Professional Groundscare July 2018

Innovative pilot machinery bank launches with great expectation

Sports administrators are closely watching a revolutionary project which if takes off has potential to be rolled out country wide.

An innovative pilot scheme offering sports clubs access to affordable quality pitch maintenance advice, labour and machinery is up and running from a golf club in North Yorkshire.

The ‘machinery bank’ with eight pieces of maintenance equipment will potentially assist hundreds of eligible sports clubs in a 20-mile radius of Thirsk. Qualified greens staff will carry out the work at affordable rates.

The joint project between the IOG and Sport England has been co-ordinated by Ian Powell, Grounds & Natural Turf Improvement Plan (GaNTIP) regional pitch advisor for Yorkshire & North East.

“Essentially it’s a mechanism to help least resourced club teams play on a better surface for more of the playing season. But it’s not just for golf; football, rugby

and cricket can all get a boost,” confirmed Ian Powell.

“It’s radical because conventional thinking has been turned on its head. It’s not one contractor or a club that’s behind it. Guided by consultants, Sporting Assets, who have considerable expertise in the area of community sports funding, they advised a company limited by guarantee was set up to run the scheme separately from the golf course.

“The new company is called Hambleton Sports Improvements after the district where it operates. The solution is a winwin for everyone playing on natural turf locally.”

Purchased equipment concentrates on essential processes which coincide with the tried and tested GaNTIP programme reports.

versatile kit, suitable for routine maintenance at different levels of sports clubs which also withstands the rigours of golf course duties.”

and a double sized Terra Brush with folding wings.

“With this in mind the equipment purchased includes a John Deere 4066R, a Charterhouse Verti Quake, a Star Green sprayer from Vale Engineering and from Wiedenmann a GXi8 HD Terra Spike, a 2.1m Terra Rake, a Super 500 towed flail mower/ collector, Terra Float over seeder

“At the heart of the scheme is the greenkeeping team of Thirsk and Northallerton Golf Club led by Course Manager, Roger Mackerell and his deputy, Simon Todd. They are the the project champions if you like.

Machines are stored and maintained at the golf club and the scheme has been designed for maximum take up.

“A formal service level agreement is in place which will be reviewed regularly to enable the club to use the equipment on its own course.”

With links through the National Governing bodies, as well as Sport England, a complete data base of hours, type of work as well as costs will be kept and submitted on a quarterly basis for all to monitor and follow for future projects.

IOG

ALL BENT is number one bentgrass mixture for golf greens STRI Group announce Research Day dates

Grass expert, Barenbrug UK, has dominated the BSPB Turfgrass bentgrass trials this year, with a top rating for its new cultivar, Charles – making ALL BENT the No.1 100% browntop bentgrass grass seed mixture on the market.

Designed specifically for overseeding and species exchange in golf and bowling greens, the aggressive nature of this cultivar heralds new standards for course managers looking at long term sustainability using fewer chemicals.

For the majority of golf courses, particularly those on traditional “soil push-up greens”, replacing annual meadowgrass with browntop bentgrass could have

“Decompaction, over seeding, spraying, scarification and fertiliser applications are what’s most required to rejuvenate an existing surface, “continued Ian Powell. “It’s about getting significant benefits in yearround smoothness and trueness, as well as providing substantial savings in fungicide, fertiliser and water costs.

David Greenshields, Barenbrug Product Manager said: “ALL BENT is a vital new tool in the armoury of a course manager looking to provide consistent and reliable colour and performance for players—but in a more sustainable way.”

The majority of golf and bowling greens in the UK are dominated by annual meadowgrass (Poa annua), which has inherent challenges in maintaining high quality surfaces, particularly for year-round play.

The STRI trials show that Charles breaks new ground for visual merit and shoot density, and promises to play a key role in outcompeting Poa annua in a close-mown green.

Barenbrug

STRI Group has announced the dates for its free annual Research Day event, hosted at its worldclass facilities in West Yorkshire. Greenkeepers, grounds staff, course managers, stadium managers and other sportsturf professionals are all invited to attend the open days on the September 19-20 2018.

On the days, STRI researchers will present the latest trials and technology, sponsored by STRI’s research partners, that will benefit the sport industry in the future. STRI’s consultancy team will be giving attendees a guided tour around the STRI research grounds.

There’s also delicious food served throughout the day

and it’s a great opportunity to meet and catch-up with fellow sportsturf industry professionals.

The event is supported by ICL, Syngenta, Sherriff Amenity, Bernhards, Aquatrols and MLR Sports, who are all currently investing in R&D projects to help improve the quality and management of sports surfaces.

Dr Christian Spring, Research operations manager at STRI, said: “STRI’s research days are interactive and informative, and allows both greenkeepers and groundsmen to keep abreast of the latest developments and concepts in the sportsturf industry.”

STRI Group

SISIS TM1000 recommended for cricket clubs

David Hodgson, groundsman and president at the Kirkstall Educational Cricket Club in Headingley, Leeds, believes that a lot more local cricket clubs would see significant improvements if they used a SISIS Rotorake TM1000 tractor mounted scarifier.

David, or ‘Hodgy’ as he is more commonly known in the local area, has been looking after the facilities for the past twenty years and president of the club for the past twelve.

The compact ground surrounded by trees, hosts on average, between 85 and 100 fixtures per annum and David leaves no stone unturned when it comes to preparation.

The SISIS Rotorake TM1000 is a tractor mounted heavy duty

scarifier and linear aerator and is un-rivalled when it comes to removing and controlling thatch.

It includes a collector box and floating unit to follow ground contours and its contra-rotating reel throws debris forward ensuring a clean, consistent groove resulting in an excellent

finish. With interchangeable blades and a quick, simple depth setting without tools, it seemed to be the perfect machine for David.

“I have the scarification reel and the fraze mowing reel – which I think is absolutely brilliant,” he said. “I’m also now looking at purchasing

SISIS

Euroflor urban meadow to welcome visitors to Hever

Hever Castle Golf Club’s head greenkeeper Rob Peers is a man on a mission: “to encourage visitors to both the golf course and the castle estate to fully enjoy and be fully immersed and engaged with the complete site”.

And he is confident that by using a variety of Rigby Taylor’s Euroflor urban meadow flower seed mixes he will achieve this and, by so doing, ‘integrate’ the golf course with the castle estate and enable and encourage all visitors to Hever - golfers and their partners/guests and, likewise, castle visitors – to be fully aware of everything that the historic site in Kent has to offer.

Foley United becomes a BIGGA Education Supporter

Foley United is proud to announce a new relationship with the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) as Education Supporters.

In becoming the latest BIGGA Education Supporter, Foley United will support the members of the association and the wider greenkeeping industry and provide a number of educational

opportunities through the BIGGA framework.

These opportunities will include seminars and workshops to outline grinding best practice, while giving a full explanation of the different options available when it comes to all aspects of grinding.

Dutch stadium praises the results of using INFINICUT

A renovation of stands at Holland’s De Adelaarshorst in 2015, saw the start of new opportunities for Go Ahead Eagles FC and its Head of Operations Ronnie Janssen.

With its new capacity of just under 10,000, the stadium was one of the host venues for the UEFA Women’s Euro Tournament in 2017, which is also where Ronnie had his first experience with the Cub Cadet INFINICUT mowers.

With the generous backing of the supporters’ club, they were able to purchase their own fleet of two INFINICUT 34’s at the end of 2017.

Fantastic results have been achieved with the mowers throughout the 2017/18 season,

receiving top marks in the league for their pitch multiple times.

“Since using the INFINICUT we have not looked back – the machine operates in a new way to any other mower and has improved the quality of our pitch,” he said. “We couldn’t have achieved this without the generosity of our Supporters Club so it’s really a big thank you to them.”

Cub Cadet

“With over 400 acres of golf course and estate, including formal gardens, there’s something here for everyone,” says Rob, “and by using the Euroflor mixes to create colourful and eye-pleasing areas with the wow factor, I can foresee a real crossover of visitors between the different areas of Hever – effectively

bridging any ‘gap’ between the golf course and the estate.”

Rob and his eight-strong greenkeeping team devote around 80% of their time managing and maintaining the 27-hole golf course; the remainder is spent on areas of the estate that border the golf course and are outside of the remit of the castle’s gardening team.

Rob has an infectious enthusiasm for biodiversity and environmental issues - “on the greens, for example, we are doing more to make the sward as healthy as possible by, for example, increased aeration and using more sand rather than chemicals” - and this embraces measures (including bee hives) to improve the incumbent fauna and flora.

Several areas of the estate have been made ready for the Euroflor mixes and in most cases this has entailed clearance of grass, brambles and weeds or a reduction in lake-side reed beds.

Rigby Taylor

the brush for cleaning the squares during the playing season.

