Tag Archive for: Sandspreader

Efficiency meets durability with GKB Sandspreader

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Efficiency meets durability with GKB Sandspreader: Maintaining top-tier playing conditions at North London’s Stanmore Golf Club is a constant balancing act – particularly with the ever-changing challenges posed by the climate.

After 31 years at the club, Course Manager Barry Neville know what it takes to keep the course in shape, which begins with the right machinery to deliver both efficiency and outstanding results. With a new SP100 from GKB Machines, the team now have a robust, versatile topdressing solution to support ongoing course renovation and drainage works.

Efficiency meets durability with GKB Sandspreader

Efficiency meets durability with GKB Sandspreader

Set on challenging London clay, the course — originally an inland links — has evolved into a mature parkland layout, now grappling like most with more prolonged periods of rainfall and the need for drainage improvements. Together with seeking to improve efficiency of routine topdressing, Barry explains that this multi-year programme drove the demand for a new, reliable solution. “Our previous dresser had served us well for close to two decades so the process of finding its replacement wasn’t taken lightly. We looked at a good few options, but the GKB Sandspreader really stood out. Seeing it at BTME 2025 then again at the Doe Show, the build quality was apparent immediately” he says.

“Not only could you tell the steel construction was robust, we also liked the fact the Sandspreader uses hydraulic controls rather than electric. A lot of modern kit is becoming more complex which is fine when it works, but in the real world with the weather and conditions in which we operate, things eventually go wrong” Barry says.

The SP100 was delivered by dealers Ernest Doe in June 2025 once the machine had been fully equipped to meet the club’s unique requirements. “Filling the trenches after the installation of the new drainage has been a labour-intensive task, with a lot of barrowing, tipping and backfilling by hand. This is manageable on greens but for fairways and larger areas, it just wasn’t efficient” he explains. “The ability to swap out the spinning discs of the SP100 for a cross conveyor has proved to be a gamechanger.”

Together with transforming the task of topping up trenches, the SP100 has also been impressing with the routine topdressing around the course. “We’ve dressed the greens twice with it and it’s gone faultlessly. If we get out first thing in the morning, the job is done by 9:00am and within a couple of hours the light dressing is brushed in so the golfers hardly even notice.”

“In addition, we’ve been using the conveyor system to top up bunkers which is already presenting a major time saving.”

Looking ahead, Barry foresees the versatility of the Sandspreader will pay dividends across the course. “Together with routine topdressing every couple of weeks, we’ll be looking to put 100 tonnes of material through it during our maintenance week in August. With the hopper slightly larger than our previous machine, we also have the potential to dress our fairways in the future. It’s a futureproofed purchase.”

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GKB Sandspreader proves tough to beat

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GKB Sandspreader proves tough to beat: What’s top of the priority list when it comes to purchasing a topdresser? For Gavin Playford of Royal West Norfolk Golf Club it’s build quality, which is why he opted for an SP100 from the GKB Sandspreader range.

So impressed when he first saw the machine on display at The Doe Show 2025, Gavin placed the order there and then – without even having a demonstration!

GKB Sandspreader proves tough to beat

GKB Sandspreader proves tough to beat

Nestled between the beach and salt marshes, the traditional links course at Royal West Norfolk has been under the stewardship of Gavin for the last 39 years. Currently assisted by a team of six, Gavin outlines that the club opt for a ‘little and often’ approach to topdressing. “Depending on conditions and available resources, we try to dress the greens every two to four weeks which not only benefits plant health but helps to keep the golfers on side compared to less frequent, heavier applications.”

“Over the years we’ve used a various makes and models of dresser but were struck by the build quality of the GKB machine as soon as we saw it at The Doe Show back in February. We had the opportunity to have a really good chat with GKB’s Tom Shinkins and discussed opting for the electronic controls to enhance consistency and make setting the distribution rates much easier. Nothing was too much trouble, and just a few weeks later the SP100 was delivered by Eddie Jack of Ernest Doe, just in time for renovation season.”

The GKB Sandspreader range features four different hopper capacities and trailed or mounted models for ultimate versatility on every surface. With an existing John Deere ProGator in the shed, Gavin opted for the mounted SP100 with its 1.0m3 hopper and up to 10m working width.

“The hopper is slightly bigger than our previous topdresser which has given us some noticeable productivity gains and the electronic controls have definitely made adjusting the rates much easier.” He adds, “Along with topdressing greens, we’ve also used the SP100 to apply compost to the fairways which worked very well! Overall, the team have been very impressed.”

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GKB Sandspreader SP300 doubles productivity

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GKB Sandspreader SP300 doubles productivity: Productivity and efficiency from topdressing operations has more than doubled for the team at Cutting Edge Grounds Maintenance following their purchase of a SP300 Sandspreader from GKB Machines.

Director Josh Blackburn cites that the exceptional build quality of the high-capacity disc dresser allows them to spread up to 240 tonnes of material each day on a variety of sports pitch and amenity surface renovations.

