CampeyNews RAYCAM S UNIRAKE AND TB220 BRUSH TACKLING ISLAND CONDITIONS WITH KORO FTM AND UNIVERSE ROTOR

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1 CampeyNews Campey Turf Care Systems Issue 13 RAYCAM S UNIRAKE AND TB220 BRUSH Croke Park find it s Not All Yellow with Raycam s Unirake and TB220 Brush TACKLING ISLAND CONDITIONS WITH KORO FTM AND UNIVERSE ROTOR Unique challenges of Caribbean weather at Provo Golf Course CAMPEY SHOWCASE UK TURF KNOWLEDGE ON TOYO GREEN VISIT To learn the practices at some of football s top venues. CampeyTurfCare Campeys CampeyTurfCare CampeyMachinery

2 @CAMPEYTURFCARE WE TAKE SOCIAL SERIOUSLY CampeyTurfCare Campeys CampeyTurfCare CampeyMachinery Keep you instantly informed with up to the minute news, information, photography, and video from Campeys and the turf care industry. We try to share the latest industry innovations and trends to keep you ahead of the game. To find out more about the Campey Turf Care social presence please visit us at any of our social The KORO FIELD TOPMAKER models (FTM) are being launched in 2018 with the smaller 1.6 -meter model designed for the purpose of working on golf Great to have Mini RotorKnife in on demo. Drying and firming up the surfaces a safe to say it s been a wet couple of Using the #air2g2 on the pitch today to break #aeration #winteriscoming at Dartford Football The Campey Turf Care Systems IMANTS Shockwave in action on the Soccer pitch! The Shockwave is a heavy duty linear decompactor, designed to revitalise heavy wore areas by relieving soil compaction, improving aeration and removing surface water. 2

3 CAMPEY SHOWCASE UK TURF KNOWLEDGE ON TOYO GREEN VISIT Campey Turf Care Systems welcomed Japanese dealer, Toyo Green, to the United Kingdom for a technical visit to learn the practices at some of football s top venues. Campey product specialist, Dave Harrison, works across the Asia-Pacific region and took the time to showcase the excellent facilities on offer, more specifically Arsenal Football Club s London Colney training ground, and the Football Associations St George s Park. The visit to these two exemplary facilities came after a visit to Saltex 2017 at the NEC, Birmingham. This gave the three representatives from Toyo Green, and groundsmen from Kobe Stadium and Osaka Gamba FC the opportunity to view the technology on offer to UK groundsmen before seeing how it is put into practice. Campey has always placed a great emphasis on education and sharing knowledge, and are privileged to be able to call upon such world-renowned venues to demonstrate the high level of turf knowledge in this region. The first site visit was at St George s Park, where head groundsman, Scott Brooks, gave a tour of the facility and discussed the maintenance programmes used on the sites increasingly popular SIS-Grass pitches, as well as the other hybrid surfaces. This was followed by a masterclass in the renovation and maintenance of Desso and Air-Fibre pitches from Steve Bradock, head groundsman of the pristine London Colney site. This was a great opportunity for the visitors to learn how surface specific programmes are planned and executed, and the importance of tailoring pitch maintenance programmes. Following the thorough presentation, the visitors were given an extensive tour of the facilities, giving further understanding of how everything comes together at Arsenal s training ground to make it an all-round world class destination. 3

4 Campey European Tour 2017 FRANCE - 25TH APRIL FRANCE - 28TH APRIL MONTEROSI, ITALY - 3RD MAY FUBINE, ITALY - 4TH MAY SLOVENIA - 9TH MAY CROATIA - 11TH MAY HUNGARY - 16TH MAY SLOVAKIA - 18TH MAY CZECH REPUBLIC - 23RD MAY POLAND - 25TH MAY GERMANY - 31ST MAY BELGIUM - 6TH JUNE NETHERLANDS - 8TH JUNE CAMPEY CONQUER EUROPE The Campey Turf Care Renovation Tour ended in Rotterdam, Holland, with the highly successful event educating turf professionals on renovation best practise. There was an average of 60 groundsmen and greenkeepers across each event, giving Campey a strong platform to educate using cutting edge technology to demonstrate the difference a well-executed renovation can make on all sports surfaces. The tour wouldn t have been the success it was without the participation of the Campey dealers, who put in a great amount of effort to organise each day, including the newly appointed dealer for Holland and Belgium, Jean Heybroek, who participated in their first tour. Campey product specialist, Brian O Shaughnessy, oversaw the dates in Poland and the Czech Republic for the company, and outlines the importance of visiting 4

5 countries who may otherwise miss out on the opportunity to see this machinery at work. He said: There s increasing pressure within the industry for teams, regardless of size, to have a high quality pitch. All you have to do is watch games on television and look on social media to see the scrutiny these men are under. So, by touring the machines around Europe as well as the process of renovating, we can demonstrate the difference that can made over the course of a season by starting in the right way. The events across Europe have been well received and we had a great response from the attendees. The demonstrations were delivered using a host of machines including the KORO FIELD TOPMAKER with UNIVERSE and TERRAPLANE rotors, the award-winning Air2G2 GT Air Inject, the IMANTS ShockWave and Rotoknife, the KORO Recycling Dresser, Raycam Speedresser and Dakota range of spreaders as well as the Vredo Compact seeder. These events are fantastic at educating through demonstrations, but they also give participants the chance to learn from each other, something that product specialist, Ben Taylor saw during the days in Belgium and Holland. Getting turf professionals together has led to a great exchange of ideas, Ben explained. As much as the demonstrations provide a linear plan for renovation, speaking to others who are local to that area can also give valuable insight on specific issues. Increasing knowledge and developing understanding is the whole point of the tour and I m very proud to say that we ve been able to do that, and as a result I d like to think we will see the pitches in these areas improve in the near future. A Pitch Renovation Tour around Europe in 2018 is planned. Keep up to date on our website and social media for further details. 5

6 Campey take Swords from the stone with Air2G2 An Air2G2 has helped transform the greens at Swords Golf Club, Co Dublin, Ireland, with previous methods proving ineffective because of stones in the greens. The initial pay and play ninehole course was founded in 1992, and the sand based greens that offer little drainage below the surface were prone to flooding due to being so flat. The 18-hole Roganstown Course was added in 2003 with USGA specification greens, and the Air2G2 is now a main feature of the maintenance programme. Course superintendent, Colm McGuinness, had been using a deep tine aeration method prior to the acquisition of an Air2G2, but he explains the issues he found when using other methods and the vast benefits the Campey supplied machine has had on his courses. I had an issue with solid tine aeration because we have a lot of stones in our greens and you could bend 50 tines in one session, Colm began. Also you can t get down 12 inches with any other method, it s nearly impossible. So being able to do it with the Air2G2 and give it a blast of air is fantastic. Since we got the Air2G2 it s been unbelievable. It s so easy to cut a hole, the greens look a lot healthier and my black layer has gone. My first green was jet black, you d pick a sample of it up and it would smell foul, but it s gone completely in less than five months. I haven t used any alternative vertical aeration on the pay and play course since using the Air2G2 and the greens are first class. I haven t missed using it because I ve got very little disease, the sward is fabulous during the winter. It s transformed what we re doing here. Last year in February we solid tined and we had the members complaining about the greens. But when we had the demo of the Air2G2 we used it on one of the Swords greens twice and no one knew that we had been on there. The machine is now a mainstay in the maintenance programme across both courses and has improved all the greens considerably. Despite still being flat and prone to puddling on the pay and play course, Colm has seen half an inch s worth of rain collect on the greens and then drain through within half an hour of rain stopping. He has achieved this by deploying the machine on the pay and play course six times a year and on the Roganstown Course four times. Using it at two-metre spacing s means he can cover nine holes in one day, allowing for a quick and extremely effective aeration operation. Doing this has seen considerably more success than using other methods which would cause issues like surface heave and spongy greens. This in turn would lead to foot printing and the need to have them hand cut for up to two-weeks afterwards. Now every one of the 36-greens and three large putting greens at Swords Golf Club are in top condition across the 270-acres through the use of the Air2G2, with maximum playing hours and minimal disruption. 6

