Professional Groundscare November 2017

New EU rules see leading turf products withdrawn from the market

An EU meeting, held by the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF), has voted for the non-inclusion of iprodione.

This means that all products across Europe that contain this active ingredient, including Chipco Green and Interface from Bayer, will be withdrawn from the market.

Steve Bishop, Bayer professional product manager, explains that the industry can expect an update in the coming weeks with regards to timescales for the sell-out and usage periods of iprodione product based registrations.

“We have a large regulatory team based in the UK who’ll keep the industry informed on all of the latest updates,” says Steve.

Earlier this year, Bayer launched Exteris Stressgard, which increased the available number of fungicide groups from five to six, with the new turf SDHI fluopyram.

“Unfortunately the loss of iprodione will reduce the available turf fungicide groups back to five,

meaning that rotation strategy remains a critical element of integrated disease management,” explains Steve.

“With other chemicals also due for assessment, a further reduction in the total number of products on the market, and therefore the number of available groups for rotation, for turf disease control is not out of the question.

“This is why we’re constantly investing into the research and development of new chemistry, to continue to deliver solutions to our customers well into the future.”

The EU’s decision will also see other leading products from the likes of Headland Amenity and Rigby Taylor affected.

Iprodione is a Dicarboximide fungicide, classified as a local penetrant and labelled for use against Fusarium, Red Thread, Dollar Spot, Anthracnose, Leaf Spot and Rust.

Following an 18-month extension of the current licence for Glyphosate in July 2016, the active ingredient comes back under the spotlight this

Trilo machines help Newmarket deliver racing and concerts

As a multifunction venue, Newmarket Racecourse not only hosts some of the most worldrenowned horse racing meetings, they also hold a number of concerts and corporate events throughout the year too.

To keep both the Rowley Mile Racecourse and July Course worthy of a ‘photo finish’, Estates Manager Alan Hatherley

relies on his Trilo kit of blowers & collectors to keep on top of the maintenance of the 27 hectares of mixed turf, tarmac and car parks.

The 2017 Newmarket Nights season has seen acts including Little Mix, The Jacksons and Olly Murs, to name a few, all take to the stage on the July Course.

“Throughout July and August we generally have racing on a Friday evening, followed by a concert and then racing again on a Saturday,” he explains. “For a good act we often host a sell-out crowd of 22,000 people, creating mess and litter with only a turnaround of less than 12 hours to get the course fit again for racing the following day.”

Alan and his team of eight groundstaff and four gardeners have a Trilo BL960 blower, a SG1170 vac, and they also hire an S4 vac direct from local dealer Ernest Doe to cover the summer events season.

“When there’s a considerable amount of rubbish, the S4 is our main machine of choice,” he adds. “We use this to collect bottle tops, wrappers and litter from the site which ensures the clean-up is as quick as possible.

“With the units that we have at our disposal, we have the tools to keep our site clean year-round.”

Trilo Enquiry 43

autumn as manufacturers seek re-approval.

In March 2017 a report by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) found that glyphosate should not be classified as carcinogenic, thus supporting the 2015 conclusions of the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA).

In fact, following an in depth review of new and existing

data, ECHA’s classification remained unchanged from its previous assessment several years ago.

The European Commission has submitted a Draft Review Report and Regulation for approval on which the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, (SCoPAFF) will vote before the end of December.

IOG launches training needs analysis service

The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), the leading membership organisation for everyone involved in the management of sports pitches, landscape and amenity facilities in the UK, has launched a service designed to help managers and grounds staff map out personal training and education pathways.

The new Training Needs Analysis service will benefit those who take part in appraisal systems as well as those who adopt a more informal staff development programme.

By meeting with each member of a grounds team, the IOG can draw up a unique learning plan for each

individual, to help employers map out a development programme for the whole team.

The Training Needs Analysis works alongside the IOG’s Pitch Grading Initiative, which enables grounds staff to meet both their own and their employer’s goals linked to team skills and the quality of the sports turf surfaces they work on.

IOG Enquiry 44

Bayer Enquiry 42

Glyphosate is never far from the headlines, and at the recent Amenity Forum Conference, Monsanto’s Technical Development Manager Barrie Hunt was a guest speaker.

Spread the winter load

Designed and manufactured to perform in the harshest of environments, SnowEx is certainly built tough in its North American homeland, with a complete range of spreaders from 163 litre to 3200 litre capacity.

The spreaders can be mounted on virtually any host vehicle including ATV’s UTV’s, 4x4’s, pick-ups, tractors, trailers, forklifts and flat bed trucks,

so there are options to suit all situations and conditions.

With the increasing Health and Safety legislation making demands on ice and snow control, Wessex International who are the SnowEx distributors in the UK, are always happy to provide expert advice on the SnowEx spreader best suited to your application.

Interntional Enquiry 46

Cirencester Town invests in infill alternative for new 3G pitch

With the financial disparity between football’s elite and the sport’s grassroots levels continuing to widen, non-league clubs such as Cirencester Town FC, are constantly searching for new ways to make themselves self-sufficient.

For the EVO-STIK League South club, this meant exploring the benefits of the latest technology for their new pitch – from top to bottom.

Sports surface specialists, McArdle Sport Tec, were appointed to carry out the installation, and opted for TigerTurf’s Premier Pro 60 surface.

BTME 2018 already a sell out

BIGGA has revealed that the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) has been completely sold out, as exhibitors have rushed to secure their place at Europe’s largest turf management exhibition.

Within two months of BTME 2017 in January, more than 65% of exhibitors booked their spot

to return, and with three months still to go until the event returns in January, every available space within the Harrogate Convention Centre has been booked up.

A waiting list has also been set up to register interest from any companies who have not secured a space.

Over 140 exhibitors have signed up for BTME 2018, which will take place on 23-25 January 2018, the event will feature the biggest names in the turf management industry.

More than 4,500 attendees are expected through the doors of the Harrogate Convention Centre. Coupled with the Continue to Learn Education Programme, which features more than 250 hours of greenkeeper education, and the Golf Business & Industry Convention (GolfBIC), BTME 2018 is set to be one of the busiest ever.

In the club’s bid to become more financially and environmentally sustainable, its chairman, Steve Abbley, identified the potential for an artificial grass pitch to reduce the impact of poor weather on fixtures and training schedules, while simultaneously creating a new revenue stream through hiring the pitch out to local third-parties.

Having been specifically designed to comply with the very latest FIFA testing, Premier Pro offers unrivalled levels of durability, resistance, safety and performance, making it the ideal choice for clubs looking benefit from increased playing hours and higher levels of performance and player development.

With sustainability a top priority, the contractor also specified PRO-gran, a new type of infill designed by Murfitts Industries. The material benefits from the exceptional dynamic properties of rubber and is coated in polyurethane.

Not only does this produce a denser material with a range of playing benefits – from more consistent ball bounce to lower operating temperatures – but it also ensures the whole pitch will conform to the exacting safety regulations set by EU organisation, REACH.

Scott Griffin, Football Secretary at Cirencester Town FC, commented: “Within weeks of the new surface being installed, we saw a rise in the

MM50 is ace for Devonshire Park

Devonshire Park International Tennis Centre in Eastbourne is now using Limagrain’s MM50 grass seed exclusively across all three of the sites he maintains.

The moves comes following a successful trial period by Danny Negus, head groundsman at the centre.

Along with four other members of staff, Danny oversees the maintenance of not just the facilities at Devonshire Park but also the grass courts at the Meads Lawn Tennis Club and Moira House School – both of which are in Eastbourne.

“I trialled Limagrain’s MM50 last year throughout the three sites which consists of approximately 27 courts,“ he explained. “We did this because

I wanted to see the reaction of the seed on different sites in different conditions.

“There are a lot of micro climates around here and it enabled us to see how the seed responded in a tournament situation, and also from a club and a professional use. The results I got back from the trials revealed to me that it was absolutely a no-brainer to continue to use MM50 across all three sites.”

Danny is just one of a number of groundsmen who has benefitted from using MM50 as it possesses exceptional shoot density along with tolerance to close mowing making it particularly suitable for grass tennis courts. Other key features include fast recovery from wear and damage and high disease resistance.

MM50 is also treated with HEADSTART

number of people enquiring about using our facilities. Since then we have increased the number of junior players from 187 to 297 in just three months and have created eight new youth teams as a result. We’re over the moon with how the new pitch looks, and are delighted with the positive impact we’ve been able to make on the local community.”

TigerTurf Enquiry 47

BIGGA Enquiry 49

This superior mix contains the perennial ryegrass cultivars, Venice, Alison and Malibu, which are renowned for providing a great sward.

GOLD - Limagrain’s unique seaweed based seed treatment which helps to ensure rapid and even germination.

Limagrain Enquiry 48

Wessex

Reading have a pitch fit for royals

Reading FC have become the first UK sports club with a dual-use pitch to install the revolutionary SISGrass hybrid system – to help the club’s hallowed turf endure almost 250 hours’ playing time.

Global pitch specialists SIS Pitches introduced their advanced hybrid turf technology at the Madejski Stadium this summer as part of a full reconstruction of a pitch that staged over 55 matches last season.

With the Berkshire venue hosting all home first-team fixtures played by Reading and London Irish, the Aviva Premiership Rugby side that have been

ground-share tenants for over 16 years, plus a selection of the Royals’ Under-23s and Under18s games, the playing surface gets a severe workout.

So much so there were times last season that Adam Grantham, Reading’s Grounds Manager for 13 years, and his hard-working staff had to prepare for four matches in as many days.

With such little time to recover from wear and tear, the quality of the playing surface inevitably suffered.

To manage such high usage, the Sky Bet Championship

club opted for the increased durability of Cumbria-based SIS Pitches’ award-winning SISGrass, a reinforced natural turf system featuring patented fibre injection technology.

Reading have the added bonus of having SISGrass Universal at their disposal. The compact machine, combining speed, mobility and laser precision, specialises in repairing highuse areas such as touchlines, goalmouths and penalty spots.

Main contractor MJ Abbott Ltd were central to the six-week pitch reconstruction project at the ‘Mad Stad’, while Premier Pitches completed the turf finishing process.

Adam said: “The pitch was last reconstructed to this extent way back in 2007 and it reached the end of its shelf life last season, becoming ineffective in areas.

