Wide Area Cylinder Mower cuts 30 acres/hour

Above: The MaxiMow 17 in action on the Lincolnshire farm of turf grower, Morris Bros.

The first MaxiMow 17 trailed cylinder mower built and supplied in the UK by Turfmech is proving a valuable machine in the field, producing a high capacity and an excellent finish for father and son, Philip and William Morris of Lincolnshire turf grower, Morris Bros.

Spanning a massive 11.75m (38ft 6in), the 17-gang hydraulically-powered mower was delivered to Morris Bros in early June 2007 since when it has been cutting close to 80ha (200 acres) of cultivated turf up to three times a week. Towed behind a 125hp tractor at a constant 12.5 km/h (7.8 mph), the MaxiMow 17 has averaged 12 ha/h (30 acres/h), enabling the 80ha of grass to be cut in less than seven hours.

"Previously, we were using two sets of nine-gang floating head cylinder mowers to cut the turf," explained William Morris. "The arrival of the MaxiMow 17 has enabled us to dispense with both sets of nine and we are able to mow the same area in less time with the MaxiMow, releasing a tractor and driver for other tasks. The efficiency of the new mower means that we can keep the turf in peak condition in fewer hours per week."

Equipped with Ransomes' 200mm diameter eight-bladed cutting units, the MaxiMow 17's cutting height is set at 20mm maintaining an ideal grass length for harvesting and delivering to customers. The majority of the turf grown by Morris Bros is a quality ryegrass mix destined for the new build and landscaping sector. Although most customers are within a 50 mile radius of the farm, which is located about 15 miles east of Doncaster, the business is able to deliver rolls of cultivated turf nationwide.

An important feature of the mowing combination is its ability to maintain a very high level of accuracy with minimal double-cutting of grass on adjacent runs across the field. This is achieved by means of the GreenStar GPS guidance system fitted to the John Deere 6430 tractor which tows and powers the mower.

Programmed to give a maximum mowing overlap of 200mm, the satellite navigation system keeps the tractor on the required course to deliver the optimum workrate with minimal double-cutting or missed grass, as William explained.

"With the GPS system, I need to steer the tractor only when turning at each end of the field,” he said. “Once back on line, I simply press a button and the mower follows precisely the line of the previous cut. Our fields range in size from three hectares to 32 hectares and the shape and dimensions of every field are stored in the system's computer. This enables me to go mowing at any time and achieve the optimum workrate and accuracy while maintaining a high forward speed. As a result, I know that the mower is always working at maximum efficiency. The benefits are certainly being seen within the business."

Top dressings by MH-400 produce
top quality fairways

Machynys MH-400 1: The MH-400 is used throughout the main growing season as part of a regular fairway maintenance and improvement programme that includes verti-cutting and matting-in of the applied dressings.

Regular top dressing of fairways is an essential part of the turf maintenance programme laid down by Marcus Weaver, course manager at Machynys Peninsula Golf and Country Club, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.

Using a Tycrop MH-400 materials handler/top dresser supplied by Turfmech Machinery, Marcus is applying between 600 and 800 tonnes of sand dressings to the club’s 18 fairways between April and October each year.

Spread evenly across the turf by the MH-400's twin spinning discs, the fairway dressings are part of a two to three day operation carried out approximately every six weeks that begins with verti-cutting and ends with matting-in so that no trace of sand remains on the surface when the work has been completed.

The goal, says Marcus, is to build and maintain an open, free-draining soil profile to ensure that golfers have consistently high quality surfaces to play on irrespective of the weather or the time of year.

“The course was laid out on soil that had been seriously compacted over the years by the heavy industry that had occupied the site from the mid-1800s to the final years of the 20th century,” explained Marcus. “With the help of the MH-400, we have been able to create and maintain top quality fairways that have helped give Machynys its reputation as one of the best new courses in the UK.”

Machynys MH-400 2: Bulk loading of the MH-400 gets the machine back to work without delay.	Machynys MH-400 3: Course manager, Marcus Weaver: “The MH-400 is one item of machinery that I would never want to be without.”

Situated at the heart of the Millennium Coastal Park and commanding spectacular views across Carmarthen Bay and the Gower Peninsula, the 18-hole modern links-style layout is the first Nicklaus-designed course in Wales.

The club had the rare distinction of hosting its first international tournament within two months of it first opening for play in June 2005. That tournament – the S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe – has since made Machynys its home, returning to the course in both 2006 and 2007. Marcus pointed out that Machynys had been selected also as the venue in 2007 for the Welsh Open Stroke Play Championship and the R & A’s Boys Home Internationals.

