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Martin Lishman head to SALTEX

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Martin Lishman head to SALTEX: Martin Lishman Ltd is a specialist manufacturer of Compact Amenity Sprayers. The Mini-Spray, Midi-Spray and Micro-Spray models are suitable for a wide range of amenity spraying applications including golf courses, sports turf, school playing fields and paddock spraying, with users consistently reporting excellent results.

The Martin Lishman sprayer range includes trailed, ATV mounted, demountable and self-propelled models with tank sizes ranging from 70 to 600 litres and boom widths from 1 metre to 8 metres.

Martin Lishman head to SALTEX

Martin Lishman head to SALTEX

This year at Saltex, Martin Lishman Ltd are thrilled to introduce the Nano-Spray to their line-up of compact amenity sprayers.

The little sibling to the industry-leading Micro-Spray, the Nano-Spray is an ultra-compact, 36 litre, fully-electric self-propelled sprayer that delivers a high precision spray application with no impact on fine turf.

Targeted for use on smaller amenity areas and serving as an invaluable tool for contractors, the Nano-Spray is small enough to fit through most gateways and comes fully equipped with an array of professional-grade features.

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Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman

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Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman: Using data and the GrasPro system, Harlequins F.C Head Groundsman Adam Witchell has made a quick start to his first job in rugby.

With decades worth of experience in football, Adam brings extensive turf knowledge to the role, but knew there would be a learning curve with changing sports.

Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman

Data crucial for new Harlequins head groundsman

Working on behalf of Nurture Landscapes at The Stoop, Adam started in July 2022. With the grow-in complete and no performance data to reference, he started collating information.

“The first thing I wanted was a data recording platform, and GrasPro is always the one I will go straight to,” he said.

“I’ve always been quite data-driven. If I don’t have the numbers, I can’t just look at the pitch and work it out. Without the numbers, it’s just an opinion.

“I think it’s beneficial straight away. For example, when recording the moisture levels and water, I could look back and think it seemed to get a bit more growth at these times. Using the weather reports, you can see the difference in temperature between the highs and lows and find out the evening temperatures were slightly colder at that time. So, it’s nothing to do with the products you’ve used. You just didn’t have the residual temperature in the evening that will help the grass continue.

“Regardless if there was performance quality data or not, I’d still be doing the same because this was all new to me. Even if there was data, I’d still want to see mine, because what I’m doing in rugby might not have the same outcome as it previously has on a football pitch.

“So, I’ll know the products that have and haven’t worked during the grow-in. Next year, I can look at what I’ve done on the GrasPro system and alter and change. Even if it’s just the amount of product I put down or the regularity of applying it.”

 Building Trust

For Adam, an early part of the job is gaining the trust of his new employers, Nurture Landscapes and Harlequins, and a large part of that is his monthly reports, which he sees as vital.

“I write a report to Nurture and Harlequins every month, and it details all the information on what I’ve done, when I’ve done it and the products and maintenance.

“I take that directly from GrasPro because you can download graphs, works and charts and put them in the report. It makes my monthly report writing much easier and much more in-depth.

“I could write a load down and bore them with war and peace and detail. But if you can see graphs and see what’s been done, it makes it easier and quicker for them. I find they are more receptive to visual reports.

“What I have found with rugby is the budgets aren’t quite as big as I’ve had with football. So, I have to get the most out of what I use because there isn’t the option of an unlimited budget.

“There’s always pressure to get it right the first time because I’ve got Nurture Landscapes who have employed me and Harlequins who have taken me on. Their previous groundsman was here for 12 years, and now, this new guy is coming who might do things a bit differently, which people will keep an eye on.

“You’ve got to get results or explain what you’re doing just to get that trust with Nurture and Harlequins.”

Setting Rugby Specific KPIs

Even though he is only six months into the role, Adam is in the early stages of collaboration with the playing and medical staff.

Moisture was one of the most significant learning curves early on, with Adam aiming for the standard 20%-24% used in football. He quickly discovered this caused digging up during scrums and mauls, and by referring back to his data, he was able to see a higher moisture level was required.

Sharing the data to prepare the pitch can also benefit the coaching staff, and eventually, Adam is hoping to benchmark the pitch to reduce injuries.

He explains: “I can look back on what was a good and bad game, then I can start speaking to the coaches about how I’m preparing the pitch.

