Tag Archive for: golf

London Golf Club And Club Car Celebrate 20-Years

in , /by

London Golf Club And Club Car Celebrate 20-Years: London Golf Club, host venue of the 2019 Staysure PGA Senior Championship and a European Tour Destination, has celebrated its 20-year relationship with Club Car by taking delivery of a new high-spec fleet of golf vehicles. 

The fleet of 50 Tempo golf cars supplied by Club Car, a brand of Ingersoll Rand and Official Supplier to The European Tour, features the market-leading connectivity solution, Visage, which formed an important part of London Golf Club’s decision to renew.

London Golf Club And Club Car Celebrate 20-Years

This ‘connected’ GPS Fleet Management platform boasts unique features that helps support maintenance of the club’s two pristine Jack Nicklaus designed courses, provides guests the greatest range of in-car services on the market, and offers specific options that support the venue’s valuable corporate golf revenue stream.

Stephen Follett, CEO of London Golf Club, commented: “We pride ourselves on our ability to offer both members and guests an unrivalled level of service and attention-to-detail, and we therefore need to work with suppliers that mirror these standards.

“Having partnered with Club Car for the past 20 years, we trust the brand and have every confidence in the performance and reliability of the golf cars.”

He continued: “London Golf Club hosts a substantial number of corporate and professional events, and the integrated Visage system enables us to tailor the in-car screens with company logos, contact details and so on, which further enhances the customer experience and supports this important branch of our business.”

The newly installed fleet of Club Car vehicles marks the sixth that local dealer, Bradshaw, has delivered to London Golf Club over the duration of the 20-year relationship.

Kevin Hart, Director of Golf Sales EMEA at Club Car, added: “London Golf Club is one of Europe’s leading golf destinations and is a fantastic example of a venue completely in tune with its customers’ wants and needs.“We are honoured to have been the chosen supplier for the past 20 years, and we look forward to continuing this long-term relationship.”

London Golf Club, the first club to feature within the European Tour Destination network of world class venues, has impeccable tournament credentials, having held European Tour events in the form of the 2008 and 2009 European Opens and most recently the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship in 2018 and 2019.

For more information about London Golf Club, visit: https://www.londongolf.co.uk

For more information about Club Car, visit: https://www.clubcar.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.

Le Golf National’s Short Game Area

in , /by

Le Golf National’s Short Game Area: Not content to rest on its laurels after the stunning success of last year’s Ryder Cup, the team at Le Golf National is continuing to invest in its facilities, building a substantial new training area for short game practice.

Located between the sixteenth green of the Albatros course and the club’s driving range, the new short game area housed a large grandstand during the Ryder Cup. “When the stand came down after the event, all the grass in the area was dead, so it was clear we needed to do something with the ground,” said Lucas Pierré, golf courses and estates manager at Le Golf National. “At the same time, we decided to rebuild all our training areas using better materials. They are really important for us and get a great deal of use, both from our paying golf customers and from our coaches running clinics for local schoolchildren.”

Le Golf National's Short Game Area

“The area between the sixteenth green and the driving range was ideal for this use, as it was already covered by our irrigation system,” said Pierré. “The new short game area was designed in house, jointly by me, by Alejandro Reyes [LGN’s former superintendent, now an agronomic consultant] and by our head golf teacher. We saved as much of the USGA rootzone as possible – it is quite large, with 3,000 sq m of green space, 4,000 sq m of surrounds and 1,000 sq m of sand, in two big bunkers.

“We already have Capillary Concrete on the Albatros course, and we are used to working with their French distributor, Stan Chapus of Greenmix,  so we know that the system works, and we decided on EcoBunker to create the bunker edging. Together they make an advanced system – not cheap, but they work well together. We can keep the sand on the bunker faces; it doesn’t wash down every time there is a big rain.’”

The new area will open in September for use by the local childrens’ golf schools, and be in use when the French Open returns to Le Golf National in October.

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.

