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Work smarter not harder with Toro’s robotic mowers

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Work smarter not harder with Toro’s robotic mowers: Robotic mowing has arrived and with it comes the new generation of working smarter, not harder, thanks to Toro.

With the brand’s new range of robotic mowing solutions for the fairways and the roughs available through distributor Reesink Turfcare, customers can now focus on getting the job done consistently and efficiently and instead prioritise time and skill on the greens, tees, and bunkers.

Work smarter not harder with Toro's robotic mowers

Work smarter not harder with Toro’s robotic mowers

“The arrival of autonomous technology is what we’ve all been waiting for,” comments Jon Cole, Divisional Business Manager, Reesink Turfcare. “And Toro’s vision of this delivers professional-quality results with minimal input required, solving the problem of reduced resources, labour shortages, and rising operational costs.”

All the products launching simultaneously – the Toro GeoLink Solutions Autonomous Fairway Mower, Turf Pro range of robot mowers and Range Pro ball picker – work on Real Time Kinematic (RTK) geo-positioning technology coming from a GPS based satellite system for ultra-precise navigation.

This functionality allows for areas to be mapped, setting invisible boundaries in which the machines can operate autonomously. When they reach the edge of the predefined work zone based on satellite positioning, they intelligently keep within it.

Operation is straight-forward: wireless monitoring and control of the units is through a computer or mobile phone where it is possible to customise working perimeters, no-go zones, mowing patterns, cutting height and transport paths.

No boundary wires are required, the mowers can mow a consistent pattern with minimal overlap and are accurate to two centimetres. The system can identify missed areas and will reroute the mower to cover them later.

Jon says: “These mowers free up your greenkeeping team to focus on the essential attentive care that the tees, greens, and bunkers require, while Toro technology carefully maintains the fairways and roughs, intelligently working with minimal input.”

The Toro GeoLink Solutions Autonomous Fairway Mower is a hybrid mower. It has a Kawasaki engine but steering, traction, lift and lowering of the cylinder units are electric. The mower still has a seat and a steering wheel; this is because it has both manual and autonomous modes. In manual it’ll operate just like a normal triplex so if the operator wants to move it to a new location that isn’t mapped yet or support a different area on the course, they can.

There are three fully robotic models in the Turf Pro range. There’s the choice of three or five cutting heads providing a cutting width of 63.3cm (25ins) in the Turf Pro 300 and 103.3cm (40.7ins) for the Turf Pro 500. They can mow up to 18.5 acres (75,000m2) and there’s a model for use on slopes of up to 24 degrees.

They are all-electric, self-charging and automatically return to the charging station. And through increased mowing frequency these mowers can purposefully remove less leaf tissue, producing shorter clippings and with adjustable mowing patterns can be utilised to achieve multiple aesthetics.

Jon concludes: “Toro developed this technology and these products in direct response to customer feedback and research. It was clear there was a changing mindset about what was needed regarding labour support, combatting increasing operational costs and how to approach mowing grass. This productive solution eases labour resource pains and provides operational cost savings with no change in Toro’s world-renowned cutting performance.”

To demo these new machines or talk to a Reesink representative about how this technology will boost productivity, visit Reesink Turfcare at reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

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Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate: With a career spanning 20 years, Jamie Melham, Head Greenkeeper at one of the finest in Sussex, Highwoods Golf Club, brings his experience and collaboration with specialist for Consolidate Turf, Rob Welford, to enhance the health and aesthetics of the golf course.

Jamie began his greenkeeping journey two decades ago, accruing experience at Dale Hill Golf Club and Lamberhurst Golf Club before joining Highwoods Golf Club, where he has been for over eight years leading a team of six greens staff. His role involves not just maintaining the course but also continuously experimenting with and refining turf management practices.

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

Optimising Turf Health with Consolidate

Jamie’s partnership with Rob Welford from Consolidate Turf started 3 years ago and has been instrumental in transforming the nutrient management approach at Highwoods. Rob’s expertise and responsiveness have provided Jamie with confidence and reliable support, and the use of consolidate products played a big part in the presentation of the course, when the club celebrated its centenary year in 2024.

