Tag Archive for: Nothing

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

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Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club: Every blade of grass at West Essex Golf Club is cut by a Baroness mower – the case for the last seven years and one that looks set to stay for the foreseeable future according to Course Manager Paul Kimber.

The fleet currently consists of two LM315 greens mowers, two LM2700 fairways mowers, an LM331 for tees and a GM2810 rotary mower for roughs which the team say demonstrate outstanding reliability and cylinders which deliver an industry-leading quality of cut.

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

Baroness or nothing for West Essex Golf Club

Paul has been at the parkland course on the outskirts of Epping Forest for 37 years, and in the top job since 2018. He explains that the origins of the club’s relationship with Baroness was very much a happy accident! “We were welcoming a new Head Greenkeeper who purchased a suite of Baroness machines, and then didn’t end up actually joining – leaving us with these mowers we knew very little about. We started using it and that was it, we were sold straight away and have never looked at anything else since.”

“Our team all have experience with various makes of mower and consider Baroness to not only be superior, but also at a more competitive cost point.”

In particular, Paul notes the quality of the cutting units. “These are just next level. You barely have to touch them to put them on cut, and they then stay on cut forever. They do not wear down easily, robust enough to cut through anything!” The robust theme continues, “The machines as a whole are well built and reliable. We like that everything is mechanical, not electronic, so we can keep on top of routine maintenance ourselves and not end up with graveyards of kit waiting for diagnostic testing or replacement parts.”

The fleet of cylinder and rotary mowers were supplied by dealer George Browns Ltd who, together with Stuart Gray at Baroness, have delivered second-to-none support and service. “They’re all a pleasure to deal with and go the extra mile to get answers or solutions to any questions we have. It’s just another reason why we’d never look anywhere else.”

Complimenting the mowers is a Baroness SP05A bunker rake which Paul admits the club could now not live without. “It’s one of those few machines where, if it broke today, we’d be ordering a new one tomorrow! We use this machine at least three times a week to brush and smooth the bunkers but, in addition, ours has a front blade which acts like a plough so we can use it for moving and spreading path material.”

He concludes, “Anyone who hasn’t thought to try a Baroness mower, get your hands on one and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!”

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Kubota or nothing for Watford Football Club

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Kubota or nothing for Watford Football Club: When it comes to tractors, it’s Kubota or nothing for Scott Tingley, Grounds Manager at Watford Football Club.

The club’s Kubota STW40 is proof that compact doesn’t have to mean compromise when it comes to providing the reliable power for maintenance operations at Vicarage Road, while a Kubota L2-622 delivers impressive versatility at the training ground.

Kubota or nothing for Watford Football Club

Kubota or nothing for Watford Football Club

Performance

The dependable performance of the pair is matched by a fleet of four Kubota RTV’s used across both sites.

Scott is into his 9th season at the club and oversees the home of The Hornets with a team of three, and the 27 pitches at Watford’s training ground. “On the Vicarage Road stadium pitch, it’s all about weight – we need something small and compact, with enough horsepower to lift all the various implements we use” he explains. The solution, for the last seven years, has been a Kubota STW40.

“We look after the tractor well and, in return, it looks after us. It’s small, lightweight and at 40hp can operate our seeder or aerator for example without leaving much of a footprint.” Scott continues, “All of our Kubota equipment is incredibly reliable, we’ve had no issues with this tractor at all.”

At the training ground, the delivery of an L2-622 from dealers George Browns Ltd in October 2022 is delivering even more versatility “We’re yet to find anything we can’t do with this tractor! Together with powering implements, the forks and bucket are invaluable for moving pallets around, managing deliveries or loading topdressing into our spreader. It makes every task quicker and easier.”

“The cruise control feature on the Kubota L2-622 is especially important when we’re aerating at the training ground as, by setting the speed, we get consistency across all the surfaces” he adds. “It’s also incredibly user-friendly to operate which is important to aid the training and efficiency of some of our newer and younger team members.”

RTV’s

Complementing the pair of compact tractors across the two sites are four RTV’s, including two RTV520’s installed by George Browns at the training ground in July 2023. “Here, especially, the RTV’s are the workhorses of our maintenance operation.

Whether its moving equipment from pitch to pitch or transporting clippings, they’re our go-to. At the stadium we have a Kubota RTV500 which, again, is a people and machinery mover. We also use this to tow our lighting rigs into place after a match which shaves an hour off the job.”

Scott concludes by praising the after-sales support from the Kubota dealer, “On the odd occasion we’ve needed help with our Kubota equipment, George Browns have always been brilliant. With high levels of usage and even higher expectations it’s reassuring to know we can always rely on Kubota to get the job done.”

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Nothing beats the ProFlex 120

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Nothing beats the ProFlex 120: Following more than 12 years of reliable service, a ProFlex 120 at Mid Herts Golf Club has been joined by… well, another ProFlex 120!

Delivered by Vanmac’s James Boyle in April 2024, the five floating rotary decks on the Progressive unit conform to the peaks and troughs of the terrain at the Hertfordshire club making the like for like purchase a straight forward one for Course Manager Jody Wilson.

Nothing beats the ProFlex 120

Nothing beats the ProFlex 120

One of the oldest golf clubs in the country, Mid Herts offers a classic heathland terrain with rippled fairways and quick greens, nestled within traditional grassy hollows. While the picturesque countryside undulations pose a challenge for players, they make no match for the contour following ability of the ProFlex! “12 years ago we tried and tested a range of rough mowers and found the ProFlex 120 was the best suited to our conditions. Fast forward to this year and we went through the same process again, only to find there’s still nothing in the market better than this machine!”

The Progressive ProFlex 120 delivers a uniform cut on both flat and uneven ground, the five floating decks covering an area of 3.0m in a single pass and evenly dispersing clippings for an immaculate finish. The ability to quickly and easily adjust the HOC on each individual deck makes the mower incredibly versatile, and the ideal choice for stepped or transition cutting.

“The build quality has always been exceptional, and our new ProFlex is no different” Jody explains. “We’ve kept hold of our older machine for the weekly cutting of the practice ground. It still cuts exceptionally well and, with a good jet-wash, would still clean up a treat. Besides the expected wear and tear, we’ve rarely had any downtime or costly repair bills, and with the sealed blade spindle bearings on the new ProFlex, the routine maintenance will be even easier.”

The recent delivery complements a range of other equipment from Vanmac already in the Mid Herts shed. “For the summer, we’re now set for mowing the roughs and practice ground with our pair of ProFlex’s, then in the winter we’re big Trilo users – with two blowers and an S4 vacuum collector helping us to keep on top of playability and presentation.” He added, “The service from Vanmac is always first-class. It’s great product with great back-up.”

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