Tag Archive for: New

New partnership benefits Leven Links

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New partnership benefits Leven Links: Golfers visiting Leven Links Golf Course in Fife are often unaware that they are playing, in part, over one of the oldest pieces of golfing land in the world. This is a traditional links with rolling fairways, many of which are lined by ancient sand dunes, fast putting surfaces, burns and pot bunkers.

The club dates back to 1820 although golf only started being played here in 1846, and it is thought that the original layout became the first course that century to boast both 18 tees and 18 greens. Leven Links also lays claim to hosting the oldest open amateur strokeplay championship in the world.

New partnership benefits Leven Links

New partnership benefits Leven Links

The Standard Life Assurance Company’s Amateur Champion Gold Medal has been held here since 1870, with more recent winners including Lee Westwood and Andrew Coltart. It also hosts the historic Lindsay Shield, an interclub match between Leven, St Andrews and Carnoustie which can be traced back over 150 years.

Establishing a new heritage is the aim of course manager David Gray, who took over here in September 2018 after a period as head greenkeeper at Ladybank Golf Club, also in Fife. David, who is a BIGGA Central Section Scotland committee member, believes there is a lot of potential to bring Leven Links back to a pre-eminent position by once more hosting big events and putting its name firmly back on the golfing map.

Two clubs share the course, Leven Golfing Society and Leven Thistle, and this comes with its own challenges, says David. The sheer volume of competitive golf generates a lot of work to meet the required standards and means the pressure on the small greenkeeping team is constant.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to manage my own course in the way I’d like,” says David. “Expectations are high, and we’re trying to produce the best possible conditions on a day to day basis. This has meant the introduction of more modern techniques and cultural practices, as well as investment in up to date course machinery.

“With the exception of my deputy Gary McLaren, who has spent an impressive 30 years at Leven Links, I have been able to build a fantastic new team who have adapted very well to my strategies and are loving the introduction of the new equipment. Teamwork is hugely important in our industry and with staff working independently towards the same end goal, the collective results are so rewarding.”

As part of this initial modernisation process, a ProGator utility vehicle equipped with an HD200 amenity turf sprayer was bought from local John Deere dealer Double A at Cupar. This provides more accuracy and precision plus a bigger tank capacity than the course’s previous mounted sprayer, and led to the clubs’ first John Deere machinery deal being agreed with the dealership in late 2019, as part of a new partnership approach.

The fleet now also includes 2500E hybrid electric and 2550 E-Cut triplex greens mowers, another ProGator with a Dakota top dresser, TE electric and HPX diesel Gator utility vehicles and an R Series walk-behind rotary mower plus ancillary products including a Wessex collector and a Tru-Turf greens roller, for which Double A is the official UK distributor.

“There was no structured machinery replacement strategy in place when I came to the club, so this was one of the first things we had to address to improve the overall course quality and presentation, as well as reliability of the equipment,” says David.

“I made a proposal to the Leven Links Joint Committee, and their support has been fantastic, bearing in mind we are breaking completely new ground for the clubs with this deal. Now we have an established plan and we’re always talking about what happens next, so it’s very much a continuing process.

“We opted for a John Deere Financial lease deal, which proved to be extremely flexible as not only could we defer payments due to Covid-19, we were also able to bundle in an extra machine, the HPX Gator,” says David. “We had great support too from John Bateson of Double A, and both of these aspects were key factors in making the deal happen very quickly and smoothly.

“Our cutting regimes have changed as well since bringing in the new Tru-Turf roller. John Deere cutting units are set up differently to our previous mowers and the clip rates are higher, so by using the roller we can miss out the odd cut now and again, which is a great bonus given the pressures on play.

“My past experience with Double A has been worth a lot, especially having them on the doorstep and knowing I can rely on the same level of service I’ve always received,” adds David. “They helped me to focus on exactly what I needed to fit in with my plans for the course, and we’re already benefiting from that and the great technological strides John Deere has made in recent years with its product range.”

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Terra Spike XF central to new era

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Terra Spike XF central to new era: One of Hertfordshire’s leading independent day and boarding schools has embarked upon a new era of grounds maintenance across its 130-acre site, with a team restructure and additional grounds investment.

