Tag Archive for: Hits

STIGA Hits the Ground Running with RFU Partnership

/in , , /by

STIGA Hits the Ground Running with RFU Partnership: The STIGA team have been hard at work delivering innovative ground-care solutions to rugby clubs across England, following its appointment as Official Groundskeeping Partner of England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU).

The multi-year partnership with the RFU underlines STIGA’s commitment to taking the pressure off volunteers and grounds teams, while helping to create world-class playing surfaces at every level of the game, from grassroots to the elite.

STIGA Hits the Ground Running with RFU Partnership

STIGA Hits the Ground Running with RFU Partnership

As part of the agreement, STIGA has already begun rolling out equipment to clubs and sports facilities nationwide. From England Rugby training centres to local community pitches, the garden care brand is supporting the upkeep of green spaces across the country.

Clubs have welcomed STIGA’s cutting-edge autonomous robot mowers and battery-powered equipment, designed to help deliver professional-quality results with minimal effort. Early feedback from clubs has been overwhelmingly positive:

“We are really excited to be part of this initiative.”

“Thank you for giving us the opportunity to use your robot mowers.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing what this super kit can do.”

Further demonstrating its commitment to the wider rugby community, STIGA has also launched an exclusive discount programme for all England Rugby clubs, players and members, available via stiga.com. A portion of proceeds from these purchases will be reinvested directly back into the RFU community, reinforcing STIGA’s mission to support rugby from the ground up.

This landmark partnership strengthens STIGA’s growing presence in the sports sector and builds on existing collaborations with leading clubs across Europe, including Stade Toulousain in France, Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Germany, Benetton Rugby in Italy and Lech Poznań in Poland. With more than 90 years of lawn-care expertise, STIGA continues to expand its footprint in the professional sports market, helping pitches perform at their very best, match after match.

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

Green-tech Hits the Road for Key Industry Events

/in , /by

Green-tech Hits the Road for Key Industry Events: Green-tech, the UK’s leading landscaping and urban greening solutions supplier, is proud to announce its attendance at four key industry events throughout summer and autumn 2025.

With a firm commitment to supporting sustainable land management, innovation in amenity landscaping, and regenerative practices, Green-tech will be out in force at the following shows:

Green-tech Hits the Road for Key Industry Events

Green-tech Hits the Road for Key Industry Events

  1. Groundswell, Hertfordshire: 2nd & 3rd July
    Focused on regenerative agriculture, Groundswell provides a forum for farmers and growers to learn about regenerative farming systems’ theory and practical applications. The Green-tech team will be on hand to showcase a range of tree planting products and its John Chambers Wildflower Seed mixes to support biodiversity and sustainable farming.
  2. GLAS (Garden Landscape Amenity Sportsturf), Dublin: 17th July
    A flagship event for Ireland’s landscape and amenity sector, GLAS offers a fantastic opportunity for Green-tech to support and connect with Irish contractors, designers, and local authorities. They will highlight practical solutions for urban redevelopment, green infrastructure, wildflower establishment, and sustainable drainage, supporting healthier, greener towns and cities.
  3. The Agroforestry Show, Hertfordshire: 10th–11th September
    As interest in agroforestry continues to grow, Green-tech is excited to attend this unique outdoor event exploring the integration of trees into farming systems. Our presence will support knowledge-sharing on tree protection, soil improvement, and rural land enhancement.
  4. Water & Environmental Management Expo, NEC Birmingham: 17th–18th September
    This specialist event brings together experts in sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), wastewater management, and environmental engineering. Green-tech will spotlight its portfolio of SuDS-compatible products, including the TreeParker and Mona Pluvia systems.

Richard Gill, Sales Director at Green-tech, comments, “These events provide great opportunities to engage with the industry, listen to challenges, and offer practical, sustainable solutions. Whether it’s enhancing biodiversity in rural landscapes or supporting green infrastructure in urban spaces, we’re committed to helping shape a more resilient future for land management and development.”

Green-tech’s technical specialists and specification team will be available at the events to offer advice and support on everything from tree planting to urban greening strategies.

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.

Toro Company hits ten-year landmark

/in , /by

Toro Company hits ten-year landmark: The Toro Company has reinforced its commitment to helping advance sustainability in and through golf by extending its ten-year strategic global partnership with the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation.

