Tag Archive for: Underway

Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’

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Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’: Hamilton Golf Club has entered what Course Manager Neil Hogg calls its “summer Wiedenmann phase” — when its fleet of specialist turf care machines is fine-tuned for summer maintenance.

Neil joined the Lanarkshire club in December 2022 from Bruntsfield Links GC in Edinburgh, inheriting three key Wiedenmann machines: a Terra Spike GXi8, a Super 500, and a Core Recycler.

Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’

Hamilton GC underway with ‘summer Wiedenmann phase’

“I’ve always liked how Wiedenmann kit works,” says Neil. “It’s well-engineered, reliable, and gets the job done.”

Since then, the fleet has grown through Fairways GM, Wiedenmann’s exclusive Scottish dealer, with a Terra Spike XP in summer 2023, a Mega Twister blower in summer 2024, and most recently a 2.3m Terra Rake in October 2024.

While many clubs use this machinery mainly in autumn and winter, Neil keeps it working year-round.

“In summer, the Terra Rake goes across fairways, aprons, and tees to lift the grass and break up any matting. Particularly with fairways, many turfgrasses spread sideways, and over time this lateral growth can make the surface puffy and uneven. The rake’s spring tines comb through the canopy, tugging at horizontal shoots and leaf blades to keep that in check. The faster we go, the more thatch we remove, keeping the surface open and healthy. Raking acts as a mild stress, shifting the plant’s energy from spreading sideways to growing upright, which produces a denser, more vertical canopy. The light tearing encourages the grass to repair by sending up new vertical shoots.”

The process is followed by a cut with the new Jacobsen LF570 fairway mower and a clean-up pass with the Mega Twister blower.

“The blower was a godsend in winter for clearing leaves, and now it speeds everything up. It’s reliably versatile — standing up the turf, drying it when needed, and leaving a tidy finish. We can rake, cut, and clean in one go.”

Neil says performance is the priority, with improved appearance a welcome bonus.

“When grass lies over, it mats down and the cut suffers. The Terra Rake is like back-combing the turf — once it’s upright, the mower gives a sharper, more even finish.”

The mower is usually set to 10 mm for daily work, but after raking, Neil drops it to 9 mm.

“The Jake’s brand new, so we get a perfect finish. That fresh cut also improves ball roll and makes the course more enjoyable to play.”

The Super 500 is also key in managing the tiger rough, which is topped in summer to encourage healthy regrowth and prevent matting.

“The rough can grow knee-high. When it’s wet, it just flops over and won’t stand back up — a bit like fairways, only on a bigger scale. In autumn, it’s cut back to 5–7 cm to stop leaves becoming trapped. The rake then reduces thatch and bulk, producing finer, softer growth for the following season.

“It’s about long-term improvement as much as presentation,” says Neil. “Better airflow, better recovery, and ultimately, a better playing surface.”

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World Cup Prep Underway

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World Cup Prep Underway: Somerset County Cricket Club is just one of ten UK venues selected for 12th ICC Cricket World Cup next year, and the club are relying on Toro to ensure its outfield is ready for the eyes of the cricketing world upon it.

The club, based in Taunton, is in good company as a World Cup host with Lord’s and The Oval, but as one of the smallest and newest in the line-up, the benchmark is high, says head groundsman Simon Lee.

World Cup Prep Underway

“Our trajectory of growth over the last five years has been huge. As part of our categorisation in to group B we received some funding so for the first time in 100 years we could improve our drainage system. This completely changed the way the outfield grew. What had previously been more like a recreational surface was suddenly more like a sports surface, with thicker, denser grass.

“This has meant a lot more work in terms of cutting and maintaining the area. We’d been using a 20-year old Toro Reelmaster 2300-D, and while that machine has been a fantastic workhorse and we’d never had a problem with it, the time had come to upgrade to a newer model to help cope with the change in the turf’s characteristics.”

A demo, organised by Devon Garden Machinery, saw Simon and the team trial a seven-year old Toro Reelmaster 3100-D, which, says Simon, “set the bar high for everything else that followed.”

He continues: “Whatever machine followed the RM2300-D had its work cut out. We think so highly of it that if its successor is even half as good as it’s been, that will be enough”. And it’s so far so good with the new Toro RM3100-D the club ultimately opted for. Only time will tell if its longevity matches up to the formidable RM2300-D, but in terms of performance, Simon is impressed.

“Mechanically its all the same – an engine and bottom blade – but my goodness the way it chews effortlessly through the grass is really impressive. It takes two and a half hours to cut five acres. Plus, by opting for Toro again, we have the added benefit of the reassurance of having a quality product, one that will last for years, giving us excellent value for money.