7 AIR2G2 ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT Andy Butler Sports Ground Specialist Introduces the Air2G2 to the Isle of Wight Andy Butler Sports Ground Specialist has been putting the first Air2G2 in the Isle of Wight to work on bowling greens, golf courses, cricket squares, football pitches and croquet lawns. Former greenkeeper, Andy Butler, knows the importance of an open root zone and has seen the difference the Air2G2 can make first hand on the surfaces he s used it on since the start of July His main intention is to use the machine for annual maintenance on his bowling green contracts on the island and along the south coast, as well as the prospect of multiple golf courses across the Isle of Wight. The Air2G2 s use across multiple sports surfaces comes from the universal benefit of relieving compaction within a root zone, but Andy stresses it is the machine as a complete package that makes it so effective. I think the main advantage is that there is very limited disruption when you use the Air2G2, he said. That means it can be used throughout the bowls season on the greens and on golf courses. And then in the winter months when you d struggle to get a tractor onto the greens you can use it because it s a pedestrian machine and light. I ve tried to explain to the bowls and golf clubs that if they can afford it using the machine a minimum of four times would be very beneficial for the type of greens that we look after. There was one bowling green on the island that we look after on an annual basis, and at the beginning of the season we had severe dry patch. That was the first job I used the machine on, I went over it and then applied the wetting agent and that evening it rained, and within three or four days the green had transformed from being dry and patchy to being a good even surface again. As a result, the bowls club are keen to get on board with the Air2G2 because they can see the advantages of it. Overall, we ve had a very positive reaction from our customers who have seen it working. Along with the more obvious uses of the machine, Andy is also looking to experiment with the impact it can have on cricket wickets. This experiment will take place at Newclose Cricket Ground, the venue where Hampshire seconds play a majority of their league games. The aim is to see if using the Air2G2 encourages the root growth to go deeper. By doing this Andy aims to see if the playing characteristics of the wicket are altered in any way, with the only concern being any slight root breaks. Monitoring the performance of the wickets will be key to determining how well the experiment has worked, but it does open up another possibility for an already very popular machine. 7

8 RELIABLE HIGH PERFORMANCE Castle Stuart Golf Club turn to Campey Turf Care System s Vredo Super Compact and Air 2G2 for reliable high performance. Six-years of reliably high germination rates and two years of enhanced aeration has made the dynamic duo of the Vredo Super Compact and Air 2G2 popular choices at the prestigious Castle Stuart Golf Club. The course that sits in view of Kessock Bridge and Chanonry Lighthouse opened nine years ago in Managing partner Mark Persinen and architect Gil Hanse co-designed the course, and acclaim was soon to follow as it was voted Best New Course for 2009 in Golf magazine. The prestige of the course continued to grow, with successive Scottish Open s played in the highlands from , before it returned in Course manager, Chris Haspell, has been at the helm of the course maintenance for 11 years, and continues to oversee the improvements of the course. The Vredo overseeder has been in use on his course since 2011, with consistent and fantastic results on the greens, which receive a double pass once a year, and fairways that get a single pass. The success of the machine comes from its seed application, placing it directly in the ground and removing any external factors that could see it lose contact. Chris has seen this time and time again since first using the seeder, and draws upon its other features to tailor it to the seed he is using. In combination with the other machines we use it s a fantastic piece of kit, and we seem to get a lot of germination with it, Chris explained. The machine drills the seed into the ground and does a very good clean job, and we get very consistent germination with it. Another feature we utilise is the varying seed depth. We adjust it when we re using different grasses, so the greens are a little bit less etc. but it really depends on the size of the seed we re using. The varying seed depth, double row of 35mm spaced disks, highgermination rate and no disruption to play has the Vredo in use at distinguished venues across Europe. The same high-quality performance also has the Air 2G2 in use across the globe, but more specifically it s been enhancing operations at the course. The disruption free use of this revolutionary machine takes place once a year on the fairways, with a double pass on the greens. Chris had specific reasoning behind using the machine as he looked to bring aeration into the summer. The Air 2G2 replaced one of our other aeration machines that we were using on the greens, because we wanted to be able to aerate through the summer with minimal impact on the surface. He explained. It also helps us with heavy rain in any low spots we ve got, and it s very effective in these areas. In terms of customer satisfaction, the difference it s made is 99.9%. You can play straight away and no one knows you ve been on the course with a machine. Since this article Chris Haspell has moved on in the industry and his deputy James Ross has replaced him as Head Greenkeeper at Castle Stuart. 8

9 IMANTS SHOCKWAVE Naas Golf Club go into fourth year of using IMANTS Shockwave The IMANTS Shockwave has become the decompactor of choice at Naas Golf Club, Co Kildare, as it goes into its fourth year of use on the club s greens and approaches. It is the view of course manager, David Behan, that the Shockwave is the best option on the market for handling deep compaction, and it is that reason why it is now going into its fourth year at the club. The work with the machine is carried out by Harris Turf Improvement, who are contracted in to conduct the Autumn and Spring renovations. As well as dealing with deep compaction, David also uses the machine because the small amount of surface disruption it causes. He said: This is the fourth year I ve used the Shockwave on the greens and I really like it. It works great on deep compaction and from a Penetrometer point of view the results are always where we want them to be after it s been used. We used to use another machine and we got good results from it because we were looking at deep compaction, but the problem was the heave it created. I m getting better decompaction results with the Shockwave, and that along with it being more player friendly are the reasons. We are a high play golf course with over one thousand members so it s high maintenance as well. So, it s really just about de-compaction, that s what I wanted it for. Plus, then I can go back and use the greens very quickly because of the small amount of disruption it causes. We d normally use a hollow or micro tine after then roll over it and you can play straight away. At the moment we use it in the autumn and spring renovation programme, so October and March. We do them all in a day and that s very economical for us, and in the October period we usually do the approaches as well, so it goes to a two-day programme. The IMANTS ShockWave is a linear de-compactor, designed to revitalise heavy wear areas by relieving soil compaction, improving aeration and removing surface water. The machine is reputed to be the world s fastest PTO driven rotary, linear de-compactor. It is designed for use on fine turf and sports fields. As with all ShockWave models, it features a nochains, direct drive design, maintenance free sealed for life bearings & no shear bolts. As well as the Shockwave David has also had extensive demonstrations of the Air2G2 and is looking to incorporate it into his mid-summer programme. He also recognises the use of the machine being able to go down to 12 inches, which is greater than the reach of the Shockwave. 9

