Tag Archive for: Grass

SAGE named the home event for GRASS

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SAGE named the home event for GRASS: SAGE are proud to announce that they have become the home event for GRASS, a newly launched forum built by a Group of Groundcare Industry Specialists. Taking place 6th and 7th July SAGE will provide a platform for GRASS to introduce it’s objectives to the industry this summer.

GRASS stands for, Groundcare Resources & Sustainability Suppliers, and is the innovative idea of Mark Tomlinson head of environmental and sustainability stadia projects at Bio-Circle, one of the leading companies paving the way in sustainable solutions for the industry.The NEW Networking & Support Forum is a FREE to join group that supports all Groundcare and other sporting industry sustainability projects, providing free advice and knowledge of sustainable pitch care.

SAGE named the home event for GRASS

SAGE named the home event for GRASS

Top Grounds Personnel, Leading Industry Manufacturers and Senior Experts have come together to form a “Go To Group” that allows grounds staff to begin their own sustainability projects with support and advise.

Through the expert sustainable and environmental forum, GRASS will provide the latest information available all under one roof, whether it’s technical pitchcare maintenance, through to recycling washdown, white line marking paint, recycling containers, battery powered equipment, seed, lighting, our information bank is endless.

“A First for the Groundcare & Sporting Industry, and a much-needed Support Forum Group. By coming together and sharing knowledge GRASS can help and support Groundcare personnel with their sustainability projects. We want to help and protect our environment and make a difference.”

Mark Tomlinson

Focus on sustainability

This year, sustainability has become an even more prominent priority across all industries and SAGE is proud to be hosting the first sustainability summit, which will take place on Wednesday 6th July at SAGE 2022, in partnership with Bio-Circle.

The summit will be led by experts across the industry and will provide guidance and support on how sustainable solutions can be achieved by businesses across the sports and grounds maintenance industry. The panel and their colleagues will be on hand to deliver tailored options for those looking to adopt processes that are more environmentally friendly.

Everyone is welcome to attend SAGE 2022. Visitors from last year included educational institutions, local authorities and councils, contractors, construction managers and private estates.

The team at SAGE invites all visitors to stay for the networking event on the Wednesday evening, 4pm – 6pm, sponsored by Fleet Line Markers, where everyone will get the opportunity to meet fellow industry professionals at the stunning showground, with a few added bonus’ as well.

To register for SAGE 2022. Please visit; www.sportsandgrounds.events.

If you would like to exhibit at SAGE 2022, there is still time to reserve your stand, contact us today; team@sportsandgrounds.co.uk

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Etesia is the way for wet grass

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Etesia is the way for wet grass: Adam Patterson, owner of Patterson’s Gardening Services in Northern Ireland, needed a mower that would perform in the wet, and in his opinion, there was only one brand which was comfortably up to the job.

Over the past 30 years, Etesia ride-on and pedestrian mowers have become world renowned for being able to cut and collect – in all ALL weathers. Even in long and wet grass conditions, the mowers provide a quality finish with outstanding collection performance.

Etesia is the way for wet grass

Etesia is the way for wet grass

“We chose Etesia because it has a reputation for being the best at cutting and collecting wet grass,” said Adam. “When it comes to the design and build, Etesia has thought about all the things that other manufacturers simply have not.”

Adam set the company up ten years ago after revealing that it was always his ambition: “It was always going to be the career for me – grass cutting was my summer job and I absolutely loved it,” he said.

Patterson’s Gardening Services, now employs four members of staff, and is highly regarded throughout Lisburn and surrounding areas.

With a glowing reputation to maintain, Adam takes it incredibly seriously when it comes to purchasing new equipment. Therefore, when his pedestrian mowers needed upgrading, he phoned Etesia and had a lengthy conversation with the company to discuss what he was looking for.

He was recommended two models from the PRO 46 range; the PHTS3 – a single speed self-propelled mower and the PHE3 – a push variant.

Following the same concept of the PRO 46 range of pedestrian mowers first launched in the early 1990’s, both models feature Xenoy cutting decks for increased strength, shear washer crank protection, individual height of cut adjusters, a new 22mm handlebar design, the latest Honda GCV170 engine and are supplied complete with 80 litre grass box and rear deflector as standard.

One main feature of these models is the ‘one cut’ principle. This means the grass is only cut once before being sent to the grass box. The benefits of this are reduced power consumption from fast deck material ejection and secondly, as it is not multi chopped, the grass does not stick to the cutting deck in the same way as multi-cut grass does prevent unwanted blockages. The grass box is manufactured out of the same Xenoy compound as the cutting deck for maximum strength and comes complete with fill indicator.

