Thursday, 30 June 2022
In common with other turf care professionals, Scottish sports contractor Fairways Sportsgrounds finds the months of May to September to be particularly busy.
“Inevitably clients want their work carried out around the same time, to take advantage of a break in the sporting calendar or when the schools are off,” said Fairways Sportsgrounds’ Contracts Director, Dave Gibson.
“It’s always been this way… higher temperatures that promote growth, longer daylight hours, it’s something that we plan for and then we cross our fingers that we don’t get too much rain.”
“We do our absolute best to schedule projects carefully to accommodate client’s wishes.”
“It’s far easier for us if a school is on holiday or a club has no matches when we are on site, but behind the scenes there is a lot of effort to co-ordinate the activity that takes place on any given day.”
“Approved sands or materials need to be delivered at the correct intervals. We constantly look at the weather, working out windows of opportunity for jobs that need no rain, or no wind or just extra care.”
“One of the ways we ‘win’ time is by deploying the right machinery for task. With Fairways GM as our sister company, it’s sensible to maximise this business advantage.”
“The companies are separate and are run independently, however they do enjoy a close relationship with Fairways Sportsgrounds purchasing machinery from Fairways GM. We have an enviable fleet that favours capacity and working width.”
“Despite both companies belonging to the Fairways Group, there is no special treatment given to us over other Fairways GM customers. Our experience is entirely positive, the service we receive is responsive and excellent, having access to class-leading workshop facilities plus on-site service engineers is a huge advantage. Then, there are the spare parts, not to mention access to some of the best trainers in the business…”
“We also benefit from the range of manufacturers and franchises that Fairways GM represents. We have our fair share of Wiedenmann machinery, Terra Spikes, a Terra Rake and a Terra Brush. We also have two Cushman Trucksters as well as several Jacobsen mowers, and we couldn’t do without our Pro-Cast PC 5 top dresser.”
“The machines have been very durable and see constant use, take for example this past week. Over at the natural grass football pitches at Glasgow Green’s soccer centre, we started off spreading sand with the PC 5, then we used the Terra Spike to aerate the ground. We followed on with a fertiliser application, and currently we are overseeding using a rye grass mix with the Wiedenmann Terra Float Air.”
“When our machines from Fairways GM are deployed, we’re getting on quickly and accurately.”
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