Tag Archive for: Service

Dr. Simon Watson strengthens service team

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Dr. Simon Watson strengthens service team: Dr. Simon Watson, an industry expert within Turf Agronomy and specifically Sports Turf Management, has joined The R&A Sustainable Agronomy Service, bringing over 20 years of experience in the turf, amenity and agriculture industry to the service.

With a strong interest and passion for sports turf agronomy, Watson adds to the already impressive lineup of agronomists at The R&A. Prior to joining, he travelled the world gaining invaluable experience across different climates, turf conditions and locations, all of which has shaped his expansive knowledge of the industry today.

Dr. Simon Watson strengthens service team

Dr. Simon Watson strengthens service team

“My background has allowed me to learn and develop my understanding of the industry across many sectors, and through my time at STRI and Syngenta, I have had an extensive amount of practical experience that I’m excited to utilise with the team,” comments Simon Watson, Senior Agronomist at The R&A.

“The opportunity to join The R&A was something I simply couldn’t miss. Its involvement and commitment to not only fostering the growth of golf, but also the importance it places on sustainability and how golf can be good for the environment, is an ethos that I’m proud to now be a part of.”

Based predominantly in the Southeast of England, Watson is already working with a host of clubs in the area, alongside other venues across the country and into mainland Europe.

The R&A Sustainable Agronomy Service has grown since its inception in 2022, with a comprehensive and well-recognised team plotted around the country. The consultancy service gives clubs access to a wealth of agronomic experience, positioning The R&A firmly in the centre of sustainable development within the game.

To find out more about the Sustainable Agronomy Service, please contact sustainableagronomy@randa.org or head to https://www.randa.org/en/sustainability/agronomy

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Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

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Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface: After intensive in-house operations to relieve severe compaction failed to deliver the desired results, the decision was made to undertake a full renovation on one of the pitches at Hove Prep School in Sussex.

Word of mouth led Grounds and Gardens Manager Adam Bedson to speak with AMS Contracting Ltd who he cites, from the outset, delivered outstanding customer service and confidence in their capability to fix the situation to the standards required – which they did, to the satisfaction of the school and pupils alike!

Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

Hove Prep School is one of three sites belonging to Lancing College, with its own sports facilities supporting a packed programme of year-round play and coaching. “It became evident that years of overuse had contributed to severe compaction problems that became almost impossible to recover” explains Adam, who has been at the college since 2019. “Kit we hired failed to rectify the problem so we reached out to Ashley and Myles Strange at AMS who immediately put us at ease.”

“Having not conducted a project of this scale for a good number of years the Bursar naturally had a lot of questions, which the AMS team answered in-depth and in a timely manner. The level of care and knowledge shown definitely helped to secure the funding we needed to get the project underway in the summer of 2023.”

The full pitch renovation included surface removal, soil profile upgrade, laser-levelling, seeding and nutritional programme, conducted by a team of four operatives under the guidance of Ashley and Myles. “We felt in safe hands every step of the way. What really stood out for me was the hours the team were prepared to work – on site from sunrise and non-stop until the early evening. They understood our need to get the work, which also included renovating our cricket square, complete in the window available in order to get the surfaces back into play as quickly as possible.”

The results, Adam says, speak for themselves. “Within seven days we went from a sandy field to seeing the green hue of germination. Since then, we’ve nurtured the pitch to full strength and coverage and the pupils are now enjoying playing on it.” He continues, “This wet start to winter has also highlighted how incredibly well the pitch drains now. Within an hour of the rain stopping, the pitch is playable which was previously unheard of.”

“The sports staff are over the moon and everybody is really invested in protecting the asset we now have. The success of this project signals the start of a fantastic partnership between ourselves and AMS Contracting, and we’re already in touch with the team about what’s next!”

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Service from George Browns seals the deal

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Service from George Browns seals the deal: The installation of a fleet package by George Browns Limited at Links Golf Club in Cambridgeshire is proof positive that it’s sometimes about who you know, not always what you know!

Taking delivery of a fairway mower and brace of Baroness greens mowers, together with a L-1452 and G-261 from Kubota marks a first for the Newmarket-based course, with Head Greenkeeper Simon Corrigan citing that it was the outstanding service and support received from the George Browns Area Sales Manager that helped to seal the deal.

Service from George Browns seals the deal

Service from George Browns seals the deal

Simon has overseen the maintenance of the 18-hole heathland course for the last five years and is currently supported by a team of five and a vast array of equipment and implements. “Historically we’ve been quite loyal to certain brands and, like most clubs, we’ll hold onto them for a good number of years” he explains. “We had a visit from Will Montgomerie of George Browns approximately 18 months ago and it was at a time where I was looking at new machines and open to trying different makes and models.”

“Right from the start of the process, George Browns were proactive in working with me to find solutions that would work on our site. They brought lots of equipment in for us to try meaning that, by the time we made our decision, we could be confident that we’d thoroughly explored all of the options.” Simon continues, “The package was competitively priced and delivery times were good which was another big plus.”

Delivered in August 2023 was an LM551 fairway mower and two LM315 triple greens mowers from Baroness, a Kubota L-1452 compact tractor and a G-261LD ride-on mower for quick and effective cut and collect on some of the courses more delicate areas. “I hadn’t used a Baroness mower for about 20 years but as soon as we demonstrated them, we agreed that we liked the cut quality and the user-friendly controls and set-up. In terms of tractors, we have other brands, but felt the Kubota gave us comparable quality at a better price and, at 45hp, will be an incredibly versatile addition to the fleet.”