Adam ended up buying two of each model from his local dealer RD Mechanical and hasn’t looked back since.

“They have an excellent build quality and the weight of them really appealed to me. They are just perfect for all our small amenity lawns. However, we find ourselves using them on the bigger lawns too, especially if it has been raining or there is a lot of dew. In these circumstances the Etesia’s are so much quicker because you are not stopping to unclog the cute after every stripe.

“The PRO 46’s are very reliable and user friendly,” he continued. “From a personal point of view, I really like the way the handles bend slightly down as well – it feels more natural to work with as opposed to your hands being in an upright position.

“We have received an excellent service from our dealer RD Mechanical throughout the process – from advising the correct model, to the delivery, so It’s safe to say I am one happy customer.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Etesia UK on Twitter @EtesiaUK and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/EtesiaUK You can also view the latest Etesia videos by visiting www.youtube.com/EtesiaUK

You can also view the latest Etesia videos by visiting www.youtube.com/EtesiaUK

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FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign

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FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign: Shropshire FA is ready to bolster the offering from the new ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign using the expertise and machinery of Campey Turf Care Systems.

The new initiative from the Premier League, The FA, and the Government’s Football Foundation aims to revolutionise the state of grass football pitches in England. The mission set out by the Football Foundation is to improve over 7,000 grass pitches by 2024 and 20,000 by 2030 to ensure the 12 million grassroots footballers have great places to play.

FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign

FA bolster ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign

A significant part of this is reducing the 150,000 cancelled matches due to poor pitch quality last season, and at Shropshire FA, this role falls to Strategy, Facilities and Partnerships Lead Andy Weston.

With over 20-years of experience in football administration, Andy is no stranger to the impact pitches can have. After seeing Campey in action at an open day, he knew they were prime candidates to push their pitch improvement efforts for 180 clubs in Shropshire forward. Jason Moody, Product Specialist for Campeys, has worked closely with Andy to ensure that the right balance of equipment and back-up support was in place.

“Campey has a track record of working with a number of other County FAs, and we did a demo day with them at one of our clubs, and they gave a run-through of the machinery they offer, what it does and gave some hands-on tips. We had several clubs come along, and the feedback was great, so we decided to make something more formal to showcase what they do and how it can improve pitches in our county.

“High-quality pitches are vital to the game, and we are in a position now where the funding and opportunities are there to support the volunteers who work tirelessly week in and week out, and the expertise of Campey is really important to what we want to achieve.

“The game can’t run without volunteers and particularly at grassroots level. You’re reliant on them, and it’s imperative that organisations like Campey are on hand to work with us to provide that support and knowledge on the ground. In these last 18 months, we have all spent a lot of time on Zoom calls. Still, in this instance, I don’t think you can beat being on the ground and hands-on with the equipment because any little snippets of information they can share with those grounds people is invaluable. I think even the most experienced grounds people will benefit from having a conversation with Campey and listening to their experts.

“As well as Jason from Campeys, we are also working with Pitch Advisor Kevin Duffield, so with all those different bodies involved, it is really helpful to the grounds teams up and down our county.”

Teams in Shropshire range from AFC Telford United down the football pyramid to Sunday league outfits. The one thing they all have in common is the need for a good pitch, and through this initiative, Andy aims to make the whole of the county a better place to play football.

For more information on the funding opportunities available in Shropshire, contact Andy.Weston@shropshirefa.com or info@campeyturfcare.com.

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Grass is greener at AZ Alkmaar

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Grass is greener at AZ Alkmaar: The AQUA4D® system rented by Lescrauwaet BV has contributed significantly to solving turf issues at the AFAS Training Complex in Wijdewormer, home of AZ Alkmaar football club (Eredivisie). “We now have no more dead grass spots,” says groundsman Wouter Uitentuis. “That’s because the AQUA4D® water system creates smaller water clusters, so they get into the smallest pores.”

“In the first year when the training pitches were delivered, five years ago now, nobody could have foreseen how badly the grass would grow. There were a lot of bare patches of grass, especially near the overlap of the sprinklers,” explains says the groundsman, who manages the training fields. After the first season, 2 cm of the grass layer was milled off with a fieldtop maker, reseeded and fertilised. Due to the hot and dry summer the following year, the emerging grass burned immediately. Uitentuis: “We wondered what was causing this and started looking. We found out that it had to do with the salinity in the irrigation water. With this knowledge, we started spraying the fields much more to push away the salt, sometimes as much as 40 to 50 ml/m2 per night. Normally we give between 10 and 15 ml/m2 depending on the time of year.”

