News

Martyn Parrish has joined ICL as Technical Area Sales Manager for North London and surrounding counties.

He began his career in greenkeeping and started working at his local golf club at the age of 16. During his time as a Greenkeeper, he completed his foundation degree in Sportsturf Management at Myerscough College and participated in the Ohio State Programme on a 12-month internship in which he worked on a Jack Nicklaus course construction and a grow-in in Texas.

He then moved away from golf and accepted a position as a Grounds Manager on a landscape construction project of a 400-acre site in Henley on Thames.

Martyn worked in this role for six years before joining Maxwell Amenity, later to be acquired by Agrovista Amenity, as a Technical Area Sales Manager.

“I will be working with a lot of the same people in many of the same areas,” said Martyn.

“I worked with some fantastic people at Agrovista Amenity and many of them will be friends for life, but you have to keep challenging yourself and the opportunity to join ICL was just too good to turn down.” n www.icl-sf.co.uk

Early indications for SALTEX 2022, which takes place on 2 and 3 November at the NEC, Birmingham, are extremely positive after show organisers reported a hugely successful loyalty period.

Over 100 exhibitors have re-booked for SALTEX 2022 and many more continue to confirm their presence during the discounted early-bird period.

In 2021, 93% of exhibitors generated new sales leads with many taking direct orders on the show floor. The 2022 floorplan already boasts a strong showing of renowned exhibitors.

Furthermore, an incredible 15% of 2021 exhibitors have also purchased extra stand space for SALTEX 2022 which is testament to the success of the 2021 event.

Cramer, who exhibited at SALTEX 2021, has over doubled the size of its stand for SALTEX 2022. Cramer, supported and distributed by Handy, used SALTEX 2021 as a launch platform to promote its 82V range of commercial ground care equipment.

“SALTEX 2021 went way beyond our expectations,” said Handy’s Sales and Marketing Director, Mark Moseley.

“What really opened our eyes was the quality of visitor and the heightened interest in the Cramer products. On our stand we had a lot of large dealers which is what we were looking for; we had big contractors, who are the kind of people we need to be talking to; and we spoke to many councils that want to convert from petrol to battery powered products.

“It was one of the busiest shows we have ever experienced,” continued Mark. “In fact, we took a certain number of catalogues that we thought would last us for two days, and they were all gone within the first two hours of the show opening.”

Toro UK is exhibiting with a bigger stand at SALTEX 2022 and Matthew Colman, Sales Manager, revealed why: “Finally, we had the chance to showcase new and innovative products within our landscape contracting equipment.

“It is with huge excitement that we’re going even bigger at this year’s SALTEX.”

Comments such as these can only be a reflection on the growing number of exhibitors in the 2022 show. After a year’s absence STIHL UK, Barrus and Vale Engineering have also confirmed that they are returning to SALTEX 2022.

“SALTEX continues to grow, and the sales team are receiving new enquiries every week,” said Geoff Webb, GMA CEO.

“We are also delighted to be welcoming back exhibitors who were unable to join us in 2021. There is extremely high demand at this period in the sales cycle taking us back to pre-pandemic levels.” n www.gmasaltex.co.uk

Head Groundsman, Donny Reid, and his team at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, always try to be one step ahead when it comes to preparing playing surfaces.

“Our 39-acre site is constantly in use, so we have to be mindful of when and where classes and fixtures are happening. We aim to have the areas prepped and ready for use,” explained Donny.

The arrival in September 2021 of a Maredo MT 200 flex verticutter to the school’s Countesswells Sports Fields from local ground care dealer, Fairways GM, is a significant purchase in their quest for constant quality. The Maredo is a very thorough and purposeful scarifier and targets the area just below the grass’s surface.

Carbide-steel tipped blades are spaced 40 mm apart and make very precise slits that cause minimal surface disruption.

The unit comprises three independently floating heads and an ‘A’-frame with a pivot point making turning simple. Each head measures just over 63 cm giving a 1.9 m total working width.

The MT 200 removes thatch cleanly and at speed. Easy adjustment allows for a light scarify by just letting the blades touch the top layer or it can be set deeper down to depths of around 25 mm where it removes much more.

“Controlling thatch in the top layer of a natural grass surface is so important,” continued Donny.

“The amount of organic matter we can take out with the Maredo is amazing.”

