Turf Matters May June 2021

THE INTERNATIONAL MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING MAGAZINE

For all sports turf professionals in golf, football, rugby, cricket, tennis, horse racing, independent schools, universities and local authorities

MAY-JUNE 2021 £4.95

Watch our channel on

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Turf management is coming home

FA Grounds Managers Karl Standley and Andy Gray on preparing for the Euros

CHARTER FOR NO LESS THAN EXCELLENCE

SYNTHETIC AND NATURAL TURF SURFACES

FOOTBALL CLUBS OPT FOR BOREHOLES

28

24

64

School of no compromise

Keeping up to date

Options to mains supply

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

WELCOME

iWelcome

Let’sforget get out there again Don’t Sport…

It is fair to say that summer, or more accurately late spring/summer, is Theus last have been nightmare upon andtwo wemonths are all raring to getaback to whatfor wemany do. people in certain parts of the country and my heart goes out to everyone dealing with Having spent over 230 consecutive nights in my own bed – coming after the aftermath of unprecedented flooding and devastating erosion. a runThe of over year ago –for I can’t wait to be out about again, getting best100 casea scenario many is months ofand temporary living.

For stuck in traffic and checking functional but inexpensive hotels. others, lives jams will never return tointo what they were.

For me, thatthe would herald a return to normality.

While fate of sports grounds and golf clubs might seem inconsequential in the face of such hardship, we at Turf Matters For you guys, it means preparing sports surfaces which actually seehave a particular empathy with everyone who has seen years of agronomic some play, and, for those in professional sport, having spectators around to husbandry literally washed away in the space of a few weeks. passItlaymen’s on the quality both play and surface.not the must beopinions hoped that banks – theoffinancial institutions, That sound ofedge moaning will berivers music– to thean ears… for the first approach couple of things which overflown take understanding to sporting weeks anyway.facilities which have been unable to service loans as a result of them being unplayable and so unable to bring in revenue.

It would be remiss of me not to wish all the very best to those who are As we have seen with the recent Winter Olympics, sport has such a preparing for some thesociety huge sporting which await over the good, next galvanising effectofon and can events be the catalyst for so much fewthat months.

I’m thinking of the Euros – see the piece in this issue with it is imperative sporting facilities are not forgotten when the Karl Standley and Andy Gray, ofisthe FA –allocated. and their colleagues at the other promised assistance being venues around On thethe UK.issue of improving sporting facilities, we have been invited

by Briggs Stratton toother become involved in its Pitch Many of the other major events&take part in parts of the world and to Win competition, which provides a £3,000 makeover for we’ll be watchingwhat on TV, but our best wishes will definitely be with our is judged to be the Under 18s football pitch in most Japanese, South African and American comrades for the Olympics, Lions need – find out more on pages 16-17.

I am on the judging Tour and Ryder and Solheim Cups.will be made to a shortlist of deserving panel and visits pitches soon. be looking notfor, so much atresults the I hope that you all get We the will weather you wish and the DESSO desperate! you crave, overbut thethe next few months and hope that, if those a final note, I am thrilled by the reception that the trafficOn jams are not too destructive, we meet up in person first issue of Turf Matters received. Many people have soon. taken time to say how much they liked the look of the magazine and how they enjoyed the articles. We’re all

Scott MacCallum, Editor pleased you found it to your liking and we will work hard to maintain the high standards. Thank you all very much.

Distributed every two months to sports turf professionals, independent schools, universities, local authorities and buyers of turfcare machinery and products.

Editor: Scott MacCallum Distributed every two months to sports scott@turfmatters.co.uk turf professionals, local authorities Design/Production Editor: Tim and buyers of turfcare machinery andMoat tim@turfmatters.co.uk products.

Customer Editor: ScottRelations MacCallumManager: Sinead Thacker scott@turfmatters.co.uk sinead@turfmatters.co.uk Design and Production Editor: Tim Moat Sales Executive: tim@turfmatters.co.uk Marie Anderson Sales Manager: Pauline Thompson marie@turfmatters.co.uk

To advertise in Turf Matters, call Pauline onin07720 055676 or To advertise Turf Matters, email pauline@turfmatters.co.uk call Sinead 07841 927500

To subscribe, go to Turf Matters is published by Straight Down

www.turfmatters.co.uk the Middle Communications Ltd.

All material © Turf Matters magazine 2021.

Turf Matters is published by Straight Down Turf Matters was awarded Best Writing and Best the Middle Communications Ltd. Design in the 2019 and 2020 Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Awards All material © Turf Matters magazine 2014.

No partFollow of this publication may be us on Twitter reproduced in any form whatsoever, @TurfMatters either for sale or not, without the written permission of publication the publisher.

No part of this mayInformation be reproduced contained Turf Matters is published in any formin whatsoever, either for sale or in good faiththe and everypermission effort has been not, without written of the made to ensure its accuracy.

TurfinMatters publisher.

Information contained Turf Matters can accept no anyeffort error is published in responsibility good faith and for every hasmisrepresentation. been made to ensure accuracy.

Turf or All its liability for loss, Matters can acceptnegligence no responsibility for any disappointment, or other error or misrepresentation.

All liability for loss, damage caused by reliance on information disappointment, damage contained in Turfnegligence Matters ororinother the event of caused by reliance information contained in any bankruptcy or on liquidation or cessation Turftrade Matters or incompany, the eventindividual of any bankruptcy of of any or firm or liquidation or of trade of any company, mentioned is cessation hereby excluded. individual or firm mentioned is hereby excluded.

Printed byWarners WarnersMidlands MidlandsPLC. PLC. Printed by

Scott MacCallum, Editor You can follow me on Twitter @TurfMatters

Inside issue Insidethis this issue News..........................................................4-22 News .........................................................4-15 Tea Break Teaser.......................................15 Pitch to Win........................................16-17 Synthetic surfaces...........................24-27 Mowing .................................19-22, 24-27 Charterhouse School.....................28-32 Tea Break Teaser ......................................29 ProPitch.........................................................33 Gleneagles..........................................30-35 Adare Manor.......................................34-39 BTME review ......................................36-41 The Euros..............................................40-44 Diary of a Golfing Nobody.................42 Natural Turf.........................................45-51 As seen on Twitter..................................43 Ride-on mowers...............................55-61 Water management. .......................62-66 Check out our website: The majesty of Gleneagles, pages 30-35 See what’s coming up for ride-on mowers, turn to pages 55-61 Subscribe FREE to our e-zine: Details at www.turfmatters.co.uk

Check out our website: www.turfmatters.co.uk www.turfmatters.co.uk Next magazine distributed 2 May Next magazine distributed July 2021

Turf Matters | March-April TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE2014 2021| 3 |3

NEWS

TARGETED SEED MIXES FOR SPORTS Premier Performance on Your Pitch Premier Seed has released its 2021 range focusing on a new range of Sport Seed.

Consisting of eight specific formulations, crafted to the needs of different sports, the Premier Sports Range offers solutions for bowls, golf, cricket, tennis, football, hockey, rugby, polo and race courses.

Germination rates exceed the 70% EU standard with Premier Seed setting a quality benchmark minimum of 90%. Premier Seed is supplied in 2kg, 10kg or 20kg bags. In areas of intense pressure, polo and race course grass seed is a 100% Perennial Ryegrass mix which is extremely hardwearing and will ensure the turf maintains a dark green colour and thick sward throughout the season, with good disease resistance.

As well as specifically targeted mixes for different sports, Premier Seed now offers a 100% Fescue mix and 100% Bentgrass mix. Fescue is a genus requiring very little in the way of fertiliser and irrigation and is great for covering large areas. www.premierseed.co.uk

‘Nice’ work with ES-860 is beyond comparison Scott Brooks

Scott Brooks, Grounds Manager at OGC Nice in France, believes that when it comes to battery-powered cylinder mowers, there is nothing that compares to the new Dennis ES-860.

Scott first started introducing batterypowered products into the operations when he was at St George’s Park.

It was towards the end of his spell there that he first heard that Dennis was launching a range of environmentally friendly mowers called the E-Series.

“I had every faith that it would be a good machine because I saw the prototype at SALTEX and I could see the benefits of it straight away,” explained Scott.

Ever the perfectionist, Scott first insisted on putting the Dennis ES860 to the test against other battery-powered cylinder mowers.

“For me, there was no comparison and there was only one winner – the Dennis ES-860 was the machine I wanted.”

Users of the Dennis G860 cylinder mower

will see familiarities in the new ES-860.

This 34” battery powered turf management system delivers maximum versatility and the range of 13 interchangeable cassette options provide a solution to many dayto-day maintenance tasks such as cutting, scarifying, brushing, slitting and verticutting.

A LCD keypad screen is an integral feature of the handlebar console providing the operator with a multitude of information options.

“The battery life on the Dennis ES-860 is excellent.

We were able to cut two

pitches on one single charge, whereas we were struggling to complete one pitch with others,” revealed Scott.

Typically, Scott relies on the brushing cassette to brush the debris off the pitches after every use; the verticutting cassette to remove any organic material and the 8-bladed cutting cassette to provide a quality cut before a match or a training session.

“There were quite a few reasons for going down the battery route.

Firstly because of the environmentally friendly benefits, but also from a noise pollution perspective.” www.dennisuk.com

NEW WEBB FLAGSHIP 21” FOUR IN ONE ALUMINIUM DECK MOWER Following the introduction of the WER19ALSP aluminium deck 19” lawnmower last month we are pleased to launch yet another new

4 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

product from the Webb brand for 2021 with an all new 21” self propelled premium aluminium deck lawnmower.

The WER21ALSP boasts a powerful 163cc Briggs & Stratton 675EXi Readystart engine and a large working width of 53cm / 21”. The aluminium cutter deck is designed for

exceptional airflow and collection performance, with 4 in 1 function offering the choice of rear collect, rear discharge, side discharge, and mulching.

For enhanced performance and durability, the WER21ALSP features a unique 4 blade disc, with swing tip blades to avoid costly damage in the event of objects being struck.

Other features of the WER21ALSP include a large 70L collector with integrated grass full indicator, large 12” highwheels for easy manoeuvrability over any terrain, eight stage central height adjustment from 25mm to 90mm, and quick release folding handles for easy transport and storage.

As with all Webb products the WER21ALSP offers

exceptional value for money, with an SSP of just £599.99 including VAT, full spare parts backup, a comprehensive two year domestic warranty for peace of mind.

Other new products include 40cm petrol scarifier/lawn rake, 19” aluminium deck lawnmower, and a new powered self propelled wheeled vacuum. www.webbgarden power.co.uk

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Sports and Ground Expo will go ahead this summer With the government’s announcement outlining the road map for this summer offering the necessary assurances, SAGE – Sports and Grounds Expo – is officially on.

Set in the Three Counties Showground at the foot of the Malvern Hills, the show, on 27–29 July, will feature hands-on demonstrations and experiences, offering visitors the chance to see and test out the latest products.

Visitors can also observe leading exhibitors showcasing their products, without any limitations on space, while also hearing the latest ideas from within the industry.

SAGE brings together grounds personnel from a broad range of sectors, providing an engaging and well-resourced environment.

The expo will advise companies on how to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness, exploring and showcasing the products that can help.

“The government’s announcement out of lockdown has really opened up the summer; SAGE now sits perfectly in the calendar, and provides a fantastic opportunity to get outdoors and to see what is on offer across the industry,” said Event Manager, Vicky Panniers.

“Our motivation is to give visitors a hands-on experience, without compromising on safety, and at The Three Counties this is easily achieved.

“Our aim is to provide an environment that will benefit everyone from grass roots to senior management; we are very excited about what is on offer and we look

forward to seeing you all,” added Vicky.

The Sports & Grounds Expo will offer a safe and proactive environment for those operating across all sectors of the sports and grounds maintenance industry. SAGE is a free event open to all, who are interested in the sports and grounds industry. www.sports andgrounds. co.uk

Three Counties Showground

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 5

NEWS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

BIGGA promises turf event of the year Pledge to leave no stone left unturned The Kongskilde Stonebear is the perfect choice for ground care professionals who need a hard-working machine to remove stones and rubbish.

Designed to collect stones from approx. 2.8cm to 30cm diameter, the Stonebear can be deployed effectively before drilling and planting operations.

Available in two specifications the SB4000 with a 4m working width and SB5200 with a 5.2m working width, both models are perfect for one-man operator use.

The Stonebear is also fitted with wide low-pressure tyres which reduce compaction and rakes that are specially designed to follow the contours of uneven land and rotate in the opposite direction to forward travel.

The heavy-duty rake spikes draw the stones on to a sieve in the centre of the machine, where the stones are sieved by the tines in the rotor and thrown on to the hopper. Any extra soil is distributed through the sieve and back into the ground.

Unlike many conventional stone-picking machines, the Stonebear operates with a low tractor power requirement, SB4000 – 72 hp and the SB5200 – 80 hp.

“The Kongskilde Stonebear is an excellent machine for clearing stones from cultivated soil. We have supplied machines into several applications,” said Neil Bodymore, Kongskilde product specialist. www.kongskilde.com

6 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

This summer BIGGA is inviting the turf industry to reconnect at the Warwickshire Event Centre for two days of exhibition, innovation and entertainment.

The UK Government’s Roadmap out of lockdown has laid out a pathway to freedom following the challenges placed upon everyday life by the coronavirus crisis.

For BIGGA this journey culminates on 21 & 22 July with a brand-new exhibition for greenkeepers, groundsmen and others with a professional interest in turf management.

“It will have been a long 18 months since the industry gathered together at BTME 2020 and little did we know the challenges we would face over the coming year,” said Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO. “We’ve all got new stories to tell since we last met up and I’m proud that BIGGA is able to facilitate the opportunity for the turf management industry and its commercial supporters to do so in a face-to-face setting,” “The Festival of Turf is going to be packed full of innovative products and services and some brilliant exhibitors, but most importantly it will be an opportunity to get together and enjoy reconnecting with old friends after such a long time apart.”

Festival of Turf is a completely new exhibition

for the turf industry.

Although there will be many of the familiar faces from BIGGA’s regular exhibition, BTME, and other industry exhibitions of the recent past, the predominantly outdoor exhibition – in addition to a number of stands and other facilities indoors – will give a different experience for attendees.

There will be a stage featuring live music into the evening and industry experts talking during the day, appropriate summer refreshments, and exhibitors are being encouraged to do what they can to make the event a real festival of celebration after so long apart.

On 21–22 July, England is anticipated to be at Stage 4 of the unlocking process, meaning social distancing measures will have been removed, and at that time it is anticipated that just about every adult in the UK will have been offered a vaccine. Other safety measures will be in place, but confidence is high that the festival can be a fantastic and

ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE MANY OF THE FAMILIAR FACES FROM BTME, THE PREDOMINANTLY OUTDOOR EXHIBITION WILL GIVE A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FOR ATTENDEES.

entirely safe experience.

The Warwickshire Event Centre is centrally located in the Midlands, on the outskirts of Royal Leamington Spa. Set on a 30-acre site, the event hall offers 2,280m sq of space, while the outdoor exhibition area covers two-acres.

For more than 30 years BIGGA has been hosting exhibitions that feature the most innovative and exciting product launches.

“Following a strong period, 2021 will be an exciting period for Kioti UK, with the introduction of many new Stage V Compact tractor models,” said Patrick Desmond, General Manager at Kioti UK. “The Festival of Turf will be the perfect opportunity to show the industry the latest models. We look forward to being there in a safe environment.”

The Festival of Turf is set to be the biggest turf party of the summer, so for the latest news and updates, head to the BIGGA website to find out more.

You can also check in on social media using the hashtag #FestivalOfTurf You can register for a place now on the BIGGA website and be automatically entered into a draw to win a Motocaddy M1 electric trolley. www.bigga.org.uk/ festival-of-turf.html

NEWS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Limagrain changes fortunes Mat Edwards, Head Greenkeeper at Looe Golf Club in Cornwall, has praised a range of Limagrain products for helping him to transform the course into one of the most respected in the county.

Mat has been working at Looe Golf Club for the past six years.

“Hearing the great comments from members and visitors about how much the course has improved in the last few years has been fantastic – it has been a real highlight for me,” he said.

Mat certainly has exceeded all expectations but last year he faced his biggest challenge yet.

“The greens got absolutely annihilated by leatherjackets and we nearly had total loss of cover on a few of them. I conferred with David Bevan, from Agrovista Amenity, and Matt Gresty, from Limagrain UK, and they were both of the opinion that we should reseed the greens with Limagrain’s

MM50 grass seed.”

Limagrain’s MM50 is one of the UK’s biggest selling grass mixtures. The hardwearing ryegrass mix is very fine leaved, has high shoot density, is tolerant to close mowing down to 4-5mm and produces a great colour all year round.

It also has quick recovery from damage and play.

Furthermore, this mixture is treated with Headstart GOLD - a revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination.

“I applied MM50 very heavily to the greens in early March just before the

A touch of Velvit…

Fertiliser manufacturer, Velvit, has added two new products to their range, expanding their use of their V90 Nutrilong technology.

The Velvit-produced Nutrilong technology has long been used on the top turf in the business, while these new products will aim to bring this premium technology at an affordable price.

“Velvit has always been regarded as a prestige product, and our prices have had to match this. Working with our customers we recognised a need for Spring/Summer

8 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

products which brought the quality Velvit is known for, but at a more accessible price point,” said James Whittick, Director of Sales.

“These new products bring all the benefits of our Nutrilong V90 technology, without the added cost of blending these with homogenous granules.”

The new products will be 17-3-8 +MgO and 16-3-8 +MgO and available in 1-2mm and 2-3mm respectively.

