Tag Archive for: Time

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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It’s time to winterise your lawn!

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It’s time to winterise your lawn!: The weather is getting colder and it reminds us that it must be time to turn our thoughts to preparing our lawns for the winter.

The Lawn Association team know that for the healthiest lawns, there are always jobs that can be carried out no matter what the season.  David Hedges Gower, the chairman of the Lawn Association, offers suggestions below on how to look after your lawn at this time of year.

It’s time to winterise your lawn!

It’s time to winterise your lawn!

Preparing for Winter – If It Ever Arrives!

Barmy degrees at the end of November—who’d have thought? I’ve seen many a gardener in short sleeves, hard at work well into December. Our autumns and winters are clearly changing, and with them, our gardening habits. But there’s a challenge in this shift.

TV shows and magazines often suggest our gardens shut down over winter. So what are we supposed to do with a warm spell in November—get out the deck chairs? And grass? It’s often overlooked, yet it never really stops growing. In fact, winter preparation and a bit of care during the coldest months can make all the difference for your lawn.

Many plants and shrubs go dormant for winter, so we cut them back and protect the vulnerable ones from frost, calling it a day. But grass is different. Your lawn consists of millions of individual plants, each with a delicate root system. If you think about it, you’d want to throw a thermal blanket over it at the first sign of frost!

Fortunately, no need for such drastic measures. Grass may be small and delicate, but it can survive even tough winters with a bit of support.  In fact, I believe a lawn’s appearance mid-winter is a true measure of good lawn care. It’s easy to make grass look lush in summer with a little fertilizer, sunshine, and regular mowing. Real lawn care, though, is year-round. This season, here are a few simple steps to get your lawn ready for winter—if it ever comes:

  • Aerate if conditions are good. Hollow-tine aeration is ideal, and don’t forget to clear up those cores. You don’t need to fill the holes—they’ll help moisture move through the soil.
  • Apply ferrous sulphate sometime over the next few months. It will lock in valuable nutrients, strengthen the turf, and deter moss.
  • Keep mowingif the grass is growing. Just make sure the blades are sharp, and don’t cut too short; your lawn will actually benefit.
  • Continue edging, shaping, and tidying. Use turf rather than seeds for repairs for faster results.
  • Remove fallen leaves. Leaves create a warm, damp environment that can encourage diseases and dead patches. While you’re at it, inspect any overhanging trees and shrubs, and prune them back to help those struggling shady areas.

And finally, when sub-zero temperatures do arrive, avoid walking on a frosty lawn. You’ll only bruise the grass. Instead, make a cup of tea, sit by the fire, and review last year’s lawn care, planning any tweaks for next season.

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Time saving solutions the focus for GKB at BTME

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Time saving solutions the focus for GKB at BTME: Time is a precious and ever-decreasing commodity when it comes to completing operations around the golf course. That’s why the multi-functional Sandfiller will be taking centre stage on the GKB stand, when they return to BTME in 2024.

The GKB Sandfiller is designed to tackle the problem of surface drainage and aeration on sports turf and golf courses, especially on greens. A true multi-tasker, the Sandfiller scarifies and simultaneously backfills with sand, or a combination of sand and seed, in a single pass. Delivering the perfect conditions for excellent root growth and optimal plant health, the Sandfiller can be operated by one person, where other similar methods demand more time and labour.

Time saving solutions the focus for GKB at BTME

Time saving solutions the focus for GKB at BTME

Tried and tested by contractors and courses up and down the country, the heart of the Sandfiller utilises the principles of GKB’s much-praised Combinator – carbide blades effectively slitting the surface and creating channels to be easily refilled with dried sand and leaving a clean, play-ready finish in its wake.

Alongside the Sandfiller on stand 644 will be the equally versatile Combiseeder. Four working widths of Combiseeder are available, all equipped with twin spiked rollers which create 1500 holes per square metre, and two brushes to ensure seed is accurately deposited into the pockets for optimal germination conditions. Facilitating routine overseeding quickly and efficiently, the GKB Combiseeder proves an effective tool in retaining sward density and preventing weed, annual meadow grass or moss ingress as more chemical remedies are removed from the market.

