Turf Matters September/October 2018

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

September-October 2018 | £4.95

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Gearing up for the Ryder Cup

All eyes on Paris (and Alejandro) CHALLENGES FOR RANGERS AND STEVIE G

REVOLUTION FOR TURF MANAGEMENT

LINE MARKING OF PITCHES COMES OF AGE

20 Scottish football focus

38 Latest in aeration

27 Keeping between the lines

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WELCOME

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iWelcome

A safer environment Don’t forget Sport…

Distributed every two months to sports turf professionals, independent schools, universities, local authorities and buyers Distributed every two months to sports of turfcare machinery and products. turf professionals, local authorities and buyers ofMacCallum turfcare machinery and Editor: Scott products. scott@turfmatters.co.uk

Since the last issue of Turf Matters, in which we included a detailed report into rubber and thehave carciongenes contained within – andpeople right on The last crumb two months been a nightmare for many inour certain printing – the body charged withgoes regulating the issue, has proposed parts deadline of the country and my heart out toon everyone dealing with a reduction in the levels of, wait for it, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, found in the aftermath of unprecedented flooding and devastating erosion. granules used in synthetic Theand bestmulches case scenario for manypitches. is months of temporary living. For

DesignScott and Production Editor: MacCallumEditor: Tim Moat tim@turfmatters.co.uk scott@turfmatters.co.uk

others, never return to what they were.within the industry In many lives ways will it vindicates the concerns that so many have While had in recent years and goes some way towards reducing theseem risks faced by the fate of sports grounds and golf clubs might groundmen, who maintain the players who useMatters them. have inconsequential in thesuch facesurfaces, of such and hardship, we at Turf

Customer Manager: Design andRelations Production Editor: Tim Moat tim@turfmatters.co.uk Sinead Finnin sinead@turfmatters.co.uk Sales Manager: Pauline Thompson

a particular empathy with everyone has seen years agronomic The recommended reductions, which are who still to undertake a sixofmonth husbandry literally washed away in the space have of a few consultation process before possible implementation, beenweeks. proposed by the It must be hoped that Itbanks the financial institutions, notlimit the for European Chemical Agency. wants–to reduce the current 1000 mg/kg which edge rivers take an understanding approach sixthings of the PAHs and theoverflown 100 mg/kg limit for–the other two of the relevant PAHs, to a limit of 17 mg/kg. to sporting facilities which have been unable to service loans as a

Sales Executive: To advertise in Turf Matters, Marie Anderson call Pauline on 07720 055676 or marie@turfmatters.co.uk email pauline@turfmatters.co.uk

To advertise in Turf Matters, To subscribe, go to call Sinead 07841 927500

result of them being unplayable and unable to abring in in revenue.

To my non-scientifically trained mind thatsoseems quite lot, but the same we have seen with recent Olympics, sport pressAs release it states that thethe measure is Winter to “ensure the cancer risk has fromsuch PAH a galvanising effect society and social can be the catalyst much health good, exposure remains very on low”; “decrease concerns aboutfor theso negative that itcaused is imperative facilities are not forgotten whenburdens the impacts

by PAHs”;sporting “lead to no major additional administrative promised is being allocated. the lower concentration on local authorities in assistance terms of costs for implementing limits” and “cause limited and affordable social costs”. we have been Onrelatively the issue of improving sporting facilities,

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Turf Matters is published by Straight Down Turf MattersCommunications is published by Straight the Middle Ltd. Down the Middle Communications Ltd. All material © Turf Matters magazine 2018.

All material © Turf Matters magazine 2014.

No part of this publication may be No part of this may be reproduced in publication any form whatsoever, reproduced in any form whatsoever, either for sale or not, without the written either for sale without Information the written permission of or thenot, publisher. permission of the publisher.

Information contained in Turf Matters is published contained in Turf is published in good faith andMatters every effort has been in good andits every effort has made tofaith ensure accuracy.

Turfbeen Matters made to ensure its accuracy. Turf Matters can accept no responsibility for any error can accept no responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. All liability for loss, or misrepresentation. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on information damage caused by reliance on information contained in Turf Matters or in the event of contained in Turf Matters or in the event of any bankruptcy bankruptcyor orliquidation liquidationororcessation cessation any of trade trade of of any any company, company,individual individualororfirm firm of mentioned is is hereby herebyexcluded. excluded. mentioned

invited

by Briggs & Stratton to become involved in its Pitch I do feel that this is placing too much importance on the costs of imposing safer Win competition, provides £3,000 makeover for limits, rather thantopurely concentrating which on making it safe.aBut perhaps that’s just what is judged to be the Under 18s football pitch in most me. need – find out more on pages 16-17. I am on the judging

Coming on the back of the glyphosate (Roundup) case in the States it does pose panel and visits will be made to a shortlist of deserving real questions about health and safety within our industry.

pitches soon. We will be looking not so much at the

I’ve no doubt that risks are and if proper codes of practice are DESSO butminimal, the desperate! rigorously adhered but it would that the risks Ontoaeven finalmore note,minimal, I am thrilled by theappear reception that the of working with both rubber crumb pitches and using established chemicals first issue of Turf Matters received. Many people have are out there.

taken time to say how much they liked the look of the

Hopefullymagazine work will continue ensure that the lives of those working and howtothey enjoyed the articles.

We’re all closely with such substances theand costs reducing pleased you foundare it placed to yourabove liking weofwill workrisk hard still further. to maintain the high standards. Thank you all very much.

Printed by

by Warners WarnersMidlands MidlandsPLC. PLC. Printed

Scott MacCallum, Scott MacCallum, Editor Editor You Youcan canfollow followus meon onTwitter Twitter @TurfMatters @TurfMatters

Inside Inside this thisissue issue News..........................................4-12, 50-56 News .........................................................4-15 The robots are here........................15-17 Pitch to Win........................................16-17 Tea Break Teaser.......................................18 Mowing .................................19-22, 24-27 Rangers’ new challenge. ..............20-25 Tea Break Teaser ......................................29 Line marking.......................................27-29 Gleneagles..........................................30-35 Ryderreview Cup............................................30-35 BTME ......................................36-41 Aeration.................................................38-43 Diary of a Golfing Nobody.................42 Quads and UTVs...............................48-49 As seen on Twitter..................................43 Buyers’ Guide.............................................57 Golfingout Nobody’s Blog..........................58 Check our website: The majesty of Gleneagles, pages 30-35 ACCURACY: Keep inside the lines – linemarking, pages 27-29 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 October 2018

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EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOLLOWING ROCHFORD ACQUISITION Rochford Garden Machinery has been acquired by German manufacturer AL-KO Gardentech, with all divisions, staff and product lines remaining unchanged.

Rochford, based in Wincanton, Somerset, is one of UK´s leading garden machinery suppliers, both in imports and sales of domestic and commercial garden machinery. The family run business founded in 1976 in Bruton, Somerset, has been an importer of AL-KO products for almost 15 years.

“We are pleased to have AL-KO Gardentech, our long time partner, as our new owner, which helps us to take Rochford to a new level of profitability, sales and market penetration,” said Elizabeth Rochford, wife of founder Peter Rochford.

“We have every confidence in AL-KO Gardentech that our company will be led into a stable future and that Rochford will remain a professional home for our employees. Furthermore, the management team around Managing Director, Stewart Anderson, will stay the same.”

This management team includes Mark Rochford and sister Kerry Moore.

“The company and its ranges will continue as they are, with the added benefit of developing new product categories from the AL-KO company in new channels,” said Stewart.

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LAWN TRACTOR FEAT IS A WORLD RECORD

Prison officer Andy Maxfield’s amazing journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End on an unmodified lawn tractor has been officially recognised as a Guinness World Records achievement.

The 874-mile record attempt in July last year took Andy five days, eight hours and 36 minutes, making it the fastest time for the journey on a ride-on lawnmower. Andy embarked on the challenge to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s Society after his father was diagnosed with the disease.

Andy’s initial goal was to raise £1,000 for Alzheimer’s Society – “so far we’ve collected over £9,000 and now I’m trying to reach our new target of £10,000 by the end of 2018,” he said.

“We’re keeping the JustGiving page www.justgiving. com/andrew-maxfield open until then. Donations can also be made by texting MAXF80 £3 to 70070.

Sadly, Andy’s father, the inspiration behind the John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge, lost his own battle with dementia in January 2018, unaware that his son’s magnificent achievement was indeed a record.

Yorkshire turf stands up to Open challenge

The Rochford team

4 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

Francesco Molinari may have left Carnoustie with a claret jug and the cheers of the admiring galleries ringing in his ears, but one East Yorkshire company also took away something very special from this year’s Open Championship.

Inturf, based near York, has supplied Carnoustie Links Trust with their Masters turf grade for more than a decade now, assisting in a very small way to the huge effort in hosting this great tournament.

Despite the unusually arid conditions across the UK, which provided the wonderful links conditions but starved the turf of water, their Yorkshire-bred grass stood up to the demands of the top 156 golfers in the world this summer!

“We have an excellent relationship with the team at Carnoustie and we were delighted that this Open Championship proved to be so very successful for

the second time since we started supplying the trust with our Masters turf. We are extremely proud that Inturf contributed to it’s success,” said Inturf’s Joint Managing Director, Alex Edwards.

The Masters turf, a blend of high quality fescue grasses, was used on many different areas of the golf course especially for bunker construction and walkway areas.

“All of our grades are grown using the best agronomy practices and technology known to the industry and meets our own very high standards to ensure that the same quality products are supplied throughout our customer base whether that’s for golf, landscaping or domestic lawns,” said Alex.

Our picture shows Alex with Sandy Reid and Craig Boath of Carnoustie.

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

James has been in his current role as Course Manager for eight years and claims that he has assembled the best team he has ever seen in all his years of greenkeeping. The team all play regularly on the stunning course in Hertfordshire, which James believes is essential as they need to understand the course from a player’s perspective.

“As a team, we are all very passionate about this place and are always striving to make improvements where we can,” said James.

So, when James was not achieving his desired results, he decided to look for an alternative.

“I had been using a different seed for a couple of years and it hadn’t really worked out, so I met Richard Sheppard – amenity seed specialist for Limagrain UK – at BTME and we arranged an appointment for him to come in and see me.

“We walked around the 18 holes and looked at what I needed from a seed on various parts of the

course. In particular we focussed on the fairways because at that time they were suffering after a season of very little rain and a lot of play. Richard suggested MM22 and MM25 – which was dependant on the position of the fairway as well as other factors such as acidity levels.”

Limagrain’s MM25 is an ideal mixture for the construction and renovation of sports pitches, whereas MM22 is great for divotting, repairing, overseeding and construction of tees, fairways and outfield areas that are subjected to high levels of wear.

“The results have been most

We have limited irrigation which doesn’t allow me to water fairways as often as I would like

dramatic on the fairways because normally they don’t do very well in the summer,” he said.

“We have limited irrigation which doesn’t allow me to water fairways as often as I would like and we have an evaporation rate of about 30mm at the height of the summer – which has always been an issue. This year, however, the fescues came through incredibly fast on the 17th, the 3rd and the 5th which was amazing. It’s provided me with really good results and they just look much healthier.

They are better to present and the members have noticed a massive difference – they are really pleased.”

James Bonfield: Results have been the most dramatic on the fairways

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 5

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Opting for Pellenc Places for People, one of the UK’s largest property management companies, has reported a number of significant benefits since investing in a large fleet of Pellenc battery powered equipment.

Their ethos is to create sustainable communities which people are proud to call home.

For the grounds maintenance side of the business, the landscapes team purchased a fleet of Pellenc battery powered equipment which included a range of Excelion 2000 brushcutters, Helion 2 Compact hedge trimmers, Helion Telescopic hedge trimmers, Airion 2 hand blowers, Selion polesaws powered by 1100 ultra-

lithium batteries.

Gary Slater (North East), Julian Chapman (South) and Paul Hodgson (North West) are the three regional operations managers for Places for People Landscapes.

“There were environmental benefits, health and safety benefits, and the reduction in servicing and fuel costs,” said Julian.

The Pellenc technology allows for a reduction in the production of greenhouse gases and noise pollution. It is also comfortable for users and meets new sustainable development demands.

“I think for what we do – grounds, estate and garden maintenance, the Pellenc equipment is a great replacement for the petrol equipment. There are

Property company Places for People with their Pellenc gear

so many benefits to using battery powered products from an environmental and well-being point of view and it makes sense to move in that direction rather than stand still. In using the Pellenc equipment we are eliminating so many issues – there are no fumes which is great for our staff, we no longer have to carry fuel in our vans or be concerned with fuel leaks or spill kits and the equipment is extremely quiet. The kit is also nice and lightweight

which is a huge benefit for manual handling,” he said.

“Then of course there is the enhanced productivity.

Firstly, we are saving time on not having to fill up the fuel cans and there are no problems or delays with having to start machinery – it folds away quickly and easily too. Also, the quietness of the equipment is great for some of our noise sensitive sites – theoretically it means that our guys could start earlier on some sites,” said Gary.