10 Lee Morgado 2nd from the right, back row with Ethan Yates, back row from the right with the team from Hydraparts, France. INTERVIEW WITH LEE MORGADO Lee Morgado is a wellknown face within the sports turf industry, proving he has come a long way since he joined Campey Turf Care Systems in 2006 as a mechanic. His natural rapport and understanding of turf soon took him from demonstrator to full Product Support Specialist for Spain, France and Portugal. What was your motivation to join Campey? I was a mechanic before I joined Campey, so I wanted to progress and become a demonstrator for a company that s a little bit niche, a little bit different. It has definitely met my aspirations so far. How do you focus your activity within the golf industry? We do demo tours for both golf and football. A lot of the machines cross over, but when you re doing a demo on a golf course you tend to take smaller machines than you would on a football pitch. You deliver two main items in Spain, the Air2G2 and the KORO FIELDTOPMAKER. Why do you think those are both so successful? surface is playable straight after, and there is no other aerator that can decompact down to 12-inches and leave the surface completely playable. The KORO FIELDTOPMAKER is ideal for fairways, for levelling off tees, taking thatch out of fairways, doing things quickly and effectively and you can leave the surface playable or you can go the whole hog and take the top off. The Air2G2 is a device clearly focused on, among other points, creating healthy greens without disturbing golfers. Club managers are always looking to increase or keep golfers on their course, is this a machine they must pay attention to? that ll improve the course and increase the hours that it can be played on because healthier turf is more playable. You have travelled to many countries and know the worldwide golf industry, what do you think about Spanish courses? There are some nice courses in Spain. They re blessed with the weather down in the south and they ve got great food there, so resort golf is quite inviting in Spain. The course quality isn t far removed from the rest of the world, and I d say in a lot of cases they are in front. The weather over there offers more problems to do with heat stress whereas we look more at drainage. Your position in the UK is getting stronger every year and is also growing in Spain. What are your goals for the coming year? In Spain, we want to help and support Deltacinco and be present in Spain to encourage more demonstrations, I know they are very active when we re not there but it s always nice to go and assist them and give them the support they need. Article courtesy of golfindustria.es The main feature of both machines is solving problems that greenkeepers and groundsman have. Because they stand alone and there is nothing else quite like them. The Air2G2 is the only true form of aeration, and the You can carry on playing so you don t have to close the course for a week for maintenance. That s not to say you wouldn t have to do maintenance, but if you do it often enough you ll keep a healthy root system and Using products like the Air2G2 helps with heat stress because if you keep a healthy root system and leave the surface open then the water can get to where it needs to so it can be more durable during the heat. 10

11 THE DAKOTA 410 PUTS OUT THE PERFECT SPREAD AT PORTMARNOCK HOTEL AND GOLF LINKS Links courses often offer exceptional settings for the game of the golf, and Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links proves that in every way. The course was the first Links to be designed by three-time Irish Open winner, Bernhard Langer, who worked alongside architect Stan Eby on the course, which is set in the old estate of the Jameson whiskey family in St. Marnocks. The man in charge of maintaining this aesthetically outstanding course is links superintendent, Fintan Brennan, and the Dakota 410 Turf Tender is one tool used by him and his team in the pursuit of continued excellence. The greens maintenance operation is very important to a course and we decided to use the Dakota 410 to enhance ours, Fintan explained. The Dakota offers a lot of variation in terms of the spread rate and what materials can be used, and that allows us to tailor our operation quickly and easily. Because the rate is set using an electronic calibration system we know that the exact amount we want to use is going on the greens, as both the belt and disk speeds are adjustable, and that results in the perfect application. The Dakota 410 at Portmarnock is specially designed to be body mounted on the John Deere ProGator and is easy to fit and service. It will handle both wet and dry materials, allowing light to heavy dressing and can easily be loaded with a 1.8m wide tractor bucket. It features accurate and easy to operate calibration. The dual spinner discharge system delivers a wide and accurate spread pattern. The light weight of the machine (645kg approx.) reduces the chance of compaction, whilst its size makes it easier to transport around the course, allowing for a quicker operation. 11

12 Provo Golf Club tackle island conditions with the versatile KORO FIELD TOPMAKER and UNIVERSE Rotor Golf courses find their home in a variety of places, but Provo Golf Course, based in the Turks & Caicos Islands, is on the edge of a 40-square mile island, making it one of the more unique locations, bringing with it the unique challenges of Caribbean weather. Whilst the thought of an endless summer brings golfers to the resort, the perpetual heat allows thatch to grow in vast quantities, leaving course superintendent, Tim Mack, seeking an alternative more effective machine than his current system, to remove thatch from his fairways and roughs. Online research and further examination in person at a GCSAA trade show culminated in the decision to use the KORO FIELD TOPMAKER (FTM) with UNIVERSE rotor, with a particular focus on removing thatch rather than removing the surface completely. Providenciales has an arid and hot climate. We have 365 days of growing weather (nothing goes dormant), which means we produce an ample amount of thatch, Tim explains. Also, weed and insect pressure are high due to no eradication from temperature changes. In other words, everything is a perennial, there are no annuals here. Some other unique challenges relate to being on a 40-square mile island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. We have no natural fresh water sources, so we utilize R.O. water which is very expensive blended with some well (brackish) and reclaimed water (brackish). Salt management is a major component of our management strategies. I think the UNIVERSE rotor for the KORO FTM is a fantastic tool for thatch management, but currently, we are using the FTM with UNIVERSE rotor, for a turf conversion project, changing from Bermuda to Seashore Paspalum. After eradicating the existing turf with several pesticide applications, we were able to strip 30 acres (front 9 wall to wall) with the machine in 3 weeks, which we were very impressed by. We will use the same strategy for the back 9 next summer. Despite the initial purpose of the machine being to remove thatch, Tim has used it on a number of other areas around the course, taking full advantage of what the patented UNIVERSE Rotor and KORO FTM offer. In replacing his previous machine, he believes he now has much more powerful, efficient and cleaner end product, something that s vital for surface hygiene in a continuous growing environment. Using the KORO to its full extent means with the 10mm Universe blades, I have been able to strip the first 9 holes, and with the 3mm Universe Finesse blades we will be going into future operations for verti-cutting fairways and larger tees a couple of times a year, as well as other plans. It is a very versatile and wellbuilt piece of equipment, and we are very happy that we chose to purchase a KORO FIELDTOPMAKER complete with Universe rotor. We are very pleased with the efficiency and accuracy of the machine. Also, Richard Campey and his team have provided great support. 12