“Balancing all the football and rugby commitments on an ageing pitch was extremely tough at times and there was some criticism over the winter period, so it was good to start afresh in the summer.

“We completely reconstructed the pitch, taking the old hybrid system out and starting from the bottom up, reshaping all the sub-base levels, reinstalling the drainage, the undersoil heating and adding a new irrigation system.

“We have been really pleased with both the high quality of SIS Pitches’ service and the pitch they have installed. With the increased durability of SISGrass, we’re extremely hopeful the end result is a much stronger and healthier pitch all year round that suits our manager Jaap Stam’s style of play.

“By September 9, we’d played five matches on it already but the pitch is holding together really well and I’ve been getting good feedback from the coaching staff and players.”

SISGrass’ laser-guided installation combines a 95% natural grass pitch with 5% of specially-designed PE yarn stitched into the ground, offering unrivalled durability, improved pitch recovery time and increased playing hours.

SIS

Maintaining high standards at Sandburn Hall

Sandburn Hall Golf Club, a 6700yd par 72 parkland course with a heathland element situated in Flaxton in the beautiful Vale of York, opened just 12 years ago but already hosts major amateur and professional county events.

Pitches Enquiry 52

Continue to Learn at BTME 2018 has arrived

The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association has unveiled the most extensive education programme for the turf industry, in Europe.

Continue to Learn at BTME 2018 will feature more than 250 hours of education with guest speakers such as Micah Woods from the Asian Turfgrass Center and Dr Mike Fidanza from Pennsylvania State University.

An integral part of BTME, Continue to Learn encompasses events for Course Managers, Deputies and all levels of Greenkeepers. Workshops and

sessions also cater for Golf Club Managers, Directors of Golf, Golf Club Owners and Committee Members, ensuring there is an education event for everyone working within the sports turf industry.

More than 4,500 attendees are expected to descend upon the Harrogate Convention Centre and The Majestic Hotel, Harrogate for the four-day series of events.

Continue to Learn at BTME 2018 introduces a new conference specifically for young greenkeepers, to provide them

with the opportunity to meet and network with other greenkeepers and to attend education that will benefit them in their career. The Young Greenkeepers Conference

will take place on Wednesday 24 January at the Majestic Hotel.

BIGGA Enquiry 53

Getting the fairways and greens to that high standard, and maintaining it, has been the responsibility of the club’s golf course manager Brian Hall and his son Andrew, who is deputy manager.

They have been at the course since its inception, and their main choice of machinery from the start has been John Deere, supplied by dealer F G Adamson & Son.

To keep the course maintenance fleet up to date a rolling replacement policy was instigated with dealer area sales manager Andy O’Neill in 2012, in which all the machines are bought outright. “This enables us to minimise our annual outlay, as we know how much to budget for the next machine,” adds Brian.

The latest new John Deere machines to arrive at Sandburn Hall are a 2027R compact tractor complete with a 60in midmounted rotary mower deck, and a Pro Gator utility vehicle equipped with an HD200 lowprofile amenity turf sprayer and TD100 fertiliser spreader. A 4710 compact tractor has also replaced the 4115.

The 2027R compact tractor is fitted with a three-point linkage so, in addition to cutting the secondary rough and around the trees on the course, it is also used to aerate the greens. The 4710 is fitted with Galaxy tyres and powers a rotary topper for the rough and a trailed fertiliser spreader. It also tows a set of gang mowers on the driving range.

The new Pro Gator is commended for its low centre of gravity and even weight distribution when carrying the sprayer and top dressing with the spreader.

John Deere Enquiry 54

Imants ShockWave

Imants Rotoknife

G860 combats heavy usage at Huish Park

With over 50 games a season taking place at the Huish Park Stadium, Yeovil Town FC’s head of grounds Richard Allsworth believes that his new Dennis G860 is the ideal mower to maintain such a heavily used pitch.

Richard has been head of grounds for Yeovil Town FC for the past four years and, along with one other member of staff, tends to the pitch at the main stadium, the first team training ground and the club’s academy facilities.

“With league and cup games, along with the youth FA Cup and academy games we have at least 50 matches here throughout the season. Plus, this season the ladies team will playing their home games here so that’s probably another nine games. It is busy but it has to be in these leagues – it’s a necessity in order to generate income. Yes, it can make things difficult but I came from the Memorial stadium which shared rugby and football (Bristol Rovers FC and Bristol Rugby).”

It was at the Memorial Stadium that Richard first started using the Dennis G860 mower, and based on his experience; there was only one mower he had in mind when it came to purchasing a new one.

“There is absolutely no contest when looking at mowers. I like the familiarity of having used one for nearly 20 years. It’s always been a fantastic mower and over the years has been subtlety refined – it’s a little bit quieter, a little bit smoother and I like the fact that the box lifts off so you can empty it easily. Essentially it is one unit that you can do lots of jobs with and it doesn’t take much time when adjusting the height of cut or changing cassettes.”

As Richard says, the Dennis G860 comes complete with an interchangeable cassette system in which the user has the option of fitting eleven different types of heads including scarifiers, verticutters, brushes, spikers, and slitters as well as six or eight bladed cutting cylinders.

As part of his maintenance programme, Richard relies on the 8 bladed cutting cassette to get the pitch ready for matchdays. He’ll carry out a double cut on a Thursday, followed by a double cut on a Friday and ensure that grass is at a length of 27mm before kick-off.

He also reported excellent results from the verticutting cassette, which he uses at both the stadium and the training ground.

“I absolutely love the verticutting cassette for grooming the pitch. I tend to use the verticutter once a month before I put down a liquid feed just to clean it out - so that I can expose the leaf, and expose the soil to keep it clean – which is necessary when so many games are played on it.

“I always do it more often in July to really thicken up the turf especially about a week and a half before the first game. It just helps me see exactly how thick the sward is and to give it a chance to fill out.

“We also have real problems with poa annua on both the stadium pitch and the training pitches as there are meadows and silage nearby so it just blows in. Just as the poa is starting to come through I’ll go over it with the verticutter cassette just to try and control it – it works really well.”

With the G860 offering so much versatility in just one machine it is easy to see why they are used not only by professional groundsmen at FIFA World Cups or prestigious sporting stadia, but also by clubs in lower divisions and volunteer groundsmen who tend to local clubs and grass roots pitches.

In fact, Richard believes that the G860 proves a cost effective solution for all types of various groundsmen.

“Could I afford to go and get a mower for verticutting and a separate mower for scarifying? Probably not - therefore the G860 offers you the perfect solution.

“It’s light, it is manoeuvrable and it gives a definite stripe. It’s great for presentation and we are presenting the club’s image - the G860 is the perfect mower for this.”

GKB Drainmaster makes their day

Phil Day Sports of Worcestershire has added a GKB Machines

Drainmaster to their fleet of sports ground construction and maintenance equipment.

The company sees the GKB Drainmaster as having a significant role in the work they carry out for their wide range of customers which includes Premier League football clubs, county cricket, top class rugby and golf clubs and leading independent schools.

The GKB Drainmaster offers a complete solution to improving and accelerating the drainage of surface water.

Toby Grace, Business Development Manager at Phil Day Sports, had been looking at investing in a secondary drainage system for a while and was impressed by what could be achieved with the Drainmaster. He and his team decided they were going to need one for a number of pending client requirements, including work at West Bromwich Albion F.C., Wasps Rugby and the STRI.

Once ordered, after tender at the beginning of 2017, the GKB machine arrived within three weeks and was put to work with immediate results. The Drainmaster excavates two or three trenches four centimetres wide which are positioned

perpendicular to the existing underlying drainage.

Soil removed is disposed of by means of conveyor belts and can be re-used as dressing soil. The trenches are filled with drainage sand up to the operating depth of 23cm in the same operation while the Drainmaster wheels press the sand into the trenches.

“We have found the Drainmaster does what it says with unique sandslits to the correct width and depth and we have seen excellent results.” Says Toby. “With the way the sand bunker has been developed, you can choose to operate the full length of the pitch in one operation or two across the width. The

grass grows on the trenches in a matter of weeks.” The overall effect is strengthening of the grass while the drainage network ensures a higher playing capacity.

“The next real test will be in the winter months and with the changing weather we’ll be carefully monitoring the results.” Toby says. “For now we’re very happy with the quality achieved and the service we have had. GKB as the manufacturer talk to us and we’re providing feedback so it’s a two-way traffic of information that helps us all.”

GKB Machines Enquiry

57

Mulchrone Brothers makes impact with Kubota

for the dealership to start offering groundcare machinery following an increase in customer demand.

Having

Regional customers can now purchase a range of Kubota’s groundcare machinery including the L Series, B Series and STW Series compact tractors, along with the RTV range.

Kubota’s high-powered GR1600 ride-on mower has already become a best seller for the dealership due to its manoeuvrability and reliability, along with its G2120 counterpart, together with the professional G/F Series range.

Kubota Enquiry 59

Dennis Enquiry 58

Mulchrone Brothers Ltd is gaining signifi cant traction in the West Ireland groundcare market following the recent extension of its partnership with industry-leading manufacturer, Kubota UK.

supplied Kubota’s agricultural solutions for 14 years, it was an obvious step

FIH launches new standards for field lighting

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has published new lighting guidance and standards with a view to helping hockey facilities increase sustainability and reduce their environmental impact.

Recent advances in lighting technology and growing concerns about night sky pollution led the FIH to initiate a review of its lighting guidance and standards.

The new guide is written for those considering lighting fi elds that will not be used for televised events.

Fundamental to the development of these guidelines is the FIH’s 10-year Hockey Revolution strategy aimed at making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation.

The FIH has been making a concerted effort to further align this strategy with the International Olympic Committee’s ‘Olympic Agenda 2020’. With a particular focus

on increasing sustainability (Agenda Recommendation 5), the FIH’s new guidelines aim to make a positive reduction on facility owners’ carbon footprint whilst also ensuring their installations are more effi cient, increasing sustainability and lowering costs in the long-term.

The new guide includes information on LED lighting and the various factors that need to be considered when deciding if LED or metal halide lighting is the best option for a project. It also includes a new lower category of lighting intended for community clubs and schools.

The research is being undertaken with the assistance of broadcaster BT Sport, Polytan (FIH’s Official Hockey Turf Supplier for the 2018 FIH World Cups and 2020 Olympic Games) and others. It is hoped the findings of the project will be available in early 2018.