Care for your grass in numerous ways with an all-in-one machine. A flail mower is ideal for maintaining rough grassed areas, pasture land, and woodland walks where a conventional mower gets clogged up and struggles to cut.

The FM42 and FM48 have the same base design and construction, with the main difference being that the FM42 has a 42” cutting width and a 9HP Honda engine. The FM48 has a 48” cutting width and a 13HP Honda engine. SCH manufacturers both machines to equally high standards and levels of durability.

The Flail mower is a powerful, towed, long grass cutter with 36 (FM42) and 42 (FM48) ) Y-shaped cutting flails driven by two ‘V’ belts. These sharpened flails are easily replaceable to extend the lifetime of the machine.

Mounted at the rear of the cutter is a one-piece roller. This roller is easily adjusted to fine-tune the cutting height and alleviates scalping by ensuring the flails lift above the highest peaks on uneven ground.

The transport wheels situate at the rear of the machine instead of the side. The mower cuts closer to the edge and can squeeze through narrow pathways by mounting the transport wheels in the new position. They are also designed to be lifted out of use during operation, reducing the risk of punctures when flailing thorned shrubs. n schsupplies.co.uk

Jeremy Browne, Head Greenkeeper at the Herefordshire Golf Club Good consistent products and excellent customer service are the two reasons why Jeremy Browne, Head Greenkeeper at the Herefordshire Golf Club, chooses to use Mansfield Sand.

Established in 1896, the Herefordshire could well be the oldest club in the County, but it certainly is moving with the times. The new owners have invested in a number of improvements as they attempt to boost membership and secure the future of the club.

Jeremy, who has been at the club for 21 years, has been playing an integral role in making this possible.

“There are four of us who manage the course, one of whom is an apprentice, and it is important to look ahead,” he said.

“The plan is to bring in more apprentices because the three of us senior members of staff are all in our late fifties, so whether we like it or not, we probably won’t still be working here in say ten years. It is essential that we leave the course in safe hands – we want people to come through and learn all our knowledge and benefit from our experience.”

One tip Jeremy will be sure to pass down is how a high-quality sand can be vital to the overall health and performance of a golf course. Therefore, choosing the right sand is not a decision to be taken lightly.

“We did use another company for our sand, but we were having problems getting deliveries and the products were not consistent,” he said.

“We’re a hilly, claybased course and it gets incredibly wet in the winter, so I wanted a good consistent, coarse sand to introduce into the greens.

“I did some research and had lots of samples sent to me. We looked at the analysis of all of them, tried them all and the one we decided on was Mansfield Sand’s MM35.”

Jeremy chose Mansfield’s MM35 Golf pure silica sand for top-dressing his greens because it brings a number of benefits such as improved recovery, firmness, smoothness and an improved rootzone. MM35 Golf also makes for a great bunker sand as it has fantastic playing characteristics as well as being aesthetically attractive.

Sourced directly from the company’s Two Oaks Quarry in Mansfield, the Mansil Silica products are predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces – from winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas.

“Once you pick a topdressing, it is best to stick with it, providing it is good of course,” said Jeremy.

“I don’t believe in using different ones all the time because you end up getting a build-up of different sands in your profile.

“The consistency on the MM35 seems to be very good, and my aim is for it to help improve drainage and keep the surface dry. We use the product on all of the greens and on our tees too. I’d like to topdress the greens monthly and I’m hoping to be able to do that with MM35 sooner rather than later.

“The service from Mansfield Sand is also excellent - I like my deliveries to have come and gone before the golfers get in at 8am and they have never let me down.” n www.mansfield-

MM Sports Seed brought together distributors for their MM distributor conference held at Hotel du Vin Wimbledon, followed by a tour of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

The conference provided the opportunity for distributors to interact with each other for the first time in two years following the COVID pandemic and give an insight in the recent acquisition of the MM and Designer brands by DLF Seeds.

The conference was an opportunity to give distributors an insight into the Inberrow factory upgrade and demo site at DLF’s UK headquarters, a breeding and portfolio update detailing the exciting new cultivars that are planned for the MM mixtures, the current market supply conditions, and future marketing of the brands as well as enhancing the communications channels within the MM Sports Seed network.

Neil Stubley, Head of Courts and Horticulture at Wimbledon – The All England Lawn Tennis Club, concluded day one of the conference with an entertaining update of the prestigious venue.

On day two, delegates were invited for an exclusive tour around the world’s oldest tennis venue to witness first hand the latest stadium developments and turf management practices.

