Sand - Turf Matters

Wet Sand no issue with Dakota 412

September 1, 2021/in News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Wet Sand no issue with Dakota 412: As the most northern links golf course on the United Kingdom mainland, having a top dresser that can spread wet sand like the Dakota 412 from Campey Turf Care Systems is a must at Scotland’s Reay Golf Club.

The James Braid designed course is positioned on the edge of Sandside Bay with views of the Pentland Firth and the North Atlantic from every hole. The course and its stunning views have been under the control of Head Greenkeeper Jason Norwood, since March 2021, with the new man aiming to put his stamp on the course, starting with the greens.

Wet Sand no issue with Dakota 412

As the sole full-time member of staff for the main 18-hole course and junior three-hole, Jason’s priority is the greens, with volunteers giving up two days a week to assist with the fairways and roughs. The limited time available to Jason needs to be spent working, and with the Dakota 412, he’s able to top-dress as and when he needs to regardless of the sand moisture.

“I’ve tried to put my own stamp on things here with different types of machinery and different ways of working, and the club has really been on board with that, and one of those things has been buying the new Dakota top dresser,” Jason explains.

“The equipment we originally had couldn’t cope well with wet sand; it was more of a large-scale fertiliser spreader. As you can imagine at the top of Scotland, there’s a lot of rain about so any sand that we do have is normally quite wet, so that was one of the main features of the Dakota for us because it can deal with that quite easily and we still get a good even spread with it.

“We really want to push forward and make use of the North Coast 500 tourist route, which is literally on our doorstep; it passes directly in front of us, so we get a lot of passing visitors now, and I think all year-round performing greens are the main thing golfers are after on a golf course so it’s making sure that we can provide that for them.

“We’ve had the machine since the middle of April, but because of the weather chances to get it out have been limited. I’ve trialled different settings on our junior course greens to get what we want for the main course, and it’s been good so far.

“With it having four wheels the weight is distributed incredibly well, so it doesn’t leave a mark on the greens, and the first time I used it you’d have no idea that anything had been done or any heavy equipment had been over the greens it because the footprint was minimal.”

The Dakota 412 features accurate and easy to operate calibration with no manual adjustment and has four Ultra-Trac turf tyres on independent floating beam axels for maximum weight distribution, allowing Jason to work without causing viable disruption to the surface.

As part of Campey’s installation, and to help Jason get the most out of the machine, Campey Product Specialist, Richard Heywood, walked him through the various settings and features, which Jason views as an invaluable experience.

Jason explains: “Because we are so far north, there is a lot more to consider when ordering machinery. Something that was great for me was being supplied through my machinery dealer Double A with support from Campey by sending Richard to demonstrate how to use the top dresser to the best of its abilities. This proved invaluable to me not having used one before.

“He went through it all, explained what all the different settings were, how to adjust it all, and that was vital. Having someone who knows how to operate it fully really maximises its performance and helps us get the best out of the machine.”

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A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

August 19, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand: Mansfield Town FC Head Groundsman Michael Merriman, known to most in the industry as Mez, has revealed how products from Mansfield Sand have signalled a ‘massive improvement’ to the pitch at the One Call Stadium.

Mez might be a Liverpool fan but there is no team closer to his heart than Mansfield Town FC after working at the club for an incredible 24 years. It all started after seeing a job advert for the role of a trainee community football coach for Mansfield Town. From there he moved into the role of an assistant groundsman but also adopted the duties of kitman and a self-proclaimed ‘bath filler’. His hard work and dedication to the club paid off in 2004 when he was promoted to the role of Head Groundsman.

A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

He now oversees the stadium and the training ground and manages a grounds team which is very much a family affair – his two assistants are his son Scott and Lewis Sprigg – who is the son of previous Head Groundsman Rob Sprigg.

It’s safe to say that Mez has become a part of the club’s fabric who has endured and enjoyed both difficult and prosperous times in the club’s recent history. It was perhaps during the more difficult times that he was particularly grateful of the help he received from Mansfield Sand.

“We’ve been working with Mansfield Sand for the entire time I have been at the club,” he said. “Before the new chairman came in, we had some hard times when we didn’t have any money and Mansfield Sand really showed their support for us. It is things like that which will never be forgotten, and I’d like to say a huge thank you.”

Support aside, there is a reason why the club has been relying on products from Mansfield Sand for so long, and Mez explained how they have been just so beneficial.