Toro’s 100 Years In Golf

in , /by

Toro’s 100 Years In Golf: It’s doesn’t seem like five minutes ago the occasion of Toro’s 100 years in business in 2014 was marked. But now it’s time to celebrate the company’s centennial milestone serving the golf industry, and what a century it’s been.

Starting as it meant to go on, The Toro Company made its entry into the golf sector with product innovation by developing the industry’s first motorised fairway mower for the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.

Toro's 100 Years In Golf

By mounting five lawn mowers on the front of a farm tractor, Toro created the motorised golf course equipment industry and in doing so started a century of listening closely to its customers, developing innovative products based on feedback and available technology, long-standing customer relationships, and establishing a distribution network to deliver great local service and support.

Reesink Turfcare, or Lely Turfcare as it was, has been part of that journey as the sole Toro distributor in the UK for golf and sports fields equipment and irrigation products for almost half that time. And as Toro’s four pillars for success so closely match Reesink’s, it’s no wonder it’s been such a long-lasting and rewarding partnership for all these years.

But the biggest reason for marking the occasion is to say thank you.

Grant Young, general manager of Toro’s Commercial Business, says: “Without a doubt, we owe much of our success to the Toro employees who have helped shape the golf industry with countless innovations. But we wouldn’t be here today without the Toro customers across the globe who put their faith and trust in our products every day. As we celebrate a century in the golf industry, we simply want to say thank you to our customers and channel partners for continuing to put your trust in Toro people and products.”

David Cole, managing director of Reesink Turfcare, says: “The first Toro product to hit UK shores was the Toro Greensmaster 3 at the beginning of the 1970s. That innovative ride-on product was born from Toro’s established golf focus and projected the brand into the UK as a producer of high quality, innovative golf equipment in the UK.

“Since then a reputation has been built that centres on reliability, durability and support and a mutual trust has developed between our customers, us as distributor and Toro which can be truly viewed as a partnership. We’re extremely proud to have represented Toro and its product values for so many years and we also thank our UK golf customers for their long-standing loyalty, confidence and trust.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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.

Pitch Vandalised With Golf Clubs

in , , /by

Pitch Vandalised With Golf Clubs: A football club has hit out after vandals tore up their pitch with golf clubs only a week before their first pre-season friendly.

Billinghay Athletic Football Club, which competes in Division One of the Boston and District Saturday Football League, have criticised the actions of the vandals, which have left them with an uphill struggle to get the pitch ready in time.

Pitch Vandalised With Golf Clubs

Vandals armed with golf clubs made 20 holes in the pitch, while dog poo has also been found on the grass, in what the club secretary describes as a “kick in the teeth”.

Nathan Wood, who has also played for the club since he was a youth player, said it was not the first time they’ve had to deal with dog poo, but golf-related vandalism is a first.

“We’ve had issues for a long time with dog poo, but not with the golf,” he said. “We’ve not seen anybody do it, but we do find golf balls on the pitch.”

He added the vandalism, which is believed to have taken place on Saturday, July 6, was all the more frustrating after the club made great efforts to improve the quality of the pitch.

“Since we’ve taken over the club we’ve invested a lot of money,” he said. “We’ve bought a new lawnmower. There’s me and another guy taking two or three hours of our day, every couple of days to cut it.

“The grass they’ve chopped won’t grow back in time.”

Mr Wood added that although it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, he felt the person who did was being “very irresponsible”.

“It’s nothing major, we are not saying it’s the end of the world,” he said. “The person who’s done it is very irresponsible. They’d done up to 20 holes. This person, for whatever reason, they’ve done it on the football pitch when they’ve the whole field to do it on.”

In a Facebook post on Sunday, July 7, the club hit out at members of the public who appear to have been using the pitch for non-footballing activities.

“Unfortunately after the football club has spent time and money cutting, marking out and repairing the pitch for the new season, somebody has decided to take chunks out the pitch playing gold,” it reads.

“We have no issue with people using the pitch in this way but please take your shots off the pitch. We have also had to remove numerous piles of dog poo off the pitch as well.

“We want a pitch everyone in the village would be proud of and need your help in succeeding.”

Click here to read the original article

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.