The conference was hosted by Matt Gresty, sales and marketing manager for MM Sports Seed, who said: “Throughout the two days together we were able to discuss, the opportunities and issues that affect our businesses. It provided the perfect platform for an informed debate.

“The past two years have presented unique challenges to our industry. London was the ideal location for the event.

“A lot of preparation went into the conference to ensure we got the full benefit from our two days together and the feedback from the delegates was excellent; it’s been a very successful event.” n www.mm-seeds.co.uk

Head Greenkeeper at Eyemouth Golf Club Keith Burgon has praised the Redexim MultiSeeder for transforming overseeding operations at the Scottish club. Where previously, overseeding the 18 greens would have taken the team of three more than a day to complete, with the Multi-Seeder the task takes just a matter of hours – not just resulting in major labour savings but improvements in germination too!

Eyemouth GC is a clifftop/ links course perched on the top of Gunsgreen Hill in the Scottish Borders. Their exposed coastal location means that when it comes to seed, it’s salt-tolerant Fescues required for the greens - however without a seeder at their disposal, overseeding was limited by resources to an annual operation.

“We would aerate, then broadcast the seed with a spreader, then have to manually brush the seed in and topdress which was all hugely time consuming” explains Keith, who has been at the club for seven years.

“I have used the Multi-Seeder before and have seen firsthand the fantastic results it achieves at other clubs. After speaking to Ian Lauder from Redexim, we had one in on demo from our local dealer Hendersons, so that we could check it would suit our course conditions. We had the opportunity to try it, and the whole team were immediately impressed by the minimal disruption it left and the great germination that followed.”

Since taking delivery of the 1.2m wide Multi-Seeder 1200 in September 2021, it has already helped to deliver important fescues into some of the courses most exposed greens. “The twin sarel roller set-up is creating double the holes, so double the opportunity for getting seed into the ground.

This undoubtedly helped us to see good germination, despite us not getting out with it until late November. The fact it is equipped with two brushes also means that an additional member of staff isn’t required to follow the Multi-Seeder round. What was previously a three-man job, is now complete in one pass.”

“With the growth in golf, it’s more important than ever to be able to get jobs such as overseeding done as effectively as possible,” he said. n redexim.com

With the recent passing of the California Air Resource Board measure to restrict new sales of landscaping equipment to be zeroemission tools, Pellenc is over 10 years ahead of the competition with a full range of batterypowered tools for the professional market.

Pellenc has spent over a decade designing and refining their range of ULiB battery packs, comprehensively testing with professional users worldwide and sharing the same core values as CARB to innovate towards a zero-emission future.

Within the report, it’s noted: “a commercial operator using one backpack leaf blower for one hour generates the same smog-forming emissions as a car driving 1100 miles. These new regulations will aim to reduce emissions of smog-forming emissions by 72 tonnes per day.”

Now is the time to find out more about the range of Pellenc batteries and grounds maintenance tools.

Following the successful launch at SALTEX 2009, Pellenc has become the leader in professional battery-powered tools, with a range of batteries able to undertake a full working day on a single charge. Productivity was brought to a new level, while reducing vibration, noise and Co2 emissions.

Pellenc have a tried and tested knowledge of what a true professional user needs to undertake the move from petrol to battery tools. n www.pellencuk.com

A Wiedenmann Terra Float Air brings endless possibilities for turf professionals.

With rates as low as 1 g per m2, the pneumatic air seeder, offers classleading features at every stage of the overseeding process. And, when not in use for seeding duties, it doubles as a proficient surface conditioner.

Mike James, Wiedenmann UK’s Northern Sales Manager, said that seed is an increasingly precious resource, not to be squandered.

“You can get a complete take across the 1.6 m width of this machine.”

Regardless of the type of seed you are sowing, the Air’s set up time is minimal.

The process starts with the operator inserting the chosen seed into sizeappropriate dosing sleeves. Wiedenmann offers multiple dosing options for every seed type, including soft-touch dosing sleeves for coated seed, which vitally keep protective coatings intact.

Next, the seed bed is determined by selecting from a range of hole-making tools, including stars and cone-shaped ones, at 5 mm and 8 mm in diameter. These tools have capacity to make 1,500 holes or 500 slits per m2. Before setting off, the operator simply inserts the selected tools into a heavy-duty floating spike roller.