These products will be coming to the market in the coming months. www.velvit.co.uk

overseed the greens with MM50 for a second time, but it is not the only Limagrain product he is focusing on.

“This will be our third year of using Limagrain’s Colour Splash mixtures – and they have helped us create a lovely area which has improved the aesthetics of the course.

“There was an area between the 8th and the 10th hole,” said Mat. “So we decided to make use of it to add some colour and it is in a perfect position first lockdown and put grow where people can stop. A sheets over the top. It was beer tent is placed right cold, the soil temperature next to the Colour Splash was low, and we had area which makes it nice some wintery showers. I for people to socialise too.” think the grow sheets “Ultimately, I’m very helped but it was not long pleased because it is fair to before the seed flew up. say that a few years ago the “I’ve been incredibly happy with the results from MM50. course didn’t have a glowing reputation,” said Mat. The seed has also helped “Everything is heading with disease; historically, in the right direction we suffer from a bit of now – the greens are back fusarium and anthracnose and healthy and some towards the end of summer, people are claiming that but we have seen a lot less. they are now some of The greens are definitely the best in the county.” more resistant to disease www.lgseeds. since applying the MM50.” co.uk/amenity Mat is now preparing to

Could you be part of SALTEX? Organisers of SALTEX are looking for the best speakers in the grounds management industry to showcase their knowledge at the prestigious show, which is due to take place at the NEC, Birmingham on 3 – 4 November 2021.

Learning LIVE, SALTEX’s all-encompassing education programme, provides advice, insight and real solutions to the biggest issues that the grounds management industry care about most. Organisers aim for the seminar programme at SALTEX to be engaging, informative and

educational for attendees.

Since its creation in 2015, the most popular Learning LIVE sessions have been case studies and presentations from companies or individuals who are prepared to share personal experience and learnings.

If you have a story to share or consider yourself a field specialist, then SALTEX wants to hear from you.

Each proposal will be evaluated and those that most closely match the needs of the attendees will be selected. www.gmasaltex.co.uk

NEWS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Pellenc is future for Angus Angus Roberts believes he has an opportunity to make his new business, Border Lawns, stand out from the competition and claims his recent investment in Pellenc products will certainly help his cause.

Angus stepped away from greenkeeping to set up a new landscaping business. He admits to it being not without risk though, especially as he held a prominent position as Deputy Course Manager at the Schloss Roxburghe Hotel & Golf Course, just outside Kelso. However, with youth and experience on his side, it seems a logical decision – even more so when you refer to his already impressive CV. Angus left school and began an apprenticeship at the Roxburghe in 2017, but he got his first taste of

tournament preparation in 2016 when he volunteered to be part of the BIGGA Volunteer Support Team that worked at the British Masters in 2016.

A year later and he won the prestigious Toro Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Angus continued to impress and as well as achieving his Level 3 qualification in greenkeeping, he also received successive promotions at the Roxburghe. However, he now feels the time is right to go it alone.

“It is something I have been working on in my spare time for a while now,” said Angus.

“The company specialises in lawn treatment and other general services.

There is a lot of competition with other big franchise companies but I do feel there is an opportunity for my company to stand out from the crowd.”

To do this, Angus believes in only using market leading equipment and it is for this reason that he had his heart set on the Pellenc range of batterypowered equipment.

A forerunner when it comes to lithium-ion technology, Pellenc has established itself as the number one choice in the ‘zero emission’ professional power tools market for the maintenance of urban and green-spaces.

Angus chose to invest in a whole new fleet consisting of chainsaws, blowers, hedge cutters, brushcutters pole saws, grass strimmers and mowers. All powered

by 1200 and 1500 ultralithium batteries.

“I have used lots of petrolpowered machinery over the years and they have been great but there is a non-inconsiderable expense to keep them going, and you do get issues with them. As a company I would like to be environmentally sustainable and benefit from the long-term savings that can be achieved through batterypowered products.

“The fact that they are so quiet and comfortable are huge benefits too.

“The run time of the Pellenc equipment is so far ahead of all of the other electric products out there.

“They are waterproof with an IP54 rating too so I can work in any weather – which is vital.” www.pellencuk.com

WHITEMOSS EXTENDS WARRANTY PERIOD TO 20 YEARS Whitemoss Eco Supplies Ltd have agreed with the supplier and manufacturers of BunkerMat Gen2, Geofabrics Australia, to extend their warranty period to 20 Years.

It is the only carpet type liner on the market to offer a 20-year 10 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

warranty and it is backed up by in excess of 27 years’ experience and installations.

Among the first full course installations was Kuala Lumpur GCC, home of the Malaysian Open. They installed BunkerMat (Gen1) into all course bunkers

over 20 years ago and they are all still performing exactly the same as they were immediately following installation.

BunkerMat Gen2 is stronger and is with the new stitch through construction, the top surface is now tightly fixed

into the geogrid backing.

BunkerMat was designed as a golf bunker liner unlike many of the other products being sold as liners. Its strong, reliable and very cost effective; indeed, you can see a return on investment in 3-5 years.

NEWS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Battery power leads the charge

F

or professional landscapers and grounds maintenance staff, petrol has been the fuel of choice for well over a century. While petrol has remained a constant for so long, greater awareness of the damage fossil fuels is doing to our planet has led to questions on the continued use of petrol-powered garden tools, with even some famous garden personalities speaking up recently for ditching the petrol.

Recent research published by EGO in The Report, which uncovers the true environmental impact of petrol-powered garden tools, found that 11 times more carbon monoxide is emitted by a popular petrol leaf blower compared to a Ford Fiesta.

It’s no wonder cities including Los Angeles and Berlin have banned the use of petrol leaf blowers.

Despite the dangers, scepticism over battery-power remains because of a longstanding misconception that batteries cannot deliver the same level of performance that petrol engines can.

It simply isn’t the case, with battery power leading the charge to a greener, safer future with the ability to supply the power required to complete any job – big or small.

When it comes to choosing the right battery for your tools, it’s vital to understand the types of

LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES ARE POPULAR WITH PORTABLE ELECTRONICS BECAUSE OF THEIR SMALLER AND LIGHTER DESIGN, WHILE HAVING GREAT ENERGY DENSITY WITH A SLOW LOSS OF CHARGE WHEN NOT IN USE. 12 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

batteries available and their power.

Rechargeable batteries come in various forms, including lead acid, nickel-cadmium and nickel– metal hydride. While you may find some lead-acid batteries in cordless mowers, cordless garden tools typically use lithium-ion.

The lithium-ion battery is a family of rechargeable batteries in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge, and back while it’s charging. The negative electrode is made from carbon while the positive electrode is metal oxide, with the electrolyte is lithium salt in an organic solvent.

Lithium-ion batteries are popular with portable electronics because of their smaller and lighter design, while having great energy density with a slow loss of charge when not in use.

Since first being used in portable technologies in 1991, manufacturers such as EGO have been able to develop the technology and harness the power of lithiumion batteries to create tools that outperform petrol alternatives.

This research led to the development of the EGO Power+ 56V Arc Lithium battery, a cleaner, quieter power source that releases zero emissions in use, produces less vibration and can be used on all tools in the EGO family.

The batteries available go up in size with increasing power capacity and run time with each level. While each brand offers varied Voltage and Ampere-Hour, EGO’s batteries are available in 2.5Ah, 4.0Ah, 5.0Ah, 7.5Ah, 10.0Ah handheld 56V batteries, as well as the brands sizeable backpack batteries which offer a full day of charge for busy professionals.

Ah stands for Ampere-Hour and is the total charge a battery can deliver in one hour. For example, with a 2.5Ah battery, you can mow up to 400sqm, line trim for up to 70 minutes, hedge trim for up to 75 minutes, saw up to 130 cuts or leaf blow up to 100 minutes.

At the other end of the scale, with a 10.0Ah battery you can mow up to 1600sqm, line trim up to 280 minutes, hedge trim up to 300 minutes, saw up to 600 cuts or leaf blow up to 400 minutes.

You should also be aware of the voltage of a battery (V), which is the measurement of how much power it can provide. Simply, the higher the voltage the more powerful a battery.

Some tools require more power to run, so require a larger battery.

While higher voltage means more power, it also adds weight to the tool and higher voltage batteries generally mean greater cost. As ever, it’s all about choosing the right tool for the job and finding that sweet spot between power and capacity.

While we have come along way with battery technology, there is still room for development. As more people take up the technology and we put petrol in the past, more investment will be made to develop further innovations for the cordless outdoor power tool market.

As time goes on, battery manufacturers will find ways to make batteries last longer and recharge more quickly.

Cordless technology eliminates the detrimental impacts of petrol power, including harmful emissions, noise and vibration. In practice, users can rely on the power they need for the job in hand, while also benefitting from quieter and safer operation – all without the damaging emissions. www.egopowerplus.co.uk

NEWS

14 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

www.turfmatters.co.uk TEA BREAK TEASER

MAKING TURF MATTER

Tea Break Teaser HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

A SUMMER OF

SPORT!

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

A summer of sport awaits – Euros, Olympics, Lions Tour, Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup. Test your knowledge on questions from these five massive sporting events.

1. Who are the current holders of the European Championships?

2. How many Gold Medals did Great Britain win in Rio 2016 – was it 23, 25 or 27?

3. How many matches were there in the first ever Lions Tour, to Australia and New Zealand in 1888 – 25, 30 or 35?

4. True or false. There have been five holes-in-one at Ryder Cups. Only one from an American player.

5. Where and when was the first Solheim Cup played?

6. In which year did late substitutes, Denmark, win the Euros?

7. How many Olympic Gold Medals did Michael Phelps win?

8. Do the Lions have a winning or losing Test record?

9. How many times has The Belfry hosted the Ryder Cup? 10. Who sunk the winning putt for Europe at the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles?

11. The Panenka penalty originated in the final of which European Championships?

12. In what discipline did Nadia Comaneci secure her first perfect 10 at the Montreal Olympics in 1976?

13. Who holds the record for the most points in Lions Test history?

14. Which European player has secured the most Ryder Cup points?

15. The maker of which famous golf club brand was the founder of the Solheim Cup?

Answers on page 69 TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 15

NEWS

All you need to know about

nematodes S

Colin Mumford

pring is an important time of year for turf management. As the weather warms and preparations are made for the busy summer season, everything must be one to ensure that the turf is healthy – protecting the grass from soil-dwelling pests such as chafer grubs. Helpfully, nematodes can be used to control these unwelcome golf course visitors, which feed on the grass plants’ roots.

Dr Colin Mumford, Technical Support Manager at Bayer Environmental Science, answers greenkeepers’ questions on how nematode-based products work.

DON’T NEMATODES KILL GRASS? It depends. There are two types of nematodes – the ‘bad guys’ and the ‘good guys’. The ‘bad guys’ are plant parasitic nematodes that feed on plant tissue, stress the turf and often make it visually unappealing.

The ‘good guys’ are the entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) and these don’t harm humans, plants or vertebrates. They are, however, able to target and control turf pests such as chafer grubs and leatherjackets. In this article, I’ll refer to EPN (the ‘good guys’) simply as ‘nematodes’.

HOW DO NEMATODES CONTROL TURF PESTS? When you apply the nematodes to turf, they travel down to the roots, where the chafer grubs and leatherjackets reside.

These pests become the nematodes’ hosts and, once they’ve found them, each nematode enters its host through its natural openings. Once inside, they regurgitate a type of bacteria that paralyses the host and, ultimately, leads to its death.

The nematodes then produce offspring that feed on the inside of that host. Once they’ve exhausted all of the resources available to them, they exit the body. These new nematodes will then go off to seek a host for themselves to complete their lifecycle.

their lifecycle and control the pest. But ‘no’ in so far as different species use different strategies to target their host.

For example, Bayer’s Harmonix Tri-Nema product contains three different species.

‘The Hunter’ Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, is a ‘seek and destroy cruiser’ nematode that actively seeks out or hunts its prey before attaching itself to it. Meanwhile, Steinernema carpocapsae is known as ‘The Resident’ because it uses an ambushing strategy that sees it sitting and waiting for a host to come along before jumping onto it to complete its lifecycle. Furthermore, ‘The Explorer’, Steinernema feltiae, has an intermediate foraging strategy between the ‘ambusher’ and ‘cruiser’. It will actively seek out the host but, rather than attacking, it will wait for the host to come past and then it will ambush it.

Ideally, you want to use as many different species as possible so that you’re utilising those different modes of action and maximising the effectiveness of your nematode strategy to control chafer grubs.

HOW DO I STORE THEM? Ideally, you should use the nematodes as soon as possible after receiving them.

But if you can’t get to the golf course because the conditions aren’t right, then you’ll need to store them appropriately.

Don’t open the box in broad daylight/ direct sunlight because this is extremely

DO ALL EPN NEMATODES WORK IN THE SAME WAY? This is one of those ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers.

‘Yes’ once they are inside the host species, they all produce the bacteria, complete 16 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

WHAT LIES BENEATH: Chafers under the surface

damaging to the nematodes and can kill them. What’s more, don’t expose the nematodes to extreme temperatures, so don’t freeze them or expose them to temperatures above 30°C. The product will typically come in a cardboard box, but you will need to take the packets of nematodes out of that box and store them in the fridge at a temperature of 4-8°C. Otherwise, the cardboard box will act as insultation, meaning the product won’t be stored at the optimum temperature range.

You want to loosely distribute the packets in your fridge and don’t put them together in one big stack. This is because the weight of all the packs can cause crushing injuries on the nematodes in the bottom pack. Just loosely lay them out in your refrigerator and always use the nematodes before the end of the expiry date on the packet.

WHEN DO I APPLY THEM? The timing of application should coincide with egg hatch, or soon after egg hatch.

Chafer grubs are the larval stage of several adult beetle species, including Phyllopertha horticola. Therefore, you need to monitor the activity of the adult insects from mid-May until late June.

Leatherjackets are another grass rootloving pest that nematodes can target.

These are the larvae of the cranefly, most commonly the European crane fly (Tipular paludosa) although the common cranefly }

MAKING TURF MATTER

(Tipular oleracea) can also be seen in turf.

Contrary to its name, it’s not the most common species but the difference between this and the European cranefly is that several generations can live throughout the year. So, if you spot a cranefly in springtime then it’s most likely the common cranefly.

You should apply nematodes three to four weeks after you observe a decline in the activity of the adult insects. That way, you know that the vast majority of eggs would have hatched by then. And any eggs that haven’t yet hatched will be attacked by future nematode generations.

DO I NEED TO PREPARE THE GROUND BEFORE APPLYING THEM? Yes. If you’ve got high levels of thatch the nematodes can get held up in there.

So, anything you can do to reduce this prior to applications is advisable.

Also, avoid using granular fertilisers for two weeks prior to, and post, the nematode application because granular fertilisers can do untold damage them.

Ideally, you want to aerate the surface of the turf before applying the product to improve surface infiltration rates and aid the efficiency of the nematodes getting into the soil or the rootzone. Irrigating the day before application should ensure that you have appropriate levels of water in your soil.

DON’T APPLY THESE NEMATODES PRIOR TO, OR DURING, HEAVY RAIN… IT’S POSSIBLE FOR THE NEMATODES TO BE FLUSHED THROUGH THE ROOTZONE AND DOWN THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM

www.turfmatters.co.uk

HOW DO I APPLY THEM? Typically, you will be using a vehiclemounted sprayer or a knapsack sprayer.

You may have to premix a solution if it’s a small capacity tank or a knapsack sprayer.

But whichever system you use, try not to apply them using too great a pressure, keep the pressure below 5 bar. The more pressure you have the more force going through the nozzle which tends to produce a smaller droplet. The benefit of large droplets is that they bounce and roll off the turf canopy until they get to the rootzone itself and are able to transport the nematodes into the root system.

You’ll need to remove all filters from your sprayer because nematodes can get trapped. Also avoid using warm water as this could shock the nematodes.

The other point that’s really important to remember is that you don’t apply these nematodes prior to, or during, heavy rain.

In this type of weather, it’s possible for the nematodes to be flushed through the rootzone and down the drainage system.

Finally, avoid applying the nematodes in direct sunlight. The ideal timing is first thing in the morning when you’ve got low light levels.

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 17

NEWS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

STIHL expands its brushcutter range STIHL has launched the new FSA 86 R, adding to its range of high-performance brushcutters designed for landscaping professionals and groundskeepers.

The new FSA 86 R offers the low weight of its predecessor, the FSA 85, with added features like the ergo lever handle cutting attachments that can be changed by hand, a new design and more power. The all-new high revving direct drive motor produces 20% more power, delivering outstanding cutting performance.

The EC motor also offers excellent efficiency during operation, ensuring it permanently monitors the load and adjusts the engine accordingly.

Additionally, the exceptional power-to-weight ratio makes the tool incredibly easy to use, particularly for line-trimming around boarders and trees, without the need of metal cutting tools or a full bike-handle brushcutter.

In addition to the comfortable loop handle for easy handling and working in confined spaces, the FSA 86 R also features an ergonomic control handle from which the locking lever, ERGO lever and main trigger lever can be easily

activated. The locking lever is selfresetting and prevents unintentional switching on of the device, and when the ERGO lever and shift lever are pressed simultaneously, users can work continuously with ease.

Although the new AutoCut C 6-2 cutting head is fitted as standard, the new PolyCut 6-2 is available as an alternative option that can be fitted without the need for tools. For more challenging

jobs, the new DuroCut 5-2 is also available and ideally suited for dense grass and light scrub.

The FSA 86 R features a new battery housing and component design, enabling users to easily insert STIHL’s high-performance 36V AP batteries, ideal for professional use. Users can take working time from 35 minutes to 60 minutes when using STIHL’s AP 200 battery. www.stihl.co.uk

Kubota introduces Stage V of L1/2 series Kubota has launched two brand new ranges of compact tractors, building on the success achieved in the past by the L1 and L2 Series.

