Tag Archive for: Goodwood

Sustainable Goodwood

/in , /by

Sustainable Goodwood: From solar panels and biomass boilers to rewilding and biodiversity projects, there are a number of projects underway at Goodwood in West Sussex to ensure it achieves its eventual goal of being a carbon neutral estate. Recently that involves a significant Toro machinery fleet order including five electric riding greensmowers and eight electric utility vehicles.

Gary Beves, general manager, tells us about his involvement in choosing Toro and distributor Reesink Turfcare for a five-year fleet deal for the second time: “We’re focused on protecting the social and ecological value of the estate and every decision made is in accordance with our six key priorities, one of which is reducing our carbon footprint.

Sustainable Goodwood

Sustainable Goodwood

“Toro is the only manufacturer to be able to offer a fully electric riding greensmower in the shape of the Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 and led the way with the electric technology seen in the Workman GTXe utility vehicle too. These revolutionary machines form the backbone of the order and will be powered by energy produced on site in the estate’s new biomass boiler which will create energy by burning waste strawbales and chestnut stakes following the Festival of Speed along with felled wood from our forestry plan to provide the electricity to charge the electric vehicles.

“There was never any question that the all-electric technology from Toro fit in with our ethos, it sealed the deal in terms of delivering what we needed for the two golf courses, estate gardens and parkland. But as I liaised with the head greenkeepers for both the Downs and Park courses and the Board, one thing that was abundantly clear was how keen everyone was to maintain the relationship with Toro and Reesink too, as it’s been so positive over the years.”

With the technology box firmly ticked, Simon Berry, head greenkeeper of the Park course, explains what it’s like to use the mowers: “The eTriFlex is a heavenly bit of kit to use. The Park course is very busy and is located next to The Goodwood Hotel. To be able to do our job from as early as 5am in the summer and throughout the day without disturbing anyone is priceless. Another huge factor for me is that these electric machines are lighter than their diesel counterparts. And on a course like the Park course which gets very wet that’s a big consideration.”

But it’s not just their green credentials that cinched the deal for Toro, as Rob Dyer, head greenkeeper of the Downs course, explains they are extremely productive too: “Productivity isn’t affected by being electric. We can cut 36 holes on the Park course with the eTriFlex on a single charge and 27 holes on the Downs course which is very hilly and a ten-minute drive from the shed.”

Goodwood also chose four Reelmaster 5010-H hybrid mowers for the fairways, the Groundsmaster 4700 was chosen for its lighter touch on the slopes, the Groundsmaster 3500-D with SideWinder decks which are, according to Rob “so robust they’re practically bomb-proof yet provide the finest finish we need around the bunkers and tees”, as well as the ProCore 648 aerator and MultiPro sprayer among many in the extensive fleet to take care of the 12,000-acre estate.

All machines are monitored by Toro’s fleet management programme MyTurf for maintenance and servicing and Rob cites the support from Reesink but especially Jon Cole as “exceptional”.

Gary finishes by saying: “We have a timescale to transition to 100 percent renewable energy providers and this commitment to Toro is another step in the right direction to achieving that.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Complete DLF Range At Goodwood

/in , , /by

Complete DLF Range At Goodwood: The Goodwood Estate relies on mixtures from across the DLF Seeds portfolio to deliver results site-wide. With a remit including two 18-hole golf courses, a cricket ground, gardens and farmland, a grass airfield, and a motor circuit, General Manager of Sports Turf & Grounds, Phil Helmn, is certainly kept busy with such a momentous breadth of surfaces to prepare.

Joining the Goodwood Estate four years ago, from a greenkeeping background, has seen a steep but fascinating learning curve for Phil – “everyone says it, but in this job no two days really are the same!  One day me, and anyone of my full-time grounds team of 35, could be working on golf course renovations, or the next coordinating ground preparations for Goodwood’s Festival of Speed which has an attendance equal to that of Glastonbury Festival!  What’s really interesting is how every environment has such different performance criteria so I’ve taken a lot of guidance and advice from companies and distributors, DLF being one of them.”

Complete DLF Range At Goodwood

As a long-standing user of seed from DLF’s Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures, introducing those across the estate was one of Phil’s first exercises. “Ryegrass is the primary species used across the estate because of its hardwearing qualities and quick germination making it suitable on a wide variety of sports and fine turf areas. On our cricket wicket, Johnsons J Premier Wicket mixture has been working really well.”

Johnsons J Premier Wicket features a four-cultivar blend of Clementine, Monroe, Dickens and Chardin perennial ryegrass and delivers outstanding shoot density, rapid establishment and high disease resistance. In terms of its usage, Goodwood’s cricket ground has seen a surge in popularity, which is driving investment into the facilities later this year. “We currently host lots of local league matches but developments on one of the wickets will hopefully see that prepared to a higher spec with the J Premier Wicket, along with a £1m new pavilion, in the hope of heading towards county level play.”

