The Toro “must have tool”: The latest club to invest in a Toro ProCore 648 aerator is Royal Aberdeen Golf Club with Course Manager Richard Johnstone declaring it a must have tool for golf aeration.
Prior to Richard’s arrival a tractor-mounted aerator was being used on the classic Scottish links course but when Richard joined the club 10 months ago it was one of the first things he looked to change.
The Toro “must have tool”
Richard explains: “The Balgownie course in particular is known for having undulating greens and surrounds with steep slopes rising to tees situated high up in the dunes. The proximity of the tees and slopes are small and tight making it difficult for the tractor-mounted aerator to access everywhere we needed it to.”
Richard knew there was a solution, that it came from Toro and was called the ProCore 648. He says: “I was at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club for eight years as Course Manager prior to arriving in Aberdeen, where we’d had a ProCore 648 since 2013. It was nimble, manoeuvrable, effective, and easy to use. When you’ve had an experience like that with a piece of machinery you don’t tend to look any further. I did however have a team to persuade, so we enquired about getting a demo model in to ensure it was right for our particular site.
“Everyone on the team got to trial the aerator and evaluate it on a feedback sheet, and it scored very highly. The conclusion was that it was the best pedestrian aerator for our site.”
This probably isn’t too surprising for many to read. The Toro ProCore 648 is, after all, the market-leading, customer-favourite aerator that, no matter your brand preference, there’s no denying is the best in the business. A statement Richard readily agreed with: “Absolutely, it does what it’s supposed to do well.”
The ProCore arrives in time to assist in some course construction, as Richard explains: “We’re hollow coring two hectares of greens and approaches to reduce the organic matter within the profile and the cores will be used to construct a new green and approach within our practice ground. This will provide consistency and a perfect match for the type of grasses maintained across the greens within our site.”
When asked if there was anything else in terms of machine highlights, Richard didn’t hesitate in explaining just how satisfying it is to use: “It’s fast and neat whatever kind of aeration it is doing. We do a variety of solid, pencil, and hollow tine in the main and whichever you’re doing you can use it all day without feeling it. The vibrations are negligible.”
To find out more about the aerator which sets the gold standard for greens aeration, visit Reesink Turfcare at reesinkturfcare.co.uk.
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