CORDLESS TOOLS FROM MAKITA

Makita continues to expand the inventory of cordless tools designed for the professional grounds maintenance industry, adding new technical features and improving performance.The new Makita DUR189Z 18v LXT linetrimmer, which replaces the DUR184L model, has a 240 watt output Brushless motor providing capacity to run the head at three selected speed settings.

Having the motor at the drive head improves the balance of the machine and eliminates the loss of power through the traditional drive shaft where the motor is at the operator end of the machine. The DUR189Z linetrimmer has the benefit of the innovative Automatic Torque Drive Technology, where the revolutions per minute are automatically increased from between 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000rpm according to the density of the weeds and foliage being cut. This allows for greater and improved energy saving, lower noise levels, optimum operation and user comfort.

The lightweight design of this model has an operating weight of 3.3kg, including the LXT battery, soft grip handle and forward loop handle for maximum machine control. The bent pipe shaft is adjustable in length and the foldable wire guard helps to reduce risk or damage to foliage, fences and ornaments. The smaller protector allows a better view of the 300mm cutting circle.

6 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

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John Deere expands Gator range Offering the company’s quietest ever cab, more room for both driver and passengers and an extremely efficient heating system, John Deere’s new full-size Gator utility vehicles are designed to maximise year-round productivity and comfort.

The new petrol XUV 835M and diesel XUV 865M models have been joined by the restyled HPX 815E, XUV 560E and XUV 590M Gators, which feature new model numbers and several specification updates.

The 54hp XUV 835M and 23hp 865M offer power steering, a CVT transmission and a top speed of 37 or 31mph respectively, plus a tight turning circle and optimal weight distribution for

excellent off-road performance.

The pressurised cab can accommodate three people, for off-road use only.

This new cab incorporates noise isolation and sound dampening components, making it the quietest yet available on the Gator range.

It also offers year-round weather protection and the heating system includes a windscreen defrost feature.

Both these new XUV Gator models feature ample legroom and a tiltable steering wheel to help reduce driver fatigue during long working days.

The versatile and durable cargo box has a load capacity of 454kg, while towing capacity has been increased by a third to 907kg and total payload capacity is 680kg.

The diesel powered HPX 815E Gator utility vehicle shares its new styling with the XUV 855M model, which replaces the 855D. The 815E’s updated cargo box also has a load capacity of 454kg and both the sides and the tailgate, which has a pick-up style onehanded latch, can be easily removed to provide a flatbedstyle load bay if required.

The durable composite construction of this industry leading cargo box makes it dent, rattle and rust-resistant.

The XUV 560E (non-power steering) and XUV 590M (with power steering) Gator models both have petrol engines and now feature LED headlights as standard and an instrument cluster for easier operation. The new styling

includes alloy wheels, which allow the suspension to follow ground contours more closely and thus improve grip. A seat belt interlock system provides a safer drive, by restricting the machines’ speed to 8mph if the seat belt is not done up.

LOOKING GOOD: The petrol XUV 835M

Turf Matters Forum – have your say If you fancy airing your views, want to talk shop or need some advice, why not discuss it on the Turf Matters Forum?

We’ve had some great discussions on the Turf Matters website and across our social media platforms and we love hearing your views.

Now you can talk about what you want, when you want, on the Turf Matters Forum.

How can I take part?

You need to register to use the forum. It’s a simple process that will let you post and reply across all the topics.

Just go to the website address below…

www.turfmatters.co.uk/forum Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 7

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Pitch reconstructions highlight value of best turf and irrigation technology

Majestic Madejski in all its glory

When the Madejski Stadium, home to Reading Football Club and London Irish Rugby Club, underwent its first major pitch reconstruction for ten years, contractors MJ Abbott and Premier Pitches, worked closely together during the time-critical close season over a six-week period. The venue became the first to have a dual-use pitch with the added durability of the SISGrass hybrid system turf technology.

After removing around 15 miles of existing pipework, MJ Abbott reconstructed the pitch, taking the old one out and starting from the bottom up, reshaped all the subbase levels, reinstalled the drainage, undersoil heating and rootzone layers. Premier Pitches took responsibility for pitch cultivation and seeding.

The company maintains their involvement by way of annual pitch renovation.

During the later stages of construction employing effective irrigation to the

8 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

grass root zone was critical to enable the final pitch levels to be accurately graded and to allow for successful cultivation and seeding of the new surface.

Nathan George, Contracts Manager at MJ Abbott was confident that selecting Rain Bird products was the way forward.

“We had a high level of confidence in Rain Bird irrigation technology for the project because of the overall quality, performance and versatility of the company’s products,” he said.

Rain Bird’s durable 8005 rotors were specified for the central area of the pitch and with their easily adjustable arc from 50° to 330°and 12 to 24.7 metre radius were well suited to the application. Featuring Rain Curtain nozzles, the 8005 rotors ensure optimum distribution and close-in watering resulting in superior irrigation uniformity.

Rain Bird’s 950E rotors were selected for the pitch perimeter as they are specifically designed to withstand the rigours of sports field irrigation applications, including hybrid grass. They offer full or part circle and irrigation up to 345° and feature a top adjustable pressure regulator, factory preset at 5.5 bar.

Rain Bird’s Site Control System, used by Adam Grantham Reading Football Club’s Grounds Manager and his team, can be controlled both through a PC and remotely through an iPad. It gives complete control over the irrigation and the flexibility to set up and match the irrigation cycles precisely to the prevailing and predicted weather.

“The Rain Bird system is great and very user friendly, and can be as complex as you would like it to be. I have found it very easy to monitor moisture

levels with the sprinkler system coverage being very consistent,” said Adam.

Meanwhile when the decision was made to install a new playing surface and irrigation system before the start of the 2017-8 Premier League season at Newcastle United, a fast response and close cooperation between pitch contractors MJ Abbott and Premier Pitches was essential. As part of the project the club had to select a new fully automatic pitch irrigation system.

After removing the existing vegetation and old fibre root zone, MJ Abbott removed the existing lower sand layer to a suitable depth to expose the existing slits within the drainage system that was to be retained. An imported rootzone was laid to re-establish the original pitch levels, followed by cultivation and seeding carried out by Premier Pitches.

The new pitch was then stitched with the SISGrass hybrid pitch system.

For the new irrigation system, MJ Abbott had to take into account the particular conditions created by the configuration of the pitch within the stadium.

Nathan George, Contracts Manager, said that the stadium design means that at certain times of the day, the southern end of the pitch is in full shade with the remainder in full sun. Complete control over individual sprinkler application rates was therefore essential Rain Bird 950E valve-inhead sprinklers were selected for the perimeter and the corners of the pitch while 8005 pop up rotors were chosen for the central areas.

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Allett cuts it with C27 cylinder mower Allett Mowers has introduced a new 27” cylinder mower to its professional mower range.

Designed to meet requests from groundsmen in Europe and the USA, the Allett C27 is the new addition offering the professional the ‘Quick Cartridge’ options that effectively make these mowers eight machines in one.

Powered by the Honda GX200 engine, the 27” cylinder cutting system, with substantial front and rear rollers, ensures you get a superior cut, levelness of finish and longer lasting, more

For daily hire, including an operator…

Operating from Oxford to the Scottish Borders, Whitemoss Eco Supplies

crisply defined stripes. The six bladed cylinder produces 111 cuts per metre while the eight blade will give you 148 cuts per metre irrespective of forward speed.

Ltd have launched a new venture with the purchase of a Ventrac 4500Y Tractor with several implements, offering a wide variety of use.

These will be available on a daily hire basis, including an operator. The Ventrac

The C27 provides you with versatility and the convenience of performing multiple turf maintenance tasks using just the one machine. Together with the 6 and 8 bladed cylinders the optional accessories include a scarifier cartridge with Tungsten tipped blades, a Sorrel Roller, Turf Rake, Verticut and Brush. There is also the option of a trailing seat to turn the C27 into a ride-behind for faster cutting over large areas and the large 3.1 litre fuel tank will keep you covering the ground. The Allett C27 provides

Services include: Brush/ Gorse, bracken and woodland management/stump grinding.

Using their power rake, they can offer re-surfacing of existing aggregate and mulch pathways which reduces the need to buy more materials.

a cut height of 8mm to 55mm for accurate adjustment to deal with the changing conditions throughout the season.

With the front and rear rollers of a cylinder mower close to the point at which the grass is cut, you can achieve very low heights of cut without scalping. The rear roller on the C27 is a rubber covered 3-piece steel roller with steel spur end differential. The front roller is grooved aluminium with scraper and sealed end bearings, though you do have the option of a plain roller.

The Ventrac finish mower with cutting heights of 1”-5”, are ideal for golf semi rough, parkland and football.

The Ventrac will climb slopes up to 30 degrees and with its 4-wheel articulated ability, it never lacks grip.

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 9

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New innovation hub at SALTEX New for 2018, SALTEX visitors can expect to see and experience the very latest groundscare ingenuity in a new area on the show floor which is purely dedicated to innovation and new concepts in grounds management.

SALTEX plays host to the most technologically-advanced equipment showcase with hundreds of exhibitors pushing the boundaries with new products and services.

According to the SALTEX 2017 visitor survey, 97% claimed that their main reason for attending the exhibition was to see the latest innovations. Taking this feedback on-board, SALTEX event organisers have decided to host a dedicated Innovation Hub. Visitors can expect to watch interviews with industry experts and those at the forefront of new groundscare innovations and listen to research and trial work findings. Furthermore, a

number of key speakers will take to the stage to discuss and explore current groundscare trends such as cordless/ environmentally friendly equipment, robotics, GPS control machinery, pesticide alternatives, pitch lighting (including watering systems and oxygen) and pitch monitoring systems.

Delegates will be able to network with the industry’s business leaders and exporters.

The Hub will also play host to the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award ceremony.

Making its debut at last year’s show, the Innovation Award attracted a number of high-quality entries spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment.

The independent judges were unanimous in selecting four stand-out entries – and by all accounts 2017 was the year for new line marking technologies.

The standard was incredibly

high resulting in a tie for first place. Rigby Taylor’s Intelligent One autonomous robotic line marker and Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine were announced as joint winners of the first ever SALTEX Innovation Award.

Due to the popularity of

last year’s Innovation Award, SALTEX 2018 is expected to attract even more entries and all will be revealed soon.

Additionally, visitors will be able to follow an ‘Innovation Trail’.

SALTEX takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 31 and November 1.

Look out for innovation and new concepts in grounds management at the SALTEX Innovation Hub

Flexible GoGreen Select gets instant results at Rustington According to Head Greenkeeper Rob Hill, the unique nine-hole course at Rustington Golf Centre in West Sussex is looking the best it has ever been thanks to Sherriff Amenity’s GoGreen Select.

Opened in 1992 it offers a number of unique facilities for golfers of all abilities. It boasts a driving range, a putting green, a par 3 academy course and a nine-hole, 18-tee par 70 course.

Rob, who has been in the greenkeeping industry throughout his whole career, has been the Head Greenkeeper for just over two years. His team consists of four greenkeepers, including himself, as well as a horticulturalist.

“There is a common misconception that we have

quite a large team for a ninehole course,” said Rob. “However, it is actually very challenging because there are 18 tees and effectively people are playing the course twice which means we have a lot of wear – it is double the traffic of a normal 9-hole golf course.

We also have a hectares worth of greens and land wise we look after a 4 acre garden which belongs to the owner.

“We tend to every facility here and I feel we have to be

slightly more intense with our maintenance procedures.”

To maintain the impressive course and teaching facilities at Rustington Golf Centre, Rob chooses to use a variety of Sherriff Amenity products which includes the GoGreen range. Throughout his career Rob has seen impressive results from the long-lasting iron granules (GoGreen Granules) and in liquid form (GoGreen Plus), as well as GoGreen Energy – a concentrated bio-stimulant, formulated to assist plant health and relieve stress symptoms. It was the performance of these products which led to him using GoGreen Select.

“With GoGreen Select you apply it out and an hour later you see a dramatic change in colour – it provides an instant

green-up. In fact, I bought one drum and before I had even finished it I was on the phone ordering another one – it is that good.”

“It works incredibly well as a tank mix partner,” said Rob. “Initially, I used it at the start of May on my fairways which was mixed in with a three-way selective herbicide mix and Evolution Xtra 46.0.0 Soluble. It was a great boost to start the season – not only did it get rid of the weeds, but it gave us really good colour and presentation.

“It is such a versatile product and I have started mixing GoGreen Select with Primo Maxx II on my tees and approaches as well.

The course presentation is arguably the best it has ever been and that’s based on feedback from golfers as well.”

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 11

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Campeys broaden Sam’s horizons Samantha Butler, a horticulturist and greenkeeper back in her native Australia and based at the Sydney Olympic Park, wanted to extend her knowledge and skill set to progress her career.

Her desire to do this was such that she was happy to take time off work and travel halfway around the world and swap the heat of New South Wales for the colder climate of Macclesfield, home of Campey Turf Care – although the recent heat wave was an unexpected bonus.

“It’s been a wonderful experience and a real eyeopener. I work for a company called the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales which is based in Sydney Olympic Park. Being one of the only females working

12 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

in a major sports stadium back in Australia and wanting career progression I originally reached out to Mike O’Keefe, from the Ohio State programme.

