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EcoBunker take on Icelandic challenge

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EcoBunker take on Icelandic challenge: Keilir Golf Club in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland has just completed the second phase of its bunker replacement project with industry leading synthetic faced bunker specialists, EcoBunker.

Faced with year round weather challenges and very harsh winters, the team at Keilir have been spending a disproportionate amount of their budget on maintaining the quality of their naturally revetted bunkers. Having received very positive feedback on EcoBunker’s work at Royal St. Georges, among other projects, Keilir invited the team to address the unique challenges of an Icelandic golf course.

EcoBunker take on Icelandic challenge

EcoBunker take on Icelandic challenge

“Maintaining the quality of traditionally revetted bunkers is such a time-consuming job,” commented Guðbjartur Ísak Ásgeirsson, Head Greenkeeper at Keilir Golf Club. “We face harsh conditions here in Iceland, and the work to keep the bunkers in good condition is difficult enough. When you add in the need for a re-build every 5 years, they eat up the maintenance budget in a way that just isn’t sustainable.”

“Keilir is such an incredible setting. The front 9 weaves a path through lava flow and the back 9 follows a small peninsular with views of a local glacier,” adds EcoBunker founder Richard Allen. “The major appeal of Keilir is the rugged landscape so I’m delighted with how our EcoBunkers have provided solutions to the maintenance challenges the team faced, while blending perfectly with the natural terrain. This has been a fantastic project for us and I look forward to the next phases.”

Phase one of the project took place this Spring with the creation of two new bunkers. Following very positive feedback from the members and maintenance team at Keilir, a further four bunkers have been installed this Autumn, with more planned for Spring 2025.

“It has actually been quicker to construct an EcoBunker that will last over 20 years than to naturally revett our bunkers. We’re delighted with the results and look forward to putting the new bunkers into play when we next open the course. I certainly look forward to a maintenance free season for our six new EcoBunkers!” concluded Guðbjartur.

For more information on how EcoBunker can help meet the maintenance and bunkering challenges at your course, visit www.ecobunker.co.uk

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Get hands on with Makita at BTME

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Get hands on with Makita at BTME: Makita will be back at this year’s BTME Show to showcase its high-performance range of battery powered outdoor equipment. Visitors to Makita’s stand located at Stand 132 Hall 1, will be able to learn more about the manufacturer’s recently launched robotic lawnmower as well as its impressive 40VMax and 80VMax XGT range.

Representing the ‘best in class’ in battery system solutions, Makita’s XGT range features an impressive line-up of products for greenkeeping, turf and grounds care that deliver increased output to tackle tough jobs with ease – without compromising on battery run time.

Get hands on with Makita at BTME

Get hands on with Makita at BTME

Currently, over 160 products can be used within Makita’s growing XGT platform that are all powered by the same battery, including lawn mowers, linetrimmers, blowers as well as a cordless scarifier. Users can tackle every task and switch between tools simply by changing over the battery.

Makita will be on hand at the show to demonstrate some of the key highlights from this impressive range. Visit the team at Stand 132 Hall 1, or find out more online at www.makitatools.com/products/xgt

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Reesink East Anglia builds on success

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Reesink East Anglia builds on success: The East Anglia and Midlands branch of Reesink UK is celebrating two years of successful operation and attributing a significant proportion of its achievements to its machinery servicing and parts departments.

Trevor Chard, Branch Manager of Reesink East Anglia, says: “We set out with a firm focus on sales, servicing, training and parts, and what we’ve noticed since opening is just how highly the servicing and parts departments are valued and in particular how popular the ReeAssure maintenance plans are.”

Reesink East Anglia builds on success

Reesink East Anglia builds on success

The reason for this is multifaceted says Trevor: “We’ve noticed customers are holding on to their machinery for longer. The cost of living crisis does affect businesses and the post-COVID spend is long behind us, but this is where buying Toro in the first instance pays dividends.

“It’s longevity and reliability is such that with regular maintenance and servicing by our team of experienced and trained technicians they can easily get upwards of a decade of solid work performance in.”

