Tag Archive for: present

Christmas present was a Ventrac

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Christmas present was a Ventrac: Sittingbourne & Milton Regis Golf Club surprised their Head greenkeeper Paul Best in December last year, when he was called down to the maintenance facility on a fictious errand, only to find that he was the recipient of a brand new Ventrac all-terrain compact tractor and several attachments.

Although the Ventrac was on his wish-list, machinery procurement at the club normally takes place in the summer, so it was huge surprise when he saw the machine complete with Contour deck, Tough Cut deck and Turbine blower.

Christmas present was a Ventrac

Christmas present was a Ventrac

The surprise was organised by Steve Bootes, the club’s General Manager, who has a great relationship with Paul and the greenkeeping team.

“We’d already sat down together”, said Steve, “and drawn up the spec and rational for the purchase. We knew we wanted a machine that provided versatility and could work in wet weather. The Ventrac was the obvious choice. The board here were happy to provide the finance to pull the purchase forward from our usual summer machinery upgrading programme, so I went ahead with the order and ‘forgot’ to tell Paul or any of his team. The look on his face when he saw the machine was priceless, the expletives he uttered on video, not so!”

Steve and Paul have worked together in their current roles for almost seven years and have a close working relationship. Paul joined the club as a 17-year-old apprentice and has risen through the ranks over the intervening 25 years. He was assistant head greenkeeper in his early 20s and then shadowed former head greenkeeper David Horn for six months prior to his retirement. However, the step up to head greenkeeper was not a forgone conclusion and he beat 19 other applicants for the top job.

Commenting on the Ventrac, Paul said,

“To say I was gobsmacked when I saw the Ventrac is an understatement; it was a massive surprise; a brilliant Christmas present, not just for me, but the whole team!

“It was a really wet season, but we managed to persuade the board that this was the piece of kit we needed going into the winter to enhance the playing surfaces and visual appearance. Usually we’d leave the fairways, as they were too wet to cut, but we striped them up all through the winter. We just missed what we call the ‘leaf season’, but this year with the leaf blower it’s going to pay dividends. Our current blower is towed behind a utility vehicle, which means that we’re using double the amount of fuel; one to power the blower and the other in the tow vehicle. The Ventrac is a single unit, so we’re saving fuel and it can go out without marking the fairways.

“The Tough Cut is brilliant in the deep rough and woodland margins; it takes down brambles and saplings with ease, knocks them down and mulches them. During the main season we use the Contour deck on our tee banks, but during the winter it’s also used on tees, fairways and even approaches.”

General Manager Steve Bootes was previously a senior electrical technician, who spent over 25 years working in the local paper mill, with an added responsibility for training a large group of apprentices. When the paper mill closed, he spent 10 years with a local engineering company, providing electrical drives for the water industry.

A keen golfer, he was a committee member for 15 years and club captain in 2005-6. Following the departure of two General Managers in quick succession, he took on the role for an initial 6-month trial period, and has successfully been in the role since 2017.

He concluded by saying,

“There’s a very good atmosphere at this club, across all departments. There’s a lot of respect for Paul and his team and that’s because of the training they’ve had, the leadership they’ve got and the equipment that enables them to do their job.

“The Ventrac is an integral part of our course maintenance plan and I’m now being pressured by Paul for a second machine. It’s not a forgone conclusion that he’ll get one, but we’ll make a good business case going forward and see what the board says.

“From my perspective, it’s not just putting faith in a machine; we must have support to ensure that it performs to its maximum and that’s where Price Turfcare, the Ventrac distributor, have been exemplary. As long as Paul puts in a parts order before 12 noon, he gets the item the next day. That’s the type of partner we want at this club.”

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STIHL to present new products at APF

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STIHL to present new products at APF: STIHL will showcase a range of its new products at this years’ APF Exhibition, the UK’s largest dedicated forestry, woodland and arboriculture trade show, between 19th – 21st September 2024. 