Germinal to establish research station to help amenity turf professionals

Amenity grass seed specialist Germinal is to establish its own research station to spearhead a new programme of trials and development work geared to helping UK groundsmen, greenkeepers, turf growers and landscape architects get the very best from their amenity and sports areas.

The 11-acre facility, located near Melksham in Wiltshire, will be managed by grass trials specialist Dr Joanna Matthews, who leaves her post at NIAB to join Germinal in January 2018.

Germinal GB Managing Director Paul Billings believes the development will create an unrivalled knowledge hub that will enable professional sports turf and amenity grass specialists to improve the

performance and aesthetics of their green spaces.

“In a competitive market where only the best cultivars and seed mixtures will suffice, having a bespoke R&D facility will allow Germinal to showcase marketleading varieties, test innovative ideas in UK conditions, and demonstrate at a local level alternative grass seed species or turf management systems that we are bringing in from around the world.

“The research station will be integrated with our amenity breeding programme at IBERS Aberystwyth University and will provide facilities for Germinal to collaborate with many other industry partners on projects of great significance and benefit to the wider industry.

“We already have plans for over forty projects at the site, which will include trialling new amenity varieties, and proving, in real world conditions, the benefits and advantages of site specific traits such as tolerance to shade and disease resistance under stress. We’ll also be collaborating with leading amenity nutrition manufacturers to trial a range of slow and phased- release fertilisers and specialist liquid and granular fertilisers.”

Dr Joanna Matthews joined NIAB in 2013 and brings to Germinal a valuable combination of practical grass trials knowledge and progressive plant science experience.

Germinal Enquiry 62

Multigreen excels in wet weather

Golf courses, sports pitches and other turf areas suffering from prolonged rainfall or even waterlogging, have found Multigreen controlled release fertilisers from Headland Amenity to be a huge benefit.

Multigreen is the only long term fertiliser where nutrient release is governed by soil temperature only and not affected by other factors such as moisture, pH or microbial activity. Chosen by golf clubs and sports grounds all around the UK, it helps to produce quality surfaces despite the British weather.

Multigreen controlled release prills contain their nutrients within a permeable resincoating that prevents severe leaching losses.

Ideal for use on winter sports pitches, golf tees or fairways or other coarse turf, they can

release for between 4 to 7 months depending on product choice.

Once in contact with the soil, the controlled release prill takes up water through its coating which starts to solubilise the nutrient inside. This creates a pressure within, that in time, forces nutrient solution back through the coating into the rootzone.

Whilst moisture is required for this process to take effect, excess rainfall or irrigation does not alter the amount of nutrient release. The only factor that affects release is temperature!

Typically, when soil temperatures fall to around 6oc, pressure within the prill is too low to cause nutrient release and it will remain intact in the soil. So just around the point at which the grass begins to stop growing, release from Multigreen shuts down and

nutrient remains within the prill to await increased temperatures in the coming days or weeks.

As the soil temperature rises, pressure within the prill increases, forcing more nutrient into the rootzone. This mirrors the requirements of the grass plant in that increased temperatures produce a greater growth stimulus – adequately catered for by the Multigreen temperature controlled release mechanism.

Release is initially very gentle, matching the growth requirements of the plant and importantly providing low levels of nitrogen that can rapidly be utilised to stimulate recovery.

Nutrient availability is gentle and controlled by temperature only – producing a strong, healthy sward and avoiding ‘flush’ growth and excessive clippings.

Where a controlled release fertiliser such as Multigreen 20-0-32 is applied to aid recovery on winter sports pitches and other coarse turf areas in the autumn, it can also provide a ‘spring carryover’ of nutrients at the start of the next growing season. Nutrients would then be available in the soil to be used as soon as the plant needs them, rather than having to rely on the correct timing of supplementary applications in the spring.

20-0-32 releases its nutrients over a 6-7 month period according to, and in line with, soil temperature alone.

It encourages a strong, healthy sward going into winter as well as a gentle recovery in the spring.

FIH Enquiry 63

Headland Amenity Enquiry 64

Winners of amenity sprayer awards announced

The three category winners for the 2017 Amenity Sprayer Operator of the Year Awards were announced at the Amenity Forum conference, held at the Pirelli Stadium at Burton on Trent.

It is the third year of the prestigious Awards, which aim to reward top sprayer operators across the amenity industry, and to share their best practice to enhance standards for all.

The main sponsors of the prestigious Amenity Sprayer Operator of the Year Awards are ICL and Syngenta. Each winner announced at the event received a framed certificate and a trophy from the sponsors, together with the offer of free training awarded by BASIS Registration.

The category winners and runners up were as follows:

Sportsturf category: Winner - Chris Phillips who works for Complete Weed Control; Runner Up – Andy Baker from Ely Golf Club

Landscape & Amenity Knapsack Operations category: Winner – Nathan Hume who works for SH Goss Ltd; Runner Up –Tony Robinson from Southern Horticulture.

Landscape & Amenity Mounted Sprayer operations: Winner – Lee Harrison from Complete Weed Control; Runner Up – Robert Alexander from JSD Rail

The three category winners have now been invited by ICL and Syngenta to attend as their guests the BTME Event in January when the overall winner will be announced at their evening awards event.

John Moverley, Amenity Forum chairman, said: “The awards highlight the professionalism that exists in our sector and the high standards achieved.”

Amenity Forum Enquiry 68

Gerflor and Judy Murray rise to community challenge

Inchgarth community centre in the ‘Granite City’ of Aberdeen is the city’s biggest, busiest and most successful centre with some 2000 users, 150 sessions of activity per week and delivers services for people of all ages including; music, fitness, sports, education, leisure, recreation, the arts and social projects including many outreach services.

Mother of tennis superstar Sir Andy Murray, Judy Murray wanted to do something tangible to assist the centre.

Eighteen months ago, she delivered a large coaching session for fifty adults and forty children to introduce them to tennis, passing on the basic coaching skills in order that tennis could grow in the community.

Working with Kris Souter through Tennis on The Road, Judy Murray remembered

Inchgarth and offered the centre an amount of PowerGame outdoor modular sports flooring from Sport Court which had been originally donated by international flooring specialists Gerflor to Judy Murray to further her tennis initiatives.

In 2015 Gerflor announced their acquisition of Connor Sports and their Sport Court brand in a move that subsequently expanded the company’s global market reach.

Back in 2005, Connor Sports joined industry leader Sport Court to form Connor Sport Court International, Inc. (CSCI). Sport Court has built systems for many elite associations including the NBA, NCAA, FIBA, USTA, FIVB, US Youth Futsal, USA Volleyball and Premier Euro League Teams.

The safest modular outdoor court in the world PowerGame from

Sport Court features the lowest skin abrasion of virtually any outdoor court surface and is made of the highest quality materials and UV stabilizers to protect the customer’s investment.

The patented Double-Tier shock absorbing grid and Lateral Forgiveness reduces joint strain and fatigue to help users play longer and more safely than ever.

The PowerGame system supplied by Gerflor is now a permanent fixture at the Inchgarth community centre where it’s playing its’ role in providing on-going tennis lessons for a new generation of possible Wimbledon stars, all thanks to Gerflor and Judy Murray.

Gerflor Enquiry 67

Ex-FA man launches new sports consultancy

Based in South Yorkshire, TriSports offers solution driven support to individuals, clubs and societies in the areas of project management, design and strategic planning as well as bespoke guidance on external funding to develop the sporting infrastructure.

During his 8 years at The FA, Matt was responsible for over £300 million of direct investment into grass roots facilities, as well as securing an additional £15 million of external funding for the game. This knowledge and experience is now combined with a network of strategic industry partners enabling Tri-Sports to deliver practical support to organisations from the grass roots up.

Projects commissioned to date include an independent review of 17 county league NLS sites for Cambridgeshire County FA; leading the relocation of Suffolk County FA’s Headquarters and being appointed as lead consultancy/project manager of an exciting new state Community Football Centre in Chelmsford.

Commenting on the venture Matt said, “I am excited for the new challenges that lie ahead for Tri-Sports and putting the skills, knowledge and practical experience I have gained from 15 years in the sports industry to further good use. Working together with key partners I look forward to offering support and practical solutions to a range of new, and existing, clients.”

Tri-Sports Enquiry 69

Tri-Sports Consultancy is a new business venture for former FA Regional Manager Matt Bartle.

Golf courses embracing their wild side

Once renowned for artificially lush fairways, a handful of British golf courses are undergoing an eco-renaissance with nature given priority over the nurture.

Eco-minded course managers and top grass seed manufacturers such as Barenbrug have become wild at heart, bringing eco-friendly and sustainable practices to the industry in a way not seen before.

“Greenkeepers and golf courses are often portrayed as unenvironmentally friendly but we definitely don’t see it like that here,” says greenkeeper Luke Turner, course manager at Willingdon Golf Club. “The golfing industry has changed massively in the last 3-5 years and an increasing number of greenkeepers are pushing a commitment to ecology and making courses more sustainable.”

This year, as well as handcrafting bird and reptile homes, Luke has turned an area of rough into a wildflower meadow that’s attracting more than 25 species of butterfly. And at Mortonhall – the oldest course in the City of Edinburgh – head greenkeeper David Fraser has also implemented a wildflower programme to increase biodiversity on the course’s ‘out of play’ areas.

The change of focus is thanks in part to eco-minded grass seed manufacturers. Both Luke and David have turned to Barenbrug, the UK’s largest grass seed distributor, in their efforts to

green up their greens. The top seed grower is leading the way in eco-friendly wildflower seeds, developing a portfolio of 18 mixes for different soil types.

“It’s estimated that since the Second World War, 95% of the UK’s wildflower meadows have been lost – and yet around 15,000 hectares of unimproved grassland are believed to remain nationwide,” says Luke Hunt from Barenbrug. “It’s our hope that our wildflower mixtures will go some way to re-establishing wildflowers on roadside verges, parks, and golf courses once again – all of which is of great benefit to protecting the unique botanical identity of the UK.”

Barenbrug’s portfolio of wildflower seed mixtures is specifically suited to particular growing environments and soil types, producing colourful displays of wildflowers with a balanced mix of species to enhance the environment and attract wildlife.

