Tag Archive for: Three

Three in a row at TIMBERSPORTS® Championship

/in , /by

Three in a row at TIMBERSPORTS® Championship: The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Championship delivered another weekend of edge-of-your-seat action at the Royal Three Counties Show in Malvern, with Glen Penlington securing his third Pro Championship title in style.

Competition for places was fierce, so the action kicked off on Friday with the Pro Championship qualifier. Five of the lowest ranked athletes from the 2023 British Championship, along with nine up-and-coming competitors took to the stage. With the top six athletes earning the right to take part in the 2024 British Pro Championship on Saturday, tensions were running high. But the top six all put in solid performances to progress through with Ben Chapman taking the top spot, closely followed by John Tunstall and Joe Groom.

Three in a row at TIMBERSPORTS® Championship

Three in a row at TIMBERSPORTS® Championship

Saturday’s action delivered more thrilling heats, and reigning champion Glen Penlington had his sights firmly set on securing his third Championship title in a row. Focussing first on the Underhand Chop, Penlington delivered an impressive start recording a time of 25.89 seconds, closely followed by his biggest rival for the title, 2014 champion Rob Chatley. And this excellent form continued throughout the competition, with Penlington achieving the fastest times in all five out of the six disciplines, and earning himself three personal bests in the process.

It was only the Stock Saw where Penlington didn’t get maximum points, but it did deliver a national record, courtesy of George Spencer. Spencer almost set a new British record in the Hot Saw too with a blistering time of 7.39 seconds, but the excitement was soon over, when judge Andy Hall disqualified him for an incomplete cookie.

In the end, Penlington’s dominance was obvious, with a 24 point advantage over second placed athlete Rob Chatley, to complete the hat trick of Championship wins. “I can’t quite believe I managed to win five of the disciplines this time. I think I got a bit lucky with the wood compared to some of the others, but it’s brilliant to be the champion again,” said Penlington after the competition. Graham Turner from Scotland completed the podium with a third place finish.

With the Pro championship wrapped up, all eyes turned to the competitions on the Sunday, starting with the British Women’s Championship. 2023 champion Justine Narusa was the one to beat, but a bad start to the competition with disqualification in the Stock Saw got worse after she ran out of time in the Standing Block Chop.

Instead, Felixia Banck from Denmark, newcomer Rachel Ferrington, and the youngest competitor, 17-year-old Libby Arrowsmith were the athletes to watch with solid performances from all three of them, including a new Danish national record for Felixia in the Stock Saw. Banck’s experience in logger sports ultimately saw her take the overall win, but Arrowsmith turned heads to take second place as the top-ranked British woman. Ferrington also impressed in her first ever TIMBERSPORTS® competition, taking third place overall.

Finally, it was the Rookies’ turn to take to the stage. 2023 Rookie champion Jack Morris was feeling confident going into the competition, having recently achieved a sixth placed finish at the Rookie World Championship in Milan in May. And his confidence was not misplaced, as he stormed through all four disciplines getting maximum points in the Underhand Chop, Single Buck and Standing Block Chop.

In his last year competing as a Rookie before he moves up to the Pro league, Morris certainly went out on a high beating his nearest rival and fellow axe club member, Zac Powell, by six points. Powell was pleased with his own results though, after achieving two personal best times in the Stock Saw and Standing Block Chop and improving on his fourth placed finish in 2023. The final spot on the Rookie podium was taken by Rowan Luxton, who also managed to jump up the rankings after finishing fifth in 2023.

After a thrilling weekend of extreme sport action, focus now switches to the World Championship in Toulouse, France in November. Penlington will have to wait until later in the year to find out if he has done enough to qualify for the Individual competition, but the tricky task of selecting the athletes to compete in the Team World Championship starts now.

“All three competitions this weekend were packed full of excitement and drama,” said Vicky Tween, TIMBERSPORTS® manager at STIHL GB, “but it’s onwards and upwards now for the athletes who make the British team. They will be laser-focussed on training to make sure they do their country proud.”