Both new series are now equipped with Kubota Stage V engines and the exterior and interior design have been entirely renewed for a stylish new look.

The new Kubota L1 Series compact

18 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

tractors have been designed to be highly durable and easy to operate and maintain.

There is a choice of three-range HST hydrostatic transmission or a synchronised manual gearbox featuring eight forward and eight reverse gears, and they are powered by four-cylinder 45, 51 and 55hp Kubota Stage V diesel engines, which make them exceptionally clean-running.

One of the main advantages of Kubota’s tractors is the spacious, comfortable design of their platform, and the L1 Series is no exception with its folding rear ROPS frame and heightadjustable steering wheel. The L1 series also features generous rear lifting capacity at a maximum of 1750kg.

Compact tractors in the L2 series feature an unprecedented combination

of comfort and efficiency, which makes them ideal for demanding professionals.

The L2 range allows users to choose between three different engine outputs from 45-61hp, spacious and well-equipped cabin or ROPS versions, 16F+16R mechanical or three-range hydrostatic transmission. Rear linkage lift capacity is 1750kg, allowing a wide range of implements to be handled with ease.

Both tractors can be specified with Kubota front loaders offering even more versatility and expanding the range of tasks that can be performed.

The new L1 and L2 ranges constitute an example of the great performance and adaptability of Kubota’s products, and show the company’s commitment to meet the operator’s needs, whatever they may be.

NEWS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Greenkeepers’ needs catered for by GKB GKB Machines, the company behind sustainable, reliable and robust maintenance machinery for natural, synthetic and hybrid turf are offering the ability to keep your golf course in prime condition throughout the year, thanks to their range of machines.

The GKB Sandspreader enables a distribution of a great variety of materials, in the appropriate quantities.. Available in four different designs, there are several hopper capacity options ranging from 1m3 to 4m3.

The Sandspreader is available with a conveyer belt on the front enabling you to use it as a material handler for filling drainage equipment, a smaller dresser or even bunkers.

Combining scarifying and sandfilling in one hassle-free operation, the GKB Sandfiller takes a six person job and allows this working method to be executed by just one.

Scarifying and sand-filling in this way means the surface always remains stable and improves the drainage system. This machine

features a slitting rotor which is provided with carbide scarifying blades, these blades and a unique paddle attachment create wind to lift the removed material off the surface.

From the use of heavy-duty machinery to a footfall of thousands on golf courses over time, many greenkeepers do not comprehend how bad compaction is and can be. Designed to relieve compaction, the GKB Deep Tine Aerator works on golf courses to

enable water to travel through and for stronger roots to develop.

The GKB Combiseeder offers you both solutions, as well as the possibility to seed multiple types of grass. The two conical spiked rollers open up the soil and accurately spread seed across the full width of the machine, in and around the holes whilst two drag brushes incorporate the seed into the holes. This method results in minimal surface disruption. www.gkbmachines.com

Thanks to Wembley, Infinicut is coming home Wembley Stadium is now home to five 34” Infinicut FL mowers. While the Infinicut’s lithium battery power fulfils The FA’s drive towards increasing sustainability, it was the functionality of the floating head units coupled with the quality of cut that sealed the deal for Grounds Manager Karl Standley.

Sustainability has been a key issue for The FA Group since the new Wembley

20 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

Stadium opened in 2007. The sustainability strategy, governed by FAST – The FA Group’s Sustainability Team – is actively looking at ways of reducing both waste and the use of fossil fuels, meaning that when it came to looking for a new fleet of stadium mowers, the electric route was the way to go.

“It is crucial that any equipment we invest in delivers from an operational perspective,” explained Karl.

“A football pitch will never be 100% even, there will always be an undulation of a couple of millimetres here and there and with the Infinicut it almost ‘sticks’ to the surface. The floating head reads the pitch, every camber, every tiny movement and the whole team was very impressed by that and it shows in the quality of finish.”

Since taking delivery of the quintet of 34” mowers in the autumn of 2020, they are now the main machines used for preparing the playing surface, primarily down to

the cut quality. However, the additional benefits of the battery technology are also making themselves apparent.

“We’ve had all five machines running together in preparation for a number of fixtures and the silence in the stadium is evident. It’s an eerily quiet experience – prep has never been quieter – but the difference has also been noticed by our colleagues. In addition, the massive reduction in HAV for the operators is another important benefit that has come to light. We test all of our equipment annually to enable our team to keep an accurate track on exposure and in the last round of tests, the INFINI’s came out with the lowest HAV score of the equipment we have,” he added.

With the Infinicut delivering on all fronts, the benefits are due to be felt further down the chain with The FA working on finding the previous mower fleet a new home at clubs and organisations at grassroots level.

NEWS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Sports turf management needs to be data-driven

With the impacts of COVID-19 still being felt around the world, and revenues generated by the stands, shops, bars, and restaurants of the world’s sports grounds dropping considerably, athletic turf managers are facing difficult budgetary decisions on how to best optimise their grounds, while also tackling adverse weather conditions such as extreme cold weather, drought, and increased rainfall.

Turf is not a commodity where cuts can be made if standards are to be maintained. Ensuring a safe, durable, and high-performing surface is critical. The turf in a stadium or sports ground probably endures more wear and tear than any other.

On football pitches, for example, teams play long seasons, with certain areas on the pitch experiencing a lot of concentrated action. These demanding locations on the field rely on exceptional standards of maintenance – week in, week out.

Permanently positioned sub-soil monitoring systems from Soil Scout can stream readings from multiple key locations across pitches in real-time, collecting all the information needed to make a real-time assessment on where to allocate time and resources.

Due to the way buildings shield or expose the field to different weather conditions, the pitch develops a variety of microclimates – each with their own challenges, pressures, 22 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

and risks. Whether it’s how the pitch gets airflow, moisture retention in areas of shade, or areas contracting disease, sports turf managers are required to individually monitor and treat these zones to ensure uniformity across the whole pitch.

With Soil Scout’s real-time data coming from underground sensors, managers get a detailed view of the in-field variation of their pitch, and can accurately treat exactly where needed according to live current levels.

If heavy rain is forecasted, managers can program wetting agents in advance to ensure the moisture penetrates the soil and keeps it in good condition.

If a period of drought is expected, moisture retaining agents are deployed to keep the soil in good shape.

Ensuring a consistent playing surface is challenging when the soil’s growth potential and current conditions are unknown. When data is streamed from across a pitch in real-time, proactive agronomic turf improvement can be achieved as predictions can be made for plant nutrient and moisture requirements.

Aside from the physical health of the soil, athletic turf managers consider the home team’s tactics when it comes to the pitch’s condition. For example, in football, some teams prefer a shorter cut and a slightly wet surface to match their high intensity passing game. Others will want a dry, slower pitch with longer grass to suit their aerial superiority.

However, without some form of measurement system in place, there’s no way to effectively measure the outcomes of these practices, and finding the optimum levels is guesswork.

Applying fertiliser at the wrong temperatures and moisture levels

can waste thousands of pounds per application. When you have only got the air temperature to guide you on when to apply fungicides to the field, you will inevitably waste expensive products and potentially harm the plant and soil beneath.

When critical plant health products are expensive, it’s important to get the application right, and this can only be done with a data-driven approach. This way, you guarantee that you apply the product at the most effective times, leading to a greatly improved effect from its use, yearly savings, and disease control can be simplified.

Turf in most cold countries sits dormant in the winter, and snow is an unavoidable enemy for turf managers. A healthy rug will be much more resilient during the winter months, so preparation is crucial.

The grass plant can become extremely stressed due to the constant changes in temperature and moisture extremes.

Additionally, the risk of snow mold is a big threat when the snow begins to thaw.

Deeper below the surface, the increase in moisture from the thawing snow will also pump a lot of moisture in the soil, massively increasing the salinity levels.

Sub-soil heating can help to mitigate the effects of fungal disease from the insulation the snow generates on the top layer soil. Also, by tracking historical data from previous winters, wetting agents can be programmed with sub-soil heating to ensure optimum moisture drainage when the cold weather hits. Only with Soil Scout’s real-time alerts can you optimally ensure that you’re heating the pitch at the right times and before it reaches critical temperatures. This way, you’re able to increase the playable days of your surface.

Data-driven sports turf management is a real option for grounds teams looking for ways to adapt to today’s world. Tighter conditions tend to create efficiency improvements that can have long-lasting benefits.

For instance, a stadium that has collected several years of historical data will have a clearer view of overall trends and the tendencies of each zone’s soils. Instead of reacting to changes, athletic turf managers will be able to proactively work towards even greater efficiencies and improvements that will compound with each new year. www.soilscout.com

SYNTHETIC SURFACES

Broom at the T

he Power Broom attachment on the Ventrac 4500 all-terrain compact tractor is a versatile piece of equipment that can be used on hard landscaping areas, such as car parks and to maintain synthetic surfaces at sports facilities.

The Power Broom can be hydraulically angled left or right and lifted up or down all from the seat of the tractor.

An electric actuator also allows the operator to adjust the speed and direction of the broom rotation, maximizing its effectiveness. A self-levelling feature keeps the broom horizontal at all times, and the nylon bristle broom cores can be changed in just a few minutes.

A typical example is Tottenham Hotspur’s training complex in north London. Arguably the best training facility in Europe, Darren Baldwin, Head of Playing Surfaces and Estates at the club, has absolutely no regrets about purchasing his Ventrac compact tractor and a selection of

24 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

attachments, to help maintain the 77-acre Premier League training complex.

“Everything we do is done to the highest standard, be it playing surfaces, general turf maintenance or the presentation of the complex as a whole,” he said.

“The Ventrac just adds to the efficiency of our fleet in a perfect way; its biggest attribute is its versatility. It’s one tractor but there’s a whole range of applications that it can be used for.

“We have a large selection of landscaped areas at the training centre and the Ventrac’s versatility has been fantastic.

We use it extensively, especially the two brushes. One of them we set soft as it has more flexible and less aggressive bristles and this is used on the synthetics; it helps us relieve the compaction of the rubber crumb infill and is an integral part of our synthetic turf maintenance programme.

Like our mower attachments and trencher, the brooms are quick and easy

MAKING MAKINGTURF TURFMATTER MATTER

top to change and when not in use they are free-standing, which also helps with the yard management of our equipment.

“The other broom is harder and is used for the roads, car parks and paved areas.

This winter it has been brilliant removing the snow from our synthetic pitches and also the roadways, enabling us to keep the site open; probably the best piece of kit I’ve had to help keep the site operational.”

Another Premier League football club has followed Tottenham’s lead by purchasing a Ventrac 4500 and attachments, including a Power Broom.

Leicester City Football Club’s 180acre state-of-the art training ground in Seagrave, opened on Christmas Eve last year and is the latest in a series of transformational investments made by King Power and the Srivaddhanaprabha family since acquiring Leicester City in 2010. The Power Broom attachment is used in a similar manner as at Tottenham.

www.turfmatters.co.uk www.turfmatters.co.uk

Replay – in their own words

W

hen looking to get the maximum use from your sports facility you need a company to provide surface maintenance solutions tailored to your needs, budget and timings.

At Replay we provide the most experienced and dedicated on-site teams and equipment for that one-off rejuvenation of artificial turf, or the cleaning of athletics tracks, right through to emergency repairs and service agreements – both across the UK and globally through our network of international licensees and most recently, a franchise in the USA. Our investment and knowledge have succeeded in providing the very best techniques and advice for synthetic sports maintenance, propelling us to becoming the UK’s market leader in maintaining

synthetic sports surfaces.

We’re here to help and are ready to respond, advise, survey, and plan, whether it’s maintenance related or something of a safety nature – we have a personal service that you won’t find with any other company.

We are happy to discuss new or existing synthetic surface machinery requirements and have great industry connections with leading suppliers.

Over the years Replay are pleased to have been awarded Supplier Recognition for our track cleaning services – projects like the Olympic Park during the London 2012 Games; FA Accreditation and more recently becoming an ‘Official Pitch Maintenance Supplier’ for England Hockey, plus other great industry partnerships.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Turf Matters on Twitter 11,770 followers Turf Matters email newsletter 26,615 subscribers Turf Matters on Facebook 2,954 followers Turf Matters on Instagram 3,439 followers Turf Matters on YouTube 138,851 views

We want to hear what you have to say. All of our social platforms are open forums where we encourage people to share knowledge and experiences… make sure you’re part of it! www.turfmatters.co.uk

ANY PLACE, ANY TIME, ANY DEVICE TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 25

SYNTHETIC SURFACES

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Synthetics maintained with SISIS W

ith the pitch at Falkirk FC’s stadium being used 10 hours a day and seven days a week, Head Groundsman Joe Wallace is a busy man. To help him with his maintenance tasks, he relies on a range of SISIS products which are specifically built to fulfil synthetic pitch requirements.

Joe, who originally started his career as a greenkeeper, needed to purchase a whole new range of products when the new synthetic pitch was installed two seasons ago. Having been impressed with using Dennis mowers when the club played their home games on grass, Joe decided that he couldn’t go wrong with SISIS products.

“I knew that SISIS products

26 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

were built by the same company and I’ve used other pieces of SISIS equipment in the past on golf courses. The machines were always reliable and they are manufactured here in the UK which I think is important – parts are incredibly easy to come by,” he said.

The pitch at the Falkirk Stadium is not only used for training and match days by the first team, but it is also available to the local community and is a popular venue for concerts.

With the likes of Tom Jones, Elton John and Rod Stewart playing at the stadium in the last two years, Joe and his two members of staff, Bob Lochhead and Cameron Clydesdale, have to ensure that the pitch is thoroughly cleaned after such events.

To do so, they use the SISIS SSS1000 – a tractor mounted sweeper which can be pulled by any machine. There are no tools required for the adjustment of the brush or the angle of the draw bar and to make storage easy the draw bar lifts to an upright position.

With an aluminium hopper with stainless steel mesh, any infill that is collected when using the machine is returned back down to the surface leaving it free from contamination of debris.

“We get a lot of debris on the pitch after concerts and because we have so many children playing on the pitch we find a lot of bottle tops and other things like that which contaminate the pitch.

We use the SSS1000 twice

a week to keep the surface nice and clean and it stops the actual crumb from getting contaminated,” said Joe. As well as the SISIS SSS1000, Joe uses the SISIS Twinplay tractor mounted implement frame, which can be fitted with several implements for the maintenance of synthetic surfaces. He attaches the SISIS straight brush and the SISIS Zig Zag brush to even out the rubber crumb before attaching the SISIS Flexicomb.

The Flexicomb maintains infill levels at a constant depth to give a consistent playing characteristic and Joe believes it is perfect for the surface at the Falkirk Stadium.

“The length of the pitch here is only a 50mm pile whereas most other artificial pitches are 65mm long. Because of this we don’t use wire tines. Instead we use the Flexicomb because it’s a little bit more aggressive than the brush but it’s not as aggressive as a wire tine. It loosens up the surface and reactivates the pitch without being too aggressive on it – which is perfect for our situation.”

Not only does the Flexicomb do an outstanding job in making sure the pitch is in pristine condition at all times but Joe has also found another use for it.

“On two occasions this winter we’ve had maybe two or three inches of snow and we put the Flexicomb over it to brush it all off.

We couldn’t use a plough because it would have taken the crumb off but the Flexicomb pushed the snow off and left the crumb on the pitch. So it doubles up as a snow plough which is great!

“Overall I would certainly recommend SISIS products. I think the simplicity and the strength of the products are two of the best features.” www.sisis.com

MAKING TURF MATTER

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Terra Clean 100

Popular with small clubs W

iedenmann UK’s Terra Clean 100 is a quick and affordable way to clear debris from an artificial surface. The ground driven pull-behind machine is competitively priced to help smaller clubs and organisations deal with the constant battle to collect strewn leaves, seeds, twigs, glass, plastics# and other waste.

Indoors or outdoors, it can be towed behind a variety of utility vehicles from 12 hp, without the need for a PTO shaft or hydraulics or electrics.

At 1.2 m wide it is wide enough to cover a full size pitch quickly but sufficiently compact to get through narrow gates and get into tight corners.

Designed with a four brush rotor, debris and some crumb rubber or infill are guided onto a mechanical vibrating screen which

separates the debris from the crumb rubber. The crumb rubber is redistributed back onto the field and the debris is collected in an easily removable hopper. The drive can be disengaged so it is easily transported on and off the playing surface and from site to site.

Owners have remarked on how nippy it can be, how easy it is to adjust and its clever maneouvrability.

Its 50 litre collection hopper also comes in for praise as it can go for a long while without emptying, and of course, how it combines with smaller utility vehicles.

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 27

CHARTERHOUSE SCHOOL

A charter for 28 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

JAMES POPE TOOK ON HIS DREAM JOB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PANDEMIC BUT, AS HE EXPLAINED TO SCOTT MACCALLUM, AFTER A DIFFICULT START HE NOW TRULY APPRECIATES THE WONDERS OF CHARTERHOUSE SCHOOL

J

excellence

ames Pope is looking out over the stunning, immaculately maintained, sports grounds of Charterhouse School and thinking back to 2020 and a year when he was pushed to his very limits.

He might smile at how he managed to move on from a workable doggie paddle to a more than serviceable butterfly in what was the essence of a sink or swim situation. To stretch the swimming analogy, he might now see it as a springboard to what he and his team is achieving going forward.

James applied for his dream job early last year. Interviews were held during early stages of Covid complete with the embarrassed, almost jokey, non-hand shaking protocols, but by the time he rolled into the spectacular grounds, for his first day in the job on May 26, we were in the depths of the first lockdown.

