Tag Archive for: Hill

Toro delivers cost-savings at Toot Hill

Toro delivers cost-savings at Toot Hill: For the last decade, Toot Hill Golf Club has been a committed Toro user. Over that time, the cost of doing business has continued to rise in all kinds of industries; course manager, Tom Cook, has ensured that the kit at Toot Hill Golf Club has evolved to mitigate burdensome and fluctuating expenses by, most recently, acquiring a mix of hybrid and all-electric Toro mowers and utility vehicles.

“Toot Hill is a Toro club, for sure,” Tom remarks. “We’ve been working with them for over 10 years, and I’ve always been impressed with their machinery. Prior to our latest renewal deal, we ran the last fleet for around seven years, and they still worked like a charm.

Toro delivers cost-savings at Toot Hill

Toro delivers cost-savings at Toot Hill

“Toro is built to last,” he goes on. “I’ve always said Toro cuts a lot better than other brands, and for longer – which is important when you think about the total cost of ownership in our current economic climate.”

Because of the loyalty Tom has for the brand, when the time came to renew Toot Hill’s fleet in the most cost-effective way, it was only ever going to be Toro. “One stand out bit of kit we’ve brought in is the Toro Reelmaster 5010-H hybrid fairway mower, which was a direct response to the rising cost of petrol and diesel,” explains Tom.

As the industry’s first and only reel mower with a true hybrid drive system, the 5010-H pairs a Kubota 24.8 hp diesel engine with an in-line motor generator and a self-recharging 48-volt battery pack. Together, they make up Toro’s patented PowerMatch hybrid power system – an effective remedy for high fuel costs and troublesome leak points.

“When compared to diesel-powered alternatives, the hybrid option was very similar in price; however, in the long-run when you factor in the total cost of ownership, rising fuel costs will make the 5010-H a much more economical option,” Tom comments.

“As far as performance is concerned, it’s a great machine: it cuts very well, especially along the many undulating fairways we have here at Toot Hill. They’re no trouble for the 5010-H!”

In a similar cost-conscious vein, Toot Hill Golf Club has also acquired two models of the new Toro Workman GTX. Powered by lithium-ion technology, Toro’s flagship grounds and turf crossover vehicle has been built from the ground up to deliver hours of high-end performance at just a fraction of the cost.

“There’s the diesel cost-factor again, but also the electric motors are much quieter and that’s something the team has really enjoyed with the utility vehicle; no more headaches and you can get out much earlier in the morning,” Tom concludes. “If the team’s happier, I’m happier! Saving fuel costs on top of that is a bonus.”

To discover Toro’s hybrid range of machinery, call 01480 226800 or simply visit https://www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Jacobsen mowers integral to Bay Hill

Jacobsen mowers integral to Bay Hill: Every March, the world’s leading golfers gather in Florida for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and they compete on a course prepared with Jacobsen mowers.

Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge’s Director of Grounds, Chris Flynn, has been at the club since September 2014 and in that time has seen Matt Every, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, and most recently Tyler Hatton triumph.

Jacobsen mowers integral to Bay Hill

Jacobsen mowers integral to Bay Hill

But regardless of who comes out on top, the third-generation superintendent knows that everyone in the field expects perfection, and he gives it to them using Jacobsen.

“Bay Hill has had such a longstanding and successful relationship with Jacobsen, and Mr. Palmer personally had a long relationship with Jacobsen, and any property he was affiliated with carried the Jacobsen name with it.

“The impact of Jacobsen on what we do here year-round and especially for tournament time is beyond critical.

“If Jacobsen makes it, then it’s probably here. 22inch walk mowers, 26inch walk mowers, the triplexes, I’m a fan of the GP400s, fairway mowers, AR3, AR5, AR7s – so yeah, I can’t really think of anything that Jacobsen makes that we don’t have here and use on a daily basis.

“The Arnold Palmer Invitational is certainly one of the most tenured tournaments on the PGA Tour, and expectations are perfection. For us, it’s quite the process to do the build and set-up, it’s about a two and a half month process, and it takes about that same amount of time to break that down

“It requires additional support and equipment support, and the role Jacobsen plays in that is huge. Our mowing schedule ramps up. Mowing in the mornings and then mowing again in the afternoons, and that’s pretty much everything – tees, fairways, approaches, and greens.

