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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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Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB

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Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB: SISIS will be exhibiting at FSB Cologne, Germany from 26-28 October where the British manufacturer will be showcasing its Syn-Pro range of market leading turf maintenance equipment for synthetic surfaces.

Visitors attending FSB 2021, the international trade fair for leisure and sports facilities in Cologne, should ensure a visit to the SISIS stand is firmly on the agenda.

Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB

Syn-Pro by SISIS on display at FSB

Located in hall 10.1, stand: B039 A038; the SISIS team will be proudly showcasing the following products:

SISIS Osca

The SISIS Osca is a tractor mounted powered oscillating brush with a 1.9 meter working width and is equally effective when used on synthetic turf with sand or rubber infill. The two oscillating brushes stand the carpet fibres up and redistributes the infill evenly, minimising compaction on the surface and improving its performance – giving consistent playing characteristics while preventing pile damage caused by reduced infill levels.

A contributory factor to the reduction of compaction is that the Osca’s working width will use fewer passes than other more conventional drag brushes to complete a pitch. Its aggressive brushing action agitates the upper infill level of the surface from side to side as well as brushing forward, helping reduce surface compaction and encourage the fibres to stand up straight which reduces the risk of contamination, drainage problems and leaves a consistent playing surface across the whole pitch.

Furthermore, a 1.8m straight brush or a grooming rake can be added to the system which will help to enhance the final finish.

SSS1000 sweeper

The SISIS SSS1000 is a tractor mounted sweeper which can be pulled by any machine. There are no tools required for the adjustment of the brush or the angle of the draw bar and to make storage easy the draw bar lifts to an upright position. With an aluminium hopper with stainless steel mesh, any infill that is collected when using the machine is returned back down to the surface leaving it free from contamination of debris

SISIS Brush-Pro 

The SISIS Brush-Pro is a ride-on brushing system comprising a pair of mid mounted oscillating units and three rear mounted brush units that that have been specifically designed for maintaining synthetic surfaces. The machine has been designed for maximum manoeuvrability and operator comfort which features an electric start, hydrostatic drive for forward/reverse and its brush combinations – oscillating for thorough periodic work and rear mounted brushes for more routine work.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

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

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Grass is greener on the other side

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Grass is greener on the other side: Hillside Golf Club on ‘England’s Golf Coast’ in Southport knows only too well the importance of its biggest asset: its greens. As host to many tournaments including the British Masters, they are what’s most judged and why the club opted for Toro’s Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 all-electric riding greensmower to lead its frontline mowing fleet.

The R&A, which together with the USGA governs the sport of golf worldwide, provides best practice guidelines on all aspects of golf course management to help grow golf in an environmentally sustainable way. And this was one of the facts that contributed to Chris Ball’s decision-making process when choosing the club’s new greens mower this year.

Grass is greener on the other side

Grass is greener on the other side

Chris, the club’s links manager has been in the industry for 31 years and has been associated with Hillside Golf Club for over 20 of those years; he says: “The R&A is rightly pushing clubs to make the correct environmentally-friendly choices wherever possible so when we had a hydraulic leak earlier this season, the club asked can this truly be avoided in the future? The answer was yes and that led us to consider the all-electric option.”

Of course, this option has been provided to the industry by Toro in the form of the Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 and despite reservations Chris couldn’t be more glad he decided to look at the all-electric mower.

“My reservations were based on this being a bit of an unknown quantity in terms of costs,” says Chris. “But Steve Halley from Cheshire Turf Machinery who sold us the machine and our club secretary/manager Chris Williams did some number crunching and presented the costs over three years and it alleviated my concerns on that count. What the process concluded was that you can’t base your decision on the purchase price, total cost of ownership plays a huge part here.”

So, what of the machine and it’s performance? Chris says the clubs along the coast don’t have much Toro equipment, but what they all have is the impressive technology of the ever-popular ProCore aerators and the Sidewinder machines for mowing round bunker tops and fairway gathers, but could the performance of the electric greensmower be the next piece of Toro they all have?

Chris says: “I can’t find fault with it. And the more we use it the more positives we find. But first and foremost is the members’ feedback. They love the idea of the all-electric mower on their course, and all take great interest in it when it’s out on the course. Quality of cut is excellent and specifically highlighted by many golfers was that the ball roll appears far superior, even though we are now mowing at 5mm through the summer which is higher than previous years. It’s great for the club as they are doing all they can to see the return of the desirable grass species on the greens and at this height its very achievable.

“It’s incredibly user-friendly and definitely my preferred option for mowing the greens on a daily basis. The quietness and not needing ear defenders means you notice everything the mower is doing; it provides a totally different mowing experience and of course you can work quietly around the golfers.

