The working life of a modern head greenkeeper involves many professions. Obviously they have to know all there is about grass. They need to able to identify grass species, diseases and nutrient deficiencies. They need to be accountants as they are tasked with managing the largest budget allocation of a golf club, which is the course maintenance and development. They also need to be good people managers as they are in charge of the greenkeeping staff and need to deal with any issues that may arise. The modern head greenkeeper also needs to be a mechanic so as to deal with any breakdowns that happen when maintaining the golf course.

I mention this because I think a good dealer needs to have an understanding of the profession of their customer, be it a grounds person or farmer. Would many dealers know what chlorosis is? For those that don’t know I will explain later. 

I read recently about research done on rotary mowers versus robotic mowers. The research was carried out at the University of Kentucky and it compared the quality of cut from both types of machines. The results were very interesting. Three, six-week experiments were carried out. At the beginning of each experiment the robotic mower was fitted with new razor blades while the rotary mower blades were sharpened. Forty eight leaf samples were randomly collected from each mower’s cut (both mown at 3 inches) and the leaves were collected once each week for six consecutive weeks.

It was discovered that, on average, robotic mowers resulted in a 48% increase in leaf cut quality and a 51% reduction in leaf tip chlorosis. Remember that word I mentioned earlier? Chlorosis is the yellowing of the leaf, which can be caused by mechanical damage. These results are pretty significant for ground staff and greenkeepers. Various brands of robotic mowers were used. What made the findings interesting for me was the difference in turf quality. The robotic mowers produced a greener and healthier turf with less Nitrogen and irrigation requirements needed to sustain the turf. For a mower to do this is most unusual. It seems that the reason for the improvement in turf health was mainly attributed to how clean the robotic mower blade was able to cut the leaves. 

I remember attending a demonstration on how to properly sharpen and grind cylinder mowers. The man giving the demonstration stressed the importance of keeping reel mowers constantly sharpened, thus allowing the grass to be cut cleanly and lessening the chances of the turf getting infected with disease. This latest trial, involving robotic mowers, seems to rubber stamp this idea that a cleaner cut leads to a healthier sward.

These are good examples where some knowledge of the turf profession can be an advantage to the dealer. For a dealer to explain how different types of mowers can affect the health and quality of grass would impress any greenkeeper making a purchase. The same would apply to farmers who are purchasing tractors and equipment. Having an understanding of your customer’s profession will prove to be of great benefit to you and perhaps win over some new customers

A switch in management policies at one of Northern Ireland’s leading golf clubs has resulted in a major £160,000 investment in new John Deere course maintenance equipment.

(Left to right) The Blackwood Golf Centre course manager Jonny Eager, John Deere dealer Johnston Gilpin & Co groundscare sales manager Ricky Neill and The Blackwood’s consultant manager Paul Gray.

The Blackwood Golf Centre is situated in the heart of the Clandeboye Estate’s beautiful parklands, just at the top of the Ards Peninsula in County Down. Extending to 240ha, the club runs two 18-hole courses including the par 54 Temple and the par 71 championship Hamilton, plus a 26-bay floodlit driving range, putting green and short game area.

Historically the club has predominantly used John Deere machines, but some of the fleet had been faithful workhorses for the past 18 years and so were becoming quite aged. Last August the club underwent some fundamental changes, which included enlisting the help of independent golf management consultant Paul Gray, who has taken on the contract to manage the club.

One of Paul’s first changes was to upgrade the John Deere equipment fleet, directly liaising with course manager Jonny Eager and Ricky Neill, sales manager at the local John Deere turf dealer Johnston Gilpin & Co Ltd.

With the help of a five-year John Deere Financial package, the club bought a John Deere 8900A PrecisionCut fairway mower, 2500E hybrid electric greens triplex mower, 2653B PrecisionCut tees & surrounds triplex mower and two TH 6x4 Gator utility vehicles. Also included in the purchase were a Trimax Snake articulating rotary mower and a Buffalo debris blower.

Course manager Jonny Eager is very pleased with the new fleet and says the machines have boosted production and efficiency. “We have been using John Deere machines at The Blackwood since 2003 and have always found them very reliable and easy to use.

“With this new deal we replaced two of our older Gators with the TH 6x4s, while the rest of the machines are additions to the fleet, which now consists of 12 John Deere machines in total. They do a great job and the backup we receive from the dealer is first class. All round we think they represent longevity and good value for money.”

Blackwood Golf Centre consultant manager Paul Gray adds: “Machinery replacement in the past had been fairly neglected here, so one of the first changes I made was to embark on a new replacement programme, starting with this financed machinery purchase deal.

“Since changing to the new machines this season, members have been full of praise for how the courses look and play. Given the difficult spring we had in terms of weather, the members have really complimented the staff for the excellent conditions the courses are in.”

“Part of the deal included full training for The Blackwood’s own mechanic, who came up to the dealership and spent some time with one of our technicians to learn how all the machines are assembled, used and operated,” explains Ricky Neill. 