“The course and the greenkeeping staff have been under the spotlight virtually non-stop since day one,” he said. “I am pleased to say that we have been able to maintain a very high standard of presentation and playability on a course that provides an exciting, yet enjoyable challenge for golfers of all levels. The machines we use play a very important part in that process and the results produced by the MH-400 on the fairways have made it one bit of kit that I would never want to be without."

Crown Golf gets top dressing off to a fine art

Above: The ProPass 180's twin spinner distribution system allows greens of up to 600 metres to be top dressed in three cross passes and once around the perimeter.

Twelve months after going to work for the first time, The Vale Golf Club’s ProPass 180 top dresser is rated by course manager, Mark Heath, as one of the most valuable items of equipment being used to maintain the club’s nine and 18-hole parkland-style courses.

Installed in June 2006 at The Vale Golf Club, near Pershore, Worcestershire, the low-impact top dresser was part of a major order placed by Crown Golf last year with Turfmech for seven ProPass 180 top dressers and three Tornado debris blowers.

The machines, ordered on the recommendation of group course manager, Laurence Pithie, were supplied to nine of Crown Golf’s 31 golf clubs throughout the UK. They have been joined in 2007 by an additional six ProPass 180s and one Tornado blower delivered to a further seven Crown Golf courses.

Mark Heath, course manager at The Vale Golf Club with his ProPass 180 low impact top dresser.	Mounted on a Toro Workman, the ProPass 180 applies a light top dressing to a green at The Vale Golf Club .

“Key to the ProPass’s success is its ability to apply very light dressings accurately and evenly, bringing sustained long-term benefits to the condition and run of the greens without disrupting play,” commented Mark Heath. “Prior to June 2006, it took three men up to three days to top dress our 27 greens using a drop-style machine. I can now complete the same job in four hours with just one man.”

These huge savings in time and labour are due to three main factors: First, the ProPass 180’s ability to apply ultra light dressings that do not accumulate on the surface and require no matting-in; second, the machine’s load capacity and finely-controlled delivery rate, enabling up to five greens to be treated before a refill is necessary; and, finally, the variable spreading width of the twin spinner distribution system allowing greens of 500 to 600 square metres to be treated in just three passes followed by a final run around the perimeter.

Top dressings applied little but often counter increased levels of golf and threat of thatch

Above: Derek Cunliffe, head greenkeeper at Old Thorns Golf & Country Estate.

A sharp increase in the amount of golf being played during the week at Old Thorns Golf and Country Estate, Liphook, Hampshire, has prompted a number of changes in the course maintenance regime followed by head greenkeeper, Derek Cunliffe.

Among the changes seen over the past year on the 18-hole parkland course is a doubling in the frequency of top dressing applications, with a ProPass 180 twin spinner broadcast-type machine from Turfmech taking over from a 1.5m wide drop-style spreader for the treatment primarily of tees, greens and their surrounds.

According to Derek, the new spreader was purchased for its ability to apply dressings evenly and lightly across bout widths of up to 9m (30ft), enabling the greens to be treated without holding up play or interfering with the run of the ball.

“It’s simply a case of getting the job done as quickly and effectively as possible,” pointed out Derek. “In fact, the high workrate of the ProPass 180 means that all 18 greens can receive a dressing of kiln-dried sand in well under two hours instead of the four hours taken by our previous machine, which was incapable also of applying such light applications. Further advantages are that the new spreader does not need reloading so often and we can now use two men to top dress and mat-in the material instead of the three required before.”

The ProPass’s ability to treat all 18 greens in less than half the time of its predecessor means that Derek has been able to increase the frequency of fine-turf top dressing during the growing season from once a month to every two weeks. The result has been improved surface drainage and thatch control with the greens becoming firmer and faster, assisted by the use of a “thatchaway” scarifying attachment on the greens mower, set to work at a depth of 5mm.

“Although the greens are of sand construction, the majority are shaded by trees which interfere also with air movement,” commented Derek. “Add to these factors the wettish nature of the course and it is no surprise that thatch control is a major priority. As well as scarifying and top dressing, we also have a fortnightly solid tining programme from spring to autumn.”

Tees also benefit from little but often sand top dressings.	Regular light sand dressing of greens and surrounds helps keep the turf open and free-draining.

Derek explained that when he became head greenkeeper in 1995, there was more time to deal with the thatch problem. Over the past three years, however, Old Thorns Golf and Country Estate has become an increasingly popular destination for societies and corporate golf breaks, with more than 32,000 rounds of golf being played during the past year.

