Tag Archive for: keep

Woll GC keep things moving

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Woll GC keep things moving: The Woll Golf Course were taking another step forward before the season was stalled due to the coronavirus. Now they are re –setting the membership clock to keep things moving forward!

The Owners of the Woll Golf Course at New Woll Estate were showing great confidence in the golf market with their growing membership at Woll and increasing visitor numbers.  Together this encouraged them to continue with their development of the course over last winter. But now they are having to take bold moves to help their members and ensure the course keeps moving forward.

Woll GC keep things moving

Woll GC keep things moving

The work took on the redevelopment of 2 more greens, the green complexes (surroundings of the greens), new bunkers, 3 new tees and new irrigation, but it doesn’t stop there a number of changes are being made with more new tees coming into play some specifically to encourage the lady golfers. There are also new paths designed to improve movement around the course and help in the winter where the course is able to stay open and playable all year round with normal greens and tees!  Since 2013 16 holes of the 18 hole course have been redeveloped

However now the course is looking better than ever and there are no golfers! Like all the courses in the Borders it is just being looked after by a skeleton staff with essential maintenance until the green light is given to re-open.

Everyone is desperate to welcome golfers back to enjoy it when it is safe to do so and the Owners are trying to help.  They have confirmed to all their members and potential new members that they are  re-setting the membership year – So depending on when restrictions on golf are lifted in the Borders their membership year will restart so no one  loses out.  Essentially existing members, membership year will be extended and new members will benefit from their membership lasting from the date of restrictions lifting for an entire year.

David Brown one of the Owners said
 ‘Up till now Continuing investment and development in the course and all the facilities has seen real benefits with our strong and growing membership.  In the current environment though we are trying to do what is best for members and look to the future.
We are trying to offer the best course, playable all year round and enjoyable and accessible to golfers of all standards.  We are lucky to have such good and hardworking teams throughout the business giving us great end results.  We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to golf!

Nicholas Brown one of the owners stated
 ‘We believe it is important to actively move forward and ensure we improve all golfers enjoyment of the game with the best course possible and facilities to match, sometimes though it is not all about these large developments but also continued small improvements and robust ongoing maintenance programs and most important of all looking after the members’

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Foxes keep groundsman busy

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Foxes keep groundsman busy: A brush with the local fox population is keeping Leeds Rhinos’ groundsman Ryan Golding busy during the coronavirus crisis.

Most of Rhinos’ 150 employees have been placed on furlough, a form of paid leave, but Golding is among a handful still working – and vulpine pitch invaders are giving him plenty to do.

“They are a nightmare,” Golding said of the four-legged hooligans.

“They live near the railway track, in all the bushes there.

“On a night, when they are scavenging for food, they come into the stadium and they always dig in the same place on the pitch.

“They are digging bones into the pitch – I am finding bones all the time.”

The urban foxes are sometimes spotted on the terraces after games, which is one reason why cleaning crews are brought in so quickly following the final whistle.

Golding hopes fencing will deter the pests and noted: “It’s a unique problem, with it being an inner-city stadium.

“You

wouldn’t have a problem like that on an industrial site, it’s just another thing we have to deal with.”

On the other hand, the foxes do keep Emerald Headingley’s pigeons – another traditional groundsman’s enemy – at bay.

“They are stalking around the pitch on a night, waiting for the pigeons to land,” Golding reported.

“There are feathers everywhere! On a morning I have to go around picking pigeon carcasses up.

“It is like a war zone, but they don’t go near our feed, fertilizers or chemicals, which is good.”

Even without the foxes, Golding has his hands full restoring the pitch to its usual glory following unprecedented rainfall last winter.

“My assistants have been furloughed, so it’s just me,” he said.

“I am having to look after all the stadium and all of Kirkstall [Rhinos’ training base] on my own.

“It is challenging, but it’s quite enjoyable – it is taking me back to when I was younger, getting my hands dirty.

“It is very negative circumstances, but it is what it is – there’s people dying, so you can’t really moan.”