Both greenkeepers have been staggered by the results from their wildflower mixes, which saw 100% germination and a long flowering season.

“The end results were like something out of a brochure,” says Luke. “The area was alive with butterflies and bees and the whole thing had a stunning visual impact, being visible from two or three of our tees. It was great for wildlife and for our members.”

John Deere expands support for BIGGA’s TPC Sawgrass volunteer team

The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association is proud to reveal the six members who have been invited to join the course preparation team at THE PLAYERS Championship in May.

Held each year at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, THE PLAYERS Championship is considered by many to be golf’s ‘fifth’ major and as such it presents an incredible opportunity for BIGGA members to gain a huge amount of experience, in a once-in-alifetime setting.

And for the first time this year, John Deere has expanded the programme, allowing a member from BIGGA’s International Region to join in.

The successful BIGGA members who have been selected to join

the volunteer programme are:

• Scottish Region – Paul Armour, course manager at Dunbar Golf Club

• Northern Region – Joe Barnes, greenkeeper at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

• Central England Region –Nicholas Thorley, greenkeeper at Little Aston Golf Club.

• South West and South Wales Region – Jamie Blake, head greenkeeper at Broadway Golf Club.

• South East Region – Antony Kirwan, deputy course manager at Aldeburgh Golf Club

• International – Craig Cameron, Golf Club St Leon Rot in Germany.

In addition, John Deere also invites one member of the

Golf Course Superintendents Association of Ireland to join the experience.

Each of the members underwent a rigorous application process, consisting of an online application, submission of a short video and an interview with BIGGA and John Deere representatives.

A spokesperson for TPC Sawgrass said: “At the end of the day, the volunteers make all the hard work of our tremendous staff really shine. They also get invaluable experience in preparing a course in exacting, television close-up standards, as well as the opportunity to network and learn.”

John Deere Enquiry 72

The Eliet Mega Prof is landing soon

PSD Groundscare in association with Eliet are excited to announce the upcoming launch of the New Eliet Mega Prof Shredder at SALTEX 2017 on stand G180.

Featuring a 35hp turbocharged diesel engine and a capacity of up to 16cm, this machine is the New flagship of the Eliet range.

The unique Axelero discharge system also creates a vacuum

effect that assists the entry of fine, bulky and leafy green material. The patented Eliet Chopping Principle is a feature of the Mega Prof ensuring the material is cut in the direction of the wood fibres. It is also equipped with the revolutionary Eco Eye as standard.

Barenbrug Enquiry 73

Parts Depot Enquiry 74

Schiller showcases extensive portfolio of machines

Classen machines have built a solid reputation, living up to their durable slogan: Built to Use, Designed to Last.

At this year’s SALTEX the latest Classen aerator joins the Little Wonder line-up and Mantis tillers and BunkerMaster under the Schiller umbrella, to offer groundsmen and greenkeepers a formidable array of equipment. Visit the company on Stand K040.The Classen TA18 Aerator features a steerable tine bank and combined with its compact, streamlined design it is easy to manoeuvre around trees, shrubs and other obstacles whilst aerating at speeds up to 4.2mph/6.7kmh. It has five banks of tines, compared to the usual four, and therefore pulls more holes at a faster rate for greater productivity.

Even weight distribution is another feature of its coring ability in tough soils and stability on slopes and inclines, with two rounded weights that are easy for the operator to remove. At only 214lbs/97kg the TA18 is one of the lightest aerators of its type available and that makes for easy lifting and transportation.

You simply use the integrated lift handles, while a foldable handle cuts the transport size by half and built-in tie downs secure the unit. Importantly the new TA18 is only 27” wide, allowing it to easily fit through the vast majority of garden gates with ease. The new Classen’s TA18 aerator has CE marking in compliance with EU health and safety requirements. This follows the conformity assessment and issue of the EC Declaration of Conformity, so dealers can be assured each machine will come with CE marking and the necessary supporting documentation.

Little Wonder products have an unrivalled reputation for

performance and durability and the Little Wonder ProVac SP leads the way, not only in leaf collection in autumn but also throughout the year. Collecting litter and debris after events, around amenity areas, theme parks, sports venues, gardens, campuses, holiday parks, residential and industrial areas are typical places you’ll find the Little Wonder at work. It features a heavy-duty 280 litre top loading bag and as it’s self-propelled it moves faster through the work for greater productivity with less operator fatigue.

The Little Wonder Hydro BRC26 Brushcutter cuts a lot more than you would imagine. It slices through stubborn long grass as well as taking down the roughest brush, bramble and tall, tough weeds. Self-Propelled and effortless, the Little Wonder is rugged and built for a tough life yet it’s also smooth with the hydrostatic drive making it easy to operate and less fatiguing for the user.

That translates to higher productivity and with a forward speed of up to 4.2mph/6.7kmh and 1.7mph/2.7kmh in reverse you can quickly cut through the work. There’s a reversible 26”/66cm tempered steel blade

that will rip down sapling growth up to 2”/5cm thick, powered by the Honda GXV 390cc engine with a Noram mechanical blade clutch for instant forward and reverse drive propulsion.

The Classen Sod Cutter is solid, dependable and displays exceptional build quality. The hydrodstatic drive pushes the machine along at up to 4.7mph whilst lifting turf to deliver the cleanest cut. It’s compact, manoeuvrable and has found high praise in use for sports grounds and golf courses throughout the country.

The Classen Turf Rake is prized by contractors and hire operators as much for its versatility as it is for being an easily portable dethatcher. The flail blades adjust to five different heights and there’s a folding handle for easy transportation. Classen Overseeders offer an easy way to seed a new lawn or overseed an old one. The front seed drop ensures follow-up seed coverage for maximum seed generation.Mantis has for many years enjoyed an enviable reputation for producing tillers that are hard at work worldwide, and this lightweight, powerful tool as well as being a tiller is also a dethatcher and aerator.

The technology and engineering behind the Mantis tiller are also what drive the BunkerMaster. Those greenkeepers who us it swear by it for quickly maintaining bunkers with last minute preparation, sand trap restoration, working tight edges and banks. It also deals with thick moss, thatch, overgrown grass and ingrained sand.

Schiller Grounds care Enquiry 78

Innovative brands on show from FGM Claymore

FGM Claymore will be showcasing their extensive range of garden machinery at Stand D012.

The range caters for professional and domestic users and includes well-known brands such as Snapper, Masport, Simplicity, Orec, Tanaka and Harry.

Ideal for commercial contractors and landscapers, Orec is a Japanese brand with a reputation for superior performing, quality products. Orec build their own transmissions which are well known for their durability.

A stand-out product for outdoor professionals is the RM980F, considered the original “Rabbit” ride on brush cutter. It will easily cut through dense brush and grass. Features include heavy duty swing tip blades, Briggs & Stratton engine, 4 Wheel Drive, a low centre of gravity, user friendly controls, ergonomic design and rugged construction.

The range also includes professional rotary mowers which are ideal for cutting large lawn areas, high grass and tough brush. Ideal for landscapers and commercial contractors the Orec

FL500BC is a 20”/50cm heavy duty mower that will tackle overgrown grass and rough terrain as easily as it will a lawn. Powered by a Honda GXV160 engine and equipped with superior traction for working on slopes and uneven brush areas with the aid of a differential lock

The SP1000, “Spider” bank mower is unique as it can operate on slopes of up to 45° using its 4-wheel drive, spike tyres that firmly grip the ground. A telescopic handle rotates to the side of the deck when used on slopes and by simply shifting the drive shift lever the Spider drives

both right or left and is available in 20” or 12” (SP300) cut. The Orec range has a machine for every landscape application and models can be viewed at the stand.

New products for this season available to view at the show include the Snapper XD Battery Powered Garden Tools and a new Zero Turn from respected brand Simplicity, the SZT250. FGM’s team will be on hand to offer valuable advice and all visitors to the stand will be able to pick up a copy of our 2018 Business Terms.

FGM Claymore Enquiry

76

GKB Machines return to the NEC

GKB Machines return with their range of high quality turf machinery for natural, synthetic and hybrid turf.

Introduced at the show are the new Combiseeder, for accurate seed application at a rate of over 1500 holes per m², and the new Renovator, a robust and reliable synthetic turf maintenance machine with five rotating brushes. GKB’s Quick-Brush is designed to brush in the infill after Renovator operation.

On display alongside the new machines, the well-known Combinator combines frase mowing and verticutting grass areas, typically sports turf,

while removing and loading the complete upper layer of unwanted turf.

GKB Machines Enquiry 77

Timberwolf launches new petrol range

Timberwolf are extending their low emission petrol product family, developing further their comprehensive range of professional wood chippers, with an exciting new range.

Impending changes to engine legislation will affect many machines regularly used by arborists, landscapers, and estate managers, including chippers.

An ongoing legislation programme to limit emissions from diesel engines, is progressing with the next step coming into force on 1st January 2019.

Current diesel engines can continue to be used after this date to power existing equipment, but only Stage V diesel, or alternative fuelled engines, can be supplied on new machines.

The new extended Timberwolf petrol range builds on the equivalent market leading dieselpowered wood chipper series, and offers all the features that industry professionals demand from this essential tool in their armoury.

At entry level, the compact and powerful TW 160PH is a strong

and fast hydraulic chipper that can access restricted areas while offering exceptional cutting performance. Powered by a 22hp Honda engine, the TW 160PH offers 152mm (6in) capacity and features hydraulic feed with auto feed control for easy loading. The TW 160PH is mounted on an unbraked chassis and has a towing weight of 608kg, allowing transport behind smaller commercial vehicles.

Offering unbeatable performance, the sub 750Kg 6in chipper of choice for the UK industry is now available in petrol and with two engine variants.

The TW 230PAHB and TW 230PWHB are high capacity machines suitable to handle large volumes of material, with hydraulic feed and a braked chassis. With the choice of a 37hp B&S Vanguard V Twin or 32.5hp Kubota WG972 petrol engine, these machines feature a best-in-class 230mm X 160mm feed opening.

Quad-force rollers offer ultimate crushing power which along with the wide feed opening reduce the need for time-consuming snedding.

Throughput is up to an impressive 5 tonnes per hour from this 152mm (6in) capacity chipper, helping operators meet tight deadlines and ideal for time-sensitive work such as roadside chipping. A 280 degree adjustable discharge allows the 18mm average size chips to be directed into a trailer or safely blown onto the verge.