“With three months at Campey I’ve been to a couple of countries because they never stop. I’ve been very well looked after, and they’ve made sure everything has been in place for me and it’s been wonderful.

“I wasn’t keen on focusing on just golf because I work in a stadium that has all sorts of sports from A to Z, so, I wanted to see how different venues do different things and with Campey I’ve been to football pitches, cricket pitches, golf clubs and a few stadiums like the Aviva Stadium and Croke Park where they

host similar sports to us.”

Following her time with Campeys, Sam will join Steve Braddock at Arsenal

to get first-hand experience of maintaining one of the most prestigious training grounds in world football.

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14 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

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ROBOTS

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The robots are coming e ! r e a h er

Garden machinery manufacturers, including Stiga, have been reporting continuous growth in robotic lawnmowers sales over the past few years within the UK, but robotic mowers are not a new concept, they have been available for over 20 years, and in some markets across Europe they are very much the norm – in fact every third lawnmower sold in Sweden is now a robot.

The majority of robotic mowers including the Stiga Autoclip, work with an electronic wire being buried around the outside perimeter of the lawn and any obstacles you wish the mower to avoid, this wire is connected to a docking station and then to a standard electrical socket, creating a circuit for the mower to operate within.

This set up process should be carried out by your local robot specialist, Stiga has over 400 retailers within the UK, and your local dealer can be found by visiting stigalawnmowers.co.uk

Why the sudden interest?

As a society we are getting busier and the weather is

getting more unpredictable, we are also more trusting to technological aids around the home, robotic vacuum cleaners are tried and tested, and voice search engine aids such as the Amazon Alexia are now not uncommon in our homes.

The advances in battery technology enable these garden assistants to cover larger areas in shorter periods of time, making them a viable option for larger properties or indeed commercial businesses.

The Stiga Autoclip range The Autoclip mowers can run any time day or night, either via a pre-set work schedule or on demand via the handy Stiga app, you can literally be anywhere in the world and your grass is still being maintained without any effort from you. The clever on board weather sensors measure precipitation and grass growth, if it’s too wet to mow or the during a heat wave the grass has stopped growing, the Autoclip can respond independently and dock itself back home until the following day.

The superior lithium ion batteries installed into the Autoclip range enables these models to cover vast areas without the need to be running every hour of the day. Take the popular Stiga 530SG, this machine mows for up to three and half hours on a single charge, once it needs to recharge it takes itself back to the docking station, charges for two hours and then goes out for up to a further three and half hours.

If the Autoclip did this each day, it ensures the garden is free to be enjoyed for the remaining fifteen hours and as it’s so quiet and completely automatic the Autoclip can be working while you’re sleeping, but rather impressively and partly due to its on board GPS assistance, it would be capable of maintaining an area of 3200m2.

introduction of their largest model which is capable of maintaining 5000m2 of lawn. As more and more manufactures come to the market with their robotic offerings, and additional features being added year on year, combined with the busyness of general life unlikely to slow down, surely robotics are here to stay, one day in the not too distance future the UK could be emulating Sweden and robotic mowers will be the go to product for looking after our lawns.

The future of robotics Stiga is doubling its UK robotic line up in time for spring 2019, with the Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 15

ROBOTS

Look out for the Big Mow Connected Line Automated Managed Services Ltd provide a robotic mowing service solution for turf care maintenance.

As the UK’s official distributors for Belrobotics robots, AMS continues to build its growing reputation and success with upcoming installations at Barking FC and Halesowen FC. These upcoming installations will be home to the new BigMow Connected Line robotic mower. Its predecessor the BigMow Classic has already cemented its reputation as the ultimate champion of large natural turf surfaces and has been handling the mowing of sports fields, golf courses, public spaces, public or private green areas, industrial sites across the UK and in mainland Europe for the past 20 years.

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Launched onto the UK market earlier this year the new BigMow Connected Line offers a larger working area capacity of 24,000 m2, up from the 20,000m2 coverage offered by the BigMow Classic.

It has a low noise level output of 52db, down 6db from its predecessor due to improvements to the shell/ body design. An increased number of sonars, five to be exact to allow for better navigation of its surroundings and effective obstacle avoidance, a smartphone app to programme mowing schedules and for improved performance monitoring.

With 45 plus robot locations across the UK, a single BigMow robotic mower can mow a pitch five to seven times per week and imposes

no stress to the grass due to its lightweight design. It has 15 blades to trim the top of the grass into tiny clippings, which then decompose quickly acting as a natural fertiliser and reducing the need for chemical fertilisers, freeing up personnel to focus on other pitch care tasks. The BigMow’s manicure style mulching also means there is no green waste to collect, store or remove.

Additionally, due to a regular mowing schedule

the grass roots grip in the soil is strengthen thus better anchored into the soil, creating a denser sward that is better resistant to wear and tear.

Frequently used areas such as goalmouths become more shear resistant due to progressive, natural and abundant grass growth. Over a period of time the quality of the pitch becomes softer and more consistent, allowing for improved ball trajectory, shot accuracy and playing experience.

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NEWS

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Cub Cadet – the only autonomous greens mower The RG3 from Cub Cadet is the only autonomous greens mower in the world.

By placing four beacons around the perimeter of the green, the machine can triangulate its position. It accomplishes this through the use of ultrasonic transducers that continually measures signals between the beacons and the machine as it traverses the green.

The level of accuracy is such that exceptionally straight, evenly spaced mowing lines can be accomplished.

The perimeter cut is accomplished slightly differently. A wire is placed 10–12 inches in the ground exactly matching the shape of the green. A low voltage electrical current is passed through the wire and during the clean-up cut, a receiver senses the wire and positions the RG3 exactly to match the perimeter shape of the green.

This results in an ultra-

defined edge to the collar and the green and completely eliminates greens creep.

The RG3 also offers a consistency of cut that is impossible with a conventional walk mower.

No foot traffic, inconsistent distribution of weight on the mower handles through human interaction and the fact that RG3 rolls at the same time as it cuts makes for a super smooth surface every time. Higher and more consistent green speeds are also achieved without the need for additional rolling or reducing the height of cut.

The most obvious effect using an autonomous mower is the increase in productivity that can be achieved. A single operator can deploy an RG3, set it to work and perform tasks such as hole changing, bunker raking, bunker edge trimming, tee marker placement and pop up trimming at the same time

as the green is being mown.

When compared to a traditional maintenance crew set-up, the RG3 permits far

more attention to detail on the course when using exactly the same amount of ground personnel.

Smart technology to cover half an acre John Deere’s new, ultra-quiet TANGO E5 Series II robotic mower is designed to make life easier by maintaining lawns and amenity grass areas automatically, in sunshine or rain, and at any time of the day.

TANGO mows in a random pattern within a boundary wire that’s easy to install and is virtually invisible. It’s also easy to move if the layout needs changing. As the mower moves around, smart technology means its navigation sensors detect the boundary wire, as well as any obstacles, and it changes direction completely automatically.

TANGO uses a lithium-ion

battery that delivers enough power to cover grass areas up to 2200m2 (about half an acre).

When it’s time to recharge the mower also automatically heads for its electric docking station.

A large display screen and intuitive controls make it simple to programme the mower and to change the cutting schedule whenever required. A PINprotected display ensures that the mower is tamper proof, and safety during operation is guaranteed – the blade stops automatically when the mower is tilted or lifted up.

A robotic mower cuts more frequently than a conventional mower, and the grass clippings

go straight back into the lawn as a valuable fertiliser. Height of cut is adjustable from 19 to 102mm, and is easily changed by rotating the mower’s blade

protection shield. Slopes and inclines are also no problem for the TANGO, and an optional traction kit enables it to cope with gradients up to 36%.

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 17

Tea Break teaser

Tea Break Teaser Wembley will again host the NFL match up between Superbowl holders, Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars – but how well do you know England’s national stadium?

1. In which year did the new Wembley – with the famous twin towers replaced by the arch – open?

2. There are over 2,500 toilets at Wembley – True or False?

3. The first NFL regular season game was held at Wembley between New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins. Who won?

4. Which boxer did Anthony Joshua defeat in front of 90,000 fans, in April 2017?

! y e l r e b Wem

5. What was unusual about the Five Nations match in 1999 between England and Wales at Wembley, won in the last minute with a Scott Gibbs try?

6. Which English manager resigned following England’s defeat in the final International match played at the old Wembley?

7. In which year did Wembley host Live Aid? 8. Which two teams were involved when the record attendance of 126,047 was set in the 1923 FA Cup final?

9. Who was the Wakefield player who missed a conversion in front of the posts in the 1968 Challenge Cup final to gift the win to Leeds?

10. What is the significance between the figures £750,000 and £798 million?

11. Whose statue is at the entrance to the new stadium?

12. The owner of which English football club wants to buy Wembley Stadium?

13. Who scored the winning goal in the first FA Cup Final back at the new Wembley in 2007?

14. Wembley Stadium hosted to the Olympic Games Gold Medal final in 2012 but in which year did Wembley play a much greater Olympic role?

15. Is the span of the Wembley Arch longer or shorter than 325 metres?

Answers on Page 59

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RANGERS

Scott MacCallum meets up with David Roxburgh, Head Groundsman for Rangers FC as he faces an exciting future…

Supporting Stevie G’s new challenge 20 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

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Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 21

RANGERS

D

avid Roxburgh, pictured, the redoubtable Head Groundsman for Rangers FC, has a solution for all those Scottish groundsmen who struggle in the cold, wet, dark conditions they face for most of the season.

It may not be the most practical option, and it would have Carol Kirkwood waking up from her beauty sleep in a cold sweat, but you certainly can’t criticise David for his imaginative, outside-the-box thinking.

“I would take the UK and turn it around. In Scotland we’d all then get the benefits of warmer temperatures and less rainfall. I’m sure that the number of Scottish groundsmen currently down south but who would want to come back to Scotland would be amazing,” said David, smiling at the thought, but with a conviction that he would certainly make it happen if he could.

If his masterplan were to get past the drawing board stage it would see his beloved Ibrox moving to just north of London; Southampton and Bournemouth move to the very top of the country, but the likes of

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Newcastle and Sunderland land being located a little bit south of where they are currently, although on the west coast rather than the east.

“There is a disconnect between the quality of the surfaces in England and those up here in Scotland and that’s not because of finance. You have to remember where we are. We’re in Scotland, and on the west coast, which means that Ibrox is one of the darkest stadiums in Northern Europe.

It makes our task extremely difficult.”

David was speaking to Turf Matters at the Hummell Training Centre – a few miles from their iconic stadium, in Govan, on the west side of the city.

Not familiar with the Hummel Training Centre? For most of its 17 year history it was known as Murray Park, but it was renamed as part of a sponsorship package just before the start of the new season.

If that is one of two major changes surrounding the historic club, the other is something which has sent ripples not just around Scottish football, but the whole of the footballing world.

The manager, appointed in the close

season, is none other than Steven Gerrard, former England Captain, Liverpool icon, and bone fide footballing superstar. Having cut his managerial teeth with the Liverpool youth team, Stevie G is keen to bring all that he has learned in two decades at the top of the game – plus a little black book full of eye watering names – to Scotland.

When we met, the Rangers’ first team squad had just left for a training camp in Spain and David was overseeing the installation of a new SIS pitch at the Hummel. He had, however, met with the new manager for a brief chat and a walk around the Centre.

“I need to understand what the Manager wants. What he wants

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from his pitch, how he wants to train, when he wants to train, so that we can amend our maintenance programmes to suit,” said David, as he sat in his unassuming office.

“There are rarely huge differences between Managers but each one has his own ideas on how he wants things to happen so we need to be able to adjust and provide him with that,” explained David.

For a man who has been at Rangers for 30 years it is impossible to mask the excitement that David feels for the future and that is nothing to do with the celebrity nature of the new Manager.

He is not a man with stars in his eyes.

He was persuaded to join the club by }

I need to understand what the Manager wants. What he wants from his pitch, how he wants to train, when he wants to train, so that we can amend our maintenance programmes to suit…

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 23

RANGERS

} Graeme Souness in the late ‘80s and is quick to point out that despite being a dyed-in-the-wool Rangers’ supporter, Souness often said that he had more trouble persuading David to join the club than he did with Terry Butcher.

There are many things which go towards a successful football club, but one of the major ingredients is a Manager who can attract top quality players.

“We had that with Graeme Souness and I firmly believe that we have it now with Steven Gerrard – 100% we have it. Good times are ahead, I’m sure.”

Now to those other ingredients which go into making a successful club.

“The idea behind Murray Park, when it was built, was to be another attraction to bringing top players to Scotland, something which has always been difficult because of the money down south,” explained David, adding that it had been a little easier in the early days because of the European ban on English clubs at the time.

“We would bring players and their families to Murray Park and they would walk through the gates and immediately see the level and stature of Rangers Football Club.”

Together with the oak panelling

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and marble staircase at the stadium itself, and what David claims is the best shopping in the UK, what player and self respecting WAG could resist?

