Tag Archive for: Terra

Durness GC’s new Terra Spike

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Durness GC’s new Terra Spike: Lone head greenkeeper, Alistair Morrison at Britain’s most north westerly golf club, Durness GC, has taken ownership of a Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD.

Durness GC, in Sutherland, is unquestionably as spectacular as it is remote, with rugged coastline, exquisite sandy beaches and windswept moorland in abundance. Featuring on the Scotland North Coast 500 route, a short drive to Cape Wrath, this unique course is in a Scottish Natural Heritage SSSI and Special Area of Conservation site.

Durness GC's new Terra Spike

Durness GC’s new Terra Spike

“Literally hundreds of very welcome visitors have made the club a destination across the pandemic, meaning our committee found budget for a Terra Spike far sooner than we all imagined,” said Alistair. “Our pedestrian aerator, long past its best, could no longer make it out the shed. The GXi8 was a significant investment, but one we knew we had to make.”

Wiedenmann UK’s, Sales Manager, Mike James, and Scottish dealer, Fairways GM’s, John Morton, delivered the machine in February, happy for the most scenic of installations.

“The GXi8 came with a new PTO shaft which Mike cut. I chose 12 mm tines as the delivery option and handover training was very thorough,” continued Alistair. “First outing was around the greens to about 120 mm in depth. We’ve a sandy subsoil in parts, but not all over. We could have gone deeper, but I can’t be sure yet where stones are lurking, so I’m taking the depth down in increments. There’s no set schedule. We’re weather dependent up here, have no irrigation, so things can change quickly, it’ll be a bit of a learning curve. We get very wet periods in the winter, so it’ll get done when the conditions are right.”

Durness was built in 1988 as a nine-hole course with nine added tees. For an 18-hole experience, the original nine holes are played in reverse off the alternative tees, the return nine bringing an equal amount of enjoyment and challenge, while giving a different perspective.

“Members remarked favourably about the exceptionally clean results on the greens after tining, and, now I’ve started on the fairways, it deals with undulations very easily, too. Even our flatter fairways I wouldn’t call flat, so the smoothness and tidy job is impressive,” continued Alistair.

Another long-awaited use for Alistair’s Terra Spike is a yearly plan to overseed greens.

“I’ll be pot seeding,” explained Alistair. “Using worn tines on the Terra Spike, I’ll make a very shallow hole, about 1 cm down, then overseed with fescue. This is another task I haven’t been able to do until now but will help maintain quality moving forward.

Without question, Durness’s surroundings take sustainability to a different level. For example, in the club’s rental lease there is provision for local sheep to graze all vegetation on the course from mid-November until December and again from April – mid May, except for the greens and surrounds which are fenced off. At other times, the sheep are penned inside for winter warmth or during competition season, coaxed to other hillside pastures.

Looking north, the nearest mainland coast belongs to Iceland, 510 miles away.  For context, Durness is a 662-mile drive to London. Clubs and trolleys can be hired at the mostly unmanned club house, where a day ticket is just £40 and visitors use the honesty box to deposit their green fees.

Six years have now elapsed since Alistair took over his role, long enough to be aware of climate trends and consistencies.  Even in his remote location, there have been changes in weather patterns, hard to fathom.

“I agree with many greenkeepers that it’s becoming difficult to know where one season ends and another one begins. There is less consistency. Spring of 2020 and again, 2021 have been remarkable because of how dry they were. Summer 2021 was also incredibly dry and here, it appeared we went straight to a  prolonged wet winter, bypassing autumn 2021 completely. So, we’ve had drought and famine and little in between.

The impact of no guaranteed weather windows can affect Alistair, not just because he is a lone worker, but because he has finite supplies and doesn’t have margin to be wasteful.

“I struggle sometimes with fertiliser and spray applications. Without irrigation you must be careful when you take the decision to ’go’. Frequently, you must wait for the best time to make sure the application rates for fertiliser can be realised or spraying can be washed in.  So, whether it be an evening or a Sunday afternoon, you prioritise the course.

“Flexibility has become part of my life. Golfing on Durness wouldn’t be nearly as successful if we took a regimented approach. The club trusts me to manage my hours, balancing summer, winter, busy, quiet… When the weather is calm you just want to get on with it. So, during the season if there’s a squall in the morning, I might elect to work at night.  On an 18-hole course you might get a three hour start before golfers catch you up but on a nine-hole they can be on you quickly.  We’re not at the stage where we have queues. If the club becomes significantly busier, then we might have to review. But the influx of visitors has allowed me budget for small amounts of extra kit and equipment that has the benefit of speeding up processes, so it all still works.”

