::Pitchcare Newsletter::

If you cannot read this newsletter properly, please visit the Pitchcare Corporate Section at http://www.pitchcare.com/corporate/ where you can view this month's and all previous months' newsletters.

The August 2003 Newsletter

Independent Information Website for Sports Turf Maintenance Professionals

Groundsman Industries

Visit Groundsman Industries and its
UK distributor, Synergy Products
at demonstration areas
A18-21 at IOG Saltex 2003

Hello ,

The school kids and holidaymakers have had an enjoyable August, but for Groundsmen and Greenkeepers it has been a desperately hard month. Pitches and courses all over the country have been burning up, with dry patch problems being the order of the day. The fairways at my local course are browner than I have seen them for many years.

Unfortunately, unless you work at the type of club to be able to afford a comprehensive irrigation system, there’s not a lot you can do but wait for the rain.

As we move into September, the renovation time for summer sports will be drawing close. Hopefully, you already have your materials on order. If not, give us a call and we’ll help you source your requirements.

Good luck with the work.

Dave Saltman
Managing Director, Pitchcare

PS. We have loads of hot stories currently on Pitchcare, including End of season renovation plans from some of our regular contributors.

Quickly Jump To This Month's Burning Issues:

Saltex

As ever, Pitchcare will be out in force reporting on the show and getting all the news to you as it happens.

To celebrate our 2nd birthday we have produced an impressive 32 page newspaper which will be available from a number of locations around Windsor racecourse.

The newspaper is packed with stories, news and articles by Groundsmen and Greenkeepers from around the country. There’s a cricket mower analysis, competitions and an interesting debate on groundsmanship. Get a copy when you’re there – it’s free.

If you’re attending the show on the Wednesday, keep an eye open for our special guest. The UK’s tallest man, Chris Greener, will be in attendance. You won’t miss him – he’s 7ft 6in tall!

The New Pitchcare Site

Going live on 1st September, again to celebrate our birthday, will be our new look website. Earlier in the year we did a members survey and we received a lot of positive suggestions on how to improve the site. We’ve taken these on board to produce a site that is, hopefully, more attractive and easier to navigate. We hope you agree.

The site will also have more and improved sections. The new ones include a Glossary of Terms and Handy Hints – both suggestions from members. The Classifieds section has been extended and, shortly, we will be updating the Useful Information section.

September Renovations

Need any seed, fertiliser or topsoil for your pre-winter renovations? Give us a call on +44 (0)1902 824392 or email enquiries@pitchcare.com, and we promise to get a quote back to you within 24 hours. What have you got to lose?

Web Design & Development

Do you have a website that looks shabby, old fashioned or out of date? Are you lacking any internet presence at all - no website or email address? You are losing sales because of this, we guarantee it.

At Pitchcare, we understand all about internet technologies. We have a full time, fully qualified, knowledgable Web Developer. Call us to discuss your options on +44 (0)1902 824392.

Technical Merit Award in association with Tillers Turf

Nice surprise this month when the winner of the March prize draw wrote in to tell us of his experience. Brian Phillips, from Swanley in Kent, went on the Champagne Hot Air Balloon Flight, and had a fantastic time. His pictures and comments can be viewed in the General News section on the site, here.

You still have time to be a winner like Brian. There are a couple of days left to get you August entry in, so visit the Technical Merit Award and have a go.

July’s draw winner was Laurence Gale, Landscape Manager with Wrekin Council and who is currently completing an MSc in Sports Surface Technology at Cranfield University. As his prize, Laurence has chosen a family day out to Alton Towers.

Interview Room

After last month’s technical hitches and the disruption caused by the recent Blaster and So Big viruses, we are pleased to be back on track with our live interviews. Coming up after Saltex will be our rearranged chat with SISIS’s Keith Vertigan and David Harrison.

We have other chat forums lined up in the coming weeks, including an update on the latest Health & Safety requirements with our specialist H&S advisor, Mark Foley.

Full details, as always, will be available on the Pitchcare site.

September Offers

Pitchcare aim to provide members with the latest special offers from the Trade. Some of our current offers include:

SISIS Soil Reliever SR54
£8975 +VAT
Special price to Pitchcare members only. Limited availability.
Buy it now

The Bowcom Bowdry
£475 +VAT
Clear and dry any ground surface. Easily-emptied 60-litre holding tank. Special price to Pitchcare subscribers.
Buy it now

Harrod UK Multi Size 7-a-side Goal
£75 +VAT
Easily assembled and dismantled. Heavy duty 68mm diameter PVC. C/W bag.
Buy it now

Pass this on to a Colleague

As we write this newsletter, our membership sits at 5640 members; not too bad at all in 24 months. However, if we want to drive the industry forward, providing advice, shared knowledge, better conditions, education and pay, then the bigger the membership the more strength we have to achieve this. Our industry deserves to be viewed as professional, so we are asking you to recommend Pitchcare to at least 1 of your colleagues. To send this newsletter to them fill in their email address and name:

Email:
Name:

Pitchcare was designed and is run by fellow Groundsmen and Greenkeepers for Groundsmen and Greenkeepers. Remember, Pitchcare is your site.

Groundsman Industries

Visit Groundsman Industries and its UK distributor Synergy Products at demonstration areas A18-21 at IOG Saltex 2003, where they'll be demonstrating the full Groundsman range throughout the show.

HSS makes Groundsman Industries’ machines a hire priority

Northern Ireland-based machinery manufacturer Groundsman Industries has recently supplied hire giant HSS with turf cutters and aerators for its UK hire outlets.

The order included the 345HD and 460HD pedestrian aerators, the 8120CTM tractor-mounted aerator with core collector and the heavy-duty TC300 turfcutters, making Groundsman Industries the exclusive supplier of professional turfcutters to HSS.

The order has been supplied by Synergy Products Limited, the sole distributor of the Groundsman Industries’ range.

Robin Notley, Purchasing Director commented: “HSS strives to offer high spec, innovative, state-of-the-art equipment to its customers, but the two most important things that we consider when selecting machinery is reliability and ease of use. Groundsman Industries products are renowned for being steadfast and easy to operate. We also believe that their ruggedness will help them stand up to the misuse that hire equipment often suffers.”

Synergy Products’ Sales Director Dave Meharg said: “Being a preferred supplier to HSS is a huge endorsement to the quality and reliability of Groundsman Industries’ machines. Before deciding to stock a piece of equipment, they carry out rigorous field tests and inspections, not only on the machine, but also on the operating instructions, supply of spare parts and after sales service. They only place an order when all of these requirements are met.”

Wht not visit Groundsman Industries on the web,
http://www.groundsmanindustries.co.uk

email: contact@pitchcare.com tel: +44 (0)1902 824392 fax: +44 (0)1902 824393

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