Tag Archive for: toro

New Toro system at Kings GC

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New Toro system at Kings GC: Kings Golf Club in Inverness has relocated with a brand new 18-hole, 6,600-yard, par 70 layout and a new Toro Lynx central control system and sprinklers to take the club into the next phase of its life.

When the ‘gateway for the Highlands’, the West Link by-pass around Inverness, was routed straight through the existing course, Kings Golf Club, then known as Torvean Golf Club and renamed in 2019, knew it was going to benefit from a new home from the Highland Council who owns the land, and in the summer of 2019, the course, designed by Scottish golf architect Stuart Rennie, opened to great acclaim.

New Toro system at Kings GC

Stevie McIntosh, course manager, says: “The new course is a real accomplishment to all involved. While it was a challenge to get to this point, it’s been well worth it. Throughout construction, which involved creating 16 new holes and completely renovating two from the existing course, we had to ensure there were always 18 holes open for play and timing was tight in accordance to the deadline of phase two of the road construction.”

The new site is located on undulating land to the North West of the existing site and modern day design characteristics have been incorporated, biodiversity has been improved and it benefits from a new layout.

The greens and tees are built on 92 percent sand and 8 percent soil, plus it’s in an open, exposed, breezy location, which gives it characteristics more in line with a links course than inland like it is. That will always be a challenge when it comes to irrigation, but having given the Toro Lynx central control system and Infinity sprinklers on all but the tees, which benefit from the Flex 800 sprinklers, a good run since it was switched on last summer, it’s one which Toro has sailed through.

Stevie continues: “I’m really impressed with the system. It could not be more different to the system on the old course and using it is a real pleasure. An irrigation system is the lifeblood of a course and it’s so important to get it right, you only get one shot! We put our trust in Stuart as well as Declan O’Malley from contractors European Golf Services, and they couldn’t have chosen better. It’s delivered all I would expect and want from a system; it’s easy to use, accurate and we’re getting uniform coverage.”

And with Toro on board, the next phase of the club’s life is off to a good start.

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Royal St George’s trusts Toro

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Royal St George’s trusts Toro: Royal St George’s Golf Club has trusted in Toro since 2013. First came a fleet deal and then last year a new irrigation system was installed making it a Toro Total Solutions customer in time for the club to host the Open Championship for the 15th time.

Consistently ranked among the best golf courses in the world, Royal St George’s decision to opt for Toro machinery yet again for another five years was in large part down to its technological advances and product development.

Royal St George’s trusts Toro

In 2013 it was the very latest in green technology in the shape of four TriFlex Hybrid 3420 riding greensmowers with electric reel cutting units which particularly appealed to course manager Paul Larsen. This time it’s seven Greensmaster Flex 2120 walk-behind mowers delivering the ultimate finish.

“All the machines we chose last time have been so effective we’ve pretty much gone for the same again for our second five-year agreement,” says Paul. “In the demos, the Toro machines just did a better job on the course than everything else, and since we’ve had them they’ve proved their quality too. Five years later, the machinery from our first fleet is still as good as we wanted it to be.

“However, I’m always on the hunt for new technology, so we added in the Greensmaster Flex 2120 walk-behind mower to this deal. The results from which have particularly impressed me. The floating head prevents scalping and leaves a smooth finish every time, and we’ve seen an improvement to the greens.”

It was this faith in the brand, combined with the “brilliant service we’ve had from Reesink Turfcare” and a successful demo that resulted in the installation of a Lynx central control system and over a thousand Toro sprinklers last year. Here we take the opportunity to hear how the system’s performed since it was turned on in the spring of 2018 and faced one of the biggest tests for any irrigation system – a record-breaking heatwave!

Royal St George’s Golf Club is a traditional links course set amongst sand dunes, so of course its soil is naturally dry and fast-draining. “Hot, dry weather affects us anyway and the impact of having an old system had taken its toll over the last few years, so not only did the new system have a job in hand to bring the course back to the standard it was, but to bring further improvement too, all in the face of excessive dry weather,” says Paul.

“Despite all that we noticed instantly the difference precise and accurate control made to the course. Since we had Toro Lynx control and Toro sprinklers installed last year, we’ve been able to irrigate more precisely and, in the process, we’ve seen huge water savings and a big improvement to the course.”

Such is the relationship with Toro and Reesink that during The Open this year Reesink will be loaning the club more machines to keep up with the maintenance a tournament demands.

“We’ll start really gearing things up a couple of weeks before the tournament and then be out cutting every day during the event. Having the extra Toro machines on loan will be a huge help and is another step further strengthening our relationship with Toro and Reesink,” concludes Paul.

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Toro prevails at Brett Vale

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Toro prevails at Brett Vale: With its third Toro package deal, Brett Vale Golf Club has invested in both purchase and lease Toro machines due to their exceptional durability.

Newly appointed head greenkeeper Tony Barker has great things in mind for Brett Vale Golf Club in Suffolk, and after seeing the machinery already at the course in action it made sense to further invest in Toro to continue the good work, he says.

Toro prevails at Brett Vale

“I started nine months ago at the same time the last Toro fleet deal had come to an end,” he says. “So my first big task was to look into the options available when it came to signing another machinery deal.

“I did look at the alternatives, but nothing could beat the way Toro worked on the terrain here. In fact, new machines from other brands didn’t perform as well as the Toro machines we’d had for five years already! Our location means we have a lot of steep hills that take a lot of power to climb up and the machines from other brands didn’t have the power to manage the steep terrain, whereas the old and new Toro machines did.”

After Toro came out on top at the demonstration, it was clear to Tony the way forward was to expand the club’s Toro fleet, achieved by purchasing a mix of the machines from its last deal as well as bringing in new additions.

