It has been an amazing summer of Irish sport so far, particularly sport that has been, and is about to be, played on turf.

Begining with the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, which took place at Lahinch Golf Club in early July, we saw how immaculately Course Superintendent Brian McDonagh and his greenkeeping staff presented the course. Two weeks later we witnessed a most memorable Open Championship at Royal Portrush where Shane Lowry triumphed so emphatically. This was the first time since 1951 that The Open was staged in Ireland and to have an Irish winner was the icing on the cake. Course Manager, Graeme Beatt, his staff and volunteers did the country proud in their course preparations. I hear on the grapevine that Nowlan Park has won the 2019 County Pitch of the Year for the second year in a row, thanks to John Coogan and his team. More about this in a future edition of Service Dealer Ireland.

Looking ahead we have the Dublin Horse Show taking place this week at the RDS in Dublin. Gary Deakins is the Head Groundsman there and he is busy preparing the turf for this event. We have the All Ireland Hurling final on the 18th of August in Croke Park which will see Kilkenny and Tipperary battle it out for the Sam Maguire Cup. This will be followed by the All Ireland Football final two weeks later at the same venue. Croke Park pitch is maintained by the very able Stuart Wilson and his staff.

Then there are the less publicised sporting events which take place around the country - the county community games; soccer and GAA summer camps; club hurling, camogie, and football matches; the captain’s and president’s prizes in golf clubs and much more. Full credit go out to the groundstaff of these wonderful venues for creating superb quality playing surfaces.

The summer so far has not just been a successful story for sport. We must also not forget the lovely parks and gardens that exist all over the country. Many are so beautifully maintained and manicured. They are important for our tourist industry, earning millions to this sector.

I do think, however, that some credit for these well maintained sportspitches and areas of amenity must go to the dealers around the country who have supplied mowers and equipment to help the groundspeople make their lives a lot easier, resulting in successful sporting events and leisure venues. After all, these places need reliable equipment in order for the groundsman or groundswoman to carry out their tasks. It doesn’t matter if it is a highly sophisticated fairway mower; a strimmer used to edge bunkers or a hover mower to get at those difficult to mow areas, all are important for the success of turf maintenance.

But supplying equipment to the sportsclubs and gardens is not the end of the story for the dealers. There is also the after sales service; the repairing of broken down machines; the supplying of spare parts. Some dealers have been called out at unsocial hours in order to see that their custumers are well looked after.

So dealers of Ireland, take a well earned bow, you deserve it. Keep up the good work you are doing. It is your input which contributes, in no small way, to the high standard of sportspitches and grounds that exist and flourish all over Ireland.

The biggest horticultural trade event on the Irish calendar has already come and gone: the Garden Landscape and Amenity Sportsturf (GLAS) trade show brought together the very best of the horticulture industry under one roof at Citywest Hotel on July 18th last.

GLAS has become synonymous with the trade as the place to do business: network with important stakeholders, and drive new business.

Some of the machines on display at GLAS 2019

In an effort to constantly evolve, GLAS 2019 saw the very welcome addition of students at the show, forming part of The Careers Hub. The Carrers Hub was an excellent opportunity for two key reasons: it introduced students to all facets of the horticultural trade under one roof; and it also provided for the trade to meet the up-and-coming talent that is currently being developed across Ireland’s institutions, colleges, and universities.

Some of the students joined John Mulhern, principal of the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture on stage at the Teagasc sponsored Learning Theatre 2, at 12pm, to discuss education pathways and continuing professional development.

GLAS wouldn’t be GLAS without the exhibitors and attendees. Visitor attendance was higher than 2018 which showcases the dedication of the trade despite the challenges that Brexit has brought with it. With queues out the door and very busy aisles, there was no better proof that both GLAS and its attendees are there to do business.

From left: Annmarie and James Mulvey of Woodpecker Environmental Ltd at their exhibition stand

Every year at GLAS the quality of exhibitor stands seems to get better and better. In particular, the Machinery Park, which hosted 20 leading sportsturf exhibitors on the day, was well attended and, brand new for GLAS 2019, the Landscape Show, supported by the Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland (ALCI), the Irish Landscape Institute (ILI), and the Garden and Landscape Designers Association (GLDA) who were on hand to meet new and existing members.

As GLAS 2019 ends, so begins the planning for GLAS 2020, which has already been set as taking place on July 16, 2020 – be sure to mark your calendars.