Innovative Leadership In Sustainability Reporting By Golf

in , /by

Innovative Leadership In Sustainability Reporting By Golf: GEO Foundation, supported by multiple partners and stakeholders, has announced the development of a new and ground-breaking framework for golf’s social and environmental reporting – this news was shared in front of an audience of global sustainability systems, government agencies, non-government organisations, corporations and other institutions.

The announcement represents a significant watershed in how the sport can quantifiably and consistently track and demonstrate its progress and value.

Innovative Leadership In Sustainability Reporting By Golf

The Independent Chair of the project’s Strategic Advisory Group is Paul Druckman, former CEO of the International Integrated Reporting Council. Druckman said: “Golf is a large and influential sport, comprising over 34,000 grassroots facilities in over 200 countries, hundreds of professional tournaments and with a significant supply chain. It also has powerful media and reach, and can inspire hundreds of thousands of fans.

“Golf is not unique amongst business to increasingly recognise the need to consistently measure and communicate with credibility its environmental and social impact. Through this work, golf is also gearing up to show how the sport delivers against global priorities, principally the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’’.

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director of GEO Foundation, the international not-for-profit dedicated to helping advance sustainability in and through golf, added: “The goal is to enable golf to accurately monitor, measure and communicate real impacts, and to connect that locally, nationally and internationally. It has been a complex but enjoyable challenge – studying, collaborating, developing a deep understanding of the priority metrics, mapping audiences and building user-centric software to simplify data gathering at scale.

The project began a year ago after discussion hosted by the Vidauban Foundation and the response from golf associations, as well as externally, has been tremendous. We’d particularly like to thank strategic partners: The R&A, Vidauban Foundation, Toro Foundation, and the ISEAL Innovations Fund, plus over 150 scientists, association leaders and grassroots golf course and club managers – who contributed to the various consultations.”

The framework is designed to help golf more consistently quantify and communicate its ‘net impact’ across golf’s ‘Sustainability Agenda’. As such it covers the material environmental and social issues across three main themes: fostering nature, conserving resources and supporting communities.

To ensure credibility and connectivity, the framework aligns closely with mainstream sustainability goals and reporting systems and is underpinned by the core principles of inclusiveness, materiality, reliability and context. It will be available in the coming months.

With both golf’s voluntary standards and the new metrics fully integrated into OnCourse, the software solution used to engage golf facilities, tournaments and associations; the next phase is to work closely with partners to roll-out, engage and drive active participation. OnCourse is currently used in 76 countries around the world and is available in nine languages.

“We look forward to working with many partners across golf to roll-out the framework and the software, empowering them, their golf facilities and their tournaments to drive individual performance and at the same time pool real data and stories from thousands of sources. This will support the strengthening advocacy and policies of a growing number of international and national associations,” Smith added.

Initial support for the project

Patrick Mallet, Director of Innovations, ISEAL Alliance: “Anyone who’s serious about sustainability knows that the ability to measure performance and impacts is key.  What we like about GEO’s approach is that here we have an example of a sector that is seeking to become more transparent, and shortening the distance between commitments, actions and communicable outcomes.  Building a framework and associated software for issues as complex as these, and for small and medium-sized enterprises like sports clubs is no mean feat and we congratulate everyone involved for their commitment and their creativity.”

Steve Isaac, Director of Sustainability, The R&A: “The R&A has long advocated the value of golf building a robust database of key performance indicators to measure and report on golf’s sustainability performance locally, nationally and internationally. Our support of the GEO Foundation and this project, in particular, should help golf understand its current performance, identify priority areas for improvement, enhance the sport’s image and help the sport become more resilient to the many environmentally and socially driven challenges we face related to the changing climate, regulation or resource constraints. We are extremely pleased to see this initial milestone achieved and look forward to further collaboration with GEO and our affiliates around the world to engage grassroots clubs in the gathering, analysis and communication of data back across the sport of golf and to external audiences.”