“Maintenance is really easy – there are no grease points and the bearings are sealed for life, there’s nothing for us to do – apart from keeping the cutting units sharp by regular grinding. There is a small service at 800 hours and even then, that’s just topping up the coolant. And in terms of productivity, it can easily do all our 20 greens before we charge overnight but during our first weeks with the mower, we thought we’d see how far the mower could go and we managed to get 39 greens out of it before charging, which in a linear straight line is some distance for a mower.”

Chris confirms: “It seems to be the way of the future and I genuinely believe it won’t be long before the switch over to electric is more commonplace.”

A true Championship Links course and host to many events in the past, Hillside continues to invest in its primary asset and has recently completed two major phases of course improvements. Chris concludes: “The time was right to invite Toro to bring their electric technology to the course. I feel it matches our ambitions as a club going forward, giving us that extra something on the greens.”

Steve Halley, managing director at Cheshire Turf Machinery, comments: “Jeff Jago from our sales team has worked hard to make the breakthrough at Hillside where Chris and his team have really bought in the many features and benefits of the eTriFlex. Their enthusiasm for the machine has been really satisfying and is sure to be noted by other potential users.”

To talk to someone about Toro’s electric and hybrid technology and how the Toro range would suit your course, call 01480 226800.

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On the horizon podcasts

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On the horizon podcasts: Greenkeepers, turf managers and agronomists can now get an invaluable insight into the key agronomy challenges they will face on golf courses over the coming months, by following the podcast, On the horizon with Glenn & Henry.

On the horizon with Glenn & Henry features the Technical Managers of both Syngenta, Glenn Kirby, and ICL’s Henry Bechelet. Together, they tackle hot topics typically to be seen in the months ahead.

On the horizon podcasts

On the horizon podcasts

“We’re looking to help greenkeepers think about strategic planning and decision making for golf course turf management, ahead of issues occurring,” reported Glenn.

“As we move towards a greater emphasis on Integrated Turf Management (ITM), it becomes ever more important to manage conditions and prepare turf health well in advance, typically several weeks or months ahead of problems occurring,” he advocated.

The On the horizon format follows an easy-listening style of discussion that explores the experience and renowned practical understanding of both Henry and Glenn, backed up with their turf science and research knowledge.

Henry added: “The podcast gives us the chance to delve far deeper into specific topics. The discussion it triggers helps to bring together the complex interaction of many day-today aspects of turf management, which creates a more holistic approach to ITM.

“Greater awareness of the implications of what you do to today, to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow, is crucial to make ITM work in practice,” advised Henry.

The podcasts’ availability, through media sources including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google, makes the wealth of knowledge readily and freely accessible where and whenever people want to listen – be that on the mower, in the mess room or just catching up in the evening.

Topics for the July episode of On the horizon include:

  • Preventing take-all patch
  • Weather challenges
  • Managing summer stress
  • Anthracnose risks

Previous episodes of On the horizon with Glenn & Henry are all available on all popular podcast platforms.

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JE Rees takes on Kubota equipment

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JE Rees takes on Kubota equipment: Kubota (UK) Ltd continues to strengthen its dealer network by announcing that its machinery dealer JE Rees & Sons is to add the Kubota ground care equipment range to its existing Kubota tractor business, with immediate effect.

Carmarthenshire-based dealer JE Rees & Sons gets an extended product portfolio that includes a full range of compact tractors from 18-60hp, plus commercial and domestic ride-on mowers to sit alongside its existing tractor and RTV business.

JE Rees takes on Kubota equipment

JE Rees takes on Kubota equipment

It is a move that puts the family-run business on a path for further expansion into new markets from its two depots – one at Velindre, west Wales, and the other depot in Llandovery, mid-Wales.

“We’re extremely pleased to be able to support JE Rees & Sons with the opportunity for further growth in these important sectors,” explains Tim Yates, agricultural and ground care sales manager, Kubota (UK). “This expansion will help Kubota to further strengthen its position in these key markets with the ability to provide sales, service and aftercare support across the amenity sector, schools and holiday park operators.”

JE Rees & Sons has been established for over 50 years, and is run by brothers Marc, Dylan, Geraint and Mansel. Having been a Kubota tractor dealer for over four years, the introduction of an expanded machinery range will enable the family-run business to better meet the needs of its customers through highly trained sales staff, workshop technicians and mobile engineers.

“We’re delighted to add the Kubota ground care range to our business – it’s an exciting opportunity for us and our customers,” says dealer principal Marc Rees. “There are some fantastic machines in Kubota’s range, that will also appeal to a whole new customer base in addition to many existing customers.”

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