Tag Archive for: Valley

Rea Valley Tractors joins Corvus dealer network

Rea Valley Tractors joins Corvus dealer network: Rea Valley Tractors will now offer Corvus Off-Road Vehicles at its Sudbury depot serving Derbyshire and Staffordshire, as announced by Phil Everett, MD of BOSS ORV, the exclusive distributor of Corvus in the UK.

Phil expressed the company’s longstanding efforts to expand Corvus’s presence in these regions, underscoring the importance of selecting the right partner.

Rea Valley Tractors joins Corvus dealer network

Rea Valley Tractors joins Corvus dealer network

“We have been looking for some time to develop further coverage for Corvus in these regions,” said Phil. “Finding the right partner is, as always, a carefully considered process and we’re pleased to be collaborating with the Rea Valley Tractors to broaden Corvus’ reach and enhance its accessibility to its product range.”

Rea Valley Tractors Managing Director Matt Mulligan stated, “We’re celebrating our 40th year in 2024 and, as a trusted name in the agricultural community, we’ve forged meaningful and long-lasting relationships with both customers and manufacturers alike. We’re delighted to extend this tradition by encompassing Corvus Off-Road Vehicles sales and support throughout the regions.”

A leading dealer in the area, Rea Valley Tractors supplies an extensive range of new and used agricultural and horticultural machinery. Their stated principles include working as a team to reach the highest standard of customer service and satisfaction. Corvus was the first manufacturer in Europe to build 4×4 side-by-side utility vehicles. The all-terrain Corvus range comprises the Terrain DX4, a powerful and robust diesel model, and the all-electric Terrain EX4 with equal capability. Rea Valley Tractors say they see the range as the ideal complement to their principles in the sale and service of agricultural and groundcare machinery.

For more information you can call 01785 561046 E-mail: sales@bossorv.co.uk Web: www.bossorv.co.uk

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‘Top notch’ says super at Echo Valley

Top notch’ says super at Echo Valley: The Echo Valley Country Club has just completed installing the Capillary Bunkers liner on all of its 27 holes, and head superintendent Ryan Lux says he is delighted with the results.

Echo Valley was founded in the 1960s, and its initial eighteen holes were designed by architect Larry Packard. More recently, North Carolina-based architect Rick Robbins added the Ridge nine. But, according to Lux, the time had come to pay some attention to the course’s bunkers.

‘Top notch’ says super at Echo Valley

‘Top notch’ says super at Echo Valley

“Before we started this project, we had 76 bunkers on the property and maybe five per cent of them drained properly,” says. “It wasn’t the actual drainage tile – that was working fine – but layers of sand and silt were preventing the water getting into the drains in the first place. I had done some digging in our older bunkers, and the layering of silt, contamination and other stuff was obvious. Our labour costs were excrutiatingly high and it would take eight or nine guys three days to get the course back into condition after a significant weather event.”

Lux and the club management concluded that a bunker renovation, and the installation of a modern liner system, was needed, and after a review of the market, selected the Capillary Bunkers liner technology. “We figured our best bet was to do something that would last, and we really liked the ten year warranty that Capillary Bunkers offers – it gave us a lot of confidence in the technology,” he says. “Through talking with other people, we found that there were very few problems that people had had with it. We wanted it to be top-notch. We were going with the best sand we could find and we didn’t want contamination.”

The first nine holes, the Vale, was completed in October 2021. The second nine, the newer Ridge, started construction late this April and was done by mid-July. On the final nine, the Creek, Lux and his team decided to rebuild the bunkers completely; the work began in July and finished in October.

“Since doing the work, the improvement is huge, and obvious,” he says. “Before, the washing we were getting was just terrible. The worst weather we have had since has been three inches of rain in about nineteen house, and what I have seen is that we’re not repairing bunkers any more. Now, one guy can go out and it’s a half hour job to fix the bunkers. The liner system will pay itself over the life of the ten year guarantee, easily.”

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Jacobsen celebrates 20-years at Sage Valley

Jacobsen celebrates 20-years at Sage Valley: Since the construction of Sage Valley Golf Club in 2001, Jacobsen mowers have covered every blade of grass on the 4000-acre site, and in those two decades, they have always impressed.