“The opportunity to take the job at Charterhouse was far too immense to turn down. The grounds are unbelievable, just like a film set, and there was a blueprint there which meant that it could be the best site you’ve ever walked on. It’s got that sort of capability,” said James, who had previously been Head of Grounds at St Paul’s School, in central London.

Perhaps one of the films he might have been thinking about was } TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 29

MAKING TURF MATTER

CHARTERHOUSE SCHOOL

} Mission Impossible because there

is a fair chance that was the theme going around his head that first day.

“Maybe I naively took on the job thinking that it would all have blown over by July or August. We’d be out of the woods by September, and that everything would be fine by the new academic year.

But it wasn’t to be, was it?”

James did have a full day’s handover with his predecessor, Lee Marshallsay (now at Eton), but had it been a month the chances are elements would still have not sunk in. However, Covid put pay to the opportunity of a longer handover process.

“I arrived at 7am and we had 11 hours together and Lee, who I knew from our time at Harrow together, said we should walk the site. Half an hour later we hadn’t completed the tour. All the time Lee was passing on so much information and knowledge then, at the end, he handed me a ring binder, so full it couldn’t be closed. But even then, that didn’t cover everything.”

30 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

Five weeks later having digested as much of the handover document as he could, he started.

Eleven months on, and looking back, James can’t help but wince, as, with lockdown, it meant he arrived with half of his team on furlough, including his Admin Assistant.

“I didn’t know any of the staff and I really didn’t know where anything was kept.” recalled James.

Fortunately his Deputy, Liam McKendry, had not been furloughed and, at the same time as getting to know each other, he was able to pass on what he knew.

“Liam was an absolute rock because he knew the site, although he hadn’t been here two years himself, and he knew the team and the types of situation we would be likely to expect. Without him in those first few weeks I’d have been lost as it’s a huge site full of complexities.

“However, Liam had only been on staff for a couple of years himself so there was quite a bit he didn’t’ know either. So, in many ways, we have been learning much of

the site together,” said James.

“I spend the first three or four weeks trying not to be overawed, getting to know everyone and building up trust between myself and the team.”

Having arrived from St Paul’s, to a site that was five times bigger with a large forestry area to maintain, as well as a nine hole golf course and all the sports pitches it was a genuine task – made worse by the fact that James’ first few months coincided with a hot dry spell.

“It was verging on 30 degrees and our site is near enough 100% sand so it looked like a dust bowl for two months., There was nothing we could do unless it poured with rain, which wasn’t looking likely,” recalled James.

“I was concerned. I’d only just started and it’s a dust bowl. People were going to think that I couldn’t do the job. I really wanted to get stuck in, but what could I do. I’m giving myself a headache just thinking back,” said James, who added into the mix the fact that the Director of Sport was also newly appointed and, like James, learning a new job in the middle of a pandemic.

With the weather not doing him any favours and James genuinely concerned about having everything ready for September he got his first break.

“We took a bit of a gamble and started to do everything we needed to do, as if the weather was favourable, and hope that the weather would change for us. And lo and behold, it did!

Someone was looking down on me. In August it rained.”

Since that early trauma, James has gone on to appreciate fully the wonderful environment in which he is now working.

“St Paul’s wasn’t a small school by any means but in terms of status and stature boarding schools like Charterhouse are the crown jewels. Ourselves, Harrow and Eton are all on the same page. Charterhouse is huge.”

It may have only been a year, but James has already seen at first hand what marks Charterhouse out as special.

“What really impresses me

www.turfmatters.co.uk

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

“THE GREAT THING HERE IS THAT THE SIZE OF THE SITE LENDS ITSELF TO TRIALLING PRODUCTS WHICH MAKES US FAR MORE COMPETITIVE WHEN IT COMES TO NEGOTIATING PRICES. BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PITCHES WE CAN DIAL DOWN ON WHAT IS GOING TO WORK FOR US.” about Charterhouse is that when they do something they do it properly. It is not done with any element of compromise, no stone is left unturned. Every detail is covered and they want it to be the best it can be. They don’t want mediocrity and that spurs me on to produce the best as well.”

James is interesting on the subject of the day-to-day differences between his current job and his previous one.

“At St Paul’s where there is over 1,000 pupils but only 30 boarders, while there are 800 pupils at Charterhouse. At St Paul’s, from the moment you got there at 6.45am for a 7am start there were children already coming in and it was getting busy. Sport started at 9am and would go on to after 6, and there was sport being played six days a week.

“At Charterhouse there is breakfast, then classes before any sport and then it is only played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

It doesn’t feel so busy, but it is much more geared up to producing quality surfaces because there is time available to work on them. The window of opportunity to get things done is much bigger. That said there are many more surfaces to produce.”

The school has a strong reputation for having sports surfaces which rival the very best.

“That goes back to when Dave Roberts was here, and look what he’s gone on to do (Head of Grounds at Liverpool FC). He made a huge mark here and guys on the team still talk about him now. A really nice bloke who brought that professional football and sport ethos into the school environment.”

While not treating his first year as a false start, priorities were certainly different than they would have been had Covid not struck, and James is certainly looking forward to tackling his new job under more conventional circumstances.

“I’d like to think in six months’ time we’ll be in a position to say this is the start. We’ll have come through a period of not knowing; of toing and froing, of preparing for sport, of not preparing for sport; should we spend money on that or not as we don’t know what is going to be happening.

“Going forward the Director of Sport will know how he wants to work and mould his department and that will have a direct impact upon us as a team.”

And from his own perspective James will be looking at what products work on the }

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 31

CHARTERHOUSE SCHOOL

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

“I THINK THE WORLD OF THE 14-STRONG TEAM. IF IT WASN’T FOR THEM, IN THE MIDDLE OF COVID I DON’T KNOW WHERE I WOULD HAVE BEEN.”

James Pope

32 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

Charterhouse site.

“The great thing here is that the size of the site lends itself to trialling products which makes us far more competitive when it comes to negotiating prices.

Because we have so many

pitches we can dial down on what is going to work for us.

“We will be constantly trialling to see what works, and even if it does work, we will then ask if we still do better. We don’t want to be short changed. It also makes us popular with the trade as it shows that we are open minded.”

His current core group of companies are ICL; Turf Care, Limagrain and AGS while machinery wise Baroness cylinder mowers are used for the outfield cutting and Dennis as well.

“I used them at St Paul’s and I’m used to it, know that it doesn’t break and that it has good back-up.”

Another huge plus for James at Charterhouse is his 14-strong team plus himself.

“I think the world of them all. If it wasn’t for them, in the middle of Covid I don’t know where I would

have been. They have all worked here a long time and know what they are doing and at the beginning I told them that they don’t need me to tell them what to do but just to go out do their job and that I wouldn’t be chasing them around.

“I think it gave them a new lease of life from knowing that I trust them.”

So, given the difficulties of the last year what are James’ ambitions for three years down the line?

“If the team are coming into work and seeing the difference and that we are better than we were when I turned up that would make me happy. It is as much their site as it is mine, I’m just the custodian, but I’d like them to be taking pride in what they have achieved.”

After coming through a period as challenging as 2020 and the first half of 2021, and that springboard boost, no-one would bet against it.

PRO PITCH

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Smart pitch management The ProPitch pitch assessment system provides a unique opportunity to use intelligent pitch management processes to assist ground staff to not only maintain pitches in tip top condition, but also reduce their impact on the environment together with reducing their carbon footprint.

The key to moving your pitch management approach to a ‘smart’ system is gathering an in-depth knowledge of your pitch – soil health, compaction, root depth/ health, grass health/cover and so on.

The ProPitch system of testing, analysis and solutions was developed to support this approach to facilitate grounds teams, to improve their pitches and maintain and monitor them to the highest standards.

The patented natural turf 5 star scoring system focuses on total playing quality and reflects how the players experience the pitch as well as the quality and presentation of the grass and rootzone.

Pitches are rated using an easy to interpret star rating system – 1 star being poor, 5 stars being excellent.

Our system works via independent assessments undertaken by our consultants, self-assessments undertaken by the venue’s ground staff both using ProPitch testing equipment or existing in-house kit and data recording via our mobile app and online portal.

Trend analysis provides a powerful tool, all results gathered are compared to the surface’s playing hours and each individual test parameter can be examined and monitored across assessments.

This helps build a picture of the surface and its evolution during growing season, periods of high use, response to maintenance practices and so forth.

The online dashboard provides a quick and easy way to read an overview of the facilities on site and the relative condition of the facility as assessed by the ProPitch system. The dashboard also allows for an in-depth review of individual metrics.

The system produces bespoke test reports automatically from the data entered and recorded on the mobile app. Immediately after the results are uploaded to the portal via the app the report is available for download, the venue director and consultant is notified an assessment has been undertaken and they can review the results.

Another huge benefit is the ability for the venue director or ground staff to access

advice and recommendations from our consultants remotely. Our consultants will review uploaded self-assessment reports and make recommendations accordingly. If a problem is identified, the in-app messaging system can be used and if required, independent assessments can all be booked.

Using data to inform what interventions are appropriate is a smart approach. The ProPitch system checks 18 different parameters on the pitch covering its physical properties, soils condition and the health of the turf.

This data is used by ground care staff and their suppliers to dial in treatments. It has proven to be successful in addressing poor pitch drainage, compaction, grass cover and root health all at a stage where remedial works can be brought in at an early stage.

One example of where the use of data has demonstrated a smart approach is at Loughborough Sport.

This is a collaborative approach to providing the client with data which can be used to dial in interventions to reduce the impact of treatments on the environment in a sustainable fashion and save money at the same time.

Here, working with AGS, the university have been using the ProPitch system to ensure the pitch stays in the best possible condition.

Identifying the health of the pitch using a smart approach has allowed Loughborough Sport to look at their chemical usage.

Using the ProPitch system allows consultants and grounds staff to monitor, not only the overall pitch condition, but also the individual parameters of pitch performance.

Take, for example, Pitch Hardness, measured with a Clegg Hammer. If we monitor this throughout the year and analyse alongside usage hours, it allows us to build a model of how each individual pitch responds, at which point it becomes too hard and when we need to take action to reduce hardness.

The aim of this system, however, is not only to facilitate good reactive management, but to promote a proactive approach. The more data that can be gathered during a growing/ playing season, the better informed in terms of creating a maintenance model and being able to predict how the pitch will react.

It is important that organisations take the first steps toward sustainability by looking at a strategy that sets out targets to be achieved in the short, medium and long-term. www.propitch.online

THE AIM OF THIS SYSTEM, HOWEVER, IS NOT ONLY TO FACILITATE GOOD REACTIVE MANAGEMENT, BUT TO PROMOTE A PROACTIVE APPROACH. TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 33

People with something to say, say it on the Turf Matters YouTube channel Go to YouTube.com, search for ‘Turf Matters’ and find out why we’re our industry’s most watched channel.

New, views, glimpses behind the scenes and opinions from those at grass roots level, to those at the top of their game.

More than a magazine… our cameras search out and bring you stories from across the UK

Because Turf Matters…

34 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

ADARE MANOR

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

THE COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED

Six (years) Five (years) Four (years)…

Turf Matters catches up with Alan MacDonnell, who in six years time will join the elite club of turf managers who have prepared a Ryder Cup course.

A

dare Manor has been chosen to host the 2027 Ryder Cup with the County Limerick club being the second Irish golf club after The K Club, in County Kildare in 2006.

While it is over six year away there is one man who is sure to use every day of the time between now and the Opening Ceremony to ensure the course is fit to match the occasion.

For Course Superintendent Alan

MacDonnell the Ryder Cup will the be the culmination of many years hard work and preparation.

Alan took some time out to chat with Turf Matters about what the Ryder Cup meant to him and his team and the work that has already gone on and what is still to be carried out.

Turf Matters will follow Alan’s progress between now and } TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 35

ADARE MANOR

} 2027 and report on the various

milestones along the way.

Turf Matters: How did you get into greenkeeping and to your current role at Adare Manor?

Alan MacDonnell: My career was meant to be something totally different – I was destined to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a member of the An Garda Siochana (The Irish Police Force) but my interest in golf started at a very young age and I

36 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

was one of the very few children in our school in Kilgarvan Co. Kerry who used to play golf.

I played and very much enjoyed golf at my local course Kenmare Golf Club and further afield in Ceann Sibeal Golf Links in Dingle with my father and my brother. In fact, my first ‘paying’ summer work was on the golf course in Kenmare.

A job I loved, and it became in some ways my second career as I later turned down the opportunity

to join the An Garda Siochana to pursue a greenkeeping career.

I studied Golf Course Management at Harper Adams in the UK for three years and part of my studies was a placement at Adare Manor, that was 22 years ago. I came as an intern, learnt my trade and was fortunate enough to rise through the ranks here at Adare Manor.

TM: Can you give a little insight into the nature of the golf course

MAKING TURF MATTER

– strengths, signature holes etc?

AM: The course was originally a Robert Trent Jones Snr course which opened in 1995 and was redesigned in 2016 by Tom Fazio.

Set on an 840 acre estate The Golf Course at Adare Manor is a par-72 measuring 7509 yards off the back tees. The desire is that we produce firm and fast surfaces and offer superior levels of presentation for our members and guests.

The design is very much a

classical design with two loops of nine and the 1st tee, 9th green, 10th tee and 18th green all within a pitching wedge of each other.

Each nine hole loop features two par-5s and two par-3s.

The front nine is very much anchored by a 15 acre lake which also acts as our irrigation reservoir. Water is again in play on the back nine where the River Maigue comes in to play on four holes. 14 of the 18 greens have

www.turfmatters.co.uk

elevated putting surfaces with Bent Grass surrounds which in my opinion is one of the standout features of the course; subtle but elevated putting surfaces with devilish surrounds that run as fast as some of the greens is probably the course’s greatest defence.

The premium is on accuracy of the second or third shot to the greens.

During the construction 500,000 m2 of material was moved around the site to help to transform the } TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 37

ADARE MANOR

} fairways from a relatively flat terrain to being somewhat undulating.

The whole site has been sandcapped which assists in helping us produce the firmness that we desire. The course is wall to wall maintained grass with the highest height of cut being 25mm.

My favourite hole is the 9th which is a 633 yard, par-5 with an elevated green and Bent Grass surround that is like no other on the course. With regards to our signature hole, the 18th receives a lot of plaudits, again a par-5 with a real risk and reward factor, and of course the Manor House offers a stunning back drop.

While the course in its original or in its present incarnation is still relatively new – you never get that sense at Adare Manor. The old world ‘feel’ which is created in some sense by the Manor House itself is further accentuated by the matureness of the trees on the golf course/estate and the hand cut stone boundary walls and bridges.

TM: What grasses do you have on the course?

AM: The fairways and roughs

38 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

ONCE THE EXCITEMENT OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT ABATED, WE BEGAN TO FOCUS ON THE PROGRAMME OF WORKS AND WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO TO TRULY SUCCESSFULLY HOST SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS EVENT. are Dwarf Perennial Ryegrass with Creeping Bent putting surfaces and surrounds. We have a little bit of Tall Fescues in the extreme out of play areas to offer as a colour contrast. In total we have over the years put in eight different varieties of Perennial Ryegrass, each chosen for its different characteristic, be that wear tolerance, shade tolerance, colour or fineness of leaf.

With regards to the Bent Grass we have Pure Distinction putting greens and Penn A4 surrounds.

TM: Very few Golf Course Superintendents have had the opportunity to prepare a course for a Ryder Cup. What were your initial feelings when you won the bid?

AM: I would be lying if I said

myself and the team weren’t a little bit daunted by the challenge when it was first announced – excitement coupled with trepidation and the realisation that the biggest show in golf was coming to Adare Manor.

Once the excitement of the announcement abated, we began to focus on the programme of works and what we would need to do to truly successfully host such a prestigious event. There is not a day that goes by without a mention of the Ryder Cup from a member of the team. It is truly an honour to be here at Adare and to have such a huge sporting event in the calendar.

TM: Although the Ryder Cup is still a number of years away, how do you pace your course reconstruction work and generally

MAKING TURF MATTER

working towards September 2027?

AM: We are, of course, fortunate that the course was reconstructed with the hosting of major golf events in mind and the Tom Fazio design team have vast experience in creating golf courses for such events.

So, the requirement or need for change is small. One of the key components of hosting the Ryder Cup is the size of the gallery and the requirement to move such large crowds around the course quickly, safely and at ease. With this in mind, particular emphasis is being placed on increasing our drainage on the ‘off golf’ areas, increasing our sand-cap on the entire site by 75mm over the next six years and widening some pinch points on the golf course.

Our normal agronomic practices will not change hugely – we are constantly monitoring the performance of the greens and surrounds, and we keep a close eye on our organic matter percentages, hydraulic conductivity etc to ensure we stay within specifications and we adjust our programmes accordingly.

Alan MacDonnell

www.turfmatters.co.uk

TM: Have you been working closely with the European Tour in what needs to be done to make the course the perfect Ryder Cup/match play venue?

AM: We have a very good relationship with the European Tour and we have had extensive site walks with them. The Ryder Cup grows exceptionally at every staging of the event so the European Tour are assisting at every juncture.

AM: A lot of the projects that we will be undertaking will be primarily to assist with people movement and allowing space for infrastructure to be erected, hospitality areas, grandstands and the like.

With regards to changes to the course these will be small, and this is testament to the work that was put in during the rebuild.

There are no major changes planned for the course itself.

TM: Have any previous Ryder Cup Course Managers/ Superintendents been in touch with you as yet with advice and will you be seeking them out closer to the time?

