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SALTEX the flagship event

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SALTEX the industry’s flagship event: Findings from the SALTEX 2019 post-show survey have revealed that attendees are continuing to embrace SALTEX as the groundscare industry’s flagship event.

From 30 to 31 October a record-breaking 9,104 visitors streamed into the NEC, Birmingham to explore the latest trends and products in groundscare.

SALTEX the industry’s flagship event

The growth in visitor numbers at SALTEX 2019 was supported by a large proportion of first-time attendees. An encouraging 34 per cent visited SALTEX for the first time this year compared to 28 per cent in 2018, 27 per cent in 2017, 26 per cent in 2016 and 23 per cent in 2015.

The busy atmosphere in the exhibition halls was fantastic and a massive 93 per cent of survey respondents rated their overall show experience as being either very good or excellent.

SALTEX visitors came from far and wide as the show continues to attract a growing international audience. This year’s show saw attendees from 49 overseas markets, topping the previous record of 45 countries which was set at SALTEX 2016.

International visitor Frederico Galardini, who maintains the pitches at Federale di Coverciano – the central training ground and technical headquarters of the Italian Football Federation, visited the show to gain UK groundscare expertise.

“I think, no matter where you are in the world, it is important that you come to SALTEX because British groundscare is regarded as the best. In Italy the pitches are not at the same level as the pitches in the UK, but we are slowly getting there and this is why a trip to SALTEX can only be beneficial in helping us to improve,” he said.

The post-show survey also confirmed the high calibre of visitors, most of whom came from groundscare contracting companies, local authorities, dealerships, schools and universities, and sports clubs.

The buying power of SALTEX attendees was also high, with 36 per cent of survey respondents confirming that the purchasing responsibility was solely theirs, while 43 per cent contribute to the buying process and 32 per cent have the authority to sign-off on purchases up to £50,000.

Many exhibitors agree that SALTEX 2019 was the most financially beneficial yet and the 40 per cent of survey respondents that said they made purchases on the show floor is perhaps testament to this.

The Leicester City FC grounds team were certainly on the hunt for new equipment at SALTEX according to Callum Allsop, head groundsman at the club’s training ground. “We will be spending a lot of money on a new fleet of equipment over the next year. So being able to look at equipment options at SALTEX and having the opportunity to speak to all of the distributors in one place is ideal.”

The post-show survey findings also revealed top priorities for attending with 68 per cent saying they visited SALTEX to source new products/services/suppliers; 66 per cent attended out of general interest; 44 per cent wanted to see the latest industry innovations; 39 per cent attended to network with other like-minded individuals and 35 per cent to witness machinery demonstrations.

Andy Miller, head groundsman for Northampton Saints, says: “I always plan ahead on what I want to do and who I want to see at SALTEX, but plans often change when I’m on the show floor. I may bump into someone, get talking and gain new ideas.”

Product innovations were a big pull this year, and 87 per cent of attendees rated the mix of products on display as excellent. The show also offered visitors the opportunity to see a number of these products in action through Eco Village demonstrations and this new feature did not disappoint with 78 per cent of survey respondents also rating the Eco Village as excellent.

Products and innovations aside, SALTEX attendees also made use of the training, advice and educational opportunities. The 57 free-to-attend, CPD-accredited seminars in the Learning LIVE programme proved popular with 84 per cent of survey respondents claiming the education offering was either very good or excellent; 83 per cent made the most of the Ask the Expert feature and 77 per cent said the Pathology and Soil Science LIVE was also an excellent feature.

SALTEX will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020 and will take place at the NEC, Birmingham on 4 and 5 November and 95 per cent of SALTEX 2019 visitors concluded the survey by indicating that they will be returning.

James Wright, grounds & gardens team leader at the University of Leeds, believes that the success of SALTEX indicates a bright future for the industry. “This year was the best SALTEX I have experienced to date and its popularity proves that we are in a great place to take the industry we are all so passionate about into the next decade and beyond.”

For more information please visit www.iogsaltex.com

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

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Reesink brings the future to BTME

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Reesink brings the future to BTME: Reesink Turfcare is launching Toro’s most eagerly anticipated technology, the most advanced on the market, at BTME.

The all-new all-electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 ride-on mower with the industry’s first lithium-ion battery powered unit will be on stand 420, in the purple Zone.

Reesink brings the future to BTME

It’s the quietest ride-on greensmower and incorporates features that will revolutionise the market says Toro, and Toro’s innovation could not be more evident in this machine, even if you didn’t focus on its all-electric credentials for a moment, with a ream of patented or patent-pending features bringing a host of benefits and solutions for greenkeepers.