GKB Sandspreader SP300 doubles productivity

GKB Sandspreader SP300 doubles productivity

Having worked in the groundcare industry for close to 15 years, Josh established Cutting Edge two and a half years ago and leads a team of eight operatives on contracts in and around Teesside, North Yorkshire & County Durham. “We’d been using a second-hand spreader for some time so, with the number of pitch renovation jobs increasing, we were due an upgrade” he explains.

“We had demonstrations of a couple of different brands, but the GKB Sandspreader was head and shoulders above the competition – not just from the user-friendly set-up and accuracy of distribution but the impeccable build quality.” Delivered by local dealers Lloyds of Bishop Auckland in the summer of 2022, Josh goes on to emphasise, “You too frequently find that with the machines at the bigger end of the ranges, you lose build quality, but with GKB that is not the case. You can be assured that everything that comes out of their factory is going to last, and work to a high standard.”

The GKB SP300 is the ultimate tool for sports facilities and contractors, looking for a versatile solution to large area topdressing. The 3m3 capacity and ability to quickly and simply adjust the spreading discs makes the Sandspreader suitable for use on a wide variety of applications, from football pitches and cricket outfields to school grounds and golf fairways. “Being hydraulically-driven rather than PTO, it’s really simple to adjust belt speed, disc speed, angle, and thickness. You can tell GKB have designed the machine with the way the operator will use it in mind.”

“The Sandspreader is primarily used seasonally, but we have had it out working as late as October which it can do thanks to the four large balloon tyres which effectively spread the weight making it highly adaptable.” He continues, “It’s not only the quality of machine but the support you have with GKB which we really like. The one issue we had was resolved with a phone call in a matter of minutes. It’s the whole package.”

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GKB bring the Sandspreader 400 to Coventry

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GKB bring the Sandspreader 400 to Coventry: GKB Machines are known for their robust and reliable groundskeeping machines, and at the heart of their wide range of products fits the GKB Sandspreaders.

Thought of as the premier choice in the top dresser market, the SP series distributes different materials evenly over a field with precision and efficiency, and are available in a variety of sizes to suit the needs of sports grounds and courses.

GKB bring the Sandspreader 400 to Coventry

GKB bring the Sandspreader 400 to Coventry

The latest delivery saw the arrival of the SP400 – the largest Top Dresser in the GKB arsenal – to Lakeside Ground Maintenance in Coventry. Director of the Coventry firm, Gareth Fowler-Simons commented: “I was after a bigger spreader that was also suitable to travel on the road between sites. I’ve only heard good things about GKB, and with up to 95 per cent of the work we do being top dressing and renovations related, this really was the obvious choice for us.”

Being only the second SP400 to reach the UK – the first arrived in Scotland some months ago – it has naturally drawn a lot of attention among ground staff already. As effective sanding is crucial for the long-term preservation of sports fields, GKB expect these to be the first of many SP400s delivered to UK grounds and courses.

Tom Shinkins, GKB Machines UK Operations Director admitted: “The Sandspreader offers more than a traditional top dresser, giving workers the ability to control how much material gets spread and where, evenly with no fuss. We are delighted have an SP400 now in operation in England, and are sure that Lakeside Ground Maintenance will have many fantastic years using it.”

GKB bring the Sandspreader 400 to Coventry

GKB bring the Sandspreader 400 to Coventry

GKB Sandspreader main features:

  • Sturdy wheelbase for perfect stability and weight dispersion
  • Adjustable conveyor belt speed
  • Double hydraulically driven, precisely adjustable spreading discs
  • Road legal
  • Uniquely shaped bunker for good visibility and efficient sand discharge

The SP400 is available to order from your local GKB Machines dealer, find them online local via the GKB website now.

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New Sandspreader for Kingfishers GC

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New Sandspreader for Kingfishers GC: Home to a picturesque 18-hole golf course set in 120 acres of rural Suffolk, Kingfishers Golf Club has recently purchased a GKB Sandspreader SP100 to maintain their impressive grounds, through GKB’s distributor Ernest Doe.

“Finding a machine that‘s compatible with our Jacobsen Truckster was essential to us and a main factor when choosing the GKB Sandspreader SP100,” explains Matthew Thacker, Managing Director of Kingfishers.  Matthew also comments on the quality of customer service and the product range offered by GKB and its distributor Ernest Doe saying, “GKB machines are extremely well designed and built.”

New Sandspreader for Kingfishers GC

Developed and produced in GKB Machines’ Dutch energy neutral industrial plant the GKB Sandspreader SP100 showcases premium quality with industrial durability. Available in four different designs with several options, Kingfishers Golf Club will mostly be sanding their greens with the GKB Sandspreader SP100. Accurately applying sand and in varying quantities to keep golf courses in prime condition, this machine is ideal for both construction and maintenance.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617.

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