Antony Scanlon, Chief Executive of the International Golf Federation: “This is a really exciting project and one that we can see is at the forefront of the Olympic sustainability movement. It is good to see golf sharing knowledge and experiences with other sports and throughout the Olympic family, as we all work together to make sport as sustainable as possible.”

Judson McNeil, President, Toro Foundation, Toro Giving and Community Relations at The Toro Company: “Every sector’s use of critical natural resources such as water is under scrutiny. We have to be able to account for every drop and show how we are maximising efficiency. That can only happen with data, which is expertly analysed. That is why the Toro Company has supported GEO Foundation in their endeavours over many years and why we will continue to lend our support and expertise in the future.”

Julie Duffus, Olympic Movement Sustainability Manager, International Olympic Committee: “This framework is excellent news for golf, the Olympic Movement and global sustainability. As the leader of the Olympic Movement, the IOC looks forward to engaging further on this exciting initiative and supporting its implementation. We hope that GEO’s leadership will inspire others to adopt such a systematic and holistic approach to sustainability.”

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.

Vandals Tear Up Golf Green

in , , /by

Vandals Tear Up Golf Green: A group of “mindless” joy riders ripped up a north-east golf course at the weekend, leaving one green badly damaged.

Grounds staff at Oldmeldrum Golf Club arrived on Sunday morning to prepare for the day’s action only to discover tyre marks across the 17th green.

Vandals Tear Up Golf Green

Sections of turf had been ripped out by the perpetrators who caused significant damage that may take some time to repair.

It is the second time a car has been driven onto the course, which can be accessed from an adjacent road, but the first time someone has taken it onto the greens.

Now the club officials have to assess whether they can replace the turf, or whether they have to leave it to grow out.

Hamish Dingwall, club coordinator, said: “It obviously has had an impact in the short-term because we have had to re-position the hole.

“But it’s more the long-term effect it’s going to have on the surface because of the damage to the turf.

“We will have to assess what we do in the long-term. It may be that we have to just leave it to re-grow.

“There’s been a very good response on social media since we posted about the incident.

“It is very frustrating for us and not something anyone wants to see at their club. It’s just mindless vandalism.”

Click here to read the original article

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.

Toro At Peterborough Golf Clubs

in , , /by

Toro At Peterborough Golf Clubs: The family-managed duo of golf courses, Thorpe Wood Golf Course and Orton Meadows Golf Course in Peterborough, continues its joint ambition to switch to Toro with the arrival of its latest fleet.

Golf is in Simon Fitton’s blood. Not only is he a fourth-generation golf professional, he’s also the third generation of the Fitton family to be managing the two courses. Simon assumed the role of managing director of Nene Golf Ltd, the company managing both sites, in 2010 and has been adding more Toro to the shed on an annual basis – and has also added a rescue dog called Toro to the ranks!

Toro At Peterborough Golf Clubs

Simon says: “I took over the company from my dad in 2010, but the first Toro arrived a decade before me. Since then, we’ve been on route to becoming all Toro and I foresee that being achieved in three to four years. Every year we switch more out and get one step closer.”

The reason for this, Simon says, is the service from Reesink Turfcare and rep Julian Copping is “surprisingly good” and the quality and reliability from Toro is “sound”.

“I met Julian pretty much as soon as I joined and the relationship was there straight away. It was all good, actually surprisingly good – very natural – and as a result it has easily developed into what it is today. Julian continues to help us sort out what we need and makes the process very easy.”

The machines delivered in this most recent order includes, among others, a Reelmaster 3100-D with Sidewinder, Workman HDX utility vehicle, ProPass 200 topdresser and an ex-demo SandPro 5040, which, with up to 17 attachments all of which can be changed in under a minute, is the perfect addition for two busy clubs.

So, with the machinery replacement programme taken care of, Simon can concentrate on the recent developments across both courses driven by the changing industry: “We’re already unusual in that we’re a business comprising two courses, in two locations offering our customers two great challenges. But the industry is changing and we’re making updates to both courses to make sure we don’t get left behind. These include a 23-bay covered floodlit driving range, the building of which meant we had to adjust parts of the course to accommodate it, a large putting green by the first tee and a chipping tee by the 10th. Meanwhile, Orton Meadows has an updated 12-hole Pitch and Putt course to introduce more people in the area to the game and provide somewhere for players in the area to perfect their shots.”

