Constructed on the site of a former gravel quarry, the greens at Kilworth Springs Golf Club in Leicestershire are incredibly mobile and free draining which, despite having some benefits, also means they are prone to compaction. And that’s where the Carrier and Verti-Drain 1513 from Redexim comes in.
Head Greenkeeper Joel Chappell claims this combination delivers effective compaction relief and versatility for aeration tasks around their busy course, making it the ‘most important piece of kit’ in their shed!
Founded in 1993, Kilworth Springs delivers a challenging 18 holes overlooking the Avon Valley. Because of the nature of the soil and sand foundations, the main issue for Joel and his team of four is that for 12 months of the year, the course is always bone dry.
“We can support year-round play where other courses local to us sometimes struggle during the winter months” explains Joel. “This sustained level of traffic means compaction is our biggest hurdle. As a club, we needed something that could get aeration completed quickly whilst leaving a minimal imprint on the greens.”
The Redexim Carrier was delivered by Ben Burgess just prior to Joel joining the club in July 2022, but he was instrumental in the purchase. “We were impressed with this being light weight, yet robust to deliver impressive aeration on our hard ground. We’ve hired machines that have succumbed to the tricky conditions and fallen apart after a week where the Carrier and 1513 Verti-Drain® stands up to the task with ease.”
Powered by a 31hp engine and hydrostatic transmission, the Carrier can be utilised with a variety of implements such as seeders, verti-cutters and aerators for high output, effective operations with minimal ground pressure. The 1513 Verti-Drain® – with its 1.3m working width, 15o of heave and a maximum depth of 6” – is ideal for use on fine turf surfaces.
“We conduct traditional verti-draining at least once a month and more often in winter where it’s out three weeks in every four across greens, tees and approaches. We also hollow core with this set up.” He continues, “When ground conditions allow, we can also use the Verti-Drain® with our compact tractor which frees the Carrier up to be used with other implements which we’re now exploring.”
Joel concluded: “Greenkeepers I think are naturally cautious and sceptical of change and new things but within a week of using the Redexim partnership my whole team were so impressed with what it could do. Now we couldn’t be without it!”