How TORO'S Titan Tines can help make your Aeration regime a Hole lot better.

Tired of stop-starting your aerator to change broken and bent tines, or unclog cores? Losing precious man-hours and money buying and applying new ones? What about time wasted collecting core-debris and repairing post-aeration turf damage?

Yes, aeration can be a dirty and difficult job - but it doesn't have to be.

Toro's ultra-durable Titan Tines are the turf professional's secret weapon when it comes to achieving precise, concise holes for faster recovery and a smooth finish.

Boasting a superior, clean-cut performance, Titan Tines are manufactured from a unique heat-treated metal alloy that provides maximum strength and resistance while allowing for thinner tine walls for improved core-pull and hole quality. What's more, Titan Tines will last three to four times longer than standard tines - in fact, Toro's Titan Max Tines are the longest-lasting on the market, thanks to their robust tungsten-carbide-blend tip, for an impressive 19 to 24 percent longer life.

With over 150 tines to choose from, there's one to suit every turf application, soil situation and Toro aerator, from the popular ProCore 648 pedestrian machine to the ProCore 864 and 1298 tractor-mounted models. Titan Tines are also compatible with most leading manufacturers' models, meaning you can optimise your aeration programme without forking out for a new machine.

But don't just take Toro's word for it. The London Golf Club in Kent is one of the countless customers to rely on Titan Tines for their aeration regimes. With spring renovations well underway and the summer programme fast-approaching, golf courses manager Peter Todd and workshop manager Dennis Excell share their thoughts on Toro's Titan Tines…

• Peter Todd, golf courses manager ( lerft)

"Our intensive renovation programme involves hollow coring the greens and tees across all 36 holes in spring and late summer. In addition, a similar operation is required twice yearly on 1.5 acres of grass practice area tees. Solid tine aeration work also features as part of a range of cultural practices, particularly the use of star tines.

"The abrasive nature of our sand rootzones places much greater wear on tines so it is important to choose ones that can last as long as possible. We've found Titan Tines - the hardened-tip ones in particular - are best able to cope with such heavy usage and wear. We favour them because we get a lot more wear out of them and save on labour time too by not having to change them as often.

"Because the hardened-tipped tines maintain their overall length throughout the renovations across all 18 greens, the depth of the hole remains consistent. This makes topdressing a much easier operation, with all the greens requiring the same depth of sand.

"Putting surface quality is paramount, so the selection of hollow tines is really important to us - particularly how well they are machined so that they eject the cores properly and minimise surface disruption. Couple all these benefits with the smooth operation of the Toro ProCore 648 aerator and you get a clean hole finish, consistency, no surface disruption and faster recovery.

"For me, it's critical that renovations are done as quickly as possible so that we can return to play - and that's why the right choice of tines is so important."

• Dennis Excell, workshop manager (right)

"Titan Tines wear fantastically well. We can normally get greens on 18-holes renovated using the hardened-tip tines, plus the practice tees - a total of 1.7 hectares of turf. And any tines that aren't completely worn down can be used up on the walk-off areas, which means we spend a lot less on replacements as a result. Another plus-point is that the cores always eject out of the hardened-tip tines without any trouble. I find them quick and easy to change, which saves me time too.

"All in all, we've never had any problems with them. We've been using them for a long time and wouldn't consider using anything else. Once, years ago, we did try using spurious tines, but they bent as soon as they hit the ground because they weren't hard enough! That's why we stick with Titan Tines - they're excellent."

For more information on Toro's Titan Tines, contact distributor Lely UK's Toro parts department on 01480 226870, email toro.parts.uk@lely.com or visit www.toro.com.