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Open 2020 Prep Starts With Toro

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Open 2020 Prep Starts With Toro: The Open Championship is returning to Royal St George’s Golf Club in 2020, and the south coast club has chosen Toro irrigation to ensure the famous old course is looking its best when the world’s top golfers arrive in under two years’ time. 

The simple rationale which pushed course manager, Paul Larson, into lobbying for a Toro irrigation system, when the club made the decision to replace the existing 20-year-old one, was accuracy he says: “I want to irrigate in millimetres and not in minutes.”

Open 2020 Prep Starts With Toro

Now in place and guaranteeing the kind of accuracy Paul was after is Toro’s Lynx GDC system from Reesink Turfcare, an official Toro UK distributor. He says: “In fairness, the alternative system we looked at did offer the type of accuracy I was looking for, but while I could achieve three millimetres of water on a specific part of the course with one click of a button on the Toro system, the other system required some calculations and seemingly two or three clicks.”

Complete with pump and weather station integration and installed with a course map and Toro’s round-the-clock support in their handheld and NSN apps, the club’s adoption of the Toro system might not have been the case had Paul not given Rob Jackson, irrigation field sales manager at Reesink, the chance of a trial on a small patch of the golf course.

“I told Rob that I’d more than likely stay with the original system provider but that I was happy to learn of anything new as I like to be open-minded. And I’m glad I did. What I found was that Toro was easier, better and more suited to our course. I’ve had full confidence in the company and the system ever since. Everything has been first class,” revealed Paul.

“We have Infinity sprinklers on the greens, surrounds, approaches and fairways, which give us 360 degree spread, and we can control every head on every sprinkler individually. This morning I have had someone out taking moisture levels everywhere on the course and, for example, if we find a reading of 24 percent at the back of a green and a reading of 18 percent at the front we can set the sprinklers to level it out. My goal is round 20 percent,” said Paul who added that the tees have the FLEX B series, with main nozzle multi-trajectory adaptors. “Everything is just so easy to adjust; we are currently tweaking everything so that it will do exactly what we want.”

Paul continues: “The user friendliness means that I am able to sit with my tablet and control the system remotely, safe in the knowledge that we are irrigating the areas that require it and not wasting water by irrigating the rough or tee banks which was happening with the previous system.”

One area of the course which is benefiting greatly from the new system is the pathways, which now have over 1000 Toro 590G sprinklers with Precision Rotating Nozzles (PRN’s).

“Our paths were in poor shape,” says Paul. “We kept turfing them but it just didn’t last, so now we seed with a fairway fescue, something we can do because with the dedicated sprinklers we can keep them irrigated. It’s too dry down here for the paths to survive without it.”

Installation expert, Ocmis, was able to use most of the original pipework, just replacing all the joints and heads, with only a small amount of new pipework so disruption was minimised.

“The work was carried out over the winter and finished by early spring and by closing a hole at a time there wasn’t much disruption to the golf,” said Paul, who is looking forward to preparing the course for what is always a spectacular Open at Royal St George’s.

Club secretary, Tim Checketts, was part of the panel which had put in place a rigorous tendering process designed to ensure the club would identify the best new irrigation system for them.

“At the end of the process Royal St George’s Golf Club was quite clear that Toro’s irrigation system offered us the significant uplift in capability we had been looking for. We felt that Toro gave us the ability to use less water and target it precisely where we wanted it to go and in doing so the new system would support our strategy to encourage the growth of the finer fescue grasses while reducing the percentage of broadleaf grasses on the course.

“Ocmis was chosen as our preferred contractor recognising its track record in delivering major projects to cost and on time and its reputation for tidy and professional work. The company deserves great credit for completing this project despite the considerable challenges posed by the 2017/18 winter,” said Tim.

“As a result of this successful project the Club now enjoys the use of a highly capable irrigation system and we are well placed to ensure the delivery of the course in Championship condition for 2020.”

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Reesink & Toro At Ham Manor GC

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Reesink & Toro At Ham Manor GC: A five year commitment is a big thing, and is not something that should be taken lightly. Trust and confidence are key components, and Ham Manor Golf Club is convinced it has the best combination in Reesink Turfcare and Toro.

Paul Brown, who has been course manager at the West Sussex club for two years, says it was the right time to commit, but the big decision was to whom? “You place a lot of trust in your package partner and ask a lot from them so it’s important to feel comfortable they can deliver. I’ve previously used Toro equipment and I had no doubt that Toro would deliver for us here at Ham Manor, but the primary drivers behind this decision were the trust and confidence we have in Reesink’s area retail sales manager Jon Cole and Toro’s unequivocal reliability.