The Hummel Training Centre has six and a half grass pitches and one and a half synthetic pitches. There is also a third sized indoor pitch, “It’s a compact and bejou site, not like the big training centres down south where they can put a pitch out of use for a year and a half and not impact on anything, but we are very proud of what we have here.”

As the first in Scotland when it was built, it wasn’t modelled on anywhere else, but the overriding concept, and thinking behind it, was the split between the pro and the youth side.

“Basically what we tried to to do was, when we had an up and coming player, give him a taste of the pro side so that once he’s had it he didn’t want to go back to the youths. Here the pros use two and a half of the grass pitches, the synthetics, and the indoor and the rest are dedicated to the academy.”

David believes one of the best faciities in the UK at the moment is at Tottenham Hotspur, but there is a reason for that.

“It was modelled on Murray Park,

would you believe. The Tottenham people spent a lot of time here 17 years ago looking at our set up and what they have done is model what they have on ours, but extend it to a much bigger profile. But it is based on us,” he revealed.

The last seven or eight years for Rangers would have matched any soap opera with highs, lows, twists and turn, and a succession of owners and managers. It even saw the club demoted to the lowest division in the Scottish League system as a result of going into administration.

Many felt that Scottish football being deprived of the competition Rangers brought to the Premier League and, in particular, the other half of the Old Firm, would be too detrimental to the game and shouldn’t have happened, but David does not hold that point of view.

“I think it was right that Rangers had to go back to the beginning,” he said.

“We enjoyed the journey (back through the divisions) and made a lot of friends along the way. We also helped a lot of the smaller clubs financially with so many of our fans travelling to smaller grounds and boosting attendances.”

But it did have an impact on the club as a whole.

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I speak with my peers all over the world so, to a degree, I know what to expect but, of course, no one else knows my environment so there is no guide book. We will be writing that as we go along.

“Things dropped off with the level of finance that was available for us but my principle was that the main pitch at Ibrox always had to come first.

That was our bread and butter. Then we needed to look after the pro side here at the training ground, because they needed to train on good pitches.

But inevitably we a drop off to the academy side and their pitches, while the landscaping didn’t get the same attention that it had done previously.”

Allocating resource to ensure standards were maintained where they needed to be and David’s longstanding relationships with Rigby Taylor and John Deere dealer, Nairn Brown ensured that ways were found to keep standards high.

“We didn’t go and buy cheap fertiliser just because were were in the fourth division, we found a way of buying what was needed and Rigby Taylor were a huge help and we worked very closely with them through our troubled times,” said David, who admitted that when the club went into administration he feared for the jobs of himself and his 11 strong team.

“But what actually happened was that because Rangers is such a big institution, we knew that someone would buy us, and so the pitches needed to be maintained. To do that we needed staff, the products and the machinery to do it. So our situation never really changed.”

With the new hybrid SIS pitch in the early stages of installation just outside his office window David was remarkably relaxed, but putting it down to the planning which had gone on well in advance of Allgrass arriving on site.

However, given the opportunity he would rather have seen the new pitch installed at Ibrox first but time frames were the issue - Scottish clubs need to play in Champions’ and Europa League pre-qualifying shortening the close season.

So, it’s the training pitch now and the Ibrox pitch next season.

As for fertiliser regimes at Rangers, David plans a year in advance.

“That’s not to say we stick rigidly to the programme, we do re-evaluate

after six months and we need to be flexible to cope with our changeable weather conditions. That’s the beauty of working with Rigby Taylor, it gives us that flexibility,” he explained.

“The programme I use is not the same as used at Man City or even other clubs in Glasgow, because of the different environmental conditions, different grass species etc and because we will have a hybrid pitch it is another learning curve for me.

“I speak with my peers all over the world so, to a degree, I know

what to expect but, of course, no one else knows my environment so there is no guide book. We will be writing that as we go along.”

You can be sure David and his team will be bringing a high degree of experience and expertise to the task of ensuring Mr Gerrard and his team have the best possible surfaces to play and train.

All that remains for David to work out just how to go about turning the country around and giving himself all the benefits of a south easterly climate!

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 25

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LINE MARKING

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All in a line…

Established for over 30 years, Bowcom is one of the world’s most respected line marking companies, having become synonymous with the ultimate in line marking technology.

As dedicated manufacturers of both line paint and applicators, Bowcom is continually looking to re-invest and nothing demonstrates that further than the release of the Atom applicator and Atomic range of Low Volume line paints.

The Atom spray head offers instant shut off, without the need for a separate solenoid.

As supplier to councils, schools, contractors, international sporting institutions and major sporting championships, Bowcom’s

reputation for precision, quality and innovation is built upon an on-going commitment to re-investment.

The Bowcom Trike typifies this approach, where speed and simplicity combine to offer significant reductions in marking times,

offering high efficiency and a direct reduction in operational cost.

The Bowcom Trike will mark a football pitch in less than eight minutes Bowcom employs a team of highly qualified and experienced chemists, continually formulating and optimising their wide range of specialist line marking solutions, for the Atomic, Concentrate and Ready For Use systems.

Being part of a larger manufacturing group offers opportunities for substantial investment in people, technology and manufacturing.

Bowcom therefore ensure they provide the most complete and competitive package of products to the global line marking sector.

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 27

LINE MARKING

Line marking comes of age In 1866, Sherwin-Williams, a company in United States opened for business and would become one of the largest global paint makers. The company invented ready-to-use paint, releasing its first product, raw umber in oil, in 1873.

Times have certainly moved on and that US inventor could not have imagined in his wildest dreams the impact such an introduction and what followed would have on the world paint industry.

Well, fast-forward some 200 years and the same level of innovation and impact occurred in the turf industry with the introduction in the UK of the first Impact readyto-use pitch line marking paint.

Before the introduction of Impact, groundsman had very little choice in the selection of products available for the marking out of sports ground pitch lines. In the main the paints were expensive in terms of litres used per pitch and had to be diluted, with

often large quantities of water and therefore a water supply needed to be available. The paint had to measured, diluted and poured into a marking machine tank and then this process repeated when the tank became empty.

The paints also had to be applied frequently because when it rained they were easily washed off; Good for the paint supplier but not the club!

All this changed, almost overnight, with the introduction, through Rigby Taylor, of the Impact, Integrated Spray Technology system. For the first time, groundsman could mark out pitches using a ready-to-use (RTU) paint formulation that could mark multiple pitches without constant refilling. Impact required no added water, no measuring, no mixing, no pouring and left little mess.

Since this introduction, there has been a huge switch over by groundsmen from dilutables to RTU products as they prefer paint that requires minimum handling, with

little or no direct contact with the material and marking can start almost immediately without all the prepreparation associated with dilutables.

How has this been achieved?

The manufacturer of paint use similar raw materials (though of differing quality), but the processes and balance of formulation is where the real skill lies. Just like a winning football team, it’s all about getting the right players in exactly the right positions, in the right formation, performing together harmoniously.

One of the major factors in paint production is water quality.

At Linemark UK Ltd, with their manufacturing plant situated in the centre of the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire, they are extremely fortunate to have access to very soft water, which contains just the right amount of calcium/magnesium ions.

Combined with carefully sourced, best in class, raw materials, many years of scientifically exacting and perfecting

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Exercise caution with ready to use paints

Impact XP marking lines for the 2018 World Cup, Luzhniki stadium

ratios Linemark UK, has produced paint of the highest performance quality, specifically designed and tested in, and for the most part, under extreme weather conditions.

The company’s state of the art, high-speed dispersion equipment is calibrated to produce the finest particles, critical in ensuring that the finished product is easily sprayed through specially engineered nozzles that produce optimum performance, coverage and enhanced optical brightness.

Quality control is paramount to achieve the finest finished product. Every batch of paint is assessed through a series of five key tests.

In association with Rigby Taylor, Linemark UK were the first and probably still the only line marking paint and application manufacturer to have matched the atomisation of the paint with the characteristics of the spray nozzle.

Finer paint particles provide greater coverage of the leaf surface and therefore improved water resistance.

Specially engineered nozzles are calibrated to the company’s paint viscosities providing unequalled target coverage and flowrate economies.

Such paint quality, bright whiteness and durability made Impact XP the perfect choice for marking the pitch for the 2018 World Cup final.

An independent, in depth case study undertaken by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council showed that by switching from their traditional dilutable paint programme to Impact ready to use paint, applied through the iGO spray machine, a saving of over £16,000 would be saved per annum with a massive reduction of 36,000 litres of water, that would otherwise have been wasted.

Such innovation of course could not go unrewarded. In 2011, Linemark were awarded The Queens Award for Innovation and in 2016, The Queens Award for Enterprise.

But innovation has to continue to keep ahead of the game.

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“Ready to use” line marking paint has become more and more concentrated and in many cases is only cost effective if the machine and paint is capable of spraying a football field using less than 1 litre of paint.

Fleet Line Markers and many other line marking companies have done a lot of development in order to produce such a concentrated paint. Fleet Droo and Fleet Fort being prime examples.

Some companies have marketed these paints as scientific breakthroughs, and magical hype… these paints may be more concentrated, but all of them still use Titanium Dioxide for whiteness and often this is extended

by CaCo3/China Clay or enhanced by “Optical Brighteners” or fluorescent whitening agents, are used to make plastics, fibres, coatings, inks, and detergents appear whiter and brighter.

These products function by absorbing invisible ultraviolet light and re-emitting it as visible light in the blue range of the spectrum.

Fleet do not at the moment use them. There are studies that show concerns over skin irritation and operator exposure. Therefore, until Fleet are 100% satisfied that there is no toxic effect on our customers, there will not be any optical brighteners included in Fleet formulations.

A case study…

Following extensive research and development, Rigby Taylor introduced Impact Pure, the first fully biodegradable Impact line marking paint. Impact Pure is an organic based, ready to use paint containing 98.6%, readily biodegradable ingredients. The product contains no Titanium Dioxide, acrylic polymers or chemical binders and, due to the reduction in the need for processing natural raw materials, carbon emissions are minimised.

Innovation has also been introduced to assist groundsmen in managing the increasing use of stencils on pitch surfaces. Impact Green-Out has been developed to cover up painted stencils on turf immediately after the event has taken place.

The special paint formulation can be matched to the natural colouring of the turf. The paint is also a great benefit to schools or training sites where different markings have to be used on pitches when multiple sports are played.

There are now six different Impact, ready to use formulations for natural turf, hard surfaces and synthetics.

For situations where ready to use is not an option, there are also Duraline dilutables, concentrates and aerosol options available.

Little did Sherwin-Williams realise such an invention would make such a mark!

Fleet received a call from a customer who was using a concentrated ready to use paint.

He was not a happy man, he said that he was sold a system as an advancement, and he chose the system in order to save money, and still get a quality line, as he did before when he used Fleet paint.

Bill the groundsman was informed that he could use one litre of paint for one football pitch.

1. This was impossible unless he ran (very fast) 2. He found all the nozzles blocked.

He contacted the company who kindly gave him free bigger nozzles, this meant that he was using far more paint than he had budgeted for, and the cost of marking was far more expensive than using his previous Fleet system.

Bill however thought the lines looked “great” using more than 4x the volume of paint.

Bill’s accountant however had a complete meltdown, as Bill’s line marking cost had multiplied by 4! Bill is now marking with Fleet SCAPE, the lines are great, and Bill now is saving lots of money.

Ready to use paints are acceptable only: 1. If they do actually spray through the very fine nozzles, that the adverts say they can.

2. If the price of one litre of paint is at least a quarter of the cost of a litre of a quality concentrate paint, given that the concentrate can be diluted by 12 parts water to one part paint, …. eg Fleet Pitchmarker Super C. 3. Or if the convenience of ready to use is worth the money of the extra expense of the paint. In Bill’s case this was over £20,000 a year.

Fine nozzles are susceptible to blocking, especially in hot weather, a Flozle nozzle system is recommended by Fleet for all concentrated low application paints.

If you are using a ready to use paint and spending more money than you budgeted, Fleet has a policy of changing your line marking system to another system free of charge.

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 29

RYDER CUP

A star in any Scott MacCallum chose English to conduct his interview with Alejandro Reyes, the Spanish Head man at Golf Club National - France’s flagship golf course and Ryder Cup venue

Turf Matters would like to thank Ransomes Jacobsen for their support in producing this feature

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language

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 31

RYDER CUP

I was getting four or five emails every day from all over the world from people asking to be on the team and I’m proud to say everyone one got a reply from me personally. A lot of people were disappointed. The GCSAA were allocated 10 spots on the team and they had 1,000 applicants.

Scott with Alejandro Reyes in Paris

Here’s the scenario. You’re flicking through the pages of Turf Matters and, having read all the fantastic articles, fall across a job advert. It’s for something you’d always dreamt about but perhaps never thought would come your way. Let’s just say it’s to manage the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. You stick in an application and, low and behold, you get an interview and off you go to Brazil.

Things go well and you are notified that they want you back for the crucial second interview but it will be two months down the line. Thinking that you must do everything in your power to get the job, you decide to learn Portuguese, from a standing start, never having spoken the language before. Then, when you turn up at the second interview, you announce that you want the interview to be conducted in Portuguese.