AM: Yes, indeed there have been many phone calls, text messages and emails from various Ryder Cup Golf Course Superintendents offering supporting words and wisdom. While I may not know some of them personally, it is a great honour to get such calls and messages from my peers. As the 2027 event draws nearer, I will indeed be leaning more and more on these peers for advice and input on the different scenarios that may face the team and I.

TM: To facilitate a major tournament, I expect you will build a larger team than usual.

How do you manage such a large team and unique operation out on the course, is there anything you will do differently with the team before the Ryder Cup to prepare?

AM: Here at Adare Manor, we have a large, committed team, some of whom have been onsite for 25 years.

What our team brings to the course is dedication, desire and knowledge and with this we strive to give them ownership and responsibility. The Ryder Cup, like any major event, will require many volunteers and since the announcement there have been many messages from willing people looking to be involved and assist with the event, messages from Ireland, the UK, Europe and from the US. A bit like the Ryder Cup itself we intend on putting a programme in place for our staff and volunteers that will reflect the quality of the course and the matches being played.

TM: Can you talk a little about the major projects which will be carried out on the course before 2027?

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 39

EUROS

Turf management is coming home

Scott MacCallum chats with Karl Standley and Andy Gray about their respective roles and the forthcoming European Championship

40 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

W

e can all remember our first day at work. Mine? The train was late, I missed my connection and I had to hitchhike from Dundee to Perth, thus clocking into my first day of honest endeavour two and a half hours late, not fit for even the most basic of induction.

What a first impression!

Imagine then, this fresh faced young lad cycling 15 miles, then hopping onto a train, all to get to

his local club’s training ground to his first job in groundsmanship.

He’s teamed up with a senior team member, whose job is to guide him through his first day, and is handed the task, under supervision of course, of seeding four pitches and a goalkeeping area.

Up and down he goes, concentrating hard on producing the straightest lines he can muster. Heaving a great sign

MAKING TURF MATTER

of relief, mission accomplished, he glanced back to see that the seeder hadn’t been turned on!

His mentor just said, “Do it again”, and a first lesson had been delivered.

But from such inauspicious beginnings great careers can be salvaged, and I’m not talking about mine.

Eighteen years on, that callow youth is preparing the most famous football pitch in the world for the country’s

biggest football event since football came home in 1996 – the delayed Euro 2020s. Still a young man, Karl Standley, is Head Groundsman at Wembley Stadium, and that first job was at Southampton Football Club.

And mentor? The guy who let Karl carry on, knowing that the longer he went without realising the seeder was inactive, the better the lesson would be? Well, Andy Gray became Head of Grounds at the FA’s St George’s Park

www.turfmatters.co.uk

last September, and is now working hand in glove with Karl, and with the England team management, to ensure training conditions conducive to aiding England’s assault on the Championships.

The odds on Karl and Andy going on to hold two of the most prestigious jobs in world groundsmanship would have been so high, that if, during their break on that very first day, they’d popped down to the bookies and put } TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 41

EUROS

Karl Standley, left and Andy Gray

} tenner them both reaching where

they are now, they could be retired rather than facing up to the most exciting few weeks of their careers.

Ah, the Euros. Well, this time last year Karl was working on a number of scenarios based on the impact of Covid 19, on the assumption that they would still be going ahead on the expected dates. It would be fair to suggest that what ultimately has happened with the impact of the pandemic would not have been covered by any FA scenario, or anyone else’s for that matter.

Andy, on the other hand, started last year planning maintenance programmes for Southampton before the FA came calling and he started work on September 1, last year.

“When we heard those words from Boris Johnson about the seriousness of the pandemic and the lockdown we put everything on hold, but as we all know Mother Nature doesn’t have an ‘Out of Office’ and the grass keeps growing,” recalled Karl.

“So, for us, it was a case of putting a protective bubble around the team and carrying on the good work. Our main focus was on making sure our team was safe, making sure they were healthy, making sure we were aware of any issues in their home life that we should be aware of and that they knew they had our support.”

Like everyone else at the time, Karl’s crystal ball was in need of a complete reboot and wasn’t providing any hints to help his path forward, but he and the team were able to do what they could to keep on top of things.

42 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

“Looking ahead to what the next few months were to hold was difficult as no-one knew whether the lockdown was going to be one month, two months or three. Everybody was wanting to know when football was going to come back. It was the one question they were asking.

“But, at the stadium, we just wanted to keep the pitch as healthy as possible so that we were ready for when football did come back.

That was our plan,” explained Karl.

“Luckily our roles are primarily outdoors in the fresh air and we were able to put protocols in place for when we were in the building.

It was a difficult situation to manage but everyone bought into the mindset of keeping everyone safe. The key, as always, is good communication,” explained Karl, who worked two days a week from home during the lockdown, swapping with other members of the team, to ensure minimal numbers were working on site at any one time.

Much of their work was put on hold but as Karl readily admits, “It’s hard for grounds teams to stop and sit still”, and they were still constantly out on the pitch refining what they do.

“We were regularly raking and regularly verti-cutting, constantly on the pitch trying to thin the plant out, make it work and keep it healthy.

It was a case of how quickly can we do four rakes of the playing surface and how quickly can we recover.

We ran a few scenarios during lockdown so we could collect data and analyse the results we were

getting from the pitch so that we would be ready for when football came back and for the Euros too.”

While Karl was grappling with the consequences of Covid and lockdown at Wembley, Andy was dealing with similar issues at Southampton where he was Grounds Manager.

“When it all stopped nobody had a clue what was going on. I remember that Premier League football was suspended for two weeks and our next match on April 4th was called off and then it went further into April and then further after that. We eventually got going again mid to late June, but it was tricky for us to know what we could and should do in terms of pitches and training ground.

“If we’d known on March 23rd that we had until June 23rd we’d have ripped all the pitches up and renovated them there and then,” said Andy, speaking from his new place of work 135 miles north of Wembley.

When play did start and one season quickly merged into the next, it didn’t give much time for the regular close season renovation work and while Andy believes that pitches have suffered as a result, he can see a small upside to the situation.

“We are often told we are mad to be tearing up a perfectly good pitch, but what has happened this year shows the importance of the work we do between seasons. This season has proven why we do what we do.”

Andy took up post at St George’s Park on September 1, but there was no gentle introduction to his new job as, on that very same

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

“IT’S THE FA, IT’S ENGLAND AND IT’S WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO,” SAID ANDY day, the England squad arrived to prepare for their autumn internationals.

“I actually started when arguably the pandemic was at its least severe bur come November, lockdown two, the tier system and then lockdown three in January, it’s been pretty tough. But I’ve always said there are plenty of people worse off then me. I’m very lucky to have what I’ve got and to be doing the job that I do,” said Andy, who is living in rented accommodation in Burton and travelling back to his family in Southampton when work allows.

Asked if the situation has been tricky for him Andy is quick to come up with another word entirely -“exciting”.

“It’s the FA, it’s England and it’s what I really wanted to do,” he said.

Andy will have around nine months to prepare St George’s Park for the Euros with the state-of-the-art facility acting as the nerve centre for Gareth Southgate’s campaign to win a second major title.

“It has been a learning curve since I joined. I’d been at Southampton for 22 years and of the 350 or so employees I was the third longest serving, so I’ve gone from everyone knowing that I was there to being the new person. I’ve never experienced that before,” he explained.

However, the pandemic has provided Andy with time which he has used wisely.

“With nobody around for long periods of time it has allowed me to get to know the site and appreciate where things are, it’s just that there are people who I haven’t met yet in the flesh. We have video calls but it’s not the same.”

I asked if Andy had a predetermined plan to work within at St George’s, if he had the opportunity to put his own stamp on things.

“On the whole I’ve got a free hand to do what I want to do.

It was a strange situation in that there was nine months between my predecessor Scott (Brooks) leaving and me taking over. The team here ran things until I started. That, together with the pandemic, meant that there was no official handover.

“But I Iike to think that I got the job on the back of the work I’d done at Southampton, not just on the pitch, but staffwise and business-wise too.

So that is what I’m looking to impose here. Why change what I was doing when it was successful in the first place?”

Back at Wembley and Karl is having to prepare for the Euros while taking on board all the re-scheduled matches from last year, the matches which offer all levels of player the unique honour of playing on the hallowed Wembley turf. } TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 43

EUROS

} “We’ve got seven*matches at the

Euro’s including both semi finals and the final. We’ve also got five training sessions and probably about seven or eight closing ceremony rehearsals, plus the ceremony itself. But we’ve just had a busy month with backlog from last season to catch up on. (*update: It may now be more than seven) “While just two weeks ago we had the Papa John’s Trophy, Portsmouth against Salford, and that had been held over from 2020, while we have the FA Vase and the FA Trophy as a double header on the same day. There is also the FA Cup semis and the final itself, and the Carabau Cup final.

But the famous pitch is prepared to the highest standard irrespective of whether it is Sutton United playing Harrogate Town or England playing Scotland in the final of the Euros.

“It is all done the same. When we are classed as a neutral venue we prepare the pitch so that it will play best and, for me, that’s a quick game of football. That’s what we like to see, that’s what brings the entertainment and that’s what the players are practising at their training venues. So, whether it is the FA Vase or the FA Cup final itself it is always the same.”

Ensuring the pitch is at its best is a team effort and Karl is blessed with an experienced group of lads, all of whom have an input into how the highest possible standards are met, with cultural methods to the forefront.

“On the back of a game we’ll tear the pitch to pieces and just get the grass plant working and keeping it as healthy as wel car. Cultural over chemical, that’s our philosophy,” explained Karl, who shares Andy’s view that the best pitch is a “short pitch and a wet pitch”.

“It also about data checking to ensure that the rotational resistance is there. We also look at textile

44 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

strength. It is key to me when the first bit of sunshine touches the first blade of grass in March that we know we are charging that pitch up and that we have that textile strength.

Without the data it’s a guessing game. Everyone can have an opinion but I’m always looking at the key data to make sure we are ready.”

Back at St George’s and Andy is gearing up for a big month and having just had both the full and under 21 national teams on site is becoming more familiar with the England staff.

“When I arrived at the same time as the squad last September that first camp just flew by but this last week, having both squads here meant I got to know more people and recognising backroom staff on TV from their time here meant I really felt a part of it.

“So, for June we are treating St George’s Park as a club training ground for, hopefully, five or six weeks and within that we’ll have daily dialogue with either Gareth, or his assistant Steve Holland. The medical team play a huge part as well, while I’ll also be speaking with Karl as well because we will be wanting to produce the same conditions to train on as they will have to play on,” he explained.

“It is a real honour to be a part of it. Like anyone who follows football, as a kid I watched Italia ‘90, Euro ‘96, France ‘98 and there was a real buzz about the country. That was one of the things which attracted me to the role in the first place.

“Last week I was able to stand at the side of the pitch watching them train for 20 minutes and I really appreciated what a proper privilege it was.”

Andy visited Karl at Wembley not long after he started but the chat by Teams’ phone on a regular basis covering topics as wide ranging as football pitches; vintage football shirts; family and Panini

stickers as both Karl and Andy were and still are avid collectors.

It isn’t surprising though given that shared history they have going right back to the Southampton training base in 2003, and that first meeting on a noisy SISIS Hydromain. Karl was an avid Saints fan and season ticket holder and was one of the ecstatic crowd when Matt Le Tissier scored the very last goal at the Dell, before the club moved to St Mary’s.

“We do go back a long way and have shared trips abroad and went to each other’s wedding. So, it is more than just work for us,” revealed Andy.

So what is it about Southampton which has produced, not just Karl and Andy, but also Dave Roberts, now Head of Grounds at Liverpool; Graeme Mills, current Southampton Head Groundsman; Ricky Rawlings and Dan Osbourne.

“For the first nine years of my career I worked under Dave Roberts and I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it forever, I could not have asked for a better mentor, tutor, teacher for those early years. That was where my start came from.

“Southampton isn’t just a great academy for players. It’s a great academy for ground staff as well.”

And while Karl wasn’t at Southampton for as long as Andy, he is also quick to credit Dave Roberts for the wonderful start he gave him to his career.

“He was my first real manager and I really soaked it all in. Dave is calm, cool headed and believes in his team. He was always open with me and that mind set is one thing I’ve taken into my grounds team here at Wembley,” said Karl, of his former boss.

So, when that Euro 2020 trophy is held aloft by Harry Kane, or could it be Andy Robertson, at around 10pm on Sunday July 11, or 10.30, if Scotland have had to rely on penalties again, two men - and another sitting watching on TV in Liverpool - will be thinking back to that first meeting on the rusty old Hydromain on the Southampton training ground and appreciating, in Karl’s case, that it is not how you start it’s how you finish.

See Karl and Andy talk with Scott MacCallum on the Turf Matters YouTube channel

NATURAL TURF

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Attraxor helps control Poa annua A

ttraxor plant growth regulator has helped Warren Moss, Head Greenkeeper at Dudsbury Golf Club, to suppress Poa annua and increase the quantity of Bent grass on the greens.

Attraxor®, a new BASF product, was recommended to Warren by David Chammings, from Agrovista Amenity, and he was pleased to see an immediate response.

“The Poa had crept in and we estimated it to be at 70% in 2019,” said Warren.

“Since starting with Attraxor in May I have been able to suppress the Poa and through a reseeding programme the greens are now 70% Bent, which is a great turnaround in such a short time period.”

Attraxor has been shown to regulate effectively the growth of managed amenity turf. The active substance, Prohexadione, inhibits the giberrelic acid pathway, which results in a reduction of turf height and turf biomass. Root growth is also promoted through the use of Attraxor while turf colour and quality are maintained.

“This product is unique because it reduces clippings like other PGRs, but it also suppresses the seed heads of Poa annua,” explained Davd.

“It fitted well with what Warren needed to bring back the Bent in the greens at Dudsbury and we are both really pleased with the results.”

With the course south facing Warren said that extremely high temperatures over the past couple of years made maintenance very difficult.

Poa started to creep in and the greens were left with

very little Bent grass which was causing uneven surfaces and affecting playability.

On David’s advice, Warren applied Attraxor at a low dosage of 0.375 kg/ha. The recommended application for Poa annua management is from 0.5 kg/ha to 0.65 kg/ha.

However, Warren needed to be cautious because of the high percentage of Poa on the greens. He started the treatment on May and continued to apply it in 21-day intervals at the same dosage.

Warren chose overcast mornings to apply the product using Greenmaster Vitalnova Stressbuster and 2.5 kg/ha of N to prevent any yellowing.

“Using Attraxor at 0.375 kg/ha was the right decision for this course and I have supressed the seed head production without yellowing the greens,” he said.

“Unlike other PGRs I also noticed that it regulates the growth of the other grass varieties more consistently. I was especially impressed that it lasted the full 21 days.”

By suppressing the Poa, Warren has been able to reduce the amount of fertiliser and water needed on the course.

“We were spending too much on fertiliser and using too much water to keep the Poa happy,” continued Warren.

“However, this is water that we need elsewhere and so by using Attraxor® we have been able to improve the balance throughout the course.

“This year was the year to get aggressive with the Poa because there has been far less playing time for the members due to lockdown } TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 45

NATURAL TURF

Attraxor helps control Poa annua } restrictions and I’m really

pleased we took the plunge.”

The course was reseeded in August 2020 and Warren is hoping that this will increase the density of Bent to more than 80% by May 2021, when it has had chance to establish.

“I carried out the final application on 12th August before our maintenance week

46 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

and I plan to use it again from the end of April 2021.

It has really helped suppress the Poa and has given us the opportunity to return the greens to largely Bent in such a short time period that I want to keep it and make it part of the annual treatment program,” he concluded. www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Bradford pitch ‘in best condition’ ICL’s ProSelect grass seed, supported by a monthly nutritional programme, has resulted in Bradford City’s pitch being in the best condition ever – according to Head Groundsman, Mick Doyle.

If anyone knows the pitch at Bradford City’s Utilita Energy Stadium – it is Mick.

He has been working at the club for an incredible 14 years and in that time, it is safe to say that he has single-handedly kept the pitch in excellent condition.

However, he claims that the bar has now been raised and that it all started with ICL’s ProSelect grass seed.

“The bottom line is that I needed a new seed. The seed I used previously just didn’t work for me – it was patchy and did not germinate. Therefore, when it came round to pitch renovations last year, I used ICL’s ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch which I had first heard about at an ICL educational day and after speaking to other groundsmen.”

Combining four top-ranked perennial ryegrasses, ProSelect 1 Premium Pitch, provides a fast-recovering, dense, hardwearing surface. Furthermore, Mick decided that he would like to explore a full ICL nutritional programme because

in his words, it would be a “one-stop shop which could deliver on all fronts”.

Prior to sowing the ProSelect seed, Craig Lalley, Technical Sales Manager for ICL, visited Mick at the stadium and took some soil samples. Craig then proceeded to devise a plan tailored to Mick’s environment – taking into consideration his stadium, his machinery, his staffing levels, his time restraints and he ultimately put a programme together based on what Mick was trying to achieve.

“My biggest concern was that I could never get any root down, but Craig assured me that I would with his programme. True to his word – he was absolutely right,” said Mick.

The key was getting the pitch off to the best possible start. After sowing the ProSelect grass seed, Mick followed with 10 litres of H2Pro TriSmart, to absorb more moisture and aid germination.

“The seed was coming up beautifully in just six days,” said Mick.

On that sixth day after seeding, and based on Craig’s advice, Mick went one step further by applying Sierrablen Plus Renovator 20-20-8, the mini-granules ensuring even distribution for young seedlings while its high phosphate

levels encourage strong root growth.

Since then, the nutritional programme has been based on providing the right nutrient at the right time, according to Craig.

“Mick has produced a great surface this season and that has carried through the challenging winter months. To work alongside his good cultural methods over this testing period, Mick incorporated H2Pro FlowSmart into his monthly ITM programme.

