Industry David Warner, Millfield School
The machines and ideas that have helped here at Millfield.
• The Imants Shockwave linear aeration has major benefits on winter sports pitches.
• Remote control bank mowers - what a difference for health and safety.
• The use of hand arm vibration monitors to enable staff to alert themselves as to the level
greens and fairway mowers, and it’s a nice coincidence that the first machine was launched at BTME ten years ago, in January 2005; the John Deere 2500E, combined conventional diesel power with electric motors to produce a quieter, more environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient machine.
Donald Steel, Golf Course Designer
I am not a front-end man any more, but my observation (golf only) surrounds the huge improvement in aeration machinery according to whatever problem you are trying to solve.
Aeration, to my mind, is still the single most important exercise in golf course management. My first memory (1950s) is that nobody aerated because they couldn’t, apart from hand forking, but now a variety of machines can do almost anything.
Jim Arthur used to be laughed at for his insistence on aeration, but they aren’t laughing now!
Overseeding and drainage techniques have also been revolutionised in recent years. All three are inextricably interlinked.
This model paved the way for a range of walk-behind and ride- on greens mowers and fairway cylinder mowers which, in turn, prompted other mower manufacturers to take on this technology. For example, Ransomes Jacobsen now offer the Jacobsen Eclipse 322 greens triple that has totally eliminated hydraulic leaks due to electric systems that power the mower.
The technology has also led to the ability to control the cutting speed of the cylinder - the frequency of cut - which allows the user to control the number of cuts per metre.
Etesia has been championing battery powered hand tools with their Pellenc range of hedgecutters, strimmers and blowers.
And then there are the cassette systems, pioneered by Dennis, that turn a standard cylinder mower into a walk- behind Swiss army knife!
Finally, beware of the invasion Peter Craig, The Hurlingham Club
Without doubt the biggest innovation in turf management from my point of view has been the Koro.
The control of thatch is absolutely vital in managing grass tennis courts and cricket squares in particular. The depth of thatch when I arrived at
16 I PC APRIL/MAY 2015
of vibration they deal with on a daily basis and the ability to restrict this with full electronic records.
• The development in the use of organic based fertiliser using the soil bacteria with little or no impact on the soil environment itself.
• The deep scarification machinery for fine turf has helped us to have a better
of the robots! Etesia’s EMT105 uses GPS technology to guide it and gathers power from the solar panels, spending every day ‘munching’ its way over the grass. Final presentation is carried out using more traditional methods.
The latest development in robotics from America is the Precise Path RG3, designed to mow golf greens.
Education: The World Wide Web has played a huge role in educating people working in the sportsturf industry. The amount of information available globally is staggering, and it’s easily obtainable at just the click of a mouse. In seconds, you can be communicating with turfcare practitioners from the other side of the world.
The Pitchcare website, and its sister hard copy magazine, has provided a wealth of information and made a huge contribution to our industry.
There are thousands of greenkeepers and groundsmen, professionals and volunteers, who have gleaned an immense amount of knowledge, encouragement and confidence by utilising Pitchcare’s unique experience, enabling them to make better judgments and decisions in their role within the industry.
John Lawrence, Edgbaston Priory Club
Regarding innovations - for us, it is the developments in testing equipment generally.
We primarily use a Clegg Hammer and soil moisture metre to monitor the performance quality of our surfaces, meaning we can ensure consistency from court to court and, in theory, from one venue to another.
control of thatch levels and enables the groundsmen to improve their surfaces.
• The development of the cricket rolling programme and the more detail around how soil physics is a major contributor of pitch hardness. Add this to the analysis of roller drum size and the report is a huge benefit to cricket groundsman everywhere.
The Dennis ‘Swiss Army knife’ cassette system
Hurlingham was beyond anything available until the Koro came along.
Suddenly, in one quick operation, all the thatch could be removed and the right dressings and seed applied.
A revelation and a revolution in turf care.
The Etesia EMT105 robotic mower - munching near you?
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