Tag Archive for: Turf

Innovations and Solutions at Turf Science Live

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Innovations and Solutions at Turf Science Live: The recent Turf Science Live event, held at North Hants Golf Club in Fleet, Hampshire, brought together golf course mangers and turf managers for a day of immersive learning and networking. Organised by ICL and Syngenta, the event, now in its fifteenth year, has consistently provided valuable insights and practical knowledge in the field of turf management.

The event featured several interactive stations designed to tackle the key challenges faced by turf managers. Ed Carter, ICL Business Manager, highlighted the importance of these hands-on experiences, stating, “Turf Science Live showcases what ICL and Syngenta are developing in terms of research and development.  It provides a platform for customers to share their challenges and feedback, enabling us to explore potential solutions that can help them in their pursuit of performance.”

Innovations and Solutions at Turf Science Live

Innovations and Solutions at Turf Science Live

The stations covered a variety of topics, including moisture management, Dollar spot, organic fertilisers, and precision nutrition. Eric Chen, Syngenta Technical Manager for biologicals research, led a station focused on water management.

He underscored the importance of understanding effective irrigation practices, explaining, “With climate change, turf grass can lose a lot of water due to sun radiation and wind. However. over-irrigating can be just as detrimental as not irrigating at all. Our goal is to educate attendees on why, how, and when to apply wetting agents and new technologies for effective water resource utilisation.”

The event provided a platform for industry professionals to discuss the latest developments in turf management. Dr Andy Owen, International Technical Manager for ICL, presented on the benefits and considerations of soil organic matter, the sustainability of organic fertilisers and their performance and marketing strategies.

Phil Collinson, Sales & Business Development Manager emphasised the importance of precision nutrition and showcased ICL’s latest research and development advancements in fertiliser and application technology, aimed at helping end users achieve optimal results.

Another highlight was the station on Dollar spot, a fungal disease increasingly affecting golf courses due to changing weather patterns. Sean Loakes, Technical Manager for Syngenta, shared his expertise on managing the disease, stating, “Dollar spot is on the rise, and our trials this year have focused on how we can control it. It’s really valuable to discuss these challenges face-to-face with turf managers, hearing their concerns and sharing solutions.”

Attendee Jack McKay from Wickham Golf Club found the sessions particularly useful, saying, “I came because I was looking for some education on ICL and Syngenta products, but also to network and meet other people. The Dollar spot station stood out for me. It was good to find out a few different ways of attacking the problem and brainstorming ideas.”

Kevin Glazier of Pine Ridge Golf Club echoed this sentiment, appreciating the opportunity to stay ahead of industry trends. “I came to see where the future of greenkeeping is going and what new products are on the horizon. Just yesterday, I had some Dollar spot appear on my greens, so that station was very helpful in terms of understanding how to manage it.”

Stefan Carter from Wentworth Golf Club found the organic fertiliser station beneficial, “I very much enjoyed listening to Andy Owen talking about organic fertilisers; he is someone I could listen to for hours, so it was good to get that insight and pick up some tricks and tips.”

The networking aspect of Turf Science Live was equally valuable. Barry West from Royal Winchester Golf Club appreciated the interactive format, noting, “Turf Science Live is always engaging, interactive, and excellent for career development. Everyone has been really enthusiastic about the topics, and it’s great to see both new and familiar faces.”

Sarah Hughes, Syngenta Business Manager Turf & Landscape, summed up the event’s success, saying, “It has been a fantastic day with a lot of pertinent discussion around some hot topics. The feedback has been excellent, and it encourages us to continue these events.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-growingsolutions.uk and www.icl-growingsolutions.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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

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SPIN Turf Machinery distributor for Graden® turf machines

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SPIN Turf Machinery distributor for Graden® turf machines: The Dutch company SPIN Turf Machinery is the new importer of the Australian made Graden® turf machines for the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe.

The company also produces the Spin-Rake, a range of rake-machines, ideal for removing thatch and weeds.

SPIN Turf Machinery distributor for Graden® turf machines

SPIN Turf Machinery distributor for Graden® turf machines

The advantage of the Spin-Rake is that its tines rotate, sothat they evenly disperse and mulch the debris, leaving a pristine turf surface without stripes.