A unique feature is that all aspects of seed delivery use electric-drive technology. The seed-dosing sleeves and fan are electric powered. Seeds are delivered pneumatically down a series of pipes onto deflector plates, which direct the seed into the plant ‘pots.’

Everything can be calibrated from the cab. An on-board computer stores data from previous runs and allows you to amend the application rate at any point in the process. This allows for 100% accuracy, important when dealing with small quantities or indeed, valuable, or rare seed.

Because seed is air blown, even in damp conditions, overseeding can still go ahead. If, conditions worsen mid-way through a seeding run, the operator has the facility to suspend the brushing action, so they can continue working. n wiedenmann.co.uk

After trialling various tractor mounted scarifiers, Steven Harvey, Head Greenkeeper at Stourbridge Golf Club, concluded that the SISIS Veemo MK 2 was the most suitable for his fairways.

Stourbridge Golf Club was formed in 1892 progressing from the original 9 holes laid out on the former Pedmore racecourse to 18 holes in 1909. The basic outline of that course remains today, and marks somewhat of a divide according to Steven.

“There are essentially two halves to the course,” he said.

“The old common ground at the bottom where the racecourse used to be and then you have more of a parkland course at the top. It really is chalk and cheese.

“It is also a small course; in fact, it was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as being the course with the ‘longest yardage over the smallest acreage’. Being a small plot of land to look after, it comes with both positives and benefits.”

Steve oversees a team of four members of staff and full credit must be given to the team for achieving a course which is highly praised by members and visitors alike.

“Historically our non-irrigated surfaces such as the fairways do tend to struggle and fail to hold on to moisture. No work has ever really taken place on the fairways other than slitting so they are heavy on organic matter. When it is hot, they really do bake and we have lost a lot of grasses, particularly the fescues.

“A couple of years ago, knowing that we wanted to scarify the fairways, we begged, and borrowed machines just to get the ball rolling,” he continued.

“However, the problem always came on the undulating common land and whichever machine we used, it basically scalped them, didn’t hit the low spots and was very hit and miss. But we knew that if we had the right one then it would help us achieve exactly what we wanted to.

“Then we came across the SISIS Veemo.”

The SISIS Veemo MK 2 is a tractormounted scarifier used for removing thatch from large areas of turf, such as golf course fairways. The Veemo’s strong cutting blades are designed for minimum surface disturbance and maximum thatch removal via three floating heads which are independent from the main frame.

“The Veemo simply stood out from all the others – mainly for its durability and the way it hugs the ground, particularly on the fairways on the bottom half of the course.” said Steve. “It is fantastic the way it hits every part of the surface we want it to hit, due to the floating heads. The way it connects to the back of the tractor is also so simple.

“We use the Veemo anytime between March and November, and the beauty of it is that not only can I use it on the fairways, but I can get it onto our tees and the approaches as well. I’m also going to be looking to use it on the greens very soon, and I think it will do a great job. I want to use it to its maximum capability.” n www.sisis.com

With increasing environmental concerns, reduction of current pesticides and tighter legislation concerning chemical use, there’s been a greater interest in an Integrated Pest Management approach to managing turf.

And, according to the experts at Bayer Environmental Science, as Spring turf renovations get underway, now is the right time for turf professionals to revisit their IPM strategy. Forward planning is crucial when it comes to tackling weeds, pests and diseases, either preventatively or curatively, whilst reducing reliance on chemical interventions. “In recent years we’ve seen the effects of Climate Change take hold, especially when it comes to the prevalence of certain turf weeds, pests and diseases and the length of time they are sticking around for,” said Dr Colin Mumford, Bayer’s Technical Support Manager.

“This, coupled with tighter legislation means there aren’t as many quick fix solutions as there once were for dealing with higher incidents of turf weeds, pests and diseases and so a more considered approach is needed.”

The combination of cultural, biological and chemical control methods allows turf professionals to spread the risk of any potential problem.

“No one single element will create a healthy sward, it’s the combination of cultural, biological and chemical interventions that will have the greatest impact and should be looked at and planned for at this early stage in the season,” added Colin.

“Chemicals should be the last component in any strategy but this needs to be done in a considered way. By understanding the lifecycle of a pest, turf professionals are better able to target them when they are most vulnerable and likewise with diseases, it’s important to understand when chemicals will have the best possible effect.

“Having a plan ready for the first signs of a weed, pest or disease, or even having a preventative plan in place as part of your IPM strategy is critical, but it can so often get lost as the season gets busier.”

