Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England: The Imants RootPruner supplied by Campey Turf Care Systems has been given the thumbs up by one of the top-50 Best Golf Resorts in Great Britain and Ireland.

With protruding roots on fairways and approaches causing mower damage and affecting play at Tewkesbury Park a solution was sought.

But removing roots meant excavating around the area, which would cause disruption and look unsightly. For Course Manager Paul Hathaway this was unacceptable because it was at odds with his standards.

The RootPruner proved to be the answer in maintaining those standards on the 6,554-yard, par-72 Deerpark Course.

Hathaway said: “We noticed the roots protruding through the surface of a few approaches and fairways, and these kept being caught by the mower, damaging the blades and putting the mower ‘off-cut’.

“This was more noticeable during the drought we had last year. We tried to dig and cut them out, but the mess looked unsightly and didn’t stop the roots from coming back.

“I always feel prevention is better than cure, so I decided to search for a machine to cut the roots near the canopy of the trees so we wouldn’t damage the health of the trees but stop the roots from encroaching into play.

“In the past, I’ve used an excavator to create a root break, but the disruption this caused wasn’t suitable to the standards we expect the course to be in. We needed a machine that would create a root break, but be efficient, neat and tidy.

“With the RootPruner, we were able to get around the entire course with ease and were very surprised how quick it was. The roots we went over have been removed, so we don’t have any protruding the surface. And so far, we don’t have any new roots coming through. I’m hopeful this will continue.”

The RootPruner cuts roots up to 100 mm in diameter with no clean-up, making it useable on golf courses without the worry of shutting holes through surface damage.

It also has the ability to de-compact tight, narrow areas with ease and includes a unique, patented triple-reduction planetary gearbox for smooth, maximum torque drive to the rotor shaft.

The RootPruner also features a factory set, torque limiting PTO shaft, eliminating all shear bolts and spring clutches.

For a parkland course, it can be an invaluable machine. Hathaway heard about it from a club in the local area who have shared similar results, and seeing it on his property once was enough to convince him to purchase a unit at Tewkesbury Hall, voted number 50 in the latest Best Golf Resorts in Great Britain and Ireland poll conducted by Today’s Golfer. 

He said: “Once we had the demo, we were very impressed with the smoothness, cleanness and size of the roots it would cut.

“I would definitely recommend the RootPruner for any parkland golf course. It’s a machine that is so quick and easy to use. It will save you downtime and money on repairing mowers which are damaged from hitting tree roots, and also make the surface better from not having roots protruding through the surface.”

Campey Turf Care Systems is a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.