Alistair plans his own holiday time for the off season and is never away for very long. “If it’s playable, we’re always open. weekend competitions don’t start until the end of May, with 30 spaces in the morning and 30 in the afternoon. Realistically from November onwards it’s local members but we do get some hardy visitors.”

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Wiedenmann Terra Rake at Western Gailes GC

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Wiedenmann Terra Rake at Western Gailes GC: One of Scotland’s finest links courses, Western Gailes GC, on the north Ayrshire coast, is three years into a long-term project to restore more of the links effect to the rough on the highly acclaimed site.

Course Manager, Stewart Brown, who took up his role in 2017, has targeted a specific area of the course to improve definition and quality. Already by harnessing the expertise of his seven greens staff, progress is being made.

Wiedenmann Terra Rake at Western Gailes GC

Wiedenmann Terra Rake at Western Gailes GC

“We’ve undertaken some fairly significant course changes. One key project has been to re-align major areas of rough back into fairways, so swathes of   long-term rough are now actively being prepared and groomed to become fairways,” said Stewart Brown.

Removing organic matter then, considerably increasing fine fescue grasses by additional seeding, is still a work in progress. However, a recently acquired Wiedenmann Terra Rake has an important role to play.

“We’ll be using the rake to thin these areas out regularly,” continued Stewart.” It is crucial be able to use the rake so we can avoid lifting the turf and re-laying it.”

Already familiar with the Terra Rake’s results having borrowed one for an extended period, Stewart was keen to purchase his own 2.3 m version from local dealer, Fairways GM, exclusive supplier of Wiedenmann UK in Scotland.

“We’ve wanted one for a while. We have a Super 500 and those two go hand -in-hand for rough management, particularly for thinning out the rough and removing dead material. Together, they speed the process.

Stewart’s plan for the Terra Rake means it will be active across Western Gailes’ heavy rough, the semi rough and on the fairways.

“We’ve rough to manage throughout the course on every hole. In places the terrain is quite undulating. I like that the Terra Rake comes with an adjustment so you can lessen or increase the intensity of the tine vibration.

“Our heavier rough will be tackled twice a year. The rake, operating in both dry and wet conditions means I’ve a flexible tool to deploy when other work can’t go ahead.  As we go through the season. we will use it for the semi roughs to stand the grass up before we cut, to make the task of cutting easier and, of course, to benefit presentation.”

“Some other fairway areas will also benefit from more attention. A couple of drought periods in the last two years, has weakened them, so the rake will go in to pull out organic matter; then we’ll blow the dead matter to the side to be picked up and collected with the Super 500. The spring tines on the Terra Rake help create space and a receptive seed bed before we follow on with the Wiedenmann Terra Float seeder.

“We made a healthy start in February and March. The bulk of the overseeding works tends to take place at the end of the year but we will still be using it to remove dead material earlier on in the season.”

The arrival of their own Terra Rake gives Stewart and his team an impressive fleet of Wiedenmann machines, all purchased from Fairways GM.

“When I joined, we had a Super 500 and a Terra Float. We added a Terra Spike GXi8 HD for aeration; a Terra Brush which we use throughout winter for brushing our fairways and now, the rake. Just about a full Wiedenmann set, so not bad at all,” concluded Stewart.

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Newquay GC welcomes Terra Float Air

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Newquay GC welcomes Terra Float Air: The unique setting of Newquay Golf Club makes it an iconic coastal landmark. With Cornwall’s glorious surfing destination, Fistral Beach as backdrop, it sits high atop the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

For Dan Kendle, Course Manager, at the Harry Colt-designed links, summer has been as hectic as anything he can remember.

Newquay GC welcomes Terra Float Air

Newquay GC welcomes Terra Float Air

“There’s certainly not been much down time,” he admits. “It’s been mental for the last 18 months. The town has been so busy; actually, sometimes too busy, for infrastructure to cope.

“In the past, the club has never had vast numbers of groups of visiting golfers, just a steady membership made up of locals. However, tourist golfers are loving it. There have been days when there hasn’t been a single tee time available from seven in the morning through to six at night. We imposed a cut off at 7.00 pm for people as we literally can’t fit any more.”

