Tag Archive for: Mansfield

Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park

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Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park: From bunkers to greens, Martin Scothern – Head Greenkeeper at Wollaton Park Golf Club has long relied on a range of products from Mansfield Sand.

Wollaton Park Golf Club in Nottingham is widely regarded as one of the finest parkland courses in the East Midlands. A traditional members’ club, the course is set in 140 acres of the 516-acre Wollaton Park and is overlooked by the magnificent 16th century Wollaton Hall.

Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park

Mansfield Sand relied on at Wollaton Park

Designed by Tom Williamson and opened in 1927, it has been sensibly upgraded over the years to provide a challenging and enjoyable test for golfers at all levels.

The course has a reputation for play on full greens year-round and this is testament to the work of Head Greenkeeper Martin Scothern, who has been working at Wollaton Park since 1989. After leaving school he went straight into greenkeeping which was no surprise considering he used to work on his local golf course during the school holidays.

Martin’s use of Mansfield Sand stretches back to long before he started working at Wollaton Park, as he explains.

“Mansfield Sand has been used at every club I’ve ever worked at, so I was always aware of the company,” he said.

For the past 32 years Martin has been using Mansfield’s MM35 Golf pure silica sand for top dressing his greens which brings a number of benefits such as improved recovery, firmness, smoothness and an improved rootzone.

“We normally like to topdress every 4-6 weeks just to give the greens a light dusting,” he said. “I like my sand delivered at 6.30am in the morning when we are topdressing and without fail the Mansfield Sand delivery drivers are always on time. They will tip it off, we will apply it to the 20 greens, and it is job done. However, we will always make sure that we have a bit left over for any bunkers that need topping up throughout the season.”

As Martin says, MM35 Golf also makes for a great bunker sand as it has fantastic playing characteristics as well as being aesthetically attractive. In fact, Martin and the team are currently working on a long-term project to reconstruct all the bunkers and MM35 will be used in combination with rubber crumb and astro-turf.  “We have always used Mansfield Sand for the bunkers and will continue to do,” he said.

Bunkers and topdressing aside, Martin used a Fibre Reinforced Rootzone from Mansfield Sand to build a new short game academy green back in 2019. This natural sports turf sand dominated rootzone product is reinforced with polypropylene fibres. This is achieved by mixing the Mansil 40 silica sand, a screened topsoil and polypropylene fibres to create a completely homogeneous blend to be used as the upper rootzone. Consolidated to a typical 100mm depth the fibre reinforced rootzone can then be fertilised and seeded to produce the final grass surface.

With Mansil 40 in mind, Martin revealed that he will be trialling this product on his fairways in the not-too-distant future.

“We are going to start some work on three fairways that get a little bit wet in certain areas,” he said. “We’ve got some old pits underneath the golf course and the subsidence has caused some issues over the years. Therefore, we are looking for a coarser sand such as the Mansil 40 to brush in with some hollow coring and vertidraining. My hope is that by doing this regularly, it will help them to be more playable through winter.”

Martin will be joined by Sharon Morris, Golf and Football Sales Manager for Mansfield Sand, for the fairway trials, and he admitted that he would not be without her.

“I can call her up at 9:30pm and say Sharon, I forgot to call you today, I need some sand in the morning! I know that the sand will be there the very next morning. It is first-class customer service,” he said.

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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Mansfield Sand back at SALTEX

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Mansfield Sand back at SALTEX: Mansfield Sand (stand C134) will be returning to SALTEX to showcase a wide range of sand-based products that are vital to the overall health and performance of a sports pitch.

Mansfield Sand has pioneered the development and production of premium silica sand-based products for over 170 years. The company provides a wide range of innovative products for sports, landscaping, and equestrian uses. These include stadium and training ground facilities; championship golf courses and world class show jumping arenas.

Mansfield Sand back at SALTEX

Mansfield Sand back at SALTEX

Below is a snapshot of just some of the innovative products that could well make a significant improvement to your sports turf facility.

Reinforced Rootzone

A range of Reinforced Rootzones developed to obtain greater use from natural turf surfaces whilst maintaining the high standards demanded by today’s sports industry and meeting the expectations of ground staff at all levels. Mansfield Sand’s reinforcement technology provides stability and durability to all sand dominated Rootzones allowing the pitch to remain free draining and consistent over the whole surface.

Products include Fibre Reinforced Rootzone – reinforced with polypropylene fibres; Fibrelastic Rootzone – reinforced with polypropylene fibres and flexible Elastane fibres and Fibresand – particularly advantageous when grass cover has been reduced due to heavy usage and wear during the winter period.

