Sports Turf Surfaces (STS) a leading sports surface contractor in the Czech Republic is one of the first companies in Europe to purchase the new model of modular Koro by Imants Field Top Maker 1500, through Campey Turf Care Systems dealer, Profigrass S.R.O.

Richard Campey was delighted to announce the winners of their UK and European Dealership Awards at the recent BTME exhibition in Harrogate.

The Awards are given to the dealership which has delivered the best performance over the previous year, not solely in terms of sales but also in backup, sales and service support.

Working closely with FEGGA during the past year has provided Campey Turf Care Systems with a wealth of opportunities to spread its knowledge and experience of turf maintenance and renovation techniques across a wide spectrum of European sporting facilities.

During our recent trip to Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia I had the chance to catch up with a past employee, customers who had emigrated to New Zealand and friends.  The purpose of my trip being to help our dealer in Malaysia, RS Machineries, to ensure that the machinery they had purchased and sold was working correctly, and that they were fully up to date with its working principles.

A new year and a new approach. Campey Turf Care Systems are broadening their product lines to include machines for both natural and synthetic turf. Richard Campey has always been an advocate of best practice and this applies to all aspects of grounds care including the recent developments in synthetic surfaces.

Richard Campey, Managing Director of Campey Turf Care Systems of Macclesfield, has won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton.

T.I.P. stands for turf improvement products and that is exactly what these products are about. A range of simple, robust implements which can be attached and operated behind any small power unit. These products will ensure the greens, tees, fairways and sports fields, natural and synthetic, are aerated, swept, brushed, spiked and seeded easily, efficiently and economically.

STRI is delighted to announce that the 2011 Golf Environment Awards has attracted participation this year from golf clubs all across the UK, with many inspirational entries. This demonstrates not only that the awareness of the awards is growing, but that a significant number of golf clubs are currently working on projects that make a real difference to the environment and their local surroundings.

It was 23 years ago when Richard Campey purchased his first PTO operated turf aerator – the Coremaster.   Now the new Coremaster Xtreme is added to the product range and is still at the forefront of 'ground breaking' technology as it was all those years ago.

Mike was experiencing long standing issues with poor surface drainage on the college playing fields. "We carried out several tests in early 2011 and poor infiltration rates due to a dense thatch layer were identified as the main cause of the poor surface drainage." Said Mike "So plans were put in place to identify a machine that would work alongside a hollow coring and harrowing programme to improve thatch control."

 Course Manager, Dominic Lewis of Harewood Downs Golf Course is delighted with the performance of the Imants RotoBlast blower recently purchased from Campey Turf Care Systems through GEO Browns Implements Ltd.  

Dakota Top Dresser spread pattern saves so much time as Whitekirk Golf Course adopts a monthly topdressing programme.

After putting it through its paces, Murrayfield Rugby Stadium has recently acquired a 1.2m Vredo Supa Compact disc overseeder and can now overseed their pitches in a single pass. The Vredo was purchased from Campey Turf Care Systems through Double A their distributor for Scotland.

Two new models of the Koro Field Top Maker from Koro by Imants where shown for the first time at Saltex 2011. The new modular 1200 and 1500 Koro Field Top Makers are heavy duty fraise mowers ideal for removing unwanted surface matter such as poa-annua, thatch, weeds or the entire surface to a depth of 50mm.  

The Imants GreenWave exhibited for the first time at Saltex, takes the tried and tested
'Shockwave' principal and applies it in a moderated form to fine-turf playing surfaces such as greens, tees and bowling greens. It has been adapted and designed specifically to tackle compaction in fine turf areas where minimum disruption is essential.

As part of their on-going commitment to promoting best practice and encouraging the
introduction of latest techniques in pitch renovation and maintenance, across Europe,
Campey Turf Care Systems consistently offer all year round support for their European
dealers. This includes attending many of the shows and demonstration days.

Campey Turf Care Systems is renowned for bringing the very latest innovations in turf
management to the fore to achieve fantastic quality pitches, additional playing hours and lower maintenance costs. The 2011 Saltex will be no exception with the launch of several new and exciting products from Koro, as well as other major products to be unveiled on the Campey Stand.

It's not often that you can find the WOW factor these days. We are bombarded with images and events which at one time would have been spectacular and have now through the internet have become the norm. But there is nothing blasé about the effects a complete renovation using the Campey Turf Care technique and equipment has had on the pitch at one of Irelands best known colleges, Belvedere.

In the 30 years I have worked in the turf industry, maintenance requirements carried out on golf courses have remained fairly constant but the methods to achieve the results has changed and in some instances quite radically.

Today's greenkeepers/course managers are under constant pressure to produce firm, true and fast greens all year round with minimal disruption to the members playing times.

Campey 25th Anniversary Open Day is a huge success and raises over £5000 for charity.

"A very very big thank you to everyone for supporting our Open Day" said Richard
Campey. "We have been overwhelmed with the turnout with guests from around the world attending, and interest shown from all sides of our industry."

