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MM The Solution In Hertfordshire

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MM The Solution In Hertfordshire: In order to satisfy the members needs at Hertfordshire Golf and Country Club, course manager James Bonfield is using a range of Limagrain UK’s MM grass seed mixtures in order to produce the best possible playing surfaces.

Designed by Jack Niklaus II, the 6,266 yard course winds through ancient parkland, blending beautiful contours with trees and water to present an enticing challenge to golfers of all abilities. The club is under the Crown Golf umbrella, which boasts 23 prestigious venues around the UK.

MM The Solution In Hertfordshire

James has been in his current role as course manager for eight years and claims that he has assembled the best team he has ever seen in all his years of greenkeeping. The team all play regularly on the stunning course in Hertfordshire, which James believes is essential as they need to understand the course from a player’s perspective: “As a team, we are all very passionate about this place and are always striving to make improvements where we can,” he says.

So, when James was not achieving his desired results from a previous grass seed he used, he decided to look for an alternative, as he explains.

“I had been using a different seed for a couple of years and it hadn’t really worked out, so I met Richard Sheppard (amenity seed specialist for Limagrain UK) at BTME in Harrogate and we arranged an appointment for him to come in and see me.

“We walked around the 18 holes and looked at what I needed from a seed on various parts of the course. In particular we focussed on the fairways because at that time they were suffering after a season of very little rain and a lot of play. Richard suggested MM22 and MM25 – which was dependant on the position of the fairway as well as other factors such as acidity levels.”

Limagrain’s MM25 is an ideal mixture for the construction and renovation of sports pitches, whereas MM22 is great for divotting, repairing, overseeding and construction of tees, fairways and outfield areas that are subjected to high levels of wear. The course in Hertfordshire is divided by a road, of which, one half is old farmland so the soil is very rich and the other side being parkland tends to grow more efficiently. With both MM22 and MM25 at his disposal, James had the flexibility to apply the two mixtures where he felt most appropriate.

“The results have been most dramatic on the fairways because normally they don’t do very well in the summer,” he said. “We have limited irrigation which doesn’t allow me to water fairways as often as I would like and we have an evaporation rate of about 30mm at the height of the summer – which has always been an issue. This year, however, the fescues came through incredibly fast on the 17th, the 3rd and the 5th which was amazing. It’s provided me with really good results and they just look much healthier. They are better to present and the members have noticed a massive difference – they are really pleased.”

MM The Solution In Hertfordshire

James also relies on MM22 for his tees and uses a slightly higher application rate due to the complexity of them.

“We are trying to get as much seed as possible on the tees so we go as high as we can possibly go, maybe 20g per square metre depending on the location. For example, on our par 3’s we have seed coming through to replenish what is going out. Our tees here are tiny (under a hectare of tees) and part of the Niklaus design is that they are all round, so you lose a bit of teeing space there as well. It can be a hindrance because you are up against it when you are trying to keep things looking as best they can. You don’t want to stand on the tee and see divots everywhere. Therefore, we go quite high when overseeding with the MM22 and, again, we have seen great results.”

Where it is difficult to maintain fescue in the sward or where levels of wear are greater, many greenkeepers and course managers choose MM9 – a three way browntop bent mixture, which James applies to his greens shortly after renovations in late September in order to get more bents into the surface.

Completing his range of MM products, he applies the all ryegrass mixture MM50 to his walk off areas “just to give them a bit of love towards the end of the season.”

In reflecting on his use of the Limagrain products, James said: “From the MM seed mixtures 9, 22, 25 and 50 I have had the results that I wanted from each one of them – which is all I want. As a course manager you want to know that what you use is going to work because you don’t want to waste money. I want to make sure that I get value for money and good results and with the MM range I feel that I am.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm

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Dennis Razor Top Of The List

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Dennis Razor Top Of The List: After Richard Ayling, grounds manager at Merchant Taylors’ School, compiled a shortlist of new potential machinery to purchase, the Dennis Razor fine turf mower beat the competition to receive a unanimous vote from himself and his team.

The illustrious Merchant Taylors’ School in Hertfordshire has a glowing reputation for good reason. It boasts first-class results both in the classroom and outside on the magnificent playing fields.

Dennis Razor Top Of The List

The site in total including the prep school is approximately 280 acres and that comprises of 80 acres of sports fields on the main school site, 20 acres on the prep school site while the rest of it is made up of buildings, lakes, lawns and woodland.