The last few months have been tough for Rhinos’ ground crew who, as well as looking after Headingley, had to cope with flooding at Kirkstall.

Golding recalled: “We had a record three months of rainfall – around 300-350 millimetres.

“That is a hell of a lot – and it wasn’t necessarily the weather, it was the timing.

“We always seemed to get downpours the night before games and the morning of.

“We weren’t really getting any luck and the game where it turned was the double-header [when Headingley staged Rhinos’ Betfred Super League opener against Hull immediately after Castleford Tigers had faced Toronto Wolfpack].

“We had a lot more rain than expected after the first game.

“I had two choices, to leave it as it is and have a slow surface, or take it on the chin and make it a fast one.”

Rhinos scored 154 points in their three home games after the loss to Hull and Golding added: “People say it looks like a beach, but it plays really well.

“That’s something I had to discuss with the management team, Rich [Agar, Rhinos’ coach] and Kev [Sinfield, director of rugby].

“I am not bothered what people say if it allows us to play fast rugby and get two points.

“That’s what we did, we applied sand quite regularly to make a fast, stable surface to enable the players to gain purchase – rather than it turning into a mudbath.”

The break has allowed Golding time to work on the pitch, but – with no clear indication when rugby will resume – he explained: “I don’t want to throw everything into recovery yet.

“It’s a bit like a finely-tuned athlete, you don’t want to hand it all the supplements and everything it requires now because it’s going to keep needing that.

“It is a sand-based surface so it drains very quickly and leaches nutrients very quickly, so I have to be careful with what I am applying.”

Life won’t get any less hectic for Golding – and his team – when the season eventually resumes.

Midweek matches are likely as Super League clubs race to make up for lost time, but Golding has no concerns over having to prepare the ground for multiple games in a short space of time.

He stressed: “I don’t see it as a bad thing.

“You get some groundsmen who are very much ‘keep off the pitch’, but I wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the sport so let’s get as many games on as we can and get back to enjoying sport.”

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Woods Batwings help keep Stansted flying

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Woods Batwings help keep Stansted flying: Supplied through the Chelmsford based R C Boreham dealership Stansted airport has taken delivery of two Woods heavy duty BW240XHD batwing mowers.

Matt Boreham commented, “we demonstrated the machines and the Stansted staff were impressed with the combination of performance and competitive cost. They will be used to maintain huge areas of grass to prevent vermin and birds becoming a safety risk”

Woods Batwings help keep Stansted flying

Simon Richard UK Sales Agent for the woods range added, the Woods BW240 XHD Batwing is the largest in the range with a cutting width of 6.10 metres and is capable of cutting tall brush and trees up to 7.6 cm in diameter, making it ideal for maintaining both wide areas and roadsides. Features include a double deck built to handle a host of applications, easy to reach quick-change blade pins and a side frame depth of 33.7 cm which handles more material and distributes it evenly.  Greaseable pivot points are located on turnbuckle and axle arms to increase durability and reduce wear.

There are three duties, Standard, Heavy Duty and Extreme in the Woods range. This year has seen a big swing to the Heavy Duty model as many people are unhappy with the durability of competitor machines. Woods offer heavier duty machines with options of single spring, sprung axles or walking tandem axles”

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Keep It Sharp With Toro Blades

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Keep It Sharp With Toro Blades: Switch out the old and bring in the new. With grass growth fast and furious make sure you and your machines are ready for high season with Toro’s rotary blades and guarantee a beautiful finish.

Too often, we talk about how important it is to have a good quality mower and forget that, just as important as the mower, are the parts you put in it. Now, with grass growth at its peak, is the time to be vigilant and ensure rotary blades are sharp and ready to deliver the best cut possible.

Keep It Sharp With Toro Blades

Reesink Turfcare’s parts manager Michael Hampton says: “Spring sees greenkeepers tackle large areas of grass much more frequently than other times of the year; activity that can quickly dull rotary blades. Here we look at how to prevent unnecessary downtime and out-of-action machines, with proper maintenance and parts stock planning.”

Maintenance best practice includes checking all blades to ensure they are not twisted or bent as they require more horsepower to operate, damage the turf, create vibration and noise, and shorten spindle life.