The private members club located just outside of Augusta, Georgia, sits within thousands of acres of preserved southern pine forest, and at its heart is the 18-hole, 7,344-yard course and three practice holes. Along with every blade of grass on the 4000 plus acre site, these courses are maintained by the Director of Agronomy, Dustin Purdue, and his team.

Jacobsen celebrates 20-years at Sage Valley

Jacobsen celebrates 20-years at Sage Valley

With roadsides, fields, common areas and the courses under his control, the importance of having mowers for specific areas can’t be underestimated. For Dustin, it is the Jacobsen machines’ versatility that has played a significant part in their success.

“We maintain 125 acres of turf, so it’s a large area,” Dustin begins. “Most golf courses are in the 80 to 90-acre range, so when we are growing, and in the growing season and full-on mowing, we need every day and every minute just to stay on top of the amount of grass we have to mow.

“We’re maintaining things from a tenth of an inch on the greens all the way to two inches in the rough and then fields per se or just native roadside grasses. So having the ability for one supplier to have all of those pieces of equipment is definitely helpful.

“On our greens, we use the Eclipse 2 walk mowers, 22-inch. We have floating head units that we use on the bent grass greens on the big course, and then we have the fixed head units that we use on our TifEagle Bermudagrass greens on the Par 3 course.

“We also use the fixed head units to mow all of our tees on the big course, and we use the GP400s to mow approaches on both courses. We use SLF530s to mow fairways, and I use the TR330s to cut the rough.

“For quality of cut, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I feel like they hold up very well; they don’t need adjustments that often, the quality of cut, the quality of the steel and the materials used is great. Once they’re set, we’re able to go out and not have to make adjustments that often.”

Over 20-years at Sage Valley, Jacobsen has become part of the team. As the expectations from golfers and the world at large have changed, so has the product offering and speed of customer service. For years Dustin’s Jacobsen team off the course has kept the greenkeeping team on it, and it is that combination that makes everything click into place at Sage Valley.

“For us Superintendents, I’d say at the end of the day, it’s just our plan, but our plan’s no good if we don’t have a team to help us implement it. So I definitely would like to deflect and give my team any praise if possible because, again, I can have the best plan and dream in the world, but if we can’t go out and get it done, then it’s no good.

“I think in this day and age, specifically in the golf industry, but I also believe abroad, customer service is a huge part of the success of larger companies.

“I believe society nowadays just moves at a faster pace, and you kind of need everything right then, and I believe we’ve just come to expect it, so having great service is huge.”

Find your nearest Jacobsen dealer on their new website: https://www.jacobsen.com/?utm_source=Turf%20Business&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Turf%20Business%20E-Newsletter%20April

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EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley: Built between 2007-8 by architect David Krause, Golf Valley is a major development, around 35km south of Munich.

Created by developer Michael Weichselgartner with the aim of hosting major tournaments and the Ryder Cup, Golf Valley was built in a links-style, with over 3,000 sq m (32,000 sq ft) of bunker sand area and, according to Andy Matzner, the club’s first course manager, who now works there in a consulting capacity, has always struggled with the impact of rain on its bunker faces.

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

EcoBunker enhances links feel at Golf Valley

“With such a massive area of sand, it was always a huge workload every time there was serious rain,” says Matzner. “In Bavaria, in the early summer, there are regular lightning storms, and every time there was a rain event, the whole greenkeeping crew would be occupied pushing sand back up the faces. And then the next day, it would happen again! I had real difficulty motivating my staff to keep shifting sand, and obviously the impact on our maintenance costs was huge.”

Matzner, by then consulting at Golf Valley, met Richard Allen, founder of synthetic bunker edging solution provider EcoBunker, in 2017. “By that time, I had realised that the bad weather, and the consequent washouts, were just something we had to deal with,” he says. “Golf Valley has no trees, and the course is quite links-like in look and feel, and it occurred to me that revetted walls, sensitively installed, would fit in nicely, and would give the place a more authentic links character. Richard visited and assessed the bunkers, and agreed with me that revetting would improve both their appearance and their performance, so we commissioned EcoBunker to install its product on an initial 200 sq m of bunkerfaces.”