Naturally, not everything can be planned for and the weather in particular will have a bearing on what actions are available in terms of carrying out cultural practices and the choice of chemical products.

The products in Bayer Environmental Science’s range typically look at preventative and early curative control of weeds, pests and diseases. Their robust portfolio, which includes Dedicate, Exteris Stressgard and Valdor Flex also includes natural solutions like Harmonix Tri-Nema, that use nature’s own defences to protect turf. n www.environmentalscience.

Following the successful launch of their Turf Tec Live seminars at Brentford’s Community Stadium, Turf Lighting Solutions (TLS) and strategic partner Soil Scout are delighted to announce that registration for the second and third seminars is now open.

Hibernian’s Easter Road Stadium will be the venue for the next seminar on Tuesday 15 March with the final event hosted at Coventry Building Society Arena (Coventry City FC) on Tuesday 29 March.

Headlining the seminars will be TLS Business Development Director Mark Sinnett who will introduce the events and talk about how and why to use supplementary turf grow lights. While Soil Scout’s VP of International Sales, Adam Sedgwick, will address gathering soil data and making real-time gains with permanent underground soil monitoring.

The free to attend, live seminars will also be supported by industry leading special guests including Hans de Vries from grow light specialists Hortilux Schreder.

Hans will be talking grow light basics, natural light versus artificial grow light and LED versus HPS.

TLS will also show you how to increase your efficiency by harvesting and utilising data through the Turfpal platform.

Both seminars will give sports turf professionals the opportunity to meet up and share ideas with like-minded colleagues, ask questions of the experts and get hands-on with the equipment on display.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to welcome like-minded turf professionals to the Turf Tec Live seminars throughout the UK,” said Mark.

“These events will hopefully give the attendees valuable insight in turf lighting and data collection to help enhance their sports pitches. We will also showcase our new online management portal which will help make the right decisions at the right time.”

Adam added that Soil Scount were really pleased to be supporting TLS.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for us to get out and meet sports turf professionals face-to-face and demonstrate to them the real-time benefits from having in-ground soil sensors.”

Spaces at both seminars are limited with seats offered on a first-come-firstserved basis. Registration is now open, email: martha.johnsen@ra-tls.com to confirm your interest leaving your name, contact number and which seminar you would like to attend. Refreshments at both seminars will be provided.

Green Space charity Fields in Trust has published a 2021 Impact Report detailing their work to champion, support and protect parks and green spaces across the UK.

It was a significant year for Fields in Trust, a pioneering partnership with Liverpool City Council was announced in March 2021. The council are legally protecting all the city’s parks and green spaces, forever. Securing 100 parks, totalling over 1,000 hectares, Liverpool will become the first city in the UK where everyone lives no more than a ten-minute walk from a legally protected green space.

Partnerships with the City of Edinburgh Council and the County Borough of Wrexham have also secured multiple green-space portfolios for the communities in those cities.

Over the last two years we have relied on our local green spaces more than ever; a vital part of the local environment helping us rebalance and recover. Alongside their value for health and wellbeing, urban parks increasingly have a role to play in the mitigation of climate change, but parks and green spaces are not equally distributed across the UK. In May, Fields in Trust President, the Duke of Cambridge launched the 2021 edition of the Green Space Index – Fields in Trust’s pioneering initiative to quantify and analyse inequality of access to local green space.

The visit took place as part of the royal visit to Scotland in advance of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

“We have seen a major shift in the way people talk about, visit and value their local parks. Our parks have provided a lifeline throughout lockdown and now, coming out of the pandemic, we can all play our part to make sure local green spaces will remain a healthy part of the local environment contributing to our wellbeing, our community connections and mitigating the impact of climate change” said Fields in Trust Chief Executive Helen Griffiths.

“We must make sure they will be protected and available for the whole community and for future generations” n www.fieldsintru.st/ir2021

Sean Loakes has been appointed as Syngenta Professional Solutions Technical Manager for the UK and Ireland.

Sean expands the existing Syngenta technical and business team, to offer further specialist trials expertise and developing new integrated solutions for turf, landscape, ornamentals production and pest control.

Sean’s role is dedicated to customers in UK and Ireland, and will also support the continued work of Glenn Kirby, who now has the extended responsibility as Technical Manager for Turf & Landscape across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

A qualified biologist, Sean has had a career in environmental science and research through practical field trials and laboratory studies, primarily focused on pesticide efficacy and best practice.