Not only does this put more pressure on the greenkeeping team, particularly on Monday mornings, but it also puts more pressure on the turf, which can lead to compaction, impeded drainage . . . and thatch.

“Previously, it was a constant battle to keep the greens in the best possible playing condition without temporarily disrupting the putting surfaces or interfering with the passage of play,” said Derek. “The arrival of the ProPass 180 has changed the position completely for the benefit of all. We are able to complete the necessary work quickly and effectively. Members and visitors are able to play an uninterrupted round of golf. And the greens are firmer, healthier and better draining.

“The machine is doing a great job for us and has become an essential greenkeeping tool in a very short time. Although greens and tees remain the priority, I plan to use it on all close-mown areas of the course whenever possible during the coming year.”

Open qualifying course benefits from TM5 scarification

Above: TM5 vacuum collector with scarifying head removing fairway thatch at Enville Golf Club

A Turfmech TM5 vacuum collector fitted with optional scarifying head is playing an important role in upgrading the fairways and renovating the semi-rough at Enville Golf Club.

Not that there is too much wrong with a golf course that has been selected to host the 2007 English Seniors and has been appointed also as a qualifying course for the Open Championship from 2007 until 2011.

However, as course manager Jonathan Wood points out: “Certain areas of the course did need attention, with specific emphasis being placed on improving the management of the natural habitat. With input from STRI agronomist, Bob Taylor, maintenance routines have been put in place that are producing a sustainable rise in course standards, benefiting the local environment while providing a sound and enjoyable challenge for golfers.”

TM5 encouraging heather regeneration in the semi-rough.	Enville GC's course manager, Jonathan Wood.

Comprising two 18 hole courses known as Highgate and Lodge, Enville Golf Club lies about 15 miles due west of Birmingham between the towns of Stourbridge and Bridgnorth. The two courses are probably unique in the UK in that both have nine holes of woodland and nine holes of heathland style terrain, giving players the opportunity to play shots in a variety of surroundings, irrespective of which course they choose to play.

And it's not just the surroundings that vary. As might be expected, the fairways and greens approaches within the wooded areas of the two courses are not as free draining as the heathland parts, allowing the ingress over the years of coarser poa annua and ryegrasses.

“The aim is to maintain the level of finer fescues and bents on the heathland fairways and steadily improve the woodland fairways to encourage and support the growth of better grasses,” pointed out Jonathan Wood.

These aims are being achieved through a fairway improvement schedule instigated by Jonathan across the two courses shortly after he was appointed course manager in June 2005. The programme involves extensive deep tining and scarifying operations in the spring and autumn, accompanied by once-a-year overseeding of all fairways in September.

“The TM5 with its 1.7m scarifying head allows us to remove and collect the thatch in one pass, providing a more receptive base for the grass seed,” he explained. “We are using pure fescues on the heathland fairways and a 60:40 bent/fescue mix in the woodland areas. The complete operation was completed within three weeks, which is excellent.”

Close up of the TM5's scarifying head. This unit can be replaced by a rotating brush when the machine is to be used for collecting leaves and other debris.

In addition to its work on the fairways, the TM5 is being used to scarify the semi rough adjoining all 18 heathland-style holes. This action, recommended by Bob Taylor, is intended to promote the re-growth of the heather that used to be major feature of the course and gave it a true heathland look and feel.

“By stirring up the soil, we aim to encourage germination of the heather seed that has fallen from the plants in the past, lying dormant in the soil for up to 25 years,” commented Jonathan. “The action has produced also a significant improvement in the condition of the grasses alongside the fairways.”

In late autumn, the TM5 vacuum collector's scarifying head is swapped for a rotating brush and the machine is put to work helping to collect the leaves that have fallen from the thousands of trees at Enville Golf Club. The job is enhanced by the optional hand-held wander hose that allows rapid leaf collection from ditches and bunkers.

“When we ordered the TM5 in late 2005, we wanted a machine that could do more than one job for us,” concluded Jonathan. “I am pleased to say that it has done everything asked of it without fuss or bother. It is also well made and ably supported by Turfmech. In a very short time, the TM5 has become a very important member of the course maintenance team.”

In harmony with nature

Drive through the gates of Donnington Grove Country Club and you enter a haven of quiet beauty, splendid buildings and wonderful scenery, complemented by the deer, pheasants, herons, duck, geese and swans which have made the parkland their home for the past 200 years.

Laid out in the early 1990s within the 550 acre Donnington Grove Estate - located on the north-western outskirts of Newbury, Berkshire - the club's 18 hole championship golf course was designed by architect, Dave Thomas, to harmonise totally with its surroundings while producing a good challenge for golfers of all standards.