In managing the maintenance and upkeep of this vast area, it is safe to say that Richard, who has been working at the school for nearly 23 years, certainly has his work cut out. He heads up a team of ten which consists of groundsmen and gardeners – all of whom play a vital role. Therefore, when it comes to purchasing new machinery, Richard insists that it must be a team decision.

“We were looking for something that was fairly simple to use, had easy height adjustment and a nice balance,” he says. “I took my staff to SALTEX in November last year and had a good look round the show to see what was on the market. We looked at various machines and drew up a shortlist. After a couple of demonstrations we were all in favour of the Razor.”

Superbly balanced and ideal for cricket pitches and other fine turf surfaces, the Razor features a 560mm (22in), 11 blade cutting cylinder for a perfect finish. An ultra-short wheelbase ensures easy manoeuvrability and excellent performance, even on undulating surfaces. The Dennis Razor encompasses the simple ‘no tools required’ click height adjusters for quick and easy operation, a feature which particularly struck a chord with Richard and his team.

Dennis Razor Top Of The List

“Its ease of use is the best feature and I particularly like the click system on the height adjustment setting. The Razor was exactly the machine we were looking for.”

Richard purchased four Dennis Razors – one for the school’s lawn areas and three for cricket pitch preparations. The team normally start using the Razor 8-10 days prior to a game taking place and Richard was quick to praise the machine’s quality of cut.

“For cricket preparation we use the Razor to cut down to 3-4mm but they are superb for trimming off the squares as well and they cut nicely at 15mm too. Ultimately they produce a fantastic finish on every occasion.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

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Hortech – championing the SCAG SWZ

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Hortech – championing the SCAG SWZ: The SWZ is the model name for the SCAG pedestrian mower, which is supplied in the UK and parts of Europe by STM Co Ltd – and few people know these machines better than the grounds maintenance company Hortech Ltd. They’ve used SCAGs for 25 years; these are machines that work hard for their living, and this has led Hortech to select SCAG as the machine of choice for their work.

We spoke to their Commercial Director Duncan Jones, who has just taken delivery of four SCAG SWZs and he explained about several aspects of the range that keep SCAG so high on their specification list for their work for sites such as industrial, gas and water utility sites.

Hortech – championing the SCAG SWZ

Water utility sites are a good example of SWZs being ideal – the steeply angled sides on domestic reservoirs always present a challenge, and the SWZ with the twin-wheel option is a very well established and respected solution. This option effectively lowers the centre of gravity of the machine to keep it well placed on angles.

Duncan explained also about a brand-new contract they have recently been awarded that involves a very large number of sites – and to help with this work the new machines have been supplied with spark limiters because of the working environment involved.

Their whole fleet amounts to over forty SCAGs, and another example of keeping these useful machines in operation over the whole year is winter use of their use of their machines fitted with the STM snow blades.

Quotes from a large water utilities customer featuring reservoir work come from the operators themselves, “Happy to use the machines all day long”, and “We like SCAG best”.

STM are very proud to have someone say that of their products – and proud to have Hortech Ltd as a customer.

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Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen

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Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen: “Camera rolling. Sound rolling. And ACTION!” When it comes to expertly setting the stage for movie stars and sporting legends, the Polaris RANGER EV is perfectly at home in the limelight. The film experts from HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution use this versatile, purely electrical all-rounder for TV productions as well as live broadcasts of top sporting events. With its quiet and locally emission-free electric motor, the RANGER EV offers unbeatable advantages on set. Equipped with HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution’s special camera system, a RANGER even stole the show itself at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, the world’s largest broadcast fair.

As a real all-rounder, the Polaris RANGER copes with every job. On-demand all-wheel drive means it’s at home on any terrain. What’s more, this versatile side-by-side boasts state-of-the-art technology and excellent production quality. More than a million buyers worldwide have already opted for a RANGER – meaning the off-road specialist has set a new record as the most successful Polaris series ever. In 2018 the model celebrates a special anniversary: It’s been 20 years since the RANGER first began inspiring workers, recreational drivers and sports enthusiasts around the globe. The utility vehicle (UV) has regularly demonstrated its enormous versatility over the past two decades. One current and particularly impressive example of this is the RANGER EV with electric motor: The team from HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution use it to expertly set the stage for stars from the big screen, television and sport.

Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen

“No exhaust fumes, no engine noise – this makes the Polaris RANGER EV perfectly suited to the film set,” explains Reiner Ellwanger, Managing Director of the Sinzheim-based company. Reiner Ellwanger is a true pro of the film business and specialises in professional tracking shot solutions. His RANGER EV has an ultra-modern, gyro-stabilised camera system that is operated from the passenger seat and is worth the equivalent of a fancy detached home. “Normally, if we were to drive alongside the protagonists during filming, engine noise would of course be a real nuisance. With the RANGER EV this simply isn’t a problem,” stresses Ellwanger. Another important plus is the emission-free motor. “We also use the RANGER EV at sporting events, from marathons to mountain bike races to horse riding. Here we get very close to the athletes with our camera. Thanks to the electric motor, the athletes are not exposed to exhaust fumes.” The RANGER EV is equally adept at mastering off-road shoots and applications with flying colours: “With its on-demand all-wheel drive, the Polaris offers us completely new possibilities in eventing, for example. We can effortlessly ride alongside the horses’ obstacle course. This allows us to provide viewers with breathtaking, varied shots and at the same time save on additional cameras.”

While the Polaris RANGER is usually making sure others show their best side, at the beginning of April it put itself in the limelight at the world’s largest broadcast show in Las Vegas: “The NAB Show is where the who’s who of the scene come together. We exhibited an identically constructed RANGER there, and the response was phenomenal. We had to answer all sorts of questions about the vehicle,” recalls Reiner Ellwanger.

The Polaris RANGER is currently available in a variety of different versions and with a number of seating solutions. Customers can choose between different vehicle configurations for use on snow, sand, in wooded areas or rocky mountain regions. The RANGER EV is propelled by a modern, 30 HP, 48V induction motor. Thanks to on-demand all-wheel drive and the VersaTrac Turf Mode – where the rear-axle differential distributes the power to the two rear wheels as needed – the versatile UTV will reach its destination even on rough terrain and is gentle on the ground at the same time. In addition to the electric version, Polaris offers petrol and diesel engines for the RANGER that are powerful and efficient in equal measure.

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Dennis Prepare For The World Cup

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Dennis Prepare For The World Cup: The national football team won’t be the only team of professionals making the trip from England to Russia this summer. In fact, a whole fleet of Dennis G860 cylinder mowers will already be making their mark in Russia before the England squad is even announced.

Dennis Prepare For The World Cup

A staggering 88 Dennis mowers will have the task of preparing stadium and training complex pitches for the world’s greatest football players throughout the tournament while some venues will also utilise the Dennis Premier in conjunction with the G860 for matchday preparation.

7 of the 11 stadiums will use Dennis mowers, including those hosting the quarter finals, the semi-finals and the final, and 70% of the training camps will also be maintained by Dennis.

Steven Rienks – managing director of Queens Grass, who are the official Dennis dealer in Russia, has orchestrated proceedings and admits it is a proud moment for himself and his company.

“This is the greatest show on earth and is not just another contract.  Yes, it is fantastic to be a part of it but it is also a responsibility,” he says. “After all, the quality of play depends on the quality of the pitch. But this is why the G860 has been chosen – due to the quality and the presentation it offers. They all want that perfect stripe which the G860 provides because they know it will be watched by a worldwide audience.”

However, the task of preparing the pitches is made slightly more difficult by unfavourable weather conditions, as Steven remarks: “In Russia, the weather is not ideal – for instance, in one area we only have around 60 days of sunlight over the course of a year. The interchangeable cassette system really helps with maintenance procedures in a difficult climate. Also, the mowing height may differ and the sandy materials on the pitches are different.”

While the games will no doubt attract billions of viewers worldwide, many will be oblivious to actually what goes into ensuring the pitch is up to the standards expected for a tournament as prestigious as the World Cup. Even before the pitch is prepared, contracts must be concluded and signed and Steven admits that it can be somewhat of a rigorous process.

“Russia is a whole different ball game and one of the attractions of working with companies such as ourselves is the fact that we have been working with the groundsmen at the stadiums since 2001. Russian clubs prefer to be supported by local companies that supply European machines but quick, straightforward contracts are hard to make.”

“Every offer was made specifically for each stadium and training complex and all were tendered by the Russian Government. Then of course there are the complications of dealing with an eastern European country – let us say that the customs and borders in Russia are an interesting challenge.

“It is not easy but of course it is fantastic to work at such a tournament. We love our profession and it is a nice challenge to have!”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

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