Tag Archive for: Johnsons

Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan

/in , /by

Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan: After more than six years of dormancy, Raglan Golf Club had become a shadow of its former self – with overgrown fairways, unplayable greens and failing drainage.

When new owners took over in spring 2024, they swiftly brought in Course Manager Lucy Sellick to embark on a 10-month restoration and recovery project. With a little help from industry friends, and the reliable performance of Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures, the turnaround to opening in April 2025 was nothing short of miraculous!

Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan

Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan

When Lucy arrived in September 2024, the task she faced was monumental. Ten greens had been re-laid, while the remaining eight required extensive renovation to make them playable once again. “We were lifting tree canopies, re-wilding and bailing off the grass it was so long – basically starting from scratch” she explains. Having used mixtures from DLF’s Johnsons Sports Seed range throughout her career, Lucy knew exactly where to turn for support and advice.

“The greens had poor coverage and were full of coarse, hard Poa annua. We scarified, aerated and topdressed the eight greens and finished the renovation with an overseed of Johnsons J All Bent mixture to outcompete the Poa.” J All Bent sets the industry standard for density and visual quality, with the inclusion of top-rated Browntop Bent cultivars delivering fast, sustainable golf greens with reduced requirements for chemical inputs.

“This has given us outstanding uniformity, playability and resilience. We oversowed in the autumn of 2024 and again in the spring of 2025 before opening on 1st April. Obviously everyone wanted to come and play the course, and the Johnsons J All Bent has stood up well to both the high levels of footfall and the environmental pressures we’ve experienced this year.”

The challenge didn’t end there, however. With these eight greens performing well, the next objective was to achieve consistency with the other 10 greens laid with a fescue-dominant sward. “The decision to go with fescue pre-dated my start and, unfortunately, it just doesn’t quite work with our traditional parkland course. While we bring thatch levels down enough to be able to start introducing J All Bent, we’ve been oversowing with J Ultrafine Rye 100.”

Blending four of the finest perennial ryegrass cultivars, the fast-establishment of J Ultrafine Rye 100 is ideal for renovations and surfaces that demand strong wear tolerance and high visual merit. Lucy adds, “The germination from this was fantastic and the feedback we’ve had from the players has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Lucy and her team of five continue to refine the course and manage further development projects throughout the winter – her relationship with DLF central to that progress. “The advice from our Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett has been invaluable. From seed selection to overseeding strategy, the help from Ian has played a major part in our transformation.”

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

Determination, teamwork and Johnsons overcomes destruction

/in , , /by

Determination, teamwork and Johnsons overcomes destruction: It’s every greenkeeper’s worst nightmare – to receive a call informing them of vandalism on the course. That nightmare was the unfortunate reality for David Byron of Thorndon Park who returned from BTME 2025 to discover the ‘destruction’ of six greens, three tees and numerous fairways.

With sheer determination, a concerted team effort and the outstanding recovery demonstrated by mixtures from across the Johnsons Sports Seed range, the surfaces were fit and ready for club championships just a few short months later.

Determination, teamwork and Johnsons overcomes destruction

Determination, teamwork and Johnsons overcomes destruction

The only club in Essex to make the England Top 100 list, David has been at Thorndon Park since 2008 and has held the position of Course Manager for the last five. “Being in Harrogate when the news broke of our misfortune was both good and bad” he explains. “While I was not in a position to personally assess the damage the quadbikes had caused, I was completely overwhelmed by the support and offers of assistance I received from the greenkeeping community. I decided to take advantage of as many extra pairs of hands as I could when I returned to clear the greens and managed to get hold of a lot of materials on overnight shipments – the club, our members and the whole industry went above and beyond in our hour of need, and we’re incredibly grateful.”

David and his team of nine set about re-levelling and restoring the affected greens one at a time, sacrificing the club’s putting green to bring the surfaces back into play as swiftly as possible. “We took our time to blend the turfed areas in with micro-coring, topdressing and overseeding with Johnsons J All Bent and J Ultrafine Rye Green.”

“We’ve used Johnsons seed here for many years and it just works for us on all areas of the course” says David. “I consulted with DLF’s Craig Spooner in the wake of the vandalism and we agreed on an overseeding strategy combining the two mixtures – using the quick-establishing ryegrass as a nursery plant, then going back to favouring the bent grasses. The photos and reaction we’ve had from the players at our recent club championship speak volumes for how successful the programme has performed.”

