Water management on turf surfaces is incredibly important to ensure healthy and playable sports pitches and golf course.
Sodden facilities equate to lost revenue and disgruntled players, so keeping your venue playable is a major priority.
And that’s where the versatile Ventrac all-terrain compact tractor and multiple attachments can help the beleaguered turf manager.
With seven different mowing decks including numerous rotary options, two flails and a triple reel cylinder mower, the Ventrac is ideal for numerous turf maintenance tasks. However, by utilising the patented mount system the experienced operator can switch out to a different attachment in less than a minute and be climbing the slope of a reservoir bank to cut down annual growth.
Inserting drainage bands or laying pipes normally requires a contractor to come in, but for the Ventrac owner, that’s when the Trencher attachment comes into its own. With the ability to dig a 140 mm (5”) wide by 1 metre deep trench, it’s ideal for helping with drainage issues.
Most mowers and other turf maintenance equipment are too heavy to work in sodden conditions, but with Ventracs’ low ground pressure of just 6 psi, it can work on wet ground without leaving messy tyre marks.
Until his recent retirement Chris Brook was the Group Courses Manager at The Club Company, who operate six Ventracs across their course portfolio. Commenting on his Ventracs he said: “They are brilliant in wet conditions as their ground pressure is minimal and can get out onto the course when other equipment would seriously damage the surfaces.”
Similarly, Peter Pattenden, the Golf Courses and Estate Manager at Carden Park said: “I’ve purchased a Trencher attachment, which we use over the winter months to help us install additional drainage bands and we undertake a lot of woodland management. This involves travelling across fairways to reach particular areas.
“The light footprint of the Ventrac, which I believe is just 6 psi, allows us to go in with either the Stump Grinder attachment or the Tough Cut deck to maintain these sites, without leaving wheel marks around the courses.”