“Personally, I think that a lot of local cricket clubs would benefit from using the SISIS Rotorake TM1000.”

Foley United

London GC gets advice on how to get your feeding programme

No matter how many years of experience a greenkeeper builds up, one of the biggest challenges that remains is how to achieve consistency throughout the year. This is never more relevant than in light of recent extremes in weather, causing huge peaks and troughs in growth.

When it comes to nutrition, Lee Sayers, The London Golf Clubs’ Golf Courses & Estate Manager, looks to Headland Amenity for advice on applying short-term foliars.

Now on his third stint at the London, but first in charge of the two internationally-renowned 18-hole courses, Lee has worked with Headland Amenity products for a number of years. “With Headland we cover both ends of the spectrum when it comes to plant nutrition – applying long-term, slow-release, low nitrogen-based products as a base feed topped up with sprays and feeds that go on the greens every 7-14 days. Short-term feeds give you what you need, when you need it and puts you in control of your plant growth.”

“To get our feeding programme right, it’s all about monitoring three major factors. Firstly, just looking at the plant – you can tell by the colour how healthy it is and what is required to sustain that. Secondly, monitoring the clippings. People may assume

this is a luxury we can afford to do with the size of team we have, but in-fact it takes the guys just a minute per green to measure in litres how many clippings are taken off each green. Finally, we have to keep a close eye on the weather - sometimes the biggest variable. Using this information, together with a little guess work to predict what may occur over the next 10 days, we will adjust our feeding programme accordingly.”

With continuous monitoring, a feeding programme can be altered to ensure a balance between plant growth and health. Feeding too much will see a healthy plant, but one that grows too much slowing down the speed of the greens. Feed too infrequently, you can cut the greens less but can leave the plant vulnerable to disease.

Final word from Lee, “In a perfect world, you’d be running through the season with consistent growth but I’ve been in this game for a long time and it’s still very hard to achieve! The London is always on a knife edge, but by putting our heads together and using advice available from companies like Headland, as well as making sure we’re out monitoring the plants every day, we can take a step towards achieving that goal.”

Qualibra is perfect for Royal Cinque Ports

James Bledge, Course Manager at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Deal, Kent, says he has successfully treated Dry Patch with monthly applications of Qualibra wetting agent.

The course has repeatedly suffered from Dry Patch even with previous wetting agent programmes and as a result, last year James trialled Syngenta’s Qualibra – which is distributed by ICL.

“I’ve used a number of wetting agents before but I’ve always had a problem with Dry Patch, we are situated on sand with only around 3” of topsoil so infiltration rates are pretty high,” he explains.

“We also lose a lot of moisture – Sometimes up to 10% Volume water content in a day. Therefore, I decided to look at Qualibra and trialled it last year to see how it performed. I’m a big believer in doing a full year’s trial with products, especially a wetting

agent, because I think you are wasting your time if you do anything less than that.

“You need to see it consistently throughout every month to see how it is performing and also just give it a chance. - not just apply it

on a turf nursery in June and see how it performs in one month.”

James applied Qualibra to his greens, tees, approaches and fairways at 20 L/ha in March and continued with monthly applications until October. His

goal was to optimise the use of water resources and move surface water down to maintain, firm, fast conditions, as well as improving the playing surface quality for members.

ICL

Bernhard and Company signs up as a BIGGA Partner

Bernhard and Company has become the latest turf industry organisation to formalise its support of members of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association by becoming an official BIGGA Partner.

Bernhard and Company began working alongside BIGGA in 1998 and since 2002 has sponsored the annual BIGGA Delegation to America.

Each year 10 members are flown to the United States, where they

undertake a range of course visits and educational opportunities, before representing both Bernhard and BIGGA at the GCSAA’s Golf Industry Show. Over the years some 160 BIGGA members have benefitted from this incredible opportunity.

A specialist in sports turf technology, Bernhard is committed to providing innovative turf care solutions to golf courses and sports turf facilities worldwide.

BIGGA

Visit www.ransomesHM600.com to watch the machine working and book a demo with your

The Ransomes HM600.

The HM600 has been built in collaboration with Müthing to deliver a robust, reliable mower with the ability to tackle the toughest jobs, and the finesse to manoeuvre tight spaces while providing a quality after-cut appearance. From a clean, fine, rolled finish across sports pitches to routine cuts, the HM600 leaves an even spread of mulched clippings. It also tackles the irregular cuts, bringing the lesser maintained areas back under control.

local dealer.

Headland Amenity

Dennis Razor tops the list at Merchant Taylors’

After Richard Ayling, grounds manager at Merchant Taylors’ School, drew up a shortlist of new potential machinery to purchase, the Dennis Razor fine turf mower saw off competition to receive a unanimous vote from himself and his team.

The illustrious Merchant Taylors’ School in Hertfordshire has a glowing reputation for good reason. It boasts first-class results both in the classroom and outside on the magnificent playing fields

The site in total including the prep school is approximately 280 acres and that comprises of 80 acres of sports fields on the main school site, 20 acres on the prep school site while the rest of it is made up of buildings, lakes, lawns and woodland.

In managing the maintenance and upkeep of this vast area, it is

safe to say that Richard, who has been working at the school for nearly 23 years, certainly has his work cut out.

He heads up a team of ten which consists of groundsmen and gardeners – all of whom play a vital role.

Therefore, when it comes to purchasing new machinery, Richard insists that it must be a team decision.

“We were looking for something that was fairly simple to use, had easy height adjustment and a nice balance,” he says.

“I took my staff to SALTEX in November last year and had a good look round the show to see what was on the market. We looked at various machines and drew up a shortlist. After a couple of demonstrations we were all in favour of the Razor.”

Superbly balanced and ideal for cricket pitches and other fine turf surfaces, the Razor features a 560mm (22in), 11 blade cutting cylinder for a perfect finish.

An ultra-short wheelbase ensures easy manoeuvrability and excellent performance, even on undulating surfaces.

The Dennis Razor encompasses the simple ‘no tools required’ click height adjusters for quick and easy operation, a feature which particularly struck a chord with Richard and his team.

“Its ease of use is the best feature and I particularly like the click system on the height adjustment setting. The Razor was exactly the machine we were looking for.”

Richard purchased four Dennis Razors – one for the school’s lawn areas and three for cricket pitch preparations.

The team normally start using the Razor 8-10 days prior to a game taking place and Richard was quick to praise the machine’s quality of cut.

“For cricket preparation we use the Razor to cut down to 3-4mm but they are superb for trimming off the squares as well and they cut nicely at 15mm too.

Ultimately they produce a fantastic finish on every occasion.”

Dennis

Graden CSI helps club improve water dispersal and greens speed

At more than 100 years old, Kent’s St Augustine’s Golf Club has changed a lot over those years and is now a long way away from the grazing land that once occupied its 60 acre site.

However, the pop-up greens, on original clay soil, used to cause Head Greenkeeper Gary Kennington and his team a headache when it came to topdressing and drainage.

That was until the club discovered the benefits of the Graden Contour Sand Injection (CSI) unit, which has helped to improve water dispersal and greens speed, all with minimum surface disruption.

“Though we’re not strictly a links course, as there’s a road between the club and the Kent coast, we do still have to deal with the climatic challenges our location brings” explains Gary. “One year in particular, going back now 7 years, the weather

meant the usual tactic of tining and topdressing wasn’t getting sand down into the greens as well as the team hoped. At the time the Graden CSI was a relatively new concept in the UK so we hired a unit and quickly realised that it could really help.”

The Graden CSI is a 3-in-1 verticutter with the ability to aerate, scarify and remove thatch to any depth between 1mm-40mm, whilst simultaneously backfilling the grooves with either sand or a combination of sand and seed. Its ability to conduct multiple jobs in one pass reduces play downtime without causing any detrimental effect to the firmness of the ground.

“With this CSI you’re getting the sand into the green, rather the putting it on the top, allowing you to get greens back into play in as little as half an hour,” he adds.

Chaterhouse Turf Machinery

JOB DONE.

3.03 metres.

2.37

Aggregate Industries helps sport pitches stay high and dry

Aggregate Industries is set to revolutionise sports pitch construction and maintenance with the launch of Pro Pitch Elite – an infill sand proven to have the best drainage rates available to the UK market.

Unveiled by the company’s Garside Sands division, the innovative Pro Pitch Elite infill sand has been specifically designed to include larger rounded particles in order to provide superior void space through the playing surface of synthetic sport pitches exposed

to extreme weather conditions. The new product will be sold alongside the company’s existing Pro Pitch 2EW sand, the UK’s best-selling high-performance infill sand, which outperforms it nearest competitors, and remains the product of choice for the leading synthetic sports contractors.