Flagship of the landmark new range is the TW 280PHB, which offers simply outstanding performance. Powered by a Kubota 57hp WG1605 fourcylinder petrol engine, the TW 280PHB offers 210mm (8in) cutting performance for serious arboriculture and forestry tasks.

With a substantial output of 6.5 tonnes/hour, coupled with a 280mm x 210mm infeed opening with Quad Force rollers for ultimate crushing power, this chipper will tackle the largest of workloads with ease and speed. The 280 degree adjustable discharge allows average size, 18.5mm chips, to be directed precisely to either side of the machine as required.

Timberwolf Enquiry 82

Spaldings adds Honda pumps and generators to range

Portable generators and water pumps needed for everyday or emergency use can be purchased with the renowned service back-up provided by direct sales specialist Spaldings following the company’s appointment as a Honda Industrial dealer with national reach.

Spaldings will display selected products from the range upon its return to the SALTEX exhibition at the NEC Birmingham on 1-2 November.

As with other products handled by Spaldings, Honda petrol engine powered pumps and

generators can be purchased online, via a telesales team or through a local representative for next day delivery from the £11 million-worth of stock held at the company’s warehouse in Lincoln.

“We have 60 years’ experience of efficiently picking, packing and dispatching, so we’re well practiced at it,” says Stephen Constable, commercial director. “But in addition to the convenience of ordering online, buyers can consult our nationwide team of 50 agricultural and 14 groundscare representatives for advice, and for expert hand-over of equipment and fault-finding if needed.”

Enquiry 81

NGK highlights its expertise

Ignition specialist NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd will be highlighting its horticultural expertise at SALTEX.

NGK will once again be demonstrating its ignition prowess on stand KO55 at the show which is the UK’s premier national event for ground care, sports, amenities, estates and green space management.

The horticultural sector is a growing market for NGK where extensive research and development has enabled it

to produce a range of spark plugs specifically aimed at the horticultural market where their fast heating makes them ideal for engines that often work in harsh conditions.

NGK is an original equipment (OE) parts supplier of spark plugs, glow plugs, NTK Lambda and other engine management sensors to most of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers (VMs), with the same parts being available to the independent automotive aftermarket.

The company has been developing spark plug technology since the 1930s and manufactures plugs for every type of automotive engine, as well as for motorcycles, marine, horticultural, plant and many other applications.

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Spaldings

NGK Spark Plugs Enquiry

Prepare for the Microdochium season with a preventative approach

With the autumn fast approaching, and the risk of disease increasing, greenkeepers are being encouraged to consider a new approach to disease control, and start trialling an integrated, preventative disease management strategy.

Dr Colin Mumford, Bayer technical manager, explains.

“Recent losses of active ingredients from the market, and the possibility of further withdrawals, particularly contact acting curative fungicides, due to regulation changes, means it is important to start developing and testing out new programmes that don’t depend on this type of chemistry.

“I suggest greenkeepers start to test out their new preventative strategies now, while there’s still the safety net of contact chemistry available, to tackle any outbreaks while they perfect their control programmes.

“When taking a preventative approach to disease control, greenkeepers should not overlook the importance of enhancing grass plant health, and integrate their chemical controls with cultural and biological practices.

“Having your turf in prime health condition will give you a head start against Microdochium patch as well as other diseases, such as Anthracnose, limiting the severity of outbreaks later on in the disease season.

“And to maintain or improve turf health, Colin suggests

that greenkeepers should make sure that their turf is supplied with adequate nutrition, and if required, nutritional supplements for turf development can be added.

“Stress makes turfgrass more vulnerable to disease, and drought stress in particular often leads to weakening of the plant. So, providing that you don’t over-water your greens, as moist conditions are favourable to disease pathogens, supplemental irrigation can help to overcome this problem.

“Fungicide application timings should be carefully thought out, with a number of different factors considered when forecasting for the fi rst application. Course location, prevailing weather conditions and historical disease pressure, will all infl uence a specifi c course’s likelihood of succumbing to disease.

“Most clubs will need to make their first preventative fungicide application in the early autumn, before disease has a chance to take hold, and as the grass will still be actively growing, greenkeepers should use a product with a systemic action.

“Products such as Exteris Stressgard (fluopyram and trifloxystrobin) and Dedicate (tebuconazole and trifloxystrobin) have a systemic mode of action, which works to transport the fungicide around the plant, meaning that

any areas that don’t come into direct contact with a spray droplet, are protected.

“Both products have a dual action, so, on top of the systemic action from fluopryam or tebuconazole, the trifl oxystrobin acts as a local penetrant that acts as a barrier to pathogens entering via the leaf surface.”

Bayer Enquiry 86

The changing seasons represent big challenges for natural turf surfaces

The summer of 2017 has provided ideal growing conditions, but this has come at a price – more play. As we head through autumn pitches will be showing signs of wear, with a strong chance that bare patches have appeared.

Now is the time when Groundsmen should be considering returning their surfaces to a good condition to ensure it survives the dormant phase over winter and provides the best possible starting point for the new growing seasonpreparation for this should start well before the winter weather kicks in.

Before doing anything else Derek Smith at Johnsons Sports Seed advocates dealing with those bare patches. “They can spread as wet weather can cause the soil to spray on top of any adjacent good sward causing further problems. This cover, in addition to stadia that already experiences shade problems, reduces the plants ability to photosynthesise.”

He recommends filling in the gaps with either Johnsons J Rescue Stadia or J Rescue 100. J Rescue Stadia is specifically designed for autumn/winter overseeding, blending Quickston annual ryegrass, 4Turf tetraploid perennial ryegrass and rough stalked meadow grass to deliver establishment even in low temperatures (0-9oc).

“The resultant turf will have excellent colour, improved disease resistance and high wear tolerance,” he assures.

The new 2017 formulation of J Rescue 100 features 100% Quickston, the latest generation turf type annual ryegrass, and is designed specifically for emergency overseeding and rapid repairs.

Nick Darking at Charterhouse Turf Machinery adds that

choosing the right conditions for winter seeding are crucial to its success. “Avoid seeding in windy conditions – on some seeders there is a small drop from the seed outlet to the soil, so any swirling winds can blow the seeds away from the hole or slot made by the seeder.

“Wet weather can also create issues, soil can be fl icked up into the seeder mechanism causing blockages and/or affecting accuracy.”

For optimum seed to soil contact it is worth considering a disc seeder to improve delivery efficiency. The Redexim Double Disc Overseeder range buries the seed up to 20mm (3/4”) deep in the ground, with a disc spacing of 30mm.

The DD Overseeder range contains 3 machines, the 1430, 1830 and 2230, offering working widths of 1.4m, 1.83m and 2.2m respectively.

Rooting out problems Once the autumn renovations and overseeding are complete, attention should then be on scarification says Jon Proffitt of Trilo. “Grass will continue to grow, though at a much slower pace, as we head towards winter but growth will be stunted if a thatch of leaves, grass clippings, dead roots and moss builds up. “Removing this will not only provide the grass with space to grow, it will improve disease resistance giving it the best chance to survive the approaching conditions.”

The VCU Series of scarifi ers from Trilo are specifically designed for sports fields or other flat areas. The range contains 4 models, from the VCU120 with its 1.2m working width right up to the VCU240 working at 2.4m wide. They can handle build-ups down to either 40mm or 50mm, model dependent, though all the range

feature complete mechanical drive, eliminating issues with hydraulic hoses and leaks.

For more material or larger areas, the S-Series of vacuum sweepers from Trilo can now be fitted with an optional verticutter shaft, allowing you to verti-cut and collect in one pass.

Aeration is another task that should be continued throughout the winter to keep the surface open, allowing good drainage

and movement or air into the rootzone. Nick again, “during the winter months, deep aeration with a Redexim Verti-Drain to say 12 or 14” during any relatively dry periods will help to keep surfaces playable; draining and free from puddling. Thought should also be given to the top profile which may have become saturated and requires helps to rid itself of excess water. As soon as you can get a machine onto the surface, without causing issues, aeration should be conducted.”

NOVEMBER 2017 www.professionalgroundscare.com PG12

With the grass continuing to grow, mowing will still be one of the most frequent pitch management procedures to take place.

Vital stress relief

As the grass is less able to combat wear, and will take longer to recover from any manipulation, it is beneficial to

look for ways of reducing the stress whilst still maintaining the required mowing style; this is where a pedestrian unit – such as the Cub Cadet InfiniCutcomes into play. Hand cutting reduces the lateral movement on softer turf while providing the operator with much more discretion.

It is possible to identify any areas of weaker turf and ‘lift back’ on the unit to avoid unnecessary stress.

The design of the bedknife and cutting unit ensures a clean cut, preventing ripped or ‘ragged’ blades that are vulnerable to disease. The lightweight

design of the InfiniCut means it is also suitable for Desso and SIS-type surfaces.

Chemistry continues to be a good tool in preventing expensive outbreaks of disease, when combined with the maintenance practices mentioned above.

“Warm and damp autumnal conditions provide optimum conditions for diseases to thrive,” explains Andy Russell of Headland Amenity.

“It is vital, therefore, that groundsmen start early to tackle the spike of disease which typically occurs from the end of September through to December. Plant protectant products aim to harden plant cell walls, making it harder for fungal mycelium to penetrate.”

Headlands’ Seamac ProTurf contains a citrate chelated iron to lower the pH on the leaf surface, thereby slowing the development of disease.

SeeusStandatSaltex No.H180

and increases stress tolerance and Turfite, a phosphite based plant elicitor. Together they form the now well-established Headland ‘20/20/30’ mix when tank mixed at rates of 20L/Ha Liquid Turf Hardener, 20L/ Ha Turfite and 30L/Ha Seamac ProTurf. the worker is king Gkb machines, taking our knowledge of contracting to supply the best possible machine solution. Be it a natural, synthetic or hybrid pitch.. we have a machine to suit your needs.

Pioneering sports village create a high quality hub in Leigh

Leigh Sports Village is a pioneering multi-sector development and is the biggest investment in public sports, recreation and education facilities in Wigan Borough for many years. The task of maintaining the sporting facilities is the job of Keith Porter, as Laurence Gale discovers.

With a 12,165 capacity stadium at its heart, Leigh Sports Village is home to rugby league club Leigh Centurions and Manchester United U23s.