13 Portuguese Greenkeepers Conference, 2017 SPREADING THE WORD Education has been a long-standing mission for Campey Turf Care Systems, and attending trade shows in the United States, Europe and United Kingdom has been a crucial part of that mission. To fully encompass the desire to educate numerous trade shows across the UK, Europe and the United States are attended under the Campey Turf Care and Campey IMANTS banners. By attending American shows like the Sports Turf Manages Exhibition (STMA), the Golf Industry Show (GIS) and Turf Grass Producers International (TPI) new and exciting methods of renovation, like fraise mowing using the KORO FIELDTOPMAKER and UNIVERSE rotor can be shared with new groups of groundsmen and greenkeepers. New innovations have also returned from across the Atlantic, with the AIR2G2 Air Inject being the most notable in recent times, and one which has had a massive impact on the aeration of golf courses, football pitches, rugby pitches, bowls greens and other playing surfaces. An important part of this information exchange is taking leading groundsmen from the UK to explain how they apply various turf practices on their own surfaces, what success they have had and what improvements they ve be able to make. This method of educating and learning also applies within the UK and Europe at the British Turf Managers Exhibition, Harrogate, SALTEX, NEC Birmingham, the Irish Links Initiative, the FEGGA conference, European Turf Producers Expo, Elima Park, Sweden, Have Landskab, Denmark, SalonVert, France, Paysalia, France, and Les 48 Hour du Gazon, France, (to name a few of the trade shows). All of these exhibitions, conferences and shows are attended with dealers or solely by Campey, with the emphasis always being on educating customers and turf professionals. Further supports is given to greenkeepers by attending the yearly meetings held by Greenkeeper Associations in Spain, Portugal, Britain, Germany, Italy and Germany in order to gain insight on what issues they are facing. Attending these show-piece events is part of a wider strategy that also involves travelling to groundsmen on the Grass Roots Renovation Tour and the European Renovation Tour, with the basic principle of small changes making a big difference always at the forefront. STMA 2017, USA 13

14 Dave Harrison - KORO RECYCLING DRESSER IN ASIA One very famous Harrison travelled the world as Indiana Jones, exploring the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom and later seeking the holy grail in The Last Crusade. Back at Campey HQ, our own Dave Harrison has been on an epic voyage across the Asia-Pacific region with the KORO Recycling Dresser. This journey has seen Dave travel to Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea, and he explains how the environmental factors and evolution of the KORO Recycling Dresser have met at the perfect time for the Asia- Pacific market. The Recycling Dresser (RCD) was part of the KORO Renovation System, designed by Ko Rodenburg. Working alongside the KORO FIELD TOPMAKER, it was introduced to relieve compaction, aerate, and top-dress sand-based sports fields with their own root-zone material. As well as the obvious agronomic benefits of relieving compaction up to 22cm deep, the RCD helped reduce renovation costs by eliminating the need to buy and apply additional top-dressing material. By implementing these functions into one machine, the benefits were multi-fold: saving time and labour costs, saving fuel, reducing machinery requirements, eliminating the cost of buying, transporting and loading sand, and reducing additional surface compaction by minimising traffic over the sports field surface. A one-pass renovation process, followed up by simply brushing or dragmatting the pitch. Minimal down-time and the pitch is back in play immediately. The RCD was re-designed to improve contour following, as well as simplifying the mechanics, reducing the size & weight of the machine, thus reducing the size of tractor and the auxiliary services required, The RCD (MK2 range), available in three sizes (1600, 1900 & 2200mm widths) is now well established in the golf course sector worldwide, with the range having particular success in the USA and in Asia Pacific region. With an abundance of courses having sand-capped fairways and warm season grasses that demand regular top-dressing, the RCD fits the bill perfectly. Units are already installed at Free Country Club, Rainbow Hills Country Club, Jeju Raon Private Country Club, Tiger Country Club, Maron New Day Country Club, Pine Lees Country Club, Sky 72 Golf Club, Seosansu Country Club and Cheonan Evergreen Country Club to name a few. This is because the saving in the cost of sand alone makes the RCD a worthwhile investment to many clubs, but taking into consideration the overall cost of top-dressing fairways (cost of sand, topdressing machine, loading sand, additional staff, etc), the savings are potentially even greater. There are other agronomic benefits that are often overlooked too. The pre-cut and post-cut roller discs act as surface aerators, slicing the sward to increase shoot density and promoting gaseous exchange. Fertilizers captivated in the upper root zone are also released when spread over the surface and exposed to water & sunlight too. When all these factors come together its perhaps easy to see why the KORO Recycling Dresser is so popular in this part of the world. 14

15 Trevose Golf Club make the Vredo 212 Super Compact a permanent resident after impressing on hire After hiring the Vredo 212 Super Compact Overseeder it became clear for Trevose Golf Club that they needed a machine of their own on a permanent basis. The club boasts three courses, and the jewel in the crown is the Championship Course. These spectacular 18 Links holes sit beside the Atlantic Ocean, and were designed by H.S Colt who also has Augusta National, Pine Valley, Sunningdale, Royal Portrush and Muirfield in his portfolio. Being in such well renowned company means standards need to be high, and course manager, Neil Ivamy certainly has them that way. The course recently played host to the Men s County Finals (2017), which is fair barometer of the work Neil and his staff do. To maintain and continue to raise these standards the addition of the Vredo was seen as a necessary step by Neil, who had already seen the benefits of the machine whilst hiring it. We ve hired it in the past, but the nearest place to hire it was in South Wales, so because of travel it made it quite costly, he said. Between himself and 13-staff they also have a nine-hole Headland course and Short course to maintain as well as a driving range and the grounds around the accommodation. Having 36 greens to cover as well as fairways, and tees, means having a reliable quick working machine is nothing short of essential. Neil has also seen the added benefit of having his own Vredo, and in the knowledge his is the only one in the local area, plans to hire it out to other clubs. Having our own machine means we can pick the ideal weather conditions on the course, and if we think there s a part of the course needs some extra attention we can go out at times convenient to us instead of within a period of hire. We ve been looking at buying one for a few years, there isn t one in the area so we thought we may be able to hire it out to other golf courses, and we ve already had interest on that front. The Vredo was supplied by Campeys dealer for the area, DGM. When using the Vredo disruption is kept to a minimum. In the past we have used p ot seeding methods but these are more time consuming and lead to more disruption for golfers. The Vredo puts the seed directly in to the ground with great contact to the soil and very little wastage on the surface. After a roll and a light dressing, play can continue immediately. We definitely notice an improved germination rate with the Vredo. We stopped hiring it for a few years because of the cost, you see a lot of guys on social media using it and they seem to get similar results. There s a definite saving on the amount of seed used, you know that what you re putting down is going to stay there and germinate. We ve recently treated our fairways with a graminicide to eliminate some courser grasses and replace with finer fescue, the Vredo allows us to follow in behind and fill these areas much faster and requires less man power, so that was another contributing factor in getting it. 15