The Pro Pitch range recently proved its unrivalled credentials during independent lab testing which found Pro Pitch Elite drained 116% better than the most popular

competitor sand available, while the high-performance Pro Pitch 2EW sand boasted its own absorbent characteristics

MM is the solution in Hertfordshire

In order to satisfy the needs of the members at Hertfordshire Golf and Country Club, course manager James Bonfield is using a range of Limagrain UK’s MM grass seed mixtures to produce

the best possible playing surfaces.

Limagrain’s MM25 is an ideal mixture for the construction and renovation of sports pitches,

whereas MM22 is great for divotting, repairing, overseeding and construction of tees, fairways and outfield areas that are subjected to high levels of wear.

The course in Hertfordshire is divided by a road, of which, one half is old farmland so the soil is very rich and the other side being parkland tends to grow more efficiently. With both MM22 and MM25 at his disposal, James had the flexibility to apply the two mixtures where he felt most appropriate.

James also relies on MM22 for his tees and uses a slightly higher application rate due to the

- draining 44% better than the same competitor sand.

HTS Group Ltd invests in Toro after impressing at show

At SALTEX 2017, Toro’s LTF3000 triple flail mower stood out from the crowd to Harlow Council-founded facilities management company, HTS Group Limited.

In fact the company, which deals with grass cutting and landscape maintenance for the postcode, was so impressed it promptly invested in two machines.

machines and replace a 12-yearold cylinder mower to maintain medium-sized open spaces across the Essex district too small for a tractor-drawn mower and too large for a rotary.

Where it is difficult to maintain fescue in the sward or where levels of wear are greater, many greenkeepers and course managers choose MM9 – a three way browntop bent mixture, which James applies to his greens shortly after renovations in late September in order to get more bents into the surface.

Completing his range of MM products, he applies the all ryegrass mixture MM50 to his walk off areas “just to give them a bit of love towards the end of the season.”

Limagrain

BIGGA’s latest Master Greenkeepers announced

From London to Connecticut, two members of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association are celebrating after achieving their Master Greenkeeper certificates, marking them out as leading lights within the turf management industry.

Andrew Kerr, Course Manager at Surbiton Golf Club in London,

and Anthony Girardi, Golf Course Superintendent at Rockrimmon Country Club in Connecticut, have become just the 73rd and 74th recipients of the Master Greenkeeper certificate.

Recognised as a prestigious and highly-sought after greenkeeping industry award, Master Greenkeeper certificates are achieved through a three-stage

process. To be eligible, BIGGA members must have been working in the industry for 10 years, with three spent in a head greenkeeper, course manager or superintendent role.

Stuart Green, BIGGA’s head of member learning, said: “Our Master Greenkeeper certificate is now in its 28th year and yet only 74 golf course managers

and superintendents from all over the world have made the grade, highlighting what an incredible achievement this is.

“Master Greenkeeper is a learning experience and I would recommend any golf course manager, who aspires to the highest standards, gives it a go.”

BIGGA

As Andrew Bradley, landscapes manager at HTS Group, explains: “The LT-F3000 not only stood out with its signature Toro red, but for looking professional and robust. After making some enquiries, it was clear that it would tick all of our boxes, too.

“Post-show, I got in touch with our local Reesink Turfcare representative, Danny Lake, who took me on a tour around the Spellbrook Toro Factory in Bishop Stortford. Seeing machines hand built before my eyes convinced me that for quality and robustness, Toro was the way to go.”

Two LT-F3000 flail mowers join HTS Group’s fleet of 19 grounds

Another box ticked for Andrew is that the LT-F3000 is road legal. He says: “With most sites six miles away, and their proximity to busy roads making parking a nightmare, being able to drive our machines to jobs is a must. A bonus with Toro’s triple flail is that it has a good road speed of 15.5mph.”

And the machines are proving their worth in action too, meaning Andrew’s show instincts were well-founded: “The wet spring has made grass grow like mad, but the flail mowers are chewing through it effortlessly. This would have been too much for our cylinder mower,” he says.

Reesink Turfcare

Dennis G860

Aggregate Industries

“The Toros, however, make light work of the grass and even leave a beautiful striped finish to really top it all off,” Andrew concludes.

Time to rethink the way we manage surfaces

Changes in pesticide legislation are having a deepening effect on sportsturf quality. In 2017 we lost the most effective fungicide combination - Tebuconazole and Prochloraz and the summer of 2018 will see the industry lose our remaining contact curative active, Iprodione.

Turf managers are therefore having to shift their emphasis to a proactive approach to plant health, both in terms of nutritional programmes and the mechanical maintenance that is conducted on a turf surface. Andy Russell of Headland Amenity, together with John Coleman of MTD Specialty Turf Products explore the importance of plant health.

“In terms of disease management, this will be a game-changer and will effectively end the option of reactive fungicide applications” explains Andy.

Using preventative fungicides to control Fusarium Patch (Microdochium nivale) will continue to be an essential tool in the turf manager’s armoury – especially during the warmer, more humid, autumn months. However, producing a grass plant that is strong and healthy, therefore making it difficult for disease to take hold, is now more important than ever.

Headland Amenity’s disease management strategies feature both the timely application of preventative fungicides, and the use of specific forms of nutrients to maximise plant health going into and during, the winter period.

This approach takes a longer term, strategic view utilising pre-emptive applications of plant elicitors and plant hardeners, applied before and during the

main disease period to discourage disease establishment.

“Our industry-leading 20-2030 tank mix combines Seamac ProTurf Fe and Liquid Turf Hardener plant protectants and Turfite elicitor to work together to strengthen the plant against disease. These three products, applied prior to the onset of disease have shown to be the most beneficial in helping to minimise the effects of Microdochium nivale over the autumn/winter period.”

This approach is now well established and testing to show real reductions in disease levels has been ongoing at the STRI for the last 11 years. The unique formulations of the three component products (Turfite, Liquid Turf Hardener and Semac ProTurf Fe) have consistently shown the best results when compared with other products.

The same trial work quickly established that the favoured application rates for best results were 20L/ha Turfite, 20L/ha Liquid Turf Hardener and 30L/ ha Seamac ProTurf Fe (hence ‘20/20/30’ mix).

“While chemistry continues to be a good tool in preventing expensive outbreaks of disease, it cannot be used as an effective plant health strategy on its own. It must be used in conjunction with careful maintenance practices.” explains John Coleman.

We’re all familiar with the disease triangle whereby the plant acquires disease due to three interactive components - the host plant, the environment and a pathogen. Disease susceptibility can be reduced by changing any one of these three aspects. For example, we can break the triangle by making the host plant less prone to pathogen attack by reducing pathogen entry points.

Similarly, we can alter the immediate environment surrounding the plant to make it less favourable for the pathogen to prosper. We can use simple mechanical techniques to reduce pathogen entry points, maintain plant vigour and improve the surrounding environment. Mowing is the most routine task employed in the maintenance of sports turf. It can have either positive or negative consequences

for plant health depending on mower performance.

Attainment of correct cutting performance to minimise leaf blade damage and maintain good plant health on sports pitches, will include, but isn’t limited to, a good sharpness of cut; choosing the appropriate attitude angle and behind centre distance (BCD) of the bedknife and the correct frequency of clip for the conditions present at the time.

Poorly sharpened mowers tear and shred grass blades rather than cut them cleanly, increasing the plants vulnerability to disease. Setting the mower with an attitude angle that is too aggressive can weaken the plant during times of plant stress allowing the pathogen to more easily “take hold”.

Frequency of clip (FOC) is important in ensuring the correct quality is achieved for the specific height of cut as an incorrect FOC can mulch the plant leading to an unclean cut and an increase in plant pathogen entry points.

The maintenance of correct organic levels is also paramount to minimise the environment that harbours pathogens.

A thatchy surface is moisture retentive and as a result has less O2 present and does not promote good air movement. A good tactic to maintain low thatch levels is to employ a vertical mowing program combined with an approved top-dressing regime.

The Cub Cadet INFINICUT has been specifically designed to handle the numerous variables that modern day sports venues encounter. Its ingenuous ability to alter geometry and working parameters ensures

sward consistency is attained regardless of the time of year or conditions encountered. Plant health can only be augmented by choosing the correct equipment set-up for the circumstances that prevail at any given time.”

Getting the nutritional and mechanical maintenance right to produce a healthy, strength and vigourous plant, can deliver benefits right through to the next growing season.

The healthy sward coming out of winter is more able to respond to inputs, allowing an early and cleaner spring start as temperatures rise.

Fuelling the debate on the 3 E’s - engines, the environment and efficiency

Changes to engine legislation will affect many machines regularly used by landscapers and arborists, including chippers.

Timberwolf’s ‘white paper’ provides a guide to what is happening.