Bishop’s Stortford College appointed Adam Smith as their new Head Groundsman in March, with responsibility for both the sports surfaces and the extensive ornamental gardens. With over 1200 pupils, and a reputation for sporting excellence, rugby in particular, the College is a ‘Partnership School’ with Premiership rugby neighbours, Saracens RFC.

Terra Spike XF central to new era

Terra Spike XF central to new era

Specifically on sport, Adam, plus two staff, Ben Baker and David Beckenham, look after 20 hectares of sport surfaces which include five full size and 10 junior rugby pitches, an assortment of training grids and pitches, one full size and five junior football pitches, six cricket squares -consisting 34 tracks , two Astros and a MUGA.

Progress on many fronts is being made.  “Increasing our maintenance machinery fleet was my initial task,” said Adam Smith, whose career to date has included seven years as a horticultural mechanic for one of the largest contractors in Europe, two years working for a dealership in Brisbane Australia and seven years at Haileybury Imperial College. “My career history has given me enormous insight and a great understanding of the needs of a multisport educational establishment.”

“An aerator was central to our plans.  For me, Wiedenmann who are renowned for build quality so it had to be the XF6 to support productivity within our maintenance regimes. Regular aeration is key to our maintenance programmes to improve our carrying capacity for training and sports fixtures. We are really pleased with the XF’s work rate and our ability to aerate multiple pitches in one day; a junior pitch is taking less than an hour.

“The cricket squares had their first aeration in mid-November and held up well; depth was 150mm with 16mm tines.  They also got a little feed using Sierrablen Plus 3 19-5-18+2Mgo+TE.  I was happily surprised the disturbance was so negligible. Seeing as little disturbance encouraged me to revise my plan… we’ll fit in an additional run, so we’ll go again before Christmas, instead of just the once… at 200mm to try to break the pan a little deeper, In January, I may, ground conditions allowing, go out one more time using the multi tine holders and 10 mm tines, probably down to 100mm to encourage root growth, then that finishes off aeration on the squares.

“The outfields were another pleasant surprise.  The XF covers our 1st team outfield in just five hours using 16mm tines and a 4×4 pattern going down 150mm, which is impressive considering it’s 14 000 sqm, Often, though, we opt for punching more holes in the ground rather than chasing speed.  It’s so productive whichever way you look at it and was the definitely right decision for us.”

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New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

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New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians: With two rugby pitches and a new, dedicated cricket pitch all constructed to add to the existing two rugby pitches, Towcestrians Head Groundsman, Tom Waldock, knew he would need some new machinery to keep everything in shape!

While waiting for a new compact tractor and roller mower, Tom was putting in about 40 hours a week on his new Ransomes TR320 to cut all the sports pitches as well as the outfields, edges and training areas!

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

New kit for new pitches at Towcestrians

 

Now his new Iseki tractor (with bucket) and topper have arrived he’s looking forward to sharing the load in 2021 and getting more remedial work done to improve both the old and the new playing surfaces.

“I was looking for a tractor that would be able to operate a slitter and vertidrain as well as perform other tasks, but not damage the surfaces. I was originally considering a smaller model but went for the bigger 46hp Iseki TLE4490 with the extra carrying capacity in order to get the performance. It will also pull the cutting deck on the backfields.”

“I also went for the loader and have already used it more than I thought I would! It’s been a godsend for filling holes in the car park and carrying stuff around. Now I’m just purchasing one more bit of kit for the Iseki to pull to help out with the many events we host in between all the sports training and fixtures.”

Before coming to Towcestrians, Tom spent several years each at Peterborough United, MK Dons and latterly at the Ricoh Stadium. He’s used a lot of different mowers and would have said they were all pretty similar, but says he feels differently about the Ransomes.

“I wanted a decent cylinder mower for the playing surfaces on the main pitches and surprisingly I’ve found the Ransomes TR320 to be the best machine I’ve used. It’s really smooth and makes the cut very easy. It’s the lightest machine on the market which was important because we have a full clay-based surface and I wanted minimum compaction. The Ransomes is certainly delivering both for me and for the pitches.”

“I’m really pleased with the advice and help I’ve had from RT Machinery in choosing the right equipment. Richard and Andy’s knowledge across a large range of brands and machinery, right off the top of their heads, is just unbelievable and has been incredibly helpful as part of the five-year plan I drew up for the development and improvement of the grounds.”