Reesink & Toro At Ham Manor GC

“You put your reputation on the line when you embark on this sort of package deal. It’s a massive financial commitment over a long period of time, and you’ve got to be sure you’re not going to be let down. I hadn’t felt the time was right to make that sort of commitment, until now.”

In the order are a Reelmaster 3575-D, TriFlex 3400, two Workman MDX-D and one Workman HDX utility vehicles, the Multi Pro Workman sprayer and ProPass 200 topdresser. These machines add to the Reelmaster 3100-D and two Groundmaster 360 Quad Steers acquired over the last 18 months.

Positioned where it is nestled between the coast and the South Downs, Ham Manor is a parkland course a mile away from the sea, which Paul says: “has its own microclimate. Out of ten we’re an 11 when it comes to how much grass growth there is here. We could easily cut the fairways five days a week and still have work to do!”

Add to that the general trend of wetter winter months and it’s clear to see why Paul has opted for the combination of Toro’s Reelmaster 3575-D and TriFlex 3400: “We can struggle to get equipment on the course, but the RM3575-D is light with a larger footprint, and its three-wheel design and turf-friendly tyres mean we can rely on it to not damage the ground. Both machines make light work of the amount of grass.”

“When I started here there was a ‘mix and match’ range of kit, and this batch of machines are like-for-like replacements of those while we begin the process of investing in one manufacturer for the majority of our equipment. When our existing lease arrangements have run their course, the intention is to renew the entire fleet in one package. I feel this is the most cost-effective way to bring reliable machinery management to the club.”

Complementing the machinery lease deal, Ham Manor has completed phase one of its irrigation installation. This is a three-phase process to renew the entire system. Back to back Toro Infinity sprinklers have already been installed on the club’s new academy area and brand new 18th hole and up next is a Toro Lynx central control system and then Infinity sprinklers, back-to-back on the greens, tees, aprons and partial fairways of the 18-hole course.

Paul says: “Replacing our irrigation system is the biggest single investment the club will make in the next 30-40 years. Due diligence was essential in the evaluation process and we were thorough in our research. We viewed all the major brands and even travelled overseas visiting factories to see how sprinklers are made, but when it came down to it, Toro had everything we needed, including first class support from Reesink’s Rob Jackson which of course, is an essential component of the whole process.”

It’s common sense that when making an irrigation decision to consider sustainability too. With that in mind a new irrigation lake has been built and a borehole installed and Paul is actively investigating running grey (roof) water into the lake to further enhance the club’s ability to be less dependent on a mains water supply. That, however, is a story for another day and we look forward to bringing you the latest at Ham Manor when phase two of the irrigation installation commences!

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Student Greenkeepers Win Toro Awards

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Student Greenkeepers Win Toro Awards: The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association has announced that Daniel Ashelby from Wilmslow Golf Club has become the 30th winner of the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award, whilst Danny Patten of Lee Park Golf Club scooped the Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award.

Daniel, 25, joins a proud tradition of former awards winners that stretches back to Mark Proctor, who won the very first hosting of the award in 1989 while a student greenkeeper at Portal Golf Club in Cheshire.

Student Greenkeepers Win Toro Awards

The Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards is a nationwide contest hosted by greenkeepers’ association BIGGA and sponsored by turfcare machinery and irrigation manufacturer Toro alongside its official UK distributor Reesink Turfcare.

Each year, a selection of the best student greenkeepers, selected from regional interviews hosted across the country, descend upon BIGGA House at Aldwark Manor in York for the two-day finals of the event, where they complete a variety of tasks.

A second-generation greenkeeper, whose father was course manager at Gatley Golf Club, Daniel impressed the judges with his knowledge and passion for the profession. The presentation he delivered in front of the awards judges showed his dedication to greenkeeping and his eagerness to do well in his chosen career.

Daniel said: “I can’t believe I’ve won it to be honest. There was a really strong line-up and I couldn’t tell right until the end who had won because everybody else was fantastic. I’m absolutely delighted and I’d like to thank Toro, Reesink Turfcare and BIGGA for everything they’ve done this week, it’s amazing.”

As part of his prize, Daniel wins a seven-week scholarship at the University of Massachusetts in the USA, as well as a trip to the GCSAA’s Golf Industry Show in San Diego and a trip to Toro’s headquarters in Minneapolis.

The Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award is open to students under the age of 20 and as winner, Danny receives a two-week work placement at the exclusive Vidauban Golf Club in France, as well as a trip to BTME in Harrogate.

Danny, 20, said: “I’m shocked to have won. I thought I had done a good course walk but wasn’t sure it would be enough. Then when they announced my name to say I had won it was just the best feeling in the world. I’ve been greenkeeping for just over two years so to get this award is really promising for my career and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.”