As the removed thatch and weeds are easily processed by mower blades, there is no extra clean-up work.

The Spin-Rake ranges from small models behind bunkermachines for golf, till the 6m wide foldable models, ideal for large areas.

This summer, prestigious turffarmers supplied the turf for several UEFA footballfields in Germany, using the Spin-Rake for the grass blades to stand up before cutting.

The Spin-Rake can also be connected to the front of the tractor, with a mower or a sweeper at the rear, for realizing the perfect cut or collection.  All in one single pass.

Now the Spin-Rake is being introduced in the British Isles.

Distributors are welcome to apply for all areas except Northern Ireland.

Contact: SPIN Turf Machinery  info@spinturfmachinery.com           +31-610752307            www.spinturfmachinery.com

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Toro simplifying turf aeration

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Toro simplifying turf aeration: Fife-based Scotscraig Golf Club, the 13th oldest in the world, has recently invested in the Toro ProCore 648s aerator to improve the overall quality of its surface and the playability of the course. The result is a much faster and easier aeration process. 

Led by course manager Darren Mckenna, the team at Scotscraig is always looking for new ways to optimise its golf course that is surrounded by history and that has welcomed some of the sport’s greatest names. 

Toro simplifying turf aeration

Toro simplifying turf aeration

In particular, by purchasing the Toro ProCore 648s through Reesink Turfcare, the golf club wanted to maximise its resources, improving surface quality and playability. 

According to Darren, “This model makes the aeration process much faster and easier. Previous solutions had to be moved by a tractor—which could be hard and even dangerous to manoeuvre in tight areas and on slopes—leaving tyre marks on the green that would last for days. But with the ProCore 648s, it’s a completely different story. I didn’t realise how easy and clean the job was going to be.”

Another game-changer, tells Darren, is the InfoCenter Smart Settings feature, which “makes it a breeze to calibrate the machine with just a few buttons—and you can also recalibrate it throughout the day, allowing you to keep a consistent depth and optimise tine wear.” The on-board computer is very helpful as well, as it calculates “the total area of work and how much material you remove when coring, taking the guesswork out when topdressing.”

Talking about his aeration efforts, Darren explained how his new Toro solution helps him significantly improve the health of the surfaces by accelerating top dressing and increasing air movement within the profile and root depth. 

When commenting on the choice of the brand, Darren said that it was a no-brainer: “Toro is a name you can trust, and it’s the gold standard in this industry.” Even in his experience with other golf clubs, the ProCore 648s “is the go to machine for lightweight aeration and it’s so reliable that you can see people using them for a very long time without issues. So, its longevity makes it a great investment for the long run as well.”

Further proof of Toro’s reputation came when Darren announced the purchase of the ProCore 648s over a year ago. He recalls that “The whole team was incredibly excited about this new addition to the fleet and couldn’t stop talking about it. And when the machine finally arrived, everyone wanted to try it despite the heavy rain.”  

“All in all,” Darren concluded, “we’re very happy with the results provided by the ProCore 648s. It is just an easier and better user experience, and after this success we’re looking to use other Toro solutions in the future to improve the cut quality of our fairways.” 

According to Darren, working with Reesink has helped make the whole process much smoother. From the quick and simple order process to the training once the machine arrived, Reesink offered guidance and professionalism at every step of the journey.  

Learn more about Toro’s technology and how it could benefit your course, by calling distributor Reesink at 01480 226800, emailing info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visiting reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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

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Atlas Turf bermudas solve problems

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Atlas Turf bermudas solve problems: The Erbil Hills course in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, is the first grass golf course in the country. Designed by architect Cynthia Dye of Dye Designs Group, and managed by IMG, it was largely constructed during the Covid-19 pandemic and will open later this year.

The autonomous Kurdistan Region is currently experiencing some of the fastest economic growth in the world and Erbil, as its capital, is at the heart of that. “Erbil Hills came about because the developers saw what we had done at Dreamland in Baku, Azerbaijan and wanted something similar,” says Cynthia Dye. “The two projects have a lot in common, though they aren’t affiliated.”