“I’ll test it before just to let the coaches know the moisture, this is what it was like at this game, and this is how it held together better.

“Then they will find out going forward the more I take the data that they can set their players up slightly differently, maybe. So they are starting to engage a little bit more on the playing side with the data that I’m recording to help them set up for a game.

“Hopefully, moving forward, it will help with player recovery and development. If we find that players are cramping up at a certain time during games, we can start looking at hardness, traction and moisture as well. And when we start putting them together, I think we’ll start seeing data and values. And then working with the medical department and making it a bit safer, and then hopefully working to have a surface which they can use that does cause less injuries.

“That’s far off, and I haven’t got there with them, but I am hoping using GrasPro and all the data I record, I can push that forward and work with the sports scientists a little bit more in how we can set the pitch, so there are fewer injuries.”

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Soil Scout head to SALTEX

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Soil Scout head to SALTEX: Leading soil monitoring solution provider Soil Scout is pleased to announce that we will once again be exhibiting at Europe’s largest free sports turf, amenities, and landscaping trade show, SALTEX on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 November at Birmingham’s NEC. 

Following a very successful first appearance at the 2021 show we have once again teamed up with our partner Turf Lighting Solutions (TLS) to share a much larger open stand space, you can find us in a central location on stand H081.

Soil Scout head to SALTEX

Soil Scout head to SALTEX

You will be guaranteed a warm welcome with team members from Soil Scout headquarters in Finland including CEO Jalmari Talola on-hand to answer any questions you have beside our UK-based Sales & Sports Turf Specialist, Nick Durkin. Having previously worked in the professional football turf industry at Chelsea FC, Wembley Stadium and Derby County, Nick has a wealth of practical experience and technical knowledge.

SALTEX attendees are also encouraged not to miss out on our exclusive special offer! For the duration of the show you can purchase one of our Soil Scout Starter Kits with a very generous 20% discount. With only 25 kits available it’s a deal that is not to be missed! The Starter Kit is the ideal soil monitoring package for first-time stadium, training ground or golf course installations. The kit comprises six sensors, one base station and all necessary antennas and cables. But that’s not all, this special offer package will also include one year’s subscription to the Soil Scout Hub and free online training from our expert technical team.

Visitors to the stand will also be able to have a first-look at our newly developed dual-depth sensor (DDS) and pick up a copy of our packed Sensor magazine. The ground-breaking DDS gives the well-known Hydra sensor an additional sensing head – interconnected with a cable. The main sensor will continue to perform the radio communication, it can be buried in shallow ground to give an improved range, whilst the second-sensor can deliver measurement data from very deep. All from the same hole and with an excellent battery life of over ten years.

Pete Ashworth is the Head Groundsman at Preston North End and has been at the club for 17 years. Preston has recently installed Soil Scout and Pete told us; “It’s almost like a comfort blanket, knowing you’re not overdoing it or letting it get too dry.

“I’m always looking at the dashboard and it gives us that extra bit of belief that everything we are doing on the pitch is right.”

John McLoughlin is the Course Manager at Wallasey Golf Club and another user of the Soil Scout solution. “What drew me to Soil Scout is the live data you get every 20 minutes. Having that at your fingertips is unique in the industry. I also think it’s quite nice to feel like you’re in control. So when you’re at home and going through a dry spell, for peace of mind, it’s great.”

John continued; “There can be times when the greens are drying out or getting too wet, and being able to check that takes a lot of pressure off you, it gives you peace of mind.”

Soil Scout provides the most advanced fully buried underground wireless soil sensor and monitoring solution for professionals in sports turf maintenance, golf courses and agriculture giving real-time data measuring soil moisture, temperature and salinity. To find out more visit – www.soilscout.com

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Tyre-Line head to SALTEX

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Tyre-Line head to SALTEX: Tyre-Line will again be exhibiting at this year’s SALTEX show at the NEC Birmingham, stand D082, bringing their extensive knowledge and product portfolio to the UK’s Premier Turf Management exhibition.