It has hosted matches in the Rugby League World Cup, England internationals, Challenge Cup semi-finals and asway from the sporting arena it has also staged major pop concerts

Leigh Sports Village also comprises a running track with covered sprinting area, grass training pitches and floodlit FIFA, RFU and RFL accredited artificial sports pitches at Leigh Sports Village Arena – which means it is often used as a temporary training ground and match base for touring teams in Europe.

Key partners include: Leigh Centurions Rugby League Club,

Leigh College, Leigh Harriers AAC, Leigh Leisure Centre, My Life, Holiday Inn, The Whistling Wren, Wigan Council, Manchester United, Leigh East Amateur Rugby League Club, Leigh Community Trust and Morrisons.

Keith Porter, previously head groundsman at Manchester United, explains his role. “After leaving Manchester United, I spent several years working as a sports turf contractor, traveling around the area constructing and repairing sports pitches,” he says.

“However, when the Sports Village came into being, I thought it was about time to settle down again and have some stability. The job means I face many interesting challenges in terms of looking after a variety of playing surfaces, both natural and artificial.”

Keith’s team of four ground staff, which includes his son Martin, work tirelessly to maintain and ensure the pitches are fit for play. He says the sports village copes with such a diverse and busy schedule because of several key elements:

• Having a top spec, well-drained hybrid Desso Grassmaster Pitch

• Having a dedicated team of educated groundstaff

• Having the appropriate machinery and equipment

• Being able to communicate and control the usage of the pitch

• Having the ability to carry out a robust maintenance regime

• Investing in appropriate endof-season renovations

• Having the opportunity to try out new products and services.

The recent acquisition of some lighting rigs has also helped immensely - we are now able to promote grass recovery during the winter months.

“As with most free draining pitches, the application of fertilisers is essential to maintain turf vigour and colour,” he continues. “Concoctions of liquid products and granular from Paul Benson Growing

Solutions, and granular and liquid products from Terralift and Aitkens are are also used, along with biomass sugars and seaweed solutions. A monthly liquid fertiliser programme is carried out to keep the sward in good health.

“Depending on the fixture list, we try and renovate in June to give us the best possible window of rest and recuperation.

“I have been a stalwart of Johnson’s seed at the stadium for many years, and before that during my time as a contractor.

I like Johnsons Premier stadium mix, because of the top-rated cultivars in the mixture. It also has great recovery rates, recovering a lot quicker after use which is vital when sometimes we only have 24 hours after a rugby match to get the pitch ready for a football game.”

Top flight training facilities for revitalised Burnley FC

Burnley Football Club are at long last getting back to where they believe they belong, competing in the top tier of the football leagues. After an injection of more than £10 million pounds, the club can now boast one of the most up to date training facilities in the league. Laurence Gale caught up with Barry O’Brien, the training ground’s Head Groundsman.

Prior to the major redevelopment last season, Burnley’s training facilities, on National Trust land owned by the club in the grounds of

Gawthorpe Hall, were basic to say the least. The pitches were often prone to waterlogging whenever the nearby River Calder rose.

The return to the Premiership has brought a new chapter to the club, and their recent investment in a brand new training facility will no doubt help change the fortunes of the club, as they can now complete with the rest of the premierships clubs when it comes to attracting players.

Q: How long have you been working for Burnley FC?

A: I began my career as a mechanic, but soon decided I wanted to work in the turf grass industry and managed to get a job at Blackburn Rovers working with Steve Patrick. I joined Burnley’s groundstaff in 2007, working under Head Groundsman Paul Bradshaw, helping preparing pitches at both the training and stadium grounds.

However, since the onset of the training ground facilities being upgraded at Gawthorpe Hall that initially began with the draining some soil based pitches back in 2014, I soon found myself in charge of the training ground facilities.

Q: What new facilities have been built at the training ground?

A: In total we now have 12 full size pitches, all with fully automatic watering. Four are top spec Desso grass master pitches

with one having undersoil heating with the rest being fibre sand constructed pitches. We also have a full size artificial pitch and the new indoor training area.

Q: When did the work initially start?

A: The foundations of the new buildings where put in in 2015 and in the summer of 2016 Mallinson’s came in to start installing the new first team Desso Pitches.

Q: Have you had to recruit any new staff to cope with the extra work load this new facility will require ?

A: Yes, we have seen some additions to our staff requirements, we now have a total of ten staff working at the Club; Paul Bradshaw and Daniel Joice work predominantly at the stadium. I have the remaining eight staff working for me at the training ground.

James Blackburn is my deputy, Martin Stoney mechanic, Peter O’ffrrell , Jamie Worthington, Tom Hardy (apprentice), Jordan Isherwood, Aiden McGough. We have a staff rota that enables us to cover weekends and match days. These new facilities are being used daily, with weekends being the busiest time accommodating a vast range of youth and academy matches.

Q: Have the club invested in any new machinery to help you cope with the additional new pitches?

A: Yes, the club have been very good at listening to our demands, which culminated in the purchase of some new machinery from two of our local dealers Balmers GM and Gibson Garden Machinery.

Barry held several meetings with the Balmers Sales Rep, Andrew Meeks, and between them they managed to arrange a number of machinery demonstrations thus

allowing Barry and his team to try out a range of John Deere/ Weidemann mowers and aeration equipment.

After demonstrating the 7700A and the 4049R, we decided these two products would be the backbone of the fleet complemented by a 1026R, 2036R, two Allet RM rotary mowers, Dennis pedestrian cylinder mowers and a SISIS Litamina and Two Wiedenman Terraspikes a GXi8 and SL6.

With so much grass to maintain the choice of ride on equipment was a key element for us to be able to be efficient and cope with the demands of this new facility.

Q: How are the new pitches performing?

A: Very well, Malinsons did a great job of installing the new pitches, it was then a case of increasing the density and maintaining a healthy sward by a combination of regular mowing, feeding and aeration work. The pitches were seeded down with Johnsons Premier Pitch seed, we fed regularly, following a ‘little and often’ regime with a combination of granular and liquid feeds, interspersed with some bio stimulants.

We maintain the height of cut between 24 – 30 mm depending on the type of pitch and time of the year

As for our end of season renovations, we will be contracting the work out with the aim of cleaning off the pitches, reseeding and topdressing them.

We get plenty of feedback from both players and the manager and all is well, they say the pitches are excellent and provide them with a fast, true forgiving surface.

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New parts and distribution centre to service growing European ground care demand

Woods Equipment, a Blount International group business, has confirmed the opening of a brand new, purpose built spares and assembly plant in Charlerois, Belgium.

Alexis Michot, European Manager for their ground care division said: “Our business is committed to providing the best product range, quality and level of service we can, for the UK ground care market and this investment signals our intentions to expand market share and after sales support levels throughout Europe.

“The Woods business, founded in 1946 by brothers Leonard, Keith and Mervel Woods, currently employs around five hundred and fifty staff.

“Based in Oregon, Illinois, we are the acknowledged market leader in top-quality attachments and replacement parts for the grounds maintenance markets in the USA. The company built the first successful tractor-mounted rotary cutter on the principles of innovation, quality and performance.

“Those principles have resulted in a market share of approximately 20% in the USA and a growing European demand this Charlerois facility will support, through an expanding network of dealers and distributors.”

Simon Richard of Simon Richard Ltd, UK Agents for the Woods Rotary Cutter range, comments: “The Woods rotary mower range is based on the Batwing and

Robotic lawn concept for urban parks by 2030

By 2030, cities across the globe will be expected to host more people and more parks.

To manage the growing number of green spaces with minimal impact on nature and people, Husqvarna presents an autonomous lawn mower system concept that takes safety, productivity and sustainability to new levels.

The concept includes sensors and a collection of nine hovering robotic mowers, powered by battery technology and artificial intelligence, carried by a selftransporting drone.

Husqvarna Solea explores future possibilities of professional lawn maintenance by combining cutting edge technology with Husqvarna application expertise, mirroring the findings from the Future of Urban Parks Report.

The report concludes that the number of green spaces in urban areas will increase by 2030, and that new type of parks will emerge. In parallel with traditional park development, roof top gardens are expected to increase, increasing the complexity of green space maintenance.

Husqvarna Solea meets this development, as this autonomous eco-system for professional lawn care cuts the grass 24/7 and requires minimal human input, allowing

green space professionals to take care of more demanding tasks in the park.

“Husqvarna Solea demonstrates our commitment to explore new ways of enabling cities to become greener and helping landscapers save time,” says Pavel Hajman, President of the Husqvarna Division.

“Driving and witnessing the development of robotic mowers for more than 20 years, we foresee that robotic mowers will be a key player in professional landscaping teams in years to come.”

Husqvarna Solea is an autonomous lawn maintenance system designed to operate fast and quietly 24 hours a day, offering park visitors a better experience with

minimal disturbance. Whilst in operation, the system collects data and real-time information to support the green space professionals on actions needed as well as providing a holistic view and insights about the health of the park.

Husqvarna Solea contains nine hovering battery powered robotic mowers. Each mower is equipped with 20 small pivoting diamond-coated cutting blades, with each blade generating a 340 mm cutting width, for a total cutting width of 306 cm (9x340 mm). The hovering system allows fast cutting without lawn scalping. At maximum speed, with all nine robots in motion, it would take approximately 8 minutes to cut about 10,000 sqm (3 sqm/second).

For safety purposes, each robot is equipped with object recognition sensors, and to monitor grass

Brush Bull Single Spindle as well as the Multi Spindle and RC Series models.

“With almost sixty products available there is a solution for every requirement. The range runs from the 42” Economy Spindle cutter for 15hp-30hp tractors to the 21ft Multi-Spindle cutter for 70hp -300hp tractors. Most mowers come with an exceptional six-year warranty on Gearboxes.

“This new parts and distribution site is a real investment in both

past and future business. Woods have an enviable reputation as a manufacturer of superb quality machinery.

I am aware of some machines around ten years of age which are still functioning perfectly.

“The Charlerois centre will deliver continuity of supply to maximise time savings and minimise downtimes across the Woods European client base.”

Simon Richard Enquiry 96

health, they are also equipped with humidity and nutrition sensors. The robotic mowers charge via the top surface’s solar membrane coating and/or by the transport drone during and inbetween tasks.