Recognition that diesel engines emit damaging compounds in their exhaust gases has led to an ongoing programme of legislation to limit emissions. This requires engine manufacturers to develop new models to meet this legislation.

Machinery manufacturers are obliged to fi t the compliant engines to new machines within

150p

For Owner Adam Lonsdale, his decision was swayed not only by the build quality and back-up service available from GreenMech compared to the alternatives available in the current market, but also by the superior performance of this petrol version.

“We’d had a demo of both the diesel and petrol Arborist 130 machines, when Ashley mentioned that a 38hp petrol model was then about to launch,” explained Adam “After seeing the Arborist 150p at

a specific timescale. New legal standards have been introduced in ‘stages’ or ‘tiers’ to encompass specific groups and power ratings of engines. Regulation (EU) 2106/1628 include engines used in ‘non-road mobile machinery’.

The key date is January 1 2019, when ‘stage V’ requirements come into force. Currently ‘Nonroad mobile machinery’ includes

a range of equipment commonly used by landscapers and arborists, often powered by engines within the ranges of 19≤37kW (Stage IIIA) and 37≤56kW (Stage IIIB). Examples include mowers, selfpropelled skid steers, stump grinders and chippers.

Within the industry, most existing hydraulic chippers will not meet the requirements of the new regulations. This means Timberwolf and other manufacturers’ machine ranges will either require petrol or new type Stage V diesel engines to be installed, requiring a redesign of current product offerings. Current diesel engines can be supplied until the end of 2018,

unless they are within what is known as the transition engine scheme, which most of our range is, being Stage IIIA or IIIB engines. As the manufacturer, Timberwolf is permitted to incorporate these transition engines into a finished machine until the end of June 2020.

Timberwolf will naturally be offering machines with Stage V diesel engines, but we will also offer the customer a range of petrol alternatives. Stage V diesel engines will be more expensive than the recently launched petrol and current diesel offerings due to the mechanical fuel systems being replaced with more complex and costly high pressure

common rail fuel and emission cleaning systems. In addition, the new diesel engines will require the higher quality EN590 standard of diesel.

This is available either from petrol station forecourts as “white” duty paid diesel or from bulk fuel suppliers as the same EN590 standard but dyed red and only for use in machinery, thus saving on the duty.

The new EN590 standard for diesel is critically important, failure to ensure this standard will lead to engine damage. In contrast, petrol is of a uniform standard and is suitable for use in the new Timberwolf range of petrol powered machinery.

Now, with our newly launched petrol chipper range, it allows customers to choose between petrol and diesel engine formats. These petrol engines have been specified and tested to run to the demanding duty cycles required, and are equally durable and suited to the professional working environment.

All engines selected by Timberwolf are capable of lasting as long as the rest of the machine if serviced and maintained correctly.

There are further bene fi ts to using petrol engines - some cities have banned diesel usage on plant and machinery within their limits, and many more are planned in the future, but petrol machines can still be used in these locations. In addition, petrol engines do not require a diesel particulate filter (DPF). DPFs can get blocked if not used regularly in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, which can incur signi fi cant service costs to the end user.

Existing Machines on the Market Customers with existing Timberwolf diesel chippers will still be free to use their machines under the new legislation and will be able to sell on or trade in a second-hand machine. It will also still be possible to purchase a second-hand diesel chipper from the trade and Timberwolf Dealers.

Petrol is also widely and conveniently available for landscapers and tree surgeon crews, compared with red diesel.

Wiltshire Countryside Services have purchased an Arb

from GreenMech.

Fleet produces costeffective paints and solutions

Major investment made by Origin’s Amenity Business

Origin’s Amenity Business has announced its acquisition of Linemark UK, the country’s leading innovator and supplier of pitch line-marking paints, machines and accessories.

Linemark UK joins Rigby Taylor and Headland in providing technically advanced and innovative solutions to turf management professionals.

Linemark UK has been the exclusive supplier of linemarking products to Rigby Taylor for 10 years, working closely with the company to bring to the industry Impact, the market-leading, ready-touse paint, which has won many awards including the Queens Award for Innovation and the Queens Award for International trade (Export).

Premiership pitches and sports grounds across a range of sports surfaces.

Other paints include the Duraline range for both natural turf, synthetic and hard surfaces together with Preline, the only MAPP-approved paint for initial marking.

Commenting on the acquisition, Chris Clark, Rigby Taylor’s executive chairman, stated: “Pitch line-marking paint and its application is an important market sector for the company. With Linemark UK joining the Origin family, we consider that Rigby Taylor will consolidate its leading market position and continue the high level of innovation and development for the benefit of our customer’s both now and in the future.”

UK as it looks to build on its successes and create, alongside Rigby Taylor, an exciting future within the Origin organisation.”

Linemark UK and Rigby Taylor pioneered the introduction of an Integrated Paint Technology System to sports pitch linemarking, matching for the first time innovative paint

formulation chemistry, advanced spray nozzle technology and application performance.

The result was the introduction of Impact paints, which brought to the industry the highest level of line-marking performance ever achieved.

Linemark Ltd

Manufacturing a wide range of paints for natural grass, synthetic surfaces including EPDM and hard/tarmac surfaces, Fleet are recognised as world leaders and innovators.

Amongst Fleet’s latest innovations is their unique, eco-friendly, automated nozzle cleaning system called the FLOZLE.

All quality paint will dry and block nozzles, a FLOZLE prevents this from happening.

Keeping your Kombi marker running in an economical and environmentally friendly way.

Fleet has a proud history of innovation:

• 1994: the UK’s first ride on marker Fleet’s Fastliner

• 1995: The Fleet Kombi destined to be the most popular marker in the world.

• 2006: The BeamRider, giving laser straight lines and perfect 90 degree angles simply and easily, was introduced. BeamRider is still the World’s most accurate line marker available.

• 2018 The E-MAQA marker is launched, giving the advanced professional

• huge time savings and planning capabilities, UK designed & engineered.

MAQA is now being used at all levels including Rugby Clubs, Universities, Private Schools and Contractors.

Fleet is celebrating their 65th anniversary later this year. A £2000 Competition is being launched to celebrate, see fleetlinemarkers.co.uk for details.

Fleet Line Marking

Intelligent line marking from Rigby Taylor

Intelligent One, a GPS-controlled robotic line marking system that can automatically mark out a football pitch in just 30 minutes, is now available to UK sports clubs, schools, contractors and local authorities.

It has been developed by Rigby Taylor, the company at the forefront of supplying innovative products for the successful management and maintenance of turf surfaces.

Already being used in Denmark by professional football clubs, Intelligent One connects to

positioning satellites via a sophisticated Leica GPS system and is operated via a tablet by entering pitch dimensions with two fixed points.

The pitch can then be marked - including centre circle, D and corner areas, as well as the penalty spot - without any further operator involvement.

Designed for use with Rigby Taylor’s award-winning Impact Integrated Paint Technology, Intelligent One is programmable between pitches on the same site and can mark multiple pitches from one battery charge.

Initially designed for marking grass football pitches, Rigby Taylor is now also investigating its use for other sports and playing surfaces.

This paint is now sold to over 43 countries worldwide and used by international, national stadia,

Tony Holt, managing director of Linemark UK, commented: “This is fantastic news for Linemark

THE WORLDS NO 1 GLOBAL BRAND FOR SPORTS LINEMARKING

Rigby Taylor

Pitchmark takes new lines in expansion

A family-run business based in Bristol, UK, Pitchmark has been innovative in raising the standard of line marking since the company’s inception in 2010.

As expansion continues, they have made a number of new appointments and developments to consolidate the increasing demand for

their range of high quality line marking paints, machines and accessories for all types of sport and sports surfaces.

Pitchmark products are used in over thirty countries worldwide and were supplied to every stadium at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and UEFA Euro 2016 in France.

As part of the planning for the future, Darren Rodman (Marketing Manager), Tim Rodman (General Manager) and Jon Griffiths (Production Manager) have now become shareholders and directors of Pitchmark, working alongside existing directors Mark and Sue Rodman.

The team has also been joined by Dave Blanchard who will be known to many in the industry and also represents Pitchmark’s ambition to grow the brand, while aiming to

improve the quality of working life for ground staff.

“We are always working tirelessly on research and development,” says Mark Rodman “and it’s all about regularly coming up with exciting and innovative ideas. That, and understanding what groundsmen want is what keeps us ahead.”

The company has taken on five new staff in the six months to April this year, including a new Warehouse Manager who has been recruited to help improve processes and procedures as the business continues to grow.

“These recent changes are very exciting and will allow us to secure our place at the forefront of the industry for many years to come.” Mark added.

Android-based Supaturf SWOZI raises the bar

GPS-guided linemarking has further advanced with the Generation 3 SWOZI from Vitax Supaturf.

