Tag Archive for: Plan

New Sales Manager signal Wildwood’s ambitious plan

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New Sales Manager signal Wildwood’s ambitious plan: James Bastian, managing director of Winchester-based groundcare company Wildwood Machinery, says that the appointment of new Sales Manager, Rob Hogarth signals the company’s ambition to expand in geographic coverage and client sectors in 2025.

“This year, we’ve made significant progress in developing Wildwood Machinery with the goal of being the leading supplier of groundcare services in the South of England.”

New Sales Manager signal Wildwood’s ambitious plan

New Sales Manager signal Wildwood’s ambitious plan

“Our deal with leading machinery supplier INFINICUT®, our new, purpose-built headquarters, and the appointment of Rob Hogarth give us the platform to build further business with professional sports clubs, local authorities, schools and heritage properties,” says James.

Rob Hogarth brings 40 years of experience.

Wildwood Machinery’s newly-appointed Sales Manager, Rob Hogarth brings 25 years of experience working for golf clubs across the UK, including the prestigious Remedy Oak Golf Club in Dorset where he was responsible for the ‘grow-in’ of the new course.

Rob’s priorities at Wildwood will be to drive sales of groundcare equipment and after-sales service, and to build relationships with other suitable equipment manufacturers and clients.

Rob started his greenkeeping career at his home town golf club in Peebles, rising to Head Greenkeeper at the tender age of 19 – the youngest in Scotland at the time. In 2016, Rob moved into sales, taking a Dubai-based opportunity to work across the GULF region, before returning to the UK in 2019 to work for Fairways Professional Groundcare as Sales Manager for Scotland.

“I’m very excited to be joining James and the team at Wildwood, and I’m looking forward to getting out to meet a lot of old faces and hopefully making a lot of new friendships,” says Rob.

“Wildwood Machinery has rapidly established a positive reputation since launching in 2022, and there is so much potential to build the business further with the foundations that James and his team have put in place.”

Rob Hogarth can be contacted on 07349 124 926 and rob@wildwoodmachinery.com

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Plan ahead with 4turf®

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Plan ahead with 4turf®: While we may be heading towards the traditionally cooler and winter months, the changing climate means that Turf Managers are not only having to consider the immediate pressures – but those likely to lay ahead as spring arrives and new season growth begins.

As spring and summer droughts become more common, and water becomes a more valuable resource, turf managers need to consider ways of maintaining lush green grass all summer long. The solution could well be in the form of DLF’s drought-tolerant 4turf® tetraploid range.

Plan ahead with 4turf®

Plan ahead with 4turf®

Not all droughts are the same. More common in Northern Europe, spring droughts occur when, despite the lack of rain, water remains available in the deeper layers of soil. During a summer drought, even the deeper layers of the profile have run dry and the simultaneous higher temperatures mean the grass above ground has to be able to withstand dehydration. While summer droughts are typical of southern Europe, they are now increasingly being seen further North.

DLF’s 4turf® eases the pressure on turf managers. Rooting fast and deep, tetraploid varieties like Fabian, Double, Tetrastar, Tetragame, Tetramagic, Tetradry, and Tetragreen are more likely to survive a spring drought and are better placed to stay green and playable should a summer drought follow. Years of testing at DLF’s state-of-the-art root-screening facility in Denmark demonstrated how, compared to diploid ryegrasses, 4turf® has quicker root growth and develops a larger root mass in the upper layer of the soil, making it an excellent springtime seed. In summer trials, conducted in France and the Czech Republic, it also remained green when the plants were starved of water above-ground.

It’s ability to withstand drought-like conditions means that 4turf® has a wide range of applications. On golf course fairways, for example, where irrigation is often not an option, overseeding with 4turf® produces a better-quality summer turf. The principles could also be applied to sports facilities, parks and ornamental lawns in public locations, where turf needs to sustain more playing hours, with less time spent on watering or maintenance.

4turf® is available in a number of mixtures from across the Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed Ranges including J Rye Fairway, J Outfield and J 4Turf – the ideal choice for overseeding programmes on winter sports pitches and racecourses, establishing in temperatures as low as four degrees.