Extra funds have meant Dan Kendle has bought a Wiedenmann Terra Float Air pneumatic seeder, delivered in September, something on his wish list for the last 6½ years since taking up post.

“We’ve never really had a proper overseeder, just a basic one. I considered two or three contenders, spoke to David Barnes at dealers, Mason Kings and narrowed it to the Wiedenmann. I chatted to other links managers who had bought the Air, including Paul Larsen at Royal St George’s. He couldn’t say enough good words about his… that was good enough for me … I had the demo and it backed up all I’d heard.”

The Terra Float Air combines three units in one. A base unit aerates and prepares a seed bed to a max depth of 30 mm by way of fine slits or spikes. Then the top-mounted pneumatic air seeder accurately distributes the seed either pre or post top dressing. Finally, a brush and roller combination gives a desired finish incorporating the materials and leaving the surface smooth. Thanks to finitely accurate electronic static calibration, quantities as low as 1.0 g / m² can be achieved.

Having had his Air less than a month, Dan, and his team of four full timers, have decided to try a few schemes to see what works best.

“In the past, we really only overseeded greens twice a year and annually some fairways.  This involved putting a blunt tine in the greens and the seeds via a broadcast spreader, but this is a different league. Going forward, we will start off overseeding greens probably every six weeks just lightly and see where that takes us. We’ll keep pushing the fescue low, maybe 4-5 grammes per square metre on greens and surrounds.  Tees will be two or three times a year while Fairways once or twice a year, up at about 8 – 10 grammes. Then we’ll review. We’ll be using Limagrain’s MM Coastal mix fescue, something also relatively new for us.

“It’s easy to get the Air on the tractor. The stored electronic memory feature is one of the brilliant details. Once you input your programme you don’t have to touch it again.

“Even before it had arrived word had got out that Air was on its way and a few nearby course managers have already asked if we will be hiring it out. We also own a Wiedenmann GXI8 HD deep aerator and the Terra Float Air are both very similar as they are totally reliable, and we can use them in every area of our course.”

David Barnes, at Mason Kings, Wiedenmann UK dealers for Cornwall, said: “The Air also has an assured performance on undulations with good forward speed and leaves a very clean surface.   The beauty of the Wiedenmann is that it respects that seed is a very precious and expensive commodity and meters it so precisely there is no wastage. These days that is a big saving and brings peace of mind to a club or a contractor. With a much busier course, Dan and team can be out in a matter of minutes when opportunity allows.”

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Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

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Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time: Panmure Golf Club in Carnoustie, Angus, established in 1845, is one of the clubs that originally helped purchase the Amateur Championship trophy. 

A very close neighbour to Carnoustie Golf Links, Panmure, is widely acknowledged as a distinguished links course, and highly regarded for its immaculate fine turf and well kept fairways.

Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

Head Greenkeeper, Gary Nicoll, took delivery of a Terra Spike GXi8 HD in early January, his first ever Wiedenmann.

“I’d been wanting to move to the next level with aeration for a while. We were due an upgrade. Our previous machine had done well but time was right for something faster, with a real clean finish.  Wiedenmann’s GXi series is used widely across the industry and its popular for good reason.

“We have around 11 hectares of turf, seven of which are fairways. All aeration is done inhouse, so, it’s our team of six and no contractors.  Recently, we have borrowed a machine to have two going at once to get through it more quickly. We do all greens, tees, shoulders and fairways, virtually the full course.  The old machine was 1.6 m wide and just doing Panmure’s fairways took around four weeks. I’m confident the team with the GXi8 can knock at least a week off this as it’s 20 cm wider and a good bit faster. Even just one week a month would make a healthy saving on greenkeeper time, on fuel and efforts to avoid play being interrupted.”

Installation and induction training was by Wiedenmann UK’s lead demonstrator, Andy Kerr and Mike Lindsay, Area Sales Manager, from local Scottish dealer. Fairways GM, at Kinross.

“It wasn’t a case of drop a machine at the gate and leave,” said Gary, “Andy cut the PTO shaft then he and Mike systematically showed us how to set every aspect to suit our course. It was as thorough a handover as I’ve known.  There are lots of moving parts but despite that, it’s easy to set up and easy to maintain.”

The next day, Gary took the immediate opportunity to do all 18 of his greens and the practice green before a combination of rising water tables, thick ice, and then lying snow, halted meaningful work across the course for over four long weeks.