That is exactly what Spaniard, Alejandro Reyes, did when he was an applicant for the job as Courses and Estates Manager at Golf Club National, in Paris, which will host the Ryder Cup later this month.

“My first interview was in English because I didn’t speak any French,

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but when I was told I was on the short list I looked to learn French as quickly as possible. So I started to have three hours of French lessons every day from Monday to Saturday. When I arrived for the second interview there were a lot of people there from the European Tour and the French Golf Federation and I went in and said that I wanted to do the interview in French.

They asked if I was sure because, in fairness to the other applicants, they wouldn’t be able to change half way through. I said yes, go for it.”

That was over five years ago and Alejandro’s brave decision has paid off handsomely. He has prepared the wonderful course, on the outskirts of Paris, for a number of French Opens and a series of Senior Tour events and is about to experience the most exhilarating, nerve shredding, exciting period of his life when the first Ryder Cup to be played in France, and only the second to be played on the continent of Europe, takes place at the end of this month.

“This is the best challenge of my life but not just for me, for my team as well. We are all looking forward to it and we are so focussed and

motivated it is just a pleasure to be here,” he told Turf Matters on a visit to the course, just two weeks before the French Open, which, itself, was just three months before the Ryder Cup. For a Course Manager, a Ryder Cup is the pinnacle and only very few greenkeepers experience the intensity of having what is invariably the biggest sporting event of the year on their patch.

“There is so much expectation.

TV coverage is 500 million people,” said Alejandro, in awe but certainly not over-awed.

Arriving only once every four years on this side of the pond it was dominated by the UK for many years but now it is being shared around the continent a lot more with Valderrama, in Spain, being the first non UK venue in 1997. France is next in line, but it will followed by Italy in 2022, with Germany and Sweden likely to take it up until the early 2030s.

As the Cups themselves have expanded in terms of world events so the greenkeeping challenge has grown as well – with the spector of Celtic Manor in 2010 looming over every Ryder Cup Course Manager.

making turf matter

Jim McKenzie was the man in charge back then and whether he regularly walked under ladders or broke the odd mirror or two is unknown, but he was faced with weather conditions of biblical proportions, to the extent that if it wasn’t for the army of greenkeeping volunteers the match

would not have been completed and a nasty asterisk would have appeared in the record books. As it was it is the only Ryder Cup to finish on a Monday and the format had to be amended to reach the regulation 28 points.

Jim was awarded the MBE for his efforts after that match and it has

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meant that every Course Manager since has had to ensure he recruits a massive army of greenkeepers in event of the worst case scenario.

Alejandro has a Greenkeeping Support Team of 180, sponsored by Ransomes Jacobsen, for the Ryder Cup and he was personally involved in the selection of every one of them.

“I was getting four or five emails every day from all over the world from people asking to be on the team and I’m proud to say everyone one got a reply from me personally. A lot of people were disappointed. The GCSAA were allocated 10 spots on the team and they had 1,000 applicants.

“I want to have the national flag of every member of the Support Team flying in the Greenkeeping compound,” he added.

Hopefully the weather will be kind and the ghost of Celtic Manor will not visit Golf Club National in late September. If that is the case there will be a lot of greenkeepers, poised, ready for action who will not be needed.

“If you were to ask me if I need 180 } Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 33

RYDER CUP

} people on site, I’m going to say no,

but we do want to be ready for the worst case scenario, which would be like 2010. However, if it is not like that I’m going to tell everyone, at the Orientation Day on the Sunday, not to be frustrated if you don’t have a job that day because you will have a job the next day. I’ll tell them that they are all very fortunate to be on our team as with their greenkeeping accreditation they can go everywhere on the course and soak up the atmosphere.”

In addition, Alejandro has arranged for a series of training sessions for the greenkeepers throughout the week.

“They won’t be commercial, but high quality intensive training. I’m bringing in some of the best experts from PSD in the States and some top golf course designers for clinics too. There will

34 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

be a training environment on the compound and we are going to create a top experience for everyone,” said Alejandro who explained that there would be a clubhouse with catering facilities on the compound and that everyone was being accommodated in a nearby hotel with buses ferrying the greenkeepers back and forward.

As for the club’s home team, they had been in tournament mode for quite some time. Not only for the French Open but with a genuine desire to give every visitor to Golf Club National a true flavour of what those 24 Ryder Cup players will be experiencing over the three days of super intense golf.

“Every day for us is a big day and every day the team has to concentrate on the job they are doing to produce the best possible

product. That’s the same for myself.”

He is remarkable sanguine about the week itself and believes that the task involved in preparing the course for the French Open, with 156 players and two tee starts is tougher than preparing for 24 players – even with two sessions a day over the first two days.

“We will have teams working between sessions but are still currently to decide if we are going to mow greens between sessions. We are dividing the course into different sections and teams, each with a team leader. We won’t have the whole course set up by 6.30 in the morning but will be moving slowly about an hour before the first game to ensure as much consistency as possible between the first and last match.”

Much of what will happen has

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…a genuine desire to give every visitor to Golf Club National a true flavour of what those 24 Ryder Cup players will be experiencing over the three days of super intense golf. only been made possible by Ransomes Jacobsen who have supplied as much kit as anyone could possibly need, not just for the Ryder Cup but for the French Open too.

“We are going to have 20 pedestrian mowers for the greens and for the fairways we are going to have two teams of six mowers and they are going to follow each other, mowing the fairways from teem to green. Two triplexes on each side doing the perimeters and two other triplexes doing the fairway collars,” revealed Alejandro.

“Ransomes Jacobsen are also sending over mechanics to look after all the machines. The support we have had is absolutely unbelievable – they do so much for us,” said Alejandro adding that they have also had support from Capillary Concrete, Syngenta,

Barenbrug, and Bernhards.

Nothing has been left to chance but what, if anything, gives Alejandro sleepless nights?

“I would say that at the moment I’m managing the pressure quite well but I do sometimes become stressed if I find some disease on the greens or if they are a little bumpy. I worry if we have the right preventative programme in place or if we are doing the right things generally. The closer we are to the day the more worried I will get.”

Turning the question around what is he looking forward to most?

“Recognition for the team and all the hard work they have done – and for Europe to win!”

Pressed on whether a home win would be more important than the course being in perfect conditions he did back track.

“I’d be more keen that the course was perfect.”

Alejandro was born in Andalucia and initially studied agronomy in Spain before moving to the UK at the age of 22 to undertake a Masters degree at Cranfield University. “A great time, great training.”

From there he joined Polaris World back in Spain and work with Jack Nicklaus’ agronomy team, while still hoovering up whatever training he could, and volunteering at tournaments around the world.

“I got my first Superintendent role when I was 25 on a Jack Nicklaus course in Spain and just a couple of years later was managing three 18 hole Nicklaus courses with a staff of 60 working for him.

He was 29 when he acquired his current job and that other language.

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DURABUNKER

A crisper edge on bunkers DURAbunker offers permanent fixed edges and bunker faces that won’t washout or erode and destabilise over time

Kiawah Island hosted one of the most controversial of all Ryder Cups in 1991. It became known as ‘the war on the shore’ and is viewed by many as the lowest point in golfing relations between the continent of America and Europe.

Fast forward 25 years from that famous occasion, and a UK based company, DURAbunker Ltd has played a major part in the first significant renovation at the privately owned Cassique Golf Club at the Kiawah Island Club. Designed by another Ryder Cup legend, Tom Watson, Cassique opened in 2000, and began its first major renovation in 2017, led by Charlie Arrington, Director of Design & Planning. Charlie met the founder of DURAbunker, Rhydian Lewis, at the Golf Industry Show in Orlando, in February 2017, and was taken by the possibilities of the product.

On going discussion resulted in a decision to incorporate DURAbunkers synthetic bunker face as a central part of the renovation.

Dylan Thew, Director of Golf at Kiawah Island, said that the biggest thing that the membership will notice is the artificial stack sod bunkers that we put in.

Durabunker’s patented synthetic bunker faces are not new to the USA, having undertaken projects at PGA Tour Venues such as Tiburon GC, in Florida and Conway Farms GC in Chicago, as well as the new TPC Colorado course. It was though the compant’s first major renovation in the USA that coupled together its synthetic bunker faces with the bunker liner

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product, Better Billy Bunker.

“All golf courses change over time, they evolve sometimes in a direction that wasn’t part of the original design, sometimes they evolve for the better.

Durabunker gives a much crisper edge on bunkers as well as stronger shadow lines,” said Charlie.

Some of the new DURAbunkers at Cassique have been modelled on famous bunkers from other courses such as the two bunkers on the 6th, which closely resemble the famous ‘Spectacle Bunkers’ at the recent Open Champonship venue, Carnoustie GC. Other bunkers are more subtle and less traditional links style.

“The bunkers on the 8th, demonstrate the versatility of the product, we haven’t just built high walls, we’ve actually used Durabunker to add contouring and permanent edging around the outside of some bunkers,” added Dylan.

Rhydian added that any golf course set near the shoreline is particularly

susceptible to the effects of coastal erosion and extreme weather conditions.

“Our US partners, Better Billy Bunker, discussed the benefits of our product with the client and explained how a combination of their seamless liner and our synthetic bunker faces would offer what we christened the ‘Fully Sealed Bunker System’, eradicating problematic issues associated with bunker bases and also bunker faces.

DURAbunker offers permanent fixed edges and bunker faces that won’t washout, or erode and destabilise over time. It also takes away the need for regular, cyclical rebuilding and the constant challenge of flymowing, edging and so on, releasing valuable time for greenkeepers to concentrate on other tasks. Although Cassique has a distinctly Links feel, the product has been widely used to frame more classical inland style or ‘Golden Age’ bunkers, where for example a 6” rolling edge is required.

In other irrigation news

AERATION

Aerator ‘revolutionises’ turf management Aeration is the core business of Ecosol Turfcare, operator and supplier of the Drill ‘n’ Fill, a unique aerator which has revolutionised turf management since it first appeared on the European scene. Although primarily useful for golf greens, it is effective on cricket squares, bowls greens, and also on rugby and football pitches, especially around goalmouths and centre circles where compaction is an issue.

Problems relating to poor drainage, in particular flooding due to slow infiltration rate, can be alleviated and often cured by the Drill ‘n’ Fill aerator, a self-powered machine which has only a 9 psi footprint and can operate in conditions that would halt other equipment.

Waterlogging may seem a million miles away during this droughty summer, but when the rains come, poorly aerated greens suffer puddling on the surface, making greens unplayable.

The aerator works by removing soil with the drill, allowing lateral movement within the rootzone and releasing compaction pressure. Deep penetration breaks through subsurface hard pans, thatch, black layer and rootzone or subsoil interfaces.

This creates greater aero-porosity.

“Turf which has been dogged by slow draining surface water can be transformed,” explained Ecosolve Technical Director Bretton King.

Turf which has been dogged by slow draining surface water can be transformed 38 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

“Water percolation within the rootzone improves too.”

The most common symptoms of poor drainage and those noticed by your membership are soggy greens with surface puddling, slow to drain after torrential rain and often on temporary pins or closed altogether.

Badly draining greens will have patchy, yellowish and poor grass growth, and uneven putting surfaces.

Unfortunately, members are only interested in the immediate turf cover of your greens – about 1/6th of the story, says the STRI – with the hidden 5/6th of the green posing the main threat to good drainage and a headache for the greenkeeper.

Many UK courses have the odds stacked against them in terms of good drainage –notably those built on clay with push-up greens.

If they do have a drainage layer, compaction and constant build-up of thatch means that water can’t get through the soil and drain away. Some have no drainage layer, are built on poor contours where water doesn’t flow off the course and have a predominance of heavy clay/silt in the soil profile.

Even modern courses with greens built to a USGA specification can have drainage problems if too many fine sand particles are clogging pore spaces, or the constructors have blended organic matter with the sand, leading to water retention.

Compaction caused by heavy usage of the green and intensive machinery operation on the surface commonly causes drainage problems on greens, particularly after prolonged dry spells.

Thatch is caused by anaerobic soil conditions, inadequate aeration and insufficient scarification. If there is not enough oxygen and gas exchange

in the soil, a build-up of unpleasantsmelling toxic sulphide gases known as black layer occurs 25mm to 75mm below the surface and this will further hamper greens drainage.

Turfcare’s state-of- the-art aerator’s fluted tungsten carbide drills ease into turf, folding back the grass without the further compaction-inducing impact of other systems and the turf can be put back afterwards to allow rapid healing. Holes can be backfilled with kiln-dried sports sand, often mixed with a soil amendment such as Ecosol’s own zeolitic Sportslite to maintain the improvement. Sportslite will improve the rootzone’s cation exchange capacity and nutrient uptake, resulting in better germination and grass growth.

The “floating” drill head follows the playing surface ensuring consistent drilling depth which can be varied according to the exact needs of the turf. Deep holes encourage deep rooting and the sizes of drill channel vary from 10mm to 32mm. The Drill ‘n’ Fill puts the soil amendment directly into the rootzone.