“Obviously the equipment we need to rely on but then there’s the service side and having the support that we need with the equipment we have special tournament support. Having boots on the ground to help us and Jacobsen has always done an outstanding job in being there for us.

“The reliability has always been there, the reel technology is second to none, ease of maintenance and diagnosing issues when there are problems to making repairs to the ultimate use of the equipment and the quality of cut, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the assistance of Jacobsen.”

The latest edition of the tournament will be the 43rd played at Bay Hill since 1979, when it began life as the Bay Hill Citrus Classic. One hundred and twenty golfers will have the opportunity to receive the red cardigan sweater given to the winner in memory of Arnold Palmer, with twelve of the world’s top twenty-five ranked golfers among them.

For more information about the machines used at Bay Hill, visit www.jacobsen.com.

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E-Z-GO 14-Seater At Edge Hill University

E-Z-GO 14-Seater At Edge Hill University: Edge Hill University in Lancashire has purchased the first E-Z-GO 14-seater shuttle bus to be sold in the U.K.. Local dealer Sharrocks supplied the shuttle bus, as well as nine Cushman Hauler Pro vehicles for navigating the 160-acre campus.

Commenting on the purchase of the E-Z-GO shuttle bus, Fleet Administrator Andy Timon said:

E-Z-GO 14-Seater At Edge Hill University

“A temporary car parking facility has recently opened on campus to provide more spaces for students. However, whilst still on campus, the car park is a distance from the main hub of the University. We have purchased the E-Z-GO 14-seater Shuttle Bus to provide a shuttle service from the new car park to the centre of campus. Instead of a long walk, it’s now a 4-5-minute comfortable shuttle ride.”

Launched this year, the E-Z-GO Shuttle Bus is a 14-seater electric vehicle that is designed to easily transport people around facilities. With a quiet and smooth 72V AC drive train the E-Z-GO Shuttle Bus can operate in indoor and outdoor spaces.

“The new shuttle is totally electric, which means there aren’t any engine emissions, and there is also a reduction in noise pollution,” Andy continued. “The charge lasts a full day and performs consistently across the different terrains we have on site. As well as complementing our environmental pledge, the shuttle gives a great first impression to visitors and students alike. We pride ourselves on providing the best facilities and learning environment around, and the new E-Z-GO shuttle bus is the latest addition to the University’s ongoing investments.

“Thank you to Sharrocks for supplying us with the shuttle bus as well as the new Cushman vehicles. We have been very impressed with the level of service and product knowledge of the staff at Sharrocks and look forward to continuing our strong relationship moving forwards. We are very proud to be the first institution to own an E-Z-GO 14-seater Shuttle Bus in the U.K.!”

E-Z-GO 14-Seater At Edge Hill University

Edge Hill University is based in Ormskirk, close to Liverpool and Manchester. Providing higher education since 1885, Edge Hill is one of the select few to have held the coveted U.K. University of the Year title, awarded by Times Higher Education (2014/15). The campus has also been recognised as one of the world’s best green spaces for the seventh year in a row, achieving another Green Flag award.

Further investment by the University includes its flagship £27 million Catalyst building which opened this year, a £17 million Creative Edge building, a new Arts Centre building, new Technology, Biosciences and Geosciences facilities and a £13.5 million Student Hub. The £30 million Sports Centre opened in September 2015 and allows students, staff and the local community to enjoy some of the best sports facilities in the country.

Find out more about Edge Hill University, here: www.edgehill.ac.uk

Find out more about E-Z-GO vehicles, here: www.ransomesjacobsen.com

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Gripclad At Kings Hill Golf Club

Gripclad At Kings Hill Golf Club: Kings Hill Golf Club in Kent had a problem with people slipping on wooden surfaces around the golf course and clubhouse. Old railway sleeper have been used on golf courses from the 1930s and provide an ideal material for many situations whilst maintaining a natural feel in the landscape. Many golf courses today use them either in bunkers or grassy hollows or more often than not to provide stepped access to elevated or steep sided tees. The advance of soft spikes and moulded sole golf shoes away from traditional steel spikes has led to an increase of slips on wooden steps and in the early 2000s this was becoming an increasing problem.