BIGGA Head of Member Learning Stuart Green said: “Congratulations to Daniel and Danny, who showed outstanding passion and commitment, both during the finals of the awards and at every stage of the competition, to be crowned worthy winners of this year’s awards.

“To be crowned Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year isn’t just two days’ hard work; rather you must dedicate yourself to the greenkeeping profession every day of your working life and so both winners and everyone who made it to the finals should be incredibly proud of their achievements.

“Each year the finals of the competition get harder to judge, which gives me confidence that the future of the industry is in very safe hands.”

The runner-up in the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award was John Scurfield of Morpeth Golf Club.

The runner-up in the Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award was Liam Pigden of Burnham & Berrow Golf Club.

David Cole, managing director of Reesink Turfcare and award judge, said: “Every year the challenge of selecting one winner from each category becomes greater and greater for the judges. This tells us that the greenkeeping baton is being passed to safe hands by virtue of the commitment we see in front of us from students towards their career and personal education.

“Congratulations, not only to the winners and runners-up, but also to the whole group in reaching the final in what is a very competitive awards competition. You are all a credit to yourselves and to your golf courses.”

BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton said: “We call the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards the most prestigious in the industry, but they are only made so by the commitment and dedication to the greenkeeping profession shown by those who have previously enjoyed success in the awards.

“Daniel and Danny join an incredible roster of past winners throughout the awards’ prestigious history, each of whom has done their part in elevating standards in the greenkeeping profession to new heights.

“Our thanks once again go to Toro and Reesink Turfcare for their support in hosting these annual awards, which remain a real highlight of the greenkeeping calendar.”

Applications for the 31st Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards will open in February 2019.

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New Toro Machines At SALTEX

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New Toro Machines At SALTEX: Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare is bringing the first super-duty utility vehicle, the Outcross 9060, and the brand’s new 12ft pull-behind rotary mower to SALTEX 2018. Both machines are designed to ensure groundsmen can do a lot more, with less, and will be on show on stand H010.

Jeff Anguige, national sales manager for Reesink, says: “The launch of the Outcross 9060 marks the first of its kind to be purpose-built for the management of fine turf. It combines the best elements of a tractor with a utility vehicle and delivers a machine that can do the work of multiple machines in one compact package.”

New Toro Machines At SALTEX

Powered by a 59.8-horsepower Yanmar liquid-cooled diesel engine, the Outcross can tow up to 16,000lbs and has an optional cargo bed that can hold 4,500lbs of materials. It simplifies operation, optimises power and brings the option of dozens of attachments to perform hundreds of tasks.

Following hot on the Outcross’s heels for making the groundsman’s life easier is the Groundsmaster 1200 pull-behind rotary mower. What’s interesting about this new machine is that it is, says Toro, a pull-behind more than worthy of being called a Groundsmaster such are its capabilities.

Productivity is high with a 12ft wide cutting width thanks to three decks which flow with the contours of the terrain for example and dual full width rollers which leave a well-groomed after-cut appearance. The height of cut can be adjusted from 0.5 to four inches, and its wing decks folded up to create a narrow 86-inch transportation width making it easy to get from site to site. Plus, the transport wheels feature a torsion axle and integrated torsion spring which means it can do its job smoothly and comfortably for the operator.

Jeff says of these new launches: “As with the entire grounds range, Toro focusses on productivity, versatility, flexibility and durability, and the Outcross and Groundsmaster are the perfect embodiment of all these things. Toro understands its market and that today’s groundsmen need to do more with less. Plus, they complement each other so well.”

In addition, there will be a full line-up from Reesink and all its brands. From the grounds machinery range will be the LT-F3000 triple flail mower and its innovative cylinder attachment option, and the large volume direct collect ProLine H800, which launched at last year’s show.

Representing Toro’s irrigation range will be the Lynx Central Control system and Infinity 55 sprinklers with Smart Access, TS90 and T7 sprinklers with TurfCup, a feature for hidden infield irrigation and seamless-looking turf, and the Flex 55 sprinklers.

For those managing ponds and lakes, needing to optimise oxygen levels to keep water healthy, there will be Otterbine’s best-selling Fractional five-in-one aerator which delivers the highest performance rate of any fractional aerator on the market. It will be joined on stand by the Concept 3, the aerating fountain that perfectly illustrates how industrial aerators can give the best of both worlds offering function and beauty.

Reesink will again have two stands with H080 being entirely dedicated to TYM’s range of compact tractors and accessories.