For many years The Toro Company has been a leader in golf’s sustainability movement – targeting research and development into new knowledge, ideas and product innovation – particularly in the advancement of water stewardship, hybrid and electric technology, lower emissions, and fuel efficiency.

Toro Company hits ten-year landmark

Toro Company hits ten-year landmark

In parallel, The Toro Company’s sustainability efforts extend to golf courses and organisations, and through The Toro Company Foundation Giving Program, The Toro Company has contributed consistently to sustainable golf advocacy, industry engagement, and development of knowledge, programs and tools.

Kelli Jerome, Executive Director of GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, said: “The combination of The Toro Company’s leadership, support and influence has been fundamental to helping accelerate sustainability across the professional and amateur sides of golf.  Add in how The Toro Company has built sustainability into many wider partnerships and sponsorships, plus investments in innovation and technology, and we can see that the company has made a hugely significant and globally relevant contribution to golf’s progress in conserving nature and resources, delivering value to communities around the world, and helping address issues such as climate change, water pressures and energy costs.”

Marnie K. Wells, President, The Toro Company Foundation, said: “As a company with a century-long tradition of providing evolving solutions and support to the global golf sector, The Toro Company has sought to deliver genuinely cutting-edge equipment and wider knowledge to golf course managers. Our goal is to extend our values and clear responsibility to the environment and communities into solutions that lead to tangible impacts in carbon reduction, water stewardship, noise and air pollution in golf greenspaces worldwide.  Working with partners like GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, with such a clearly aligned mission and purpose, is another way we can contribute to making golf the most sustainable of all sports.”

The Toro Company’s support for GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation over the past decade has, alongside other partners and supporters, delivered an accelerating range of tangible outcomes, including:

  • A dedicated, accredited and endorsed system for sustainable golf comprising standards; online programs; verification; certification and data-driven reporting and claims.
  • A highly accessible, easy and productive pathway for grassroots clubs to engage in – from the Sustainable Golf Pledge, to OnCourse program, to Annual Sustainable Golf Scorecards, to third party certification and promotion.
  • A Sustainable Golf Highlightsknowledge sharing hub, already with over 2000 tried and tested examples of sustainable golf in action.
  • A suite of custom-built carbon calculators for golf facilities; tournaments and organisations
  • A special ‘Sustainable Golf Champion’ program for professional golfers

At the close of 2023, sustainable golf strategies, programs and tools, certification and impact reporting were being utilised in over 70 countries – involving associations; facilities; new developments; tournaments; companies.  Over 600,000 Sustainable Golf Indicators are being tracked in the Sustainable Golf Database, stewarded with and for golf bodies.

Looking forward The Toro Company and GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation will be continuing to develop and provide these non-profit programs, tools and guidance to the sport, plus will pull through more case studies and examples of how The Toro Company solutions are driving a more efficient, popular and sustainable future for facilities.

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.

Veemo hits the spot at Stourbridge

/in , /by

Veemo hits the spot at Stourbridge: After trialling various tractor mounted scarifiers, Steven Harvey, Head Greenkeeper at Stourbridge Golf Course, concluded that the SISIS Veemo MK 2 was by far the most suitable for his fairways.

Stourbridge Golf Club in the West Midlands was formed in 1892 progressing from the original 9 holes laid out on the former Pedmore racecourse to 18 holes in 1909. The basic outline of that course remains today, and marks somewhat of a divide according to Steven.

Veemo hits the spot at Stourbridge

Veemo hits the spot at Stourbridge

“There are essentially two halves to the course,” he said. “The old common ground at the bottom where the racecourse used to be and then you have more of a parkland course at the top. It really is chalk and cheese.

“It is also a small course; in fact, it was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as being the course with the ‘longest yardage over the smallest acreage’. Being a small plot of land to look after, it comes with both positives and benefits.”

Steve oversees a team of four members of staff and full credit must be given to the team for achieving a course which is highly praised by members and visitors alike.

With a humble budget and unfavourable weather conditions to work with, Steve claims that he is always looking at new methods to achieve best results and over recent years, he has largely focussed on the fairways.

