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First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing

September 15, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing: Thonock Park in Lincolnshire is the first club in the UK to invest in Toro’s Turf Pro autonomous mowers. Having made the decision to move to autonomous mowing at the beginning of the year, the club was introduced to Toro’s new Turf Pro mowers at the […]

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy

September 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy: Makita has introduced its new SKR001 Rechargeable Rotary Laser that makes levelling and alignment simple. With impressive range diameter capabilities and flexible charging options, the Rotary Laser provides outstanding accuracy, enhanced visibility, and convenience for trade professionals undertaking levelling tasks. The SKR001 delivers a measuring range […]

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing

September 15, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy

September 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing

September 15, 2025/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Admin

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing: Thonock Park in Lincolnshire is the first club in the UK to invest in Toro’s Turf Pro autonomous mowers.

Having made the decision to move to autonomous mowing at the beginning of the year, the club was introduced to Toro’s new Turf Pro mowers at the BTME launch and has subsequently purchased five from local Toro dealer, Russells Groundcare.

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing

The five Turf Pro 500 mowers are being used to cut both fairways and rough of 18 of the club’s 36 holes. According to General Manager Benjamin Hatch: “Our robot mowers are now cutting the fairways and rough for 18 holes on the Thonock Park course, and we are exceptionally pleased with their quality of cut and the definition between fairway and rough grasses.”

Thonock Park and Russells have had two comprehensive training sessions post-install from Lee Rowbotham, GeoLink and Digital Specialist at Reesink UK.

Lee explains the process: “We were there at the point of delivery to install the chargers and base station. The mowers are blind out of the box, so training involves telling them everything they need to know, like where the charging station is, the route to the fairways, what the safe areas, and not safe areas are. And of course, for the team to understand the operation and the terminology involved.”

Once set up, Course Manager Rob Acheson was shown how to control all five mowers through the Smart App. Operation is something Lee likens to how irrigation sprinklers are controlled.

“They are controlled individually, one at a time, and can be set up in advance,” he says. “Just like you can set a sprinkler to come on at 5am, you can set the Turf Pros to start mowing at 10pm once everyone has gone home if you wish.”

This provides a big advantage in getting course maintenance ahead of play. All fairway mowing can be completed before the course opens, supported by “the almost non-existent noise levels” as confirmed by Benjamin.

Another added benefit of these mowers comes from how the club has been able to redefine the job requirements of the team and can guarantee all-year round value.

“Very importantly, these mowers have enabled us to reassign some of our skilled greenkeeping team to other tasks on the course that require more specialist work,” Benjamin says. “During the wetter months, we expect to keep using these mowers, when ordinarily we would struggle to use the much heavier diesel machines. All in all, it has been a very positive investment for us and one that we believe we will continue to benefit from year after year.”

Just as Reesink sees the value in providing dedicated support for this new technology with the new digital specialist role created for Lee, so too do Russells who have recruited two dedicated employees to demonstrate and install Russells’ autonomous mowing offerings to customers, including private properties, estates, schools, golf courses and other sporting venues.

Mark Willerton, Groundcare Sales Manager at Russells, says: “Russells see autonomous mowers as an important part of our future business, it’s something we’re investing heavily in with dedicated specialist staff and demonstration machines.

“Working alongside Thonock Park and Reesink to understand this next generation of mowing and how to maximise the potential and efficiency of the mowers has been a great learning experience. We look forward to continuing working with the team at Thonock Park to ensure they always have the best turfcare options available.”

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Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy

September 15, 2025/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy: Makita has introduced its new SKR001 Rechargeable Rotary Laser that makes levelling and alignment simple. With impressive range diameter capabilities and flexible charging options, the Rotary Laser provides outstanding accuracy, enhanced visibility, and convenience for trade professionals undertaking levelling tasks.

The SKR001 delivers a measuring range of up to 800 meters in diameter when used with the laser receiver and provides horizontal and vertical accuracy of ±0.5mm and ±0.75mm per 10m respectively. With automatic self-levelling capabilities within ±5°, and manual slope adjustment, the new rotary laser allows for quick setup and consistent, high-precision layout work on large sites.

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy

Thanks to its green laser beam, visibility is significantly improved over red laser models, especially in bright daylight conditions. Users can select from static, or three rotation speeds: 150, 300, 600 rpm and three scan angles: 10°, 20°, 30° depending on application needs, adding to the tool’s adaptability and versatility.

The SKR001 is extremely flexible given it is compatible with three Makita battery platforms, CXT (12V), LXT (18V) and XGT (40V) can all be used to power the laser when fitted with the respective battery tray options. The Rotary Laser also comes equipped with a Bluetooth remote control (RC1) for operation up to 100 meters and features auto shut off and anti-drift systems to maintain laser integrity. Run time is equally impressive, with up to 160 hours of continuous use with a 40VMax 4.0Ah XGT battery, ensuring minimal downtime.

Built for real-world jobsite durability, this Rotary Laser features IP67-rated protection against dust and water, as well as shock-absorbing rubber bumpers to safeguard the unit from drops of up to 2 meters. Weighing only 4kg (without battery), it is a manageable weight yet sturdy enough for demanding and daily professional use.

“With a green beam to provide clear visibility and its multi-platform battery support, the SKR001 sets a new benchmark for cordless rotary lasers. It’s a must-have for professionals looking for flexibility and high performance,” commented Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita.

The SKR001 is supplied with an 18V LXT battery tray holder as standard.

For more information about the SKR001 and Makita’s full range of cordless machines, visit: www.makitauk.com.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing

First club in UK invests in Toro robotic mowing: Thonock Park in Lincolnshire is the first club in the UK to invest in Toro’s Turf Pro autonomous mowers.

Makita’s versatile rotary laser draws the line on accuracy

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