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Transformation At Teesside GC

August 27, 2019/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

Transformation At Teesside GC: In the last 10 years Teesside Golf Club at Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees has undergone the biggest transformation of any club in the area, both on and off the course, which has been altered dramatically with the introduction of new tees, ponds and bunkers and the planting of more than 30,000 trees. The […]

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

August 27, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle: Highland Council is planning to use a £40,000 remote-control lawn mower to target difficult-to-reach steep slopes around Inverness – including at the city’s famous Castle. While the lush green banks by the castle and the River Ness are regarded as a major tourist attraction, they come with serious grass-cutting problems. […]

Transformation At Teesside GC

August 27, 2019/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

August 27, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

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Transformation At Teesside GC

August 27, 2019/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

Transformation At Teesside GC: In the last 10 years Teesside Golf Club at Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees has undergone the biggest transformation of any club in the area, both on and off the course, which has been altered dramatically with the introduction of new tees, ponds and bunkers and the planting of more than 30,000 trees.

The 18-hole parkland course is situated on what used to be the old Stockton racecourse, while the clubhouse was originally a granary to which ships coming up the Tees delivered their grain. This has been fully renovated and extended, and future plans include improvements to both the practice and course facilities. Additional significant investment has more recently been made in new drainage, irrigation and John Deere course maintenance equipment to take the course and its presentation up to the desired level.

Supplied as a John Deere Financial lease package by dealer salesman Alastair Briggs of Greenlay at Cramlington, the latest equipment includes a new 9009A rotary rough mower; a used 3235C fairway cylinder mower that was specified for the practice area, but also fills in as back-up fairway mower; 2653B & 2653A tees & surrounds mowers, the latter an older machine that was refurbished as part of the deal; and a 2500B greens triplex mower.

Greens chairman Tony Foster joined Teesside Golf Club’s committee last year, and straight away consulted with long-serving head greenkeeper Gary Evans over the choice of new equipment and supplier. “Downtime is an invisible but huge cost,” says Tony. “We don’t want our greenkeepers to be in the workshop, we need them out on the course, which is our most important asset.

“Repairs and breakdowns were becoming uneconomic, not only in terms of the maintenance expense but also the time it was costing the club – it was not cost-effective for us to keep having to repair an ageing fleet. It had got to the point where it was simply unsustainable, so the timing was right to bring in some new kit.

“We’ve bought a few John Deere machines over the years, and we did look at other makes, but no-one did as much as Alastair and Greenlay to get the deal. They put on a robust series of demonstrations, which showed off all the key equipment and their capabilities really well to the greenkeeping team. They also spent a lot of time with us on the different finance options and quotes, to get the deal just right for the club.”

Gary Evans picks up the story: “There’s a huge amount of grass here, with big areas of rough to cover,” he says. “We’re cutting around 160 acres across 18 holes, compared to a normal average of about 120 acres – plus I like to cut the grass as often as possible, to keep it tidy and clean, so there’s a lot of work involved to achieve this.

“Therefore, the first machine we considered was the 9009A TerrainCut, as the rough was what we were really struggling with. It needed two men and machines before, but the John Deere did the job on its own in different cutting conditions, with no problems. We then went for the 2500B greens mower with QA5 cutting units, and the 2653B utility mower was the final choice – the older model has never failed us, so that was a no-brainer.

“It’s all about making the team more efficient and giving us more flexibility to cope with the course conditions, weather and timing of operations. The better the cut quality and finish, the better the course is for the golfers, it’s that simple.”

“Greenlay and John Deere gave us the confidence that they could provide the right back-up and support, which is the basis of a good working relationship,” Tony Foster adds. “Their whole approach to delivering a complete package of advice, equipment and training also meant we could promote the investment to both our members and new golfers as a really positive benefit to the club.

“I’m a great believer that you need the right tools to do the job, and with these John Deere machines we have them.”

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£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

August 27, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle: Highland Council is planning to use a £40,000 remote-control lawn mower to target difficult-to-reach steep slopes around Inverness – including at the city’s famous Castle.

While the lush green banks by the castle and the River Ness are regarded as a major tourist attraction, they come with serious grass-cutting problems.

The local authority, while aware that keeping these areas well trimmed contributes significantly to the visitor experience, acknowledges that the safe maintenance of the banks has presented significant challenges.

Over the last three summers it had employed a contractor with specialist equipment to safely maintain the steep slopes.

But next week, at the City of Inverness Area Committee, councillors will be asked to consider buying their own machinery and completing the work in-house.

Purchasing the equipment would also allow enhanced maintenance of similar locations throughout the city.

The health and safety concerns associated with cutting the steep banks including the castle and river banks are being drawn to the attention of councillors.

They will be asked to approve the funding from the Common Good Fund for the 2019 season contractor, costing £14,430.

But officers are recommending the direct purchase of their own machinery at a cost of £40,000.

This would include a contribution from the Common Good Fund of £20,000. The remaining capital cost, plus the annual maintenance and operational running costs of the machine, would be met by the service.

In a report before the committee members, amenities manager Debbie Sutton says: “If the option to purchase a remote mower was approved then the added value this could facilitate would be cutting at numerous locations throughout the city including General Booth Road, Suilven Way, Leachkin Road, Scorguie Drive, Overton Avenue and Balnafettack Road.

“In addition to this, numerous other steep bank locations could be identified which have not previously been considered as safe to cut.

“Furthermore, outright ownership of this machinery would give the council greater control over the timing of the operation to ensure that it takes place at the most appropriate time rather than depending on the availability of the contractor.”

Over the last three years, a contractor has been engaged to cut the north side of the castle banks and the banks of the River Ness two or three times per summer using a remote-controlled mower.

Ms Sutton continued: “Whilst this has resulted in a high standard of maintenance of these areas, better value for money for the council could be achieved through the outright purchase of this type of machine.”

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Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Transformation At Teesside GC

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

Transformation At Teesside GC

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Transformation At Teesside GC

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle

£40,000 Mower At Inverness Castle: Highland Council is planning to use a £40,000 remote-control lawn mower to target difficult-to-reach steep slopes around Inverness – including at the city’s famous Castle.

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