This holds open the drainage channel, giving extended duct life and facilitating nutrient exchange between the amendment and the grass roots. Playing surfaces can be fully reinstated as little as one hour after Drill ‘n’ Fill work, causing minimal closure of facilities.

As well as the Drill ‘n’ Fill, Ecosolve also operates the Deep Drill 60/18 aerator which can penetrate to a depth of 450mm but does not backfill.

It is ideal for deep aeration and gas exchange in very compacted golf greens and cricket squares. In cricket, deeper rooting means better sward and soil structure and “better bounce” where no backfill is required.

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Unique brand of professional kit Based in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, N. Ireland, Groundsman Industries manufacture their unique brand of professional turf cutters, turf aerators and accessories.

With over 25 years of experience and a worldwide reputation for durable high performance equipment, Groundsman machines are used by sports club facilities, hire shops, contractors, local authorities and landscapers around the world.

The Groundsman model 460HD Elliptical Plunge Action Pedestrian Turf Aerator and model TMC46 Four Wheel Drive Turf Cutter have scored a hat trick of orders over the past 18 months with multiple units having been put to work on pitches at various facilities across Russia for the World Cup. These machines proved able to cope in the extreme conditions that can be encountered after a harsh Russian winter.

Turf aeration Groundsman offer a range of pedestrian and tractor mounting Turf Aerators from 45cm to 180cm working widths. The models 345HD and 460HD are compact

professional pedestrian machines that can access most garden gates and aerate all type of grass surfaces including gardens, parklands, fine lawns as well as sports greens, tees and pitches. For larger areas the Tractor Mounting models are available for tractors from 18HP. This range have a long proven record of rugged reliability, performance and versatility. The crank driven elliptical plunge action mechanism drives the tines into the most compacted of surfaces down to 15cm deep with very little surface disruption. Quick change Hollow Core, Solid and Slitting Tines are available plus Cluster Tine Heads for thatch removal or surface preparation for over-seeding.

System developed by Groundsman Industries is an extremely efficient method of collecting cores wet or dry with minimum disruption. When attached to an aerator, more than half are caught before they touch the ground, the remainder are scooped cleanly from the surface by the FLEXBLADE that follows undulations like shovels for the cleanest possible collection.

FLEXBLADE Core Collection Groundsman’s FLEXBLADE Core Collector Attaches to any Aerator pedestrian or tractor mounted with swath widths from 60cm up to 210cm to Core and Collect in one pass. Available also for Compact Tractors and Turf Vehicles for Follow-up Collection of Cores and Linear Aeration Soil.

The patented FLEXBLADE Core Collector

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 39

AERATION

Using TG6675 for aeration Iseki prides itself on extensive research and development that is matched with high quality manufacturing and assembly processes to produce a range of machinery for today’s demanding applications in many global markets.

ISEKI has been represented in Europe for over 50 years and established ISEKI Europe SA in Brussels in 1971.

ISEKI was the first company to introduce compact tractors to the UK market in the mid-70s. The range of products is distributed and supported by ISEKI UK & Ireland through its network of dealers.

Whether it’s a compact tractor for golf, football, cricket, rugby or polo, golf course, football or rugby use, Iseki products typify Japanese quality and design.

The TG6 range is Iseki’s flagship model line-up with 36, 47 and 65 hp models on offer, with transmission options to suit any application.

There are three transmissions available, Mechanical Powershuttle, Hydrostatic with 3 and 6 range (model dependant) and the award winning IQ Dual-clutch transmission.

The Powershuttle is a 12 x 12 mechanical box with steering column mounted electro forward/reverse control. Hydrostatic transmissions 40 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

start with the 3 range version, available on TG6405 and the 6 range version available in 6495 & 6675.

Both transmissions have electro Powershuttle and further control is provided with cruise control, hydrostat response and a resume speed memory function allowing the transmission to be tailored to the task in hand.

The 3 range IQ transmission is available on TG6375 & TG6495, the dual clutch operate on a single lever control at the operators fingertip, a simple push of the lever allows for seamless clutch-less shifting between all 8 gears in the range, couple this with the automatic ‘D’ function which will operate the top 5 gears completely automatically, ideal for transport and higher speed longer runs.

The IQ transmission also benefits from selectable gear function, if a particular gear is selected e.g.

5th the gearbox will then change though the gears stopping at 5th.

When a particular gear is selected, the maximum speed that can be reached in that gear is shown on the dashboard display – especially handy when speed control is critical such as for aeration. A high or lower gear is selected simply by moving the lever to that gear and the transmission

will change accordingly – without any need to use the foot-operated clutch.

There are four other tractor series, TXG, TM, TH and the Premium Economy TLE. Models range from 16 hp up to 46 hp with a choice of Mechanical Syncroshuttle or 2 and 3 range hydrostatic transmissions. All models are supplied with rear PTOs with some models either supplied with or available as an option mid-PTOs Ben Connell, Ipswich Town FC Grounds Manager, has two ISEKI compact tractors in his fleet, the TG6495 IQ dual-clutch and a TG6675.

“The TG6495 is particularly useful for aeration work, the IQ transmission offers a wide range of gears, making hole spacing easy to select. The finger-tip gear change allowing easy adjustment while on the move” Speaking about the 65 hp TG6675 Ben said that it was compact, manoeuvrable and powerful, handling easily all of our pitch renovation equipment.

“During the renovation of the stadium and training pitches we often spend all day driving the tractor, the spacious cabin is very comfortable and with air-conditioning plus the radio it is a pleasure to use and to be in.”

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Aerating with little disturbance Head Greenkeeper Gary McKie at Nelson Golf Club, Lancashire, had a very specific reason for choosing a Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD in April.

“The main attraction was to be able to aerate during the season knowing it caused little disturbance. You want golfers not to notice. We’ve been out mostly with 8mm tines so far. They’re good to use in season. If you are out on a Monday, by Tuesday people can hardly tell. Crucially you can still get down 10” and the job’s been done,” said Gary.

Gary took over his post in May 2017 at the course which sits on a plateau over Nelson and Burnley, and boasts breath taking panoramic views across both Lancashire and Yorkshire.

At his previous job with Pleasington GC, Gary became familiar with the GXi8 HD, so was well versed in the speed and efficiency it could achieve.

“The machine will be in use regularly, not just on tees and greens but walkways and approaches. We’ve been out three times over the green and once on the tees so far. On a long day we can get around all 18 greens or we can just leave two for the next day, it’s

that quick. We’ve been varying the depth and if we want to put a little bit of heave we can, by just making one adjustment.

“Later in the year, probably towards the end of October, we will hollow core a couple of specific areas. Our agronomist has suggested sections on two of the fairways that have a

little bit of moss. That’s where the flexibility of the Wiedenmann works well – you can deep tine and hollow tine equally easy.”

Local Wiedenmann UK dealer to Nelson GC is Balmers GM with ground care specialist Andrew Meeks, providing after sales service and support from their Burnley depot.

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AERATION

SISIS model for all occasions Aeration is a key process to improve drainage, reduce turf compaction and thatch build up. With three models in the SISIS range, with different working widths and varying maximum depths to suit any tractor and most applications – the Multislit, Maxislit and Megaslit are tractor mounted deep slitters which offer deep, clean penetration with minimal surface disturbance.

The Multislit is available in 1.2 (Multislit 1200) and 1.5 (Multislit 1500) metres wide options featuring a choice of interchangeable slitting tines to suit different ground conditions. This machine produces excellent underground cultivation (working depth of 6 or 8 inches) due to the angle of the tines and spiral design of tine shaft which assist penetration. Recommended tractor power requirement is 15-25hp.

The SISIS Maxislit is a 1.8 metre wide tractor mounted deep slitting aerator suitable for golf course maintenance, with deep, clean penetration. It can also be used for football, rugby and cricket pitches, with a working depth of seven or nine inches. The Maxislit comes complete with a set of heavy duty tines. Recommended tractor power requirement is 25-35hp.

The SISIS Megaslit is a tractor

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mounted deep slitting aerator which gives deep, clean penetration – ideal for golf course fairways. This machine can also be used for football, rugby and cricket pitches. It has a working depth of 9 or 12 inches. The 2.5m wide deep slitter, featuring 32 heavy duty tines, achieves maximum underground cultivation due to the angle of the tines and spiral design of the tine shaft assists penetration.

Recommended tractor power requirement is 40hp and comes complete with a set of heavy duty tines.

These machines are simple in their design and low maintenance. Their thin sharp blades cut through the turf and root zone leaving only a slit on the surface while giving a deep optimum sub soil disturbance.

Regular slitting encourages strong, healthy root growth of the grass plants, improving tolerance to drought conditions and promoting more rapid recovery after damage in play – that’s why SISIS deep slitters are used on golf courses around the world including The Belfry.

Angus Macleod, Course Manager at The Belfry, has experience of working with SISIS for over 30 years which prompted the purchase of a SISIS Megaslit and Multislit machines.

Following a demonstration,

the decision was made to add the two SISIS machines to the extensive turf maintenance fleet of over 200 machines that look after the manicured PGA courses.

“I’ve used SISIS equipment at all of the courses I’ve worked at for the past 30 years,” said Angus. The Megaslit and Multislit are great pieces of kit and both do a great job. They are efficient, quick and work in tandem with the other piece of aeration equipment we use. Because of the volume of land we have here, we needed something that would do a good job and do it quickly.

Both machines immediately ticked all of our boxes giving us a clean slitting motion for quick root pruning, slicing the fibre and controlling thatch.

“We will use the machines from November through to January. We use them from two inches right up to 10 inches – as long as we don’t have any issues with wiring or irrigation pipes and they give us very little surface disturbance,” said Angus.

“We see slitting as an important operation at The Belfry and these machines are great because you can vary the depth for thatch control and root pruning. They’ve proven their worth at the last four golf courses I have been at so why change something if it works so well?”

making making turf turf matter matter

Deeper penetration relieves compaction Pontarddulais Bowls Club and Graig Merthyr Bowls Club share the same Council-owned green in Swansea. The green there has seen around 90 years of play and until early in 2018 had always been free draining, with regular treatment such as Vertidraining, although it had become noticeable the green was changing. Built on shale, the gradual compaction was taking its toll. Club Treasurer Bryan Gillard remembers watching what happened to the green when it rained heavily.

“The green was filling with water and after the heavy showers it remained quite sodden and unplayable. It seemed no amount of work could get it back into shape.”

This left 50 or so members without playing facilities until it dried out.

Bryan invited specialist aeration company Terrain Aeration to advise on the situation. It became immediately clear that much deeper aeration was needed than the usual Vertidraining, to relieve the compaction and

panning beneath the surface.

Terrain Aeration’s deep penetration aeration system uses their Terralift machine to drive a probe one metre deep into the soil, through the compaction, where it releases a blast of compressed air, fracturing the soil. On the tail end of the air blast dried seaweed is injected, which sticks to the walls of the fissures.

This is finished with the probe hole being filled with porous Lytag aggregate and topped with the usual top dressing. Here the seaweed will remain, swelling and contracting with the moisture in the soil, maintaining the aeration, drainage and allowing oxygen to get to the roots. In some instances water-storing polymers may also be added with the seaweed.

The process is repeated over a staggered grid every two metres to ensure the fissures are fully interlinked. The result is immediate and vastly improved draining, allowing play to commence straight away.

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Great condition all year Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Berkshire, Goring and Streatley Golf Club offers a testing 18 holes over a half downland and half parkland course. Despite the challenges this brings to Course Manager, Matt Aplin and his team, when it comes to maintenance, the greens are renowned for being fast, true and in great condition all year round.

The combination of a Redexim Carrier and Verti-Drain 1513 from Charterhouse Turf Machinery is the latest weapon in Matt’s armoury to improve the greens, tees and approaches even further.

“Though we have quite a large machinery fleet, we only have one tractor” explains Matt, who heads up a team of six greenkeepers.

“This meant when it came to greens maintenance, if we were using the tractor to hollow tine, we then couldn’t topdress on the same day as the tractor was tied

up. Fundamentally this restricted us being able to conduct some operations, especially aeration, as much as we’d like to.” Matt spoke to his local dealer Lister Wilder, who demonstrated a number of power unit and aerator combinations.

“With a lot of the competitor machines, the aerator was limited to 4” penetration depths, whereas the Verti-Drain could go down to 6”, making a big difference to root depths, along with creating heave.”

As well as easing the strain on the club’s tractor, another key factor for the purchase was to use a lighter weight unit on the greens.

“It’s simple to use, safer being outside the cab and more efficient than navigating the tractor with a heavy spiker on the back.”

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making turf matter

Q&A withwww.turfmatters.co.uk wayne lumbard

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making turf matter

Q&A with Wayne Lumbard, Head Groundsman, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC – Molineux stadium and training grounds

Wayne’s winning ways at Wolves Wayne, how did you start your career in Groundsmanship and how long have you been with Wolves?

I have been with Wolves 13 years and started on a Youth Training Scheme on my local council, looking after fine turf among other things.

What has been the most challenging aspect of the job and what changes and innovations have you seen?

Meeting expectations of others and yourself and always wanting to be the best. The weather conditions in winter. Innovations would include Verti-drain, Koro Machine, Lighting Rigs and better constructed pitches.

