Tag Archive for: northern

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

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Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland: The Kingfisher Country Estate in Northern Ireland has signed a five-year deal for a comprehensive 25-machine Toro fleet in what is Keys Brothers’ biggest agreement since becoming a Toro dealer.

Set on 220 acres of parkland just 20 minutes from Belfast, the only David Feherty and David Jones designed golf course in Ireland offers 18 holes over 7,000 yards of Championship USGA specification greens, tees and challenging fairways and is looked after by Head Greenkeeper Michael Loughran and his team of 12 staff.

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

Record deal for Keys brothers in Northern Ireland

“We’ve had lease deals with Toro before but usually for six or seven key pieces of machinery; this is the first time we’ve gone all-in on a full fleet,” says Michael.

So why now? “A couple of reasons,” Michael explains. “The Estate has recently been given the go ahead on a significant upgrade to the resort and it was important the course kept up with site improvements. There will be major developments on bunkers, a lot of tree work, and consistently maintaining the quality of the course is a big job as it’s fully playable all year round.”

The second reason comes down to the introduction of Keys Brothers as the country’s Toro dealer. “This was our first time working with Keys Brothers since the change in dealership and the support has been outstanding. It was evident early in the process that nothing would beat it especially as I fired over questions and issues and got solutions every time. This indication of the level of service and support we’d get was reassuring and sealed the deal especially as we were going with a full maintenance package too.”

Also contributing to the decision was having access to Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare’s National Accounts Manager David Timms: “David came to the venue a couple of times and his input was really valuable; we felt we had direct access to and the full support of Reesink and Toro.”

The deal includes pedestrian and riding mowers for all areas, five Workman utility vehicles, the ProPass topdresser, two ProForce blowers, the new TransPro for transporting the club’s existing ProCore 648 aerator, plus the installation of Toro’s myTurf Pro to optimise operation of the fleet. But are there any standout machines for Michael and the team?

“On the advice of Keys Brothers, we switched out the Reelmaster 5610-D for the Reelmaster 3575-D for the fairways. It was a simple tweak but suits the site much better. The topography of the site doesn’t have great elevation and we didn’t need all that power; in fact, what we needed is a lighter footprint and a mower that uses less fuel. The 3575 delivers us both of those things.”

The club chose four Greensmaster 1021 pedestrian mowers praised by Michael for being easy to demonstrate and use which is especially helpful when increasing staffing on projects: “It takes just half a green to master these machines” he says.

Andy Keys, Company Director at Keys Brothers, says: “While we believe this to be one of the biggest golf deals in Northern Ireland in 2024, the issues and requirements for Michael and the team were like many: they knew there were machinery tweaks they could make to address specific issues and be more efficient. This is applicable whether you’re buying one machine or a fleet.

“To bring the customer on board with maintenance too is testament to the team we’ve built which has doubled in size since last year such is the level of business we’re doing.”

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AGS strengthens Northern Region

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AGS strengthens Northern Region: Advance Grass Solutions is very pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Robertson to the role of Regional Technical Manager for northern England.

Gary has been in the turf industry since 1995. A former Head Groundsman at Blackburn Rovers and Greenkeeper at Penwortham Golf Club, Gary brings a wealth of practical and commercial experience to the role. In recent years he worked as a contracts manager for an irrigation business as well as senior roles at manufacturer level.

AGS strengthens Northern Region

AGS strengthens Northern Region

Gary is married with two children, is an Everton fan and enjoys walking his dogs.

Sam Honeyborne, MD at AGS said ‘’The north of the country represents a very good growth opportunity for the business which will see targeted investment in the coming months and years. We hope to expand the team on an annual basis to support customers and prospects, alike. Our recent collaboration with Pro Pitch has increased enquires significantly, which is very encouraging.’’

Advance Grass Solutions is a leading provider of agronomy services, products and customer support throughout the UK, with loyal customers from lawncare and small bowling clubs to Ryder Cup venues and Premier League football clubs.

AGS provide a UK exclusive range of high-quality products including: Growth Products, Sustane Natural Fertilizers, Polyon controlled release technology, in addition to well-known UK based suppliers such as DLF Trifolium and Aquatrols. Their staff hold industry recognised qualifications such as BASIS and FACTS alongside honours degrees in sports turf, soil science and sustainable land management disciplines.

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New ICL distributor in Northern Ireland

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New ICL distributor in Northern Ireland: ICL is pleased to announce Irwin’s Sportsturf as a new distributor for the ICL plant protection range in Northern Ireland.

When it comes to protecting turf and managing landscape areas, ICL’s range of plant protection and control products provide the tools needed in any armoury.