Grass is greener at AZ Alkmaar

Grass is greener at AZ Alkmaar

Getting the ball to roll faster

After a large amount of water, there was no watering for a few days until the turf dried out. That was the moment to start watering again. “As a result, it took longer than desired, also from the club’s point of view, before there was a reasonable grass surface. But at the overlap spots of the sprinklers we saw that the grass didn’t want to grow because of the salinized soil,” explains Uitentuis.

AZ Alkmaar turf, before AQUA4D

There was a second problem: AZ requested that the pitches should also be wet during the day, to help the ball speed. “In order to make the grass wet, we had to spray water in small doses even on a sunny summer day. This keeps the salty water on the blades of grass. The result was that the salt residue in particular burned into the leaves, causing the grass to turn yellow and die.” Later in the season, more rain did turn the grass green again. “As soon as the grass received fresh rainwater, the grass was back to its normal green colour within a week.”

The search for innovative irrigation technology

In order to remove the salt from the irrigation water (with an EC of 7.0), a Reverse Osmosis system was considered. But this system could not handle the amount of water from the pump, which has a capacity of 60 m3/hour. Tap water was not an option either, because there was no adequate connection to be made, and using drinking water would be expensive.

Two years ago, the groundsman called in Westhoven Agro Advies who put him in touch with AQUA4D® BeNeLuxDu importer Lescrauwaet BV in Hilversum for treatment of the surface water. With the AQUA4D® water system, the irrigation water is treated with resonance fields, which improves or refines the structure of water clusters.

The Swiss-based firm have more than 4,200 water systems operational in 40+ countries, in horticulture, sports fields, landscapes, and sustainable buildings.

A test was Conducted by connecting and disconnecting sprinklers to the AQUA4D® water system. “At first we were sceptical, because we thought that no system could do it properly,” explains Uitentuis. But we soon saw a difference with AQUA4D. With the sprinklers whose water had not been treated, the grass quickly burned.”

Smaller droplets roll off leaves

According to the groundsman, this watering system has the required capacity, is affordable, and has a positive effect on bare grass areas. “The water surface tension is lower, so the water droplets are smaller and less spherical. We can also see this in the water that is sprayed more when watering the grass. Due to the change in water clusters, the water droplets no longer remain on the leaf. Because they roll off, we also no longer have any salt residue. As a result, the grass no longer burns.”

A new approach to water management

The AQUA4D® system has made a significant difference to the grass patches that refused to grow. “Every year is different here – it can be warmer or colder, more or less sunlight and drier or wetter. Water is one facet of the whole picture, but the most important one. In summer, we now have a different fertilisation policy with more coated fertilisers, which are released slowly, and we spray urea fertiliser on the leaves,” says Uitentuis.

“We are pleased with the beautiful green turf this summer. It really is a picture,” he concludes.

Find out more about sustainable water management for football: https://www.aqua4d.com/news/sustainable-football-irrigation/

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Vandals churn up grass pitches

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Vandals churn up grass pitches: An amateur football club’s pitches have been vandalised by “idiots on motorbikes”.

Read the full article from the Bolton News here

Vandals churn up grass pitches

Vandals churn up grass pitches

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Football Foundation to power up grass pitches

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Football Foundation to power up grass pitches: The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation has today announced the launch of its ‘Power Up Your Grass Pitch’ campaign, which will revolutionise the state of grass football pitches in England.

The country’s biggest sports charity is on a mission to improve over 7,000 grass pitches by 2024 and 20,000 by 2030, to ensure the 12 million grassroots football players across the country have great places to play.

Football Foundation to power up grass pitches

Football Foundation to power up grass pitches

Around 87% of affiliated football is played on grass pitches, and with over 150,000 matches cancelled due to poor pitch quality during the last football season alone, play is often brought to a halt. The improvements brought about thanks to the Football Foundations work will make these cancellations a thing of the past. Further more if the improvements are achieved, by 2030 grassroots football pitches in England will be able to facilitate an additional 30,000 matches per week.

Improving facilities means that more people across England will get to enjoy playing the nation’s favourite sport, transforming people’s physical and mental wellbeing, as well as supporting local communities and economies.

