Tag Archive for: Heights

DSV Seed Helping Crowborough Beacon Reach New Heights

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DSV Seed Helping Crowborough Beacon Reach New Heights: The quality of the playing surfaces at Crowborough Beacon Golf Club is the result of passion, precision – and the right seed. Course Manager Luke Jenkins has been achieving outstanding results using DSV’s PRO Summer Sport and PRO Rye Fairway mixtures from the EUROGRASS range, both of which have played a key role in improving the course’s playability and presentation.

Developed specifically for professional turf use, the EUROGRASS Pro mixtures are composed of carefully selected grass species and varieties to meet the highest standards of performance. Each blend is designed with the end user in mind – considering soil type, climate, intended use, and maintenance practices – to ensure exceptional establishment, density, and durability.

DSV Seed Helping Crowborough Beacon Reach New Heights

DSV Seed Helping Crowborough Beacon Reach New Heights

At Crowborough Beacon Golf Club, those qualities have helped elevate one of the South East’s most historic and scenic courses. Established in 1885, the club is steeped in tradition – with early members including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – and boasts a classic heathland layout renowned for its sweeping views and distinctive character.

Course Manager Luke Jenkins has been at the helm for four and a half years, leading a programme of continuous improvement that has seen the course break back into the UK’s Top 100 golf courses.

“It’s a sleeping giant of a golf course,” says Luke. “The layout and landscape are stunning, but the course needed some TLC when I arrived. My goal has been to raise standards and get Crowborough Beacon recognised again among the best in the country – which we’re now achieving.”

Luke’s journey in greenkeeping began at just 16 when he joined Shooters Hill Golf Club in south-east London as an apprentice. He quickly rose to deputy, later taking on head roles at Woodlands Manor and deputy at Royal Wimbledon, before moving to Crowborough Beacon.

His experience at clubs of varying size and stature gave him a solid understanding of what makes great course.

A big part of that success, Luke says, comes down to using the right seed mixtures.

“On the tees, we use PRO Summer Sport, which gives us quick germination and excellent wear tolerance,” he explains. “We’re repairing divots every day, and because our tees are small, I need grass to be growing within a week. The DSV mix establishes really fast, gives great colour, and stands up to heavy play.”

For the fairways, Luke relies on PRO Rye Fairway, a 70/30 blend of fescue and ryegrass that balances strength with a natural fescue finish.

“Our fairways are naturally fescue-dominant, but the rye gives us early-season colour and resilience,” he adds. “We don’t have fairway irrigation, so we rely on strong establishment and drought tolerance. After overseeding, we saw germination in just over three weeks and fantastic coverage.”

Luke was first introduced to DSV through Craig Rodwell at Soil Biology, whose nutritional advice and recommendations have helped shaped the club’s agronomic approach. After trialling the seed on tees, Luke was quickly convinced to extend its use.

“The uptake was excellent, pricing was competitive, delivery was quick – all the boxes were ticked,” he says. “Most importantly, it worked. I’m not going to use something that doesn’t perform, and DSV seed has consistently impressed us.”

DSV Seed Helping Crowborough Beacon Reach New Heights

DSV Seed Helping Crowborough Beacon Reach New Heights

Luke has also visited DSV’s breeding and research centre in the Netherlands, where he gained a deeper appreciation of the company’s commitment to innovation.

“It was an absolute eye-opener,” says Luke. “The scale of the operation and the amount of research and development that goes into producing these mixtures is incredible. Some varieties take over ten years to bring to market. Seeing that process made me realise how much science and effort goes into every bag we use.”

With a settled team and a clear vision, Luke’s leadership has not only improved playing conditions but also boosted membership and morale across the club.

“We’re lucky to work in such a beautiful place,” he concludes. “If we keep improving the surfaces and stay focused on the details, the sky’s the limit. Using the right seed is a big part of that, and DSV has certainly helped us get where we are today.”

Please visit www.dsv-uk.co.uk/products/amenity for more information and follow on social media @EuroGrassUKSeed.

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Brentwood Tree Surgery Reaches New Heights

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Brentwood Tree Surgery Reaches New Heights: When Adrian Strudwick, owner of Brentwood Tree Surgery, was weighing up whether to hire another employee or invest in a new machine, he made a game-changing decision — and hasn’t looked back since.

The purchase of an Avant 630 compact loader has not only accelerated operations across his tree surgery and firewood businesses, but it’s also unlocked new opportunities, turning the machine into what Adrian now calls “the centre of the firm.”

Brentwood Tree Surgery Reaches New Heights

Brentwood Tree Surgery Reaches New Heights

Adrian’s background is in engineering — he began in aircraft engineering before joining the forces in 1982. After leaving the military, he retrained in arboriculture, eventually gaining a degree in the subject and setting up Brentwood Tree Surgery. Over the years, his business has expanded to include firewood processing, site / estate management, and driveway installation — and the Avant 630 has been instrumental in driving that growth.

The Avant 630 isn’t just a forestry machine for Adrian — it’s a versatile workhorse. Used both on-site and at the yard, the compact loader handles everything from loading trucks and towing trailers to moving hay bales for horses and feeding timber into kilns.