This is a superb penetrant to help with water percolation through the profile.”

Mick was also in agreement: “I’ve had 14 seasons here and I can honestly say that this is the best condition the pitch has ever been at this time of year.

I put that down to the products.” www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie (Ireland)

} TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 47

NATURAL TURF

Sand dressing: a credible solution to worm casts?

M

ansfield Sand has revealed that an increasing number of sports turf managers are relying on a sand dressing as a solution to earthworm casting.

“After over three decades of greenkeeping and a few years of winter sports turf management, I am fully aware of the frustration caused by worm casts,” said Gary Cunningham, Football & Golf Sales Representative for Mansfield Sand.

“While most earthworm activity goes unnoticed and has a role to play in soil management, its activity can have a detrimental impact on managed amenity grass surfaces.

“Besides being unsightly, it can lead to the deterioration in playing surfaces allowing weed infestation, less resistance to turf disease and damage to mowing equipment. All of these inevitably also lead to increased management costs,” said Gary.

Historically, surface casting was controlled by various chemical solutions.

However, over recent years these options have been withdrawn from the market due

48 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

to environmental protection concerns. This has left turf managers looking for alternative solutions to an age-old inconvenience.

There are several great articles and studies which have been published, and in each situation, sand dressing is shown to supress casting worm activity to some extent on managed areas.

While this is not a quick fix and does depend on several factors such as local climate, soil temperature and time of year, what is apparent is that a sustained programme of sand dressing problem areas does reduce casting worm activity. In turn, casts become a sandier loam which can be easily dispersed without any smearing. This will also lessen the material build-up and not cause any issues with mowing equipment.

Mansfield Sand provides two wellknown grades of silica sand to the sports market, MM35 and MM40 – which are sourced directly from the company’s Two Oaks quarry in Mansfield.

“Regular topdressing with MM35 or MM40 can help to manage casting

worm activity,” continued Gary.

“It can certainly help to make it easier once you build up the level of sand in the rootzone.

“Furthermore, using the right grade of high-quality sand is vital to the overall health and performance of a managed sports surface. Therefore, sports facilities that regularly apply sand dressings as part of their management programme, benefit from improved rootzones leading to better drainage and plant health.

“We may never be able to suppress casting earthworm activity completely, but more and more turf managers are significantly reducing them by topdressing with sand.”

From winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas – Mansfield Sand has a solution for all, and the products have long been relied upon at stadium and training ground facilities; championship golf courses and world class show jumping arenas. www.mansfield-sand.co.uk

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Overseeding when the course is busy

B

y all accounts, golf courses are in for a busy spring and summer this year!

As thousands of eager golfers make up for the rounds they have missed over the winter, courses will be thronging! This will undoubtedly put pressure on greenkeepers, with increased wear on the turf and the reduced opportunity for ongoing maintenance.

To maintain turf density, many courses will need to overseed their greens during the season. But with high numbers of rounds daily, this could be challenging.

What is the best way to overseed busy golf greens?

An innovative solution is to use the Dyna-Seeder units from GreenTek. These are a set of three seeding units which fit on all popular greens’ triple mowers. Their vibratory spiking action peppers the turf surface with thousands of neat holes.

The seed is dispensed from individual chutes directly in line with the seed holes to minimise wastage. A rear brush follows to sweep the seed into the holes, thus

maximising germination rates, and the cost-effectiveness of your overseeding programme.

Seed application rates are adjustable down to just 5g/sqm for bent which brings further economies on expensive seed.

This means that these units will not only improve the quality of your turf, but also pay for themselves as they go.

The real beauty of using the triplex mounted Dyna-Seeders is the speed at which the operation can be carried out, and the absence of disturbance to the putting surface. This enables the seedling to proceed without disruption to play, and means that it can be done during warmer periods for optimum germination, even if the course is busy.

Through a programme of regular overseeding, not only can the turf density be increased, but also the composition of grass species can be altered and improved as desired. If you want greens that are comprised mainly of bent or fescue instead of Poa Annua, then use the DynaSeeders to oversow them with bent or fescue. After all, you grow what you sow!

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 49

NATURAL TURF

Rise of the SuperBents Germinal’s Paul Moreton explains that the latest generation of creeping bentgrasses are ideal for British greens thanks to their natural disease tolerance and ability to thrive in a range of climatic conditions.

50 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

T

he popularity of modern creeping bentgrasses – or ‘SuperBents’ as they are commonly referred to – is the result of an intensive breeding programme which led to the development of 007 DSB (named after the year it was released, 2007, not the fictional British Secret Service agent).

Bred using genetics from 24 parent plants collected from old putting greens located in cooler, northern locations in the US, 007 DSB is the cultivar of choice on a number of courses which have hosted major golf tournaments in climates where winter temperatures average well below 0oC.

007 DSB has proven to be the perfect fit in these cool conditions, not only thanks to its fineness of leaf, fast rolling speed, enhanced disease resistance and low input requirements, but also because of its significantly shorter growing-in period which enables greenkeepers to quickly and easily produce a tournament-ready putting surface.

In contrast to previous creeping bents which were developed primarily to withstand close mowing, the new generation of SuperBents has been bred to be tolerant of lower inputs of N and water: the ability of varieties such as 007 DSB and more recently Tour Pro (GDE) to thrive

MAKING TURF MATTER

without excessive inputs makes them ideally suited for use on UK courses where their vigorous lateral growth and persistence to very close mowing enables greenkeepers to utilise them on greens to outcompete Poa annua without the need to drastically change any cultural practices.

In the last few years, numerous UK clubs have successfully overseeded their greens with 007 DSB and in doing so have created more aesthetically pleasing greens which, crucially, are naturally more resistant to both Anthracnose and Microdochium patch: an ever-increasingly important factor given the loss of curative fungicides such as Iprodione.

For these clubs, regular ‘preventative overseeding’ using a SuperBent has enabled them to introduce young, healthy and vibrant new growth into the sward and to boost the natural ability of their greens to resist disease in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

At Germinal, we saw the potential of these leading cultivars from a very early stage and have been leading the push to use SuperBents in the UK. At first the market for creeping bents remained relatively subdued due to a natural tendency for greenkeepers to be wary of making any significant changes and because older varieties were input-hungry and couldn’t perform to the level attained by the new generation.

Despite this initial market

www.turfmatters.co.uk

hesitancy, we stood by our decision to bring the likes of 007 DSB and TourPro (GDE) to the UK based on the knowledge that, put simply, they both possess traits which can help greenkeepers to manage their greens more efficiently and effectively.

The dated stigmas and false clichés about creeping bentgrasses being difficult and expensive to manage are no longer representative of the new generation. Similarly, the misconception that greens maintenance regimes will need to a total re-vamp to accommodate SuperBents is simply untrue.

In fact, a recent survey has shown that many users have reduced their nitrogen input since switching to SuperBents, with no requirement for any additional dethatching or greens grooming required to maintain the SuperBent sward.

The positive feedback from these clubs will hopefully give other course managers in the UK the confidence to introduce a creeping bent cultivar to their over-seeding regime, and thereby enable them to embrace the natural disease resistance of this new generation of cultivars.

‘SuperBents’ such as 007DSB and Tour Pro (GDE) enable golf greens to remain in good condition all year round irrespective of what the weather might throw at them

RIGBY TAYLOR CASE STUDY: SHREWSBURY TOWN FC

When John Silvester joined Shrewsbury Town as Head Groundsman, he immediately turned to Rigby Taylor for his treatment programme

J

TOP TEAM: From left, Andy Austin, John Silvester and George Conway

ohn Silvester took over the grounds’ management of Shrewsbury Town FC from a former contractor in July last year, and he’s already receiving accolades from visiting teams regarding the improvement in pitch quality and playability.

The club grounds had previously been maintained by a local sports turf contractor, so when John joined the club as Head Groundsman, from Huddersfield Town FC, he had to start from scratch in the acquisition of machinery and materials and says he immediately got in touch with Rigby Taylor Technical Sales Manager, Glen Howard, for his grass seed, fertiliser and line-marking needs.

“When I joined the club in July last year, the stadium and training pitches had already been renovated, ready for the new season. The club and I agreed a budget for machinery and materials and Glen was able to visit the club literally the week after I started – so we could access the pitches and decide upon a treatment programme,” explained John.

John’s three-man team includes George Conway, who joined the Shropshire-based club from nearby Telford FC, and Andy Austin who, like John, came armed with previous experience working on high performance sports pitches at Lilleshall National Sports Centre.

52 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

“Before joining Huddersfield Town, I spent four years overseeing the management and maintenance of nine natural turf sport pitches and two multi-sport artificial surfaces at Lillishall,” said John.

“We used Rigby Taylor products at the facility and consistently got great results, so they were my products of choice when I joined Shrewsbury Town.”

John’s machinery budget for the maintenance of the stadium pitch, and the two and a half pitches at the training ground, allowed the purchase of two Dennis cylinder mowers for the stadium, three Honda rotary mowers for the training ground, and an ISEKI tractor, a Charterhouse Vertidrain, a SISIS Triplay and tractor-mount Slitter and a TriMax mower for use at both sites.

Regarding the linemarker, John bought the iGO Premier spray line marker for use at the training ground which, coupled with the use of Impact paint, gives great quality lines and is cost effective, and a Dimple 4” transfer wheel line marker at the stadium. The team also use Duraline Stadium paint for marking at the stadium, as this “gives brilliant white lines that last, with all the irrigation and wear that take place on the pitch,” explained John.

John was keen to make an immediate impact on the Montgomery Waters Meadow

stadium pitch, by improving its playability and visual presentation.

There had been no nutritional or biostimulant applications to the pitch for the two months prior to him starting, so he asked a local contractor to apply a mix of products from the Nutri-Link range, recommended by Glen, that improved root development, microbial stimulation, abiotic and biotic stress resistance and green up. Various mixes from the NutriLink range were made subsequently to supplement the use of the Con-Vert and Con-Vert Gold slowrelease fertilisers. The use of Apex Organic 10-2-10+Fe+CaO+MgO, with 6% humic acid, has helped John in the establishment of new seed and root development, providing a more stable surface.

“The Convert Gold particularly has made a real impact on the pitch.

It gives the grass a quick green up, which looks great on a match day.”

Another product of choice for John is the Cold Start Boost-R 11-5-5,

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

‘All the compliments make the hard work worthwhile’ which contains three sources of nitrogen including Nitrate, which has meant the turf has a readily available source of nitrogen, even in early February, to help plant recovery after three first team home matches in 10 days – with the added bonus of superb colour and improved disease resistance.

He uses the Maintain NT PRG plant growth regulator at the start of the growing season and at six-week intervals which, he says, reduces the amount of clippings of each mow.

Regarding grass cover, John’s seed of choice is the R14 100% perennial ryegrass blend because of its hard-wearing cultivar. The pitch renovation contractor had originally used a different seed, so John now uses the R14 and the R41 ryegrass blend, which both benefit from Germin-8T. This helps to speed up the germination process and protect the young seedling from pathogen attacks, for overseeding purposes, to improve disease tolerance and durability.

The pitch improvement process is similar at the training ground too. However, as the turf gets more wear (it’s played on four to five times a week), the team have turned to PolyPro SK controlled release fertiliser, which provides nitrogen for five to six months, as well as seaweed, and overseeds with Sports Field Renovation Mix, which contains tetraploid cultivars and copes extremely well with the extended wear that the training ground suffers.

John says although he already had a good knowledge of Rigby Taylor products, Glen has been a great sounding board for advice and is always at the end of a phone to discuss product benefits and appropriate application.

“I normally have a good idea on what to do but it’s great to be able to get Glen’s expert opinion too. For example, I’ll call him to ask his opinion on whether I should feed when the pitch is under sheets, or wait until the

temperature rises,” revealed John.

He adds that he also uses his local network of fellow grounds personnel and greenkeepers, as well as social media and Whatsapp, to share advice and best practice.

When there’s a break in club fixtures at home, John uses the opportunity to keep pitch standards high. For example, he says he may vertidrain the pitch, apply a Nutri-Link mix of humic, and fulvic acids with macro and micronutrients that will complement an overseed and then put it to bed for a few days before prepping for the next home game. And he’s always pleased with the result.

On game day, John believes good communication with the visiting team is very important.

“We talk through the pitch conditions and suggest where best to warm up. And it’s a great feeling when we get compliments on the rising pitch standards we’ve managed to achieve at the club. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

LOOKING GOOD: Shrewsbury pitch lnes marked with Duraline Stadium paint

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 53

RIDE ON MOWERS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Buying a new ride-on mower?

What to look for W

hen it comes to purchasing a new ride-on mower, there are many manufacturers and models currently available. Whether you require 2wd or 4wd, petrol or diesel, ground-tip or high-tip, there are lots of options. But, what should you be looking at? Les Malin, Managing Director of Etesia UK answers some common questions.

1. WILL A RIDE-ON MOWER CUT AND COLLECT IN THE WET AND LEAVE A CUT COMPARABLE TO A PEDESTRIAN MACHINE? The obvious answer is some will, while some will not, but the ones that can will be far quicker over a large area compared to a pedestrian mower. However, there is still a need for smaller pedestrian machines, due to access and transport etc. When it comes to cut and collect systems, Etesia is the innovator of every other machine you see on the market today.

The French based company created a patented system in the late 1980’s and quite simply, the system is unrivalled.

Where models such as our Hydro 80 or Bahia ride-on mowers are useful, is small access points such as gates etc. The British climate is notoriously wet, and on most days when it hasn’t rained, the grass may still be damp, so it’s important to have a machine that is up to the job of cutting and collecting in the wet.

The Etesia Professional ride-on mower range have been designed and developed especially for these conditions. They will pick up wet grass clippings and even leaves in the autumn and have been designed to never clog and everything is fully automated.

2. CAN YOU EMPTY THE GRASS BOX EASILY WITHOUT LEAVING THE SEAT? All Etesia ride-on mowers have the option of emptying the grass box directly from the driver’s seat, without ever having to leave the machine. In our larger Buffalo, H100 and H124 models, you can empty the grass box up to 1.24m above the ground which is very useful if you need to empty grass clippings into a skip or hi-tip vehicle for recycling.

Unlike competitor machines, they are designed to be able to tip the heaviest of loads without needing additional counterweights to aid stability. This reduces the overall weight of the machine.

The most notable benefit is the fact that Etesia machines do not require

any additional accessories to unblock them when emptying the machines.

Everything is automatic so no accessories or rattling of levers are required – you can simply cut, collect and empty the grass box all while sitting on the machine

3. CAN I CUT AND COLLECT AND MULCH WITH THE SAME MACHINE? Mulch cutting has become very popular over the years. Predominately, it’s used as a time-saving form of grass cutting as there is no need to collect clippings or debris and empty. There are also other benefits as mulching can often mean ‘greener’ grass, particularly in times of drought, as the nutrients are put back into the soil after a cut.

Most of the Etesia machines have the option of being able to cut and collect or mulch – it really depends on the users’ preference. Just remember the golden rule when mulch cutting and only cut a third of the grass height in a single cut.

4. WILL A RIDE-ON MOWER CUT HIGH GRASS? We do sell a range of Attila brushcutters which have been specifically designed to cut rough grass or brambles and have been known for ‘whatever’ they can push over, they can cut’, however our rideon mowers are an affordable solution for taming high grass paddocks and fields, meaning that one machine can be used for a multiple of different tasks.

5. WILL I BE ABLE TO FIT ATTACHMENTS TO A RIDE-ON MOWER OR WILL I NEED A TRACTOR? That really depends on the type of attachments you would like to fit. However, Etesia also sell a range of attachments from scarifiers, snow plough, sand spreader, weeding brush and also a street sweeper which means that one ride-on mower really can be a 365-days-a-year workhorse.

6. WILL A RIDE-ON MOWER EFFECTIVELY COLLECT FALLEN LEAVES? Autumn is a busy time in the garden and collecting and disposing of fallen leaves can be a big job. There is no faster or better way to collect those fallen leaves than with a Etesia ride-on mower.

Another benefit of using a ride-on mower is that the leaves will be shredded which means you will get more leaves in the grass box and composting will be accelerated.

7. ARE RIDE-ON MOWERS SAFE TO USE? When choosing a ride-on mower, ensure it has added safety benefits for the user.

You need to consider if you are working on slopes, then it will be worth looking at a model with a differential lock for extra stability on slopes or uneven ground. Etesia is the only manufacturer to offer 4wd and or differential lock across the whole range of ride-on’s with mid mount cutting decks.

Vibration is also a big consideration.

Etesia machines are rigorously tested in our state-of-the-art factory in France to meet all EU regulations. We also publish all of these figures on our website.

It’s also worth noting that vibration isn’t just a health hazard for the user, but also an indicator of machine efficiency and design. Etesia avoids vibration by fitting correctly balanced components which also has the added benefit of lasting longer.

We still have users of our first generation H100 model that is over 30 years old!

8. WILL THE MANUFACTURER ARRANGE A FREE, NO OBLIGATION DEMONSTRATION ON OUR OWN SITE? For the past 30 years, the Etesia slogan has always been ‘Seeing is believing’. For That reason, we also recommend a free, no obligation demonstration to put our machines to the test on your own site. This can be organised by contacting us directly or speaking to one of dealers local to you.

9. WILL I BE ABLE TO BUY SPARE PARTS EASILY? Etesia UK holds vast stocks of spare parts for machines dating back to the 1980’s.

Selling to the professional market means obtaining spare parts, which is very important to the end user. Consumables are normally off the shelf and we pick 98% of orders consistently. It is only usually obscure items that may catch us out.