To help make this ambition a reality, the Football Foundation has developed an app which is now being rolled out across the country. ‘PitchPower’ is an online tool that gives every community football club and organisation in the country the ability to carry out their own grass pitch inspections, providing fast and accurate data which is less time intensive and more efficient than in person inspections. Once an inspection is submitted, Regional Pitch Advisers at the Grounds Management Association produce an assessment report with bespoke advice and recommendations to improve the grass pitch quality at a site.

By using this tool more widely, the Football Foundation anticipates it will be able to carry out as many as 20,000 inspections a year, five times as many as in the past. In its trial phase, PitchPower has helped to inspect almost 5,000 pitches. These inspections have led to 446 grants being issued worth £8.6m, all of which has gone towards improving 1,564 pitches.

Once inspections have been completed via the PitchPower app – clubs and facilities are then eligible to apply for funding from the Football Foundation to support pitch improvements identified through the app.

Along with PitchPower unlocking funding, clubs and organisations will also be encouraged to upskill their workforce by having access to a range of free courses from the Grounds Management Association and join a community of professional and amateur groundskeepers on the free Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community App.

Robert Sullivan, Football Foundation Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Millions of players are left disappointed every year when their matches are cancelled due to poor quality pitches, something the Football Foundation and its partners are working tirelessly to prevent. We have made some ambitious targets when it comes to improving grass pitches – we want to get 20,000 pitches to ‘good’ quality by 2030 – to ensure no games are called off because of a poor quality pitch.

“Thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government our dedicated teams will be working hard to ensure clubs and facilities across the country have the support and resource they need to power up their grass pitches.”

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Unique self-watering grass system

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Unique self-watering grass system: The newly opened Ångfärjeparken has already become popular among the people of Helsingborg. The park has a world-unique self-watering lawn that uses technology found only here and in Hong Kong.

The first ever hydroponic lawn has deeper roots and better wear-tolerance. The technology in combination with a soil moisture sensor in the lawn means that residents get a healthier, denser and greener lawn for a few extra months a year. In addition, the city saves costs on excess irrigation and there is zero leaching of nutrients.

Unique self-watering grass system

Unique self-watering grass system

The lawn in Ångfärjeparken is self-watering through the patented Capillary Hydroponics, the world’s first hydroponic system for lawns, and a Swedish invention. By allowing water to be quickly emptied and filled by capillary force, the roots ‘breathe’ while always having perfect moisture content without the need for sprinklers above ground.

“This system uses about 15 per cent of normal water demand on a lawn, and there is no leakage of nutrients or other agents to the environment, which are really sensational improvements from yesterday’s systems. It can also take much more wear and tear, making natural grass a viable option instead of artificial grass”, says Martin Sternberg, CGCS, CEO and founder of Capillary Concrete.

Soil moisture sensors from Sensefarm measure moisture levels in the sand under the lawn. Using a mobile phone, you can also view the water data in the Capillary Hydroponics system, such as oxygen levels and fertilizers. “Hydroponics is potentially a transformational technology for anyone trying to grow grass,” Sternberg adds. “In sports fields, and areas of golf courses such as tee boxes, it could save huge amounts of water, and thus of money.”

“When this interesting new Capillary Hydroponics project came up, we were asked if we could measure the moisture content in the lawn. And of course, we jumped at the opportunity! We have acted as a development partner and supplier of the measurement technology, which we could call ‘the lawns Internet of Things’,” says Anders Hedberg, CEO of Sensefarm.

Residents will experience a lawn that can be used for a few extra months a year and that stays healthy even during difficult weather, such as drought or heavy rain, which is expected to increase in line with rising global temperatures.

“The technical advantages of this project are that those who take care of the grass get a very good control over the most important parameters that affect the grass throughout the year, from the temperature in the soil to the nutrients. Maintenance will be more efficient,” says Andréas Hall, development engineer at the city planning and technical services department in Helsingborg.

In terms of design, self-irrigation and measurement are neither seen nor heard, which contributes to a better visitor experience. In addition, no one risks getting wet feet from walking on the grass!

“It’s challenging and exciting to test completely new technologies, but at the same time it is completely in line with the City of Helsingborg’s values of ‘dare, test and do’. This is how we evolve the city for the better, “ says Elisabeth Möllerström, landscape architect at the city planning and technical services department in Helsingborg.

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Grass is greener on the other side

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Grass is greener on the other side: Hillside Golf Club on ‘England’s Golf Coast’ in Southport knows only too well the importance of its biggest asset: its greens. As host to many tournaments including the British Masters, they are what’s most judged and why the club opted for Toro’s Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 all-electric riding greensmower to lead its frontline mowing fleet.