Complete DLF Range At Goodwood

“On our golf greens, we’re currently on a bent grass overseeding programme and over on the grass airfield, which has a resident academy of three Spitfires, we’re using the hard-wearing ProMaster 70 mixture from Masterline. With so many sports arenas, there’s always new challenges, and peaks and troughs in demand, which keeps you on your toes. The seed from DLF gives us one constant we can rely on.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Polaris Race To Goodwood

/in , /by

Polaris Race To Goodwood: Nowhere else can you get so close to cars and bikes blasting up the Hillclimb track than the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Described as ‘motorsport’s ultimate summer garden party, an intoxicating display of speed and power’, the venue on the Goodwood Estate lets you enjoy unrestricted access to the machines and drivers.  Where better then for Polaris to show the most powerful Ranger side by sides, Sportsman and the sensational RZR Dynamix. Against the beautiful backdrop of English parkland you can see, sit in and admire the latest power machines from Polaris.

The RZR Dynamix Active Suspension is the world’s first and only intelligent suspension system designed for this type of off-road vehicle, continuously adjusting your shock absorbers on the fly. You no longer have to choose between setting your suspension for a comfortable ride or performance because Dynamix adjusts to your driving.

Polaris Race To Goodwood

If you want a seriously fast yet totally versatile side by side the Polaris GENERAL will take you from 0 to 40mph in 3.6 seconds and when it’s time for work the GENERAL offers you the biggest payload of 1100 lbs (498kg). Dual bolstered bucket seats with thin film technology provides a dry ride in wet conditions and for even greater luxury you can choose a model with  adjustable Fox Podium X 2.0 QS3 Shocks, a Polaris Pro-Fit Lock & Ride Sport Roof, rear-view mirror and MTX® Premium sound system with Bluetooth connectivity.

Polaris is celebrating the 20th year of production of the Ranger side by side and the one millionth Ranger has rolled off the production line. The latest in the range, the Polaris Ranger XP 1000, sets new standards with over one hundred user inspired improvements, boasts class leading power (82hp) and torque (61lb-ft) and industry leading towing at over 1100kg.

On display at Goodwood alongside its side by side cousins is the most powerful ATV ever. The new Sportsman XP 1000 delivers an ultimate 90hpw and comes with Electronic Power Steering, a new 3-Mode Throttle Control and industry first Digital Gauge with Bluetooth Connectivity. The Sportsman is packed with new features that need to be seen and tried and on exclusive offer at the Festival of Speed show is £500 worth of free accessories when you book a test ride and purchase a new machine.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Goodwood Returns To Toro

/in , /by

Goodwood Returns To Toro: Goodwood has returned to Toro as it continues in its ambition to develop a ‘super fleet’ for its 12,000-acre estate based in Sussex.

The last time we caught up with Phil Helmn, general manager of sports turf and grounds at the all-encompassing Goodwood, he had taken delivery of a fleet of Toro fine turf machinery for The Downs and The Park golf courses in 2015 and said it signalled the start of a more structured approach to machinery operation.

Goodwood Returns To Toro

True to his word, we’re back in touch with Phil as he receives his six latest Toro purchases, all grounds machines to take care of the estate gardens, grassed lawn areas, the motor circuit, airfield and horse race course.

Phil says: “Since I joined Goodwood four years ago, it has been my intention to make the estate 100 percent Toro. It made good business sense to follow up from our fine turf machinery deal and develop the relationship with the brand. It’s far easier to deal with one supplier and share resources.”

Such a large enterprise as Goodwood comes with a wide set of challenges and having a Toro ‘super fleet’ enables three mechanics to become Toro-trained to a high standard to limit sub-contracting and out-sourcing. The estate will also now carry a range of parts for the equipment it operates to “drive efficiency”, says Phil, and allow for an instant response to any issues.

It makes sense then that included in the order of three Groundsmaster 3500-D mowers, a Groundsmaster 4300-D, two Groundsmaster 5910 mowers, and two UTVs – the GTX and MDX-D, is the new MyTurf servicing system.

The Pro fleet management program, myTurf, operates by automatically recording how long the machines have been in operation and how many hours they have accrued when they re-enter the maintenance facility and pass a sensor at the door. This allows the mechanics to calculate preventative maintenance and replacement parts needed, and machine history can be accessed by simply logging in to the system on a computer.

Phil says: “Fleet maintenance is crucial to the performance of the machines, and this is a much slicker way of keeping on top of that.”

Phil says the demonstrations required to make sure the machines he chose were relevant for the different areas, complementing wide ranging criteria, wasn’t actually as complicated a process as one may expect. “We performed due diligence with demos, but the process of deciding which grounds machines to get was actually pretty straightforward. When you know and trust a brand the decision-making becomes easy. For this recent order we opted for rotary mowers. The floating decks eliminate scalping and the rear rollers provides a really good striping effect. The finish is excellent.”

This latest Toro order is the culmination of a few years work for Phil, assessing how best to manage such a large estate and team. He says: “Having one big fleet has brought our four teams of 35 gardeners, groundsmen and greenkeepers together, to share techniques and skills according to the different environments they are using the machines on.

“Back in 2015, when the fine turf fleet arrived, my priority was to ensure the entire Goodwood enterprise was maintained to the same exacting standards. I have used Toro for most of my career and personal experience tells me it’s a quality product and will not let me down. The fact that I can now extend the same standards to the grounds here at Goodwood means we can deliver the best results possible across the entire 12,000 acres.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.