That project, in spring 2018, was handled by EcoBunker construction manager Llewelyn Matthews. Covering thirteen bunkers, Matzner and the Golf Valley team were impressed by the results. “A revetted wall in sunlight and shadow looks very impressive,” he says. “But the most important thing was the prevention of washouts. A flat sandy bunker never washes out. It may fill up but so long as the drain operates effectively, the bunker will always work.”

In late 2019, Golf Valley was hit by a huge rain event. Almost every bunker, apart from the ones that had been rebuilt by EcoBunker, was virtually destroyed. The EcoBunkers survived the storm completely intact. At this point, owner Weichselgartner decided that as many as possible of the course’s bunkers should be rebuilt using the EcoBunker solution. The EcoBunker team came back on site in October 2020 to build the next set of bunkers. That project was substantially completed in December, and Matzner says the results are impressive. “The course looks much more like a real links now, and the bunkers perform far better,” he explains. “And that is all down to EcoBunker.”

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Fynn Valley Upgrade With Jacobsen

Fynn Valley Upgrade With Jacobsen: Fynn Valley Golf Club has purchased a fleet of five new Jacobsen mowers, four E-Z-GO RXV golf buggies and a Cushman Truckster XD from Bartram Mowers as part of their continued improvement of the club.

The family owned & run Ipswich based golf club has undergone an ambitious and forward-thinking modernisation process, with their impressive, purpose-built Café Terrace and Club House opening in October 2018.

Fynn Valley Upgrade With Jacobsen

As part of the improvements, the club brought in Ian Lloyd, a graduate of the Future Turf Managers Initiative, as head greenkeeper. The experience he brings to the role will elevate the course quality with the new range of Jacobsen machines an important part of his plans going forward.

With his new fleet, he has already started seeing the benefits of the AdaptiShift technology on the AR331, the time saved with the unique swing out centre reel on the two GP400’s and the ease of movement with the HR500’s compact travel width.

“The big thing for us is we’ve got quite a few steep and sharp mounds, and there are a few ponds that aren’t very well positioned and can be difficult for staff to manoeuvre around and that’s where the AdaptiShift really helps us,” Ian explained.

“I’ve been using the AR331 for the last couple of days, and it just gives you more confidence that you’re going to cut everything because you don’t have to put the whole machine out there, you can send the unit out and keep the wheels on solid ground, so it really optimises safety.

“Being able to do that has saved us time, and the swing out centre reel on the two GP400’s is a game changer. No matter what machine you’re on the central unit is the most difficult to access in terms of cleaning and if you’re trying to adapt something or even just check the height of cut you almost have to be a contortionist to get in there. In the past, we’ve had people go out and you can see the central unit is off, and that’s either because they were put off from doing it properly because it’s so difficult or they’ve tried their best, and it just wasn’t the easiest to do.

Fynn Valley Upgrade With Jacobsen

“With the swing out centre unit there’s no excuse anymore, it’s just like the front units, and you can get it to an easy position, so it’s a lot easier to do the job.”

The time Ian and his team have gained from using the new fleet of Jacobsen equipment is invaluable as they aim to continue raising the standards of the course, and the elevated cut performance and machine efficiency will be a large part of that.

Another factor that has helped efficiency away from the machines is the customer service Ian received from Adrian Kersey at Bartram Mowers and William Carr and Robert Hayward at Jacobsen.

Ian explained: “Since being at the club I’ve built up a strong relationship with Adrian who was the first person I’d call when we needed something for our fleet . Due to our aged inventory customer service was key and he was always quick to help us when we needed it which was very important for us.

“We also had Jacobsen’s help getting out of a few binds last year when we only had one fairway mower. They stepped in which really helped us out and kept our maintenance programme going.

“We needed investment, and thankfully we have it now. We’re in a position where everything we’re going to be using day to day is brand-new, and it’s nice to have that confidence with this Jacobsen fleet.”

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Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship

Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship: Amber Valley Borough Council, located in Derbyshire, has been a Ransomes customer for more than eighteen years. The council has continued its long relationship with the Suffolk-based mower manufacturer, with its latest purchase of two Ransomes MP493 rotary mowers from local dealer Sharrocks.