“With the increasing importance of biopesticides within integrated management programmes, there’s an exciting opportunity to develop new strategies to meet the evolving challenges for customers,” he said. “Syngenta has an exciting pipeline of R&D products and services. I look forward to working with customers, researchers and the industry to develop new solutions.”

Welcoming Sean to the company, Daniel Lightfoot, Syngenta Business Manager for North West Europe, said that Syngenta was committed to developing its unrivalled technical solutions.

“Sean’s science and research background brings further experience and innovation to support customers with new products and achieving the best possible results.”

ICL is rebranding its alkalineextracted seaweed ‘SeaMax’ as ‘SMX’.

SMX is a highly concentrated Atlantic Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed, harvested from sustainable and renewable sources by Acadian Seaplants.

For any turf professional it is important to weigh up the evidence from product trials. Multiple trials carried out using SMX clearly demonstrate how seaweed extract improves the condition and rooting of the turf. This is because the SMX extraction process retains important and influential biochemical compounds.

As an example, research recently published in the European Turfgrass Society Proceedings showed how different Ascophyllum nodosum extraction methods produced contrasting effects on turfgrass rooting. The alkaline-extraction method (as used in the production of SMX) produced significantly greater root length and root volume than other commonly used extractions.

Independent trials also showed that SMX helped the turfgrass produce longer roots, a greater root mass and it improved the quality of growth (shoot weight), compared to competitor products or controlled conditions (using no seaweed extract). Trials that placed the turf under drought conditions, showed that the turf quality and colour improved noticeably when treated with SMX.

In addition, when SMX has been included in annual nutritional programmes, the turf quality remained significantly higher throughout the autumn and in the lead up to winter.

Although the name might have changed, the formulation is the same. SMX is available as a standalone product in water soluble form (Sportsmaster WSF SMX) and in liquid form (Vitalnova SMX). It is also included as an effective dose in SierraformGT Spring & Summer CalMag 14-0-7 as well as the new organo-mineral fertiliser Gronamic Golf 6-2-4. n www.icl-sf.co.uk

BTME this year will include a presentation by Barenbrug’s Dr David Greenshields, explaining how the latest ryegrasses openup new opportunities for golf Course Managers to improve both sustainability and performance on the course. Ryegrass breeding is developing at a rapid pace, and programmes aimed specifically at the needs of golf courses are delivering new grass varieties with a range of valuable characteristics.

The seminar looks at the latest varieties, how they were bred and how their traits can be best exploited for sustainable turf management and improved turfgrass performance.

“It’s pretty hands-on. I’m also going to be covering practical issues such as how you can renovate various turf surfaces with ryegrass, and how you can incorporate more sustainable grasses into your courses, using actual case studies,” said David.

“Entitled ‘Modern ryegrasses for golf course management’, the seminar will take place in the Blue Zone of the Harrogate Convention Centre from 12–12.45pm 23 March. It is part of the event’s Continue To Learn education conference and earns one CPD point.

Soil Scout provides the most advanced underground real-time wireless soil sensor and monitoring solution for professionals working in golf and sports turf maintenance.

One wireless soil sensor for:

Entries open for the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award 2022 on 14 February.

A highlight in the greenkeeping calendar, the event provides the opportunity for the UK’s course managers and lecturers to recognise their brightest employees or students by nominating them for these prestigious industry awards.

The awards provide fantastic professional experiences including a regional interview with some of the industry’s key figures from award sponsor and Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare and event organiser, BIGGA, while the networking opportunities just attending the finals provide are invaluable.

To win provides educational, international, all-expenses-paid prizes for the winners, runnersup and nominators including, for the first time, a work experience placement at Adare Manor, host of The 2027 Ryder Cup.

“Running for over three decades, the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Award has the enviable reputation of creating a fantastic community for finalists, runners-up and winners. Regardless of winning, the event provides knowledge, experience and networking opportunites that are unlike anything else,” said David Cole, Managing Director at Reesink.

“To nominate a member of staff or student who has demonstrated their skill and talent in the actual or virtual classroom or out on the course gives them access to unmatched opportunities, which bring benefits to the club, college and candidate.”

This year the finals will be held in September at England’s greatest sporting estate, Goodwood in Surrey. For 33 years the awards have enabled BIGGA, the UK’s only membership association for golf greenkeepers, to work alongside turf maintenance equipment manufacturer Toro and distributor Reesink to celebrate the next generation of talented and dedicated greenkeepers.