For full results from the weekend’s competitions, visit the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® database.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Ventrac – Three years on at Honiton Golf Club

/in , /by

Ventrac – Three years on at Honiton Golf Club: Honiton Golf Club in Devon purchased their Ventrac compact tractor and Contour mowing deck in March 2020, just days before the first Covid lockdown and in that time it has been performing consistently well, according to Stuart Broom, the club’s head greenkeeper.

“We sit some 850 feet above sea level and are an 18-hole parkland course with a practice facility, situated on clay, so we can be wet at times, but our elevation and exposure to the wind helps the course dry reasonably quickly,” he said. “I came here in 2015 as deputy and was appointed head greenkeeper in 2019.

Ventrac – Three years on at Honiton Golf Club

Ventrac – Three years on at Honiton Golf Club

“There’s six of us in the greenkeeping team with experience ranging from 38 years to the newest member at just 8 months. Like many other clubs, we had an influx of members as a result of Covid; for us it was significant at around 200, bringing the total membership to 670. We have a great committee, who are fully supportive of us and actively encourage our professional development, which is good for the younger lads.”

“We needed to improve the visual appearance on the banking around our greens and tees and also the semi-rough. I looked at several competitor machines across the major brands, but the Ventrac stood out because of its versatility; there’s a wide selection of implements you can get for it. The second reason was that it’s certified to operate on 30-degree slopes, so from a health and safety point of view, it’s a no-brainer. We have numerous slopes out there that we used to strim, but we now use the Ventrac and save multiple work hours, they get cut more regularly and they look better.

“During the original demo, the demonstrator noticed that we had a SISIS slitter in the shed and asked if he could attach it to the rear linkage and take it across the greens. I was bit sceptical because we usually tow it with our worktruck and I wouldn’t put that on the greens as they were wet. Undeterred, he put it on the back, went across the green and you just wouldn’t have noticed; it was impressive. So, the light footprint was another significant selling point and we use it for that purpose as well during the winter.

“We recently purchased a small link box for the rear of the machine, which can carry a selection of tools and again we use it winter for changing holes. We also have it on the back when cutting banks, so we can carry a strimmer and blower to complete the job in a single operation.

“We hired the Tough Cut deck from our local dealer, Devon Garden Machinery (DGM), to clear gorse and bracken from around our 9th and 13th greens and it performed brilliantly; it’s a fantastic piece of kit. I did break a couple of belts, but the servicing information on this machine is superb. You open a cover and all the information you need is there. It includes the part number, so you can order it and it’s with us the following day. From initial demonstration, through delivery, to after-sales support, Price Turfcare and DGM have been excellent.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Three alternative cutting decks for Burnham Beeches

/in , /by

Three alternative cutting decks for Burnham Beeches: Burnham Beeches Golf Club is located in the Thames Valley in south Buckinghamshire, 25 miles west of London, and is one of the latest clubs to take a package of Ventrac equipment. Delivered by local dealer, RT Machinery Ltd, the package includes a Ventrac 4520 all-terrain compact tractor unit together with a three different cutting decks and a trencher attachment.

Now in his 24th year at the club, Lee Bishop is the Course Manager where he leads a team of seven greenkeeping staff. Later this year the team will be expanding with the addition of a further experienced greenkeeper, an apprentice and two summer staff. He began his career at the nearby Harry Colt-designed Stoke Park Golf Club in 1992, before moving to Burnham Beeches as an assistant greenkeeper back in 1999. He then made the amazing leap from assistant greenkeeper to his current position of Course Manager in 2006.

Three alternative cutting decks for Burnham Beeches

Three alternative cutting decks for Burnham Beeches

“We are an established parkland course, now over 130-years old, and situated mainly on clay,” he said. “Therefore, we have a requirement to manage the trees and woodland margins that line the fairways and frame the greens. We can be wet after heavy rainfall.

