Tag Archive for: Test

MM50 Helping Tees Stand the Test of Time

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MM50 Helping Tees Stand the Test of Time: At Southerndown Golf Club in the Vale of Glamorgan, MM50 grass seed has become an essential product. With tees that endure relentless wear from players and exposure to some of the UK’s harshest growing conditions, Course Manager Andrew Mannion has come to rely on the hard-wearing ryegrass mix to keep surfaces strong, consistent, and fit for year-round play.

MM50 is one of the UK’s most popular grass seed mixtures – and with good reason. The blend of fine-leaved, high shoot density dwarf perennial ryegrasses is built for performance: it tolerates close mowing down to 4-5mm, recovers rapidly from wear, and maintains excellent year-round colour. For Andrew, it’s a perfect match for a course that refuses to follow convention.

MM50 Helping Tees Stand the Test of Time

MM50 Helping Tees Stand the Test of Time

 

“Southerndown’s unique,” says Andrew, who’s been at the club for over 30 years. “It’s like managing two courses in one. The front nine is very sandy and free-draining, almost links-like. The back nine is more loamy, heathland terrain. It means you’ve got to think differently about how you manage each area – and what you grow.”

The course sits around 70 metres above sea level on exposed, windswept land. Underfoot, a layer of acidic sand overlays limestone – an unusual soil profile shared by just a few sites in the UK. “That limestone layer can be two metres down, or just a couple of inches below the surface. It creates real challenges when it comes to aeration and water movement. We’ve got good irrigation, but water doesn’t hang around for long.”

Add in grazing rights – Southerndown is built on common land and home to up to 600 sheep, depending on the season – and it’s easy to see why traditional turf practices don’t always deliver.

For many years, Andrew stuck with a fescue-based programme passed down from his predecessor. But in areas of heavy traffic, especially on par-threes, the turf simply couldn’t keep up. “They’d turn to dust in the summer,” he says. “The recovery wasn’t quick enough. We weren’t getting the results we needed, and we were doing the same things every year expecting a different outcome.”

The spark for change came from an unlikely place: Wimbledon. “I remember watching coverage of Centre Court, and they mentioned these new dwarf ryegrass varieties. I thought, well, that’s just a big golf tee really. So, we trialled some MM50 on the worst par-threes – and the difference was incredible.”

The trial showed immediate improvements. “It gave us better grass coverage, but more than that, the recovery from divots was two or three times quicker than anything we’d seen with fescues. In some cases, you’d get shallow divots regenerating naturally without any intervention.”

That initial success quickly led to a full overseeding programme. “We moved to using MM50 across all the tees. It was an easy sell to the club – we could literally say, ‘Look at the par-threes. Why wouldn’t we want all the tees to look like that?’”

MM50 Helping Tees Stand the Test of Time

MM50 Helping Tees Stand the Test of Time

The benefits went beyond performance. “Golfers weren’t questioning it. The ryegrass is so fine-leaved that they didn’t even realise it was rye. They just saw a tight, clean surface that looked good and played well.”

MM50 has even made its way onto selected fairways – especially those that suffered during the prolonged heat and drought of 2018. “That year really opened our eyes,” Andrew recalls.

“We always thought fescue would bounce back after going dormant, but it didn’t. It just disappeared. We were dragging hoses out onto bare fairways, trying to save them. That’s when we looked at what we’d achieved with MM50 on the tees and thought – why not try it here too?”

“We’ve got a busy course. It’s used 365 days a year. Members expect value for money. You can’t keep relying on a surface that can’t keep up. MM50 gave us a way forward.”

For Andrew, MM50 hasn’t just improved playing surfaces – it’s changed his outlook. “I’m not one of those who hides behind tradition for tradition’s sake. We tried the fescue route. It worked up to a point, but it wasn’t giving us what we needed. MM50 has helped us manage trickier areas, maintain better grass cover, and deliver a better experience for the golfer.”

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s website www.mm-seeds.co.uk.