“We use it for shifting machinery, unloading our Unimog, clearing the yard, moving crates of firewood — you name it,” says Adrian. “It’s sped up production so much. What used to take multiple people and hours of manual labour, we can now do faster, more efficiently, and with less fatigue.”

Its versatility comes from its size, agility, and the vast range of attachments available — Adrian currently uses forks, a loading bucket, a power rake, and a stone burier, with plans to add a stump grinder and flail mower to his kit.

On-site at Barrack Wood, a historic woodland near Warley and Thorndon Country Park, Adrian uses the Avant 630 to manage timber extraction with minimal impact on the environment.

“It’s relatively light on the ground, so you don’t get the damage you would with a 10-tonne forestry vehicle,” he explains. “You can trailer it in and out easily, and you don’t need to leave it on site overnight. It’s so versatile.”

Barrack Wood, steeped in history from the Napoleonic era, is a delicate environment. Adrian’s careful management and the Avant’s low ground pressure make it an ideal combination for sustainable woodland work.

Brentwood Tree Surgery also runs a kiln-dried firewood company — the only one in the area with a wood kiln capable of drying 15 tonnes of timber in just five days.

Brentwood Tree Surgery Reaches New Heights

Brentwood Tree Surgery Reaches New Heights

“All the waste wood is burnt in biomass boilers to fuel the kiln,” says Adrian. “The Avant loads the firewood processor, moves the crates into the kiln, and unloads them when they’re ready. It’s essential to how we work now.”

The high-quality firewood meets DEFRA and Woodsure standards — a key requirement in today’s market — and Adrian credits the Avant 630 for helping maintain this efficiency and quality.

“It ticks so many boxes for a machine of its size. You can do so many different types of work with it – it really is a super tool,” he says. “And the quick-release hydraulics make switching attachments a matter of seconds. No downtime.”

He’s been so impressed with the performance that after three years of ownership, he’s looking to add a second unit — or possibly upgrade and keep the original.

Adrian also praises the support he’s received from Avant’s dealer, Avant South East. “Chris and the team have been fantastic. They’re a family-run firm and really good to work with.”

For Brentwood Tree Surgery, the Avant 630 has become far more than a machine — it’s a business enabler.

“It really is the centre of the firm now,” says Adrian. “The amount of jobs it can do is endless.”

For more information, please visit www.avanttecno.com/uk

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Wycombe Heights GC and BGL drive sustainability

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Wycombe Heights GC and BGL drive sustainability: Wycombe Heights Golf Centre, owned and operated by BGL (Burhill Group Limited), has unveiled a series of sustainability commitments as part of a continued journey towards achieving a net zero status.

The club has committed to seven fundamental aspects that will be implemented throughout and around the facility. These are: planning, policies and procurement, staff and golfer engagement, taking climate action, conserving resources, fostering nature, strengthening communities, and tracking and reporting.

Wycombe Heights GC and BGL drive sustainability

Wycombe Heights GC and BGL drive sustainability

Some of the key initiatives that are underway have already begun to have a positive impact. A switch to an electric greens mower has allowed the club to substitute diesel for zero carbon electricity as the energy source, irradicate the use of hydraulic fluid which is harmful to local habitats, and reduce noise which is positive for both neighbours and operations. Eventually, the club plans to run an entirely electric fleet.

Furthermore, the transition to an off-site renewable energy supply has helped reduce club emissions by over 51 tCO2e per year, a reduction equivalent to flying 15 times from London to Hong Kong, and 150,000 kms by car.

The most recent initiative has been the construction of a 12,000-metre cubed reservoir to enable the club to irrigate the course using a sustainable water source. Thanks to the investment, 100% of the water used on-site is derived from sustainable sources. This has also allowed the club to avoid supply and demand issues in drier periods.

Commenting on the club’s sustainability journey, Operations Director for BGL Golf, Guy Riggott, said: “Our success with sustainability initiatives so far is something we are very proud of, and we are excited to continue to follow our seven step commitment as we take that to the next level. Through these efforts, our goal is to benefit the environment as well as our employees, members, and visitors.”

Riggott, added: “The work and commitment from Wycombe Heights towards improving sustainable practices is incredible. Across the group, we’re passionate about finding new ways to reduce energy, water consumption, and overall carbon footprint. We are excited to see the continuation of this programme with new initiatives that align with our seven step commitment to sustainability.”

Wycombe Heights Golf Centre is located in High Wycombe, in the heart of Buckinghamshire. The property boasts two 18-hole courses, including a main and short course. In addition, Wycombe Heights has an impressive driving range, fitted with state-of-the-art TrackMan technology.

BGL’s seven step commitment to sustainability is group-wide, across the portfolio of 10 BGL Golf venues around the UK. BGL is a pioneer in the UK golf industry, currently operating 22 golf courses at 10 venues around the country. The company has been a flag-bearer for sustainability, becoming the first and only major multi course operator to have all its venues GEO certified, in 2016.

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