With two 18-hole courses and all these new additions to the clubs, it is probably quite a challenging role for Toro? “You’d never notice,” says Simon. “Toro takes everything we throw at it, whether it’s course maintenance or more challenging build projects, in its stride. And you can really notice the difference as we get more Toro – you see how the quality cut, finish and care spreads to cover more of the course.”

So how about Toro the dog, how does he fit into the story? “That’s a story that was just meant to be,” says Simon. “I already had a dog called Welly and although I wasn’t looking for another, I’d heard of a rescue dog that needed a home. His name was Toro and as soon as I saw him I knew he was coming home with me! I don’t know why he was given the name of Toro but it certainly suits us – he arrived and in the same week so did a new arrival of Toro machines!”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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.

TM1000 Tackles Golf Course Thatch

in , , /by

TM1000 Tackles Golf Course Thatch: Normanby Hall Golf Club Head greenkeeper Michael Burgin has reported hugely successful results from using the SISIS TM1000 tractor mounted heavy duty scarifier to combat high levels of thatch on the greens.

This delightful golf course in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, adjoins the picturesque Normanby Hall country park and is set in 117 stunning acres of mature woodland and parkland. The 18 hole, par 72 course is widely considered to be one of the toughest courses to play in the area, providing a challenge for players of all abilities.

TM1000 Tackles Golf Course Thatch

Michael, who has been in the greenkeeping industry throughout his entire career, has been at Normanby Hall for eleven years. Two years ago, he was promoted to the position of head greenkeeper and one of his first tasks in charge was to tackle an abundance of thatch which had occurred on the greens.

“We established that we had a large layer of thatch on the top of our greens; it was on all of them throughout the whole course. This resulted in some drainage problems and I knew that we desperately needed a new piece of equipment which could help us solve the problem.

“I did a lot of research and came across a number of videos online of greenkeepers using the TM1000. I then read an article about the course manager at Greetham Valley Golf Club using it and what he said about the machine pretty much persuaded me to buy it.”

The SISIS Rotorake TM1000 is a tractor mounted heavy duty scarifier and linear aerator and is un-rivalled when it comes to removing and controlling thatch. It includes a collector box and floating unit to follow ground contours and its contra-rotating reel throws debris forward ensuring a clean, consistent groove resulting in an excellent finish. The TM1000 also features interchangeable blades and a quick, simple depth setting without tools.

The fact that the TM1000 collects debris was a key factor in his decision and also something which was incredibly important to the greenkeeping team according to Michael.

“There were other machines on the market but the ones we looked at didn’t collect. This would mean that you would require two or three guys going behind the machine clearing up.

The hydraulics on the back of the TM1000 means that the operator doesn’t have to keep jumping in and out to empty the grass box – which would be very time consuming. For a small team, if you can get one man to do this job then it is a massive benefit.

TM1000 Tackles Golf Course Thatch

“I also like the fact that the TM1000 can go down to 50mm deep. The SISIS TM1000 runs straight through the turf – like a knife through butter.

“We have found that the time of year doesn’t really matter when it comes to using it. The first time we used the TM1000 was mid-February in winter conditions and we found that it did not phase the machine whatsoever.

“No matter what the weather you can’t even tell that the TM1000 has been across the greens and that has really impressed me. It’s a reliable machine with very little maintenance required.

“Overall it is just a fantastic piece of kit. There has been a big improvement in the greens and our soil samples have proved that the thatch levels have dropped dramatically since using the TM1000.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter and Instagram @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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.

Police Hunt For Golf Vandals

in , , /by

Police Hunt For Golf Vandals: Police are investigating a case of vandalism on two greens at the Crookwell Golf Club.

The incident occurred sometime between 9pm on Friday, May 24 and 8.30am on Saturday, May 25.
Police Hunt For Golf Vandals

First and second hole greens were ripped up by vehicles which were deliberately driven across the golf course.