Toro’s ‘radius dependent speed system’ delivers an optimal perimeter cut by monitoring each individual cylinder and traction wheel speed during turns and that, in conjunction with the ‘lift-in-turn’ cutting unit levelling feature, standardises the clip rate of each individual cylinder and virtually eliminates the effect know as ‘Triplex-Ring’. The double A-Arm suspension system, with industry-leading Flex technology, means the cutting units float freely and closely over any terrain and deliver superior contour-following, while the ‘lift-gate footrest’ and ‘tool-free quick change’ cutting units simplify service and maintenance.

But back to that all-important all-electric point. Lower emissions and fuel savings, yet ample power to get the job done, the eTriFlex 3370, which will be joined on stand by its hybrid counterpart the eTriFlex 3360, means customers can respond to business demands for increased revenue by cutting earlier and therefore delivering earlier tee times to customers.

Not only that but responding to environmental concerns is a subject spanning the industries, and there simply has to be the choice for businesses to buy electric whether that be a car or a fine turf mower. No more damaging hydraulic leaks, no more emissions, no more pollution, the eTriFlex 3370 delivers the future to the fine turf sector.

The eTriFlex 3370 is not the only new machine Reesink is launching at BTME. Welcoming to the UK, the latest model in the Greensmaster 1000 series, the GR1026. Like the other models in the range, including the GR1021 which launched at BTME last year and will also be at the 2020 show, the GR1026 brings consistency to fixed-head pedestrian greens mowing. With the industry’s first telescoping handle, each machine in the range can accommodate operators of different heights and skill levels and now with the GR1026 can deliver the widest cut yet at 26 inches.

Representing Toro’s irrigation range will be the ever-popular Lynx Central Control system, with Infinity 35 sprinklers with Smart Access, FLEX 35, T5, T7 and 590G sprinklers with precision rotating nozzles, all from Toro. The Lynx Smart Module and Smart Hub which provide the flexibility of a satellite controller with the cost savings of a two-wire system and launched at the show last year will also be back.

For those managing ponds and lakes and needing to optimise oxygen levels to keep water healthy, there will be Otterbine’s best-selling Fractional five-in-one aerator and the Concept 3 aerating fountain.

Reesink will again have two stands with 211 in the Red Zone South being entirely dedicated to TYM’s range of compact turf tractors and 1st Products, the specialist range of tractor-mounted aeration equipment.

Rochelle Bedford, marketing manager at Reesink, says: “BTME is the perfect launch platform for these two new cutting-edge Toro machines. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the stand, where our specialist machinery team will be on hand to give help and advice about all our products.”

See all this – and more – on stand 420 in the Purple Zone.

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Sherriff the ‘ideal tonic’ for Tiverton GC

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Sherriff the ‘ideal tonic’ for Tiverton GC: George Stephens, course manager at Tiverton Golf Club in Devon, claims that Sherriff Amenity has provided him with the ideal tonic to help the greens combat stress and aid root development.

With panoramic views of the Devon countryside, Tiverton Golf Club offers a stunning 18 hole course which was first established in 1932. It was originally designed by famous course architect James Braid whose other designs include Gleneagles, Carnoustie and St Enodoc.

Sherriff the ‘ideal tonic’ for Tiverton GC

George has been the course manager at Tiverton for four years now and he revealed that the board laid out their expectations from the very start.

“When I first came in for my interview it was clear that they wanted change,” he said. “Improvement was vital and they wanted the club to be the Augusta of the West.”

Instead of feeling the pressure, George was determined to set out and make his mark and he began with an overhaul of the existing maintenance programme and products.

“I set out to trial a number of different products to try and identify which products would be the best for this site within our budget. I started with fertiliser trials on the fairways and there was one product which really stood out and that was Sherriff Amenity’s Evolution Controlled 18.0.32.”

Evolution Controlled is a fertiliser range consisting of nutrients packaged in a coated granule that are released over an extended period of time. It is a controlled release autumn and winter fertiliser specially formulated with high potassium for turf hardness which ensures a rapid growth response, even at low temperatures – something which particularly impressed George.

“It gave us exactly what we looking for,” he said. “The first time I applied Evolution Controlled was at the end of the summer to try and get the recovery. I put it down at 35g/m² and in the first two weeks it was like wildfire which is what we wanted. We then applied a growth regulator and from then on it was nice and gradual right the way through until the end of December / start of January.

“I was surprised because there are not many other products that I’ve seen grow in this period – in fact my third fairway was still growing at Christmas. The other products we trialled Evolution Controlled against just seemed to slow up at the end of October.”

George also turned to Evolution Controlled to solve a frequent problem which was occurring at the bottom of the third hole much to the annoyance of the golfers.

“We wanted to create a bit of rough to stop wayward balls bouncing out of control and rolling all the way down to the fence – which was quite an inconvenience for the players. We applied Evolution Controlled, again at 35g/m², to really give it the boost we needed and it really thickened the sward. It’s great because we just wanted to put a product down and not worry about it. This has lasted me a whole year so the longevity is fantastic.”

