Bowls club goes ‘green’ with INFiNiSystem™
The 6-rink green at Potters Bar Bowls Club is maintained by volunteer greenkeepers Rod Smale and his wife Sandra, and after first seeing the ATT INFiNiSystem™ 22” at SALTEX 2015 they knew the multi-functionality, via the range of cassettes, was what Potters Bar needed to take the surfaces to the next level.
Volunteer greenkeeper Sandra Small and the INFiNiSystem™ at Potters Bar Bowls Club.
“We had a demonstration and were really impressed, the main selling point being its ease of use. As volunteers any equipment needs to be simple to use and once I’ve set the adjustments on this ATT unit it almost looks after itself – my wife just walks with it.”
The INFiNi is used for daily mowing as well as in conjunction with the SMARTUltraGroomer cassette which uses over 80 carbide tipped blades to minimise puffiness in high density grasses and reduce Poa annua ingress.
When Rod first took charge of the grounds maintenance three years ago, the green was approximately 98% Poa. Since they’ve been using the INFiNi & UltraGroomer, normally once a week, this has now significantly reduced. “The players are noticing the improvements to the speed of the rinks. Our surfaces were previously quite heavy to bowl on, you’d be lucky to get the jack to ¾ length whereas now the bowls are often in the ditch!” explains Rod.
Another consideration for Rod was the houses and flats that surround the club. “The ATT product is well known for its low pollution emissions thanks to being battery powered – and of course its quiet status means we can start much earlier than we previously could.”
In addition to the SMARTUltraGroomer, they’ve also got the SMARTSarel roller. “This is superb too. It doesn’t damage the greens like most machines, it creates the holes and you don’t need to roll after as it leaves the green so smooth.
“Overall we’re both so impressed with the machine and the cassettes we have, we’ve had no problems whatsoever. The UltraGroomer especially has made a massive impact on the greens – it’s revolutionised our job!”