Reesink’s marketing manager Holly Jones, says: “There’s lots to look forward to for this year’s show. To have not one but two Toro launches is great for the sports and amenities market and I predict there will be a lot of interest on the stand as a result. We welcome everyone to come and see the line-up, discuss their needs and share experiences and advice with our specialist groundscare machinery team.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Toro At Gullane Golf Club

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Toro At Gullane Golf Club: It’s tribute to the quality of the course preparation and wonderful putting surfaces produced by Gullane Golf Club’s course manager Stewart Duff along with his team, with the unparalleled tournament support of Toro and Reesink Turfcare, that South African golfer Brandon Stone had a chance to make European golfing history at the Aberdeen Standard Investment Scottish Open earlier this year.

But, as Brandon stood over his seven-foot putt on Gullane’s 18th green in the final round, Stewart didn’t know what to think. If Brandon made the putt he would have been the first player to shoot a 59 on the European Tour, but Stewart wasn’t sure if he wanted Gullane to be the first course to have a 59 on its CV. On the other hand, it would have been a genuine tribute to the quality of the Gullane putting surfaces.

Toro At Gullane Golf Club

“It was a Catch 22 for me,” Stewart says. “For him, personally, I really wanted it to go in as he was a great Champion, a well-deserved winner and a wonderful young man; but for selfish reasons – for the course and for the club – I didn’t want it to go in. I was 50-50 on it.”

As it turned out the ball stayed above ground and Brandon had to settle for a 60 and a four-round winning total of 20 under-par.

Credit for the fact that Gullane produced the closest attempt yet for that elusive 59 must go to Stewart and the attention to detail he seeks from his team and his turf machinery. And in that he has met an equal in Toro and Reesink.

One example is his use of the Toro Greensmaster Triflex Hybrid 3420 mower, six of which he used on a daily basis to cut tees and aprons, and which it’s said produces results as close to perfection that nature will allow: “The quality of cut is excellent as is the way the units follow the contours on some of our grass hollows on the aprons.”

Recognising the quality, and not wishing to waste an opportunity, as soon as those tasks were finished Stewart had another job lined up for them.

“We changed over to the greens units so the boys could go and cut the greens on our other two courses,” he revealed.

“While the quality of cut and exceptional contour-following ability are huge plusses, I love the fact that there are no tools required to change the units over and even more than that, they have excellent electric motors to drive the cylinder so there’s no chance of oil leaks.”

Unlike most tournament venue course managers, the prize presentation to Brandon wasn’t the end of an intense week – for Stewart and his team it was just half time!

Because, while the world’s attention turned to Carnoustie and The Open Championship, Gullane was keeping itself pristine for the arrival of the ladies and the Aberdeen Standard Investment Ladies’ Scottish Open just the week after that.

This time Thailand’s Aryla Jutanugarn closed with a 66 and a four-round total of 13 under-par to lift the trophy at a presentation which finally gave Stewart a chance to catch breath.

“We did think that keeping the course in top condition for three weeks – two for the tournaments with a week in between – was going to be harder than it actually was, and in many ways it was probably better for the ladies than it was for the men. It was still very good for the men, but it got a little bit drier for the ladies and the greens were slightly faster,” he said, still pinching himself that both events turned out as well as they did.

“If we’d placed an order for weather we’d have asked for exactly what we got. That was our best case scenario.

“The tournament support was absolutely fantastic and, while I know that providing support at The Open Championship at the same time put pressure on them, you would not have known it. In Jeff Anguige and George McDonald from Reesink, we had two colleagues doing their best to ensure we had everything we needed. The support that they offered was wonderful. I’d also like to thank Eddie Adams, the European Tour’s agronomist, who was so much help to us for the men’s tournament, and my staff who were superb throughout both tournament weeks.”

Among the pieces of equipment which arrived at Gullane for the two big weeks were the Reelmaster 5010-H hybrid fairway mowers and the Workman GTX Electric utility vehicles, while the club’s own two Toro ProCore 648 pedestrian aerators and a Toro ProPass 200 topdresser came into their own with the seeding and sanding in the recovery programme.

“The RM5010 mowers are just a great piece of kit. The quality of cut and after-cut appearance are superb and it’s quiet. Plus, the electric motors mean there is no chance of oil leaks. It really is a well thought out piece of kit.”

The Workmans were another to receive the Duff seal of approval: “The new electric Workman has had a lot of thought put into it. Completely quiet, they are really comfortable and have little extras like phone chargers and places to store bits and bobs. While they are not in constant use, we were getting about two days out of a single battery charge.

“We currently have a fleet of utility vehicles which is not Toro, but we will certainly be changing it to be so,” revealed Stewart.

With modern-day equipment providing putting surfaces as close to perfection that nature will allow, that European Tour 59 won’t be too far away. Perhaps Stewart won’t be too unhappy if it does happen on his beloved Gullane!

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