Ecosol to showcase Drill n Fill at BTME
By Alistair
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Autumn 2015 saw a flurry of activity with Ecosol Turfcare’s Drill n Fill operation.
The company travelled to new Scottish customer, Western Gailes, near Glasgow to drill the whole course, as well as many others countrywide. Teams also went to Grand Ducal, Luxembourg, Krefelde, Germany, and to Paris and the company has forthcoming bookings for Europe in spring 2017.
Golf greens treated by this unique aerator, which can gently fold back turf and drill down to 31cm, replacing soil with sand or sand / soil amendment, are better able to deal with winter weather that has become increasingly wet. The percolation ducts created by the machine remain open for many months, allowing surface water to drain away easily and the backfill ameliorates the rootzone, encouraging better grass growth and uptake of fertiliser. The process relieves compaction and cuts through layers of thatch and black layer which other aeration methods cannot reach.
A pass of Drill n Fill on a one-off or rolling programme usually means that winter greens closures are a thing of the past and the process has a well-proven track record. West Midlands golf club, Enville, has recently employed ‘DnF’ on three greens for the first time. Enville has 900 mumbers and is a heathland site. The soil is mainly sand but can be heavy in places and the drill n filled greens were mainly old push-ups. Says course manager, Rob Jones: “The construction on these greens was done to a budget, so contaminated soil was mixed in and had given us a very undesirable soil profile.” The management at Enville is very traditional, he added, supporting best practices and encouraging the finer grasses, bents / fescues.
The employment of Drill n Fill became the obvious choice to improve greens’ drainage. And following some heavy autumn downpours, the reports are already positive. “The Drill n Fill has given us fantastic results, turning previously unplayable greens into consistent all-year-round surfaces, which is our primary target at Enville Golf Club,” concluded Rob Jones.
Ecosol Turfcare is now taking bookings for 2017, with spring and autumn being the most popular and effective periods. See the company at BTME, Harrogate on Stand 10, Hall A, where you can see its machines and working videos, collect literature and talk to knowledgeable staff about your drainage problems – the company will be delighted to take your orders too!
By Alistair
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