World’s widest Sarel Roller on show at BTME

GreenTek displayed a selection of products including their 5.4m wide Multi-Sarel at BTME.

Multi-Sarel's three spiked rollers cover a width of 5.4m

In recent years, golf courses have been working hard to raise the turf quality of their fairways. This follows a similar pattern to the great advances in greens care equipment, and consequently turf quality, that have been made on golf greens since the 1980's and 90's.

Many greenkeepers will remember the launch of the Verti-Drain, followed by various greens rollers, the Greens Groomer zig-zag brush and the Sweep N Fill rotary brushes which superseded drag mats, plus the universally popular Thatch-Away greenscare cassette system.

Now, in the face of extreme weather in recent years, golfers are looking for improved turf quality on fairways. Having suffered from both drought and prolonged rain, many courses have struggled to maintain acceptable playing conditions, and are consequently looking at implementing some of the techniques previously reserved for greens, on their fairways.

Left: Multi-Brush is ideal for dispersing worm casts and dew ahead of mowing. Right: Wide coverage makes quick work of grooming fairways

Cultural practices such as brushing to disperse dew and worm casts, grooming to reduce thatch, rolling to improve trueness, and sarel rolling to improve percolation and reduce run-off, are all now viable treatments for fairways.

GreenTek are once again leading the way, with ultra-wide versions of the type of equipment that was formally only found on greens.

Their Multi-Brush, Multi-Roller, and Multi-Sarel all have massive 5.4m working widths, and the new Fairway Groomer is 3.6m wide. Working on lightweight compact tractors or utility vehicles this equipment is suitable for high frequency use to maintain pristine fairways on a weekly basis.