New ICL distributor in Northern Ireland

New ICL distributor in Northern Ireland

Featuring Syngenta’s leading range of fungicides such as Instrata Elite and Medallion TL; a powerful line-up of fast-acting herbicides including Praxys and Esteron T; the number one plant growth regulator Primo Maxx II; the innovative turf pigment Ryder; and Nemasys which controls turf pests such as Chafer Grubs and Leatherjackets – there is a solution to ensure that turf managers are always in control.

Irwin’s Sportsturf, based in Lurgan, Northern Ireland, was formed in 2018 by former greenkeeper Kyle Irwin.

Kyle believes that the ICL appointment is yet another step in the right direction for Irwin Sportsturf.

“Since we started the business, Irwin’s Sportsturf has strived to offer the best products and service to our customers. As our reputation grows, we are delighted to be appointed as an official ICL distributor for Northern Ireland and look forward to working closely with ICL and Syngenta in the future.”

The appointment sees Irwin’s Sportsturf join Lindsay Turfcare as an official ICL distributor in Northern Ireland. Lindsay Turfcare, based in Co.Armagh, also provide ICL’s plant protection products and the extensive range of ICL fertilizers.

The full range of ICL plant protection products are available from Irwin’s Sportsturf with immediate effect.

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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New Etesia dealer in Northern Ireland

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New Etesia dealer in Northern Ireland: Etesia UK has announced the appointment of RD Mechanical Services, who will be distributing the full product range throughout various areas in Northern Ireland.

Specialists in manufacturing high quality grass cutting machinery for both the professional and domestic market, Etesia’s extensive range of products have been in consistent high demand for a number of years. It is for this reason that the company’s vast dealer network continues to grow. From the UK to Ireland, Etesia dealers are providing their customers with innovative solutions for their green space requirements.

New Etesia dealer in Northern Ireland

New Etesia dealer in Northern Ireland

RD Mechanical Services, based in Belfast, was established in 1998 and specialise in equipment related to the waste industry. In 2019 the company opened a dedicated division for grass and grounds equipment. Since then, the company has been building its portfolio to assist plans in offering a complete service to its groundcare customers.

With immediate effect, RD Mechanical Services will now supply the full range of Etesia grounds care equipment, which includes ride-on mowers, scarifiers, brush cutters, green technology and pedestrian mowers.

Commenting on the new Etesia dealership status, sales director Alastair Calderwood, said: “We are delighted to have recently been appointed as distributors for the widely respected Etesia range of grass and grounds maintenance equipment.

“The Etesia brand is synonymous with quality and reliability and we look forward to a long and successful relationship together.”

RD Mechanical Services will be on hand to offer professional support, sales and servicing on Etesia’s extensive product range.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

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

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The most northern RANGER EV in the world?

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The most northern RANGER EV in the world?: Known for its remote, unforgiving terrain and polar bears, Svalbard is a Norwegian island situated between mainland Norway and the North Pole – it’s one of the world’s most northernmost inhabited areas and also home to a RANGER EV…

The RANGER EV belongs to Hurtigruten, the biggest travel company in Norway and the largest employer in Svalbard. Owning three hotels on the island, a number of restaurants, a lunch bar, two shops – which sell expedition and safety equipment – and the Polaris dealer, IGP. Hurtigruten Svalbard is also responsible for operating the Culture House.

The most northern RANGER EV in the world?

Kjetil Viklund, General Manager at IGP, said: “We used the RANGER EV a lot for moving things from our storage unit to the shop and vice versa. We also use it as a demonstration unit for our customers. It also is handy when we have special guests to the island who can borrow it as a form on transport.”

The features of the RANGER EV lend themselves to making it a useful machine for the company.

“It has a good loading capacity and is perfect for bringing goods from our storage unit to our shop. It’s very comfortable for the driver and a passenger and gives us shelter from the weather – with average temperatures between minus 9 and minus 16 degrees Celsius cover is appreciated. It’s also very quiet and often it’s easier to use the RANGER rather than a car.”

With the importance of maintaining the biodiversity of the island at the centre of inhabitants minds, the focus on the environment and limiting humans impact is key.

With stunning scenery, a highly diverse and concentration of wildlife and amazing experiences on offer, Svalbard is quickly cementing its place on the tourism map, but with this is the responsibility of ensuring that the environment remains central to operations.

“For me, electric powered vehicles are the future and an environmental focus is very important – as well all know that fossil fuels will not last forever. In my mind, it will take many many years for the market to completely change, but I’m happy that we’ve started.”

Also offering petrol and diesel engines for the RANGER, Polaris celebrated rolling the one-millionth RANGER machine off the production line in 2017 and 2018 marks two decades since the utility vehicle was introduced to the Polaris line-up. Forming a key part of the Polaris product line, the RANGER® is used all over the globe for a variety of tasks.

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