March 2004
The Interactive Online Magazine for Groundsmen and Greenkeepers

MJ Abbott

The sponsor of
the March Newsletter is
MJ Abbott Ltd

 Tel: +44 (0)1722 716361
Email: enquiries@mjabbott.co.uk
Web: http://www.mjabbott.co.uk
This Month:
Editor's Foreword
Renovation
Helpful Hints
MJ Abbott
Hot Items
Ghana Calling
Weather Forecast
Site usage
Jobs
New Shop
Used Machinery

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Dear

Welcome to my favourite time of the year.

The clocks have gone forward, spring is in the air, the weather is warming nicely and we are all gearing up for the summer sports season. A few flat race meetings have already been held, rugby league is well under way, first class cricket starts in two weeks time and, come Easter, the outdoor bowls and tennis will be in full swing.

This is the time when Groundsmen and Greenkeepers gear up to the early flush of growth, preparing summer surfaces for play and final planning for winter sport renovations. It's a time where the days grow longer, the sun starts to warm the soil and the grass begins to recover quicker after use. There's a lot of work to be done.

It's hard work but we all know it will pay dividends in the weeks and months to come.

Regards
Laurence Gale
Editor, Pitchcare

Go to TopRenovation

Agripower

Fineturf

Groundsman Industries

Kestrel
SISIS Technicore
This month's feature article is on the spring renovation of winter sport surfaces. With the onset of the new grass growing season, it is imperative that Greenkeepers and Groundmen implement a renovation programme to prepare and refurbish their playing surfaces. Spring renovation involves a series of operations and inputs that are initiated in sequence and complement one another. The success of spring renovation is determined by a number of factors.

The feature article discusses the methods and the many processes involved in this important operation, and explains the benefits and types of machinery available. To access the full article click here.

Go to TopHelpful Hints

MJ Abbott

Seward Turf Maintenance

Sports World Amenity

Ultraplant
Having read some of the replies on the Message Board there seems to be a lot of interest in a Helpful Hints page. This would provide a forum for all Groundsmen and Greenkeepers to share their experiences and knowledge with colleagues. Here are a few we have seen posted recently by members:

  • Always use a fine sieve when pouring granular fertiliser in to your spreader. A lot of the mesh sizes on the sieves that come with the spreaders are far too big and allow those little lumps to get in. These lumps can affect the spread pattern.

  • Ever spent half of April on your hands and knees stabbing the ground with a screwdriver looking for the wooden pegs you put in the corners of your cricket square. Put in ferrous metal pegs this autumn and hire/borrow/buy a metal detector to find them again. It'll save you hours of grief. Same goes for soccer/rugby/hockey pitch corners.

    If you have any useful tips or hints click here, email john@pitchcare.com. We will get them on the site in the coming month.

    • Go to TopMJ Abbott

    MJ Abbott Ltd is one of the UK's leading specialist sports contractors, with unrivalled expertise and experience in golf construction, irrigation, land drainage, and sportsground construction and maintenance.

    The company was established in 1965 and operates throughout the UK and Europe from its base in South Wiltshire.

    The combination of an experienced management team coupled with a skilled and dedicated workforce enables MJ Abbott Ltd to offer the highest levels of service to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

    The company has an impressive portfolio of clients including prestigious golf courses such as The Belfry, Sunningdale, Royal Lytham & St Annes and Celtic Manor.

    Further details of the company and it's portfolio of work can be found at the website www.mjabbott.co.uk

    Go to TopHot Items

    Neville Wilkes
    Woodbury Golf Club - Behind the scenes with Course Manager, Ian Chenery, at the club owned by former World Formula One Racing Champion, Nigel Mansell. View it here

    Gillingham FC - New Head Groundsman, Jonathan Eves, is relishing the challenge of being in charge of Priestfield Stadium. He has set himself some ambitious targets for himself and his pitch. View it here

    Monthly Diaries - April's tips and advice on the maintenance tasks for each of the main sports surfaces.

    Blackburn Rovers - Steve Patrick has had to cope with stability problems with his pitch at Ewood Park, resulting in a re-tiling of one of his goalmouths. View it here

    Moles - everything you need to know, and more, about the turf industry's most infuriating pest. Information and advice from experienced Wildlife Manager, Neville Wilkes, and the NPFA's Technical Officer, Alan Penn. Lifecycle, habits and ways of dealing with the common mole are dealt with. For more details, click here

    Useful Information - an occasionally forgotten section on the site but crammed with all sorts of helpful advice - need to identify pests and diseases affecting your turf? Not sure about the exact sports pitch markings? Want to convert yards to metres or Fahrenheit to centigrade? It's all in this section.

