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Hughes Bros and Battlefield take on Kubota equipment

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Hughes Bros and Battlefield take on Kubota equipment: Kubota (UK) Ltd continues to strengthen its dealer network by announcing that two of its machinery dealers are to add the Kubota ground care equipment range to their existing Kubota tractor businesses, with immediate effect.

Shropshire-based dealers Hughes Bros and Battlefield Machinery will extend their product offerings to include a full range of compact tractors from 18-60hp, RTV utility vehicles, and commercial and domestic ride-on mowers, putting both dealerships on a path for further expansion into new markets.

Hughes Bros and Battlefield take on Kubota equipment

Hughes Bros and Battlefield take on Kubota equipment

“We’re extremely pleased to be able to support both Hughes Bros and Battlefield Machinery with the opportunity for further growth in these important sectors,” explains Tim Yates, agricultural and ground care sales manager, Kubota (UK). “This partnership will help Kubota to further strengthen its position in these key markets with the ability to cross-sell between agriculture and ground care customers.”

Hughes Bros Agricultural Engineers based at Oswestry, was established in 1973 by brothers Gary, Roy and Roger Hughes. A Kubota tractor dealer since 2012, the family-run business also has Kubota implements and Vicon machinery among its portfolio.

The business operates with a team of over 20 staff, and sees the expansion into ground care as an opportunity to strengthen its business, further enhancing its reputation as a supplier of premium quality tractors and equipment.

“There are great opportunities ahead, supplementing our existing agricultural business with Kubota’s prestigious ground care equipment,” says Richard Hughes, sales manager and partner in the family business. “We’ve been looking after many ground care customers with parts and servicing – now we can reinforce that with sales of new equipment.”

Battlefield Machinery was formed in 2017 as a Kubota tractor dealer based in Shrewsbury. Run by company directors Richard Evans and Meyrick Pope, the business is one that comprises a team of 14, of which six are mobile engineers. Battlefield Machinery has built a reputation on delivering first class service for its customers, and the extended portfolio will sit alongside the supply of Kubota Implements and Kverneland machinery.

“We’re delighted to have been given this opportunity to expand our business into new sectors,” says company director Richard Evans. “Ground care fits very well with what we already do – and the ability to now provide sales, service and support to schools, golf clubs, parks and sports grounds is a fantastic opportunity for all involved.”

“Our customer base has evolved, and a lot of that is linked to the prestigious brands we supply and service,” he says. “We also want to apply our ‘can-do’ approach to customer service and back-up to the ground care sector. All our customers must benefit from the same level of service and support.”

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Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch

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Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch: Derby County boss Wayne Rooney says groundsmen up and down the country are “doing everything they can” to make sure pitches are in the best condition possible.

Read the full article from the Derby Telegraph here

Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch

Wayne Rooney on Derby pitch

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London Stadium relies on G860’s

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London Stadium relies on G860’s: The London Stadium has recently increased its fleet of Dennis G860 cylinder mowers, and Head Groundsman James Williams has revealed exactly why.

James is an ambitious young groundsman and his prominent position at the London Stadium certainly is testament to this. The Welshman is about to embark on his fourth year in the role and understandably, he believes that 2020 has been the most challenging yet – but not for the reasons you might think.

London Stadium relies on G860's

London Stadium relies on G860’s

“It’s been a difficult year due to the pandemic,” he said. “The worst thing is waking up in the morning on a matchday and there’s just no spark because you know there will be no fans to showcase your pitch to.”

James obviously takes great pride in his work; he is hard-working, committed and works round the clock to ensure that the pitch is in the best possible condition. Anywhere he can make improvements he will strive to do so – and therefore when an opportunity presented itself, James was quick to seize it.

“When football started again, the Premier League announced that we have to prepare the pitch and leave it well alone five hours before kick-off – it used to be three,” said James.

“This would mean starting a lot earlier and so my CEO asked me if there was anything I needed which could help. Straight away, I told him that two more Dennis G860’s would be nice!”

The London Stadium already had three Dennis G860’s in its armoury when James arrived, and he was pleased to see a familiar mower – one which he had become accustomed to for many years previously.

“I used the G860’s the whole time I was at Swansea City FC,” he said. “I’m just extremely comfortable with them – they are reliable, adaptable and they get the job done to the high standard I expect.”

James isn’t the only groundsman to be of this opinion as many of his peers have long relied on the G860 to provide the perfect cut for sports turf. Lightweight at just 166kg; it is easy to manoeuvre and comfortable to operate.

The mower features a large diameter front roller with an adjustable scraper which has been designed for a precise height of cut control, giving an excellent finish on every occasion. The Dennis G860 also features an interchangeable cassette system to assist with a wide range of tasks such as including scarifying, verticutting, brushing, spiking, and slitting.

