Tag Archive for: Up

Catch up with DLF at SALTEX

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Catch up with DLF at SALTEX: Turf professionals from across the sports and landscaping sectors can look forward to a refresher on ‘all things seed’ with a stop by the DLF stand at SALTEX 2021.

Returning this November to stand J052, the DLF Technical Team will be on hand to discuss their vast portfolio of specialist mixtures from both the Johnsons Sports Seed and Masterline ranges, along with the latest developments in their research and breeding programmes.

Catch up with DLF at SALTEX

Catch up with DLF at SALTEX

For sports turf, 2021 saw the introduction of a number of new formulations and cultivars into the Johnson’s range, most notably Tetragame – from the DLF 4Turf® Tetraploid Perennial Ryegrass stable. With sustainability an increasingly key consideration for turf managers, Tetragame delivers significantly improved disease resistance and sward recovery along with strong germination and establishment at temperatures as low as 4oc. Tetragame features in Johnsons J Outfield, together with J 4Turf and J 4Turf 100 – delivering the strength and durability demanded for winter sport and equestrian use.

With mixtures created for both professional sports and landscaping, the Masterline range continues to offer unrivalled choice to managers of amenity surfaces. The Masterline range incorporates high performance cultivars for reliable results and exceptional value. With a focus on sustainability, PM82 Microclover Sport incorporates unique Microclover to provide enhanced growth and wear tolerance with significantly reduced herbicide, fungicide and fertiliser requirements making PM82 an ideal choice for local authorities and school pitches.

The DLF team will be available across the two days to discuss both the seeds and the science as, behind the scenes, work is ongoing across their worldwide breeding network – particularly in the area of disease resistance. Changing management models of maintenance and plant nutrition combined with shifts in weather patterns are largely believed to be the triggers for an increase in the occurrence of some less commonly seen turf diseases affecting winter sports venues – namely Brown Patch and Grey Leaf Spot. With screening programmes complete and in-field testing not too far away, developments are on the way to ensure that what goes into the bag continues to be at the high standards that the industry demands.

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GroundWOW® gearing up for success

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GroundWOW® gearing up for success: North-West autonomous technology innovators, GroundWOW, have been gearing up for success aided by the gradual opening-up of sport around the globe.

“There has definitely been a discernible change over the past three or four months. We developed so much through the pandemic itself and since then, it feels like target clients have really switched on to getting back to their business. For us, that has meant being busier than ever with product demonstrations at our HQ near Manchester or at client sites” commented Chief Commercial Officer, David Pritchard.

GroundWOW® gearing up for success

GroundWOW® gearing up for success

“The willing embrace of the likes of Zoom and MS Teams through the pandemic allowed us to remote in contacts from all over the world who have been clambering to see what we are up to. Truth is, we can entertain anybody either virtually or in person, and the real magic moment is when a target customer is able to view their logo being printed live from the viewing platform directly above our indoor test track. For lots of customers, that is when the penny really drops” continued Pritchard.

Outside of events and demonstrations, the team behind the world’s first autonomous full colour ground printer has been eyeing up new premises as the expansion of their enterprise continues.

“We knew when we moved to our current address that we would outgrow it quite quickly and that is exactly how things have played out. The team has grown enormously. If we look back to Saltex 2019, there were probably eight or ten of us, but we are already approaching thirty employees with a plan to double that inside the next twelve months. We design and develop here, we manufacture here, we test and demonstrate here, all of our future pipeline comes from here…and that all brings with it a requirement for more space”.

GroundWOW are also entering an active schedule of exhibition and conference events as part of further revealing their technology to the world of sport. GroundWOW attended Leaders Week at Twickenham in October and as well as Saltex in November, will attend and present at Stadium Business Summit at Emirates Old Trafford in December. “It’s all part of what we consider the missionary work – taking a new technology to an expectant market and walking through how it works in such a breadth of use-cases” added Pritchard.

“Internationally, we have been hamstrung like everybody else by the inability to travel and so we are thrilled to finally be planning trips to the Middle East, South Africa, the U.S, Australia and New Zealand. We will certainly be racking up the air miles as we undertake the next phase task of establishing operational bases in these target territories. Beyond sport, our autonomous technology has found application in healthcare and other sectors creating significant hyper growth opportunities. You could definitely say it is a busy time for us at GroundWOW!”.

Launched in October 2019, GroundWOW® was developed with a founding mission to make printing on ground as easy as printing on paper. GroundWOW® SPECIAL FX can print any logo, any size, on any surface. Deployable in under 10 mins, autonomous technology, A.I and an end-to-end Cloud platform combine to create images as accurate as a blade of grass.

