Tag Archive for: Season

Consider chipper maintenance this nesting season

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Consider chipper maintenance this nesting season: After a busy winters work, operating in all weathers and ground conditions, nesting season provides the ideal opportunity to consider giving your woodchipper some well-needed TLC!

GreenMech offer operators some top tips on simple, routine maintenance to consider conducting over the summer months to prevent costly repairs and downtime.

Consider chipper maintenance this nesting season

Consider chipper maintenance this nesting season

Looking firstly at towed woodchippers. If you’ve been working in dusty environments, check and clean radiators and filters to ensure water-cooled engines retain adequate airflow to perform effectively. If your engine is air-cooled, the engine inspection panels and any debris should be removed to prevent any ‘hot spotting’ of the cylinders. Like a vehicle, fluid levels should be monitored to maintain the operational integrity of your chipper. If the radiator has a header tank, check the level in the radiator and change the fluids/filters as instructed in the machine manual.

Grease the chipper as per the manufacturer’s instructions and inspect all safety features such as the control bar and cut-out switches to ensure these are working as intended. Sharpen the blades to avoid the transfer of shock loads into the bearings – a good edge on the shear bar/anvil is also needed for efficient chipping. As obvious as it may seem, give the chipper a wash down! Keeping your investment clean will help to prevent degradation of the paint from residual dirt and salt.

While inspecting your towed chipper, don’t forget the trailer. Ensure the brakes, lights, floor, ramps, securing points and tyres (including the jockey wheel) are all in good, road-legal condition.

For tracked woodchippers, all of the above tips also apply. In addition, ensure that the tracks are in good order, with no visible signs of damage and that tracking components and controls are operating as intended. Next, double check the toolbox – if you needed to refit a lost track as per the manufacturer’s instructions, would you have the right tools to do so? Finally, check the condition of any additional accessories, particularly winches which should be equipped with quality rope in good condition.

Those operating a tractor mounted/powered woodchipper will note that many of the pointers already listed will be applicable to both the chipper and the tractor. In this scenario, you’ll also want to ensure that the correct specification PTO shaft is fitted, in good order and with the correct guarding. Some have a ‘slip clutch’ which will need to be set at the correct torque settings. Others may need a ‘shear bolt lobe’, so check you have some spare bolts in the toolbox.

Check the hydraulic hoses are correctly fitted and that the in-cab controls are working as they should. If a 12v supply is needed to run the ‘No Stress’ device or beacon, ensure that the correct light cable is refitted if the tractor is intended for highway use. Finally, grease as required – not forgetting the UJ spiders and plastic guards covering the shaft.

More details can be found within GreenMech operator manuals or by speaking to your local approved dealer. To find your nearest GreenMech expert, visit www.greenmech.co.uk 

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EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed

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EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed: Watford, Bolton Wanderers and Accrington Stanley have been named 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season in the EFL.

Grounds Teams throughout the EFL work tirelessly to make sure pitch surfaces are of a high quality through all weather and conditions.

EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed

EFL 2024/25 Grounds Teams of the Season revealed

Read the full story here

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Awards season begins for Toro

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Awards season begins for Toro: Entries for Toro’s renowned Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards 2025 open on 1 March.

Lecturers and employers can give their students the chance to unlock life changing opportunities by nominating them, or student greenkeepers can have faith in their own abilities and put themselves forward.

Awards season begins

Awards season begins

Aside from industry-leading prizes which include, for both award winners, all-expenses-paid trips to the USA to visit Toro HQ, R&D and manufacturing, educational opportunities, and a one-week work experience placement at a prestigious UK or overseas golf course, it’s as much the long-term benefits winning and taking part bring that make it worthwhile entering.

Jon Cole, Divisional Business Manager at Reesink Turfcare, award sponsor and main award judge, says: “The awards are the only in the industry to recognise young greenkeepers in such a way and bring extraordinary rewards for those who reach the finals.

The awards

These are some of the biggest prizes available in the industry, alongside an invaluable platform for young professionals to use to take their career to the next level.”

The finals on 9-11 September will be held at Rudding Park in Harrogate.

This award-winning family-owned luxury resort is home to two previous winners of the Toro Student Awards – Matthew Milligan who won in 2021 and John Norwood winner in 2019.

Finalists get to meet and compete with the best student greenkeepers in the country and network with influential industry leaders, increase skills and knowledge to enhance professional development and build lasting relationships in the greenkeeping community.

What the awards can do

David Timms, Reesink’s National Accounts Manager and young award judge, says: “The awards act as a massive stepping stone in these greenkeeper’s careers and taking part holds a lot of credence with future employers.

Entering couldn’t be easier and could be the beginning of the next stage of their lives.”

But really what it comes down to is passion. Passion for the industry and in the belief that a greenkeeper’s role makes a difference.

These are the reasons why the awards are the longest standing in the industry and why Reesink, Toro, organisers BIGGA and all the judges believe in them so whole-heartedly.

As John Keenaghan, 2024 BIGGA President and young award judge, confirms: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for young greenkeepers to show their passion in the greenkeeping world.”

For more details and how to apply head to reesinkturfcare.co.uk/students-awards. Entries can made from 1 March to 11 April.