Campey Turfcare Systems have supplied three Dakota Turf Tenders to a contractor in Holland through their Dutch dealer VGR Equipment. Managing Director Arwin Verschoor has worked closely with the Contractor; Veluwenkamp Bedrijven (Veluwenkamp group of Companies) who is a major player in Holland, undertaking a significant amount of local authority work.

Sales Director Simon Gumbrill spoke about hte reations to the Open Day.  "Many people from all sides of our industry have already pre-registered and expressed their delight in being able to pay tribute to the man who changed the face of groundsmanship and greenkeeping in the UK & Europe.  There can be no greater accoldae for Richard and the team by you supporting our Open Day".

Maintaining natural grass pitches and artificial turf surfaces was the focus for a UEFA knowledge-sharing workshop involving experts in the field and representatives of national FAs.

Modern top dresser units have enough design variation within them to make selecting the right one perhaps more involved than it may at first appear. Here we take a general look at what is on offer using the broadcast Dakota range from Campey Turf Care Systems as an example.

In his own inimitable style, Ian 'Poggy' Posgon, Product Specialist for Campey Turf Care Systems, waffles on about poor pitches, hand forking, scarification, aeration, overseeding.......

Campey Turf Care Systems is one of Europe's largest independent grounds care machinery suppliers, and this year celebrates 25 years of providing specialist equipment for turf professionals.

Are you a greenkeeper or course manager working at a golf club in the UK?  Have you completed an environmental or ecological project or initiative you're proud of?  If so, now is the time to enter the 2011 Golf Environment Awards for the opportunity to win a trip of a lifetime to Portugal.

The new Dakota 410 Electric Turf Tender provides all the advantages of the Dakota Top Dresser range.

In the sports turf industry today, there are very few people who do not understand benefits of regular aeration in combating the problems associated with compaction. Opening up the ground to receive air, water and nutrient is widely accepted, and with very few exceptions, the practice is widely adopted by the majority of sports turf professionals.

When Campey Turf Care Systems was asked by Gary Clowes Course Manager at Macclesfield Golf Course to provide free Campey 'T' shirts for a group of young school children on an adventure trip, they were happy to oblige.

The Wirral Ladies Golf Club have undertaken a trial of the Imants Rootpruner, and are delighted with the results that have been achieved.

Campeys Turf Care European Dealer, VGR Equipment has won the 2010 European Dakota Dealership of the Year.  A plaque was presentated to VGR owner Arwin Vershoor, by Randy Default, Sales Manager for Dakota Equipment and Richard Campey.

This is going to be a good year for the young sportsmen at Belvedere College, one of Ireland's finest boys schools, based in the centre of Dublin. For the first time in many years they can look forward to a season of uninterrupted play on pitches in top condition.

The 25th Anniversary of Campey Turf Care Systems will be celebrated throughout the
coming months with a number of events aimed at highlighting the achievements of
its staff, the loyalty of its customers and the continuing confidence of the
manufacturers which provide such an excellent range of products. All of these
elements have played a part in ensuring the success of Campey Turf Care Systems
as well as a winning combination of dedication to quality of products and
professionalism of after sales support.

So that's it. The final demonstration day of Campey Turf Care Systems' UK tour took place on 3rd November at South Staffordshire Golf Club, Wolverhampton, and yet again the turnout was high on what has been an outstanding series of events.

Due to the determination and commitment of the 'men at the top' at Leek Golf Club, a radical change in policy governing the maintenance of the course took place in 2003 with the introduction of a new Head Greenkeeper. 

So began six years of improvements which has elevated the course to the high standards you'll find today.

Design modifications to a Dakota 440 Turf Tender have enabled our Danish distributor, Havdrup Maskinforretning, deliver an effective, dual-purpose machine to one of its local authority customers.

Ryan Golding, the groundsman responsible for maintaining Leeds Rugby's Kirkstall Training Ground, hailed Monday's machinery demonstration event a success.

Campey Turf Care Systems were co-sponsors of the 11th Don Harradine Memorial Trophy, which was held at the Augsburg Golf Club in southern Germany in September.

A complete renovation programme has transformed the cricket pitch at Bradfield College in Berkshire from a tired, worn out surface, into a quality, fit for purpose cricket square and outfield. 

As autumn sets in, leaf clearance becomes an arduous daily task for those who maintain open spaces.

A successful demonstration day staged by Campey's Export Sales Manager, David Harrison, in Kuala Lumpur has stimulated interest in specialist equipment for the renovation and maintenance of sports pitches.

The purchase of a Dakota 410 mounted Turf Tender is helping ISS Facility Services Landscaping deliver excellent maintenace service to its customers.

Buying used machinery can be a bit hit and miss.  You want good quality kit that's going to last, but how do you go about finding the best machine within your budget?

Then, once you've found it, how can you be sure it's in good condition?