“I first saw the Ventrac on social media and then I was invited by a very good friend of mine, Stuart Langhorn, the Course Director at Beaconsfield Golf Club to see the machine that he had bought. I was extremely impressed and contacted our local dealer, RT Machinery to arrange a demonstration. The management team were so impressed and we purchased the package within a couple of weeks of the demonstration!

“The Ventrac is so versatile that we purchased three different cutting attachments in the package; the Tough Cut deck is superb for managing our woodland margins; it takes down brambles and young saplings with ease and this helps to keep up the pace of play, making it easier for our golfers to find their balls after a wayward shot.

“The Contour deck is articulated at both ends and that makes it ideal for bunker surrounds and tee banks, but it has been a godsend during the winter months as we have been using it on our fairways when it is too wet to cut with our fairway mowers. We can get out when it’s wet and put some definition down; the members have noticed and we’ve had many favourable comments. The Triple Cylinder unit will be used for the perimeter fairway cut and this has enabled us to remove a dedicated machine from our fleet.

“The Trencher has been outstanding this winter. As I said earlier we can be wet after heavy rain, but the trencher enables us to get out and drain the wetter areas when we want. We are not reliant on contractors, we can do it in-house and in a timely fashion. I would recommend not severing power cables, though; National Grid are not too happy when that happens!

“Finally, a shout-out for Price Turfcare, RT Machinery and Tom Stidder. Price Turfcare, the importer, have been so reactive and professional to work with; RT Machinery are renowned for the way they treat customers and we can certainly support that and Tom Stidder, who did the installation training was extremely thorough and knowledgeable. That’s formidable support, all round.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Three stars for Three Cliffs

/in , /by

Three stars for Three Cliffs: Customer experience and satisfaction are the ultimate priorities for Three Cliffs Bay, a five-star holiday park on the Wales Coastal Path, which is why it has chosen three battery-powered utility vehicles from STAR EV to ensure the quiet, clean, unobtrusive operation of its luxury site.

Offering caravan parking, glamping, camping and yurts, this large holiday complex in Gower, South Wales, originally needed one vehicle to collect ashes from fire pits. When it received its first Capella HCX, market-leading when it comes to towing capacity and the amount of payload it can handle, the machine quickly established its reputation for quiet motoring and a productive performance, and another was ordered.

Three stars for Three Cliffs

Three stars for Three Cliffs

Then recently the site’s third vehicle arrived, this time the Capella Lifted which is ideal for off-road load carrying situations.

Tom Beynon, owner of Three Cliffs Bay, says: “Our utility vehicles form an essential and major part of the business and how well it runs. Up until now of course, they’ve always been petrol which for the business we’re in wasn’t ideal. It’s really important to us that the running of the site goes unnoticed by our guests, many are residing under canvas and all are enjoying our natural environment just a short walk from the infamous Three Cliffs Bay.

“These machines have proved to us very quickly that they can take on all the tasks we need them to without any difference in productivity to their petrol counterparts and without disturbance. We use them for rubbish collection and recycling. The big, strong cargo area at the back of the Lifted and the fact that we can add a trailer means it’s become part of our gardening arsenal too.”

In fact, Tom’s been so impressed that he has plans for expanding the job requirements of  the Capella Work Machines: “We use these machines already for transporting guests and their luggage around the site, but I’m really interested in taking that a step further and hiring them out to guests for the duration of their stay. They’ve proved themselves to be such good vehicles – easy to drive, comfy to use and they look good – and it would be another selling point for our guests to stay at the park.”

So how did Tom come to hear about STAR EV? “I found out about the brand at the Leisure Transport Show at Birmingham NEC last year,” he explains. “I went with new utility vehicles at the top of the shopping list and distributor Reesink e-Vehicles was by far the most helpful with our queries at the show and gave us lots of time going through the options available.