“The G860’s are normally brought out towards the end of the week once the pitch has been repaired to make sure that it is in the best shape going into a matchday.

“When the grass gets too thick, or if it’s dying off, we will use the verticutting cassette to clear that out – just to stop it from causing any thatch or disease. We probably verticut once a month as well as use the brush – both help to keep the pitch nice and healthy.

“The 8 bladed cutting cylinder always offers a fantastic finish,” continued James. “I like to cut down to 23mm for matchdays but if there is period when we’ve got a lot of games and training sessions on the pitch then I’ll take it up to 26mm for extra protection and coverage.”

The Dennis G860 was an instant hit when it was first developed and over the years it has proven to be one of the most popular sports turf mowers on the market. There is a reason behind its success according to James.

“Do you know what I like about the G860? It’s the fact that it hasn’t changed a lot. Dennis as a company has evolved with some other great machinery but the G860 doesn’t need to. Why would you evolve something that doesn’t need fixing? You can’t improve perfection.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

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

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Covid impact on tee times

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Covid impact on tee times: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers’ Association commissioned a survey to find out the impact full tee times had on courses. The results are astonishing.

Read the full article from National Club Golfer here

Covid impact on tee times

Covid impact on tee times

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

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Foley Company pushes on in UK

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Foley Company pushes on in UK: Despite the current difficulties effecting the Golf Industry globally Foley Company is still forging ahead in the UK. Impressing greenkeepers across the spectrum with the speed and versatility of the Foley range of spin & relief grinders and bed-knife grinders.

More and more are switching to Foley grinders including Open Championship venues St Andrews, Royal Liverpool and Carnoustie and other prestigious clubs such as La Grande Mare, Gerrards Cross and The Wisley.  Turf professionals have invested in the benefits that Foley grinders offer and other clubs benefit through their local dealership such as Farols, Double A Trading Co and Gibson Garden Machinery all investing in the latest Foley grinders. The most popular model’s in 2020 have been the 633 & 653 cylinder grinders with their Accu-Touch 3 Control and the 673, 661 bed-knife grinders.

Foley Company pushes on in UK

Foley Company pushes on in UK

Lani Togi St Andrews – Workshop Manager

“When it comes to saving time, the Foleys are a lot quicker than anything we’ve used before,” he began. “Previous grinders have been quite labour intensive, whereas we don’t have that issue now. The team really like using them, and if they’re happy using them, it makes it so much easier because they do a good job and we get the best results.

Craig Gilholm Royal Liverpool Course Manager

“When Ian came and introduced us to the Foley, we were already familiar with other grinders. So, discovering how great the Foley is, is a reflection on Ian. It was my confidence in him who I have known since 1998, my trust in his ability and the back-up service for the machines he sells, that really sold it to me. For us, our grinder is the most important tool in the shed and reliability is all. That is why, when we change our bottom blade grinder, we will again be looking to Foley.

Rick Hamilton La Grande Mare – Course Manager

“The main reason I choose to have Foley grinders is the principles of relief grinding. They are such excellent relief grinders, and although other manufacturers have good machines, but they don’t relief grind at the same level, and for me, that’s what it is all about,” he explained. Foley has always kept to the principles of that, and it’s something I believe is essential in maintaining a good quality reel and delivering and retaining the sharpest cut ; you have to relief grind.”

Oliver Longden – After Sales Manager for golf and turf at Farol Golf and Turf Machinery

“We had a look around at what else was available, but there was nothing comparable for what we need to do. The training function was another big plus for us. We sometimes get new technicians who haven’t used the machine before. It’s an exceptionally good feature because it shows them a step-by-step set-up and how to work it, so anyone can jump on it straight away and get going.”

Jamie Starnes – Owner and Engineer Starnes Engineering

“I was looking for something that was fully automated that would speed up the whole process, and something that could be set up quickly and easily that you can walk away from when possible to do other things and make use of the time. When I’ve used other grinders to relief grind, I’ve had to stand there and manually push and pull the machine through each individual blade whereas once the Foley is set up, you can leave it.”

A common factor behind investing in these machines was the desire for a quick high-quality automatic grind.

  1. The 633/653 are industry leading in their versatility and can complete quick touch-up spin grinds or return the reel to manufacturers specifications through relief grinding.
  2. The operation is fast and straightforward with the Accu-Reel Selector, and cylinder height stop automatically locating the reel for spin and relief grinding in one set-up.
  3. Pre-set relief angles are easily identified on the relief angle adjuster, which makes it effortless to grind the correct angles and achieve proper clearances for each reel type.

Using the optional Accu-Touch 3 Control makes this even easier. You tell the machine what you’re working on and it does the rest using pre-programmed spin speeds, relief torque and in-feeds. With or without the Accu-Touch 3, once the grinder has started, operators are free to continue with other tasks while grinding is completed.

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