“In that first run out we got a real good taste of what the Wiedenmann can do for us. Instantly it was quicker than what we had been used to, neater and smoother.

“The clean finish is such a benefit.  At the demonstration we found on our fairways, even with a moderate amount of heave, say 10°-15°, the GXi8 makes no disruption to the turf surface; Nor does a departing tine lift up the ground.  All disturbance is contained below the surface, just where you want it.  The surface is left stable with no requirement for extra rolling.

“However, after our initial run, the rest of January and February’s ground conditions were so poor we didn’t have the opportunity to do as much as we had hoped.

“Extra runs are planned for several choice areas. In a few places standing water has remained, so once these patches are fully dried out, we will revisit them with a decent set of tines. The beauty of the faster machine is that we nip out at times of our own choosing; targeting areas that need more work.

“Going forward we’ll be out probably every month from October through until March. I think we’ll always stay with 12 mm tines on our fairways.  For us, I don’t want golfers ever to ask for any preferred lies so I’ve politely declined any wider tines, happy with the 12 mm and with the 25 cm depth.

“I’ve also invested in the multi tine holders which take 5 mm pencil tines. After we come through the winter, I’ll play it by ear how often and where we’ll go with those. But it’s very pleasing to know we’re now equipped with the technology to keep ahead with our aeration needs and replicate best practices across the industry,” concluded Gary Nicoll.

Fairways GM’s, Mike Lindsay said: “The GXi8 HD ‘s fast speed is derived from its twin drive while its eight legs of tines are timed to hit the ground in pairs, which further enhances its smoothness and makes it kinder to turf. Advance Tine Control (ATC) allows precise tine entry into the ground, all tines exactly spaced, making a neat and clean job with surface disruption negligible. We were just so fortunate that Gary’s team got that one run in before the really bad weather took hold.”

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Terra Spike XF central to new era

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Terra Spike XF central to new era: One of Hertfordshire’s leading independent day and boarding schools has embarked upon a new era of grounds maintenance across its 130-acre site, with a team restructure and additional grounds investment.

Bishop’s Stortford College appointed Adam Smith as their new Head Groundsman in March, with responsibility for both the sports surfaces and the extensive ornamental gardens. With over 1200 pupils, and a reputation for sporting excellence, rugby in particular, the College is a ‘Partnership School’ with Premiership rugby neighbours, Saracens RFC.

Terra Spike XF central to new era

Terra Spike XF central to new era

Specifically on sport, Adam, plus two staff, Ben Baker and David Beckenham, look after 20 hectares of sport surfaces which include five full size and 10 junior rugby pitches, an assortment of training grids and pitches, one full size and five junior football pitches, six cricket squares -consisting 34 tracks , two Astros and a MUGA.

Progress on many fronts is being made.  “Increasing our maintenance machinery fleet was my initial task,” said Adam Smith, whose career to date has included seven years as a horticultural mechanic for one of the largest contractors in Europe, two years working for a dealership in Brisbane Australia and seven years at Haileybury Imperial College. “My career history has given me enormous insight and a great understanding of the needs of a multisport educational establishment.”

“An aerator was central to our plans.  For me, Wiedenmann who are renowned for build quality so it had to be the XF6 to support productivity within our maintenance regimes. Regular aeration is key to our maintenance programmes to improve our carrying capacity for training and sports fixtures. We are really pleased with the XF’s work rate and our ability to aerate multiple pitches in one day; a junior pitch is taking less than an hour.

“The cricket squares had their first aeration in mid-November and held up well; depth was 150mm with 16mm tines.  They also got a little feed using Sierrablen Plus 3 19-5-18+2Mgo+TE.  I was happily surprised the disturbance was so negligible. Seeing as little disturbance encouraged me to revise my plan… we’ll fit in an additional run, so we’ll go again before Christmas, instead of just the once… at 200mm to try to break the pan a little deeper, In January, I may, ground conditions allowing, go out one more time using the multi tine holders and 10 mm tines, probably down to 100mm to encourage root growth, then that finishes off aeration on the squares.

“The outfields were another pleasant surprise.  The XF covers our 1st team outfield in just five hours using 16mm tines and a 4×4 pattern going down 150mm, which is impressive considering it’s 14 000 sqm, Often, though, we opt for punching more holes in the ground rather than chasing speed.  It’s so productive whichever way you look at it and was the definitely right decision for us.”

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