“Ours, Toro’s and BIGGA’s longstanding support of this educational award is constantly rewarded by the enthusiasm, career passion and commitment to personal development that we come across every year from all involved, and that is the significant element that sustains this long-standing, careerenhancing award,” added David.

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton said that The Toro Student Greenkeeper Awards have provided the springboard to success for so many of our members over their 33-year history and the legacy of this competition has been its

contribution to elevating standards of golf course presentation all over the United Kingdom.

“Not just the winners, but anyone who participates in the awards process gains a great understanding of the wider sports turf industry beyond the confines of their golf facility or education provider and so often that inspires them to return home and strive even harder for success.

“As always, we are tremendously grateful to Toro and Reesink Turfcare for facilitating this tremendous and career-defining opportunity for the talented and ambitious members of BIGGA.”

Entries open 14 February and close 31 May 2022 for both the main and young awards. Both employers and lecturers can make nominations. n Visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk/

Toro Student Greenkeeper Awards have provided “the springboard to success for so many BIGGA members”

Leading turf grower and supplier Tillers Turf has invested in Kubota’s new M6142 tractor to provide the power for high output maintenance and harvesting equipment.

The 142hp tractor from the latest M6002 series is powered by a Kubota Stage V 6.1 litre four-cylinder engine and weighs in at just six tonnes, offering an

excellent power to weight ratio for work with more demanding implements while maintaining a light tread on the top quality turf, which is used in leading sports venues around the country.

Its 24x24 (36x36 with creeper) speed Powershift transmission makes the best use of the engine’s muscle whether on the road or in the field, and rear linkage lift capacity of 7000kg with up to four spool valves means that it can handle a wide range of attachments.

For Tillers Turf’s specialist requirements the M6-142 has been equipped with the latest Egnos guidance system for increased accuracy on tasks such as mowing. It has also been fitted with BKT turf tyres which exert minimal ground pressure as possible and have a wide, flat bottom tyres to avoid making indentations in the ground.

The tractor immediately impressed when paired with a 23 reel, 16m working width V-Mow cylinder gang mower, purpose-built for large scale turf production, but the team at Tillers’ Turf also put their prospective purchase through an extensive series of trials. “We run a fleet of some 20 tractors of 100-160hp for a variety of turf growing tasks and when we had M6 on demo we trialled it on 12 different applications from towing large trailers of turf rolls from the field to rotary mowing, cylinder mowing and powering specialist equipment for drainage operations, all of which it performed really well,” said Production Manager, Charles Applewhite.

“We even used it for some of the land work applications that are normally carried out using sixcylinder tractors. The M6 has an interesting engine – a 6.1 litre, four-cylinder which is a very large displacement, so there’s less lag. It’s a more traditional approach than some other engines, but easy to operate and it really surprised us with the variety of tasks it can do.”

Tillers Turf also asked eight different operators to put the tractor through its paces and Charles comments that it got the thumbs up.

“They really liked it –they praised the suspension, which gives the ride you’d expect from a bigger tractor, and found the Kubota extremely comfortable on the road.”

“The decent DAB radio, heating and air conditioning and comfortable seat were also appreciated,” he reports. “It may sound trivial, but when you are putting in long hours in the tractor, comfort is very important.”

The M6 also scored highly for its manoeuvrability, with a good steering lock, and for how it performed on the turf, he explains:

“It’s light and power dense, which is crucial for us as we don’t want to put excessive ground pressure on the areas that we are working on.”

With the M6-142 now set for its first season at Tillers Turf, its capabilities have led Charles to think of the future:

“We have five front line tractors which are changed every couple of years, but we also have 15-20 much older tractors which are kept in the fleet because they are simpler and we can maintain them ourselves in our own workshop. With the front line tractors we are slowly losing the ability to do this, because everything needs a computer and specialist tooling,” he explained.

“The M6 is unique because while it’s as straightforward to maintain as one from the early 2000s, it still offers all the benefits of a modern tractor. We may be able to replace our older fleet with the Kubotas, which is where we saw it fitting in.

“What surprised us, however, is there were jobs that we thought only a six-cylinder tractor could do, but it could perform these. A tractor like this with 140hp under the bonnet, but being so light and capable, could fit into our business model very well.” n Kubota-eu.com