World Cup Prep Underway

With three international matches between New Zealand and Afghanistan, Australia and Pakistan and West Indies and Bangladesh to look forward to it in June 2019, it really has been an eventful five years for the club, with the future everything to play for.

Simon concludes: “Being chosen as a World Cup venue puts us on a level playing field with some of the best sporting venues in the country, and it’s incredibly important we present at our best. We feel confident we can do that, especially with Toro looking after the grounds.”

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Work Underway At Ewood Park

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Work Underway At Ewood Park: Work is underway on the pitch at Ewood Park as Rovers prepare for life back in the Championship.

Head groundsman Trevor Wilkin admits preparations for the 2018/19 campaign are well underway and will step up over the next few weeks.

The Ewood groundstaff were highly commended by the EFL for the condition of the pitch during the course of the League One season.

And Wilkins, who has worked for the club for over 35 years, explained the process which will take place over the summer.

He said: “All that’s happening is what we do every season, which is stripping the old turf off, adding some fresh root zone, freshening everything up and reseeding.

“People get it in their head that it’s a brand new pitch, but it’s not. It’s more of a make do and mend job.

“Over the next few days, the old turf will be stripped off, then we’ll get the new root zone on, mix it all together and by the end of the week it should all be levelled and seeded.

“It will then be put to bed for two weeks, then hopefully it should be totally green and ready for me to start cutting again.

“Hopefully we get a decent summer and then we’ll be ready to go from mid to late July.”

Wilkin admits there has been investment from the owners on the pitches at the club’s Senior and Academy training centres at Brockhall with that work also underway.

And he hopes that will bear fruit for the players and coaching staff during the course of the 2018/19 season.

He told the club website: “There’s lots of work going on down at Brockhall as well.

“The owners have spent money on every single pitch this summer, which is great – a good investment.

“Every single pitch at the Senior Training Centre and the Academy is having some work done on it, and that’s the bread and butter for the players.

“We’ll be doing the best we can to produce training pitches as good as Ewood for Tony (Mowbray) and his staff.”

The club were two League One clubs to be highly commended by the EFL for the condition of the pitch, with the overall honours going to Rotherham United.

The rankings are based on marks from referees and away managers, as well as detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations.

And Wilkin added: “This is a great achievement for everyone involved after what has been a difficult season fixture and weather-wise.

“We had a tough period from late January through to the middle of February, but the winter we had, as everyone knows, was horrendous, plus this season what really hit us was the amount of fixtures we’ve had.

“I think the last league game of the season against Oxford was our 40th fixture here at Ewood, which is an unbelievable number for this stadium, so overall we’re very pleased.”

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Dorchester’s 3G Pitch Underway

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Dorchester’s 3G Pitch Underway: Matt Lucas, chairman of Dorchester Town believes the installation of the Magpies’ new 3G artificial pitch is a “massive step” for the Avenue Stadium club.

Preparation work yesterday began on the surface, with the grass being sprayed ready for removal on Tuesday, May 8.

That came after Dorchester Town Reserves lost 3-1 to Poole Town in the final ever game on the existing turf on Monday night.

And Lucas is pleased that the hours of work undertaken by the club’s sub-committee will finally come to fruition.

He told Echosport: “It’s a massive step and we’re really excited. The grass is being sprayed before the contractors come in on May 8, then they will begin taking away all the excess.

“It’s really starting in earnest, we’re really excited. It’s great to be able to achieve what we as a club have achieved with having it.

“A hell of a lot of work has gone into it over a long period of time. Our thanks go to West Dorset Council, Dorchester Town Council, Dorchester Town Youth and the Section 106 Committee – the sub-committee has worked so hard in finding the right pathway for us.”

With the overhaul of the Magpies’ pitch aimed at bringing the local community and local football together, Lucas is particularly heartened by the good spirit behind the pitch project.

He said: “What’s been great is that everyone has come in and been involved in getting the 3G and of course the supporters and people that follow the club in purchasing the squares.

“It’s really, really positive seeing everybody pulling together and getting ready for next season.

“We obviously see it as a great thing for the place as a whole because football is going to be available for an awful lot of people in the area.

“What makes it for me is how everybody is coming together to make this happen. I would personally like to thank the sub-committee that have been planning everything over a long period of time.

“I’m extremely pleased for them that we’ve got to the stage we’re at now,” he said.

The Magpies have installed a camera to map the progress of the installation from start to finish. Updates will be available on all of the club’s social media channels.

Dorchester Town’s end-of-season presentation evening will be held at the Avenue Stadium on Saturday, May 12.

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