenging.”

A modern single-storey clubhouse extends to 6,776 sq ft (629.55 sq m) and boasts a bar and restaurant, meeting rooms, golf pro shop, changing rooms, showers and associated offices.

“Padel Tennis UK has installed two courts on a sub lease at the course too,” explains Mr Chandler. “One of the world’s fastest-growing sports, these courts have proven to be extremely popular.”

Altogether the golf course stretches to 131 acres (53 ha), with the total site covering 204 acres (83 ha).

Farnham Park Playing Fields is 73 acres (30 ha) and has a wide range of sports pitches and facilities located on the site, together with clubhouses, changing facilities and car parks. There is a children’s playground operated by Farnham Royal Parish Council, a fenced-off area that is used for the grazing of horses and a small area of woodland to the north.

“The site boasts six adult-size football pitches, two youth pitches, two junior pitches and two small training pitches that are available to hire,” says Mr Chandler. “There are also two rugby pitches and purpose-built baseball and softball pitches – which are only purpose-built pitches of their kind in the UK.”

There is a range of buildings on site, including a martial arts centre and associated facilities.

The property is offered to let and expressions of interest together with proposals should be submitted by 28 February 2025 to the Carter Jonas Oxford office.

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DSV’s PRO Bent Delivers Exceptional Results at Millbrook Golf Club

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DSV’s PRO Bent Delivers Exceptional Results at Millbrook Golf Club: Millbrook Golf Club’s greens are thriving thanks to the use of DSV’s PRO Bent grass seed, which has aligned perfectly with the greenkeeping team’s ethos of continuous improvement.

Chris Jones, Deputy Head Greenkeeper at Millbrook, reflects on the transformation since incorporating the PRO Bent seed, working closely with Craig Rodwell from Soil Biology Ltd – a DSV distributor, to ensure the best results for the course.

DSV's PRO Bent Delivers Exceptional Results at Millbrook Golf Club

DSV’s PRO Bent Delivers Exceptional Results at Millbrook Golf Club

Located in the scenic Bedfordshire countryside, Millbrook Golf Club is a course rich in history and renowned for its beautifully maintained greens. The club, nestled between the village of Millbrook and Woburn Forest, boasts year-round playability due to its elevated position on the Greensand Ridge and its free-draining sandy soil. The course is a mix of heathland and links-style features, with indigenous pine and silver birch lining many of the holes, creating a challenging yet enjoyable environment for golfers.

Chris Jones has been with the club for 18 years and shares a deep connection with it. “The majority of the people who work here tend to stay here. We’re always trying to improve and push the course forward. The course is unrecognisable from what it was when I started; literally, every hole has had some improvement, whether it’s the putting surface, bunkers, or new tees. We’re not just maintaining – we’re here to improve and push it further and further,” he said.

When their previous seed supplier underwent changes, Chris and the team began looking for alternatives. It was then that Craig Rodwell, a consultant from Soil Biology Ltd, introduced them to a range of nutritional products and DSV’s PRO Bent grass seed. From the start, the results were impressive. “By the end of the summer, we noticed remarkable improvements in the greens, including better root systems, healthier plants, and a reduction in thatch. We even went through the winter virtually disease-free,” Chris explained.

PRO Bent is part of DSV’s EuroGrass range, a collection of high-performing seed mixtures developed to meet the specific needs of golf courses and sports pitches. PRO Bent, made up of 100% Browntop bentgrass, is particularly suited for summer and autumn overseeding, as well as species exchange operations. It offers excellent density, drought tolerance, and is ideal for close mowing—making it perfect for maintaining high-quality greens.

Chris highlighted how they overseeded all 18 greens at Millbrook. “We got very quick germination—almost 100%—in just six days, even while people were still playing on the course. By the weekend, the greens were already a good putting surface.”

The positive feedback from both members and visitors has been overwhelming. “We’ve had a lot of compliments about the greens not just from members but also from visitors. It’s great to be recognised, especially since there are so many good golf courses around us. The hard work is really paying off,” Chris said.

The results have been so impressive that Millbrook has expanded its use of DSV products beyond the greens, applying them to the tees and fairways as well. “Once we saw the germination, we quickly realised this was money well spent. The most important thing is getting good seed strike, and that it’s surviving the winters. It’s been progressing each year, and that’s the hardest part with overseeding—getting the cultivars to thrive,” Chris added.

DSV's PRO Bent Delivers Exceptional Results at Millbrook Golf Club

DSV’s PRO Bent Delivers Exceptional Results at Millbrook Golf Club

The success at Millbrook has also been bolstered by the guidance and expertise of Craig Rodwell, who has provided invaluable support throughout the process. “Craig has been fantastic. He has a lot of knowledge and is always there to offer advice,” Chris said.

Craig also praised the EuroGrass range for its suitability to Millbrook’s conditions: “DSV has some excellent cultivars that are healthy and wear tolerant. They’ve really fitted the bill for this type of course.”

Thanks to DSV’s PRO Bent and the ongoing collaboration with Soil Biology, Millbrook Golf Club’s greens are in top condition, demonstrating that continuous improvement and the right products can truly elevate the quality of a golf course.

Chris concludes, “From the results we’ve had, I’d recommend DSV’s PRO Bent to anyone. It’s been a game-changer for us, and we’re excited to see how it continues to improve the course year after year.”

Please visit www.dsv-uk.co.uk for more information.

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Campey™ launches essential golf course maintenance tools

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Campey™ launches essential golf course maintenance tools: Once again Campey Turf Care™ brings essential equipment to the Turf professional with the introduction of several new maintenance products for golf courses. The new products will be in addition to the excellent range of machinery that is already synonymous with the Campey name and manufacturers such as Dakota, Vredo, Imants, Foley Air 2G2, Koro and Imants!

First in the new line-up is the Fairway Falcon; an articulating, pull-type fairway brush, that uses a unique brushing system that contours to undulations. It covers a 4.5m span providing efficient, consistent performance. The unit can be towed by a wide range of equipment compatible with an electric 12-volt system and is ideal for pre-cut preparation, dew removal, de-thatching, disease control, worm cast and aeration core removal and brushing in topdressings. This new brush from Campey is so versatile it will quickly become an invaluable addition to your regular maintenance schedule, improving turf health and playing conditions.

Campey™ launches essential golf course maintenance tools

Campey™ launches essential golf course maintenance tools

Next up is the BM45 Scarifier with Hi-Tip Collection is a professional scarifier with fixed blade collection. Due to the blade fixing system, their replacement does not require the complete disassembly of the transmission and rotor, but only of the worn blades. The high-performance rotor guarantees excellent work in all conditions, even when the cutting edge of the blade is not in optimal condition. In addition, the collector with hydraulic discharge on the ground allows the material removed from the ground to be collected in a single pass. The high ventilation created by the rotor allows it to be used also as a leaf vacuum.

And last but not least is the latest Campey Seed Shot. This simple but very effective device is the perfect re-seeding tool for tackling very specific areas. The latest model is a smaller version to carry smaller seeds such as Bent grass particularly for use on fairways and golf greens. It is perfectly designed with 19 holes to accommodate smaller sized seed, injecting up to 4-5mm deep, in precise quantities and delivering optimal germination rates.

The team of Campey Turf Care Systems is looking forward to seeing you all at BTME 2025 in Harrogate!

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