You have experienced the highs and lows of working in the Football Leagues, what has the

feeling at the club been like in the last season and how has this affected you and your team?

It was great to be a part of it all, as we finished up getting promoted; well worth the ups and downs and now on to the Premier League.

We know that you work with David Snowden, of Agronomic Services Ltd, why has this partnership been such a success?

Working with David has been a great relationship and has got better over the years. Just starting off with Oxy Rush on one pitch and now I use all the range on all my pitches and the results I get every time are first-class.

Are there any products that have enabled you to reduce disease pressure?

The full range including Agronomics Liquids and Floratine Foliars helps to

The Grounds Team celebrate success at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, from left, Ken Bates, Tim Warwick, Anthony Parker, Wayne Lumbard (Head Groundsman), Lewis Gough, Chris Lane

keep the plant at its optimum health all year round, so the plant has a fighting chance. With the range of products there is always a solution to every problem for all seasons of the year.

How do you manage your pitch renovations and what period of time do you usually have before play returns to the Molineux?

Renovations start in April where we take out of action two pitches to get them back into play at the start of the season. We use Eon Bio and Osiryl as part of our renovations programme. Then the others are done when the teams finish and then from seed to first training session you are looking at around eight weeks.

How many Desso pitches do you have now? What is the total area that you manage at the training grounds?

}

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 45

Q&A with wayne lumbard

} We have with the Molineux a total area four Desso pitches for all needs and hopefully more to come next year, we have in total around 10 hectares of pitches.

Are there any special preparations to the pitch ahead of a big match?

No, not really we do the same prep for every game, for whatever the age group or the first teams, we always prepare the pitch the very best we can whether that was in League 1 or now in the Premier League.

What are you most looking forward to in the forthcoming season?

Success with the First team

and success with the pitch, so we can be up there with the best in the Premier League.

It was announced this month that Wolves have been selected for TV coverage in their three opening Premier League games at Molineux, does this put you and the team under additional pressure?

As I have said before the pitch gets prepared to the same highest standard for every use regardless of who’s playing on there and whatever the occasion on TV or otherwise, it’s about producing the very best every time.

It was great to be a part of it all, as we finished up getting promoted; well worth the ups and downs and now on to the Premier League.

46 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS What’s your favourite food?

Roast Sunday lunch Do you have a mentor?

The person that gave me my first chance on a Youth Training Scheme, Mr Paul Robinson, all those years ago What makes you grumpy?

Misuse of pitches How do you relax?

I enjoy family and my time in the garden What advice would you give to a young groundsman?

Be yourself, set the highest standards for yourself and others from day one; and set yourself realistic goals every 3-5 years to achieve.

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Turf Matters | july-august 2018 | 47

QUADS AND UTVs

Utility vehicle lives up to its name supporting scout camp Kubota UK has joined forces with PACCAR Scout Camp, a charity funded organisation dedicated to helping young people achieve their physical, intellectual and social potential.

PACCAR Scout Camp, located in Buckinghamshire, provides a fun and exciting camping experience for youth organisations, including Scouts, Guides and school groups. Visitors have the opportunity to experience an assortment of activities, from abseiling and archery, to climbing, high ropes and bushcraft.

“We are delighted to support the PACCAR Scout Camp. The work and commitment of its 120 volunteers to give children of all ages the opportunities to experience the great outdoors is fantastic,” said Karen Tipping, Kubota UK’s Marketing Manager.

To help the camp’s volunteers get around the 67-acre site, Kubota has donated a RTV-X900 utility vehicle.

“We are a charity organisation, and like all charities, we need funding to be able to survive. With Kubota donating us the RTV-X900, it means we can focus our funds on what’s most important – continually improving our site and facilities to make the experience our visitors have when they come here, even better,” said Cliffe Brooke, Operations Manager at the Camp.

“The machine will make a huge difference operationally, making life much easier for our volunteers, from ferrying equipment around for activities, to woodland management and general maintenance. It will also allow us to access areas of the 67-acre site that we previously couldn’t.”

48 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

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Toro GTX starts to show its full potential The first time you jump onto a Toro GTX you will probably think you have driven one before, despite the fact that the batterypowered model is the first of its type ever seen in the UK. Hardly glowing praise, you may think. But get moving and within yards this agile utility vehicle impresses. It is smooth, comfortable and responsive thanks to the spec secrets up its sleeve. How about a four-seat version with the same load bay or a twoseater with a flat 1.80m long load bay? Toro has 300 plus options on offer in the GTX, making it a far more versatile choice than its entry-level specifications may suggest.

The light utility vehicle market has quite a range of machines on offer, but when it comes to units that are better suited to working over golf courses, fine turf, sports fields and amenity areas, the choice starts to shrink. The best vehicles need to offer more than seating for two, with a bit of capacity behind the seats.

The diminutive Toro GTX we look at here is, in its entry-level form, perhaps a good example of this. A two-wheel drive, two-seater with a load platform on the back is hardly a new concept, nor is the choice of petrol or electric power.

But with the GTX there is a great deal more on offer to include short or long chassis models. This allows a Toro GTX to be specified as a

four seater, complete with the same size load bay as the two-seat model, or as a two-seater with an extended 1.80m flat bed. This offers a completely flat cargo space, a massive six-foot length ensuring the Toro GTX is not from the ‘seen something like this before’ category.

Starting with the basics, a Toro GTX two seater is fitted as standard with a 1016mm long by 987mm wide cargo bay. Made from a tough polymer, and fitted with a drop down tailgate, the bed has 279mm high sides and can carry loads weighing up to 363kg. A huge choice of attachments can be added to this basic configuration to include side extensions and tool carriers plus mounting kits for both the front and rear of the vehicle.

Add a very generous 454kg towing capacity and the Toro GTX starts to show its potential as a true amenity, golf and sports turf utility.

Now add the chassis extension. This extra length can accommodate a second row of bench or individual seats and still retain the same rear cargo area as the two-seater. If cargo space is the priority, the chassis extension will allow the aforementioned flatbed to be specified. This choice adds a whole new raft of potential utility to the Toro Workman series. With the small entry-level GTX range you now have access to an affordable personnel carrier as well as a general

tool to move machines and materials. A roof and screen are further options.

As to power, neither the petrol or GTE electric options are designed to afford the GTX with the output for heavy-duty haulage or working a big sprayer. Toro has a Workman model to suit

those applications. What the GTX offers is affordable utility in versatile package to suit a really broad and diverse range of applications.

The plug-in electric model has surprising acceleration too and, thanks to its on-board charger, can be topped up from any 13amp electric socket.

Add a very generous 454kg towing capacity and the Toro GTX starts to show its potential as a true amenity, golf and sports turf utility

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 49

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Regal setting for King’s School

Richard Bowman

A ‘historic and inspirational cathedral setting’ provides the backdrop for studies to the pupils at The King’s School, Gloucester. In charge of maintaining the three hectares of gardens and sports grounds across multiple sites is Head Groundsman Richard Bowman.

When he re-joined the school for his second stint in 2011, having originally started as an apprentice in 1999, he made the switch to seed from DLFs’

Johnsons Sports Seed and Masterline ranges which looks to be a decision set to stay.

“Sport is an important part of life for pupils at King’s and we’re fortunate to have two and a half hectares of sports fields and facilities across the school’s sites” explained Richard who is supported by a team of five.

“I’ve worked on our seed programme with Ian Barnett, now of DLF, for a number of years and have valued

his input and advice. He suggested we try Johnsons J Premier Wicket for our cricket ground, with which we achieved great success. This opened our eyes to what other mixtures were out there.”

Ian recommended they trial PM79 from Masterline on one of the schools three cricket outfields.

“We gave it a try following the launch of DLF’s 4Turf Tetraploid Perennial Ryegrass,

and specifically the PM79 mix because of the darker sward colour it delivers meaning less reliance on chemical inputs. It’s also known for its hard-wearing qualities which is important for our outfields, which also play host to rugby.”

“A lot of our decisions come down to a combination of budget and performance – if something works then we’ll stick with it, and this is one of those cases.”

Greenkeepers retain trophy in ClearWater Cup

Las Brisas invests in future with John Deere Real Club de Golf Las Brisas at Marbella in Spain is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, as well as its first full golf course maintenance equipment fleet deal with John Deere and local dealer Agronimer.

Arranged through David Fernandez, the head of Agronimer’s golf division, the new fleet has been acquired in a five-year John Deere financial agreement worth one million euros, and is supported by full PowerGard maintenance cover. Machinery includes tees, fairway, greens and rough mowers, both compact and larger utility 50 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

tractors, Gator utility vehicles, sprayers and bunker rakes.

The latest E-Cut hybrid electric models now make up 100% of the club’s ride-on greens and fairway mower fleet.

“Everything has been addressed, from improving the grasses, bunkers, tees and greens to the drainage and irrigation system, as well as relocating several holes to create a better flow of play – even down to redesigning and rerouting the cart paths to make the initial visitor experience more pleasant,” said Las Brisas general manager Paul Muñoz.

The annual ClearWater Cup was held at Corhampton Golf Club with the South Coast Greenkeepers playing the Wessex Managers.

Highcliffe Castle’s Mike Cartwright captained the Greenkeepers and Barton on Sea’s Sean Trussel captained the Managers and a hard fought event took place; the managers keen to take the cup from the greenkeepers!

Despite everyone’s best efforts, however, the match ended in a draw and so the Greenkeepers retained the trophy!

An enjoyable meal followed and Acumen ClearWater’s Matthew Mears presented the cup. Thanks were made for Acumen ClearWater’s sponsorship and to those involved in organising the event, hosting, preparing the course and, of course, the meal.

NEWS EXTRA

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American courts rule against Monsanto is facing a legal battle should they with to appeal a damages payment of $289 million to a Californian school groundsman who contracted terminal cancer saying that the company’s Roundup had contributed to his disease The lawsuit brought by Dewayne Johnson was the first to go to trial in the States saying that Roundup causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, something which Monsanto denies.

Jurors agreed that the product contributed to Johnson’s cancer and the company should have provided a label warning of the potential health hazard. Dewayne Johnson’s attorneys sought and won compensatory and punitive damages of $289 million.

The jury found that Monsanto acted with malice and oppression because they knew what they were doing was wrong and doing it with reckless disregard for human life.

Monsanto had denied a link

between glyphosate and cancer, citing hundreds of studies which had established that glyphosate is safe.

Dewayne Johnson’s lawyers said that he sprayed large quantities

from a 50-gallon tank attached to a truck, and during gusty winds, the product would cover his face.

It was reported that Johnson, during his four years as the groundsman, had sprayed 150 gallons of Roundup 20-30 times a year.

He described two days where he ended up accidentally drenched in the herbicide. He had called Monsanto’s consumer hotline for advice, but said that the company had not called back.

He was diagnosed with nonHodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014 at age 42.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that Roundup’s active ingredient is safe for people when used in accordance with label directions.

In the UK the Amenity Forum has this statement on the use of glyphosate: Managing weeds in amenity situations is a vital task – it impacts on every UK citizen every day providing safe

Turf Matters Forum – have your say If you fancy airing your views, want to talk shop or need some advice, why not discuss it on the Turf Matters Forum?

We’ve had some great discussions on the Turf Matters website and across our social media platforms and we love hearing your views.

Now you can talk about what you want, when you want, on the Turf Matters Forum.

How can I take part?

You need to register to use the forum. It’s a simple process that will let you post and reply across all the topics.

Just go to the website address below…

www.turfmatters.co.uk/forum 52 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

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glyphosate and healthy environments. It really keeps Britain moving. As we move forward in this continually changing world, the need for decisions to be based upon proper evidence and science has never been so important.

Chemicals used for amenity management are more rigorously tested than many household products.

Not only are amenity chemicals thoroughly tested and approved but they are continually monitored.

In the case of the active glyphosate, it has only recently undergone a thorough review in Europe and been re-approved for use in amenity situations as a safe chemical. This review, conducted by the Expert committee of scientists in Europe and approved by vote of member states, took into account some concerns expressed about the active possibly having carcinogenic effects.

Based on all the science and evidence available, it was concluded that these

were unfounded and it was safe to use.

In that context, the Forum is very surprised to hear the outcome of the recent judgement in the USA relating to glyphosate in the product Roundup. We understand that an appeal is to be made by the manufacturer and so it is inappropriate to comment further on this.

The Forum seeks to work with everyone across the important sector of amenity promoting best practice in all aspects of weed management, chemical and non chemical. We support an integrated approach making best use of all tools available to ensure a safe and healthy environment fit for purpose whether it be streets and pavements, parks, railways, sports grounds and indeed all amenity spaces. Glyphosate has proved to be a very important and essential element in such management programmes as an approved, regulated and fully authorised chemical.

Californian school groundsman Dewayne Johnson

the AMENITY Forum is very surprised to hear the outcome of the recent judgement in the USA relating to glyphosate in the product Round Up.