Sand Soil Rootzones

Mansfield Sand understands exactly what is needed to achieve the surface that turf managers require week-in-week-out and that is why their rootzones contain only the best quality materials to meet that demand. For renovation or construction, the company’s superior rootzone blend Mansil 40 Silica Sand with a quality screened topsoil, guarantees the perfect start.

Sand Compost Rootzones

A range of premium quality sand organic material blends which are perfect for creating a rootzone where an organic rich material is required within the profile, aiding in the retention of nutrients whilst providing increased drought resistance.

Top Dressing

Produced for the fine turf market, Mansfield Sand’s Soil Top Dressing is a manufactured homogenous product made from their own premium silica sands combined with top quality soils. All passed through a sterilising unit, over a 3mm screen to produce an easy to spread, stone and pebble free dressing. Mansfield Sand can also produce bespoke dressing blends and combine soil amendments into any product.

Mansil Silica Sand Sports Range

Sourced from the company’s Two Oaks Quarry in Mansfield where the Mansil range of Silica Sands is produced. These products are predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces – from winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas.

Mansfield Sand’s experienced team will on hand throughout the two-day event to speak in more detail about your individual requirements.

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Equestrian excellence from Mansfield Sand

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Equestrian excellence from Mansfield Sand: SE Hill, a highly regarded company which specialises in the design and construction of equestrian manege facilities, has revealed why it has relied on Mansfield Sand products for over fifteen years.

Over the years SE Hill has built a reputation of a company that can deliver a professional and reliable service. As well as providing drainage, access tracks, earthworks and landscaping and numerous other constructions works, the company also specialises in equestrian facilities – and that is where Mansfield Sand comes in.

Equestrian excellence from Mansfield Sand

Equestrian excellence from Mansfield Sand

“We’ve been working with Mansfield Sand and have been using their products for over fifteen years,” said Managing Director Steve Hill. “I wouldn’t dream of using anyone else.”

Steve relies on Fibresand and Equestrian Silica Sand for his various manege projects.

Fibresand is a simple but highly effective concept, of using synthetic fibres to stabilise a silica sand in order to produce a free draining yet relatively firm, sure footing surface.

The rot proof, polypropylene fibres stabilise the silica sand by providing a high degree of resistance to sand particle movement when the surface is subjected to compressive and/or shear forces from the horses’ hooves.

Fibresand is a cost effective, durable and resistant surface which works as an excellent base layer that is free draining with a sure footing.

Alternatively, Equestrian Silica Sand provides an excellent riding surface which is free draining. Ideally suited as a base sand, it is recommended that the Equestrian Silica be incorporated into a fibre stabilising product to provide structure and further stability.

Commenting on SE Hill’s use of Mansfield Sand products, Louise Barrington-Earp, Equestrian and Landscaping Sales Representative, said:

“Steve finds the Equestrian Silica Sand as a very good sub-base which he then blends a stabilising fibre into.

“The Fibresand, on the other-hand, comes pre-mixed so it means contractors can apply the product immediately with no on-site mixing.

“Overall, Mansfield Sand is delighted and proud to have SE Hill as a customer. We have built a very good business relationship over the years and Steve’s workmanship is second-to-none.”

Steve was equally complimentary: “There is a reason I have been using Mansfield Sand for so long,” he said. “The products are of great quality and are always consistent; the haulage aspect is fantastic and obtaining quotations from Louise is a professional and speedy process.

“From products to service, I put my trust in Mansfield Sand.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

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A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand: Mansfield Town FC Head Groundsman Michael Merriman, known to most in the industry as Mez, has revealed how products from Mansfield Sand have signalled a ‘massive improvement’ to the pitch at the One Call Stadium.

Mez might be a Liverpool fan but there is no team closer to his heart than Mansfield Town FC after working at the club for an incredible 24 years. It all started after seeing a job advert for the role of a trainee community football coach for Mansfield Town. From there he moved into the role of an assistant groundsman but also adopted the duties of kitman and a self-proclaimed ‘bath filler’. His hard work and dedication to the club paid off in 2004 when he was promoted to the role of Head Groundsman.

A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

He now oversees the stadium and the training ground and manages a grounds team which is very much a family affair – his two assistants are his son Scott and Lewis Sprigg – who is the son of previous Head Groundsman Rob Sprigg.

It’s safe to say that Mez has become a part of the club’s fabric who has endured and enjoyed both difficult and prosperous times in the club’s recent history. It was perhaps during the more difficult times that he was particularly grateful of the help he received from Mansfield Sand.