“Then our STAR dealer in the area – Terry Harrison Machinery – took over and the experience has been equally as positive. Terry’s business delivers a good combination of being small enough to still have that family feel and deliver a high level of customer service and help, but is also big enough to get things done quickly.”

When machinery and guests coexist, the best thing a utility vehicle can bring to a holiday park, whose very business depends on creating a positive and pleasurable customer experience, is to be seen but not heard. STAR EV has proved this point three times to Three Cliffs.

To talk to Reesink e-Vehicles about STAR EV, call 01480 226800 or go online at reesink-evehicles.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Three of a kind for Reesink

/in , /by

Three of a kind for Reesink: Continuing with its firm focus on sales, servicing, training and parts for all brands with a locally-focused team, Reesink UK has opened its third branch in Burwell, Cambridgeshire.

The branch which serves the areas of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, joins Reesink Scotland and Reesink South East and opens up direct access to local turf machinery specialists in an extensive new area.

Three of a kind for Reesink

Three of a kind for Reesink

The brief for branch manager, Trevor Chard, was to set up a dealership that builds relationships on a local level, deals directly with customers and responds to specific customer needs for the area. Not only has that been achieved but surpassed, as he explains: “The pleasure of managing a branch is that the autonomy to make decisions in terms of what we stock, distribute and deliver is, to a degree, for us to determine based on the specific needs of customers in the area.”

Customers will be familiar with the brands Reesink UK distributes: Toro fine turf and groundscare machinery, STAR EV utility vehicles and golf buggies, Farmtrac tractors and TYM tractors which are all available through the branch, about which Trevor comments: “These brands, in particular STAR EV, are doing very well in this area, but breaking it down even further customers are particularly interested in the sustainable options offered by each brand. The all-electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 riding greens mower, Workman GTX Lithium Ion utility vehicle and the Reelmaster 5010-H hybrid from Toro, and the FT25G all-electric compact tractor from Farmtrac for example.

“As a result, we’ve been able to fine-tune the range we offer our customers, we’ve taken on board new brands specific to what the market here is responding to and that’s proving to be a winning formula.”

The wide-spread interest in reducing CO2 emissions by businesses in the area led to Reesink Burwell widening its offering since opening to include Cramer, the biggest amperage available for battery-driven power tools, and Biocircle for sustainable cleaning of turfcare machinery.

Alongside the brands it offers its customers, a large part of the branch’s business is servicing maintenance contracts. The ReeAssure scheme has three plans available for machines and what particularly appeals to customers is that you can put certain machines on different plans.

Trevor continues: “This is a key part of the business – we have 77 ReeAssure Maintenance contracts of which 21 percent are Gold. As the customer puts individual machines on a plan and not necessarily the whole fleet, we have many customers with machines in all three plans. That takes some managing and it’s why we’ve staffed the division up with three really experienced mobile technicians. These guys can do everything from routine maintenance to scheduled servicing on mowers, sprayers, aerators, you name it. Our customers need to know that with their machines on plan with us, downtime becomes a thing of the past, especially with our parts distribution running as the head office’s does, on 24 hours delivery.”

Completing the offering available through the branch is training, with space on site to accommodate practical training in the workshops and forecourt and theory in meeting rooms. Trevors explains: “Again, we have the autonomy to produce and provide training specific to what our customers want and need, stepping away from the general plans available through head office. We can design our own packages, making training even easier for customers.”

What is next for the branch, which thanks to remodelling an office in COVID restricted times, is a little later than planned? Trevor says: “We just want people to know we’re here. That through us they can get access to the best international brands available on the UK market, but with the benefit of working with local turf machinery specialists. We’re independent, we don’t funnel into a system, we can respond instantly to local market changes and design our business to offer the right products for the local industry as it moves forward in new directions.”

To speak to Reesink Burwell about what brands, services and expertise it can offer, call 01638 594 340.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.