The autonomous transportation drone is made of a super

lightweight structure carbon fibre. It has a diameter of 150cm and a height of 80 cm. The top of the transportation drone is coated with a solar cell membrane to enhance the fast induction recharge that is done daily at the home base.

Husqvarna Enquiry 97

Nigel Wilson

Tim Pinney

Dan White

Golf club succeeds with All Bent programme

Bowood’s championship golf course near Chippenham is set in 2,000 acres of glorious parkland and is renowned as one of the finest courses in Wiltshire.

To introduce some biodiversity into their greens, Course Manager Jaey Goodchild began an all bents programme on the courses 18 greens threeyears ago. To give them the best chance at success, Jaey put his trust in the highest rated cultivars, employing the J All Bent mixture from Johnsons Sports Seed.

“The decision to go for an all bent overseeding regime wasn’t one that was taken lightly” explains Jaey.

“A huge amount of work went into solving any agronomic issues and preparing the ground before we could consider introducing the seed.”

A dedicated aeration and topdressing programme was conducted to tackle issues with thatch, creating an environment which would give the seed the best chance to establish. “Once we were happy the ground was ready we looked into mixtures

and cultivars,” he adds. “With it being such a commitment, we wanted a mixture with the highest rated cultivars.”

In addition to using the STRI turf grass booklet as a guide, Jaey used his first-hand experience to make his decision.

Johnsons J All Bent mixture contains 60% Arrowtown, the top rated browntop bent, and 40% Manor. “This year was our fourth year of overseeding with J All Bent and we’re all very pleased with the results it’s delivering.

“The main benefits for us are the performance characteristics, particularly early in the season when the poa is struggling, plus these varieties provide us with fantastic fineness of leaf and colour.

“The overseeding approach, together with our cultural management programme is helping the bent species outcompete the Poa annua, helping us achieve our goal of switching to bent dominated greens.”

Barenbrug updates equestrian mix

Grass expert, Barenbrug UK, has added RPR—the self-repairing ryegrass seed—to its equestrian sports mix. The updated mix was created as a bespoke product for the world famous Hickstead venue, in an effort to provide consistent conditions for its international riders - even in heavy rain.

Edward Bunn, Hickstedd Facilities Manager, says: “International show jumping tends to be dominated by allweather surfaces, but we’ve been a grass course since 1960 and we wanted to keep it that way.

“So, our challenge was: how do we get superior wear tolerance, so riders get a level playing field,

even in torrential rain? When you’ve got a ton of horse taking off and landing on the same spot, you get a lot of holes and compaction.”

Sam Horner, Barenbrug, explains that by adding RPR (Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass) to the mix, new BAR SPRINT RPR is able to spread into surrounding areas to fill gaps in sward, literally regenerating itself: “Specifically designed for race courses, polo pitches.

“It’s perfect for any equestrian sports venues with heavy traffic, looking for faster establishment and stronger growth with a more traditional appearance.”

Barenbrug Enquiry 101

New bentgrass mixture offers better golf greens

Germinal has added a new greens-specific blend to its range of golf seed mixtures.

Designed specifically for use on soil or sand based golf greens, FOREFRONT GREENS is made up of three separate bentgrass varieties, all of which have been selected to offer increased wear and heat tolerance, vigorous growth and good all-round disease resistance for hardworking, modern golf greens.

Comprising 35% Aber®Regal (Browntop Bent), 35% Aber®Royal (Browntop Bent) and 30% 007 DSB (Creeping Bent), Forefront Greens produces a sward with enhanced disease and stress resistance and which retains a superb year-round green colour.

“AberRegal and AberRoyal work well together by offering a duo of Browntop Bentgrasses which will thrive on soil and sand based greens anywhere

Limagrain’s MM range makes rapid progress at school

Adrian Davis, head groundsman at King’s Bruton School in Somerset, has reported remarkable germination speed and recovery rates from Limagrain’s leading MM range of grass seed mixtures.

Sport plays a huge part in the life of all pupils at King’s Bruton. The school’s hockey teams have reached ten National Finals in the last five years with the Under 16 girls winning the English Schools National Indoor Hockey Championships in 2017, while the rugby 1st XV were unbeaten throughout the season.

Cricket and rugby are the two sports that dominate the playing time on the school’s sports fields

and throughout the year fifty-four home cricket matches are played over the summer while up to seventy rugby games take place throughout the winter period.

“Switching from rugby to cricket and then back from cricket to rugby can be challenging,” admits Adrian. “We start around mid-April for cricket and that runs through until the start of August – at which time gives us a window to start preparing for rugby – that’s normally about four weeks of growth.

“I have always used Limagrain’s MM seed. I have tried others but MM just seems to suit my type of soils here and I think it is the best out there.”

Limagrain UK’s MM range of grass seed mixtures is one of the most respected brands in the UK amenity industry and its mixtures are relied upon at many leading sporting venues in the UK and Europe. Adrian relies on MM50 for his cricket squares and MM60 for his rugby pitches. He also uses MM60 on his cricket outfi elds and MM16 on the school’s ornamental lawns.

in the UK,” explains Richard Brown, Amenity Sales Manager for Germinal. “This pairing provides greenkeepers with improved genetic diversity and a sward with higher resistance to key disease threats such as Red Thread and Fusarium.”

AberRoyal, AberRegal and 007 DSB are available exclusively in the UK via Germinal. The recommended sowing rate for Forefront Greens is 8 to 12g/ m 2 (80 to 120kgs/ha). The recommended overseeding rate is 5 to 8g/m2 (50 to 80kgs/ha).

Germinal Enquiry 100

“I would also say that the inclusion of Headstart® GOLD in the mixtures gives the products the kick-start that you really need,” he adds. This user friendly, non-toxic treatment can help your grass get off to a great start and is perfect for enhancing performance on grass seed coatings for sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

Limagrain Enquiry 103

DLF/Johnsons Enquiry 102

Major investment made by Origin’s Amenity Business

Hybrid is Pitchmark’s new line

After working closely with a number of leading Premier League clubs, Pitchmark is introducing their new Hybrid line marker, complete with a lifetime warranty.

This is a real breakthrough for turf professionals and their clubs.

“A large number of top stadia groundsmen use transfer markers for many good reasons,” says Mark Rodman, Pitchmark Managing Director, “it’s easier to lift the back wheels up to mark over intersecting lines, there’s balanced weight and groundsmen

like to walk slowly. With a transfer wheel marker you are using the same amount of paint on a pitch no matter how slowly you walk.”

The problems with transfer markers, Mark points out, is that they only tend to coat the tips of the leaf, so to achieve the required result it is double marked. The end result is the paint becomes so thick on the leaf it takes much longer to dry. With many modern ‘hybrid’ pitches requiring regular watering, ‘ghosting’ of paint over the pitch is highly likely.

The patent-pending Hybrid overcomes these problems with a three-wheeled design for ease of use, especially when manoeuvring over intersecting lines. The Hybrid feels like a transfer marker and comes with a range of nozzles to suit individual walking speed.

“The Hybrid cone nozzles give perfect deep leaf coverage” Mark says: “The thin coating of paint dries extremely quickly so there are no issues with irrigation, rain, or ghosting.”

The Limited Edition UK manufactured Hybrid uses highlyengineered front discs as the front wheel, and solid rear wheels leave less of a mark on the pitch.

Designed for use with Pitchmark’s Direct and Ecoline+ low-volume, ready-to-use paints, the Hybrid also features adjustable line width to suit different goal posts.

Pitchmark Enquiry 106

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).

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

Tony Holt, managing director of Linemark UK, commented: “This is fantastic news for Linemark 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 Enquiry 107

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.

Rigby Taylor Enquiry

110

Line markers are easier and more accurate

The line marking industry has evolved dramatically over the last 20 years.

Advancements in technology have revolutionised the way lines are marked on sports pitches.

Fleet are the only British company that manufacture satellite guided line marking machines, writes

the software as well as makes the paints and if that isn’t enough the company are introducing a new flushing nozzle system - The Flozle (pronounced flow-zle).

All grounds managers have problems with blockages. The advantage of The Flozle is this unique patented system (GB2511372B) (EP3079831A1

pending) can keep the line marking tip clear at all times.

Fleet have automated this procedure, as well as making it available by choice to the operator.

After each line is sprayed a small amount of water is automatically flushed under pressure through the tip keeping it clear and clean.

Other advantages are cost savings, up to half a litre of paint can be wasted when flushing a nozzle tip through a standard spray marker, whereas the Flozle uses the equivalent of two teaspoons.

The efficiency and cost savings, eliminating down time and saving paint are huge.

Taking the Grassline approach

grass and hard surface line marking paint.

The

The majority of line marking paints come in 10 litre bottles in concentrated form for diluting with water so users can choose the appropriate strength of mixed

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 Enquiry 112

paint to suit your situation. Grassline also offers a white Ready to Use (ready mixed) line marking paint and smaller 5 litre bottles of hard surface line marking paint concentrate for small line marking jobs – such as car parks and playgrounds.

The Flozle is predicted to be the industry standard for a spray line marker.

The patented system (GB2511372B) (EP3079831A1 pending) designed by Fleet will be on display at stand A070. For more information and to request a demonstration please call 01684 573535.

Line Markers Enquiry 109

Grassline can provide a range of professional line marking machines, including transfer wheel line markers and spray line markers.

Grassline Enquiry 111

Grassline line marking paints offer more for less

Grassline line marking paints are forever mindful of the increasing costs of sports pitch maintenance and line marking.

With this in mind, Grassline have launched a triple initiative which gives all Groundsmen the opportunity to acquire a transfer wheel line marker completely free of charge.

Purchase a Challenger line marker for £329.00 or an Ultima line marker for £309.95 and get two bottles of Grassline Heavy Duty line marking paint FREE OF CHARGE worth £39.50

Purchase a half pallet of Grassline Heavy Duty line marking paint concentrate (25 x 10L bottles) – cost £442.50 and get the Challenger line marker at half price – only £164.50 or Ultima line marker half price –only £154.97

Purchase a full pallet of Grassline Heavy Duty line marking paint (50 x 10L bottles) – cost £810.00 and get either the Challenger or Ultima line marker completely free of charge. All prices exclude VAT but include delivery.