The Sandfiller and Combiseeder are just two of a broad portfolio of quality-built maintenance solutions from GKB Machines, further details of which can be found by speaking to the technical team on hand across the three days in January.

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It’s J Premier Wicket time and again

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It’s J Premier Wicket time and again: When it comes to a cricket pitch, there’s not much that Richie Woodmason, owner of Willow Turf Care, doesn’t know about them – whether it’s playing on them or maintaining them!

One thing he is certain of, is that when he needs a grass seed that is going to germinate quickly and deliver hard-wearing results capable of withstanding the demands of the modern season, he turns to Johnsons Sports Seed. Following his own extensive research, it’s Johnsons J Premier Wicket that ticks all the boxes for Richie, seeing it employed on 41 of the 42 renovations he completed last season.

It’s J Premier Wicket time and again

It’s J Premier Wicket time and again

After moving to Australia to play cricket, Richie became involved in the grounds maintenance at the Perth club, swiftly taking on the role of Head Groundsman. On his return to the UK, he then adopted a similar role at his home club before a return trip to Oz saw him gain further experience of management in warmer climes. Back again, and positions at Gloucestershire Country Cricket Club and Trent Bridge were held, alongside the establishment of Willow Turf Care – conducting end of season renovations for facilities in and around the Gloucestershire area.

It was during his time at Trent Bridge that Richie took it upon himself to conduct some trials to establish the germination of various mixtures and assess the performance of various cultivars. He explains, “When we were conducting repairs, I’d line up four or five different mixtures and then look at things like the speed of germination, coverage and plant strength, and found that in our attempts to get a wicket back in six or eight weeks, that J Premier Wicket repeatedly outperformed the others.”

This knowledge has served Richie well, since he went full time with Willow Turf Care in March 2021. “I was armed with my go-to grass seed and found that, as new clients came on board, they were happy to take my recommendation. I’m now Head Groundsman at seven clubs and use J Premier Wicket at all of these, along with the numerous other sites at which I’m contracted. It continues to offer brilliant wear tolerance, disease resistance and coped well with the challenges of the hot and dry weather last summer.”

It’s J Premier Wicket time and again

It’s J Premier Wicket time and again

J Premier Wicket is formulated from four top-rated perennial rye cultivars that deliver proven, reliable performance and outstanding camera appeal. “We used it on all of our 42 square renovations except one last year, with the other one also using seed from another DLF brand, and couldn’t fault the results.” He adds, “Time is becoming the most important commodity due to the expectations on county club grounds staff. This means that finding something that works well, and works quickly, is crucial. For me, the J Premier Wicket mix backed up with fantastic technical support from DLF’s Ian Barnett and priced as it is, makes it unrivalled.”

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Save time, money and effort with Attraxor®

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Save time, money and effort with Attraxor®: In real terms, this can mean less frequent mowing, saving manpower, petrol, and associated machinery costs. The risks associated with mowing difficult or dangerous areas such as steep banks are also reduced.

Head Greenkeeper, Alan McWilliam, based at Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club in southwest Scotland, has been using Attraxor® for the past 12 months on golf greens.

Save time, money and effort with Attraxor®

Save time, money and effort with Attraxor®

Alan said: “Once applied I was really impressed with the reduction of turf growth. It has made the management of the course so much easier, reducing the amount of maintenance required.”

By using Attraxor®, growth is redirected from vertical to horizontal, increasing the density of turf. It also causes the thickening of plant cell walls and epidermis, contributing to a reduced susceptibility to some turf diseases with its regular use.

Course Manager, Ronnie Montgomery, based at Loudoun Gowf Club in Galston also said that he has been using Attraxor for the last 12 months on golf greens and has noticed a marked difference in the quality of the playing surface.

Ronnie confirmed: “We have noticed a better playing surface. Turf density has improved along with it being easier to maintain consistent greens speeds. We have also noticed this year a reduction in Microdochium.”

To find out more about Attraxor®, visit https://www.agricentre.basf.co.uk/en/Products/Product-Search/Plant-Growth-Regulator/Attraxor.html.

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