GroundWOW and GroundWOW Special FX are trademarks. GroundWOW is a trading name of Micropply Limited.

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Reesink ‘tee up’ success

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Reesink ‘tee up’ success: Reesink Turfcare’s ReeAssure Maintenance Scheme has provided a number of invaluable benefits for Falkirk Golf Club in Scotland, which had its fingers burnt by a previous service provider.

Dougie Melville, course manager at Falkirk Golf Club, comments: “We had been let down by our previous provider, having been subjected to fluctuating bills and travel charges for call outs. In 2016 we chose not to renew our lease and called in Reesink, who provided a full-blown assessment of our fleet.

Reesink 'tee up' success

Reesink ‘tee up’ success

“They meticulously went through what each machine needed, when, and how much it would cost. We took this to the committee who signed it off and since then we’ve had faultless service from Reesink.

“From giving machines their winter overhaul to replacing parts, repairing breakdowns and sharpening units, it’s all taken care of under one cost – hassle free!”

As a club with 27 holes to maintain (an 18-hole and 9-hole Antonine Course) and some challenging wet weather to negotiate, there’s no time for any of the club’s nine machines to go down. They all play a very necessary role in maintaining the grounds, particularly as the Antonine course is on the site of an old Roman fort and the Carron River used to run through the area.

“It actually saves us money,” adds Dougie. “In properly understanding our site and the conditions our grounds team are faced with, Reesink knows how to get the best performance out of our mowers and vehicles. We schedule two in-season services for every machine and as a result they don’t require much upkeep or many new parts, which has actually lowered our costs.”

Five years on Falkirk Golf Club remains on Reesink’s Gold plan which covers a wide spectrum of maintenance and upkeep options, with services, new parts and labour all included. Silver and Bronze packages are also available, providing a robust level of cover for all budgets.

It’s not just the financial and maintenance aspects of the plan which suit Falkirk Golf Course so well, as Dougie continues: “We have a brilliant relationship with Rab at Reesink’s Livingston branch. If he can’t deal with it straight away, I know I’ll have someone on site the very next day. The mechanics are all very knowledgeable and efficient. I can’t fault anyone in the team!”

Rab Wilson, from Reesink in Livingston, Scotland, comments: “We are often called out to help organisations who have had their fingers burnt elsewhere and, as a business that focuses on quality, Reesink offers the reassurance that goes with having a comprehensive maintenance plan. It makes a difference to customers like Dougie who want to focus on perfecting the pristine standards of the club.

Call 01480 226800 or go online at reesinkturfcare.co.uk to find out more.

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Agrigem partners up with county FA’s

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Agrigem partners up with county FA’s: Agrigem have announced several new partnership agreements with County Football Associations, which enable affiliated clubs to access special prices on a wide range of grass pitch‐related products.

Whether clubs are creating a brand‐new pitch, improving their current playing surface or trying to increase the number of games they can play each week, Agrigem’s unique understanding of both professional and grassroots pitches ensures that all affiliated clubs receive fantastic service and support in developing, improving and maintaining their pitches.

Agrigem partners up with county FA's

Agrigem partners up with county FA’s

In addition to the highest level of technical advice and customer service, affiliated clubs receive a discount on all products such as fertilisers, grass seed, selective weed control, top dressing and line marking paint.

Agrigem’s Sales Manager, Martin Ford, who is a grassroots volunteer himself said; “We are thrilled that we have been able to partner with so many Regional FA’s. In addition to Lincolnshire, we also now work with Amateur FA, Northumberland, North Riding & most recently West Riding. Our “Putting the Grass Into Grassroots” initiative has been extremely successful and engaging with volunteers has reaped rewards for so many clubs already. Adam Grantham joined us last year as Technical Consultant for Sports Turf, and his vast knowledge from his experience as Grounds Manager at Reading FC has been invaluable to so many – myself included!”

Adam writes a monthly blog on a range of seasonal topics which is shared to affiliated clubs, and in addition to being available for practical help and support the team attend monthly forums and events wherever possible.

Martin continued “Having the right product at an affordable price is one thing, but having access to one of the country’s top grounds people really shows our commitment to grassroots sport, not just the professional game.”

Lincolnshire FA were the first partnership on board and immediately saw an impact, even during the pandemic. The two parties are now forging ahead with even more innovation in their offering.