Blades and belts are consumable items and will always need to be replaced from time-to-time. If your local dealer hasn’t got the spare part you require, we can usually get it direct from France in no time at all.

In addition to here in the UK, we also work with Kramp who stock many of the faster moving items and can supply dealers on their fantastic overnight service, which benefits from longer opening hours during harvest periods. www.etesia.co.uk TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 55

RIDE ON MOWERS

Sidewinder technology E

Delivering a high quality of cut, the Reelmaster 3100-D small area mower with Sidewinder is the clear choice for golf courses, pictured here at Beau Desert Golf Club

56 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

fficient machinery has always been a sought after benefit for greenkeepers and groundsmen across the industry. With the range of tasks that need to be completed on daily basis at golf clubs and sports fields, having efficient machinery in the shed is invaluable, saving both time and money.

With Toro’s patented Sidewinder technology, you can add multifunctional machinery to your fleet and benefit from increased productivity and efficiency.

Toro’s innovative Sidewinder system allows you to move all three cutting units 12 inches right or left from their centre position - on the fly - for a full 24 inches of travel.

It means you can get under trees and other hard-to-reach places and bring precise control to delicate jobs such as trimming around obstacles. It means too that more junior members of staff can perform expert edging, trimming neatly and closely around

MAKING TURF MATTER

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

www.turfmatters.co.uk

NEWS

from Toro sensitive areas whilst keeping the mower’s wheels a safe distance away.

Where usually you might need to touch up an area with a pedestrian mower or strimmer, the Sidewinder system has it covered. Plus, the tracking can be changed to reduce turf compaction in areas where the same patterns are mowed.

Where cutting quality and versatility is needed, the Reelmaster 3100-D small area mower with Sidewinder is the clear choice.

As the only cylinder mower with Sidewinder technology, it’s the perfect option for golf courses where precision control is a must around the greens and bunkers.

And with Toro’s renowned Dual Precision Adjustment cutting units, unrivalled quality and consistency of cut comes as a guarantee. The ingenious one-click dial of the DPA cutting unit allows users to hold the bedknife in exact increments, keeping the edge sharper for

longer and ensuring each blade of grass is cleanly cut to keep the sward green and healthy.

SPECIFICATION:

Engine: 21.5hp Kubota diesel engine Ground speed: Mowing – 0-6 mph, transport – 0-9 mph Cutting width: 72 inches or 85 inches Cutting units: Dual Precision Adjustment (DPA) cutting units Weight: Approx. 840kg.

It’s not just golf courses that benefit from how versatile the Sidewinder technology can be. With the Groundsmaster 3500-D rotary mower with Sidewinder, sports venues do too. In fact, the way a Sidewinder is able to transform an easy maintenance rotary mower into a precision cutting cylinder mower is what really puts it in another league for getting more from your machine.

It means there’s no need to sacrifice quality of cut for the

productivity required to maintain large green spaces with longer cutting cycles, perfect for meeting the demands of large sports fields, training pitches and stadiums.

SPECIFICATION:

Fuel capacity: 37.9 – 41.6 litres Engine: 24.8hp Kubota diesel engine Ground speed: Mowing – 0-6 mph, transport – 0-9 mph Cutting width: 68 – 72 inches, with 12 inch Sidewinder offset Traction drive: 3-wheel drive hydrostatic series/parallel closed-loop transmission Weight: Approx. 957kg.

The Groundsmaster 3500-D with Sidewinder is able to transform from an easy maintenance rotary mower into a precision cutting cylinder mower, perfect for sports applications

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 57

58 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

RIDE ON MOWERS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Third Ventrac for Carden Park

P

eter Pattenden, the Golf Courses and Estates Manager at Carden Park, is undoubtedly an advocate of the Ventrac 4500 compact tractor. He has two machines already and has recently purchased a third to help maintain the 1,400-acre property; 800 acres of Carden Park, which includes two championship golf courses and a further 600 acres comprising owner Steve Morgan’s home at Carden Hall and the tenant farms dotted around the estate.

“I purchased my first Ventrac in 2017 with a selection of accessories including Contour deck, Tough Cut deck, Stump Grinder, Edger, Blower and Power Broom,” he said.

“I was so impressed that a second one arrived in 2018 with another Contour deck and a third has just been added to our fleet.

“Every piece of equipment we buy has to earn its keep and these Ventracs certainly fall into this category. I’ve been operating equipment since 1991 and buying machinery since 1996, and can honestly say they are some of the best machines I have ever bought!

“The Contour deck is great out on the golf courses, especially on sloping tee banks, the Tough Cut deck is superb for land management as it can cut through saplings, bracken and gorse, helping to maintain the areas that consume man-hours.

“We have a mile-long drive leading up to the hotel and can keep this looking pristine all year at a fraction of the time and cost we previously incurred. In some areas, we’ve reduced the time maintaining banks with brushcutters from one and half hours to just 10 minutes using the Ventrac.

“They have many outstanding qualities: versatility, manoeuvrability, build quality, reliability, ease of operation, but one not readily appreciated until you have it, is its ability to operate in wet conditions.

“We can be wet up here in Cheshire and it’s got us out of jail on many occasions. We get flash flooding on parts of the courses after heavy rain, but we can still get out

and work. I have even used both machines, side by side, with their Contour decks to mow the rough after heavy downpours.

“Worm casts on fairways can be a problem throughout autumn and winter; you don’t want to use reel mowers as you have to keeping sharpening the cylinders after use, but we can set the Contour deck, which has three rotary blades, at 19mm and keep everything looking good.

“We do a lot of woodland management, removing trees and scrub and this means travelling across fairways to reach particular areas. The light footprint of the Ventrac, which I believe is just 6 psi, allows us to go in with either the Stump Grinder attachment or the Tough Cut deck to maintain these sites, without leaving wheel marks around the courses.

“Also, I’ve recently purchased a Trencher attachment, which will be used over the winter months to help us install additional drainage bands.

“These machines are bullet-proof.

Their reliability is incredible; we’ve had no issues whatsoever. I can honestly say this is one of the best machines I have ever bought! Summed up in three words, it’s exceptional, versatile and robust.’

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 59

IRRIGATION

RIDE ON MOWERS

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

STIGA’s advanced battery charge U

sing an alternative to fossil fuels has become increasingly important for consumers around the world. Many of us now cycle rather than drive to reduce harmful emissions. And we choose cordless electric appliances because they are easier to manoeuvre, free from the clutter of cables.

Battery power is rapidly replacing petrol and electric cables as a lifestyle trend when it comes to gardening tools. In fact, within the UK in 2020 12.5% of lawn mower sales were battery and this trend is projected to increase to 23% by 2025, overtaking petrol.

At STIGA they are delivering a cleaner, safer, and more reliable energy supply for customers, dealers and trade partners.

STIGA battery lawnmowers and handheld tools are built from lightweight, robust materials. Whether mowing, cutting, trimming, or clearing, they are as powerful and long-lasting as their petrol equivalent, but with none of the noise, fumes and hassle of engine maintenance.

STIGA batteries are tested at a full, ‘real-life’ usage current that goes far beyond the common, but less demanding, Industry Standard test of only 300 charges at 20% of the ‘real-life’ usage current.

The innovative new E-Power battery –

STIGA 48V battery

developed, tested, and produced by STIGA in their Italian plant – is still going strong after 600 charges. That is the equivalent to an owner running down and recharging the battery twice a week for six years.

From the family-friendly simplicity of ESSENTIAL (100 Series) and the longlasting power of EXPERIENCE (500 and 700 Series), to the enhanced spec of EXPERT (900 Series). E-Power can drive the smallest tool or biggest lawnmower, including their first ever battery-powered garden tractor range – the STIGA e-Ride.

Designed for safety and efficiency, each

individual battery cell is optimally positioned with enough space to allow air to cool the battery when working or charging. And while developing the battery’s physical structure, STIGA engineers test the electronics and software that controls the cells at every stage of the process to ensure constant monitoring of energy status and to set temperature limits.

E-Power works ‘smart’ in both the 20V and 48V battery systems. In the 100 Series, the 20V battery recognises the type of tool and tunes the power appropriately to maximise battery life.

This cost-effective, adaptive battery performance is something that none of our main competitors in this price segment offer.

The 48V battery has an internal memory that registers all working parameters and communicates any issue between the battery, the tool and even the charger, such as overheating. And if a tool is powered by two 48V batteries, a microchip controls the synchronisation to extend cutting time.

STIGA is continually investing in technology and, through their ongoing R&D in modular electronics, will ensure it is upgradable for tomorrow – so new batteries fit old models and old batteries fit new models. www.stiga.com/uk

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 61

WATER MANAGEMENT

The never-ending question

Maintain or replace?

Bailoy Director, Adam Lovejoy, offers some helpful advice on whether you should invest in new or extend the live of your existing equipment.

N

obody wants to spend money unnecessarily, so it is important that any spending is on the correct product or service. But how do you know what that is, who do you ask and how do you know the information is correct?

If you have a little more understanding of how your system is put together, then it should be possible to narrow down your options.

62 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

Whether you have a clockwork controller or a computer-based controller, initially, the complete system would have been designed by an irrigation consultant, or an irrigation contractor. When that system was designed, it would have specified the following: A pump, pipe network, cable network, sprinklers, and a controller. Each one of these component parts would have been specified to work together for reliable operation of the system.

Over the years, these components will have required replacing, repairing, or upgrading. Sometimes the original product has been discontinued but there will often be a direct replacement. But why install a direct replacement when there is an improved component on the market?

Depending on the component in question, this is often where mistakes are made that can cause a chain reaction. Apart from must-do maintenance like pipe bursts or cable breaks, decisions on improving a system are often decided on visibility.

What do I mean by this? Things that can be more easily justified logically and seen

by management, committees, or members.

The main contender is often sprinklers. With new technology giving improved coverage, better throw, and increased flow why would you not look at them – they can be seen around a green and often manufacturers will give you some free samples to try out.

Most new sprinklers have increased flow rates that can deliver more water in half the time. But that new sprinkler is fed by the existing pump and pipe network and you now require that network to deliver maybe double the previous flow. Maybe the pipes and pump can deliver that but what if they can’t?

So that’s it, you can’t benefit from new technology unless you replace the entire system? Not necessarily!

We see so many sites running computers that are over 10 years old with software even older. And with that old set up the database containing critical site information is also likely to be out of date. But as previously mentioned, they are not visual items, so to spend money on them is difficult to justify. www.Bailoy.com

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

Toro irrigation helps Royal St George’s get through drought H

aving begun its long relationship with Toro with a fleet deal in 2013, Royal St George’s Golf Club in Kent has continued to trust in the brand, becoming a Toro Total Solutions customer with the installation of new irrigation in 2018 and leasing further machinery in 2019.

And the club, which consistently ranks among the top courses in the world and is the host of The Open in 2021, has had its faith in the brand pay off, particularly when it comes to Toro irrigation which has helped the course navigate a series of droughts in the last three years.

“We’ve had nothing but drought since the new irrigation system was installed in 2018, so it’s been very hard work to keep the standard of the course high, and Toro has been instrumental in helping us through that,” said Course Manager Paul Larsen.

“We had Toro Lynx Central Control System and over 1,000 sprinklers installed across the greens, tees and fairways in 2018. The flexibility of the sprinklers and precision of Lynx control has meant that we’ve been able to target our irrigation to the surfaces that needed it most and conserve water through a series of very dry and hot summers.”

It’s this precision, brought about by Toro’s technological innovation, that was the main reason for the upgrade in 2018.

“We wanted to get to the next level with our irrigation, so that meant getting a system on board that utilised innovative technology.

Being able to control water in millimetres with Lynx control is ideal, and the ability to change the trajectory on the sprinkler heads from 15 to 25 degrees depending on the wind is also fantastic.

“Since the new irrigation installation, we’ve expanded on our greens and we’ve been trying to grow back in turf on the fairways which had suffered from drought, so although we’re using more water than before, there would be a lot more wastage if we were still using our old system. Plus, we’ve now created our own reservoir to help with the need for extra

water, so we can avoid using mains water and be more sustainable.”

And with The Open now looming, it’s testament to the quality of course maintenance that Royal St George’s employs that getting the course ready is “business as usual”.

“We haven’t changed how we maintain the course in the run up to The Open because we are always maintaining it to the highest standards for our members. With the irrigation, we have set moisture levels that we want to achieve throughout the year, and with Toro we can see how close we are to those levels and apply the correct amount of irrigation in the right places to achieve that,” explained Paul.

Although the quality of Toro products has certainly played a part in the excellent maintenance of the course, the backup, training and support from Reesink Turfcare has done so as well.

“Reesink has been brilliant throughout the whole process.

I find that it’s easier to learn a product and get the most out of it when you’re dealing with the right people - and that’s certainly Robert Jackson from Reesink. On the rare occasions we’ve had an issue, he’s been able to find a solution, and the training we’ve had on the irrigation system has been superb.

“In fact, the training has meant that we have become self-sufficient and can now carry out small projects and adjustments ourselves, for example adding extra sprinklers to some of the walkways. And it’s no different with the machinery backup as well.

It’s all excellent,” concluded Paul.

To talk to someone about Toro irrigation products and the finance options available, call Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800.

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 63

WATER MANAGEMENT

Football onto a winner with borehole water The new sprinkler system uses borehole water to keep the pitch in tip top condition.

Picture courtesy of Stuart Gibson/ East Grinstead Town Football Club

F

rom the Premier League to the Sunday leagues, football clubs up and down the country share one ongoing battle – how to keep their pitches irrigated and in tip-top condition for optimum player performance.

Those with bigger budgets to spend can invest in everything . For smaller clubs however, such major financial undertakings may be as much a dream as a successful run all the way to the final of the FA Cup. That’s not to say there isn’t an alternative – a water solution that will help to both improve the pitch and save money in the longer term – as East Grinstead Town Football Club has found out.

The Club, whose home ground is at The OHOB Community Stadium, in East Court, plays in the Isthmian League South East Division. Recently, thanks to support from the Football Foundation and Mid Sussex District Council, it invested in a major pitch improvement project which has seen the installation of new drainage

64 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

and an automated irrigation system and, thanks to donations, the club also invested in the installation of a borehole.

EGTFC chairman, Richard Tramontin, says the borehole is already proving its worth.

“We had previously considered installing a borehole as an alternative to the mains water but, as a Community Amateur Sports Club run entirely by volunteers, we would have struggled with the investment and payback,” said Richard.

“When we were fortunate to be given the grant and a donation, we looked at it again.

“It is already helping us save on our mains water costs and gives us control of our water supply.

Not only have we been able to switch off the mains water supply to the sprinklers, but it also means we no longer need to use precious drinking water to irrigate the pitch.

“And, because the borehole is permanently connected to our irrigation system, we can programme the sprinklers remotely via smartphone rather than having to be on site,” he explained.

The club is however, careful to stay within the 20m3 a day limit set by the Environment Agency for any private individuals or business pumping water from a borehole. Beyond that figure an abstraction licence is required.

The borehole project, which included a VS4-7” Submersible Pump E-tech from Franklin Electric, was drilled by West Sussex-based Nicholls Boreholes. The company’s Mark Aylwin, who worked on the project, says it is just one example of more and more football clubs at all levels turning to boreholes as a way of controlling future water costs and guaranteeing consistency of supply.

“Cost is a major issue and for lower league clubs, providing they can get the investment, then they can reap real benefits in the longer term. We estimate that any organisation which is paying more than £5,000 a year on its water bills can save up to 40% by investing in a borehole – and of course, that means complete control over water usage and avoiding any sprinkler bans that may be enforced during the drier months, enabling them to keep playing and training for longer.”

Typically, says Mark, smaller clubs with one main pitch will look to irrigate only during the summer, but large clubs will use their boreholes throughout the year.

Considering that in top-flight football there may be at least six main full-size pitches, as well as training pitches and Academy pitches, that soon adds up to a lot of water.

The number of pitches and the quantity of water required will determine the number of boreholes and the drilling experts will also take into account the geology of the land.

The Nicholls team has worked with a raft of different clubs, including Stoke City Football Club. In 2017, it asked Nicholls to inspect problems it was having with two existing boreholes.

Both had a reduced flow due to iron and iron biofowling building up on the well screens, and Nicholls’ experts were able to significantly increase the flow rates by undertaking a thorough cleaning programme using a BoreSaver Ultra C treatment solution from Geoquip Water Solutions.

Mark says the importance of regular maintenance cannot be underestimated.

He cites the north of the country as having a higher iron content in the water, often leading to the build-up of contamination inside a borehole. Other areas with, for example, sandy soils, may need regular filtration checks to ensure sand isn’t blocking the pumping equipment or clogging up the casings.

Mark and his colleagues work closely with Geoquip, whose BoreSaver range of borehole cleaning and well rehabilitation treatments includes different formulas to tackle a variety of contamination issues.

These include iron and manganese oxide deposits or iron-related bacteria (IRB), as well as a general all-purpose cleaning treatment for use where a wide range of residues are present, or if the exact composition of the bacteria is unknown.

One of the major advantages of the BoreSaver range is that it can be applied into the borehole in situ – meaning there

MAKING TURF MATTER

www.turfmatters.co.uk

KAR UK’s new Hunter products

is no need to go to the expense and time of removing the pump. This helps to reduce downtime and one treatment will usually be effective in as little as 48 hours in removing contamination and deposits that have built up.

Geoquip’s Mike Deed says Mark is absolutely right when it comes to making maintenance a priority.

“Once contamination takes hold in a borehole it can quickly start to block water flow through the casings, the bacteria deposits will clog up the pumps and the motors and then both the quality and quantity of the water is affected,” he said.