You can also follow the company on X: @MM_Seed.

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Kubota puts operators to test

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Kubota puts operators to test: Operators across the UK and Ireland are being invited to put their machinery skills to the test by Kubota UK, as part of the business’s ongoing celebrations to mark 25 years as the country’s biggest selling mini-excavator manufacturer.

The #Kubota25Challenge is encouraging operators to submit a short video of themselves showing off their niftiest excavator skill while in the cab of a Kubota, with Amy Underwood, aka The Digger Girl, filming her own example to inspire entries

Kubota puts operators to test

Kubota puts operators to test

Entry to the challenge is open until 30th June 2022, with videos to be submitted via direct message on Kubota’s Facebook and Twitter social channels.

Operators should ensure videos are in line with manufacturer guidelines and safe working practices.

Rob White – Divisional Manager, Construction at Kubota UK said: “We can’t wait to put operators across the UK and Ireland to the test this summer with our #Kubota25Challenge. We know there are some highly skilled operators working on sites nationwide, so are confident that the competition is going to be fierce.

“Whether it’s dunking a basketball or taking the top of a bottle, we want operators to let their skills do the talking and show us what they’re made of.”

A final shortlist of entries will be revealed in July with the public deciding the outright winner via voting across social media. The overall winning entry will receive a state-of-the-art Makita radio and exclusive Kubota merchandise bundle.

For more information on how Kubota is celebrating a quarter of a century as the country’s leading mini-excavator manufacturer, visit www.kubota-eu.com.

Full competition terms and conditions available here: https://bit.ly/Kubota-ChallengeTCs

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Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

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Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME: If you’ve ever considered yourself as a bit of a cyclist, be sure to make a pit stop on the INFINICUT® stand at BTME 2022 for a true test of pedal power – all raising money for BIGGA’s Benevolent Fund!

Once you’ve taken the challenge, take a breather and check out some of the other highlights on stand Red 272 including the TMSystem™ collection of cassettes for grooming, mowing and maintenance and some new innovative products from the INFINICUT® stable.

Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

Test your pedal power with Infinicut at BTME

The Greenkeepers Benevolent Fund is the official charity of BIGGA, assisting current or past members and their dependants with financial support and practical help during difficult times. A voluntary donation will permit entry to the ‘Pedal Power vs Battery Power’ challenge – to see if competitors can generate enough power (500 watts) to enable the operation of both the traction and cutting unit of an INFINICUT® mower. The bike set-up is designed to illustrate why it is critical for an electric mower to be running as efficiently and accurately as possible, keeping resistance to a minimum to avoid wasting energy.

A leaderboard will be kept of all the attempts across the three days, with a prize awarded to the person who generates the highest reading.

The full selection of cassettes from the renowned TMSystem™ will also be on display. 12 cassettes make up the range, which coverts fairway and triple greens mowers into multi-use units for complete turf refinement. Using the universal chassis, and appropriate adaptor kit, the TMSystem™ replaces OEM cutting reels with application specific cassettes for grooming, mowing and maintenance.

The TMSystem™ is also an integral part of the INFINICUT® mower. Since last on show in Harrogate, a number of innovative new features have been added to design and operation of both the FX and FL ranges, designed specifically with the golf market in mind.

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Toro stands the test of time

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Toro stands the test of time: Toro is well known in the industry for its durability and reliability, and nowhere has Toro’s longevity been put to the test quite like the machines at Westridge Golf Centre in the Isle of Wight. Several machines have been in use for over 20 years – and are still going strong – which is why the club has recently purchased another two Toro machines. 

Course manager Paul Jenkins explains: “Toro machines are so well made and are by far the most durable brand. In our experience with Toro, if you look after it, it will last. That’s why we have our own mechanic and service each machine after every 50 hours of use. In fact, our oldest machine is a Toro Groundsmaster 3000-D which we’ve had for 30 years and is still being used!”