The Supaturf SWOZI marked a quantum leap in the speed and efficiency of linemarking, with turfcare professionals able to mark out a football pitch in an average time of just 30 minutes.

The technology already allows sports contractors and site-based grounds professionals to mark out far more pitches in a day than when using traditional machines.

Generation 3 SWOZI features upgraded control system, electronics and communications, using a Windows-based app now ported to Android,

introducing variable or constant rate paint outflow to give users more flexible work patterns.

The new terrain compensation module (TCM) boosts line quality and further eases marking out, while strip mowing is now available through the Android app store for loading on to the rugged, waterproof Samsung Galaxy Active 8-inch IP67 display tablet fitted to the latest version.

Users can now swap seamlessly between GPS with SWOZI RTK base to RTK app or to laser tracker without changing equipment or hardware.

Vitax

Pitchmark

Groundscare solutions you can rely on

Groundscare professionals have been telling SCH (Supplies) Ltd that much of the machinery marketed to their sector has effectively priced them out of attaining maintenance equipment that is reliable and does an excellent job without taking them over budget.

“We are having more and more conversations with sports groundsmen and professional landscapers and gardeners who have been relieved to discover SCH can fill the gap in the market for them,” says SCH managing director Andrew Rodwell.

“Previously they have had to choose between hugely expensive machines that are more than required or at the other end of the scale, cheap, flat packed imports that are just not up to the job.”

In response to this need, SCH have spent several years developing machinery that fits into that middle ground without loss of quality.

Machines like their D Turfcare System, where purchasing the mounted frame then gives you the option to purchase as many or as few of the attachments as

you need. These attachments include an aerator, slitter, sorrel roller, de-thatching rake and hollow tine corer. This heavy duty system has an overall width of 70” (1780mm) and the attachments have a working width of 60” (1500mm).

The system was created to be versatile and effective and of course, sensibly priced with the frame currently retailing at £620.00 plus VAT and attachments from £743.00 plus VAT.

“That’s just one example of the groundscare products we’ve developed in over thirty years of trading,” he added.

“We also hear from professionals who need something very specific and as long as what they need is a workable unit, we are happy to design and construct to their exact specifications.”

There are many more products in the SCH 80 page brochure that can be ordered free of charge by calling 01473 328272 or emailing sales@schsupplies.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can browse the website www.schsupplies.co.uk

SCH Supplies

The TurfMaster is in a class of its own

The Toro TurfMaster (model 22205TE) is in a class of its own when it comes to professional groundscare.

Not only is the machine easy to handle, but it also covers more ground in less time than smaller models. This professional mower is the ideal choice for landscapers who are mowing in varied conditions and need a machine that is built for heavy use.

The TurfMaster comes equipped with a twin-blade cutting system and 76cm deck to increase user productivity, and save up to 40% on mowing time.

Not only will efficiency be improved, but with heavy-duty components such as deck skid side skirts, a steel bull-nose front bumper, tough sealed transmission and a strong onepiece handle, the demands of commercial mowing will be met with ease.

The innovative Blade Brake Clutch (BBC) stops the blade but enables the engine to continue running while emptying the grass bag or travelling over nongrassed areas.

The powerful Kawasaki commercial engine comes with

a 3.8 litre fuel tank, which saves time on refuelling and allows for longer mowing time. Designed for heavy use, the engine also comes equipped with spin-on oil filter and dual element air filter.

What’s more, the mower is extremely easy to control with the easy-to-operate, dual action single-bail control system and conventional walk-behind design.

The TurfMaster can also be purchased with accessories such as a Walk Power Mower Cover and Grass Bag Assembly.

Retailing at £1,599.00, the TurfMaster delivers professional-grade toughness with a professional quality of cut.

Time savings via wider cutting path and enhanced speed of Turfmaster vs. 53cm Toro mower, and will vary due to mowing conditions.

The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC) is a leading worldwide provider of innovative solutions

for the outdoor environment including turf maintenance, snow and ice management, landscape, rental and specialty construction equipment, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. With sales of $2.5 billion in fiscal 2017, Toro’s global presence extends to more than 125 countries.

Through constant innovation and caring relationships built on trust and integrity, Toro and its family of brands have built a legacy of excellence by helping customers care for golf courses, sports fields, public green spaces, commercial and residential properties and agricultural operations. For more information, visit www.toro.com.

A fantastic mower that’s low maintenance and cost effective to run

Keith Petley is a former transport business owner, whose attention to detail and organisational skills are evident throughout his sports turf management company Southern Ground Care Ltd.

The Southampton based company, established in 2012, is a bona fide family enterprise with Keith, his son Lewis and wife Angela all involved in the business.

“We have many loyal customers who have come to expect a high level of workmanship from us,” explained Keith.

To ensure continuous client satisfaction, the company only

use first-rate machinery and mowing equipment.

With this in mind, the company purchased a Major 2.4m Swift Roller Mower and a Kubota STV 40 last year through their local dealer Rod Gaskin.

Southern Ground Care has ground maintenance contracts throughout the South of England so the Major Swift earns its keep in a variety of locations including schools, football, rugby and cricket pitches.

“The front and rear rollers deliver a beautiful striped finish even when the grass is wet,” said Keith. “It’s a gear

driven mower so any issues with belts are eliminated. The user friendly height adjustment system allows us to cut from 10mm to 150mm depending on where we’re working.

“In addition to doing a fantastic job, the mower is easy to maintain and cost effective to run.”

Major Equipment

Hayter

Club delighted to be early adopters of the Wiedenmann Terra Float Air

In a previous life Stuart Hogg, Course Manager at The West Lancashire GC was among the first to own the Wiedenmann Terra Float & Terra Seed.

Last year, more by coincidence than by design, he found himself back in the market for an overseeder just as the Terra Float Air was re-engineered and relaunched with an added computerised pneumatic unit.

“We bought one of the original launch Terra Float and Terra Seed combinations in autumn 2010 when I was Course Manager at St Anne’s Old Links, on the Fylde coast,” he said. “They served extremely well.

“When I moved to The West Lancashire in April 2015, I inherited a more traditional type seeder. For the first couple of seasons we made do then we hired in equipment. Last winter a funding package allowed us to invest in a new machine. Darren Barker at dealers, Balmers GM, showed me some others but I liked that the three Wiedenmann drums are floating so cope well with undulations of a links green. I knew I liked it before and the Air version was better again.”

Offering maximum accuracy at quantities as little as 1 g / m² the Terra Float Air, combines

three units in one. A base unit aerates or loosens soil to 30 mm using either spikes or fine slits assuring a receptive seed bed either pre or post top dressing. Next the distribution of the seed is absolutely uniform via the air flow and deflector system.

Finally, a brush and roller combination incorporates top dressing materials to the ground before smoothing the surface. With its very fine seed rollers exact calibration is achievable.

Those with expensive or ‘rare seed’ can be confident of success while memory function on the control pad stores input and calibration data for the next use.

The West Lancashire GC is a proud host of R&A and England Golf competitions as well as featuring in the Top 100 Golf Courses in Great Britain. It is one of England’s ten oldest clubs and will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2023. The role earmarked for the Wiedenmann Terra Float Air has been well considered to help deliver incremental improvements to the quality of the course and take advantage of the machine’s versatility and potential.

“This purchase is not just about one area or one type of grass or indeed just limited to seeding,” said Stuart Hogg. “We want to be able to do tees, greens, fairways and walkways with different grass species. The fact that the seed delivery hoses are kept dry and clean with the airflow is a big plus. If we want we can brush the greens without overseeding or we can sarrel roll the greens. There is much that can be done. But for now we’re going with little and often; playing the long game. It will take a period of time before we see a change of any botanical composition in the grass but that’s where we want to be in seasons to come.

“So far the Air has had one outing around the pathways with dwarf rye fescue mix, a couple of passes on the tees and three passes on the greens both with a pure fescue mix but we’re on a break until after The R&A’s Open qualifying and the club championships. During August, September and possibly October, weather dependant, I expect it to be constantly overseeding the greens every two to three weeks to let germination happen ahead of winter.”

Where the Air comes into its own is its high performance air stream which effortlessly directs precise amounts of the seed to the prepared perforated holes A series of steel deflector plates ensures uniform depositing of the seeds from a short distance while lifting the unit automatically triggers a shut off.

“The in-cab control saves time and effort. Our team really likes this. If one of the greens, or a specific area is a bit weaker there’s no requirement to get out and recalibrate the machine. It’s a couple of presses of a button and the machine does it for you, storing the data for next time. You are far more in control of which green gets what and such versatility on a golf course makes the job a little bit easier,” concluded Stuart Hogg.