“For sporting organisations, such as football clubs, who rely on their turf being in tip-top condition, this can seriously impact on their performance. Having invested in their own water supplies in the first place, it a proactive approach to keeping the borehole bacteria-free is the best way to prevent an own goal.”

KAR UK, wholesaler of irrigation equipment and distributor of Hunter products, has announced some exciting new product launches.

NEW EZ-DT diagnostic tool: The industry’s simplest two-wire system just got easier with the new handheld EZ-DT diagnostic tool from Hunter. It uses wireless technology to streamline installation and maintenance of EZ Decoder Systems.

Contractors can use the EZ-DT to assess quickly and easily system health from within the valve box — without having to uninstall the decoders — reducing time and labour.

The battery-operated EZ-DT lets EZ-1 decoder users: • Detect faults and perform electrical troubleshooting in the field without uninstalling decoders.

• Quickly read decoder status, station address, current draw, and two-wire voltage to simplify maintenance.

• Program decoder station address via wired connection to speed up installation and save time on-site.

• Update controller face pack or decoder module firmware via ribbon cable connection for flexibility when updating systems.

• Communicate in their preferred language

using the multilingual user interface.

• Work efficiently on the go with power supplied by four AAA batteries.

NEW MP Stake Native plant restoration projects and subsurface drip irrigation systems often require temporary overhead watering to support delicate plants.

Designed for use with any water-efficient MP Rotator nozzle, MP Stake kits come preassembled for simple installation. Quickly give fragile plants the supplemental irrigation they need without adding significant labour.

Other key benefits include: • Pair with any high-efficiency MP Rotator nozzle to simplify temporary irrigation.

• Preassembled for fast and easy installation in the field.

• Standard kit includes a 66 cm stake, nozzle adapter, 0.345” tubing, and ½” threaded male fitting for quick connection.

• For maximum water savings, upgrade to a 2.8 bar (280 kPa) pressure regulator and Hunter Check Valve. www.karuk.com

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 65

WATER MANAGEMENT

New automatic selfcleaning disc filtration T

he use of reclaimed water or other lower quality water sources is becoming more common in irrigation projects and to ensure that systems work effectively, whatever the source, Rain Bird now offers the HDF Series of automatic self-cleaning disc filtration equipment.

The company’s filtration products including pump suction screens, centrifugal sand separators and hydraulic suction screen filters are already available. These offer different levels of filtration and modes of operation. However, using water from canals, ponds, rivers, wells, reservoirs or waste water sources for irrigation requires a more thorough approach to filtration.

It is essential that contaminants which originate from organic and inorganic matter, such as algae, sand, silt, suspended solids and microbiological growth, are filtered out. This will prevent nozzles, rotors, valves and other equipment being blocked or even damaged, resulting in efficient

66 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

flow rates and optimised water usage.

Within an irrigation circuit, the HDF Series will act as a primary filter for the water source and is located after the pump. Having then passed through backflow and master valve stations, the filtered uncontaminated water is then distributed via any secondary filters to the chosen nozzles, rotors or in-line drip irrigation. The Rain Bird irrigation controller is highly flexible and allows filtration and cleaning cycles to take place without any interruption to flow to the system.

The HDF Series is specifically designed to be used within irrigation systems where manual cleaning would be difficult, time consuming or unwieldy. Three different units provide varying levels of filtration efficiency and capacity. For flexibility, they can operate with or without electricity and include control units that run on 220V AC or 12V DC. The units are manufactured from tough engineered plastics and materials resistant to rust and corrosion from chemicals or water.

Units are pre-assembled and wired for easy installation.

All HDF units feature a patented anti-clogging device that generates a helical centrifuge effect moving a high percentage of particles that are suspended in water away from the disk. This ensures optimal performance resulting in water savings, reduced backwash frequency and minimum maintenance requirements.

Choosing the correct HDF Series unit is based on establishing the quality and dirtiness of the water source, determining the required filtration grade and then calculating the number of filters required.

The filter cartridge is made up of a number of stacked discs. Water passes through small grooves between the discs which are compressed and impurities are trapped and projected away through the cyclone effect.

During back flushing, water is projected through the discs evacuating the contaminant particles through the drainage manifold. The filtration process restarts when the discs recompress. The systems automatically measure the pressure over the filters to determine when back washing and cleaning are required.

HDF 1x2, HDF 2 and HDF 4 designations refer to the size of the filters and the onboard valves. The HDF 4 is a scalable multifilter unit with standard filtration of 100, 130 and 400 microns with custom options available. Users can add a number of filters to the specification in order to reach the desired flow rates for the application. Up to 12, 4-inch filters can be used to achieve maximum flow rates of 575 m3 per hour.

The elements inside the filter provide depth filtration across the diameter, not just at the circumference and the helical action inside ensures highly efficient cleaning.

The HDF 2 is also multi-filter and scalable, using up to eight 2-inch filters for a maximum throughput of 192m3 per hour.

The single HDF 1 with a single two inch filter is designed for low flow applications and has a maximum throughput of 24 m3 per hour. Its compact design makes it ideal for fitting into tight spaces. www.rainbird.eu

MANAGEMENT

BUYERS’ GUIDE

BUYERS’ GUIDE Golf Course Management Consultant

Golf Course Advice; Locum Greenkeeper Service; Project Management; Practical Solutions for Genuine Problems www.billymcmillanassociates.co.uk Tel: 07774 632747

To advertise contact Marie Anderson email: marie@turfmatters.co.uk MACHINERY MACHINERY

BATTERY-POWERED EQUIPMENT

TURF CONTRACTORS

SYNTHETIC SURFACES

Toro Reelmaster 5010-H with PowerMatch

Horsepower on Demand

+41 7657 10184

arrived.

ble 1

Petrol has had its day.

www.toro5010.com

EQUIPMENT

TC1038 Turf Matters Buyers Guide.indd 1 ing by

Lead

21/12/2015 design

• Turf Cutters • TurfBringing Aerators technical

Petrol-matching power without the noise, vibrations or fumes. A range of batterypowered equipment with market leading four-year commercial warranty on all batteries.

17:35

www.pellenc.co.uk

excellence and service • Core Collectors to turf and groundcare

info@groundsmanindustries.com

www.groundsmanindustries.com www.wiedenmann.co.uk

0141 814 3366

Equipment built with experience

info@flexgrass.ch www.flexgrass.ch GRASS SEED

www.synprobysisis.com

GOLF BUNKERS FERTILISERS AND PESTICIDES

www.lgseeds.co.uk EQUIPMENT

ble 2 Turf Matters | February-March 2016 | 33

04/03/2016 14:05

www.icl.sf.co.uk

andy@whitemosseco.org.uk www.CompleteBunkerSolutions.com

LINE MARKING

Bringing technical excellence and service to turf and groundcare www.wiedenmann.co.uk 0141 814 3366

SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS

MOWERS

Agripower Contractors

www.etesia.co.uk

Good Grounding in Sport

Fertilisers and Chemicals

IRRIGATION

One of the UK’s leading natural and artificial sports turf specialists. From initial concept and planning through to construction, drainage, renovation and maintenance.

www.agripower.co.uk Tel: 01494 866776

Agripower Contractors, Broomfield Farm, Rignall Road, Great Missenden, Bucks HP16 9PE

ON A SCREEN NEAR YOU

www.pellenc.co.uk

www.compo-expert.com agronomy@compo-expert.com

Go to YouTube.com, search for ‘Turf Matters’ and find out why we’re our industry’s most watched channel.

TURF MATTERS MATTERS || MAY-JUNE MAY-JUNE 2021 2021 || 67 67 TURF

BUYERS’ GUIDE

BUYERS’ GUIDE

To advertise contact Marie Anderson email: marie@turfmatters.co.uk BUYERS’ GUIDE

MOWERS

Statistics reveal scale of success of Saltex 2015 FERTILISERS AND PESTICIDES

AERATION

over 70% of visitors said that there was an The 70th SALTEX exhibition exceeded all excellent mix of products on display. Table 1 expectations after an independent audit shows what visitors were looking for. confirmed the exhibition as the largest turf www.campeyturfcare.com Exhibitors at SALTEX 2015 reported management event in the UK with a total Telephone: 01260 224 568 0118 3914540 Email: info@campeyturfcare.com TYRES huge success at the show, suggesting that of 8,714 unique individuals attending. Now, jamie@advancegrass.com the visitors were a very powerful group of the visitor surveys have been flooding in – buyers. With deals being done there and revealing a fascinating and in-depth insight then on the show floor, it’s no surprise to see into the visitor profile of the show. that over 80% had purchasing responsibility.

With visitors traveling from every corner Over 75% of all SALTEX visitors also had of the UK as well as every continent around the ability to sign off purchases of up to the world it was encouraging to see that WETTING AGENTS £100,000. over 70% of the visitors rated their overall SOIL SURFACTANTS As for the type of facilities that the SALTEX experience as being good, very ORGANIC FERTILISERS visitors were responsible for, it was great to good or excellent. see such a wide array of visitors (table 2).

Over 65% of visitors said that they 01233 633267 Visitors also found the more central attended SALTEX to source new products, location of the NEC to be more accessible services or suppliers, while 20% wanted UK.aquatrols.com with 70% stating that the new location was to make the most of the free educational either good or excellent. Within the halls of LEARNING LIVE seminars and to receive GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES the NEC, visitors favoured the more compact one-to-one advice through the IOG’s Ask setting with over 70% rating the layout of the Expert feature. With so much on offer the event either good or excellent. at SALTEX, there was something for Overall the visitor survey has everyone and over 80% said that they were demonstrated just how good the was the successful or very successful in meeting quality of attendees – further enhancing their objectives.

SALTEX as the must attend event of the With such a large number of visitors year. attending SALTEX to source new products SALTEX 2016 will be held at the NEC, and services; they certainly came to the Birmingham on 2 and 3 November 2016. For right place. The exhibition is a great way more information visit www.iogsaltex.com to launch and showcase new products and

GRASS GRASSSEED SEED

www.dennisuk.com

www.sisis.com

AGRONOMY SERVICES

n Agronomy Audits n Advisory Services n Project Management n Construction n Budgets www.gregevansmg.com Call: 07951 157208 or email: gregevansmg@gmail.com

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

Golf Course Management Consultant Golf Course Advice; Locum Greenkeeper Service; Project Management; Practical Solutions for Genuine Problems

QUALITY USED GROUNDCARE MACHINERY BOUGHT AND SOLD

www.billymcmillanassociates.co.uk Tel: 07774 632747

USED MACHINERY SALES Machinery bought and sold

ALL TYPES OF GROUNDCARE MACHINERY MACHINERY Ride-on tractors Toro Reelmaster 5010-H with PowerMatch

Horsepower Chippers on Demand

45 years’ experience Golf, sports, landscape machinery

The industry’s first true hybrid-drive fairway mower has arrived.

Cylinder mowers Compact tractors

Finance available

D|TES

D

S

68 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

Call today: 21/12/2015 020 8641 7979 Email: Bringing technical sales@groundserv.co.uk

TC1038 Turf Matters Buyers Guide.indd 1

ALL MACHINERY

VICE

Ground preparation machines

www.toro5010.com

Blowers/Vacuums EQUIPMENT

D| TE

|TRIE

Table 1

ER

Fairway and tees mowers

A COMPANY YOU CAN TRUST • WWW.GROUNDSERV.CO.UK

excellence and service to turf and groundcare www.wiedenmann.co.uk 0141 814 3366

17:35

MAKING MAKINGTURF TURFMATTER MATTER

IRRIGATION

TURF

OVER 30 YEARS OF CARE, CONSIDERATION AND QUALITY CALL US ON 01759 321000

www.inturf.com

FOOTWEAR

www.irriconsult.co.uk

Hadnall, near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DH Tel: 01939 211900 Fully independent advisory services offering practical solutions to sports and golf clubs on system design, specification, project planning and budgeting, as well as full appraisal and structured reports on existing irrigation systems.

www.turfmatters.co.uk www.turfmatters.co.uk

Invicta Groundcare Equipment Ltd

MACHINE HIRE Hadnall, near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 3DH

Tel: 01939 211900

www.trencherhire.com Pedestrian chain trenchers and mole-ploughs for hire across the UK. Self-drive machines for: H Drainage projects H Irrigation installations H Cable & water mains laying H Hedge planting

EQUIPMENT WASH DOWN SPRAYERS AND SPRAYING

One of Europe’s largest quality used golf machinery buyers

PROFESSIONAL SPRAYERS

InvictaTurfcare

Call us on 01474 874120

Invicta_groundcare

www.invicta-groundcare.co.uk

TURF RECRUIT www.berthoud.fr/en/

FERTILISERS AND PESTICIDES

TRACTORS

Looking for your next move?

Turf Recruit has quickly become the largest resource for ALL industry jobs. With EVERY job in one place you’ll never miss an opportunity again. Simply browse hundreds of jobs and find the one for you!

Are you an employer looking to recruit? l Featured in the Turf Recruit section of the website –our most visited page l Featured in our monthly dedicated jobs e-shot – sent to over 26,000 industry professionals l No time limitations – the job remains listed online until you FILL IT l Regular social media promotion of your job to an audience of over 15,000 and growing

Kioti UK Ltd Abbotsley Golf Hotel, Potton Road, St Neots, Cambs PE19 6XN Telephone 01480-401512 www.kioti-uk.com

SCARIFIERS SEE US ON YOUTUBE

To find out more contact Marie Anderson Email: marie@turfmatters.co.uk Tel: 07841 927500

www.turfmatters.co.uk People with something to say, say it on the Turf Matters YouTube channel Find out why we’re our industry’s most watched channel. More than a magazine… our cameras bring you stories from across the UK. Because Turf Matters…

Tea Break Teaser – the answers 1. Portugal; 2. 27; 3. 35; 4. False. There have been five holes-in-one but none from an American player. Four Englishmen and an Italian have found the cup; 5. Lake Nona, in Florida in 1990; 6.

1992; 7. 23; 8. A losing record. Played 123, won 52, lost 60 with 11 draws; 9. Four. 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002; 10. Suzann Pettersen; 11. 1976. Antonin Panenka of Czechoslovakia defeated Sepp Maier of West Germany from the stop; 12. The asymmetric bars; 13. Gavin Hastings, with 69 between 1986 and 1993; 14. Sergio Garcia with 25.5 pts; 15. Ping. Karsten Solheim, the founder of Ping, was the driving force behind the Cup.

TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021 | 69

COMMENT

Those of you who are regular readers of this Blog will be aware of my endless search for golfing fulfilment.

I’ve tried everything. Or rather I’ve bought everything, as I continue to be married to the view that anyone who spends too much time on the Practice Ground is tantamount to cheating.

They are taking an unfair advantage over the rest of us who fall out of the car and onto the 1st tee once a week.

But I am now in a position to make an announcement. It’s beginning to work!

Yes, it’s only one round, but for the first time in years I walked off the 18th green feeling like a golfer, with my head held high and the looks of admiration and heartfelt complimentary words from my three playing partners.

At least

70 | TURF MATTERS | MAY-JUNE 2021

MAKING TURF MATTER

that’s what I think they were.

I put much of it down to my new driver. I’d had the previous one for nearly 15 years and it had been a good servant. But I was comfortably the shortest hitter in the club. Consistent yes. I rarely topped it, and invariably they were fairly straight, but more often or not I was more than a full wood away on any par-4 approaching 400 yards. That, together with my appalling short game, made securing bogeys, never mind pars, pretty tricky.

Last Sunday it all changed., Sure the drier weather was giving us a bit of run, but I was hitting the odd iron into greens.

I was making the odd par, bogeys were becoming mundane rather than a distant aspiration. What had happened to me?

I accumulated 18 points on the way out, which included a missed two footer on the 9th and headed off down the 10th with my head in the clouds.

Another few proper golf shots and another couple of pars – three pointers! – were added to my total. I was flying.

By now I was waiting for it, and sure enough it arrived.

That little voice was clearing its throat – the one that speaks up when it notices that I’m doing better than I should be. The one whose role is to ensure that I know my place. The one which tells me that it’s all a fluke and that the wheels will come off before I’ve played another couple of holes.

I tried to distract myself, but it wasn’t to be. What had been an arrow straight 3-wood a few holes before, this time found a bush; that driver that had been launching me out a distant 225 yards from the tee misfired and I was short and in the rough. An over ambitious recovery

www.turfmatters.co.uk

meant that my steady accumulation of points had stuttered, and I was left rueing what might have been.

Until, that is, the 17th when my driver recovered its poise and started to live up to its price tag again. A towering 7-iron into the green and two, admittedly shaky putts later, and I had another three point par!

Wow! Standing on the 18th tee I started to believe. I started to trust my process. That jerky takeaway; was now slightly less jerky; that transition into downswing, just at the point when the clubhead reached hip height was close to perfection; my chest rotated in perfect unison with the club, and the cherry on top was the finish, perfectly mirroring the top of my backswing, just above my knees.

The ball rocketed off the scientifically designed clubface, and I looked on in shocked admiration.

But there was still time to muck it up.

I had a rescue club from 165 yard.

So much could go wrong. But, again, I trusted in the process, ignoring the potential result, and just swung. The ball took off heading straight for the pin, never mind the green. Was this really me? It looked as though it was nestling beside the pin, but when I got there it was 15 feet short.

But there was still time to muck it up.

That voice was telling me that three putts would bring me two points, more than I usually got on the hole, and that I should be happy with that.

I lined up, swung the putter head, and off the ball went at what looked like a pace which would make my second putt makeable. I was relieved.

But it went in. It went in! I had finished with a birdie. Not just my first ever on the 18th. My first ever on the course.

And it meant that I’d broken 90. That three had given me an 89, a closing four pointer and a total of 38 points.

I’d tamed my home course for the first time ever. *As told to Scott MacCallum