One specific challenge Jamie faced was the inconsistency in fertilizer prill size from a different supplier. Initially, Rob assessed the golf course’s overall plant health, leading to the transition from granular to liquid fertilizers for more consistent results, using Consolidate Plus to kickstart the greens early in the season. This approach has proven successful for three consecutive seasons.

Jamie explains “I began by applying Consolidate products to the approach areas and soon extended their use to the greens. I am now on a full annual package of Consolidate liquids, including seaweed, potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients, which are customised yearly to meet the specific needs for growth, colour and overall turf health.”

“Like all our customers we have a bespoke programme for Jamie,” explains Rob “The use of the Consolidate nitrogen source gives the turf an efficient food source to make the building blocks of proteins and amino acids to deliver healthy results on the greens without any of the associated drawbacks of conventional nitrogen sources. The liquids provide the control needed to deliver the correct dosage. We do leaf analysis to check the plant is receiving everything it needs. This is coupled with a programme for approaches and fairways, tailored for his individual needs and requirements in these different areas.

For the approaches, Jamie maintains a treatment schedule of every three weeks, a practice he also applies during the winter to prevent disease. “The results speak for themselves” said Jamie “With consistent progress across every area treated. Improvements in colour, grass strength and wearability, less disease and faster recovery.” This has led to expanding these practices to the fairways, using Consolidate products across all key areas of the course and making ongoing adjustments based on Rob’s recommendations.

In addition to using Consolidate products, Jamie incorporates feedback from the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) into his maintenance program. STRI provides annual soil analysis, which Jamie, and Rob review to adjust the nutrient program, as necessary. This collaboration ensures that the turf management practices are continuously optimized based on scientific data.

The structured and scientifically backed approach to turf management, combined with Rob’s products and STRI’s analysis, provides reassurance to the club’s board, allowing Jamie to focus on maintaining his own ambitious standards.

For further information visit www.consolidateturf.com

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How You Can Get Involved With #GroundsWeek

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How You Can Get Involved With #GroundsWeek: #GroundsWeek 2025, taking place from 17 to 23 March, is fast approaching.

This nationwide celebration, led by the Grounds Management Association (GMA), shines a spotlight on the professionals and volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sports surfaces and green spaces thrive.

How You Can Get Involved With #GroundsWeek

How You Can Get Involved With #GroundsWeek

The week is all about recognition, whilst inspiring more people to appreciate and explore careers in grounds management. Whether you’re a professional grounds manager, a volunteer or someone who enjoys well-maintained outdoor spaces, there are plenty of ways to get involved and show your support.

Building on the success of the 2024 campaign, which reached an impressive 18 million people, we hope #GroundsWeek 2025 will reach a global audience, shining a spotlight on the vital role of grounds staff not only in the UK but across the world.

Ways to take part in #GroundsWeek 2025:

  • Download the #GroundsWeek Toolkit – Access ready-made graphics, templates and ideas to help you spread the word.
  • Share Your Story – Tell us about your experiences in grounds management for a chance to be featured during the week.
  • Join the Online Conversation – Keep an eye on @wearetheGMA across all social media channels and help us kick off the week by sharing our launch post on Monday 17 March.
  • Show off Your Grounds Team – Post a photo of your grounds staff or volunteers, or share a short video of someone at your club or organisation saying thank you.
  • Use the Official Hashtag – Tag @wearetheGMA in your posts and include #GroundsWeek to ensure your content reaches a wider audience.

#GroundsWeek is an opportunity for everyone to celebrate the people who make great outdoor spaces possible.

Get involved and help raise awareness of the vital work that goes into keeping pitches, parks and green spaces in top condition.

To find out more about #GroundsWeek 2025, please visit thegma.org.uk/groundsweek.