16 HIGH SPECIFICATION Duncan Ross Ltd offer high specification renovations using the KORO FIELD TOPMAKER with UNIVERSE Rotor and Vredo Compact Seeder Expanding services is a very important decision for any contractor, with the choice of new equipment key to success. With the aim of offering the highest quality renovation to customers Duncan Ross Ltd opted for the KORO FIELD TOPMAKER (FTM) with UNIVERSE Rotor and Vredo Compact Seeder. As a company Duncan Ross prides itself on the bespoke project planning and extremely high customer service they deliver. This ethos has led to deserved company growth and the decision to offer renovations alongside their already renowned drainage services. Since using the KORO FTM with UNIVERSE rotor, results have been fantastic for managing director of Duncan Ross Ltd, Duncan Ross. So far it s been utilised on football and rugby pitches with a high level of customer satisfaction. When we were looking to extend our services, we knew the importance of getting high-level equipment, he said. With the KORO FTM that s exactly what we got. The UNIVERSE rotor is fantastic at removing poa or any other thatch or weeds from the surface, or if we need to we can strip it completely. It s easy to use and transport and the most important thing is, we know that when we use it the surface will recover in a much better way as a result. Using the Vredo DZ in tandem with the KORO FTM was a natural choice for Duncan, with the latter giving the perfect platform for the former to place seed directly into the ground. He said: As a contractor time is valuable, and as a company we strive to provide the best finished products possible to deadline and that does take time. The main thing that the Vredo does is place the seed directly in the ground at a narrow spacing, meaning we don t have to go over the surface as many times, saving us time whilst giving us an enhanced outcome. It can be used on any type of surface we work on across golf, football and rugby, so it s a versatile machine that offers very precise results and you can t really ask much more that. More than anything it gives us confidence in knowing that once we ve prepared any surface that the Vredo will do our work justice by placing the seed directly in the soil, and by doing that give it the best germination rate possible. The seeder also gives us the option of depths, so we can tailor the operation and work with any variants. We can also sew the seed at its ideal depth, and that, along with everything else, is what gives us such a successful outcome with the machine. The process Duncan refers to is unique to the Vredo Compact Series with each of the five models available offering a 95% germination rate. This is achieved using the V-shaped disks that place the seed in the ground at a pre-set depth that is adjustable from anywhere between 5mm and 25mm. The slits are then closed by a compaction roller and a level surface re-established. 16

17 LANGLAND BAY GOLF CLUB GET DOWN TO NEW DEPTHS WITH THE AIR2G2 AIR INJECT Having the right aeration programme in place is important for any golf club, and after a STRI recommendation the Air2G2 Air Inject was found to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Langland Bay Golf Club. Through the analysis given to them by their STRI agronomist, PGA director of golf, Andrew Minty, knew that he needed a machine capable of disrupting the soil profile to a greater depth in order to decrease compaction and improve infiltration. This aim worked in tandem with members comments regarding the disruption caused by renovations and other processes throughout the year, and the implementation of the Air2G2 has worked exceptionally well to solve both of those issues. We needed something that caused less damage whilst at the same time being just as effective, so he recommended it to us as one to look at, Andrew explained. We had an extensive demo and now believe it s probably one of the best bits of kit we ve had. It wasn t just because of the members comments about disruption that we looked at it an alternative aeration machine. We wanted to get down to the recommended depths to disrupt the soil profile based on the analysis that the STRI gave us. Also, there were certain approaches, bunkers and other areas we knew that could benefit from the Air2G2, and it s done a great job. Recently we ve been using it on the greens and on a couple of the approaches, one of which is a par three that gets considerably wet. There s also a par four dog leg which gets wet, but both areas have improved, so it seems to work very well in conjunction with some other processes. The success of the Air2G2 at Langland Bay comes from the process of the machine. It uses pressurised air to target compaction deep at root zone level using probes that penetrate the soil and force air sideways to create fissures in the sub structure, improving aeration and drainage throughout the soil. This produces a far superior root zone whilst leaving no damage to the surface, meaning greens are playable almost instantly. For Andrew, this is a key benefit as it meets the needs of his members whilst simultaneously improving the root zone. The make-up and design of the machine has also been a major factor for Andrew and his staff. The manoeuvrability of the machine has been a particular highlight as it saves working time and makes it generally easier to use. It is now planned for the Air2G2 to be used across the course in some capacity for 12 months of the year to sustain the improved soil structure on the course. 17

18 Brian O Shaughnessy of Campeys with Stuart Wilson of Croke Park (right) RAYCAM S UNIRAKE AND TB220 BRUSH Croke Park find it s Not All Yellow with Raycam s Unirake and TB220 Brush Croke Park had a usual bumper year of activity, but once the likes of Coldplay and U2 existed stage left, Raycam s UniRake and TB220 Brush were ready to clean up what music had left behind. To really get behind what Croke Park pitch manager, Stuart Wilson, has to deal with it s important to know his schedule. The intense schedule has times when there will be over 70 matches including the League series from the end of January to mid-april and then the Championship series beginning at the start of June and concluding in September. There are also 15 days per year for schools, clubs and GAA members and concerts in the middle of the season to contend with too. Following Coldplay, Stuart has one week to ready the pitch for a day s worth of activity before the pitch goes under again for U2. Seven days after Bono and co leave, Croke Park is set to host five matches over 29th- 30th July and a repeat of that across 5th and 6th August. The important issue for Stuart is recovery in between concerts and fixtures, and with seven days clearly not long enough to re-lay a pitch it s the Raycam UniRake he turns to. During that concert period, you re looking to rely on machines because they can seriously help you out. Two of those being the brush and the UniRake, Stuart explained. It s all about recovery from concerts and having the pitch in the best condition possible for the games the weekend after the concert. Once the flooring is lifted and we can see grass we start working. After the Coldplay concert, we used the Unirake because the pitch needed thinning out slightly because it was very dense going into the concert, but it also helps remove any yellowing senescing which helps to stop the build-up of organic matter. We raked against the pattern to make everything stand back up so as much light gets to it as possible so it can recover as quickly as possible. The TB220 was very useful after the second concert as this time it was about protecting the plant as much as possible but there is a real need to get things standing up again and the TB220 did just that. Stuart has come to rely on both machines to navigate through a difficult couple of weeks, but has had great success in doing so stating the pitch has never been so good after concerts. But, if Croke Park is Stuart s metaphorical main band, he also has a side-project that s very close to his heart in the Pitch Maintenance Workgroup. Along with Padharic Greene, groundsman at the GAA National Games Centre and Colm Daly, groundsman at Croke Park, Stuart is helping to improve the education of Irish groundsmen throughout all levels. This pyramid starts with elite venues and cycles down to county and centres of excellence, senior and junior club s and finally those that are an unacceptable standard. Recently this involved renovating four pitches at Abbottstown National Game Development Centre, with the KORO FIELD TOPMAKER being used. As a part of the Pitch Maintenance Workgroup the GAA Pitch Award was launched with Campey as one of the principle sponsors. Semple Stadium in County Tipperary won the inaugural award in July 2017, with St Conleth s Park, Newbridge in County Kildare announced as the runner-up. Renovation is only one part of the eight-point plan that ultimately aims to raise standards across Ireland through sharing knowledge and education. 18