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 53

NEWS EXTRA

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New creeping ryegrass cultivar bring added benefits to landscaping mixtures

in September, with a Germinal will be focussing particular emphasis on the on its upgraded range of inclusion of new-for-2018 landscaping mixtures at this creeping perennial ryegrass year’s FutureScape Scotland cultivar, Zurich, which offers show, incorporating increased wear tolerance ScotHort, at the Royal and Highland Edinburgh, Whitemoss GK June 2017 hh_LayoutCentre, 1 10/05/2017 15:18 Page 1 fast sward recovery.

Zurich scores 6.5 for live ground cover and 6.3 for visual merit, making it one of the best-performing creeping perennial ryegrasses on Table S1 of the BSPB’s Turfgrass

Seed 2018 booklet. It is a fine-leaved variety that also exhibits high resistance to insects and nematode attack due to naturally high endophyte levels, as well as good persistence and

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Having supplied Celtic Manor Resort for in excess of 20 years, Whitemoss have seen the issues caused by heavy rain that not only runs off the hillside on the 2010 course but that also runs through the soil structure.

Working with Jim McKenzie and his project team headed by Chris and Alan, Andy Law and Mike Crabtree devised a solution that would intercept the water coming through the soil on the bank adjacent to the 2010 clubhouse.

They then installed a full herringbone drainage system in the bunker base to take the run off and any water falling directly into the bunker away quickly.

The MegaFlo flat panel drainage supplied exclusively by Whitemoss was installed in less than 3 hours! Typical round pipe drains requiring excavation of trenches and stone backfill would have taken in excess of a full day to install requiring an excavator, tractor and trailer etc. MegaFlo is 2 ½ more efficient at moving water too so it’s a win win.

Without BunkerMat

BunkerMat liner was then installed to prevent subsoil contamination, to retain sand on the bunker faces and to offer a consistent, stable bunker base. With BunkerMat The bunker was completed with the installation of 56 tonnes of WhitemossEco Bunker 4 sand.

This was the biggest bunker WhitemossEco have installed to date at 354m2!

They used 140 linear metres of MegaFlo including the perimeter drain and the full herringbone system.

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See us on Stand 320 at BTME 2019 54 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

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Trials set to identify superior disease management programmes

a creeping growth habit which aids sward recovery.

Zurich now features as standard in three of Germinal’s landscaping seed mixtures; A3 Embankments and Drought, A18 Road Verge & Embankments and A19 All Purpose Landscaping.

“A3 has traditionally been the industry’s go-to seed mixture for stabilising embankments due to its high percentage of creeping fescues and bentgrasses which bind the soil together,” explains Richard Brown, Amenity Sales Manager for Germinal.

“The addition of Zurich gives this popular seed mixture the added benefits associated with a perennial ryegrass: speed of establishment, the ability to germinate in colder temperatures, and the ability to rapidly recover from damage caused by excessive wear.

“For A18 and A19, the addition of Zurich further enhances the ability of these mixtures to recover from wear with minimal intervention.

“Zurich exhibits an excellent creeping habit, which binds manufactured soils together quickly and effectively thereby preventing gully erosion and loss of soil.”

This year’s STRI Research event will see Bayer continuing its study into disease prevention in pursuit of the best programme for tackling Microdochium Patch in light of recent losses to curative chemistry.

Dr Colin Mumford, Bayer Technical Manager, explained that the new research will build on results from last season’s set of trials, that showed preventative options outshone curatives.

“This year the aim is to reinforce these findings and see how we

can improve on current disease management programmes, with alternative and new products, as well as different application rates and timings.

“A variety of different fungicides will be put to the test, including Exteris Stressgard and Dedicate, alongside a number of plant health promoting products, from two of our main distributors, Headland Amenity and Rigby Taylor,” he said.

Colin pointed out that the conditions this year could be quite different to the low

disease threat experienced by the STRI last season.

“The turf has taken a bashing this summer, with prolonged periods of high temperatures and strong sunlight, so it’ll be very interesting to see how the turf fairs with a stressful start to the disease season.”

The trials are due to start in late August, to pre-condition the turf for improved health, and should run until spring 2019, to see if there is any effect on green-up ahead of the key playing season.

Glasgow school invests in its own Koro Fieldtopmaker The Glasgow Academy has become the first independent school in Scotland to purchase their own 2018 model Koro Fieldtopmaker rotor from Campey Turf Care Systems.

The demands of maintaining pitches for a school that offers football, rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics on eight pitches across four locations as well as a separate sand and water based astro pitches has its own unique issues when it comes to renovations with a short 10-week window at the end of the school year.

For Head Groundsman, Robert Cheape, there is very little crossover time during terms with sports seasons often overlapping.

His team of five also have the main school and prep school grounds to maintain and the decision to bring in a new Koro FTM was to provide flexibility and choice to renovations.

“We have multiple sports with very little downtime between them. As one season finishes the next season starts and that was one of the reasons behind getting our own Koro, because we wanted the flexibility to manage

the pitches in a better way.

“In our situation being able to vary to what degree we use the Koro FTM on the pitches is massive and directly tackles the issue of short periods of downtime.

“We’ve got the Universe Finesse 5mm blades on it and the material that’s been coming out with it has been unbelievable and the organic matter it’s been ripping up is very impressive, especially when we compare it other machines we’ve used in the past, it’s far superior to everything else.”

Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 55

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Huntercombe hunts out best irrigation system Huntercombe Golf Club, recently voted number one course in Oxfordshire by the Top 100 Golf Courses, has replaced its irrigation

system with Toro because, according to Course Manager, Grant Stewart, “it’s the best on the market” for covering compact

tees and vast greens.

“Huntercombe has large greens. Altogether they cover 1.7 hectares, with some up to 1,000m2 ! We chose Flex 55 for the job because of the distance they can cover. We installed a ring main around the larger greens to control the pressure, which allowed us to feed the heads with water to cover two directions. The heads on my fourth green put out 16 litres of water a second, guaranteeing every inch of that big green is well watered.”

Applying equally efficient irrigation to the small tees are the Toro T5 sprinklers.

“We have the opposite problem on the tees in that some of them are quite small, so we needed to find a sprinkler that would work well in a much smaller area.”

With an operating area of 6.5-12m, it’s easy to see why the T5s fit the bill. But something all the sprinklers have in common, including the FLEX 35 also used on the greens, is their maintenance and ease of use.

“The best feature of all the sprinklers we’ve chosen are the heads which allow us to change the arcs when they are running with no tools. I can move the heads to water any area and don’t have to be concerned that the gears will be damaged,” explained Grant.

Completing the order with Reesink Turfcare is a selection of Toro machinery including the Groundsmaster 3500-D, two Greensmaster TriFlex 3420 mowers, a Multi Pro 1750 and a Workman MDX-D.

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

www.inturf.com 56 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

s arrived.

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BUYERS’ GUIDE Statistics reveal scale of

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

AGRONOMY SERVICES MOWERS

FERTILISERS AND PESTICIDES

AERATION

BUYERS’ GUIDE GRASS SEED GRASS SEED

success of Saltex 2015

n Agronomy Audits n Advisory Services n Project Management over 70% of visitors said that there was an The 70th SALTEX exhibition exceeded all n Construction excellent mix of products on display. Table 1 expectations n Budgets after an independent audit shows what visitors were looking for. confirmed the exhibition as the largest turf www.gregevansmg.com Call: 07951event 157208 Exhibitors at SALTEX 2015www.campeyturfcare.com reported management in or theemail: UK with a total gregevansmg@gmail.com Telephone: 01260 224 568 huge3914540 success at the show, suggesting that of 8,714 unique individuals attending. Now, 0118 Email: info@campeyturfcare.com the visitors were a very powerful group of the visitor surveys have been flooding in –jamie@advancegrass.com buyers. With deals being done there and revealing a fascinating and in-depth insight GOLF COURSE TYRES then on the show floor, it’s no surprise to see into the visitor profile of the show.

MANAGEMENT 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 £100,000. over 70% of the visitors rated their overall WETTING AGENTS As for the type of facilities that the SALTEX experience as being good, very SOIL SURFACTANTS Golf Course Management visitors were responsible for, it was great to good or excellent.

Consultant ORGANIC seeFERTILISERS such a wide array of visitors (table 2).

Over 65% of visitors said that they Golf Course Advice; Visitors also found the more central attended SALTEX to source new products, Locum Greenkeeper Service; 01233 633267 location of the NEC to be more accessible services suppliers, while 20% wanted Projector Management; Practical with 70% stating that the new location was toSolutions make thefor most of theProblems free educationalUK.aquatrols.com Genuine either good or excellent. Within the halls of LEARNING LIVE seminars and to receive www.billymcmillanassociates.co.uk Fer�lisers | Bios�mulants | We�ers the NEC, visitors favouredLINE the more compact one-to-oneTel: advice 07774through 632747 the IOG’s Ask MARKING setting withproducts over 70% rating the layout of the Expert feature. With so much on offerover 50 professional the event either good or excellent. at SALTEX, there was something for MACHINERY MACHINERY 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 Toro Reelmaster 5010-H with PowerMatch quality of attendees – further enhancing their objectives.

Horsepower SALTEX as the must attend event of the With such a large number of visitors onSALTEX Demand year. attending to source new products Fleet Line Markers Ltd SALTEX 2016 will be held at the NEC, and services; they certainly came to the World leaders in the field of Birmingham on 2 and 3 November 2016. For right place. The exhibition is a great way line marking paints and machinery. more information visit www.iogsaltex.com to launch and showcase new products and Tel: 01684 573535 www.velvit.co.uk sales@flmuk.com www.flmuk.com Available through your local distributor

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EQUIPMENT Turf Matters | February-March 2016 | 33

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COMMENT

You catch me in a mood of despair, something which I experience every time I take to the 1st tee, but on this occasion I’m sitting on the sofa.

“What’s the problem, this time?” I hear you mutter?

I’m very glad you asked.

It’s our beloved game of golf again and its ability to shoot itself in the foot.

We’ve just come off the back of a superb Open Championship at Carnoustie and a very well deserved winner in Francesco Molinari. Makes the golf look so easy and now that he has learned to putt he is quite a player. I was delighted that he

58 | Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018

won as he has been a quality operator for years but I’d have been even more pleased if Tiger had won. The fact that he hit the front at the start of the back nine on the final day gave hope but he’d been out of contention in Majors, or any tournament really, for such a long time it would have been a big ask for him to bring it home.

But it was absolutely fantastic to see him on the leaderboard again and it should signal a boost to the game, much needed when there is so much competition from other sports.

So we headed off for the final Major of the year hoping for another Tiger moment and, another chance for the game to grab a share of the back pages once again.

Which brings me to Eleven Sports.

Here is the astonishing bit.

The golfing powers that be – and while it was the blazers from across the pond on this occasion, I hold our custodians of the game just as culpable – sold the UK television rights to the USPGA Championship to a company which doesn’t even possess a television channel!

Eleven Sports streamed the fourth Major of the year to anyone prepared to pay and was happy to put up with extensive buffering.

The company apologised for the poor coverage but I don’t blame Eleven

Sports. I blame the absolute idiots who put a slightly bigger boost to their coffers ahead of the exposure and profile of the game – particularly with the man who was, and could return to be, the biggest name in sport, building on his Carnoustie performance. Tiger finished second having thrilled the fans with a final round 64. I know this because I listened to it on BBC Radio Five Live.

How short sighted can you possibly be? Yes, I accept that Sky Sports has most of the golf and that it is not available to everyone, but at least they are a television company and you can pop into your golf club to watch if you don’t have it at home.

And that’s not to excuse the R&A for selling out to Sky with The Open Championship a couple of years ago.

Sky do a great job but viewing figures are not what they were when we were all groaning at Peter Alliss’s regular self indulgent flights of commentary fancy on the BBC. This can’t be good for any youngster looking for sporting role models and a sport to take up.

Boxing lost appeal when most of the top fights went to satellite or pay-forview channels and World Champions could walk down most high streets in anonymity, the only give away flat noses and scar tissue around the eyes.

I don’t want Brookes Koepka to be able to do the same, although to be fair, he probably could walk down Oxford Street in London now without a selfie request.

So, I may be a Golfing Nobody but I’m a nobody who has the best interests of the game of golf at heart and I urge you to join me to protest – If it’s a choice between a £10 million windfall from a company without the ability to show the pictures, or five million viewing figures then it’s not a choice.

Eleven Sports indeed. *As told to Scott MacCallum

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Carrying on from yesterday solid tine and verti cut..

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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 7,000 and growing

Follow us on Twitter @TurfMatters Tea Break Teaser answers 1. 2007; 2. True. There is a world record for a stadium – 2,618 toilets; 3. New York Giants 13-10; 4. Wladimir Klitschko; 5. Wales were the home side, as Wales were playing at Wembley while the Millennium Stadium was being built; 6. Kevin Keegan; 7. July 1985; 8. Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United; 9. Don Fox; 10. The cost of building the first Wembley Stadium and the cost of building the new Wembley Stadium; 11. Bobby Moore; 12. Fulham; 13. Didier Drogba; 14. 1948; 15. Shorter. It is the longest span in the world but is “only” 315 metres.

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

www.turfmatters.co.uk Turf Matters | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 | 59