There is no doubt that the course achieves both these aims, assisted by the various hazards created by the River Lambourn and the natural lie of the land.

The front nine holes are almost moorland in style, rising steadily from the clubhouse across short-cropped, undulating terrain to provide golfers with stunning views over Newbury and the surrounding countryside.

Walk across from the ninth green to the 10th tee and there is a noticeable change in the landscape to classic parkland, marked by hundreds of mature and specimen trees and interesting, attractive water features.

Although the front nine is heavily fringed by trees, it's those within the lusher, more sheltered parkland setting which create the greatest clear-up task each autumn for course manager, Ross Wilson.

To handle the job, Ross uses a combination of Turfmech Tornado blower and V800 truck loader which work successfully together among and around the wooded areas of the golf course.

“Presentation is a must on a golf course set within listed landscape gardens dating from the late 18th century,” commented Ross. “Donnington Grove Country Club has around 500 members and also hosts many society meetings and casual pay and play visitors each year. It's my job to ensure that the course looks and plays at its best throughout the seasons, while integrating also with the natural landscape.

“Mechanising autumn leaf collection has reduced the demands on the greenkeeping staff, enabling us to keep on top of other important course work at a busy time of the year. I like the machines. They do a good job and are not obtrusive.”

Pictured: Tornado blower "sweeps" fallen leaves into piles for collection
by Turfmech's V800 vacuum truck loader.

Leaves get full treatment

For many years, the eight greenkeeping staff at Woking Golf Club in Surrey
have been able to call on a team of willing volunteers to assist with winter
course maintenance duties.

Known as the Hook Heath Artisans, the volunteers receive associate membership of the club at a preferential rate in exchange for tasks ranging from divoting and bunker raking to scrub clearance and tree planting.

Available from November through to April, the Hook Heath Artisans were, until recent years, spending a large amount of time sweeping and raking fallen leaves for collection through the hand-held wander hose of a trailer-mounted vacuum.

In the late 1990s, matters were greatly improved when the club bought its first Tornado debris blower from local Turfmech dealer, Golf and Turf.

Overnight, leaf collection became far less of a chore with the tractor-mounted blower working in harmony with handdirected knapsack machines to shift into rows and piles the massive annual leaf fall from hundreds of silver birch, oak and beech trees lining the fairways of the heathland course.

“It was still a very demanding and timeconsuming job,” commented course manager, Jon Day. “To keep on top of the leaves, I had two staff working full-time on the job assisted, as and when available, by the rest of my team and the Artisans.”

The major step forward came in 2003 when a Turfmech TM5 tractor-trailed vacuum collector was added to the fleet together with a new Tornado blower. “At last, we had the machinery in place to keep pace with the leaf fall,” said Jon.

Working ahead of the vacuum, the hand-held and tractor-mounted blowers shift leaves to the edges of the fairways, tees and greens surrounds which allows plenty of room for the high-tip vacuum collector to drive up and down, sucking up the rows of leaves through its 1.7m head. Damp material causes no problem thanks to the powered rotary agitation brush within the vacuum pick-up head.

“Apart from making the job faster and easier, full mechanisation of leaf collection has freed up staff and volunteers, enabling us to deal with the many other important attention-to-detail tasks which are required around the course during the winter months,” concluded Jon.

Pictured: Tornado blower and TM5 vacuum collector dealing with fallen leaves alongside one of Woking Golf Club's many tree-lined fairways.

21st century leaf collection

For Autumn leaf collection has been transformed for Newport City Council following the purchase by the authority of a Turfmech V800 vacuum truck loader.

Working as part of the street cleansing team within a radius of around five miles from the centre of the City of Newport, the V800 has boosted workrates by up 400 per cent with a 70 per cent reduction in manpower, according to Environment Manager, Malcolm Lane.

"Previously, there could be up to 10 people picking up fallen leaves manually ahead of the mobile street sweepers," he said. "The V800 can do the same job in a quarter of the time with just three people. It's cut costs, reduced labour and made a tremendous difference to the operating efficiency of our street sweeping vehicles, which simply could not cope with the very high autumn leaf falls."

Towed around Newport's streets behind a 3.5 tonne flatbed truck fitted with low sides and cage body, the V800 is totally selfcontained.

Producing the powerful vacuum used to suck-up the leaves is a high-speed rotating impeller, belt-driven via centrifugal clutch from an on-board 18hp petrol engine. A 4m long flexible suction hose is guided by the operator over the surface, gathering the leaves which are then blown through a directable spout into the net-covered cage body.