This is a blow for a volunteer workforce who maintain the course and its 200 members and visitors.

Golf Club treasurer Hal Rickard-Bell estimated that the lost revenue and repairs would amount to thousands.

“How many people does it put off?,” Mr Rikard-Bell asked.

“If you lost ten golfers a week that’s $500 a week, for a small club that’s a lot of knock-on effects.

“For a small business, $50 could be the difference between being a profitable day and a not profitable day.”

The damage was discovered by golf club members on Saturday morning after teeing off at 8am.

“They spun the wheels here [the first green] and drove off and then done circle work down at the second.”

“It’s happened before, but it’s been a long, long time since.”

Every Saturday a competition is held with up to 40 golfers in attendance.

“We touch on a fairly big part of the community in some way or another. There’s a lot of vested interest for a lot of people,” Mr Rikard-Bell said.

The greens director, Tim Reid, will work overtime to have the course ready for upcoming competitions.

“It’ll be a big job for them to solve the problem and have it playable.

“Is it going to be really, really bad in three weeks? I don’t know. It’ll probably be a bit bare.

“Twice a year we core the greens, it’ll take that time to get rid of it.”

Mr Rikard-Bell said the club would happily press charges. “If they’re on their watch list they’ll slip up somewhere, it’s not like they’re super smart.”

Click here to read the original article

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.

Golf Club Signs Toro Agreement

in , , /by

Golf Club Signs Toro Agreement: It’s a full fleet update for East Berkshire Golf Club as it signs its third five-year agreement with Toro and Reesink Turfcare. And it was an easy decision to make with “Toro leading the market” according to course manager, Derrick Johnstone.

“When the time came to renew our agreement plan, we weren’t really looking to go with someone else,” says Derrick. In fact, Derrick was so impressed with the robustness of the Toro machines already at the club, he wanted to increase the commitment in Toro.

Golf Club Signs Toro Agreement

Previously the club was on a lease deal but by opting to hire purchase and securing equipment for the club to own, Derrick felt confident they would make savings in the long term, providing opportunities to invest elsewhere and further improve the course.

“I’m really familiar with Toro machines,” he says. “I’ve used them at my last two clubs, and they tick all the boxes and last incredibly well. By buying and using the machines for a longer period of time, we can save money. Plus, we now have a mechanic at the club, whose main area of expertise is Toro equipment, and that coupled with the service from Reesink, should we need it, means we can be sure we have maintenance and servicing well covered.”

The hire purchase deal has seen the club renew its Toro fleet like for like bringing back three new TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers, two Reelmaster 3550 machines, a Groundsmaster 4500-D, a Groundsmaster 3500-D, two Workman MDX-D utility vehicles as well as one GTX-E Workman. There was one difference this time though, Derrick couldn’t resist adding a Groundsmaster 3500-D to the order, which he says is his new favourite.

“This will be a great machine for cutting our tee banks and semi-roughs, leaving very little mess or wheel marks. I’ve used the GM3500-D before so I think it will work well here,” he says before adding: “The pedestrian GR1000 and GR1600 mowers are also great, they give a really good quality of cut and raise the bar presentation wise.”

Established in 1903, the natural barriers and cleverly designed doglegs mean the 18-hole course at East Berkshire plays a lot longer than the 6,200 yards suggest and provides a real challenge for golfers.

“It’s an exciting time for the club,” says Derrick. “With considerable investment in not only machinery but woodland management, drainage and tee construction, the addition of a short game area and future driving range improvements.”

With all these improvements, keeping the heathland course up to scratch for members is no easy task, but Derrick is sure that Toro will only continue to improve the playing surface.

“It didn’t take a lot of persuading to go with Toro,” says Derrick. “The Toro machines we’ve been using up until now have definitely improved the quality of the course. The contouring is just fantastic, and they save time because they’re incredibly well made and get the job done efficiently.

“Put simply, Toro provides the best quality and service which is what this club needs. It’s really exciting to see what we can achieve in the coming years with more of a commitment in Toro for the club.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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.