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Starlings part of the plan at Sherborne GC

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Starlings part of the plan at Sherborne GC: Under the guidance of Agrovista Amenity, Sherborne Golf Club is currently embarking on an integrated pest management plan (IPM) to control a leatherjacket population.

Sherborne is a mature 18-hole parkland course set on a Dorset hilltop with stunning views over Somerset and the Blackmore Vale. Much of the course was designed by the renowned British Open winner and inter-war course architect James Braid and the Club is a member of the Braid Association.

Starlings part of the plan at Sherborne GC

Starlings part of the plan at Sherborne GC

Scott Johnson has been the Head Greenkeeper at Sherborne Golf Club for just seven weeks; however, he knows the course inside out as prior to his promotion, he was the deputy course manager for six years. Therefore, he was aware of the long road he had ahead of him in regard to controlling the leatherjackets. He immediately set his mind to the task.

“It was apparent that I needed to minimise the amount of bird damage by reducing the number of leatherjackets,” said Scott. “We have 4 or 5 greens that are getting torn apart on a daily basis by crows and rooks.

“Since I became the Head Greenkeeper, we have tried many cultural methods to limit the bird damage. These included the purchase of a bird scarer microphone that really was quite effective to start with – the members took them round as they played first thing in the morning and late in the evenings, but obviously you can’t expect them to keep doing that every time. We also had spinning CDs dotted around the worst affected greens.”

Scott soon got in touch with David Bevan, Amenity Specialist for Agrovista Amenity, who visited Sherborne Golf Course to take a look.

“It was apparent there was a problem with leatherjackets,” said David. “Sherborne is an ecological minded golf course, so I started chatting to Scott about integrated pest management (IPM) which I am a firm believer in.”

With many active substances now withdrawn from the turf and amenity sector, crucial practices such as monitoring and using a range of preventative measures within an IPM approach is being widely encouraged as best practice. David’s advice to Scott was to explore a more long-term, controlled outlook which would also reduce the need for purchasing products year on year.

“The immediate solution was a single application of Acelepryn, which contains the active substance chlorantraniliprole,” continued David.  “I also spoke to Scott about how starlings are natural predators to the leatherjackets and it was at this point that I recommended our WoodStone starling boxes – I thought these would fit in nicely with what Scott and his team are trying to achieve.”

Constructed from a mix of concrete and wood fibres, the WoodStone boxes comprise of a single 45 mm hole – which is the perfect size to encourage starlings and discourage other birds and wildlife. As David says, starlings are an important natural predator of chafer beetles and crane flies and can be encouraged by turf managers as part of an integrated approach to pest management (IPM). Their narrow beaks facilitate feeding on these pests whilst causing minimal damage to the turf and promoting natural aeration of the surface. David further explained the benefits of starlings.

Starlings part of the plan at Sherborne GC

Starlings part of the plan at Sherborne GC

“A crow tends to scavenge and tear the turf with its claws and beak to get to the leatherjackets, whereas a starling has a very short, sharp pointed beak so it tends to peck straight in and straight out. A starling won’t cause any notable damage to the turf, which is why we are encouraging them to set-up home.”

Scott purchased nine WoodStone starling boxes which have been put into various locations all over the course and David has warned him not to expect overnight results.

“We have just created a habitat for the starlings to nest and breed, and now we have to let nature take its course – you can’t really put a time on that. It’s certainly a long-term approach and the correct approach in my opinion. The more you can do to encourage the natural predator the better, whether it be golf courses, schools or anywhere else for that matter.

“I think the industry needs to start looking away from chemical controls as the sole answer where it can to be honest and Scott is certainly taking a more ecological approach at Sherborne, by encouraging what amounts to a biological control. We will continue to support him closely with what he’s trying to achieve.”

Scott was full of praise for the service he has received to date from David and Agrovista Amenity.

“David has been in to visit on a number of occasions now – always with fantastic advice and knowledge. The products from Agrovista are great and the continued support is much appreciated. I’m excited to see the results,” he said.

For more information about Agrovista Amenity, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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Campey begin reintroduction to work plan

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Campey begin reintroduction to work plan: Campey Turf Care Systems is putting plans in place to safely reintroduce the team over the next few weeks that will still strictly adhere to government social distancing guidelines.