Michael comments: “To stay on top of maintenance while mowers are being used more regularly, I highly recommend Toro customers stock up on replacement rotary blades now, rather than waiting until there is an issue. In order to prevent damage to your machine and ensure operator safety, when signs of wear are identified, the blade must be replaced immediately – making on-hand spares extremely useful.”

Choosing blades produced by the manufacturer of your machine is recommended, as is “choosing blades with a toughened steel microstructure to improve wear resistance”, says Michael. “Choosing a generic blade that is not precisely manufactured for the mower may result in poor quality of cut due to incorrect blade angle and height.”

Toro’s precisely engineered blades fit the cutting unit perfectly, but each is carefully crafted to specific turf needs. For example, the ‘No Sail’ (flat) blade is a good choice in high summer working well in very dry and dusty conditions and across areas that are not mowed as regularly, plus these blades make quick work of cutting down weeds.

The ‘High Sail’ is best used early in the spring season when the grass is still thin and wispy or prone to falling over a lot, or if you’re missing grass leaves with other rotary blades.

An ‘Angled’ blade is usually what is supplied as standard with the machine, giving the best all-round cut and the ‘Atomic Sail’ is what’s best later in the season, perfect for mulching up leaves or for use with a recycling deck to mulch the grass.

Genuine Toro rotary blades are designed to work harder for longer, reducing the risk of unexpected wear and breakages other non-genuine parts can suffer. They will not need replacing as often as ‘will-fit’ parts and mowers will deliver a sharper cut for a beautiful finish for longer.

To find out more or place on order, contact Reesink’s parts department on 01480 226870.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Richard Peel Groundcare keep the water moving at Dyrham Park

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Richard Peel Groundcare keep the water moving at Dyrham Park Golf and Country Club: Richard Peel Groundcare has installed sand-banding on 14 greens at Dyrham Park Golf and Country Club to enhance their primary drainage system.

The picturesque Hertfordshire course is renowned for its water hazards, with several placed across the 6,497 yards, but keeping water off the greens is what head greenkeeper, David Hicks was concentrated on.

Richard Peel Groundcare keep the water moving at Dyrham Park

The club had new drainage installed in their greens in 2015 and to make the system more efficient David wanted to use sand banding to link the two systems together, prompting him to use Richard Peel Groundcare’s Imants SandCat for the job.

“We’ve had main drainage installed at a deeper depth on our greens and we just wanted to keep the top surface open, and link the two systems up,” David said. “We wanted to remove the surface water and the sand will aid it getting into the lower drains and prevent any standing water.

“There are four sand based greens here that drain like a sieves so we didn’t have any work done on those, but it did go over 14 of our greens and our putting green which is the size of two greens.

“We’ve had some rain on the course and I’m pleased with how the water has drained through so far, albeit a small amount.”

Richard Peel (contact number is 07930 336594) places great emphasis on having the best machines for the job and this has led to investment in the highest quality possible, in this case the SandCat. “The SandCat offers sand injection to 10-15mm and uses de-compacting blades that cause very little disturbance and have minimal recovery time.” He explains

“Its compact size makes it ideal for greens and tees, and these factors combined are why the 14 greens at Dyrham Park now have consistently draining greens.”

But it wasn’t only the machine that impressed David. He also commended the workmanship and management of the work, which had to be completed during the clubs’ maintenance week.

“Because the project was going on during our maintenance week it was important that we were able to get on with the other work we had on, so it was important for us to be able to leave the operator on his own to work,” David explained.

“The operator, Tom, was a conscientious hard-working lad who picked up our course really quickly and used a good bit of common sense, so we were very comfortable with leaving him to get on with the job.

“I was very happy with the service overall because sometimes you have contractors offer things they can’t deliver, so it was very refreshing to work with a company who delivered on what they said.”

Overall the project took four and a half days to complete, with one day lost due to 51mm of rainfall over 24-hours that stopped all work on the course. However, at a rate of six greens a day all work was completed well within the pre-arranged time frame.

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