    Go to TopGhana Calling

    Frank
    Head of corporate grounds at Fulham FC, Frank Boahene, has been enlisted by the Ghana Football Association to assist them in their ambitious plans to improve the standard of their playing surfaces. Initially, Frank's brief was to assess the conditions of the country's two main stadiums and to identify the immediate needs such as training and resources. The country desperately needs machinery, so Frank has put out a request to UK companies for donations of any equipment or machinery - new, used or ex demos.

    Contact john@pitchcare.com if you are able to help. For full story click here.

    Go to TopWeather Forecast

    The weather
    Spring is here and already we are getting some weird and wonderful predictions of what the summer has in store for us weather-wise. Experience has shown that these long range forecasts are invariably wrong. That is why many of our professional Groundsmen and Greenkeepers sign up to the weather service supplied by John Kettley's British Weather Services via the Pitchcare site. The service gives direct access to a Forecaster (not a machine) who will give you accurate, up to the minute information for your area. There is a range of services available from the direct weather line to a daily emailed forecast.

    For details of the best professional weather advice, click here.

    Go to TopSite usage

    Currently registering over 7,000 readers per month, making Pitchcare the most popular magazine website in the industry. Since the beginning of the year, new members have been joining at an average of 15 per day, and our monthly newsletter is now received by 14,000 industry related individuals and companies.

    By its very nature, the internet attracts progressive, forward thinking people. They want information and advice, and know where to go to get it. To put your company in front of these people couldn't be easier. From only £400 for a full year, Pitchcare is the most cost effective way of getting your message across. For further details call 01902 824392 or email peter@pitchcare.com.

    Go to TopJobs

    With new jobs being added every week, Pitchcare is able to offer the latest available vacancies in the Industry. Teaming up with a number of recruitment agencies, as well as the national job centre, there are quite literally hundreds of positions to view.

    Alternatively if you're looking to fill a vacancy, why not advertise the position on Pitchcare. At just £75 +VAT, our service represents great value and your advert remains at this fixed price until the position is filled. If you would like to add a job or need a more comprehensive service of vetting please call the office on 01902 824392.

    Some current vacancies on the Pitchcare Jobfinder section:

    Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - A large international organization is looking for an experienced agronomist/soil specialist. View it here

    Greenkeeper - North West London. To work as part of a four man team. View it here

    Private School, Ripley - Groundsman required to look after 23 acres of playing fields, lawns and formal gardens. View it here

    Go to TopNew Shop

    Multi size 7 a side goal

    Log effect tee marker
    Take a look at the NEW Pitchcare shop. We think it is a much better layout and far easier for members to navigate. There's a selection of over 500 products from some of the country's leading manufacturers. Line marking equipment, seed, fertilisers, irrigation supplies, golf course tools, sports equipment, machinery and turf care tools, with more products being added on a weekly basis. If you can't find what you want in the Shop, give us a call on 01902 824392, we can usually get it for you.

    Current Specials on offer include:

    Multi size 7 a side goal from Harrod UK, only £75.00. View it here.

    Log effect tee marker, with FREE company/club logo, £8.95. View it here.

    Bowdry, the leading water removal machine, £475.00. View it here.

    Kombi linemarker, our top selling machine, with free knib, £450.00. View it here.

    Hover Mower, as used on PGA tour, new to the UK, £431.00. View it here.

    Go to TopUsed Machinery

    Looking for that crucial piece of machinery, but your finances are somewhat limited? Look no further than our Used Machinery section. We have a wide range of used and ex-demo machinery. Some of the more recent additions to the section:-

    Shelton gravel bander - ideal for draining fairways, £5,950. View it here.

    SISIS tractor mounted veemo scarifier, £400. View it here.

    Iseki TX2160 tractor, manual gearbox and a choice of agricultural or turf tyres, £3250. View it here.

    Lloyds Paladin 21 inch - restored fine turf mower with new front roller, £1,000. View it here.
    Magazine Message Board Shop Used Machinery Weather

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