Having searched for many years and looked at various ideas at other golf clubs, including carpet, astro, chicken wire, tar and chips and chainsaw cut grooves, all in their various ways trying to eliminate the slip issue and presenting a trip issue or a higher than expected replacement schedule on wooden sleeper steps, a chance advertisement in a trade magazine highlighted a new product called GripClad. That was back in 2006. The club decided to obtain some samples and look at the benefits of the product more closely. Following that initial assessment a trial set of steps were chosen and the product installed. Installation was easy and straight forward, GripClad arrived in pre-cut lengths and to the dimensions that had been specified, only holes had to be drilled and the cleats screwed down with a mastic to act as a cushioning agent. A set of steps could be easily completed in a couple of hours and a large set in a day, much quicker than some of the other products mentioned. In addition if a sleeper had to be replaced it was simply a case of unscrewing the cleat and replacing it onto a new sleeper.

Gripclad At Kings Hill Golf Club

“Since that first installation we have purchased GripClad every year to complete all of our wooden surfaces around the course, which includes 10 sets of very large sleeper step installations, four sets of sleeper rails around teeing areas and ancillary surfaces including service and mobility ramps and so on around the clubhouse,” said a club spokesman. “The performance of the product has been outstanding, not only did it cope with the wear and tear of traffic, it performs in all weathers and has not deteriorated in the 10 years that the initial batch has been down, it still looks as good now as it did 10 years ago. We will continue to use it around the golf course as it provides the most cost effective solution for both time and longevity. I wouldn’t hesitate to rec
ommend this product out on the golf course or around the clubhouse.”

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Irrigation At Bush Hill Park

Irrigation At Bush Hill Park: Bush Hill Park Golf Club is based a stone’s throw from Enfield Town in North London. Originally 9 holes, this 100-acre parkland course was designed by Open Championship winners James Braid and Harry Vardon and boasts a running reputation for being the best maintained in the area.

Much of the irrigation system was installed 25 years ago, had deteriorated and needed a complete overhaul. Head Greenkeeper Graham Careford has worked at Bush Hill Park since 1986 and explains,

Irrigation At Bush Hill Park

“The ground here is clay so very dry in summer. With only a small number of heads on tees, irrigation coverage was poor, combined with leaks and frequent system breakdowns. The challenge any club like us faces is that you can’t see how badly the irrigation system’s deteriorated because the pipework’s buried underground. Extra watering takes place in the early hours or at night, and staff working overtime to keep the course in the best condition won’t usually be seen by most club members and players. Keeping an unreliable and ageing irrigation system going becomes increasingly expensive.”

To help build the case for investment in a new irrigation system, Graham began keeping a detailed timeline, recording all system faults, breakdowns and overtime as well as taking photographs of course conditions. This information was presented to the management committee to inform decision-making and help the club properly evaluate its various options.

The club appointed Irritech Limited to undertake the irrigation system design and specification and to coordinate a competitive tender process for a fixed price contract including warranties and retentions.

The committee decided that the major investment of £300k in a new Rain Bird IC™ Stratus™ II Central Control System with Windows™ 10 functionality and mapping for greens, approaches and tees would provide the system reliability and future water efficiencies that would maintain the quality of the course for many years to come.

Irrigation At Bush Hill Park

With over 300 sprinkler heads, 7 miles of piping, 6.5 miles of cable and 3,500-man hours, the contractor, Irrigation & Water brought the project in within budget. The new system will be operational this spring.

Irrigation & Water Director Ashley Proctor, comments,

“Our biggest challenge has been heavy clay and high water table which meant adopting a more sympathetic approach to ground conditions. It’s taken a little more time and care but that’s been essential to minimise damage to the course. This is our first complete Rain Bird renovation and we’ve had a superb Rain Bird team working with us providing all the technical support, training and back-up we needed to make sure the system was installed to the right standards. We’re delighted to have been involved in what’s been a landmark project.”

Jimmy Sandison, Regional Golf Sales Manager for the UK, Ireland, Iceland and Scandinavia, adds, “We were thrilled to be awarded this project and Graham Careford and the project team were a delight to work with from the start. We all knew ground conditions were going to be a challenge but Bush Hill Park now has a highly efficient irrigation system that can be upgraded easily upgraded in future years, reducing the cost of overall ownership.”

For more information, visit: www.rainbird.eu/golf

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