On April the 29th last the Irish Golf Course Managers Association (IGCMA) headed north once again to one of the top parkland courses in the country for the Kevin Broderick Ltd sponsored CPSG Tournament. For a change, there was a two tee start which worked extremely well and as a result, competitors were able to sit down together for dinner, beautifully prepared and served by the excellent Malone Chef and staff. Malone Golf Club is a testing layout with mature trees, rolling fairways, and an added water hazard on a number of holes. Many of the attendees had never played there before but all were impressed at the condition and layout.

The CPSG tournament winning team, Royal Dublin Golf Club, from left: Jef Fallon (General Manager); Dermot Curtin (Captain); John Dwyer (Club Professional); Mark Burke (Deputy Head Greenkeeper)

Scoring wasn’t particularly high, but the Royal Dublin Golf Club team mastered the course well and ran out easy winners on 85 points. Led by Jeff Fallon (General Manager) with Captain Dermot Curtain, Pro John Dwyer and Deputy Head Greenkeeper Mark Burke. The second placed team was Galway Golf Club led By Dave Kelly and they also had the best Professional Score with Dave Mortimar on level par for the day.

Third place went to Delgany Golf Club and Mark Carwood and his team made a winning debut, finishing third, beating Old Conna Golf Club on the back nine.

The Delgany Golf Club team who finished in 3rd place with Kevin Broderick (sponsor 2nd left) and Michael Moss (IGCMA President 4th left)

Noel and Kevin Broderick attended, representing the sponsors as well as Morgan O’Sullivan from Textron. Kevin Broderick Ltd have supported this event for 20 years as sponsors of this competition, which the IGCMA are very grateful to. IGCMA president, Michael Moss, thanked Paddy Dean and the committee at Malone Golf Club for their hospitality and welcome on the day.

Left: Morgan O’Sullivan (Textron); Noel and Kevin Broderick (Kevin Broderick Ltd – sponsor)

The first John Deere 9900i self-propelled forage harvester to be sold in Europe has been hard at work in Northern Ireland for contractor Lagan Brothers of Moneymore in County Londonderry.

Northern Ireland contractor Michael Lagan with his new John Deere 9900i self-propelled forage harvester, cutting 700 acres of grass in May for a biogas plant customer

Started in 2003, the business is run by Michael Lagan and his brothers Seamus and Paul, with father James and younger brother Noel also taking an interest. Supplied by local John Deere dealer Johnston Gilpin & Co of Lisburn after a ‘Golden Key’ handover at the Zweibrücken factory in Germany, the powerful 970hp 9900i is the biggest of the new 9000 Series self-propelled foragers launched by John Deere last year.

Key features of the range include a new V12 Liebherr engine on the top three models, a new high performance XStream kernel processor and the latest precision farming technology, including the new HarvestLab 3000 constituent sensing system, with the focus very much on forage quality.

Michael Lagan, who operates the 9900i, says: “We needed to upgrade our two year old John Deere 8800i with a more powerful machine. Each year we harvest around 7000 acres of grass and 70 per cent of that is destined for biogas plants. These plants require finely chopped material down to 4mm that is easily digested, so we made the decision to upgrade to a machine with more power and more knives – 64, compared to 56 on our previous model.

“It’s more or less the same physical size as the 8800i, but you certainly feel the difference the bigger engine makes. The grass goes through with ease and the extra knives leave a nice fine chop in the trailer. It’s proved to be a great machine, so investing in the 9900i was the perfect business decision for us.”

Michael also highlights the importance of John Deere’s HarvestLab sensor, which accurately measures dry matter and other constituents in real time. All the data, including crop yield per field, is displayed to the operator inside the cab.

“We’ve used the system for a number of years now and find it extremely useful in keeping us informed about crop quality and yield,” he says. “Another handy feature is that we use it on the dribble bar when spreading slurry. Here it can give us information such as nitrogen content and works out how much slurry we can apply per hectare to keep within the recommended guidelines and ground requirements.”

Alongside the new forage harvester, Lagan Brothers operate a fleet of John Deere tractors ranging in model age from 2006 to 2019, including four 6R Series and one 7R Series machines plus three older 20 and 30 Series models. For silaging they use a 6190R and 7280R, both equipped with triple mowers, to cut the grass while a 6155R runs the rake. A Volvo L70G wheel loader used in the pit completes the grass contracting fleet.

At the first in a series of launch events, groundsmen and greenkeepers were invited to Tottenham Hotspur FC’s training facility to see the new Infinicut SM34 Rotary Mower. Using the very latest design technology, MTD design engineers say they have produced a machine that has unsurpassed rotary cut quality to ensure the best possible results regardless of turf conditions.