19 Stoke City Football Club turn to Air2G2 and Raycam UniRake for perfect pitches With the advancements in turf technology and hybrid pitches the scope for improvements has been considerably narrowed, and Stoke City Football Club head groundsman, Andy Jackson, has turned to the GT Inject Air2G2 and Raycam UniRake to target his marginal gains. At the top level of English football perfect playing surfaces are becoming the norm, with efforts of grounds professionals to surpass themselves year on year becoming an ever more difficult task. Andy began his career at Stoke City 22-years ago when the landscape of turf technology was very different to what it is today. The progression of pitches has coincided with the growth of the Premier League and the money that has brought to those at the top table of the English game, with Stoke a very good example. In Andy s first season at Stoke Mike Sheron was the clubs top goal scorer in the old Division One, but they now boast several international footballers with their squad worth an estimated 150 million. It is now Andy s responsibility to provide the first team manager and his squad the perfect pitches across the Clayton Wood training ground and bet365 Stadium. Constantly striving for excellence and improvements has seen Andy delve deep into his maintenance plans and the Air2G2 and UniRake are an essential part of those programmes. We ve got to a point where the pitches are getting better every year and you re looking at yourself and thinking what can we do to improve, Andy began. It s getting harder and harder because with the attention to detail you re down to one or two per cent of improvements. To pinpoint that small amount to change is quite hard, whereas 10 or 20 years ago when the KORO FIELD TOPMAKER came out you could drastically improve your pitch, but now it s the small things that are making the big difference. We once dreamed of using technology like the Air2G years ago, and for me it s going to be really good with the Desso construction pitches in preventing any compaction around the undersoil heating pipes and the lower profile. Preventing these areas of compaction was Andy s main aim on the Desso pitches, but the soil based pitches have also seen an improvement through use of the Air2G2. There s no other machine we can use to do that job around the pipes, he explained. I feel comfortable with it, it s pedestrian mounted and there s no weight on the pitch, it s easy to use and you can aerate using varying amounts of air. Compaction around the pipes isn t a specific issue we ve been having, but it s a specific issue we don t want to get. We use it on the soil pitches as well because it s a predominately heavy clay here, which means they can get quite hard in dry conditions and can get very wet during the winter. What we ve noticed on the soil based pitches is that where we ve had compaction problems we ve been able to relieve it quite quickly. With the machine having the hand-held tool attachment you can get into areas you wouldn t be able to with a tractor mounted machine, and there s no disruption to the surface when you use it - you can play immediately. The UniRake has also joined Andy s arsenal of machines, and whilst not as sophisticated as the Air2G2, the UniRake s adjustable grooming intensity has made it a firm favourite at Stoke for regular pitch grooming and for use during renovations. Andy explains the role the rake plays in-between training sessions, helping to remove organic material from the surface whilst leaving little to no evidence it s been used. He said: We looked to the UniRake to improve our maintenance operation on the Desso constructed pitches and to take some of the weaker grasses out. This is because the pitches get quite thick before the end of the season, but we also use it during the renovation as well, and It s been a huge success for us. The main thing is being able to adjust it. You can be quite aggressive with it or you can just tickle the top of the surface with it after training, and the players can train on the same pitch in the afternoon and not realise that we ve done quite a fair operation on the pitch. 19

20 BIGGER IS BETTER for Knotty Hill Golf Centre Knotty Hill Golf Centre has adopted a different way of thinking when it comes to personnel and machines, and the 2.75 meter IMANTS ShockWave fits their ethos perfectly. 20

21 The ShockWave also requires less maintenance than other aeration machines Because they are a large pay to play facility with high numbers through the door compaction on the fairways became an issue, and this lead Ashley to upgrade on his smaller ShockWave. He said: I came across the ShockWave two years ago. I bought a smaller one which was a 2.1-meter model, and I started using it on my greens and tees, and the result is that all the compaction has been taken out of the greens, it s really helped the water drain away in the winter and it improved root growth. The ShockWave is an absolute dream, it s the best aerating machine that we ve had. It s all simple and easy to use, you can alter the depth just by the pull of a lever in a tractor for different land work that you re doing. I then saw the bigger machine advertised so we decided to have a look at the 2.75-meter, and it s an ideal machine for doing our 54 fairways because it s big and wide. We got it in August 2016 after a demo because it ticked all the boxes. The ShockWave also requires less maintenance than other aeration machines. We used another option that had a lot of moving components which required a lot of looking after. On a ShockWave, you ve only got the one main drive, and that hardly needs any maintenance, and the blades are easy to change so the whole thing is a lot easier to look after. Ashley sees clear merits in using the machine and has seen improvements on all areas of the course it s been operated on. He and his staff have tried to push an iron bar into an area where it wasn t used and only managed to reach two inches in depth. The area that the ShockWave had worked on went down to ten inches. The recovery time after use is also an impressive factor, especially when held up against alternative methods. Play is resumed immediately following treatment and customers on the Knotty Hill courses would be oblivious to any minor surface slits within a few weeks. Throughout September the smaller ShockWave will be used on the greens, tees and approaches, whilst the bigger one will be deployed on the fairways and semi-roughs with the objective of cracking the top open to improve drainage in time for winter. You d be forgiven for thinking an army of men would be spread across the 660-acre site that offers 54-holes of golf, 27 of those being foot-golf a sport that is seeing a continuing surge in popularity. However, including owner and proprietor Ashley Craggs, there are only three other staff who work on the course. Instead, they opt for larger machines that can cover the course quickly, but importantly, there is no compromise on quality. 21

22 Richard Peel Groundcare stay at the cutting edge with Campey Turf Care Systems Richard Peel Groundcare has purchased a Dakota 440 Turf Tender, KORO FIELD TOPMAKER with UNIVERSE Rotor, KORO Recycling Dresser, IMANTS SandCat and Air2G2 from Campey Turf Care Systems as they continue to stay at the cutting edge of maintenance equipment. Over the last 15 years Richard Peel Groundcare has grown. Originally their service was grass cutting, but that has now evolved into full pitch renovations, drainage work and full pitch maintenance. As their services has evolved so has their fleet of machines, and Richard Peel, owner of Richard Peel Groundcare, has always turned to Campey has also seen the contractor cross over from football into golf, a decision that was met with the acquisition of the SandCat and Air2G2. This was a natural progression for Richard who looked to decrease downtime in the Autumn months by offering services to greenkeepers, something he s done to full effect. We re busy for four or five months of the year on football flat out, and then we get a bit of a lull around autumn time, Richard explained. The SandCat and Air2G2 were machines we looked at to help us get into golf clubs. We ve done a lot of work with another machine on football pitches and used it on other surfaces, but it s always been a little bit too disruptive. I ve had my eye on the SandCat for a few years, but now that it s got the backing of the STRI I thought it was a good time to try and do something not too many other people are doing. What we have done with it makes a massive difference in firming up the green and improving the surface drainage without the need for installing a primary drainage system because it gets the sand down to six inches. It s something quite a few greenkeepers know about but haven t had the chance to use it on their course. The Air2G2 goes along with it and I think if you re offering one you need to offer them both for golf greens. You can go in with the Air2G2 and work around the golfers if needed and it always gives great results when you re relieving compaction. Clearly Richard is harnessing innovative machines to expand his business, and that is the simple reason he is using Campey. Having dealt with Richard Campey he knows that improving sports turf is his passion, and because of that the machines he offers will only be the best and most innovative available. Campey pride themselves of providing market leading equipment that makes a significant improvement to the surfaces it s used on whilst offering an extensive aftercare service, keeping companies like Richard Peel Groundcare working all year-round. The machines that Richard has brought into the industry are always market leading, he doesn t sell things for the sake of it. He only wants to sell machines that will improve the quality of the sports turf and it s a passion for him, Richard began. It gives me a confidence that the machines they offer will be a benefit to us and our customers. There can be two or three machines on the market that can do the job, but you want the best and Campey have the best. We had a client that used a KORO Recycling Dresser last year and they were that impressed with it and how it improved the growth that they wanted it included in the tender process, so it s what they wanted and we provided it for them. We saw the work this customer had done and we were impressed with how it ameliorated the top soil without having to power harrow it, and it s something that we offer to all of our clients now. The recent additions to the company s machinery fleet also includes the KORO FTM with UNIVERSE Rotor, another piece of kit that Richard required to meet client demand, this time Wigan Athletic s Desso pitch. The process of using a KORO FTM on a pitch completely transforms it. It removes all the surface debris and properly cleans it out. The UNIVERSE rotor gives us the option of using it on a semi hybrid surfaces and it really is like having a new pitch once all the work is done. We ve also added a Dakota 440 Turf Tender and we ve been using Dakota for seven years now, but we upgraded to the Dakota 440 because of the drainage work we ve started to do. Being able to use the stone hopper for the trenches was the main thing, and the machine can still be used for all the other operations our old one used to do. You can do more things with one machine, and it stops us having to run two machines, so it really made sense to get it. With experience working on natural and hybrid pitches, Richard see s the massive benefits of using machines on pitches at all levels. By using them on amateur and professional pitches he s seen an increase in quality, and all without breaking the bank on a hybrid surface. 22