Atlas Turf bermudas solve problems

Atlas Turf bermudas solve problems

The Erbil area has a hot summer Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and temperatures often above 40C (104F) in the summer months. There is almost no rain between June and September, but winters are fairly wet. As such, choosing the grasses for the golf course was a tricky problem for architect Dye and her team. “The client wanted the course to be green grass wall-to-wall,” she says. “In Baku, we were able to grow cool season grasses everywhere, but that was obviously not going to work in Erbil. I have a friend who was construction manager for the Ashgabat course in Turkmenistan, which has a similar climate to Erbil and they used Atlas Turf’s Latitude 36 bermudagrass there, with great success.”

Dye therefore specified Latitude 36 for fairways and close roughs. “The contractor was in favor of a different bermudagrass, which would have come from Turkey, but I was not keen, because I wasn’t certain of the quality we would get, whereas I know that Atlas is always reliable,” she says. “With Latitude 36, I knew that we would get through the winters well and that we would have good color in the spring and fall seasons, which are going to be the key golfing months in Erbil. It starts to go off in November and is just greening up now. This gap should close as the grass matures. They will paint it while dormant, but the color will be great in the prime golfing months.”

For outer roughs, Dye specified North Shore SLT seeded bermudagrass, also from Atlas Turf and its partner Pure Seed. “I wanted the roughs to be a different color and texture for definition and, given the client’s desire for wall-to-wall grass, it was obvious that the rough areas were going to be large – there are 22 hectares (54 acres) of outer rough,” she says. “Choosing a seeded bermuda was important for budgetary reasons – if we had tried to use stolons across the entire course it would have been too expensive. But at the same time, it was important that whatever grass we planted was drought tolerant. We have well water, but we don’t have an infinite amount, and putting a lot of irrigation on areas that aren’t in play very much just isn’t feasible.”
For greens, Dye specified Pure Distinction creeping bentgrass, developed by Pure-Seed Testing. “I knew that I wanted bentgrass greens and I have used Pure Distinction quite a bit, including in Baku. I really like it,” she says.

“Obviously, given the climate, if we were going to have cool season greens, we needed a grass with good heat tolerance that also coped well with drought. With Pure Distinction, I am very confident that the greens will be excellent year-round.”

Erbil Hills should open its first nine holes in the near future, with the second nine following fairly shortly.

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Turf Science Live 2024 at North Hants GC

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Turf Science Live 2024 at North Hants GC: ICL and Syngenta are pleased to announce the Turf Science Live 2024 event, scheduled to take place at North Hants Golf Club, Minley Road, Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 1RF. This free-to-attend event offers valuable insights and strategies for golf course turf management from industry experts.

About Turf Science Live

Turf Science Live, created by ICL and Syngenta, is the premier event for those who want to improve their knowledge in golf course turf management. The event tackles the complex challenges faced by golf course turf managers, providing a excellent platform for enhancing turf management skills.

Turf Science Live 2024 at North Hants GC

Turf Science Live 2024 at North Hants GC

Who Should Attend?

The event is designed for all professionals in the turf management industry looking to stay at the forefront of the latest developments.

Event Highlights

Held at prestigious locations across the UK and Ireland, each Turf Science Live event offers a unique agenda filled with:

  • Insightful Sessions: Engage in expert-led discussions on the latest trends in turf science, technological breakthroughs, and sustainable practices.
  • Innovative Solutions: Explore the latest in golf turf management solutions designed to enhance the quality and resilience of your course.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow turf managers, industry leaders, and suppliers, fostering a community of collaboration and innovation.
  • Practical Demonstrations: Although this specific event will not feature practical demonstrations, previous sessions have included real-time demonstrations of new methodologies and technologies.

Why Attend?

Turf Science Live 2024 is an invaluable opportunity for professionals in the turf management industry to gain expert insights, discover innovative solutions, and network with peers. Attendees will leave with actionable knowledge to improve their turf management practices.

Registration

Don’t miss out on this essential event. For more information and to register, please visit Turf Science Live 2024.

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-growingsolutions.uk and icl-growingsolutions.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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

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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.