Johnsons J All Bent sets the industry standard for density, sustainability and visual quality. With the inclusion of three top-rated browntop bent cultivars, the mixture delivers a sward tolerant of high wear and close mowing, while the class leading disease resistance also reduces requirements for chemical inputs.

The recovery on the greens has been matched by the performance of Johnsons J Tee and a bespoke dwarf ryegrass mixture, from DLF, on the fairways. “Most of the other damaged areas have bounced back with some regular overseeding and a good dose of TLC!” he adds. “We have to praise the Johnsons mixtures and support from Craig in getting us to where we are today – it’s all part of, what has been, a momentous team effort.”

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.

Johnsons Sports Seed to the rescue at Reddish Vale

/in , /by

Johnsons Sports Seed to the rescue at Reddish Vale: As one extensive improvement project comes to an end, another unexpectedly begins at Stockport’s Reddish Vale Golf Club – and once again, Johnsons Sports Seed is playing a key role in recovery and renovation.

For the past few seasons, J Premier Tee has been transforming tees and aprons, bringing big benefits to play and praise for Head Greenkeeper Aaron Watkinson and his team. However, widespread flooding over the New Year period means a major recovery programme is now underway on the fairways – with the tried and tested Johnsons J Fairway ready to come to the rescue!

Johnsons Sports Seed to the rescue at Reddish Vale

Johnsons Sports Seed to the rescue at Reddish Vale

“I’ve worked with Johnson’s mixtures for many years and know it’s a range I can rely on” comments Aaron. “We set about some long-overdue improvements on the tees and aprons by firstly removing some of the tree coverage and identifying the key characteristics we were going to need from our choice of seed– these were wear tolerance, quick recovery, strong colour and an ability to withstand drought stress due to our aging irrigation system.”

Ticking all of the boxes has been a combination of J Premier Tee and J Fairway from the Johnsons Sports Seed range. Featuring 4turf® tetraploid ryegrass, J Premier Tee is ideal for rapid establishment on high-wear areas and sustainable shade tolerant tees. “We previously had some tees which were virtually unplayable come the end of September, but thanks to overseeding the last few years we now have a strong sward, delivering quality all year round. The members have undoubtedly noticed the improvements.”

For certain tees, Aaron also incorporated additional strength and drought tolerance with the 100% fescue blend of Johnsons J Fairway. It’s proven performance on the tees and aprons is now set to be extended as the team embark on a large-scale flood-recovery project. “We came back in January 2025 to find five of our holes under six to eight foot of floodwater from the River Tame. Once it receded, we were left with hundreds of tonnes of silt and sewerage contamination – all removed by the three of us, by hand!”

Alongside their hard work, it’s been the resilience and performance of Johnsons J Fairway that has underpinned their recovery. “Thanks to the incredible team effort some areas have already bounced back incredibly well, and those that need a bit of a helping hand will get an overseed with J Fairway which will help to complete the restoration in the coming weeks.”

The new J Fairway mix has been carefully selected to help restore Reddish Vale’s traditional heathland character and deliver cost-effective, intelligent turf management. “The blend combines high-quality chewings and slender creeping red fescues for density, visual merit, salt tolerance and drought resilience, alongside two strong creeping red fescues chosen for shoot density and disease resistance. A final 5% of browntop bentgrass gives this mixture a real edge in terms of longevity and visual quality,” adds Stuart Yarwood of DLF Seeds, who advised Aaron during the post-flood planning.

Aaron concludes, “We’re keeping positive and using this recovery as an opportunity to replicate the high standards we’ve delivered with Johnsons on the tees across our flood-hit fairways. We’ll get there!”

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.

2025 Johnsons Sports Seed range

/in , /by

2025 Johnsons Sports Seed range: In their pursuit of high performance, sustainable seed solutions, DLF have introduced a number of new mixtures and formulations across the Johnsons Sports Seed range – all outlined in the brand-new 2025 catalogue.

In a particularly exciting expansion of their fine turf range, 2025 brings two new mixtures and seven new formulations, while research across DLF’s global breeding centres has contributed to their strongest ever line-up for sports turf.