In fact, such is the demand for Reesink’s servicing maintenance support that the Burwell branch now has three technicians full-time on the road and two at the branch, with recruitment currently active to further bolster the team.

The reason for this is that from a choice of three service plans for customers, Burwell branch customers favour Gold. “They want to know everything is covered, scheduled and every eventuality taken care of. That’s unlimited visits, breakdown and call out costs, and all manufacturer’s routine maintenance and scheduled servicing. With most customers choosing this plan, it’s easy to see why the team is expanding.

“The growth of the maintenance and support we provide has been organic and demonstrates just how important it is to have a local branch to respond to customer demand and react to specific requirements of our local customers. That’s what sees us gaining new customers and welcoming returning ones.”

Trevor has noticed that most machinery enquiries focus on hybrid and electric options and he puts the branch’s point of difference down to that fact that they may act as an independent, but they have access to all the advantages being part of an international distributor brings.

“We’re trained as the distributor but we act as the retail outlet,” he says. “We can respond instantly to local market changes and design our business to offer the right products for the local industry but also pull on the power of being part of Reesink’s impressive network of market-leading brands, latest technology, guaranteed delivery times, and more.”

To speak to Reesink Burwell about what brands, services and expertise it can offer, call 01638 594340.

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The R&A seeks feedback on Golf Course 2030 initiative

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The R&A seeks feedback on Golf Course 2030 initiative: Greenkeepers and golf club managers now have an opportunity to influence The R&A’s Golf Course 2030 programme, through a survey designed to identify drivers and needs for future sustainable turf management. 

Greenkeepers and golf course managers can take the five-minute survey here.

The R&A seeks feedback on Golf Course 2030 initiative

The R&A seeks feedback on Golf Course 2030 initiative

Golf Course 2030 aims to help golf courses to mitigate the impact of climate change, resource constraints and regulation on course condition and playability, according to The R&A GC2030 Project Manager, John Kemp. It promotes sustainable golf course management practices to ensure the best possible playing conditions for golfers.

“As part of the ongoing development of Golf Course 2030, we need views and feedback from industry stakeholders to assess the impact of what has been offered by the project so far and what is required for the future. That will ensure it continues to provide practical support to course mangers and clubs,” he says.

“Golf Course 2030 supports golf facilities, greenkeepers and industry advisors with essential information to make more informed everyday business decisions on how they manage their turf.

“It is essential that we identify how useful the guidance and resources provided by Golf Course 2030 have been, as well as their influence in helping golf courses and turf managers to make necessary changes in their practices and identifying future needs to inform business development.”

Find out more about The R&A Golf Course 2030 initiative

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Ventrac products on display at SALTEX

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Ventrac products on display at SALTEX: Price Turfcare returns to SALTEX with the Ventrac multi-implement, all-terrain compact tractor on a larger island stand.

“Obviously, having more space allows us to show more equipment. We now have more than 35 attachments for the Ventrac, so this year we’ll be exhibiting three Ventrac 4520 compact tractor units along with the new Rock Grapple and Loader attachments,” says managing director Rupert Price. “We want to show the industry that we have a diverse range of implements for almost every landscaping application, so we’ll also be displaying the Boom Mower and the 56” Flail.

Ventrac products on display at SALTEX

Ventrac products on display at SALTEX

“The Rock Grapple and Loader can transport anything from whole logs to loose debris and will sift large rocks from dirt and surrounding material. The independent top grapple traps odd-shaped materials, with multiple clamping points for transport and the open structure of the frame offers excellent visibility of the bucket’s contents. It’s the ideal for removing rocks during new turf installations, moving debris into trailers or shuttling material across complex properties.

“Ventrac has become a credible brand in the UK in just eight years with more and more groundscare professionals appreciating the versatility inherent in the product. We’re really looking forward to seeing customers, prospects and former colleagues at what is one of the premier shows for the UK groundscare sector.”

To understand why the industry has been impressed by the Ventrac product come along and visit stand B124.

www.priceturfcare.com

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