When the cage is full, the complete outfit is driven to Newport's central composting facility where the leaves are offloaded to join the other green waste brought in from across the city for screening, shredding and composting.

"Over the past five years, Newport has gone from zero to more than 6,000 tonnes of green waste treated annually," pointed out Malcolm Lane. "We are very proud of this achievement."

A final word on the V800's capabilities comes from cleansing supervisor, David Bayley, who commented that the machine had made a tremendous amount of difference to a demanding and costly seasonal job.

"Not only is it highly effective in picking up leaves and other debris, but it's very flexible," he said. "The V800 can work in just about any part of the city, yet can be unhitched from the truck in seconds. It's taken volume leaf collection into the 21st century for Newport."

Pictured: Working in a residential innercity area, the V800 makes light
work of leaf collection.

Regeneration on course

For Prior to 2003, pine needles had been causing major problems for the greenkeeping staff at Parkstone Golf Club, a traditional heathland golf course situated close to the Dorset coast between Poole and Bournemouth.

Shed by hundreds of Scots pine trees during the later months of the year, the needles were choking existing and new grass growth, preventing the regeneration of the natural bents, fescues and heathers which had been a major feature of Parkstone when the 18 hole course first opened in 1910.

The arrival of a Turfmech TM5 high-tip vacuum collector in early spring 2003 has given the staff a highly-efficient means of collecting and removing the fallen pine needles before they can do any long-term harm, as course manager, Bill Garner, explained:

"Early photographs of Parkstone Golf Club show an open landscape with plenty of heather but very few trees," he said. "Over the years, a large number of silver birch, oak and Scots pine have become established, the latter being by far the most prevalent. The result was a complete change in the natural landscape which we are now trying to re-establish, supported by English Nature which designated the area a site of special scientific interest in the mid 1990s."

Run alongside a woodland management scheme, the programme being pursued by Bill Garner and his seven staff is regenerating and
re-establishing the natural heathland landscape, helping restore the course to the way it looked and played during the early and middle years of the last century.

"The TM5 is proving ideal for the collection and removal of pine needles which have accumulated over many years as well as dealing with new falls from late summer makes a good job of loosening compacted material. There is also a flexible wander hose which can be used in areas with
restricted headroom."

Towed and powered by a 60hp fourwheel drive tractor, the TM5 is seen by Bill and his greenkeeping team as a sound investment, capable of dealing effectively also with fallen leaves, fir cones and other tree debris around the course. "It's simple to adjust, easy to use and does the job well," he concluded. "We really can't ask any more."

Pictured: Wander hose attachment for the TM5 vacuum collector allows debris to be collected beneath bushes and trees.

Turf benefits from frequent light top dressings

Stirling Golf Club is delighted with the performance of its ProPass 180 top dresser which went to work on the attractive parkland course for the first time in March 2003.
According to course manager, John Crawford, the machine's ability to apply light top dressings quickly, regularly and accurately with minimal disruption to play has proved of major benefit to the club and the condition of the course.

“In truth, the ProPass has improved top dressing operations beyond all belief, allowing one person to lightly treat all 19 greens in less than two hours, causing very little inconvenience to golfers,” he said. “Used every 10 to 14 days, the result is firmer, faster greens and healthier, better-draining aprons, tees and
fairways.

Supplied through local Turfmech dealer, Hendersons Grass Machinery, the machine came with a special fitting kit enabling it to be mounted onto a Toro Workman for top dressing of greens and tees. For work on aprons and fairways, the ProPass 180 is removed from the Toro Workman and converted quickly into a tractor-trailed unit by the addition of a tow bar and Ty-Crop's unique four-wheel floating beam axle.

Dressings applied by the machine's twin spinning discs are principally straight sand on the greens and an 80 per cent sand, 20 per cent loam mix on aprons and fairways. The greens are drag brushed, verti-cut and mown prior to the total application of around half-a-tonne of top dressings across all 19 greens, which average 750 sq metres in size. Dressings are brushed in with a 2.4m wide brush mounted on a compact tractor.
“I have nothing but praise for the ProPass 180 which enables material to be applied as and when I want at very accurate rates,” commented John Crawford. “The only problem is that the results were so good that the machine was in almost constant use from the moment it arrived at the start of the season. Perhaps I should have purchased two Workmans.”

Pictured top: With the optional four wheel floating beam axle carrying the load, the ProPass 180 becomes a superb trailed machine for top dressing of fairways. Pictured right: Early morning top dressing of a double green using the ProPass 180 in mounted form.