Landscape & Amenity www.professionalgroundscare.com
July 2018 Producing the best quality surfaces and facilities
Innovative pilot machinery bank launches with great expectation Sports administrators are closely watching a revolutionary project which if takes off has potential to be rolled out country wide. An innovative pilot scheme offering sports clubs access to affordable quality pitch maintenance advice, labour and machinery is up and running from a golf club in North Yorkshire. The ‘machinery bank’ with eight pieces of maintenance equipment will potentially assist hundreds of eligible sports clubs in a 20-mile radius of Thirsk. Qualified greens staff will carry out the work at affordable rates. The joint project between the IOG and Sport England has been co-ordinated by Ian Powell, Grounds & Natural Turf Improvement Plan (GaNTIP) regional pitch advisor for Yorkshire & North East. “Essentially it’s a mechanism to help least resourced club teams play on a better surface for more of the playing season. But it’s not just for golf; football, rugby
and cricket can all get a boost,” confirmed Ian Powell. “It’s radical because conventional thinking has been turned on its head. It’s not one contractor or a club that’s behind it. Guided by consultants, Sporting Assets, who have considerable expertise in the area of community sports funding, they advised a company limited by guarantee was set up to run the scheme separately from the golf course. “The new company is called Hambleton Sports Improvements after the district where it operates. The solution is a winwin for everyone playing on natural turf locally.” Purchased equipment concentrates on essential processes which coincide with the tried and tested GaNTIP programme reports. “Decompaction, over seeding, spraying, scarification and fertiliser applications are what’s most required to rejuvenate an existing surface, “continued Ian Powell. “It’s about getting
Technical Article Getting to the root of the problem
Page 23
versatile kit, suitable for routine maintenance at different levels of sports clubs which also withstands the rigours of golf course duties.” “With this in mind the equipment purchased includes a John Deere 4066R, a Charterhouse Verti Quake, a Star Green sprayer from Vale Engineering and from Wiedenmann a GXi8 HD Terra Spike, a 2.1m Terra Rake, a Super 500 towed flail mower/ collector, Terra Float over seeder
and a double sized Terra Brush with folding wings. “At the heart of the scheme is the greenkeeping team of Thirsk and Northallerton Golf Club led by Course Manager, Roger Mackerell and his deputy, Simon Todd. They are the the project champions if you like. “A formal service level agreement is in place which will be reviewed regularly to enable the club to use the equipment on its own course.”
Machines are stored and maintained at the golf club and the scheme has been designed for maximum take up. With links through the National Governing bodies, as well as Sport England, a complete data base of hours, type of work as well as costs will be kept and submitted on a quarterly basis for all to monitor and follow for future projects. IOG
ALL BENT is number one bentgrass mixture for golf greens
STRI Group announce Research Day dates
Grass expert, Barenbrug UK, has dominated the BSPB Turfgrass bentgrass trials this year, with a top rating for its new cultivar, Charles – making ALL BENT the No.1 100% browntop bentgrass grass seed mixture on the market.
STRI Group has announced the dates for its free annual Research Day event, hosted at its worldclass facilities in West Yorkshire. Greenkeepers, grounds staff, course managers, stadium managers and other sportsturf professionals are all invited to attend the open days on the September 19-20 2018.
Designed specifically for overseeding and species exchange in golf and bowling greens, the aggressive nature of this cultivar heralds new standards for course managers looking at long term sustainability using fewer chemicals. For the majority of golf courses, particularly those on traditional “soil push-up greens”, replacing annual meadowgrass with browntop bentgrass could have
significant benefits in yearround smoothness and trueness, as well as providing substantial savings in fungicide, fertiliser and water costs. David Greenshields, Barenbrug Product Manager said: “ALL BENT is a vital new tool in the armoury of a course manager looking to provide consistent and reliable colour and performance for players—but in a more sustainable way.”
The STRI trials show that Charles breaks new ground for visual merit and shoot density, and promises to play a key role in outcompeting Poa annua in a close-mown green. Barenbrug
The majority of golf and bowling greens in the UK are dominated by annual meadowgrass (Poa annua), which has inherent challenges in maintaining high quality surfaces, particularly for year-round play.
OUR KIT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!
Call us on 01933 652235 To talk with real users in real conditions
facebook.com/trimaxmowers Like us and stay connected I trimaxmowers.co.uk
On the days, STRI researchers will present the latest trials and technology, sponsored by STRI’s research partners, that will benefit the sport industry in the future. STRI’s consultancy team will be giving attendees a guided tour around the STRI research grounds. There’s also delicious food served throughout the day
Line Marking The products and paints you need
Page 25-26
and it’s a great opportunity to meet and catch-up with fellow sportsturf industry professionals. The event is supported by ICL, Syngenta, Sherriff Amenity, Bernhards, Aquatrols and MLR Sports, who are all currently investing in R&D projects to help improve the quality and management of sports surfaces. Dr Christian Spring, Research operations manager at STRI, said: “STRI’s research days are interactive and informative, and allows both greenkeepers and groundsmen to keep abreast of the latest developments and concepts in the sportsturf industry.” STRI Group
Sports Turf Maintenance Jane Carley looks at world class solutions
Page 27-34