ProSport UK Ltd building on Foley Grinders success in the UK
2018 has seen the further establishment of Foley United’s grinders in the UK thanks to the work of UK distributor, ProSport UK Ltd and the support of the Foley United team.
Foley grinders are becoming increasingly recognised in the UK for outstanding performance and value for money with renowned lawnmower manufacturer Howardson Ltd (home of Dennis Mowers and SISIS) the latest customer to have a new machine installed.
Sandy Lodge Golf Club situated in the beautiful rolling landscape of the Moor Park Estate on the Hertfordshire/Middlesex borders and featured in the Top 100 golf courses website, has embraced the practice of relief as well as spin grinding within their sharpening programme, with the delivery of two Foley grinders; the Accu-Master 653 and an Accu-Pro 673 Bedknife Grinder.
This follows hot on the heels of the newly built Ardfin Golf Club on the Isle of Jura, Scotland, which purchased a 672 Bedknife Grinder and Accu-Master 653 reel grinder to enable them to grind back to optimal OEM specifications.
Earlier in the Spring, Leamington and County Golf Club asked for the best grinder available to suit their budget so they could bring grinding in-house and decided on an Accu-Sharp 605 after extensively researching the marketplace.
The Double A Trading Company, Scotland, fulfilled their desire for a quicker high-quality grinder that offered spin and relief grinding with a machine that met all of their criteria - the Accu-Pro 633 with Accu 3 Touch Control.
Meeting customer’s requirements and providing machines that give a choice when it comes to grinding has been a large part of the Foley appeal. But a very important factor is sharing knowledge through the networks of business, social media and word of mouth that increases turf professional’s awareness of their options.
Ian Robson ProSport UK managing Director is optimistic about the future. “We have another seven machines being installed in the next few weeks, with more on order, which means busy times ahead for ProsportUK with Foley. The greenkeepers and course managers are finding the answer to their grinding needs within the extensive Foley range and that is key to our current success.”
Education is an important part of Foley United’s corporate strategy in the UK and was the catalyst in becoming BIGGA Education Supporters and joining FEGGA as a Patron Member. Educating greenkeepers and groundsmen on the benefits of grinding to OEM specifications is a long-standing mission for the company because it is important to acknowledge what relief grinding does for a reel.
Benefits of Relief Grinding:-
By removing metal from the trailing edge of the blade, it forms a relief angle, which reduces the contact area of the cutting edges, resulting in less friction, longer wear life.
Typically, when a new mower is delivered, the reels will be a perfect cylindrical shape. Over time, the blade naturally loses shape, and the sharp edge it arrives with becomes flat and dull, often meaning the reel is no longer a perfect cylinder from end to end. This is referred to as 'coning' and a natural point for grinding to take place.
The decision then sits between touch-up spin grinding, or relief grinding. If there is sufficient relief still on the reel, then a quick touch-up is fine but, once more than 50% of the relief has gone, it is advised to relief grind again and remove any coning. Failure to remove the coning will eventually be seen in an uneven cut appearance of your turf.
Foley United appreciates that budgets vary across the wide range of courses and clubs in the UK and to address that a range of six new grinders were added to the market that offer a broad range of options to suit all levels of expectation. This will guarantee that in-house grinding is a financially sound investment, with a range of products that can be upgraded over time while always delivering a top-quality grinding experience.