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It’s ‘Sandfiller Season’ says GKB Machines

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It’s ‘Sandfiller Season’ says GKB Machines: Careful management of organic matter levels is critical to optimising both the health and play characteristics of golf greens.

When it comes to managing these thatch layers, there is no universal tool or technique that will suit every course, however methods and machines are now at our disposal that are far less disruptive and can incorporate additional operations such as simultaneous sand injection which helps to bring surfaces back into play even quicker. One such machine is the Sandfiller from GKB.

It’s ‘Sandfiller Season’ says GKB Machines

It’s ‘Sandfiller Season’ says GKB Machines

The GKB Sandfiller scarifies the surface down to depths of up to 40mm, removing organic matter and creating channels which are simultaneously filled with sand or a combination of sand and seed – maximising efficiency and improving drainage and ground firmness in one pass. The unit features a 400L hopper to collect the removed material, leaving a clean and tidy finish and allowing the surface to be back in play almost instantly.

One venue who employed the services of a contractor last September to conduct the Sandfiller operation is Wenvoe Castle Golf Club. Head Greenkeeper Lucy Sellick explains, “The wetter winters, combined with a smaller than normal greenkeeping team, meant we were looking for a fast and effective solution to removing organic matter and firming up the greens. The contractor began on a Thursday morning, and by Friday lunchtime all 19 greens were back in play – with organic matter removed, backfilled with 22 tons of kiln-dried sand and just one team member brushing in the remaining surface sand. Any concerns we had about how the Sandfiller would handle our Mackenzie style slopes and undulations were also unfounded.”

“Now in February, our organic matter readings have reduced, and the greens are definitely firmer. Despite all the rainfall, we’ve managed to get a triple on the greens which just wouldn’t have been possible before.” She concludes, “We had the Sandfiller in during spring renovations back in 2023 to carry out scarification work only, and have it booked in again this September where it’ll play an important role in our pre-winter renovations and organic matter management once again.”

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SIS sets the stage for Riyadh’s Season Cup

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SIS sets the stage for Riyadh’s Season Cup: Season Cup, Riyadh’s showpiece football tournament featuring Messi and Ronaldo, was made possible thanks to the world’s first fully indoor hybrid pitch built in 21 days by global sports surfaces specialist, SIS Pitches.

The competition forms part of the Riyadh Season, a festival featuring both live sport and entertainment in the capital, funded by the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund. All Season Cup games take place at the Kingdom Arena in front of 24,000 fans. During the competition, the stadium received two Guinness World Records. The first for being the largest covered football stadium; the second for having the largest seating capacity for an indoor covered stadium.

SIS sets the stage for Riyadh's Season Cup

SIS sets the stage for Riyadh’s Season Cup

Setting the stage for the cup’s major fixtures, including Al Nassr vs. Inter Miami, was a major challenge for SIS Pitches. Construction and development of the elite indoor sports venue started in late 2023, giving the business a much shorter window to install and prepare a playing surface fit for top-level competition.

However, this short window was only one part of the challenge. SIS also had to ensure the natural turf grew strong enough to properly secure the small percentage of synthetic fibres stitched into the arena’s surface, as is standard for hybrid pitches of this type. This process was made harder by the arena’s fully indoor design, which has no windows or roof for sunlight to enter. The SIS team worked around this by using ultraviolet growing lights to prepare the pitch in time.

Sela, the developer responsible for the arena, requested a game-ready playing surface in just three weeks, much shorter than the typical window for a major development of this type. This aligned with the pace of construction for the wider stadium, which was completed in just 60 days.

Speed and resilience were key. SISGrass, the solution specified by SIS, merges natural turf with a small percentage of polymer yarn. Already used by many of the most recognisable names in sports, this mixture is injected by the company’s patented electric stitching machine, providing a more consistent and resilient playing surface. SIS’s machine is capable of covering 1300m2 metres per day with a 90mm shallow stitch, making it ideal for quick installs like that requested by Sela.

SISGrass is much harder-wearing than an all-natural pitch, and is proven to accommodate more playing hours while also being less susceptible to wear or damage. This was particularly important for the Kingdom Arena, given the small window groundspeople have to prepare between entertainment and sports events.

The stadium is home to Saudi Professional League team Al Hilal. It will also host several other major sporting events in the coming months, including two heavyweight championship boxing fights. The Kingdom Arena is similar to New Zealand’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, which is also indoors, though the latter is fitted with a transparent roof allowing sunlight to enter. Riyadh’s stadium is therefore the first fully indoor facility to be completed.

David Ball, Managing Director at SIS Saudi said “This project had an incredibly challenging timeline but our team was able to mobilise quickly, delivering a high-quality playing surface fit for what arguably football’s two greatest ever players. We knew the arena was going to be used for other sports and entertainment, so the pitch had to be capable of accommodating short turnarounds between events. SISGrass was a natural choice in this respect, having already proven itself the best option for groundspeople across the world.”

Based in Riadyh’s Boulevard City development, the Kingdom Arena boasts all the facilities expected from a modern stadium, fitted with a state-of-the-art air monitoring system and 20 skyboxes.

For more information on SISGrass, visit: https://www.sispitches.com/pitches/hybrid-pitch-sisgrass/

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