Robert Castledine has been the grounds maintenance team leader at Amber Valley Borough Council for eighteen years. He manages a team of 10 employees, with two teams of three staff allocated to mowing. Responsible for the north-side of the borough, the new Ransomes mowers maintain all verges, parks and cemeteries in the area.

Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship

“We have a very varied topography in Amber Valley,” Castledine said. “There are hills, verges, conservations, enclosed spaces and housing estates. We needed a versatile machine to cope with our various requirements. The Ransomes MP493 gives us that.

“In the past, we have used the Ransomes Commander amongst other Ransomes triple mowers. They have always been reliable, well-built and the best value for money on the market. I’ve always been extremely happy with the machinery and the service from our local Ransomes dealer. We have been dealing with Sharrocks for around 18-months, as they’re new in the area, but are already very pleased with the service and product information they’ve given us.”

Sharrocks have been a successful Ransomes dealer for many years, and has recently extended its territory to Derbyshire, taking over from previous dealer, Platts Harris. With depots in Wrightington, Lancashire and Sandbach, Cheshire, Sharrocks has a comprehensive portfolio of groundcare solutions and was named the Ransomes UK and Ireland Proturf Dealer of the Year 2017.

Amber Valley Continue Ransomes Relationship

“The Ransomes MP493 is a very robust mower,” Castledine continued. “We put our machinery through a lot, so it needs to be able to withstand this; it was the only mower robust enough to do the job. Productivity and after-cut appearance are also important factors for us, and this mower definitely ticks those boxes.”

To find out more about Ransomes, visit: www.ransomes.com

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Secret Valley Fight Water Reduction

Secret Valley Fight Water Reduction: The Secret Valley Golf Resort in Cyprus, managed by Troon Golf, has used PBS 150 from Aqua Aid Europe to combat a lack of water caused by climate change.

Cyprus is one of the hottest countries in Europe and has average temperatures nearing 30°C from June to September. During this time the average rainfall is 0mm with a small reprieve in September when it rises to 3mm.

Secret Valley Fight Water Reduction

Recently, rain during the winter months has reduced, leading to reductions in water around the island. This has caused Golf Course Superintendent, Derek Smith, to focus on methods of reducing hydrophobic conditions on the course.

Derek’s employment history has seen him work in warm climates before when at Palmares Golf Resort, Portugal, Alcanda Golf Course, Majorca and The Wave Golf Course, Oman, but a lack of water to manage heat, similar to what was experienced in the United Kingdom in the summer of 2018, was a challenge he had to address quickly.

Derek explained: “Due to climate changes the winters have changed in Cyprus with less and less rainfall falling. The dams are running at under 30% and they are our only source of water, so reductions from the water authorities have left us struggling for water.

“I have always been very water efficient as I truly understand how this is affecting the turf industry. Because we could not spend the value of water in our budget due to the cuts, we decided to use some of that money to help the plant in other ways. One by using a high-quality wetting agent and another by using growth retardants.

“We had already started using OARS HS and from my experience using them, I trust Aqua Aid products and their longevity. After meeting a representative from Aqua Aid Europe and explaining our issues it was decided that we’d try PBS150. We applied it once in the middle of May and during the summer months we saw a water reduction of around 30% and I’ve seen a much better sward density and far, far less isolated hydrophobic areas.

“For us, saving water is beneficial enough, but by not having to spot water we have reduced labour costs. I also hope that by using PBS 150 we can work on our very poor river silt soil and turn it into a healthier environment.”

PBS 150, or polyfunctional branched surfactant to use its full name, utilises multi-branched molecular technology to address the source of performance loss – biodegradation of the surfactant molecule by soil microbes.

It is designed to reduce hydrophobic conditions on a sustainable basis for five months or more, encouraging a pattern of hydration and re-hydration that improves the amount of available water in the soil profile to meet the metabolic demands of the plant. The 3D Multibranched technology  helps to even-out moisture difference in multiple directions, providing a great tool to give more control over moisture conditions.

By doing this the uniform movement of water into and through the soil matrix is restored and the stress tolerance is improved along with the turf quality and colour.

For more information on the range of products please visit the www.aquaaid.eu

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