Taking place at the Ragley Estate, Warwickshire, STIHL will be presenting a wide range of tools including the new MS 400.1 forestry chainsaw and STIHL’s first professional battery-powered pruner – the GTA 40. Both new models will be launching in 2025.

STIHL to present new products at APF

STIHL to present new products at APF

Visitors to the STIHL stand will get the chance to see the new MS 400.1 in action at STIHLs extensive demonstration plot. Despite the similarity in model name, the MS 400.1 has been completely re-developed, building on the strengths of the original MS 400 and taking it to the next level.

The MS 400.1 weighs in at just 5.5 kg, 300 g less than the MS 400, offering professionals the best power-to-weight ratio of any professional petrol chainsaw on the market. With an impressive power output of 3.9kW, the MS 400.1 is optimised for long days in the forest, felling and processing larger trees.

In addition, STIHL will be presenting its first professional battery-powered pruner, specifically designed for tree care. The GTA 40 combines low weight and compact design with excellent cutting performance, resulting in a machine that excels at pruning on the ground, as well as maintenance and corrective pruning by trained climbing arborists.

Complete with a 6” STIHL Light 01 guide bar with low friction sprocket nose, and a narrow STIHL 1/4″ Picco Micro 3 saw chain, the GTA 40 ensures high cutting performance and a smooth cutting result.

The STIHL team will be on stand 650 from 9am to 6pm throughout the duration of the event for product demonstrations, advice and guidance on all STIHL machines.

For more information, please visit www.stihl.co.uk

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Verti-Drain® proves past, present and future

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Verti-Drain® proves past, present and future: While much has changed in the fine turf industry over the last 40 years, one thing that has remained a constant for greenkeeper Trevor Dennis is the presence of a Verti-Drain®.

As an early adopter of the technology in his position at Kings Lynn Golf Club in 1986, the original aerator has played a major role at all of Trevor’s clubs – including Heacham Manor Golf Club in Norfolk where, on his retirement, he hands over not only the Head Greenkeeper baton, but a pair of Redexim Verti-Drain’s.

Verti-Drain® proves past, present and future

Verti-Drain® proves past, present and future

Trevor was one of the first to see the Verti-Drain® used in a golf course environment during his apprenticeship training in 1986 and, impressed by the benefits, convinced his club at the time to invest. “I had to explain the technique and what this would do for course condition… Comparing it to an agricultural plough was the only way to get the committee of farmers to understand! I have only used a Redexim Verti-Drain® since and have complete faith in it” he explains.

Inheriting two Verti-Drain’s, including a 1513 and Redexim Carrier delivered just a few weeks ago by local dealer Ben Burgess, is Tom Brooks who became Heacham’s new Head Greenkeeper in October 2023. An American Links-style course, Heacham Manor features 18 USGA specification greens which was the reason for the club’s most recent purchase. “We have a Verti-Drain 7416 and wanted to complement this with something light enough for work on the greens throughout the winter months” explains Tom. “Our new Carrier and Verti-Drain® will give us enough depth and versatility to alleviate any compaction on the greens without applying any unnecessary weight, all while freeing the tractor up for other maintenance tasks.”

Tom continues, “Verti-draining is central to what we do and now we have two machines, the 7416 can focus on the fairways and walk-off areas while the Carrier and 1513 combination promises to deliver effective relief on the greens – particularly in this very wet start to the winter.” Lightweight and robust, the Redexim Carrier utilises a 31hp engine and hydrostatic transmission to power a range of high output implements while exerting minimal ground pressure.

Along with offering year-round versatility thanks to a range of tine options, the pair also work well alongside other maintenance machines – in particular, Tom notes their Rink DS800 topdresser. “We’ll be looking to use the Carrier and 1513 as part of spring and autumn green renovations, following with the Rink to effectively incorporate accurate amounts of sand dressing into the profile.” He concludes, “The results and reliability we get from Redexim has served us well in the past and will continue to do so long into the future.”

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