The R&A, which together with the USGA governs the sport of golf worldwide, provides best practice guidelines on all aspects of golf course management to help grow golf in an environmentally sustainable way. And this was one of the facts that contributed to Chris Ball’s decision-making process when choosing the club’s new greens mower this year.

Grass is greener on the other side

Grass is greener on the other side

Chris, the club’s links manager has been in the industry for 31 years and has been associated with Hillside Golf Club for over 20 of those years; he says: “The R&A is rightly pushing clubs to make the correct environmentally-friendly choices wherever possible so when we had a hydraulic leak earlier this season, the club asked can this truly be avoided in the future? The answer was yes and that led us to consider the all-electric option.”

Of course, this option has been provided to the industry by Toro in the form of the Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 and despite reservations Chris couldn’t be more glad he decided to look at the all-electric mower.

“My reservations were based on this being a bit of an unknown quantity in terms of costs,” says Chris. “But Steve Halley from Cheshire Turf Machinery who sold us the machine and our club secretary/manager Chris Williams did some number crunching and presented the costs over three years and it alleviated my concerns on that count. What the process concluded was that you can’t base your decision on the purchase price, total cost of ownership plays a huge part here.”

So, what of the machine and it’s performance? Chris says the clubs along the coast don’t have much Toro equipment, but what they all have is the impressive technology of the ever-popular ProCore aerators and the Sidewinder machines for mowing round bunker tops and fairway gathers, but could the performance of the electric greensmower be the next piece of Toro they all have?

Chris says: “I can’t find fault with it. And the more we use it the more positives we find. But first and foremost is the members’ feedback. They love the idea of the all-electric mower on their course, and all take great interest in it when it’s out on the course. Quality of cut is excellent and specifically highlighted by many golfers was that the ball roll appears far superior, even though we are now mowing at 5mm through the summer which is higher than previous years. It’s great for the club as they are doing all they can to see the return of the desirable grass species on the greens and at this height its very achievable.

“It’s incredibly user-friendly and definitely my preferred option for mowing the greens on a daily basis. The quietness and not needing ear defenders means you notice everything the mower is doing; it provides a totally different mowing experience and of course you can work quietly around the golfers.

“Maintenance is really easy – there are no grease points and the bearings are sealed for life, there’s nothing for us to do – apart from keeping the cutting units sharp by regular grinding. There is a small service at 800 hours and even then, that’s just topping up the coolant. And in terms of productivity, it can easily do all our 20 greens before we charge overnight but during our first weeks with the mower, we thought we’d see how far the mower could go and we managed to get 39 greens out of it before charging, which in a linear straight line is some distance for a mower.”

Chris confirms: “It seems to be the way of the future and I genuinely believe it won’t be long before the switch over to electric is more commonplace.”

A true Championship Links course and host to many events in the past, Hillside continues to invest in its primary asset and has recently completed two major phases of course improvements. Chris concludes: “The time was right to invite Toro to bring their electric technology to the course. I feel it matches our ambitions as a club going forward, giving us that extra something on the greens.”

Steve Halley, managing director at Cheshire Turf Machinery, comments: “Jeff Jago from our sales team has worked hard to make the breakthrough at Hillside where Chris and his team have really bought in the many features and benefits of the eTriFlex. Their enthusiasm for the machine has been really satisfying and is sure to be noted by other potential users.”

To talk to someone about Toro’s electric and hybrid technology and how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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Etesia finance makes grass cutting child’s play

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Etesia finance makes grass cutting child’s play: Martin Carty, Managing Director at Carty Services, has revealed how a 0% interest finance offer from Etesia UK enabled him to improve operations on a wide range of school playing fields throughout Warwickshire. 

During last year’s uncertainty and inevitable financial pressures, Etesia UK explored the best ways in which it could help their customers. With this in mind, a three years’ interest-free finance offer on the all new Etesia Hydro 80 MKHP5 ride-on mower was introduced to allow customers greater flexibility with their finance.

Etesia finance makes grass cutting child’s play

Etesia finance makes grass cutting child’s play

It was an offer which Martin Carty found too good to ignore.

“We were in the market for a new ride-on mower and the Etesia finance offer would give us the financial flexibility to purchase two mowers rather than one,” said Martin. “This was very appealing because two mowers would certainly help to make us more efficient.”

Based in Warwickshire, Carty Services has a glowing reputation for looking after and maintaining gardens, grounds and school sports fields to an incredibly high standard. The company has been trading for seventeen years and Martin now employees 15 members of staff.