Sherriff the ‘ideal tonic’ for Tiverton GC

As George continued to implement improvements around the golf course, his attentions soon turned to the greens. He persisted in trial work to find an ideal tonic to help the greens combat stress and aid root development and was adamant that seaweed was the solution.

“I’m quite particular when it comes to seaweed products and although it may sound strange, I can always identify a good seaweed by the smell of it. There are so many types of seaweed and just a basic sniff can tell you so much.

“Sherriff Amenity’s Seavolution liquid really does smell of authentic seaweed. It is cold processed, not heat treated, which means you are getting all of the goodness straight away. I actually saw a video of it being made and the product is basically coming straight off the rock and into the tin.”

As George says, Seavolution is collected from the sheltered bays and unpolluted waters of the Atlantic Ocean, around the North West coast of Ireland. Due to the unique cold extraction process Seavolution is high in micronutrients, plant hormones and alginates, all of which are found naturally in Ascophyllum nodosum. George uses it as part of a tank-mix which also contains elements of nitrogen, iron and potassium and he has reported fantastic results.

“I apply this every two weeks and I feel the Seavolution makes a big difference. What sold me on it was that at one point, the greens were slightly stressed and there were patches of disease. I applied Seavolution at 20 l/ha on nine greens and they recovered in just three or four days. I did the nine other greens with a different seaweed product and didn’t see any improvements until at least ten days. That was what really made my mind up.

“Overall the customer service from Sherriff Amenity has been first-class and the products have made some huge improvements here.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity.

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The total solution from Toro

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The total solution from Toro: Stratford-On-Avon Golf Club in Warwickshire has chosen Toro for its new irrigation system, adding to its full fleet of Toro machinery and becoming a Total Solutions customer.

Having spent years building up a complete Toro fleet to maintain its 18-hole parkland course, Stratford-On-Avon Golf Club knows the value of investing in the brand, which is why course manager Chris Bromley opted for Toro again when it came to club’s irrigation needs.

The total solution from Toro

“We’ve had Toro Infinity sprinklers installed across the course on the fairways, greens, surrounds, approaches and the larger tees, as well as T5 sprinklers for the smaller tees and then the Lynx control system with weather station to top it off,” says Chris.

“To put it simply, Toro irrigation provides everything we need. The sprinklers are easy to maintain and easy to use, particularly the Infinity sprinklers. They’re top accessible which makes any maintenance simple, plus changing the arcs, nozzles and trajectory is all quick and easy to do.

“With Lynx, everything you need is all on one screen. With the click of a button you can set up the irrigation for your whole golf course and control watering to the second which has had a big effect on water savings. We also opted for the weather station, which is great, because it allows us to monitor the course more accurately and irrigate precisely.”

With the club’s previous system coming to the end of its life, the new irrigation system was a welcome addition.

“Our old system was 20 years old and not having the latest technology to hand was made all the more evident in the heatwave of 2018,” says Chris. “The weather was so severe the fairways burned up and we were doing lots of hand watering. Trying to do that across a 160-acre course is hard work, so it was vital we got a new system in place as soon as possible.”

Despite the need for a new system, for Chris it was important that thorough research was undertaken before making a decision on which brand and system to go with.

“We visited distributor Reesink Turfcare on stand at SALTEX and Harrogate to talk through the benefits of the Lynx system as well as going along to Toro roadshows and visiting other golf clubs to see it in action. The club was investing a large amount, so it had to be absolutely right.”

Since the quick and seamless installation by Full Circle Irrigation completed in May this year, it seems Toro has more than proved itself to be the right system for the club.

“From start to finish it’s been great. The installation and service from both Full Circle Irrigation and Reesink have been very good and the course has massively improved. Previously it could take up to half an hour to set up a sprinkler programme, with Toro that takes seconds, and the water coverage we’ve seen is superb,” concludes Chris.

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Bluebird back in the UK

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Bluebird back in the UK: Bluebird is back in the UK, with its new 125v Lithium-ion battery and petrol-powered ranges of turf care equipment.

Now supported by E.P Barrus; Bluebird, launching at BTME on stand 264, provides commercial, rental and residential users with some of the most reliable turf care power equipment in the industry- including aerators, power rakes, overseeders, sod cutters, stump grinders and hover mowers.

Bluebird back in the UK

Leading the future of turf care equipment is Bluebird’s new and innovative range of 125v battery powered machines, for electric performance equal to petrol – designed and built for professionals. The range includes an 18” and 22” power rake, a 17.5” and 19” aerator and a 20” hover mower.

The lower noise level allows you to continue to work during noise restricted times and in noise restricted areas.

Other key advantages include no exhaust fumes or odour when operating, no fuel costs, low maintenance, reduced downtime, significantly improved productivity and profitability and more environmentally friendly.

Bluebird back in the UK

For more information on our products go to bluebirdturf.com

Bluebird. Tough. Rugged. Dependable

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