Simon explains that the service received over the last two years from Will and colleagues at George Browns has been second to none. “From bringing in all the various demonstrator units, through to answering our many questions before and after delivery, nothing has been too much trouble. We received service and spare parts packages from Baroness to keep the mowers in top-flight condition, while George Browns will continue to support us and work with us on regular servicing on the Kubota products through the ‘Kubota Care’ five-year warranty scheme. It’s been slick and simple, and we couldn’t be happier.”

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Reesink’s aftermarket service scoops award

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Reesink’s aftermarket service scoops award: Reesink’s purchasing, sales processing, service and training team have won Toro’s International Aftermarket Achievement Award for 2022. Up against fellow Toro distributors, Reesink impressed on an international scale with its dedication to Aftermarket care.

Michael Hampton, parts manager at Reesink Turfcare, says, “Winning this award puts into perspective all the hard work that goes into taking care of our customers beyond the initial purchase period. Part of what makes Toro machines so great are their long lifespans and helping customers to get the most out of their investments is always our aim.”

Reesink's aftermarket service scoops award

Reesink’s aftermarket service scoops award

To achieve this award, distributors needed to have demonstrated superior parts business growth, which includes three main factors: exceeding parts sales goals, attaining high parts fill-rates, and successfully executing parts promotions. The distributor has to complete product reworks – repairing products in accordance with Toro’s inventory standards – in a timely manner and achieve excellence in service training too.

Michael goes on to say: “It’s vital that our customers know the importance of using genuine parts in their machines so that they can run to the best of their ability. Part of this is educating them through our team’s expertise and promotions.

Lee Rowbotham, service manager at Reesink UK adds, “Our training courses and ReeAssure maintenance plans are also key components of our Aftermarket offerings. In particular, the Turfcare Mechanics course has gone a long way to equip customers with the fundamentals they need to service and maintain their Toro machines, while the ReeAssure scheme provides customers with manufacturer’s routine maintenance and scheduled servicing, giving that extra peace of mind. I think that’s what sets Reesink apart, that extra bit of attention afforded to all of our customers even down the line. Being recognised for that and winning this award means a lot to Reesink and especially to our incredibly hardworking aftermarket team – it’s a real honour.”

To learn more about Toro parts or machinery maintenance advice, customers can get in touch with their local Toro Genuine Parts dealer or service centre or contact Reesink via reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

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ICL products and Agrovista service deliver: Stuart Hogg, Course Manager at The West Lancashire Golf Club, believes that ICL’s products and Agrovista Amenity’s service help to keep course standards impeccably high.

Founded in 1873, The West Lancashire Golf Club in Liverpool, is one of the 9 oldest clubs in England. It is currently ranked 28th in Golf World Top 100 in England; 49th in Golf World Top 100 Links GB & Ireland; and 23rd in National Club Golfer Top 100.

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

The West Lancashire has also recently been selected by The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) as one of four renowned golf clubs to stage final qualifying for The Open.

Stuart, who has been at the club since 2015 and manages a team of seven members of staff, underlined the importance of keeping up standards at such a highly regarded club.

“It certainly puts pressure on us to deliver,” he admitted. “As a business, we have grown massively, and so has the reputation. We have to keep standards high and constantly need to deliver high-end surfaces and to do that we need to rely on proven, quality products.

“For example, when we first started using ICL we quickly realised that the products being developed and launched were matching where I wanted to go, and they were making it easier to achieve our goals.”

Stuart sources all his ICL products through Agrovista Amenity – an ICL distributor, and he has recently reported excellent results from Qualibra wetting agent and Sportsmaster WSF SMX 20-0-0 – a beneficial nitrogen source in the form of ammonium sulphate coupled with SMX – an effective and sustainable seaweed concentrate.

Commenting on his use of Qualibra, Stuart said: “We’re now using Qualibra across the whole course because over recent years we’ve developed a huge amount of trust in the product. The standards and expectations here are so high that I need to be using market leading products. I like the fact that its widely tank-mixable with other products and I can buy it in bulk, ensuring we keep within budget.

“We always make sure that we get plenty of applications of Qualibra throughout the course by the end of May, so we are prepared for any further dry spells ahead of us,” he continued. “I like to do a simple test when I’m concerned about the soil accepting any rainfall or irrigation and that’s to simply pour some water over the treated area to see if the water is absorbed or just sits on top. This tells me that everything is in place to accept any irrigation or rainfall. I am currently very happy with the results this product gives me and can’t see any reason to change currently.”

On SMX, Stuart said: “After some trial work with ICL we started to incorporate WSF SMX 20.0.0 into our programme and it has been a great product. I like the makeup of it because it is environmentally friendly, and it is in line with traditional greenkeeping. It’s delivering sufficient nutrition and helping mitigate stresses on the turf which is hugely beneficial because we are quite a stressful site.”

As well as being impressed with the products, Stuart underlined the importance of working with both the manufacturer and distributor.

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

ICL products and Agrovista service deliver

“Ask anyone – Agrovista Amenity and ICL provide the same level of service to the local club down the road as they do to some of the biggest sporting clubs in the world. Both companies’ values align with my own values.

“I buy the products through Agrovista Amenity, and I have their support, but I also have the back up from ICL. I believe all Course Managers need to trust the companies they deal with in product deliveries, and I have never had any issues at all.

“Having two of the industry’s biggest companies working in partnership together helps our golf course – that’s for sure. There is absolutely no reason to move away from ICL and Agrovista when everything works incredibly well for us.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-growingsolutions.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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