23 Judges Contracting Ltd GO DIRECT WITH THE VREDO COMPACT Judges Contracting Ltd has opted to extend its seven-year use of the Vredo seeder range because of the direct contact approach the machines uses to plant the seed. Remarkably the decision to upgrade wasn t to replace the existing model, but instead to add some more width and a larger hopper size to the current operation. Both seeders, old and new, are used relentlessly by Judges Contracting Ltd director, Bryan Judges and his team, and offer the assurance that the seed will be safe with every use. This is an unrivalled benefit to any contractor, groundsmen or greenkeeper when it comes to overseeding because it takes time and money to seed a pitch, but with the seed placed in direct contact with the soil Bryan knows he will get a reliably excellent germination rate. We get a good germination because the Vredo puts the seed down into the ground, Bryan began. Obviously, it depends a lot on the weather, but even if you don t get the rain straight away the seed sits in the ground and waits until it comes. We ve seen it work time and time again over the last seven years, and that along with the quality of the machine is why we upgraded to another model and refurbished our older seeder, which is still using the original disks. The speed we can use the machine at is also a big advantage, a normal football pitch takes a couple of hours to go over twice on the diagonal and you can go quickly. The important thing here is that we can go quickly without compromising on quality Knowing we can rely on the seeder is very important because time is money, and it makes scheduling difficult if you lose a day here and there, because at this time of year you d never catch up. Scheduling difficulties aren t the only issues that contractors face. In order to run a smooth operation different sites will be worked on during a day, meaning versatility is paramount. Varying budgets have to be met and this is where the adjustable seed rate of the Vredo Compact comes in. Combined with a 220-litre hopper capacity and 75mm disc spacing the machine has all the qualities needed to overseed on a wide variety of sites. Bryan uses it on football pitches, rugby pitches and cricket outfields across councils, national and local sports stadiums, and public and private schools. Speaking about these qualities Bryan said: Being able to vary the seed rate is a good for us because the amount of seed we use varies depending on their budget. We work at sites from public schools to sports facilities so the variation of clients and sports we work on can fluctuate and we are able to meet that. There are also times when two pitches for different clients may be next to each other, so it s quicker to seed them at the same time rather than doing one after the other. So, having that flexibility to alter the seed volume to meet the different requirements proves useful for us almost every time we use the Vredo The efficiency of the machine comes from the process it uses to put the seed in contact with the soil. Seed is placed in a V-shaped slit, at a pre-set depth of between 5mm & 25mm deep, directly in contact with the soil for maximum germination rate. The slits are then closed by a compaction roller and a level surface reestablished. 23

24 Ruddington Grange Golf Club s SHOCK RELIEF FROM COMPACTION Compaction on greens is a common issue on many golf courses, but for Ruddington Grange Golf Club the extent and depth of the compaction was preventing any water filtration at all on many parts of the course. A solution was essential to restore this great course to the level of play expected of it. The course, based near Nottingham, was suffering with greens as compacted as 1000psi, but a visit from Campey product specialist, Simon Holland, introduced the IMANTS ShockWave to the aeration programme and the results were not just dramatic, but instant! Previously, wet fairways had closed some parts of the course and other areas were totally inaccessible, but the addition of this machine has seen a massive reduction in compaction and an increase in general turf health, making it exactly what head greenkeeper, James Wheatley, wanted. Simon came to us on one of his visits and it was the first time I d met him, he said. We got talking and I took him down to one of the greens, and he brought his penetrometer along. The PSI within the green was up towards 1000psi, so he suggested the ShockWave. 24

25 So, from there we decided to have a demo of it and straight away the PSI came down to 450psi. He did the whole green and it didn t leave any surface disruption and we were really pleased with the job it had done. We then wanted to run it off the green where again we tried the penetrometer, and this time it wouldn t even go in. With one pass of the ShockWave it went straight in with no problem what so ever. Despite initial scepticism I knew this was a breakthrough and I could see that here was a way to tackle our problems head on. From there we hired the machine and shockwaved all the greens and the majority of the fairways, which had been so wet the previous year we had to close holes. A year on and areas of the course that were historically inaccessible during wet weather performed so much better last winter after shockwaving. A warm, wet, late winter delivered the usual problems of surface diseases, but James noticed that his course seemed to cope far better than many of his neighbours. He puts this down to the long term benefits of improved water filtration from using the ShockWave. Less surface water prevents diseases getting the hold that adverse weather conditions create. This year I ve used it on some particularly dry bare patches and allowed the lines to open up on purpose, and then back filled them with sand and they ve gone from being bare to a full area of grass, it s a very versatile machine. The next objective for the ShockWave is to take this one step further and use with a coulter kit to improve the primary drainage systems on the course. Using the minimal penetration lines made by the machine as sand slits, James backfilled with sharp sand to open another drainage direction to help the sand migrate further. Aerating on such a wide variety of areas could cause issues when it comes to what s under the surface, but a lack of incidents is something James has noticed. Instead of blades breaking on foreign objects in the ground they ride over them, saving both time in repairs and money on replacements. However, the ShockWave wasn t the only machine Simon suggested to enhance operations. A Dakota 410 Turf Tender on the back of a John Deere ProGator is now being used to backfill the work done by the ShockWave. Using the two machines along with a new ProCore 648 has seen a vast reduction in time taken to complete maintenance, as well a massive drop in sand cost. James had to use kiln dried before, but because the Dakota can spread wet or dry material the 15 a tonne saving across the year translates to a minimum save of 2000 a year. Another priceless commodity is also being returned in the shape of time. Due to the distance of the 14th green it took almost two hours to top dress the green using previous methods, whereas it now only takes half an hour. 25