Grassline Enquiry 113

Fleet

Grassline Sports Marking Liquids is a specialist manufacturer of many types of line marking paint for every type of sport surface.

company offers high performance white and coloured grass paint as well as artificial

The right lines for indoor courts

Sports Flooring, a division of McKay Flooring Ltd has been installing sports floors throughout the UK for over 40 years.

It specialising in all hardwood sports floors, as well as offering specialist line painting services, which applies markings to Sports England and Sports Scotland competition specifications.

Courts are compatible with most sports surfaces including all types of wood sports flooring –Granwood, Gransprung, Junckers, Kahrs, Haro, Boen, Tarkett, Wietzer Parkett, vinyl,

Gerflor, Sport ‘M’ Taraflex, Altro Mondo, Polyflor, Polytred, Flexiflor, Standard, Forbo.

The company provides an all-inone package from supplying and fitting of sports floors through to sports lines installation and lacquer application.

We also carry out sports fl oor renovation – dust-free sanding of the tired fl oor back to bare wood then several coats of lacquer and the re-marking of the courts and lines.

Environmentally safe, concentrated marking solutions

Recognised internationally, Bowgrass concentrated line marking paints for sports pitches have been specifically formulated to offer exceptional levels of coverage and consistency.

Waterborne and environmentally safe, all Bowgrass line marking paint grades remain ‘bright white’ in both concentrated and diluted form. Due to its optimal

performance Bowgrass line marking paints are used by many contractors, schools, councils, national and international sporting institutions as well as at major sporting championships.

Release of the new low volume Atomic line marking paint, continues to prove a huge success both in the UK and internationally.

Whilst universally compatible with all line marking machines, Bowgrass line marking paints have been specifically developed for optimal performance through the Bowcom range of line marking applicators, including the revolutionary GMX electric line marking machine, GM5, GM10, and Trike.

New Decatone colours now available

Britannia’s tough, slip resistant Decatone tennis court coating is now available in a range of new shades including the two greys pictured.

The eco-friendly long-lasting colours offer a slip resistance of 60 in the wet or damp for safer play and contain algicide and fungicide.

Long lasting lines and weed control

With it taking around 4-5 man hours to initially measure out and mark a football pitch or running track, and then with the paint only lasting a couple of weeks with wear and mowing.

This is where Pearl, available from Agrigem, comes in as a fast acting, contact desiccant with the approval for use in a line marking machine.

Pearl also has the advantage of being one of very few products that has the label recommendation for the control of Mares Tail, and has approval for use on hard surfaces and areas not intending to bear vegetation.

So, in car park areas where Mares Tail is pushing through

the newly laid Tarmac or block paving, then an application of Pearl will show visible results within 48 hours.

As it is a contact herbicide, there is a far lower risk to surrounding vegetation than with a systemic product such as glyphosate and most stands of Mares Tail can be dramatically reduced with 3-4 applications of Pearl.

With very low dose rates, up to 22km of line coverage with a single 500ml bottle, and working out as low as 0.15p per linear metre, it can be a very cost-effective way of guaranteeing that the lines will still be visible for weeks to come.

Enquiry 118

Decatone provides a tough, long-lasting finish for macadam tennis courts.

The company also provides SR65+ slip resistant netball court coating in deep, long-

lasting colours. A tough, long-lasting finish for macadam netball courts. Slip resistance of 65+ in the wet or damp for safer play, contains algicide and fungicide.

Britannia also supplies long lasting outdoor sports surface marking.

Deep penetration for long life, water based acrylic coating. Available in thick brushquality grade or for spray/ roller application.

Britannia Paints Enquiry 117

HP Sportsline provides an expert finish

Junckers HP SportsLine is a water-based two-pack paint for marking of court lines and colouring of other areas on wooden floors in gymnasiums and sports halls.

Junckers HP SportsLine is recommended on Junckers HP SPORT coated and Junckers prefinished lacquered floors. The range can be mixed to obtain other colours. Junckers manufactures high quality solid wood flooring for all types of

sport courts and gyms, including basketball courts, handball courts, volleyball courts, futsal pitches, racquet courts, squash courts and multipurpose arenas.

With experience gained from manufacturing solid hardwood floors since the 1930’s, Junckers has the technical expertise to design and supply the optimal performing high quality solid hardwood flooring. Flooring solutions suit all indoor sport

and activity areas, including, gyms, fitness flooring, athletic facilities, and multipurpose rooms.

Junckers sports floors perform with unique area-elastic characteristics and this gives athletes the ultimate freedom of movement, protects against injury and ensures that they can achieve their best.

Junckers Enquiry 119

Bowcom Enquiry 115

Sports Flooring Enquiry 116

Agrigem

Makita introduces new 55.7cc chainsaw

The new Makita EA5600F45DN chainsaw bristles with new improved features.

Powered by the advanced 2-stroke 55.7cc engine, which delivers a high-torque 4.1horsepower, includes the Stratified Air Scavenging (SAS) exhaust system where the SAS system directs unburnt combustion charge back to the induction port.

This effectively reduces fuel consumption and ensures that exhaust emissions meet the highest possible standards. It is fitted with a centrifugal air

STIHL expands battery

STIHL’s battery range continues to expand with the introduction of the new AR 1000 lithium-ion backpack battery, the lightest of those featured in its PRO cordless range.

Weighing only 5.5kg, the slim ergonomic design of the AR 1000 allows the weight to be carried closer to the operators back, making it more comfortable during operation, particularly over longer periods. Also, the attachable rain cover means its use is not dictated by weather conditions.

A comfortable harness with a waist and chest strap come as standard and the new design includes a USB port to allow the user to charge devices such as mobile phones.

The battery backpack enables the extended use of STIHL cordless products such as hedge trimmers, blowers & brush cutters. This versatility is particularly well suited for professionals who perform a variety of garden and landscape tasks.

The AR 1000 is ideal for use in conjunction with the powerful new HSA 94 R and T hedge trimmers, affording them an impressive runtime of up to 380 minutes on a single charge. The FSA 130 and 130 R brush cutters can also run for up to 230 minutes, with the BGA 100 blower running for up to 225 minutes.

When used in conjunction with the AL 500 charger, the AR 1000 backpack battery can be charged

cleaner and HD air filter for the cleanest possible charge.

The cord pull recoil starter has spring assistance, and the machine includes a primer pump and an anti-icing port for cold weather operations which keeps the fuel line flowing freely. A new wider touch and stop engine control switch allows easier operation when working with gloved hands.

The new Makita EA5600F45DN is fitted with a 45cm chain bar which carries the 0.058”gauge, and 0.325”pitch chain, and has an

adjustable flow chain oil system with 0.32L capacity. This new chainsaw weighs just 5.8kg and is a particularly well balanced machine with large diameter forward grip bar, and a rear grip handle separated from the engine and transmission which reduces vibration transferred to the operator.

The 0.57L fuel tank affords ample run time. This is now fitted with a useful fuel level window to check the fuel level.

Makita Enquiry 122

New ECHO Lithium Ion hedge trimmer

ECHO have introduced a new hedge trimmer, the DHC-200 to their 50V Lithium Ion battery series which also includes trimmers and power blowers.

Like all ECHO products this hedge trimmer has built-in features which take into consideration the environment in which it will be working and operator productivity.

As a Lithium Ion product, the hedge trimmer offers clean battery power whilst providing performance equal to its petrol counterparts. It’s also built to the same professional standard as ECHO’s petrol hedge trimmers with their reputation for being powerful, tough and durable.

There are other considerations such as reduced maintenance costs due to fewer moving parts, easy-to-use controls with no recoil start, no more fuel filling or cold starting.

The DHC-200 just needs charging up and it’s ready to go. It’s lightweight and very comfortable to use, thanks

to the ergonomic design of the front handle which helps manoeuvrability, and it can be used for long periods with little fatigue.

The 62cm double-sided precision cut blades provide a clean cut with a long-lasting sharpness for a beautiful finish. The DHC200 uses energy efficient motor controls to manage motor speed, power delivery and battery temperature for improved cutting performance and battery life.

The DHC-200 comes with a 2Ah battery and rapid charger as standard, with an optional 4Ah battery for a longer run time. The rapid battery charger ensures the 2Ah battery is boosted to 80% capacity in 24 minutes and the 4Ah in 48 minutes.

The two-year professional use warranty shows that ECHO are extremely confident in their machines. This confidence continues in its 50V battery range with a two-year warranty on all 50V lithium ion batteries.

ECHO Enquiry 123

in as little as two hours, cutting down the time expenditures usually necessary for charging.

For added convenience, the new battery backpack also has a six LED charge display status, enabling users to quickly and easily monitor the charge level to know how much operation

Versatility is key for Honda

Honda Power Products’ Versatool is the ultimate in flexibility, versatility, performance and convenience.

A multitool featuring one light, quiet, efficient and clean four-stroke engine mounted on an anti-vibration shaft, with a choice of eight

easy push-and-click attachments including a brushcutter.

Honda’s cordless handheld range makes common gardening chores simple – one highly-advanced 56-volt lithium-ion battery, three interchangeable handy tools to choose from.

time is left before needing to recharge the unit.

The STIHL backpack is available exclusively from more than 700 STIHL Approved Dealerships nationwide, with experts on hand to offer help and advice.

STIHL Enquiry 124

Lighter, quieter and cleaner, offering high performance, long run-time and fast-charging, the range means no cords, no fuel, no fuss - the ultimate in convenience and ease-of-use.

Honda Enquiry 125

Next generation Airion finds success

The next generation batterypowered hand-held blower Airion 2 is more powerful, more accurate and more comfortable, based on customer experience feedback.

Weighing just 2.55kgs, the power of the Airion 2 has been enhanced by 30% compared to the first version and is the only battery-powered blower available on the market with a thrust of 17.5 newtons, while its low noise (79 decibels) can reduce the nuisance for the operator and their working environment. It is also waterproof to IP54 standards. One such user is the grounds

team of Leicester City Football Club. John Ledwidge, the club’s grounds manager was looking for a healthier and safety working environment for his grounds staff.

As with all other Pellenc products, the Airion 2 uses the ultra-high capacity technology of the Pellenc lithium battery and guarantees non-polluting, odourless operation with quick start-up and up to one day battery life. Pellenc products are exclusively distributed in the UK and Ireland by Etesia UK.

Etesia Enquiry 126

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