“Aside from the Ransomes and the Iseki, I also now have a new Wessex CRX180 fine turf roller mower from them for the edges and rougher areas where the juniors train. In addition they’ve supplied a used Sisis Multi Slit and a Husqvarna TC138 Lawn tractor and they’ve been able to offer great value on servicing, which will be critical in keeping everything working well across the seasons.”

“Back to work and preparing the grounds for a welcome return to grass roots sports!”

For more information, please call 01844 299037, or visit rtmachinery.co.uk

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GMA launches new online toolkit

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GMA launches new online toolkit: The Grounds Management Association (GMA) today launches its online ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’, a training resource aimed to support volunteers maintaining football, cricket, rugby league and rugby union pitches.

The new website consolidates information from the Sport England ‘Groundsmanship’ website and has reshaped some of its written content into short videos and easy-to-digest seasonal maintenance guides.

GMA launches new online toolkit

GMA launches new online toolkit

By relaunching the website, the GMA aims to continue increasing the skills and capabilities of practicing and future grounds volunteers. The resources also help the general public to engage further with common practices involved in grounds maintenance and to understand how to help get pitches ready for players across their community.

The ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’ follows the launch of the GMA’s Level 1 and Level 2 online training courses, with modules that cover the basic grounds maintenance tasks required at grassroots level.

With face-to-face classroom training currently on hold due to restrictions, the GMA is developing its digital capabilities and touch points – such as webinars – to keep its member community, and the wider public, educated and informed on key issues relating to grounds management.

Jason Booth, Chief Operating Officer of the GMA, said: “We’re committed to providing the best possible tools across all levels so that grounds management tasks are consistently completed to a high standard, aligning with the Grounds and Natural Turf Improvement Programme (GaNTIP) strategy that is delivered in partnership with the NGBs.

“We know that volunteers can sometimes only offer a few hours of their time each week, or that some local clubs struggle to find regular grounds volunteers. Without pitches, there is no sport so it could mean that millions of children and adults could miss out on physical activity.

“We’re really grateful for Sport England’s support in helping us deliver the ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’, giving us the opportunity to make this resource free for all.”

Speaking about the new website, Tony Atherton, Technical Team Lead, of Sport England said: “We’re really supportive of the GMA’s approach to upskilling grounds staff and volunteers, so handing over the Groundsmanship website was a natural progression of the success we have achieved with this resource to-date. I really hope the grounds community feels that the Toolkit supports and compliments their hard work.”

The ‘Grounds Management Toolkit’ that has been developed by Other Media and funded by Sport England, can be accessed for free via https://resources.thegma.org.uk/

To upskill your knowledge through the GMA’s training courses, or for more information on bespoke training sessions, visit www.thegma.org.uk/learning or email learning@thegma.org.uk

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New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

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New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager: Stephen Shaw has been announced as the new Territory Sales Manager for the INFINICUT® and TMSystem™ product ranges.

A well-known industry face, Stephen returns to the UK after spending the last 10 years of his career in Qatar, to support the continued growth of the collections, in use at leading golf venues and sports stadia worldwide.

New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

New Infinicut Territory Sales Manager

In Qatar, Stephen worked at a main Toro dealership and Doha Golf Club, before taking on the role of Machinery Division Manager at Nakheel Landscapes which is where, over the last three years, he worked alongside John Coleman of INFINICUT® to spec machinery for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. When travel restrictions came into force earlier in the year, Stephen returned to his roots in Northumberland and the opportunity arose to use his acquired knowledge to support to dealers and customers across the North of England, Scotland and Ireland – along with spearheading exports and the construction of a worldwide dealer network.

“Joining the INFINICUT® team is hugely exciting” comments Stephen. “It is a quality British-built product, driven by technology that demonstrates a real understanding of what is required by today’s turf care professionals. It quickly became evident to me, working together with John and the INFINICUT® product, that this range is very much the future of the mower industry. Their engineering prowess continues across the multi-functional TMSystem™ collection, which delivers versatility, durability and precision to a wide variety of turf maintenance activities.”

Although Stephen only joined in the middle of September, he has already utilised his many international connections to remotely establish dealers in India, Thailand and South Korea and he looks forward to supporting these, and others, with product and sales training as and when travel restrictions ease.

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