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

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York Racecourse looks to the future with GroundTech

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York Racecourse looks to the future with GroundTech: The award-winning grounds team at York Racecourse have gained two new recruits, in the form of an Echo TM-1050 and Echo TM-2050 robotic mower from GroundTech.

In the few shorts weeks since their delivery, the pair have been well received by Head Groundsman Adrian Kay as well as visitors to site who have commented that the enclosures and other perimeter areas have never presented better at this time of year.

York Racecourse looks to the future with GroundTech

York Racecourse looks to the future with GroundTech

With a busy race season from May to October, and a calendar compromising of weddings and corporate functions, the maintenance is a year-round operation for Adrian and his team of seven. Like many in the sector, York Racecourse have found recruitment to be a challenge, particularly since the pandemic. They’ve decided to turn to technology to provide a helping hand. “We recognise that people don’t want to be working 60-70 hours per week, or at unsociable hours, much of which was attributable to the time it takes to mow our expanses of lawn. By investing in this pair of robotic mowers, I can redeploy my skilled team to other maintenance tasks, ensuring we can maintain presentation levels” Adrian explains.

Following advice from Echo’s Sam Daybell, they opted for the Echo TM-1050 and TM-2050. “We worked really well together, assessing the size and specification of the prospective areas to find the right fit. The TM-1050 is primarily used on our premium grass car parking areas, and the TM-2050 on the enclosures, parade rings and a number of medium and high spec lawns.”

“We’re already benefiting from all the well-documented advantages that robotics brings – mowing through the night and at weekends, in all manner of weather conditions.” Adrian continues, “It’s also meant that we’ve been able to retain presentation over a difficult, wet winter with the light footprint of the robots. This has not gone unnoticed by visitors to the course.”

“Considering the wider benefits, it means less need to turn to our petrol or diesel mowers which is a big plus from an environmental sustainability standpoint. In 2023 we launched ‘Green Knavesmire 300’ demonstrating our commitment to reaching Net Zero by 2040, with these new editions from GroundTech playing their part in this wider goal.”

Together with the expert support from the team at GroundTech and Echo, Adrian is enjoying exploring the full functionality of the software, allowing him to monitor the robots 24/7. “I’m not sure I should admit this in print, but I find I’m on the app at four in the morning, making sure everything is going according to plan!” he laughs. “But it is very useful, being able to see things like the battery life etc. Every day we’re taking the opportunity to learn more about them and really bed them into our routine before the season kicks off in May.”

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

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Dirty to dazzling with Makita’s new pressure washer

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Dirty to dazzling with Makita’s new pressure washer: Leading power tools manufacturer Makita has launched a new pressure washer powered by an 18V LXT Li-ion battery.

Lightweight and easy to handle, the new DHW180 LXT Pressure Washer has been designed with a nozzle that allows for five different spray modes, making it a practical option for a range of light duty washing tasks on site.

Dirty to dazzling with Makita’s new pressure washer

Dirty to dazzling with Makita’s new pressure washer

Weighing just 2.2kg (without a battery), the machine is incredibly easy to manoeuvre. The DHW180 offers a maximum pressure of 24 bar and a maximum water flow of 5.3 L/min, as well as a continuous run time of up to 82 minutes with a 5.0Ah battery. As such, it is convenient for a range of outdoor cleaning tasks on a single charge.

Designed with versatility in mind, the DHW180 pressure washer has two different power modes to switch between depending on the task, a five-in-one nozzle to change spray modes, as well as an angled brush to target difficult-to-reach areas. Additionally, a foam nozzle or a wheel brush can be added to ensure objects are left spotlessly clean.

Convenience is also key to its overall design, as water can be sourced via three methods: a hose pipe connection for a continuous supply of water, placing the filter tube into a bucket or for even smaller tasks, a large water bottle can be connected to the pressure washer.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita UK commented: “We are thrilled to add the new pressure washer to Makita’s growing range of cordless machines. Designed to be both convenient and practical, the DHW180 is the ideal solution for an array of light duty tasks.”

To find out more about Makita and its range of products visit: www.makitauk.com.

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

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