“We’ve been using MM40 (predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces) for as long as I have been here,” he said. “We used to use it every year during the May renovation and even when we weren’t able to turn the pitch over due to lack of funding, we would still put about 50 tonnes of the MM40 over the top, followed by a verti-drain to get a bit of drainage in the pitch.

“We’ll also very often follow up with a light coating of the MM40 in October – just to get us through winter; and I would say that over the past couple of years we have applied about 200 tonnes, if not more, of MM40 at the training ground.”

In 2017, Mez used a pure sand and polypropylene fibre reinforcement product that is particularly advantageous when grass cover has been reduced due to heavy usage and wear during the winter period. It is incorporated into an upper sand soil rootzone and consolidated to provide a stable divot-free environment.

A Mezmerising pitch thanks to Mansfield Sand

“We applied 300 tonnes of the Fibresand mixed to a depth of 100mm and it transformed the way the pitch played,” he said. “It has signalled a massive improvement; we no longer get the sloppy surface and providing you do your renovations and prepare your pitch in the correct way then you won’t have a better surface. Fibresand is a great product, and I would recommend it to everybody.”

In further praise of Mansfield Sand, Mez commended the customer service he receives.

“I work with Sharon Morris from Mansfield Sand who is an absolute diamond,” he said.

“There have often been times when I have put orders on her late and she always pulls it out the bag for me. With Mansfield Sand it is not just a case of providing you with products and then off they go. Sharon will come in and take samples, makes sure it is at the right depth and ensure that the contractors applying it are doing a good job. The delivery drivers are also extremely helpful and courteous.

“It is a great service all round.”

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/

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

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PNE’s pitches boosted by Mansfield Sand

July 20, 2021/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

PNE’s pitches boosted by Mansfield Sand: Pete Ashworth, Head Groundsman at Preston North End FC, has revealed how products from Mansfield Sand play a role in achieving consistently good playing surfaces.

Pete, a graduate of the highly regarded Myerscough College, originally began his career at Blackburn Rovers FC before moving to Preston North End FC in 2005. The award-winning groundsman now oversees 7 members of staff over three sites.

PNE’s pitches boosted by Mansfield Sand

Across those three sites, which includes Deepdale Stadium, the youth academy and the new first-team training centre, Pete has six Fibresand constructed pitches – and this is where Mansfield Sand come in.

“Mansfield Sand were used during my time at Blackburn FC, and I have personally dealt with them the whole time I have been here at Preston North End – the customer service has always been first-class,” said Pete.

“There are two products in particular that we use across the Fibresand pitches we have, and they are incredibly important to the playability of them.”

Pete uses Mansfield’s Fibresand, which is a pure sand and polypropylene fibre reinforcement product that is particularly advantageous when grass cover has been reduced due to heavy usage and wear during the winter period. It is incorporated into an upper sand soil rootzone and consolidated to provide a stable divot-free environment.

“We’ll use the Fibresand during renovations and how much we apply really depends on how much we need,” he said. “Mansfield Sand will usually come and take samples in December to see what our levels are and when we find out what the fibre content is, we will then know how much fibre we need to add. You need to have a certain percentage of fibre to keep that stability in your surface and have the best pitch you can.”

Historically, Deepdale Stadium was the only Fibresand pitch under Pete’s remit, but 2019 signalled the start of more and he has not looked back since.

“We used to have drainage issues on the pitches at the youth academy centre, but that has all changed now.

“I’m a big fan of Fibresand pitches and I like to think I am fairly good at dealing with them in whatever conditions are thrown at us. In the North of England, we get a huge amount of rainfall and the pitches let the water through with no problems at all – that is thanks to the great products from Mansfield Sand.”

Furthermore, Pete revealed that while he relies on Mansfield’s Fibresand for renovations, he will also use the company’s MM40 product.

“We’ll use the MM40 for a straight sand top dressing, especially for the pitches that aren’t having a full cultivation,” he said. “It is a brilliant medium sand and I always try and keep a couple of tonnes left over for goal mouths or any other areas.”

From winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas – Mansfield Sand has a solution for all.

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/

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

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Wet Sand no issue with the Dakota 412

July 1, 2021/in News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Wet Sand no issue with the Dakota 412: As the most northern links golf course on the United Kingdom mainland, having a top dresser that can spread wet sand like the Dakota 412 from Campey Turf Care Systems is a must at Scotland’s Reay Golf Club.

The James Braid designed course is positioned on the edge of Sandside Bay with views of the Pentland Firth and the North Atlantic from every hole. The course and its stunning views have been under the control of Head Greenkeeper Jason Norwood, since March 2021, with the new man aiming to put his stamp on the course, starting with the greens.