Stuart Hogg is one of a rare breed of course managers having spent his entire career on links courses. He took up his Course Manager post at The West Lancashire GC after 11 years at St Anne’s Old Links and before that spells at two other links courses, Fortrose & Rosemarkie GC on the Black Isle and West Kilbride GC at Seamill in Ayrshire. At The West Lancashire he is supported by a team of seven full time plus three seasonal staff.

Wiedenmann

TOPSOIL attracts prestigious customers

Since the launch of British Sugar TOPSOIL’s task-specific products, HortLoam premier planting topsoil and Sports&Turf topdressing, the UK’s largest supplier of quality topsoil has attracted an impressive list of prestigious customers.

The University of Bristol Botanic Garden, RHS Garden Hyde

Hall and Uppingham School have all selected HortLoam for projects where a friable, easy-to-work, nutrient-enriched topsoil is required to boost the establishment and growth of trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetables.

Sports&Turf is the choice of Peterborough United FC,

Bury St Edmunds RUFC, Northwood and Muswell Hill Golf Clubs, and Kings College, Cambridge, for the reparation of winter pitches, construction and repair of tees and fairways, and the renovation of ornamental lawns.

Both HortLoam and Sports&Turf were designed in response to customer feedback from professionals in the landscaping and groundsman/greenkeeping sectors and offer unrivalled consistency and efficacy when used for specific tasks that require something more than TOPSOIL’s general purpose landscape products.

Turn to Spyker to spread the workload

Spaldings have a range of Spyker heavy duty commercial push spreaders.

The quality and range of these spreaders is unrivalled in the industry and offers a choice for every size of project or job.

This powerful, quality driven line features the option of stainless steel frames and hoppers. They are matched with metal gear systems (with a life time warranty) and durable hardware to provide years of smooth and consistent performance.

Accu-Way, a Spyker innovation, supports the proper consistent distribution of material being applied. Adjustable in seconds it assists you in preventing overspreading and striping of turf.

British Sugar TOPSOIL

Spaldings

Phased-release fertilisers enhance pitch performance at Russia 2018

A specialist range of phasedrelease granular fertilisers is being used at all 12 of the Russian stadiums hosting the current FIFA World Cup.

Designed specifically for use on all sports pitches where a consistent and long-acting supply of nutrients is required, the FloranidTWIN range of fertilisers from COMPO EXPERT provides up to 16-weeks of nutrients from a single application.

These fertilisers are specifically designed to provide a consistent and efficient source of nutrients to enable the pitches to perform well under difficult weather conditions.

“Floranid fertilisers have been used by the majority of Germany’s Bundesliga pitches for several years, where they are chosen for their ability to give a phased release of nutrients over a 16week period,” explains Richard Brown of Germinal – COMPO EXPERT’s UK distributor.

Floranid fertilisers contain a proportion of fast-acting nitrogen in ammonium and nitrate forms,

as well as a phased-release element based on the advanced isobutylidene diurea (IBDU) or ‘Isodur’ molecule. They also contain a second phasedrelease element in the form of crotonylidene urea or ‘Crotodur’.

The inclusion of Crotodur raises the Activity Index of FloranidTWIN fertilisers from approximately 95% to over 98%.

The FloranidTWIN range of fertilisers is available in the UK via an exclusive distribution agreement with Germinal.

AQUA-AID EU’s OARS PS used to prepare Le Golf National

AQUA-AID EU’s OARS

Penetrating Surfactant (OARS PS) has been used extensively at Le Golf National as the Paris club prepares for the 2018 HNA Open de France and the 2018 Ryder Cup.

Golf courses and estates manager, Alejandro Reyes, was appointed to his position in 2013 and was tasked with creating a Ryder Cup landscape using the 7,331 yards of The Albatros course, and extensive product testing was carried out to find the best programme possible.

Following recommendations from those within the industry Alejandro was supplied by his local dealer Jacques Laborier of Celtic France and tested the OARS PS for himself and has been using it ever since as part of a programme that had the course in spectacular championship condition through 2017.

“I first heard about OARS PS in Spain, but I didn’t use it until I came to Le Golf National,” Alejandro said. “I’d had good feedback about OARS PS from different colleagues and had quite few telling me to test it because it was working very well for them.

“With OARS PS we saw a reduction in dry patches and what

I really liked the most was that I had the feeling, and still have the feeling, that it works and the water moves better throughout the profi le, and for me, that’s the key.

“We use it every other week all around the course. We have two kinds of tank mix with a pure foliar, so we have all the package we need to give to the plant. Then on the alternate weeks to that, we are spraying an irrigated mix where we are using bio stimulants that we are mixing with the OARS PS.

“We have very little issues with dry spot on the course now but if we do we’ll use OARS Pellets for hand watering to fix local dry spots.

“We’ve been testing many different products and 2017 was the last year for us to test anything, and it was a very good year for us when it came to maintaining the golf course. We were very happy with the condition, and how it was looking at the end of September was awesome. I have the confidence that we had found the winning formula and we need to stay with it, to maintain continuity of the condition of the course. We had a great 2017 HNA Open de France and really within this year it’s just about replicating those standards.”

OARS PS is a combination of the university researched, field proven and patented organic acid redistribution system, OARS, and multi-branched penetrant chemistry. OARS PS controls soil water repellency while providing uniform soil moisture for a longer period of time, providing a firm, fast surface.

The OARS pellets used at Le Golf National to combat localised dry spots work as a corrective approach and remove the build-up of organic acids that coat the surface of sand particles, which cause water repellence and localised dry spot conditions.

For AQUA-AID EU managing director Hans de Kort, having the opportunity to work with Alejandro alongside distributors Celtic France is a fantastic chance to see OARS PS in use.

“It is great to have professionals like Alejandro in the industry,”

he said. “When it comes to products like surfactants you have to be able to judge it on its functionality, and Alejandro has done that with great success.

“We are very proud to support the green-keeping staff at Le Golf National in the lead up to this year’s golf events and like all golf fans we look forward to watching the 2018 Ryder Cup in September.”

Whilst Le Golf National, owned by the French Golf Federation, is no stranger to hosting major tournaments with 25 French Opens already played on the course since 1991, the scale of the Ryder Cup challenge is massive. The regular team of 30 increases to 80 for a French Open but for the Ryder Cup it will grow to 180 with the full support of Official Ryder Cup Supplier Ransomes Jacobson.

The INFINICUT® line of all electric precision mowers was designed to be user-adjustable to match the conditions of any given day. From the dynamic return floating head mechanism to the variable clip speed, height of cut adjustment and moveable bedknife the INFINICUT®

provides more functionality than any other pitch mower. Combine that with today’s highly technical approach to pitch construction and unpredictable microclimates, the INFINICUT® ensures a healthy turf while providing an unrivaled quality of cut.

Aqua Aid

Germinal

Aqua-Zorb Liquid eliminates Dry Patch at golf club

After trialling a range of various wetting agents, Jonathan Smith, Course Manager at Cowdray Park Golf Club, West Sussex, found exactly what he was looking for in Sherriff Amenity’s Aqua-Zorb Liquid.

Jonathan Smith has been Course Manager at Cowdray for 17 years and oversees a fully qualified and dedicated team of seven members of staff.

In the summer of 2016 Jonathan and his team embarked on a series of wetting agent trials in a bid to reduce the carbon footprint without compromising on the overall condition of the beautiful golf course.

“After weeks of hot weather and no rainfall, areas of the course started showing signs of stress and Dry Patch,” said Jonathan. “Even with our fairway irrigation - slopes, high spots and mounds couldn’t hold any moisture –so we trialled various types of wetting agents on our problem areas and Aqua-Zorb Liquid by far had the best results.

“Within 14 days, the majority of Dry Patch had gone and the turf had almost fully recovered. For the remaining part of the

summer, and with equal amounts of irrigation, the non-treated areas remained hydrophobic and stressed. However the AquaZorb treated areas thrived with vigour and general appearance.”

Aqua-Zorb Liquid from Sherriff Amenity is a concentrated nonionic turf wetting agent that will enable water to move faster and deeper into the soil profile. One application can last all season and it is renowned for treating the cause of Localised Dry Patch.

Aqua-Zorb can also improve drainage, alleviate compaction, reduce the quantity of irrigation required, suppress the formation of dew and greatly improve the quality of the sward.

Based on the success of applying Aqua-Zorb in 2016, Jonathan decided to apply it to the entire course in spring last year. In mid-April he applied Aqua-Zorb Liquid at a rate of 50 litres per hectare to the tees, approaches, surrounds and all the fairways.

Jonathan applied it on a morning of expected rainfall and sure enough, approximately 4/5mm of rain fell that day, which washed the product in nicely.

Soil Biology provides the antidote to Augusta Syndrome

Every year, `Augusta Syndrome` can cause greenkeepers grief as the new golf season tees off.