Aftermarket Tyres, Wheels & Specialist Services

Tyre-Line’s Aftermarket sales and support division pride themselves on their vast knowledge and extensive experience supplying the aftermarket tyre and machinery markets with tyres, wheels and associated accessories. They are able to offer services such as tread pattern conversions (Agri to Turf and vice versa), bespoke wheel and tyre fitments along with specialist patterns and fitment advice for all Groundscare, ATV/UTV, High Speed Trailer, Compact Agricultural and Construction machinery.

Tyre-Line head to SALTEX

Tyre-Line head to SALTEX

Being Official UK Distributor of Carlisle & ITP Tyres and Wheels gives Tyre-Line un-restricted access to one of the world’s biggest, specialist tyre suppliers for Lawn & Garden, ATV/UTV and Agriculture & Construction tyres. With a heritage of supplying many prestigious names with O.E. fitments including John Deere, Countax, Polaris, Can-Am, Toro, Cub Cadet and more, Carlisle & ITP have been at the forefront of tyre development and technology for over 100 years and Tyre-Line are proud to be Official UK Distributor and will once again be exhibiting their extensive range of Carlisle Lawn, Garden & Golf Tyres at SALTEX.

Tyre-Line will also be showcasing the revolutionary Michelin Tweel Airless Radial Tyre for Zero Turn Mowers at SALTEX. The Michelin Tweel is a single unit, replacing the existing tyre and wheel assembly with a No Maintenance, No Compromise & No Downtime tyre and wheel assembly. Michelin Tweel’s require no complex mounting equipment and once fitted require no inflation pressure maintenance. They provide a consistent hub height ensuring an even cut, excellent lateral stability on hillsides and sloped terrain along with excellent operator comfort even when navigating curbs and other bumps with unique energy transfer within the Polyresin spokes help to reduce the “bounce” associated with pneumatic tyres while providing improved handling.
The Michelin Tweel is available to order now with fitments for a wide range of makes and models of Zero Turn machines directly from Tyre-Line’s Aftermarket division

Original Equipment Tyres & Wheels

Over the past 30 years, Tyre-Line’s Original Equipment Division have partnered with many of the industry’s biggest names in Groundscare, Trailer and ATV/UTV markets including the likes of John Deere, Kubota, Logic, Nugent & Ariens. Supplying customer specific tyre and wheel fitments from their centrally located, 50,000 sq.ft purpose built facility in Daventry, Northamptonshire, Tyre-Line have a wealth of experience, coupled with a comprehensive product range from industry leading brands allowing them to offer application specific solutions

Visit Tyre-Line Aftermarket on Stand D082 at this year’s SALTEX show at the NEC, Birmingham on 2nd & 3rd November or contact the team on 01458 250350.

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Toro UK dealers visit US Head Office

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Toro UK dealers visit US Head Office: Toro U.K. Limited recently took a group of UK dealers to Minnesota, USA, to visit The Toro Company’s global headquarters in Bloomington, and tour one of the company’s manufacturing facilities.

Dealers had the opportunity to tour Toro’s headquarters to see first-hand the vast testing facilities that underpin the quality of our full product portfolio, and visit Toro’s Center for Technology, Research & Innovation. They were shown how Toro utilizes cutting-edge technology in the development of new products. This included experiencing the many applications of Virtual Reality in product development and watching prototype parts being 3D printed.

Toro UK dealers visit US Head Office

Toro UK dealers visit US Head Office

The group was taken to the Toro manufacturing facility at Windom, Minnesota, where they were able to see zero-turn mowers, snowblowers and specialty equipment manufactured and assembled.   Dealers were impressed by the scale of the operation, and they were able to have a Q&A session with the factory team leaders to better understand how Toro has adapted and managed through the current supply chain issues the industry is facing.

Adding a bit of Minnesota fun alongside business, the dealers had an opportunity to experience full Toro hospitality when they went to watch the Minnesota Twins play the Chicago White Sox.  Enjoying a real American institution on a glorious summer day, the dealers also saw the full Toro fleet in use at the baseball stadium in preparation for the game, before enjoying a drink and the atmosphere.

“I was so pleased to be able to take a group of dealers to visit our colleagues in the US, now that Covid travel restrictions have eased,” said Craig Hoare, Sales & Marketing Manager – Toro U.K. Limited. “It was not only a way for us to say thank you to our dealers, but it was also a great opportunity to expose UK Dealers to the extensive infrastructure that backs up the UK operation and to share some of the plans, investment and products coming from Toro in the near future.”

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