“We are very keen for the greenkeeping team to carry out all their own regular servicing and maintenance, with support from our expert technicians should they require it. Our dealership at Lisburn has had a good relationship over the years with The Blackwood Golf Centre, and we are here to assist them with any future machinery requirements as the club develops.”

It has been announced that high grass specialist AS-Motor and the cordless specialist Ego have worked together on AS-Motor’s next generation of battery powered high grass mowers.

Known as the new ‘Electric’ product line, AS-Motor and Ego are launching their first cross-brand and cross-manufacturer battery platform range of mowers and weed removers for the professional sector.

The new ‘Electric’ line is powered by the recently developed Ego Power Unit, which draws its energy from the Ego 56V ARC lithium battery range.

The manufacturers' say their cooperation offers professional users an increased range of applications of battery powered tools. From EGO’s own hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, chain saws, brush cutters, lawn mowers to the inclusion of new product families from AS-Motor to include professional lawn mowers, mulching lawn mowers, weed removers and high grass mowers.

The skid steer loader has become an essential tool for everyday chores for many farms, landscapers, and construction operations. It is also a key part of New Holland’s brand DNA, and this year they recognise 50 years of innovation and leadership in skid steer loaders. 

New Holland’s L328 skid steer loader

The birth of the New Holland skid steer took place in haytools design, when an engineer discovered that his mower design could be turned on its side to achieve an upward and forwardreaching motion - the foundation of what would become New Holland’s Super Boom vertical lift loader design. 

In 1971, New Holland built its first production skid steer loader, the L35. Its vertical lift design allowed for greater reach and improved clearance for loading, and its longer wheelbase provided a smooth, steady ride for operators. New Holland, with the L35, also became the first manufacturer to introduce roll-over and falling-object protection. 

Over the past five decades, the company say they have improved the design and functionality of the original L35, increasing reach and load capacity, reducing cycle times, and extending the skid steer line up to include compact track loaders. The latest 300 Series is offered in 9 new models ranging from 60 to 90 gross HP and rated operating capacity from 815 – 2,045 kg. 

New features for the 300 Series include factors like maintenance tracking, engine protection and ignition time-out.

To commemorate the 50th-anniversary milestone, New Holland is celebrating with its new and existing customer base. For customers who purchase a skid steer during the anniversary celebration, a “50 Years Edition” decal will be added to the rear left-hand side of all skid steers from mid-June. 

The fourth Pöttinger production plant was officially opened on 11 June 2021.

Together with the company owners, the management team, employees and a small gathering of invited guests attended the handover of the new plant in St. Georgen near Grieskirchen, Austria.

The first expansion phase was completed in just one year at an investment of EUR 25 million. The company says that a strong order book and limited space available at the main plant mean that construction needs to continue quickly - hence a groundbreaking ceremony for the next phase, also took place at the same time as the opening.

The company says that round balers and large rakes will be manufactured at the new plant.

The first phase - which provides 6,300 m2 of production space on a site of 17 hectares - was completed in the record time of just one year. In order to be able to support the ongoing growth of the company, Pöttinger designed the new production plant in such a way that, when completed, it will offer a production area similar to the manufacturing plant at headquarters.

The groundbreaking ceremony held during the official opening marked the start of construction on the second expansion phase. This new stage means an expansion of about twice the current production area and an investment of around another EUR 45 million. In future, the paintwork of the machines will also be carried out at the new plant.

"We are pleased with the positive development of our business and want to use the momentum of current demand to achieve sustainability by expanding distribution and introducing new products. This development will be supported in the best possible way by these expansion phases," said Gregor Dietachmayr, spokesperson for the management team.

In addition to the ten High-Performance Dealer Workshops that are included with GIE+EXPO registration, the Bob Clements International (BCI) team - who will be well-known to readers of Service Dealer through their conference appearances and columns in the magazine - will be also running a masterclass on Tuesday, October 19 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bob Clements presenting at GIE+EXPO 2019

The half-day masterclass, that costs $99, will include three interactive sessions presented by Bob Clements and Sara Hey. The pair will walk dealers through key strategies that they say will help move dealerships to the next level, along with how to implement them. The discussions will be based on each dealer’s unique circumstances.
 
Schedule for Masterclass with Bob Clements International

Tuesday, October 19

• 1:00-2:15 PM – Is My Dealership Surviving, Dying or Thriving?
• 2:45- 4:00 PM – Growing the Profitability in Each Department
• 4:00-4:45 PM – Excuse Me. I Have a Question!

The High-Performance Dealer Workshops, which take place all three days of the show - October 20-22 - include sessions presented by BCI, as well as experts from the Equipment Dealers Association and United Equipment Dealers Association. Topics will range from bulletproofing your business and closing sales to generating revenue with two-way texting.
 
You can read a complete schedule of all the dealer workshops here.