Those pristine greens and fairways millions marvel at during the Masters tournament can trigger despondency in even the most upbeat greenkeeper.

Not at Harpenden Common Golf Club however, where, on the eve of the first of the Majors, the turfcare team is gazing over lush greens to rival those of Augusta National itself.

“We are enjoying our fastestever start-up to the season in our history,” states Course Manager Steve Brocklehurst. “The recovery we are experiencing is fantastic. Our greens look magnificent and members are amazed by the quality so early on in the year.

“In terms of colour, grass growth and coverage, the greens are in their finest condition in my 45 years at the club.”

The transformation follows the club’s switch to a soil biology management approach introduced by treatment specialists Soil Biology Ltd.

“We’ve applied products unique in the sector to reduce and control rootzone pH,” explains Soil Biology lead scientist Hillery Murphy. “This allows the grass plant to take up vital nutrients such as calcium, manganese, silicon and magnesium more readily, even in cold conditions. It is these nutrients that support the biological process.”

Head Greenkeeper Sean Brocklehurst adds: “The course looking this good this early gives us a head start in retaining members and attracting new ones.

“Subscriptions fall due around this time of the year and if golfers can see a level of visual defi nition between greens and approaches they would only expect to see at the end of April

or early May, they may well want to join up now.

“Also, we can start management practices earlier in the year as the sward is already strong enough to take our triple mowers and we can begin Verticutting sooner.”

Hillery Murphy continues: “The pH in the rootzone on many courses is simply not low enough to promote thatch degradation and soil biology. Our Springload rootzone and Flex foliar treatments with added biostimulants reduce the pH

of the spray water and that of the rootzone to trigger the early start-up.”

As another cold front threatens to push back onset of the 2018 golf season, Harpenden Common and other courses that adopt Soil Biology’s twin-pronged turf and rootzone treatment can enjoy watching top golf on Augusta National’s manicured holes without the notorious sector syndrome gripping them.

Soil Biology

Leaf collection made much easier with Trilo

Four SU60 vacuum units from Trilo are the latest additions to fleet at the City of Wolverhampton Council, and have quickly made the momentous task of leaf collection that much easier.

At just shy of five million square metres in area, the grounds maintenance and street cleansing operation is certainly ‘large in scale’.

The 131-person team, including six dedicated grass cutting teams, is headed up by Citywide Area Manager for Environmental Services Richard Macvicar.

With the team having previous experience of Trilo equipment

and recognising its reliability and effectiveness, Richard went to local dealer Oakleys who carried out a demonstration.

The council took delivery of two units at the beginning of 2017, and another two in the autumn, split between the two city depots. They went into the leafing period with four units ready for fulltime operation, shared between the parks, highways and street cleansing teams.

“The Trilo SU60’s are towable on a general license and can be detached and easily manoeuvred for easy transportation around the yard and out in the field,” he said. “The manual wonderhose helps us get to space-restricted

areas, with the size and capacity of the machine ideal for roadside work, where you’re additionally restricted by traffic and pedestrians.

“As planned it’s also been great working alongside our

SU60s

road sweepers, which gather the leaves into piles before the Trilo’s come along and collect them.”

Working widths from

The MAJOR Swift Roller Mower is an high-output machine, suitable for the maintenance of parks, schools, sports grounds and turf farms.

Sherriff Amenity

Trilo

Bush Hill Park invests in irrigation renovation

Bush Hill Park Golf Club is a stone’s throw from Enfield Town in North London. Originally 9 holes, this 100-acre parkland course was designed by Open Championship winners James Braid and Harry Vardon and enjoys a reputation for being the best maintained in the area.

Much of the irrigation system was installed 25 years ago, had deteriorated and needed a complete overhaul. Head Greenkeeper Graham Careford has worked at Bush Hill Park since 1986 and explains,

“The ground here is clay so very dry in summer. With only a small number of heads on tees, irrigation coverage was poor, combined with leaks and frequent system breakdowns. The challenge any club like us faces is that you can’t see how badly the irrigation system’s deteriorated because the pipework’s buried underground.

Extra watering takes place in the early hours or at night, and staff working overtime to keep the course in the best condition won’t usually be seen by most club members and players. Keeping an unreliable and ageing irrigation system going becomes increasingly expensive.”

To help build the case for investment in a new irrigation system, Graham began keeping a detailed timeline, recording all system faults, breakdowns and overtime as well as taking photographs of course conditions. This information was presented to the management committee to inform decisionmaking and help the club properly evaluate its various options. The club appointed Irritech Limited to undertake the irrigation system design and specification and to coordinate a competitive tender process for a fixed price contract including warranties and retentions.

The committee decided that the major investment of £300k in a new Rain Bird IC™ Stratus™ II Central Control System with Windows™ 10 functionality and mapping for greens, approaches and tees would provide the system reliability and future water efficiencies that would maintain the quality of the course for many years to come.

With over 300 sprinkler heads, 7 miles of piping, 6.5 miles of cable and 3,500-man hours, the contractor, Irrigation & Water brought the project in within budget. The new system will be operational this spring.

Irrigation & Water Director

Ashley Proctor, comments: “Our biggest challenge has been heavy clay and high water table which meant adopting a more sympathetic approach to ground conditions. It’s taken a little more time and care but that’s been essential to minimise damage to the course. This is our first complete Rain Bird renovation and we’ve had a superb Rain Bird team working with us providing all the technical support, training and back-up we needed to make sure the system was installed to the right standards. We’re delighted to have been involved in what’s been a landmark project.”

Jimmy Sandison, Regional Golf Sales Manager for the UK, Ireland, Iceland and Scandinavia, adds: “We were thrilled to be awarded this project and Graham Careford and the project team were a delight to work with from the start. We all knew ground conditions were going to be a challenge but Bush Hill Park now has a highly efficient irrigation system that can be upgraded easily upgraded in future years, reducing the cost of overall ownership.”

Rain Bird

Richard Peel Groundcare keep the water moving

Richard Peel Groundcare has installed sand-banding on 14 greens at Dyrham Park Golf and Country Club to enhance their primary drainage system.

The picturesque Hertfordshire course is renowned for its water hazards, with several placed across the 6,497 yards, but keeping water off the greens is what head greenkeeper, David Hicks was concentrated on.

The club had new drainage installed in their greens in 2015 and to make the system more efficient David wanted to use

sand banding to link the two systems together, prompting him to use Richard Peel Groundcare’s Imants SandCat for the job.

Overall the project took four and a half days to complete, with one day lost due to 51mm of rainfall

over 24-hours that stopped all work on the course. However, at a rate of six greens a day all work was completed well within the pre-arranged time frame.

Fantastic results from Toro flail mowers for Scarborough Council

Scarborough Borough Council’s recently appointed parks and countryside manager, Tim Allison, has invested in Toro for the first time in the form of five new Toro LT-F3000 triple flail mowers, and the green spaces of the North Yorkshire seaside town are already benefitting from the change.

Previously cut by cylinder mowers that struggled with long grass and dandelions, the highway verges, small open spaces and mini golfs of Scarborough are now being maintained by the five innovative flail mowers, five days a week.

With 28 years’ experience working in various roles within Scarborough’s parks and countryside service, Tim wanted to re-evaluate the council’s grounds strategy to uphold its national reputation for prestigious green flag award-winning parks and open spaces, such as Peasholm and Falsgrave Park.

He explains why he decided to take this new approach of using flail instead of cylinder mowers

The professional approach to ground care...

and Toro, which is distributed in the UK by Reesink Turfcare: “We lined up five different cylinder, rotary and flail mowers from different brands and put them to use in a local park. The Toro LT-F3000s were agreed to be by far the best, both in build quality and the standard of cut they produced.”

Tim compares the after-cut appearance produced by the machines to a ‘green carpet’: “Thanks to the ability of the LTF3000 to tackle longer grass, we’ve raised the height of cut and there are many benefits to doing this.

“Firstly,” he says, “there are shorter grass clippings, which are swept into the freshly-cut sward. Because of the space in the flail head, where grass does not build up, clippings are not left in clumps but spread evenly in the machine’s wake and hidden from view – giving the impression of a green carpet.”

Reduced grass growth is another, says Tim: “The higher you cut

grass, the less you promote its growth. So while grass isn’t cut as short as when we used cylinders, it remains a neater length for longer. This is ideal because time is of the essence.

Finally, and most importantly, Tim adds, there is public perception: “Rather than seeing short grass for a moment followed by a long period of rapid growth, the public is now seeing spaces across the borough maintained at a constant rate.”

Reesink Turfcare

Richard Peel Groundcare

New life for old greens with Terrain Aeration

The original course at Hartley Wintney Golf Club dates back to 1891 when it was laid out as a traditional nine-hole parkland course.