“Toro machines are more durable than most competitor brands, without a doubt,” he says. “So it made sense to purchase some of the machines already at the club which had been, and still are, doing great work. But I wanted to expand the fleet too, to help progress the club and course further and improve on the already high standards. Having a comprehensive Toro fleet is a fundamental part of this progression, and credit must go to the club owner Chris Waters whose investment has enabled us to make this progression.”

And it’s an impressive fleet that has been created, with a Reelmaster 6700-D, Groundsmaster 4700-D, three Greensmaster Flex 2120 pedestrian mowers, a Multi Pro WM Sprayer, a TYM T293 and more purchased at the end of the lease from the previous fleet, with a ProCore 648, two Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420s, a Groundsmaster 4500-D and a Workman HDX-D added to continue the good work.

“The Groundsmaster 4500-D that we purchased for the roughs is probably my new favourite,” says Tony. “It’s doing a great job already and really proving itself. In fact all the machines are. The playing surface has definitely improved already because of the quality of cut and the whole team is loving using Toro across the course.”

Set within a vale designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty, the 137 acre parkland course at Brett Vale makes for one of the most idyllic courses in Suffolk. With the club’s relationship with Toro and Reesink Turfcare, its official UK distributor continuing, the course looks set to keep improving.

Tony concludes: “At the end of the day, Toro provides durable and high quality machines that give us real results – so why would I change that?”

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The total solution from Toro

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The total solution from Toro: Stratford-On-Avon Golf Club in Warwickshire has chosen Toro for its new irrigation system, adding to its full fleet of Toro machinery and becoming a Total Solutions customer.

Having spent years building up a complete Toro fleet to maintain its 18-hole parkland course, Stratford-On-Avon Golf Club knows the value of investing in the brand, which is why course manager Chris Bromley opted for Toro again when it came to club’s irrigation needs.

The total solution from Toro

“We’ve had Toro Infinity sprinklers installed across the course on the fairways, greens, surrounds, approaches and the larger tees, as well as T5 sprinklers for the smaller tees and then the Lynx control system with weather station to top it off,” says Chris.

“To put it simply, Toro irrigation provides everything we need. The sprinklers are easy to maintain and easy to use, particularly the Infinity sprinklers. They’re top accessible which makes any maintenance simple, plus changing the arcs, nozzles and trajectory is all quick and easy to do.

“With Lynx, everything you need is all on one screen. With the click of a button you can set up the irrigation for your whole golf course and control watering to the second which has had a big effect on water savings. We also opted for the weather station, which is great, because it allows us to monitor the course more accurately and irrigate precisely.”

With the club’s previous system coming to the end of its life, the new irrigation system was a welcome addition.

“Our old system was 20 years old and not having the latest technology to hand was made all the more evident in the heatwave of 2018,” says Chris. “The weather was so severe the fairways burned up and we were doing lots of hand watering. Trying to do that across a 160-acre course is hard work, so it was vital we got a new system in place as soon as possible.”

Despite the need for a new system, for Chris it was important that thorough research was undertaken before making a decision on which brand and system to go with.

“We visited distributor Reesink Turfcare on stand at SALTEX and Harrogate to talk through the benefits of the Lynx system as well as going along to Toro roadshows and visiting other golf clubs to see it in action. The club was investing a large amount, so it had to be absolutely right.”

Since the quick and seamless installation by Full Circle Irrigation completed in May this year, it seems Toro has more than proved itself to be the right system for the club.

“From start to finish it’s been great. The installation and service from both Full Circle Irrigation and Reesink have been very good and the course has massively improved. Previously it could take up to half an hour to set up a sprinkler programme, with Toro that takes seconds, and the water coverage we’ve seen is superb,” concludes Chris.

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Toro a driving force at The Drift

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Toro a driving force at The Drift: The Drift Golf Club in Surrey has continued its investment in Toro as it embarks on a £1 million project to bring in new facilities and continue the improvement in the course seen over recent years.

In an enduring relationship with Toro, the club has purchased some equipment to run alongside its Toro lease deal, citing the brand’s quality and longevity.

Toro a driving force at The Drift

Course manager Mark Ogden says: “We see the value in both leasing and purchasing Toro. With a lease deal we can spread our budget across the year and upgrading to new machines every five years decreases the maintenance time needed and ensures the best quality cut at all times.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Toro as the quality of their machines is clear. We’re so confident with the quality and robustness of the Toro machines we bought some equipment alongside the lease deal, so we’re in a win-win situation.”

The new fleet comes at a prime time for The Drift, with the course undergoing extensive improvements and developments, as Mark explains: “We’ve just started work on our driving range, which is a £1 million project to bring in new facilities, and part of a wider plan to improve the course. Having new Toro machinery is a large part of that process. Ensuring we have high quality equipment to keep up with the maintenance of the improved course is vital.”

With a Groundsmaster 4300-D, two Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 mowers, two Reelmaster 5610-D mowers and two Workman MDX-D utility vehicles, it’s a fleet more than capable of not only maintaining but also improving the impressive 18-hole championship course.

“Most of these machines are like-for-like upgrades,” says Mark. “Which is great for us because it means the whole team is familiar with them. We’ve also brought in two new Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 machines for the tees and approaches and we’re already seeing a huge difference in both the aesthetics and quality of the playing surface.”

Mark concludes by saying: “The course has really flourished recently with a growing membership to prove it. Having Toro on board keeps the team and our members safe in the knowledge the course will be maintained to a consistently high standard.”

And with Toro clearly more than worth the investment, the owner of The Drift has also chosen Toro for its second club – Badgemore Park Golf Club in Oxfordshire!

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