Tag Archive for: Highwoods

Highwoods Golf Club celebrates centenary

/in , /by

Highwoods Golf Club celebrates centenary: As Highwoods Golf Club celebrates its centenary year with a week’s worth of celebrations, the East Sussex club reveals how Toro’s complete turfcare offering has been central to its ongoing success.

“We’re a Toro club through and through,” says Jamie Melham, course manager at Highwoods. “Alongside our new fleet of turfcare machinery, we’re also using Toro’s Lynx irrigation system, which, together, ensures all the greens, tees, approaches, and fairways are maintained to the highest standard.

Highwoods Golf Club celebrates centenary

Highwoods Golf Club celebrates centenary

“A strategic plan has been put in place to take the course to the next level and continue to push, year-on-year,” he adds. “With all eyes on us for our centenary, that’s never been more important.”

There is a lot for the club to prepare for as part of its centenary celebrations. Highwoods has been invited to host the County Championship in July 2024, and, as general manager Rebecca Prout points out, preparation for 100 years at Highwoods has been some time in the making, beginning in earnest back in 2017.

“Over the last seven years or so, Jamie and the greenkeeping team have been working hard on several projects to celebrate our hundredth year, including a new centenary pond on hole fourteen,” explains Rebecca.

“Toro has played a pivotal role in these developments and, thanks to our new fleet, the brand will be central to ongoing improvements at Highwoods, particularly when it comes to pushing those fine turf areas to the next level.”

To do so, Highwoods has invested in a variety of new turfcare machinery. However, thanks to the club’s long-standing relationship with Toro distributor Reesink, it has been able to do so in a simple, affordable way.

With a range of finance packages available, clubs like Highwoods can have all the benefits of market-leading mowers without the upfront investment.

“Leasing Toro machinery through Reesink guarantees first-rate performance year-on-year, as we will always be using the latest kit,” explains Jamie. “That way, we’re always going to get the highest quality of cut, delivering the consistency we know our players love.”

Highwoods’ new fleet includes the Toro Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420, which, according to Jamie, has created a real buzz amongst his team.

“Everyone has been really excited to try the 3420,” he says. “It eliminates ribbing around our greens and, as the cutting units are so stable, we’ve already noticed significant improvements in the overall finish.

“By fitting an eight-bladed cutting cylinder, we can also use the 3420 on tees and approaches, which has totally transformed the way they look. The way it glides and follows the contours of the ground is truly remarkable.

“My team always takes a moment every Friday afternoon to appreciate the work and notice how beautiful the course looks,” he goes on. “It’s one of the best things about greenkeeping – the satisfaction you get when you can see the difference all your hard work has made, and Toro helps us achieve that feeling week in, week out.”

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 Praised At Highwoods GC

/in , /by

Toro Praised At Highwoods GC: After the successful installation of Highwoods Golf Club’s irrigation system with a Toro Lynx central control system and sprinklers, the Sussex club now has the Toro ‘Total Solution’.

In 2014, Highwoods Golf Club took its first step to take the course to the next level by investing in Toro in what was called at the time “a major investment to improve the course”. Since then, the course has flourished, so when the time came in 2018 for a new irrigation system, there was really only one choice in the mind for the club – that of Toro and Reesink Turfcare.

Deputy course manager Jamie Melham says: “Toro had already proved the quality of its products and services to Highwoods, having been the brand of choice for the club’s fleet for six years. However, as was the case before, we took advice from other clubs, specialists and of course the greenkeeping team.”

And after looking at other brands to see what was available, Toro triumphed on value for money says Jamie: “Nothing offered the same value for money as the Toro Lynx control system and sprinklers. Plus, Lynx was easy to use and has extra features that gave it a real edge over competing brands.

“I was really impressed by the sprinklers, too. We selected Toro Infinity series for greens and approaches, T5/T7 series sprinklers installed on tees. The rain curtain is really impressive and delivers accurate coverage. The T5 series sprinklers in particular have a low throw which means they aren’t as affected by wind which is really useful, and the Infinity series sprinklers have Smart Access, so we can carry out maintenance if required in the future, without having to dig or turn off the water.”

The 18-hole parkland club has been trusting in Toro for the last six years because “other brands don’t come close to the quality of Toro” says Jamie, and it seems the quality of service from Reesink has also impressed

“The whole process from the first demonstration with Pete Newton from Reesink Turfcare, to the installation by Lakes and Greens was seamless,” he says. “Everyone was really helpful, informative and kept us regularly updated, which is so important in a process like this.”

And to round it off, testing out the system since installation has lived up to expectations. “The irrigation installation was completed in March and we’ve already seen a huge difference in the tees, greens and approaches,” says Jamie. “Before we only had the greens irrigated, but the sprinklers weren’t providing an even coverage. We’d end up with a big wet patch in the middle of the green with the perimeters suffering. But now the combination of Toro Lynx central control and Toro sprinklers mean we’re getting a uniform coverage that we’ve never seen before.

“This is the catalyst we needed for the next step in the club’s development. I’m confident that the quality and presentation of the course will continue to improve with Toro irrigation on board, just as we saw with Toro machinery.”

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.