“Historically our non-irrigated surfaces such as the fairways do tend to struggle and fail to hold on to moisture. No work has ever really taken place on the fairways other than slitting so they are heavy on organic matter. When it is hot, they really do bake and we have lost a lot of grasses, particularly the fescues.

“A couple of years ago, knowing that we wanted to scarify the fairways, we begged, and borrowed machines just to get the ball rolling,” he continued. “However, the problem always came on the undulating common land and whichever machine we used, it basically scalped them, didn’t hit the low spots and was very hit and miss. But we knew that if we had the right one then it would help us achieve exactly what we wanted to.

“Then we came across the SISIS Veemo.”

The SISIS Veemo MK 2 is a tractor-mounted scarifier used for removing thatch from large areas of turf, such as golf course fairways. The Veemo’s strong cutting blades are designed for minimum surface disturbance and maximum thatch removal via three floating heads which are independent from the main frame. The heads each move in all degrees of motion and follow any undulations of the ground on a fairway without any danger of damaging / scalping the turf, whilst the tungsten tipped hook blades with variable spacing cut effectively through the thatch layer.

Veemo hits the spot at Stourbridge

Veemo hits the spot at Stourbridge

“The Veemo simply stood out from all the others – mainly for its durability and the way it hugs the ground, particularly on the fairways on the bottom half of the course.” said Steve. “It is fantastic the way it hits every part of the surface we want it to hit, due to the floating heads. The way it connects to the back of the tractor is also so simple.

“It is well built, and I can’t envisage any issues with damage or maintenance. The Veemo basically does everything we want it to do.

“We use the Veemo anytime between March and November, and the beauty of it is that not only can I use it on the fairways, but I can get it onto our tees and the approaches as well. I’m also going to be looking to use it on the greens very soon, and I think it will do a great job. I want to use it to its maximum capability.

“Overall, I’m very impressed with the Veemo and we are seeing the improvements from using it already.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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

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.

ISEKI hits the mark for Exeter Rugby Club

/in , /by

ISEKI hits the mark for Exeter Rugby Club: Max Sandford has been working at Exeter Rugby Club for over 11 years with full responsibility as the Head Groundsman for the last four years. 

Working as part of a team of three with one first year apprentice they carefully maintain the premiership rugby pitch, alongside the two Desso rugby training pitches, the grounds and car parks. With over 100 players training three to four times a week it can be quite the challenge with the small team to keep everything in top condition.

ISEKI hits the mark for Exeter Rugby Club

ISEKI hits the mark for Exeter Rugby Club

Following the recent multi-million pound investment and a new East Stand built, the stadium now has capacity for over 15,000 fans and with the new hotel development it offers the opportunity to hold numerous events throughout the year.

When the pitches were built a couple of years ago the consultant helped specify the equipment required, this included a 35hp tractor, Wiedenmann Spiker, sprayer and zero turn mower.  Since moving up from a championship to a premiership side there comes an increase in expectations, so 18 months on the club needed to upsize their equipment to cope with the increase in demand.

Commenting on the equipment Max explained; “In order to cope with the larger aerators required we needed a larger tractor so we went out to the market to obtain three demonstrations and quotes.  This is where we came across the ISEKI TG6507IQ.  Scott Struthers, from our local dealer MST Group in Tiverton, brought this machine to us so we could test it out on our site.  Its high lift capacity of 1,580kg, tight turning circle, auto pick up hitch and of course the highly specified cab made our decision easy.”

“Another brilliant feature of the TG6507 IQ is the headland management system that can be set to automatically disengage the PTO on lifting and re-engage when lowering, making turning at the end of runs so simple.  This makes such a difference when aerating large areas and numerous runs. All these features and then, most importantly, the comfortable air con cab means the staff have no problems working with this machine for long periods of time!”

The TG6507 IQ was supplied by Scott Struthers at MST Group, based in Tiverton, Devon.   Max added; “We have been working with MST for a number of years, the back-up and servicing from them is faultless, they have a good, experienced workshop team ensuring our machines are kept in top condition and very competitive pricing.  With this excellent service it meant the purchase of our ISEKI TG6507 IQ was an obvious choice.”

“The TG6507 IQ is a top quality, well-built, sturdy tractor with many high specifications that make our lives so much easier when maintaining the pitches and other areas around the club.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend ISEKI.”

Watch the video here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irP8kI8HlM4

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.