Gullane reclaims 40 hours a week using Toro

Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian, which operates three championship courses, took delivery of four Turf Pro 500 robotic mowers in April following a successful trial programme with Toro and the autonomous technology specialists from Reesink Turfcare. Since then, it has seen savings of up to 40 labour hours every week.

Gullane reclaims 40 hours a week using Toro

The introduction of this new technology reinforces the club’s commitment to innovation just a year after completing a full Toro fleet refresh.

“I’m always considering what’s best for the golf course, what’s best for the golf club and what’s best for the staff,” says Paul Armour, Course Manager. “We’re constantly looking at ways to move things forward and I think this is definitely the future.

“Ten years ago I wouldn’t have believed we’d see this so soon, but the industry is facing ongoing staffing challenges and technology like this helps us use our people more effectively.”

Working overnight across 16 fairways, the autonomous mowers allow the greenkeeping team to focus on detailed course presentation and agronomic work.

“We’re saving between 30 and 40 hours a week during the growing season,” Paul confirms. “The four machines are cutting four fairways each, overnight, so the golfers never see them working.

“When we first discussed the technology, some of the team asked if it would replace greenkeepers,” he says. “The answer is absolutely not. We’re still looking for staff and, with three golf courses to maintain, we never have enough people.

“What it’s done is free our team from spending hours sitting on machines. Instead, they’re hand mowing more areas, spending more time on bunker maintenance, trimming and presentation work, and focusing on the finer details that make a difference to golfers.”

Beyond labour savings, the club is already seeing additional operational benefits. “These mowers are rotaries not cylinders, yet the quality of the cut is very good. They don’t collect the grass clippings; these are left on the surface and that’s potentially feeding the grass and improving it. Results from this will take some time but it looks like it could be another promising benefit to using these machines.”

The autonomous fleet complements the club’s wider sustainability programme, including solar-powered charging infrastructure. “We installed solar panels in 2025 and are increasingly using renewable energy to power our growing fleet of electric equipment, the Turf Pros included. This brings significant fuel savings and there’s less oil and less servicing.”

The Turf Pro fleet is currently operating across Gullane No.1, No.2 and No.3 courses, with charging stations located around the site. Following installation and mapping support from Reesink Turfcare, all four machines were operational within 10 days.

While the technology required an initial learning period, Paul says performance has exceeded expectations.

“It’s been pretty seamless,” he says. “Like anything new, there’s a learning curve, but the support from Toro and Reesink has been excellent. The team has embraced it and some of them now help manage the machines, monitor schedules and look after the fleet, which increases their skill set.”

Discover how Toro autonomous and robotic solutions could benefit your course by calling distributor Reesink Turfcare at 01480 226800, emailing info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visiting reesinkturfcare.co.uk.

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