“We’ve been working with Mansfield Sand for the entire time I have been at the club,” he said. “Before the new chairman came in, we had some hard times when we didn’t have any money and Mansfield Sand really showed their support for us. It is things like that which will never be forgotten, and I’d like to say a huge thank you.”

Support aside, there is a reason why the club has been relying on products from Mansfield Sand for so long, and Mez explained how they have been just so beneficial.

“We’ve been using MM40 (predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces) for as long as I have been here,” he said. “We used to use it every year during the May renovation and even when we weren’t able to turn the pitch over due to lack of funding, we would still put about 50 tonnes of the MM40 over the top, followed by a verti-drain to get a bit of drainage in the pitch.

“We’ll also very often follow up with a light coating of the MM40 in October – just to get us through winter; and I would say that over the past couple of years we have applied about 200 tonnes, if not more, of MM40 at the training ground.”

In 2017, Mez used a pure sand and polypropylene fibre reinforcement product that is particularly advantageous when grass cover has been reduced due to heavy usage and wear during the winter period. It is incorporated into an upper sand soil rootzone and consolidated to provide a stable divot-free environment.

A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

“We applied 300 tonnes of the Fibresand mixed to a depth of 100mm and it transformed the way the pitch played,” he said. “It has signalled a massive improvement; we no longer get the sloppy surface and providing you do your renovations and prepare your pitch in the correct way then you won’t have a better surface. Fibresand is a great product, and I would recommend it to everybody.”

In further praise of Mansfield Sand, Mez commended the customer service he receives.

“I work with Sharon Morris from Mansfield Sand who is an absolute diamond,” he said.

“There have often been times when I have put orders on her late and she always pulls it out the bag for me. With Mansfield Sand it is not just a case of providing you with products and then off they go. Sharon will come in and take samples, makes sure it is at the right depth and ensure that the contractors applying it are doing a good job. The delivery drivers are also extremely helpful and courteous.

“It is a great service all round.”

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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PNE’s pitches boosted by Mansfield Sand

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PNE’s pitches boosted by Mansfield Sand: Pete Ashworth, Head Groundsman at Preston North End FC, has revealed how products from Mansfield Sand play a role in achieving consistently good playing surfaces.

Pete, a graduate of the highly regarded Myerscough College, originally began his career at Blackburn Rovers FC before moving to Preston North End FC in 2005. The award-winning groundsman now oversees 7 members of staff over three sites.

PNE’s pitches boosted by Mansfield Sand

PNE’s pitches boosted by Mansfield Sand

Across those three sites, which includes Deepdale Stadium, the youth academy and the new first-team training centre, Pete has six Fibresand constructed pitches – and this is where Mansfield Sand come in.

“Mansfield Sand were used during my time at Blackburn FC, and I have personally dealt with them the whole time I have been here at Preston North End – the customer service has always been first-class,” said Pete.

“There are two products in particular that we use across the Fibresand pitches we have, and they are incredibly important to the playability of them.”

Pete uses Mansfield’s Fibresand, which is a pure sand and polypropylene fibre reinforcement product that is particularly advantageous when grass cover has been reduced due to heavy usage and wear during the winter period. It is incorporated into an upper sand soil rootzone and consolidated to provide a stable divot-free environment.

“We’ll use the Fibresand during renovations and how much we apply really depends on how much we need,” he said. “Mansfield Sand will usually come and take samples in December to see what our levels are and when we find out what the fibre content is, we will then know how much fibre we need to add. You need to have a certain percentage of fibre to keep that stability in your surface and have the best pitch you can.”

Historically, Deepdale Stadium was the only Fibresand pitch under Pete’s remit, but 2019 signalled the start of more and he has not looked back since.

“We used to have drainage issues on the pitches at the youth academy centre, but that has all changed now.

“I’m a big fan of Fibresand pitches and I like to think I am fairly good at dealing with them in whatever conditions are thrown at us. In the North of England, we get a huge amount of rainfall and the pitches let the water through with no problems at all – that is thanks to the great products from Mansfield Sand.”

Furthermore, Pete revealed that while he relies on Mansfield’s Fibresand for renovations, he will also use the company’s MM40 product.

“We’ll use the MM40 for a straight sand top dressing, especially for the pitches that aren’t having a full cultivation,” he said. “It is a brilliant medium sand and I always try and keep a couple of tonnes left over for goal mouths or any other areas.”

From winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas – Mansfield Sand has a solution for all.

For more information visit www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

You can also follow the company on Twitter – @MansfieldSand and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MansfieldSandSportSurfaces/

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.

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You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.