Ireland is an incredible place, with beautiful scenery and friendly people. And great beer. Specifically, Guinness. It is a thick and creamy beer that goes down smooth, and a heavenly pint of this dark and savory drink will have you wanting more of this delicious... But I digress. Back to turf!

Demonstration days give groundsmen the opportunity to see first hand equipment they believe can benefit them. With today's technology, you can see videos of new innovations at the push of a button. However, until you are actually there up close, seeing the results and benefits, it can be tough to totally buy in to new products. Until you are actually seeing (and feeling), for example, an Air2G2 lifting the ground, you might not be totally convinced just from the videos.

A part of the reason I came to Ireland was to help with demonstration days, in order to get as much exposure for Campey's products as possible. This week, I have visited three different sites in the north of Ireland.

A good variety of equipment on display gives groundsman different options to potentially add to their arsenal

Air2G2 on demonstration.

Imants Rotoknife

Many of the attendees were in charge of multiple pitches at different facilities that are used frequently. Compaction becomes a problem with frequent use. We demonstrated both the Shockwave and Recycle Dresser and got great feedback from the attendees.

Shockwave: aeration with little surface disruption

Watching the ground move side to side inside the Shockwave

For the first time, I got to see the Imants Sandcat in action. This machine cuts slits into the ground and funnels dry sand into them, all in one pass. It is ideal for improving drainage and soil structure in golf greens.

Imants Sandcat in action

Capable of injecting sand up to almost 5 inches deep (120mm)