Groundscare & Turf

Winning wildflower mixture

A bespoke wildflower mixture consisting of native Cornish flowers has helped Newquay Golf Club scoop Syngenta’s annual Operation Pollinator Award.

The aim of the Golf Environment Awards (GEAs) is to recognise, reward and promote outstanding individuals and golf courses, no matter how big or small, for the time and effort they have put into protecting and preserving their unique surroundings.

The Awards consist of four categories: Environmental Golf Course of the Year, Conservation Greenkeeper Award, Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year, and the Operation Pollinator Award.

“I was hesitant at first because I saw what some of the other amazing courses had achieved and I wasn’t sure if we stood a chance,” says Dan Kendle, Course Manager at Newquay Golf Club. “However, a few people encouraged me to enter, and we were selected in the Operation Pollinator category.

The Operation Pollinator Award celebrates golf clubs that consistently deliver outstanding ecological habitat creation and management to benefit pollinating insects. Amongst other ecological activities on the course, Dan also impressed the judges by introducing native wildflower areas.

“I first spoke to David Bevan at Agrovista Amenity to explain what I wanted to achieve, and it was at this point he brought in Matt Gresty (MM and Designer Sales and Brand Manager for DLF UK). I explained that I didn’t want just a standard mix of wildflowers and that I wanted flowers that are native to my site. Matt went away and put together a wonderful mix and that was one of the main reasons we won the award.”

Appropriately named the Newquay Wildflowers, the mixture contained 24 flower species including Vipers Bugloss, Yellow Rattle, Common Toadflax, Dark Mullein plus five various grass species. Dan and his team created the first area in autumn 2020, and then started rolling it out to other areas on the course.

Not only have they provided a rich, colourful, and diverse ecological habitat but they have also wowed the public and members by offering great aesthetic value.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in the numbers of different butterflies and bumblebees, and we have also been getting rare species of birds including the Cornish Chuff. I record everything on the course, and we’ve had eight species that are on the red list. It really is wonderful to see the course so alive with wildlife.

Dan who plans on further extending the wildflower areas adds: “Awards such as these are incredibly important because there is still this stigma that golf courses are sterile environments pumped full of chemicals, but that could not be further from the truth. Look around the country and you can see what golf courses are doing now - it’s amazing. I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

Verticollector cleans up

Quick compaction relief at Phoenix Golf Club thanks to Redexim Verti-Quake®

GKB Machines has launched a brand-new addition to their natural turf maintenance range, in the form of the Verticollector. Revealed at BTME 2022, it is based on the principles of their VStrong scarifier and promises effective organic matter removal and clean collection of the extracted material in a single pass.

The Verticollector is available in two working widths – 1.2m and 1.6m – and is equipped with precisionengineered steel blades, spaced at 25, 50, 75 or 100mm, for the accurate removal of thatch, surface debris and lateral growth down to depths of 40mm. The wind paddles, fitted to GKB’s unique CombiRotor®, generate enough suction to lift the extracted material up and into the new 400L collector, which can then be hydraulically lifted and conveniently emptied at the press of a button.

Commenting on its introduction, UK Operations Manager Tom Shinkins says: “We pride ourselves on listening to the end users and coming up with solutions to everyday problems. The new Verticollector will be ideal for greenkeepers, combining OM removal and debris collection in one pass to make the task more efficient and less labour intensive. The initial reaction we’ve had to the VC120 on show at BTME has been very positive and we’re very much looking forward to taking the machine out and putting it through its paces over the coming months.”

Tackling compaction on previous untouched ground, a Redexim Verti-Quake® 2516 has dramatically improved the downward movement of moisture at Rotherham’s Phoenix Golf Club. Constructed on clay-based land, the 65 hectares that make up the complex includes cricket facilities, a bowling green and nine football pitches, as well as the 18-hole parkland golf course.

The Verti-Quake® was delivered to the club in the late summer of 2021 and complemented the aeration work conducted with their existing Redexim VertiDrain®. Multi-sport complex manager Mark Smith cited outstanding results on some of the area's historically waterlogged areas.

With just a team of five working on maintenance, Mark found that operations such as aeration had been limited by time and resources. “The Verti-Drain® has traditionally been utilised on the greens but not on larger, open areas because of staffing levels,” he explains.

“We’d seen a contractor utilising a linear aerator on our football pitch and decided something like that could bring benefit to areas, such as the fairways, on the golf course.” After exploring the options, Mark opted for the Redexim Verti-Quake® 2516 – offering a 1.6m working width and effective compaction relief down to 250mm. “As soon as it was delivered by our local dealer Cheshire Turf, we were out on some of the historically challenging areas and the results spoke for themselves. We went into the winter, and emerged the other side, so much drier than we ever have before.”

“Considering a lot of the areas we used it on had never been aerated previously, the Verti-Quake® broke straight through the compaction and helped to move the water down and towards the water courses – providing a much more cost-effective alternative to installing drainage.” After making such a strong first impression, Mark is now looking forward to the further improvements the VertiQuake® can deliver. “If it’s open land, and it’s likely to get wet, we’re going to get the Verti-Quake® on it!”

That mantra extends to work on other areas of the complex, including the football pitch, reducing the reliance on external contractors. “We’ll get the Verti-Quake® out during the end of season renovations, giving us important compaction relief and getting the ground repaired and recovered in time for the busy playing season.”

Fertilizer that gives cosmetic appeal

Jordans Sports Ground Solutions has reported excellent results from using Compo Expert’s Ferro Top

Provider of sports turf solutions across the south east, Jordans Sports Ground Solutions has reported excellent results from using Compo Expert’s Ferro Top specialty fertiliser, after applying it at several top-class sports venues.

Owner Ian Jordan is careful to choose the right right turf products and equipment within budget for his clients. Last year, with a harsh winter approaching he searched for an iron-based product that would harden the sward and offer some colour through the cold season.

“I came across Ferro Top on the Agrovista Amenity website and spoke in more detail about the product with Andrew Norman (Amenity Specialist),' he explains. “We are gradually increasing the number of products we are using from Agrovista Amenity and Andrew gave his opinion on Ferro Top. Based on his feedback, I decided to give it a go.”

Ferro Top has become a popular choice amongst turf managers. Available via exclusive distributor of Compo Expert turf products, Agrovista Amenity, the iron specialty fertiliser has high levels of potash and magnesium as well as manganese to promote quality, resistance, and colour. The fine granulation ensures perfect sward penetration.

Ferro Top also ensures quick greening without a flush of growth, displaces moss, and protects against new settlements, which is particularly important in winter to spring.

Ian decided to use Ferro Top on a range of sports turf surfaces he works on, including the stadium pitches at Gillingham FC, Dartford FC, Ebbsfleet FC and on three croquet lawns, two tennis courts and a cricket square at Dulwich Sports Club.

Ferro Top was applied to all the sites at the start of December and Ian revealed that he plans on using it more extensively going forward.

“Cosmetic appeal at this sort of level is key and approximately 7 to 10 days after we applied it, we thought wow! The grass went whoosh and the colour it produced was fantastic.

“What I also like about this product is that it seems to kick back into life when the turf has been cut – it just seems to really bring the colour out each time. We have all been very impressed with Ferro Top.

“Now we know its capabilities we will certainly be using it more,” continued Ian. “I think next winter we will look to apply it, depending on weather, in November and go with a second application in January.”