Adam Thurston, Football Development Manager, Lincolnshire FA: “Agrigem have been in partnership with Lincolnshire FA for over a year now. We have worked together on many aspects of improving natural turf pitches in partnership with our clubs, not only through technical advice and supply of materials, but on areas that will really innovate how our clubs can access information and the right products for what they need.

Martin, Adam and the team really understand the issues and processes that grassroots clubs face and do their upmost to make things work as smoothly and quickly as possible for the volunteers who are giving their valuable time to improve their local pitches.”Since The Lincolnshire FA joined, Agrigem have also welcomed the Amateur Football Association, Northumberland, North Riding and West Riding Football Associations with ongoing discussions with several more associations.

To take advantage of this offer or discuss how Agrigem can support the development, improvement or maintenance of your grass pitches, please contact Martin Ford at martin.ford@agrigem.co.uk

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Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

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Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time: Panmure Golf Club in Carnoustie, Angus, established in 1845, is one of the clubs that originally helped purchase the Amateur Championship trophy. 

A very close neighbour to Carnoustie Golf Links, Panmure, is widely acknowledged as a distinguished links course, and highly regarded for its immaculate fine turf and well kept fairways.

Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

Terra Spike GXi8 HD frees up more time

Head Greenkeeper, Gary Nicoll, took delivery of a Terra Spike GXi8 HD in early January, his first ever Wiedenmann.

“I’d been wanting to move to the next level with aeration for a while. We were due an upgrade. Our previous machine had done well but time was right for something faster, with a real clean finish.  Wiedenmann’s GXi series is used widely across the industry and its popular for good reason.

“We have around 11 hectares of turf, seven of which are fairways. All aeration is done inhouse, so, it’s our team of six and no contractors.  Recently, we have borrowed a machine to have two going at once to get through it more quickly. We do all greens, tees, shoulders and fairways, virtually the full course.  The old machine was 1.6 m wide and just doing Panmure’s fairways took around four weeks. I’m confident the team with the GXi8 can knock at least a week off this as it’s 20 cm wider and a good bit faster. Even just one week a month would make a healthy saving on greenkeeper time, on fuel and efforts to avoid play being interrupted.”

Installation and induction training was by Wiedenmann UK’s lead demonstrator, Andy Kerr and Mike Lindsay, Area Sales Manager, from local Scottish dealer. Fairways GM, at Kinross.

“It wasn’t a case of drop a machine at the gate and leave,” said Gary, “Andy cut the PTO shaft then he and Mike systematically showed us how to set every aspect to suit our course. It was as thorough a handover as I’ve known.  There are lots of moving parts but despite that, it’s easy to set up and easy to maintain.”

The next day, Gary took the immediate opportunity to do all 18 of his greens and the practice green before a combination of rising water tables, thick ice, and then lying snow, halted meaningful work across the course for over four long weeks.

“In that first run out we got a real good taste of what the Wiedenmann can do for us. Instantly it was quicker than what we had been used to, neater and smoother.

“The clean finish is such a benefit.  At the demonstration we found on our fairways, even with a moderate amount of heave, say 10°-15°, the GXi8 makes no disruption to the turf surface; Nor does a departing tine lift up the ground.  All disturbance is contained below the surface, just where you want it.  The surface is left stable with no requirement for extra rolling.

“However, after our initial run, the rest of January and February’s ground conditions were so poor we didn’t have the opportunity to do as much as we had hoped.

“Extra runs are planned for several choice areas. In a few places standing water has remained, so once these patches are fully dried out, we will revisit them with a decent set of tines. The beauty of the faster machine is that we nip out at times of our own choosing; targeting areas that need more work.

“Going forward we’ll be out probably every month from October through until March. I think we’ll always stay with 12 mm tines on our fairways.  For us, I don’t want golfers ever to ask for any preferred lies so I’ve politely declined any wider tines, happy with the 12 mm and with the 25 cm depth.

“I’ve also invested in the multi tine holders which take 5 mm pencil tines. After we come through the winter, I’ll play it by ear how often and where we’ll go with those. But it’s very pleasing to know we’re now equipped with the technology to keep ahead with our aeration needs and replicate best practices across the industry,” concluded Gary Nicoll.

Fairways GM’s, Mike Lindsay said: “The GXi8 HD ‘s fast speed is derived from its twin drive while its eight legs of tines are timed to hit the ground in pairs, which further enhances its smoothness and makes it kinder to turf. Advance Tine Control (ATC) allows precise tine entry into the ground, all tines exactly spaced, making a neat and clean job with surface disruption negligible. We were just so fortunate that Gary’s team got that one run in before the really bad weather took hold.”

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