The growth of the company is testament to the quality of work undertaken by the Carty Services team. The reputation of the company is exactly why Martin does not rush into quick decisions when it comes to purchasing new equipment.

“The finance offer obviously helped but it absolutely had to be the best mower for us – we want the finest equipment,” he said. “We looked at lots of different ride-on mowers but quite honestly, the other brands just didn’t tick all the boxes like the Etesia Hydro 80 did. The size of the machine was a big factor in our decision too.”

Measuring less than 1 metre wide, the Etesia Hydro 80 is easily transported in any vehicle whether it be a van or a trailer. Its compact size means that this impressive machine can pass through most gateways and its tight turning circle makes it ideal for small or awkward areas. It mows close to walls and fences and is highly manoeuvrable.

“We purely use the Etesia machines on school playing fields and the great thing about them is the size and how manoeuvrable they are,” he said. “They are extremely easy to get through gates and in and out of playgrounds. They deal with tight corners incredibly well and they fit nicely in the van when transporting them to different sites.

“I like how quiet they are, and we can use them without disturbing the classrooms. The ability to cut and collect in all weathers is also hugely beneficial.”

As Martin says, the Etesia Hydro 80 has been designed to cut and collect both long and short grass, without clogging in any weather. Add to that its compact dimensions, ease of use, hydrostatic drive and powerful 15hp twin-cylinder Kawasaki engine, and you have a highly efficient machine offering the kind of output that would easily replace three walk-behind mowers.

Etesia finance makes grass cutting child’s play

Etesia finance makes grass cutting child’s play

The Hydro 80 has also been robustly built and requires minimal maintenance. Operators have access to the engine and all working parts, and the hydrostatic transmission system is maintenance free. The specially coated 60 mm tubular chassis is also designed for strength and long-life.

“They are speedy, powerful and perform very well,” continued Martin. “I would say that they can cover up to nearly 5,000 square metres per hour – which is perfect when time isn’t on your side. We can be cutting the playing fields in the morning and an hour later the children can be out of playing on them.

“The Hydro 80’s are exceptionally good value for money and nothing at all has gone wrong with them. I’ve been so impressed that I’ve already decided that I’ll be purchasing from Etesia UK again when the time comes.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Etesia UK on Twitter @EtesiaUK and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/EtesiaUK You can also view the latest Etesia videos by visiting www.youtube.com/EtesiaUK

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SGL TurfPod makes grass monitoring accessible

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SGL TurfPod makes grass monitoring accessible: Data driven decisions usually result in a higher grass quality and more efficient use of resources. Yet, many clubs do not have the budget to make big investments in monitoring equipment.

Over the past years SGL have been working towards a solution to make monitoring technology accessible to everyone. They now launch an all-in-one tool that is affordable and user friendly to lower leagues, and at the same time offers advanced possibilities to the highest levels of sport: the SGL TurfPod.

SGL TurfPod makes grass monitoring accessible

SGL TurfPod makes grass monitoring accessible

The TurfPod is a small device containing six sensors that track the essential growing conditions above ground and in the soil. When pinned into the soil, the TurfPod operates automatically and shows the microclimate data in real time on the Portal. This information can be used to, among other things, make decisions on fertilization, irrigation and supplemental lighting.

The TurfPod is developed in line with SGL founder Nico van Vuuren’s strong belief that data is a basic necessity for every groundsman and greenkeeper: “Every playing surface is different, every climate is different, and every budget is different. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to managing grass. Every turf manager, in all levels of sport, should be able to respond to the ever changing conditions and make well informed decisions during their daily work and the challenges they face. The only way to do that is with data, so our goal is to make that possible.”

Flexibility has been the key in reaching accessibility. SGL let go of substantial one time investments and supply the TurfPod as a flexible lease, starting at €49 a month, hardware and software included. Customers can upgrade the software whenever they please, with a wide range of TurfModules, such as data analyses and visualisations. Van Vuuren: “We understand that groundsmen and greenkeepers need flexibility. Therefore we enable them to configure their Portal with the information that is relevant to them. This modular approach enables, for example, very detailed reporting on a stadium pitch, but only the essential information for the training pitches. Or the possibility to add a Disease Forecast to their Portal during high pressure months and turn it off for the rest of the year.”

The TurfPod is a completely customizable monitoring tool, fit to every budget, sport and situation. When there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, SGL proves to be a tailor.

More information on: www.sglsystem.com/turfpod

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