There is nothing like the prospect of holding a number of major sporting events to focus the mind.  For Craig Gilholm, the Links Manager at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on the Wirral, exciting times are ahead as the club prepares to host three major events in the next few years; the Ricoh Women's British Open in 2012, the British Boys Championships in 2013 and The Open in 2014.

Lancashire - based sportsground construction company, BPG Sportsground Contractors, has added a Koro by Imants Top Drain 1500 to its impressive fleet of specialist machinery.

Campeys will be exhibiting their 'David and Goliath' machines for brush and shrub clearance, at the APF Forestry show in September.

When it comes to choosing new machinery for your sports club or golf course, Campey Turf Care Systems understands the value of the 'hands on' approach.  You simply can't beat seeing it in action on sports turf surfaces!

Joe Pemberton, Head Groundsman at Manchester United's Carrington training ground, says he's observed noticeably improved results from their end of season renovations after using innovative, high work-rate machinery supplied by Campey Turf Care Systems.

Pitchcare Oceania Director Rob Jenkins takes a trip down memory lane on his time working in the UK and gives an insight into life on the road.

For Derek Crane, a professional landscape and amenity contractor operating in the Lancashire area, choosing a new mower collector proved a very lucrative move.  "It is not always easy to evaluate the true potential of a machine until you actually purchase it and put it through its paces" said Derek, "However, sometimes you manage to get it just right."

Are you a greenkeeper or course manager working at a golf club in the UK?  Have you completed an environmental or ecological project or initiative you're proud of?  If so, now is the time to enter the 2010 Golf Environment Awards for the opportunity to win a trip of a lifetime to the USA.

Will this cat get its claws into your turf? 

Congratulations are in order for Tony Cundall, our General Manager, as this year marks the 20th anniversary of him joining the company.

Dutch agricultural and groundcare machinery manufacturer Imants B.V. marked its 125th anniversary by hosting a weekend of celebrations at its factory in the village of Reusel, which has been its base since its inception in 1885.

Professional football pitch management is no longer about providing a surface which will withstand the rigours of 90 minutes of football, any league groundsman will testify to this.

The Imants Shockwave rotary decompactor range is ideally suited to amenity and sports turf aeration, with good work rates and low maintenance as operating pluses.  But how do they work?

Mandy Caton, our Sales Administrator, has completed her London to Paris cycling challenge, raising more that £4,000 for the Breast Cancer Campaign.

Sometimes it takes a small degree of inspiration, whole lot of hard work and dedication and the foresight of an enlightened council to make a massive difference to what can seem an insurmountable problem.

 

Charmian Robinson went to find out how one pioneering council reduced the number of matches called off by investing in a Pitch Rejuvenation Programme.  

The Imants Shockwave range of rotary decompactors are not designed to 'replace' deep tine aeration systems, but complement them.  So how do these tools operate?

Turf aeration is not about the use of a single machine or technique - it's about adopting a specific Turf Aeration Programme.

We have signed up new dealers in several countries and are looking to encourage more companies to join in promoting sales of Imants and Koro by Imants products around the world.

One team, two articulated lorries of machinery, four demo days, six renovated pitches, seven countries, 600 tonnes of sand spread, 1,800kgs of grass seed sown, 3,517 miles travelled.  We have concluded our seven week European Demo Tour, completing our final two full pitch renovations at football clubs in The Netherlands and Belgium to much acclaim.

We have continued our quest through Europe with our team about to conclude the penultimate week of the demo tour.  After completing last week's event at Golf Course Trnovo in Ljubljana, Slovenia, we headed north through Austria into Germany where we carried out three complete pitch renovations at the Rosenau Stadium, Augsburg, FC 1 Nurnberg and FC Koln. 

The 57 Series Imants Spader from JC Machinery will be making its debut at Cereals 2010.  The 57 Series provides cultivation, incorporation, main tillage and seed-bed preparation in a single pass.  The machine comes with seven banks of 6 spades per rotor revolution, this additional spading capacity translates into an compressive 50% increase in the work rate.

We have continued our patronage of the Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers' Associations' (FEGGA) annual conference, adding depth of the speaker programme by inviting a leading grounds manager to address delegates.

One principle that is generally accepted is that overseeding is necessary to achieve fine playing surfaces and that the absolute key to successful overseeding is soil/seed contact.

If you are going to supply equipment to one of the most famous football clubs in the World, you had better be confident that it will deliver on its promises.

Campey Turf Care Systems is always looking for new innovative products.

Whether the cause is climate change or natural weather cycles, there is no doubt that extreme rainfalls appear to be occuring more and more frequently. 

Despite difficult times throughout the Irish golf market, Portmarnock Golf Club appears to be bucking the trend and is still achieving high interest and ptronage from its members.  Investment in new machinery is still available to retain the high standards for which the club is renowned.

Dunham Forest Golf and Country Club is situated in the North West of England and gets more that its fair share of rain.  Surface water is a problem that all greenkeepers face to lesser and greater degress, depending on the location and design of the course.