The Infinicut SM34 rotary mower

The SM34 follows the same design philosophy as the rest of the Infinicut range, offering best in class performance with an emphasis on a modern, clean power source. It takes its mode of traction from the Infinicut reel mower, renowned for its durability, paired with a deck designed on the back of MTD’s considerable years of rotary experience. By utilizing expensive stamp tooling, users can be confident that airflow is optimal when compared to other fabricated decks. The culmination is a machine that ensures ‘fit-for-purpose’ application, but also necessary safety compliance that comes with rotary decks.

Designed for professional users, the Infinicut SM34 can be used to mow grass in the traditional sense or used as a stand-alone vacuum. In cut mode, the new rotary offers a striping effect usually only achieved with a professional reel mower. The 34” cutting width combines better productivity and lightweight design, which negates the issues of tyre rutting and wear of a larger ride on mower. The blades are made from premium-grade, high carbon steel for better performance and extended life, and come pre-balanced to exhibit less vibration.

As with the rest of the Infinicut fleet, the machine offers the operator a number of parameters which can be tailored to their particular requirements. With the extreme accuracy of HOC that users often work to in mind, the SM34 has paralleling and deck pitch adjustment features as standard. It can be specified with either an engine generator or lithium battery as a power source. In battery mode the SM34 is quieter in operation, environmentally friendly and can provide significant fuel cost saving when compared to other rotary mowers.

Commenting on its launch John Coleman, Head of MTD Specialty Products UK, added, “The Infinicut Rotary was a natural product progression from our well recognised Infinicut cylinder mower range. The design of this machine is a combination of our own concepts and ideas but at the same time we’ve listened carefully to our customers feedback. The culmination is a machine that takes a known concept and places it firmly in the modern era by introducing wireless parameter adjustment via our proprietary InfiniApp.”

Rochelle Bedford has been appointed the new marketing manager for Reesink Turfcare.

Rochelle Bedford

Overseeing marketing activity for all the turfcare machinery and equipment brands in the Reesink portfolio, Rochelle says it was Reesink’s established reputation, values, great work ethic and ideas sharing culture that appealed to her most about the role, as well as working in a new industry.

“Reesink Turfcare is a well-established company and its reputation preceded it,” she says. “With a great work ethic, the values of the company and the way staff are encouraged to share their ideas to come up with new solutions for ongoing projects was an exciting aspect of taking on the role. Plus, my marketing experience with commercial vehicles and dealer network support lends itself well with this new and interesting industry.

“With the marketing machine fully up and running, I was excited to get stuck straight in to see how it all worked. Over the past couple of months, I have seen great potential for how the marketing department can be developed, in supporting the business as a whole and taking it to that next level.”

Rochelle has already recruited another member to the team and Nichola Spinks joins the company as marketing assistant.

Reesink’s marketing department is a vital part of the business, as well as coordinating all of Reesink’s turf marketing programmes in the UK, it also organises all the shows and events the company attends throughout the year too.

Rochelle concludes by saying: “There’s no question there’s definite potential for future growth for the team!”

Tullamore Show – August 11th
The Tullamore Show, is taking place this Sunday on August the 11th. This is Ireland's largest one-day show, averaging 60,000 visitors in recent years. It takes place on the grounds at Butterfield Estate, Blueball, Tullamore. With 700 Trade Stands from agri Sectors, home industries, farm produce, innovation, forestry, agri machinery and more. The machinery exhibitions will range from the immense tractors available today, trucks, vans, trailers to quad bikes, new tools and inventions, to a new garden machine and more.
Entrance fee is normally €20 but there is an Early Bird ticket which can be purchased online for €17. Children under 12, who are accompanied by an adult are free. Visit www.tullamoreshow.com

Gardena demonstration day – August 21st
Liffey Distributors will host an exclusive showcase of German garden product maker GARDENA, at Wineport Lodge, Athlone, Co Westmeath, on Wednesday, August 21, from 9am to 5pm.

GARDENA’s watering, lawn care, soil and ground care, tree and shrub care products will be available for the trade to inspect and learn about at the event. The showcase will take place in Wineport Lodge’s Harbour Room and Andy Walsh, robotic mower expert, will be on-hand to inform attendees on the technical features and benefits of each GARDENA SILENO model.

National Ploughing Championships – September 17th – 19th

The National Ploughing Championships attracts 250,000 visitors each year

The 88th National Ploughing Championships will be held in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co. Carlow from September the 17th to the 19th. It is one of Europe’s largest agricultural events which attracts almost 250,000 visitors each year. There will be 1700 exhibitors at this years event. If you want to exhibit at the National Ploughing Championships email, as soon as possible, npexhibition@npa.ie

Entrance to the event costs €20 per day and should be bought online. Visit www.npa.ie for more information.