Elgin Golf Club’s Wiedenmann Terra Float Air, brings all year-round options

Wednesday, 13 November 2024

When Calum Forsyth, head greenkeeper at Elgin Golf Club was in the market for an overseeder, he purchased the Wiedenmann Terra Float Air without hesitation.

“The Air launched in 2017, while I was working at Nairn Golf Club, and they bought one almost immediately. Nairn has since completed a remarkably successful five-year poa reduction project on their greens, and they absolutely credit the Air for impressive results.

“Here at Elgin our intention is to put seed down continuously throughout the year. When you know first-hand how close and accurate the Air is, and that it never wastes seed, you wouldn’t choose anything else.”

Calum took delivery of his Air this summer from John Morton, Sales & Business Manager, at Scottish Wiedenmann dealer, Fairways GM at Inverness.

Once installed, its first task was sowing Barenbrug Ultra-Fine Rye on greens of the Moray club, as a few localised diseased areas were struggling.

“Three months on the uptake has been excellent,” continued Calum, “It was then part of a bigger exercise in August when we hollow cored all our greens down to 50 mm with our Terra Spike GXi8 HD. We dressed with a light top dressing, followed up with Barenbrug All Bent seed at 5 g / m², then brushed and rolled with the Air. That also gave a good hit and was our first co-ordinated maintenance with the two Wiedenmanns in tandem.

“Already we’ve taken early advantage of the Air accessing anywhere on the course. Throughout the season we’ve been very well mannered with all par 3 tees. We’ve been out once, if not twice a week, regularly divoting to aid recovery. At the end of October, we overseeded those with a good spread of seed, again the Extreme Rye, and we’re expecting they’ll really benefit.”

A unique feature of the futuristic-looking Wiedemann machine is that all aspects of seed delivery use electric-drive technology. The seed-dosing sleeves and fan are both electric powered. Seeds are delivered pneumatically down a series of eight pipes onto deflector plates, which direct the seed into the plant ‘pots.’

Everything can be calibrated from the cab. An on-board computer stores data from earlier runs and allows you to amend the application rate at any point in the process. This brings reassurance for for those needing finite calibration or those working with precious seed. Maximum accuracy is assured at extremely low rates, even quantities as little as 1g / m² . Users can opt for different seed hole making tools and Elgin’s greenkeepers chose two -the nail shaped and the coring tines tools.

“The major seeding focus next year will be on the greens where we will spike, seed and dress all in one go, maybe seven times through the season. Depending on conditions, we’ll start around March/ early April, by putting 5-7 tonnes of sand down, then using the nail tines, sow bent at  5 g/ m². We’ll follow this up at monthly intervals until October, potentially maxing out at 10 tonnes of sand if required. If we can get that done from April -October that’s going to give good coverage and healthy strong greens.

“Our machines are quick enough to stay ahead of the golf, so if we go out a bit earlier, I’m confident we can keep to our schedule. Negligible disruption to the surface, means a light roll and we’re back in business for following on golfers.”