As an industry that contains essential workers, meeting the needs of customers has been vital. At Campey this has been carried out with the safety of staff, customers and any potential people they may come into contact with as a priority and is the primary consideration of the reintroduction plan.

Campey begin reintroduction to work plan

Campey begin reintroduction to work plan

Like many other companies, Campey has been operating with a skeleton staff at the main office to provide customers with key parts and tines and has stopped all demos because transporting machines to various sites cannot be classed as essential travel. During this time the understanding from customers that orders may be slightly delayed has been fantastic as has the understanding that demos aren’t necessary at this time, with any future demos requested set to be fulfilled when it is safe to do so.

Where customers have deemed it essential, machinery has been available for collection at the main office using a well thought out routine that eliminates the need for personal contact. Using this as a basis, Campey is confident that as the government guidelines are changed, they will be ready without delay.

Campey begin reintroduction to work plan

Campey begin reintroduction to work plan

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Aquatrols Turf Action Plan

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Aquatrols Turf Action Plan – Planning for all weathers: Aquatrols Technical Support and European Account Manager, Michael Fance,  shares his thoughts on how to work with the weather with a well thought out Turf Action plan.

‘’Throughout my European travels, the only consistent trend I’ve observed regarding the affects of the weather on sports turf maintenance is its inconsistency!’’ Michael says.

Aquatrols Turf Action Plan

Michael has spent his thirty-six year career advocating a proactive approach within an integrated turf management programme but using his experiences, and the extensive database of research acquired throughout Aquatrols sixty plus years of R&D in the industry his thoughts have been refined to a more tailored approach.  Whilst still recommending working to a programme, there is more emphasis now to make reactive decisions within the ‘Turf Action Plan’ to help mitigate the unpredictability of the weather.

The Proactive Approach:

The first approach suggested is that of carrying out a simple water drop penetration test (WDPT Letey, 1969). “If the soil cores exhibit a low level of repellency, or if it is discovered that moisture levels are greater than ideal at the surface, an application of Dispatch Sprayable can be very beneficial as well as economical as its patented formulation facilitates the infiltration and penetration of water’’ says Michael.

If rootzones are identified as highly water repellent an application of Aqueduct Liquid can be used as a pre-treatment tool to address the problem before starting a regular preventative programme.

Michael continues that irrespective of prevailing weather conditions, starting Revolution or Zipline programmes early will help optimize air-to-water ratios in the rootzone for a better growing environment and healthier turf. Both formulations have the ability to perform well in extremes of wet or dry weather in a wide range of soil types.

2018 saw many situations that required investment in curative applications and renovations that could possibly have been avoided. Zipline and Firmway both have variable rate options which provide the turf manger with a proactive, economical approach that will help to mitigate any challenging conditions thrown up by the weather.

If the site-specific issue relates to low moisture retention capabilities, then a proactive wetting agent approach would be advisable. Primer Select is the preferred technology Michael advises as it creates a matrix flow – a uniform wetting front to prevent the development of water repellent conditions.

Reactive moisture management options:

In wet conditions, Dispatch Sprayable can be very useful, however, trials of low rate applications of Fifty90, have also proven to significantly increase water penetration times and therefore retain playability of sports surfaces in extremely wet conditions.

Having discussed the merits of Aqueduct Liquid within a proactive strategy, the product is more often referred to as the “fire extinguisher” of curative soil surfactants for treating hydrophobic soil.  Its use enables many turf managers to rehydrate soil and therefore induce turf recovery when heat and drought have taken their toll.

Healthy turf for all seasons:

In addition to a well managed Turf action plan for water management, Michael also advocates ensuring that turf is kept healthy at all times.  Recently launched Attain containing AquaVita Technology (which is also contained in Zipline) has been proven in independent trials to improve a number of aspects of turf health and performance. Unlike traditional biostimulants, this biocatalyst technology is not compromised by soil temperature or chemistry issues therefore helping as part of a turf action plan to mitigate the weather.

Michael summarises by saying ‘’ I feel that the inclusion of reactive strategies within an overall proactive programme is the best way for managers of natural turf surfaces to prepare for whatever the weather throws at them.’’

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