An extra 9 holes were added in 2000 to offer a well laid out variation of both traditional and new designs.

Hartley Wintney GC has called on the services of Terrain Aeration.

Following preparation Terrain Aeration moved in with the specialist Superscamper Terralift deep penetration aeration system, working two metres apart, to blast air at 18 bar pressure to break up the compaction and panning.

Where the ground is exceptionally hard the specially incorporated JCB hammer drives the probe down to the one metre depth, where it releases the air blast, followed by the injection of dried seaweed. This serves to maintain the aeration to get oxygen to the grass roots and continue to relieve compaction as the seaweed swells with moisture, keeping the fissures open. The compressed air exits through the previously created Verti-Drain slits.

Terrain Aeration has been treating golf courses, sports pitches, amenity areas, trees and gardens for over 25 years using the Terralift deep penetration aeration system and have a long history of testimonies to the effectiveness of the treatment.

Terrain Aeration

Club trials enriched biochar to eliminate fungicide use

A new turf improver with roots in traditional green keeping is arming course managers with a natural alternative to ever restricted fungicides and chemical fertilisers.

Carbon Gold’s Enriched Biochar

Soil Improver is a horticultural form of charcoal blended with optimum levels of fungi, bacteria and trace minerals, and is approved by EU certification bodies for organic growing.

David Chammings, Amenity Specialist for Sherriff Amenity, a division of Agrovista UK, has been the Chairman of Greens at Okehampton Golf Club for the past three years. His position and experience allow him to trial innovative techniques on different areas of the course, and he approached Carbon Gold,

keen to be the first to trial biochar on golf course greens.

In 2016, Stuart Entwhistle joined as Course Manager, and together he and David devised a trial outline to test how Carbon Gold’s enriched biochar would perform on specific areas of the

course, in the hope of finding a new solution to old problems.

A full review of the trials will appear in the Professional Groundscare supplement of January’s issue.

Hurlston Hall Golf Club opt for precision greens drainage

The condition of a golf courses greens is what a head greenkeeper is judged on, and Duncan Ross’ surgical precision has made them the go to contractor for Hurlston Hall Golf Club.

The completion of the latest two greens are the latest in a project that has seen nine completed.

For Chris Ball, former head greenkeeper at Hurlston Hall who recently took up the role as links manager at Hillside Golf Club, working with Duncan Ross on a long-term drainage project generated a refined understanding whilst solving the clubs’ problem greens.

“For us they are a local company and when you factor in getting other companies in from the North West of England there’s not many specialising in drainage.” Chris said. “I think Duncan has refined his methods over the years and it’s almost like key hole surgery.

“We’d done seven greens previously with Duncan and we’ve been going around the course targeting the nine worst

and the ones that have just been completed were the last two that were screaming out to be done.

“You can immediately see the difference in the greens, but you’ve still got to do your bit as a greenkeeper and maintain the organic matter.

“I can’t fault the work they do, and the fact now is that he knows what he’s doing, and we now know what he wants to do beforehand and that’s key.

The first year everyone was still learning, we put holes in the greens for aeration but this would slow them down as when it came to taking the Turf up it would fall apart, and now we know not to do anything when Duncan is coming in because it makes it more efficient for them and prevents adding time onto the project.”

Having gone through the process of getting to know how one another works the other aspects of being able to use a local contractor have become more prominent. All of the materials used on the project are locally

sourced, which keeps costs down with no compromise on quality.

And when it comes to drainage quality is paramount. Like everyone else, Chris was under pressure to have the course open, but because of the weather in the North East of England his focus was primarily on providing the best greens possible during the peak golf season.

“They all perform great in the summer which is key,” he said. “I’d say they’ve improved play in the winter if we have a normal winter, but what’s happening now is the greens are drier than the rest of the course and people still can’t play because the rest of the course is under water.

“We’ve definitely got better performing greens for longer but in the North West of England it’s seriously wet. But when it does stop raining they dry out a lot quicker and you know you can withstand the torrential down pours in the summer because the drains are going to take care of it.”

Duncan Ross

Carbon Gold

Winning with maintenance

Using the latest techniques and materials for routine sports field maintenance can produce high quality playing surfaces throughout the season, while keeping major renovation costs down. Jane Carley gets some expert tips.

Routine scarification can help clubs improve playing surface conditions without the costs of a full renovation such as fraise mowing, suggests GKB Machinery’s national sales manager Tom Siskin.

“Regular thatch removal keeps the organic matter levels down and helps pitches recover more quickly,” he explains. “It’s especially beneficial for smaller clubs and societies which do not have the budget for major renovations.”

Using the GKB VStrong heavy duty scarifier and collecting the material separately is gentle on pitches as it removes less material than an integrated scarifier/ collector, leaving the sand and soil infill behind, he adds.

Another technique popular for costconscious clubs is to decompact and recycle sand and soil with the GKB Ecodresser, he comments:

“You can decompact through the root zone depending on its depth using a digging blade and the removed material is then redistributed as a top dressing. The rising costs, and in some areas short supply of, sand makes this a highly cost-effective operation.”

Tom cites Harrow School as an example, where the 10 pitches need 100 tonnes of top dressing each at a cost of £30,000. “By purchasing the Ecodresser, the head groundsman has been able to halve his sand budget.”

Overseeding high wear areas such as goal mouths and the centre circle can be beneficial to maintain pitch standards where a more extensive re-seed is not practical, suggests Nick Darking,

Charterhouse Turf Machinery Sales Director.

“But you do need a machine with plenty of weight as pitches start to fi rm up, such as our Speedseed or Multiseed. The Disc Seeder also has the benefit that it penetrates the ground and buries the seed safely away from birds.”

He adds that keeping the surface open throughout the season, finding windows for VertiDraining if the budget and manpower allow, makes the pitch easier to work.

“Scarifi cation is a good option for clubs that can’t strip the pitch every year, preventing a build-up of decaying organic matter that can lead to black layer. There are a number of solutions for this, including the Graden Swing Wing or GBS 1200 verticutters, or for a one-pass operation, the Charterhouse Turf Tidy, which collects the removed material in its hopper.”

Nick comments that while Redexim is always looking at ways to improve maintenance techniques, leading groundsmen also make a significant contribution to research, by trialling combinations of turf treatments.

“Steve Braddock at Arsenal will do as many treatments as possible to get the best results, for example combining the VertiDrain with the linear action of the Verti-Quake.”

“That said, contractors will come back for proven machines such as the Verti-Drain time and again when purchasing new machinery.”

Cricket groundsmen are increasingly carrying out ‘mini-

renovations’ as the season progresses, according to John Milner of SISIS who is also groundsman

“There’s more use of machines like a Sisis Rotorake 600 HD scarifier working the top 6-8mm, followed by seed and top dressing to make a ‘new’ pitch,” he explains. “If this is done in May or June, the regrowth means it is ready to use in 6-8 weeks. Seed is often put in with a pedestrian dimple-type seeder such as the Dennis S500 with seed box.”

He points out that this is a highly efficient way to get grass growth at a time when it may otherwise

come back coarse, especially if cut too low, which also slows the speed of recovery.

“There is a definite trend towards increased cut height, even at professional level, where it might be 7-9mm for a four-

day game to give the pace and bounce required. The wicket may look white, but that is down to covering it and keeping it dry.”

While the machinery used itself may be traditional there are some advances

“We offer a saw tooth scarifying blade with 17 tungsten tips which produces a very neat slot for seed and top dressing which speeds recovery – it has been used with success at the Oval and other prestigious grounds.”

AS 1040 YAK 4WD THE PROFESSIONAL RIDE-ON FLAIL-MOWER. STRONG, ROBUST, PERFORMS ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN.

The new AS 1040 YAK 4WD is a major innovation of ride-on mowers, setting new standards for slope mowing. The flail mowing unit provides a wider cutting width with maximum stability. Rotary mowers with similar working widths hit their limits in extreme terrain. In the event of unseen foreign objects, the flail mower unit is at significantly less risk of damage and ensures greater operator safety. For visually perfect mowing results across the complete working width.

Rather than placing the grass in swaths, like rotary mowers, the flail mowing unit returns tiny particles of grass back to the soil as natural fertiliser.

The AS 1040 YAK 4WD’s newly developed 100 cm wide flail mowing unit is a superior alternative to the conventional rotary mowing unit.

PSD Groundscare Ltd

Tel: 01282 856819

Email: sales@psdgroundscare.com Web: www.psdgroundscare.com

for his local cricket club in Godalming, Surrey.

Recyclingmaterialremovedduringdecompactionwithamachinesuchasthe GKBEcodressercancutsandcostssignificantly.

CharterhouseTurfMachineryrecommendsoverseedingsmall areasthatreceivehighwearthroughouttheseason.