Machinery Nation LIVE returns to GroundsFest on 16-17 September at Stoneleigh Park with an expanded programme of machinery demonstrations, chainsaw relays and tractor challenges, alongside more than 500 brands and free CPD-accredited education.

From dawn pump checks to fighting off ants in valve-in-head sprinklers, Walton Heath Golf Club’s irrigation technician, Alex Lungu, tells John Kidson how he keeps water flowing across the venue’s 1,700-plus sprinklers, and why staying curious matters more than any tool in his kit.

Gullane Golf Club has cut up to 40 labour hours a week after introducing four Toro Turf Pro 500 robotic mowers across its three East Lothian courses, freeing greenkeepers for detailed presentation work while supporting the club’s wider sustainability programme.

Dunblane Golf Club has agreed a new Toro fleet deal with Reesink Scotland, introducing electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 mowers alongside a Reelmaster and Groundsmaster, backed by the ReeAssure maintenance package for fixed servicing costs.

Head groundsman Adam Henderson has turned to a Baroness LM331 mower to manage Greenock Morton’s stadium pitch single-handedly, cutting in around an hour while maintaining a near hand-mown finish through a tough Scottish winter.

Two Kubota compact tractors are proving the backbone of a £3 million course renovation at Crondon Park Golf Club, supporting drainage and irrigation upgrades as the Essex venue targets premier status and a growing calendar of county championships.

GroundsFest Academy’s latest free event, held at Reading FC’s Bearwood Park with Kress, gave landscaping professionals live demonstrations of robotic mowers, battery equipment and commercial technology alongside practical CPD sessions on tools, legislation and efficiency.

Origin Amenity Solutions’ 20-20-30 Tank Mix combines four technologies in one application to strengthen, support, condition and defend turf against Microdochium disease, offering greenkeepers a practical, integrated approach to plant health on golf greens and sports pitches.

Reesink Turfcare says genuine Toro cylinders are often cheaper than aftermarket alternatives once fit, performance and service life are factored in, making now the right time for turf professionals to replace worn components after a demanding summer.

Royal Birkdale’s greenkeepers used the Tacit Sholé Holecutter to prepare daily hole locations for The 154th Open, producing clean, vertical cups to championship standard – a process offering lessons in precision and efficiency for club-level greenkeeping too.

A stop by stand OSA810 will be a must for visitors to this years GroundsFest, with Kubota and Baroness joining forces to showcase one of the industry’s most comprehensive equipment line-ups.

Visitors to GroundsFest 2026 looking for sustainable nutrition and plant health solutions will find all the answers with a stop by Suståne Natural Fertilisers on stand 44.