Toro stands the test of time

Toro stands the test of time

But it’s not just the machines themselves that have lasted so long. With 44 years in the industry, Paul’s faith in the brand has also stood the test of time, and continues, as he invests in another two Toro machines.

“The first club I worked at bought one of the first Toro GM3 machines in 1975, and from then I’ve been hooked,” explains Paul. “At every club I’ve worked at, I have always strived to ensure there is at least 70 percent Toro machinery in the fleet to ensure the best possible course maintenance, and Westridge is no different.

“When I joined around 17 years ago there was a limited amount of turfcare equipment,” he continues. “Over the years we’ve invested so that we have a majority of Toro machinery, and that continues with our latest purchase of a Toro Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder and Reelmaster 5610-D.”

Having worked at 19 major tournaments around the world including The Open, US Open, US PGA and the Ryder Cup, all of which were Toro venues, Paul knows a thing or two about excellent presentation. And with Westridge Golf Centre in the process of expanding from a 9 hole to an 18 hole course, there was no better time to invest in more Toro to keep standards at the course high. Something which the club’s owner, Mark Wright, fully supports says Paul: “We’re fortunate to have someone like Mark who recognises the value in investing in quality equipment. He’s a pro by trade and he understands that to play on the best surfaces you need the best equipment.”

“We really pride ourselves on our presentation here, so both the new machines will be put to good use on the course, and even more so once it has been extended,” says Paul. “The new Reelmaster 5610-D is great as it’s slightly smaller and provides a finer cut than the Reelmaster 6500-D we had been using for the fairways. Despite the 6500-D being 16 years old, it’s still a good solid machine so we will keep using it on the driving range.

“The Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder is also brilliant,” he continues. “Every few years there always comes along an innovation that really stands out, and for me, the Sidewinder technology is one of those innovations. It’s so unique to have a machine that can slide the cutting units from side to side and cut hard to reach areas safely. As a dual purpose machine, it’s also reducing manual labour which is a great bonus.”

As the only pay-as-you-play course available on the island, with a growing membership and an expansion underway, Westridge Golf Centre certainly has an exciting future ahead, with the course set to be enjoyed by the whole community for years to come.

“It’s a very exciting time for Westridge and it’s great to have Toro on board to help with the course maintenance now and in the future,” says Paul. “Put simply, Toro machines are just designed well with durability in mind. I’ve visited the Toro factory in Minneapolis before, and I’ve seen for myself that what Toro is doing is head and shoulders above everyone else.”

To find out more about the Toro range or the finance options available, call Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Husqvarna Rider receives Best in Test

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Husqvarna Rider receives Best in Test: Husqvarna Rider 214TC has received ‘Best in Test’ status in Price Runner UK’s latest ride-on test.

Following a test in which nine models were examined across factors such as: mowing performance, manoeuvrability, comfort & user-friendliness, the Husqvarna’s Rider 214TC  was found to be the best performing mower.

Husqvarna Rider receives Best in Test

It was praised by an independent panel of testers with the feedback stating that the Husqvarna mower was “a very high performance model for large areas with lots of obstacles”. The Rider 214TC stood out for its flexibility, with a range of front-mounted accessories, such as a snow shovel, brush and aerator all able to be attached to the mower.

Price Runner UK went on to further to say the model was “king of the ride-on lawn mowers, which gets maximum points in everything we give it to do.”

On the Rider 214TC’s exemplar score, Husqvarna UK Category Manager – Lawn, Andrew Lees said: “We are extremely pleased to receive such a prestigious award, the Husqvarna R 214TC is one of our best-selling models and the award reinforces why. The R 214TC shares the same Husqvarna Rider DNA as found on all rider models from the 200 Series, designed for domestic use up to the Commercial specification 500 Series models. This means that no matter which model our customers choose they will benefit from the same great features and benefits as highlighted in the test. The Husqvarna Rider range allows customers to cut more in less time whilst still providing an enjoyable and intuitive driving experience.”

For the full test results visit: https://www.pricerunner.com/test/ride-on-lawn-mower

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