2025 Johnsons Sports Seed range

2025 Johnsons Sports Seed range

Building on the success of Johnsons J Ultrafine Rye 100, 2025 brings increased versatility with the introduction of J Ultrafine Rye 25 and J Ultrafine Rye 50 – new 25% and 50% perennial ryegrass mixtures ideal for close mown applications such as greens, tees, and bowling greens, as well as high-traffic areas like fairways, pathways, tennis courts and cricket outfields. Blending highly ranked ultrafine ryegrass cultivars on the STRI close mown table, the range offers multiple benefits including fineness of leaf, wear tolerance, quick recovery, rapid establishment and sustainable performance.

Other highlights from the updated golf range include the new formulation of J Green which includes 20% Sybille, a new, No.1 ranked slender creeping red fescue for close mown turf. With its high density and disease tolerance, Sybille helps to supress unwanted weeds and diseases, reducing the need for pesticides. Sybille is also incorporated in the 2025 formulations of J Fescue, J Links and J Premier Tee.

For sports turf, the 2025 Johnsons range utilises the latest global research on disease trends and resistance to give turf managers mixtures that help to protect their surfaces by choice, not by chance. Demonstrating exceptional disease resistance from Brown Patch and Grey Leaf Spot in trials, along with superior drought tolerance and reduced requirements for water and fertiliser, 4turf® mixtures remain a trusted and reliable partner to high performance maintenance programmes. 4turf® is available in 25, 50 and 100% formulations within the 2025 Johnsons Sports Seed range.

Johnsons also continues to lead the way with class-leading mixtures for cricket. The new 2025 formulation of J Premier Wicket promises to deliver class leading wear tolerance, rapid establishment and high disease resistance for village squares to county quality cricket squares.

In addition, DLF have invested heavily in their in-house production of native-origin wildflowers. A dedicated area at their Inkberrow site now spans over 80 acres, helping to sustain the increase in demand for mixtures from their ProFlora range.

More details on all the new additions are available in the new 2025 Johnsons Sports Seed brochure, or by visiting the website www.johnsonssportsseed.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 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.

Johnsons delivers tried and trusted performance

/in , /by

Johnsons delivers tried and trusted performance: A programme of Johnsons J Fairway has been praised by the team at Woodbridge Golf Club, after delivering tried and trusted performance for more than a decade.

Such is the consistency and quality of results from the 100% fescue blend on the fairways, Course Manager Paul Lawrence is now employing another 100% fescue mix from the Johnsons Sports Seed range on the clubs 27 greens as they seek to improve drought and disease tolerance.

Johnsons delivers tried and trusted performance

Johnsons delivers tried and trusted performance

Woodbridge Golf Club boasts a 9 and 18-hole course, well renowned for its exciting play and stunning heathland surroundings. When Paul joined the club in November 2014, Johnsons J Fairway was already extensively used across the fairways and, ten years later, remains the only mixture that suits their conditions. “It would be remiss not to keep an eye on new mixtures, but we continue to find that nothing performs like J Fairway year-in, year-out” says Paul.

He continues, “It gives us fantastic, hard-wearing surfaces and has demonstrated outstanding tolerance to drought over the years.” Paul emphasises that this was particularly evident during the summers of 2018 and, more recently, 2022. “Despite the extreme drought, as soon as the rain returned the fairways came back in a flash which is testament to its recovery, and the deep rooting nature of fine fescues. It can also be sown late into the year and it’ll establish and germinate as soon as conditions are right.”

Johnsons J Fairway blends five top-ranking fescue cultivars to deliver sustainable fairways with improved sward quality and reduced management cost. Ideal for heathland and parkland courses, J Fairway has high visual merit and shoot density, along with industry-leading tolerance to drought and turf diseases including Fusarium.

“Because of how well this mix performs, we are now in a position of not having to conduct much in the way of overseeding – more just monitoring and spot-treating certain ‘bottleneck’ areas.”

In attempts to replicate the resilient results on the greens, Paul has recently embarked on an overseeding programme with Johnsons J Fescue on the back of advice of DLF’s Craig Spooner and local distributor Aitkens. “We’d like to achieve a bent/fescue composition which, moving forwards, will put us in a better position to withstand environmental pressures and lower our inputs of water and fertiliser. We’re overseeding twice a year and are already seeing fantastic results!”

For more information on all the high-performance mixtures available across the Johnsons golf and sports turf seed range, visit www.johnsonssportsseed.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 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.