26 In this feature he discusses his experience of using an aerator at his course. After a visit to the Congress of Spanish Greenkeepers Association in Malaga, I arranged a demonstration day to find out more about Campey Turfcare s Air2G2 aerator. Zachary LaPorte head greenkeeper at SON SERVERA MALLORCA The demo took place on the putting green and at first I was surprised, and a bit worried, by the impact the machine could have on the surface as the air was being injected. The entire surface around us rose up because of the amount of air being injected. This scared me at first but I was told it was normal. Imagine what was happening below the surface, with high pressure air breaking and loosening the soil, eliminating compaction and allowing the roots more freedom to move through the ground. Son Servera opened in 1967, but in 2011 we opened nine new holes, and these have major drainage problems, so I realised purchasing an aerator would be logical. But then came the tricky part how could I convince my club committee to invest? I knew there would be many questions about price and so I prepared a report. Every time we close the field in September to do aeration work with the traditional puncture method, we lose about 20,000 in green fees that s one week with the greens closed, and another with reduced costs until the greens recover. September is the high season in Mallorca so you can imagine how well the news of the aerification of the greens was received. Add in the cost of silica sand and the workforce, and each aeration cost about 27,000. The committee was convinced, and we bought the machine. Since we ve had that Air2G2 we have acted twice on the greens, with spikes of 15cm. Two weeks after the first aeration, samples were taken on the root. The results showed it had grown from a normal depth of 5-8cm after the summer to an incredible range of between 10-15cm. Many partners and guests ask me what this crazy machine is and what it does. Basically, I liken the blast of air injected into the soil with that of hydraulic fracking but, of course, with air. This fracking has virtually eliminated soil compaction and created more space to allow the roots to grow and move down through the soil profile. And of course, the air you inject helps create a healthier root zone. Secondary benefits are less diseases, firmer greens and ultimately a healthier lawn. I have used the aerator in other areas around the field too. We receive more than 30,000 outings a year and most of them concentrate in three months in autumn, and four months in spring, so you can imagine the entry and exit areas of the greens suffer from a lot of traffic. Prior to the purchase of the aerator we would be continuously tapping these areas to help ease compaction, but only achieved minimal results. We act on these areas with our aerator and the results have been fantastic. These areas are almost perfect, they have no problem managing traffic and golfers say they have never seen them in such good condition. The aerator also helps alleviate illness. I had an outbreak of brown patch on our 17th green and we used the aerator on the affected area. Surprisingly, the disease disappeared within a few days without any further treatment. I am sure the list of benefits will go on and on, and the purchase of the aerator has already proved more than worthwhile. Article courtesy of Greenkeeper International. 26

27 It s size and manoeuvrability are both great assets and I can t speak highly enough of the job it does across all of our facilities. REAL MADRID MAKE LIGHT WORK OF OFF PITCH AREAS with Dakota 310, Martin Lishman Micro Sprayers and Air2G2 Small things make a big difference on and off the pitch in football, and for Real Madrid the small machines making a big difference are the Dakota 310, Air2G2 Air Inject and two Martin Lishman Micro Sprayers. Los Blancos represent the pinnacle of modern football. Their white shirts are famous the world over and are the symbol of one of the games long standing super powers. Such an impressive club require perfection everywhere, and this has led to deploying smaller lighter machines on the clubs 8,000 square meter off pitch Augustus grass area. Head groundsman at Real Madrid CF, Paul Burgess, has the Santiago Bernabeu to maintain alongside the Ciudad training complex, including the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium. Standards across every pitch and off-pitch area remain unequivocally the same. These ornamental gardens are kept to the same standards as golf greens, and given Paul s eye for detail, nothing has been overlooked. After being impressed with the quality of his Dakota 412 he made the decision to explore the smaller, lighter option with fantastic results. When applying sand to our surfaces here at Real Madrid I cannot think of a better machine than our Dakota, he said. Its ease of use, even distribution and how it works with wet material makes this a must for any facility. It s size and manoeuvrability are both great assets and I can t speak highly enough of the job it does across all of our facilities. The 310 can spread wet or dry material in areas other machines can t reach, and can be used on wet or soft areas tractors can t go on. The six-meter-wide spread is infinitely variable using the individual hand controls, giving the user the exact spread they want every time. It is the ability to access all areas makes the Martin Lishman micro spray s such a good option, and the decision to add another Air2G2 comes as little surprise considering the results Paul has seen from his current fleet so far. 27

28 PRODUCTION OF A PRIZE WINNING PITCH Campey Turf Care Systems Mini Pitch Renovation Days give Greenock Morton Fans chance to see production of prize winning pitch The pitch was rated as one of the top-four in the Scottish Championship with a score of 4.6 out of ten as part of the Scottish Professional Football League licensing scheme in 2016, giving it a platinum rating under the grading system, which is decided by referees. Morton s only full-time groundsman is Mark Farrell, who has spent 13-years tending the Cappielow pitch. The traditional soil based pitch doesn t have any drainage, so provides Mark and his team of volunteers with a number of challenges. It demands hard core groundsmanship, Mark explained. Scarifying, aerating, draining. It can get mentally stressful at times. It s not nutrient management like many Premiership clubs, a skill set is required from the groundstaff to keep the pitch in the best possible condition. Grass roots can replicate it but require dedication and commitment. Inverclyde has the most artificial pitches per head 15 60,000 people, but for a tenth of the cost of artificial you can maintain a natural pitch. The best way to progress your knowledge is to never think you know everything. I go out and visit sites and invite any one to visit here. Learn, see what s new and adopt new techniques where you can see the benefits. Those who attended the day got to see exactly what Mark spoke about in terms learning. The Campey team provided three days of mini-renovations across the pitch showcasing the latest techniques and machinery, whilst demonstrating how making small changes to a renovation can make a big difference in the long run. The work started with the surface being cleaned with the KORO FIELDTOPMAKER using the Universe Finesse 5mm blades, meaning the whole pitch was not removed but by using the different Universe blades available they could scarify and still rip out the unwanted grasses/weeds. The KORO Recycling Dresser was then used down to a 160mm working depth to aid decompaction and aeration, while also recycling all the nutrients that remained in the soil profile. 40 tons of sand was then applied with a Dakota Turf Tender, brushed, raked and finally re-seeded with a Vredo Overseeder and Raycam Aeraseeder. Morton s pitch receives heavy use from its teams as well as the community trust which has 3000 children from 5-16 years old who use the pitch. This amount of use has seen Mark try to introduce a greater proportion of rye grass in a strong Poa pitch. The purpose of the day was to show fans what goes into maintaining the pitch as well as other turf professionals. As a team Morton prides themselves on their community involvement, and Campey are proud to help increase that while enhancing the quality of the pitch. Call: +44 (0) info@campeyturfcare.com visit: