It’s A One-Stop-Shop For The Saints

The TYM 503 with cab at Southampton FC’s Staplewood training ground.

IT’S A ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR THE SAINTS

New TYM Tractors and Toro turf machinery from Lely

Southampton Football Club is the latest to benefit from Toro distributor Lely UK now also distributing TYM compact tractors. For the club has recently taken delivery of a TYM T293 and T503 as part of a one-stop-shop at Lely that included new Toro turf machinery, too.

Andy Gray, grounds manager, has long been a fan of TYM tractors with two looking after the Staplewood training ground for the last 10 years. Andy says: “The two TYMs I’ve had for the past decade have always been brilliant. There’s never been a problem and as they are such a good fit with Toro machines I didn’t consider any other make.”

“I was placing an order for some new Toro machinery and with Lely now distributing TYM it made sense to get a couple of new tractors at the same time. It makes life a lot easier when you can do a one-stop-shop!”

The T293 has been bought to work at Saints’ St Mary’s Stadium, where it will be used for brushing and seeding the pitch and towing the lighting rigs, among a host of tasks. The latest and most powerful of the under 30hp TYM tractors, the T293 model was also chosen because it has a front loader which is ideal for clearing snow from the pitch if ever needed.

The T503 will be kept at the Staplewood training ground to help with aerating, brushing, spraying and fertilising. It’s a timely purchase, as plans to increase the size of the training ground to 11 pitches have recently been approved.

“The demands and expectations there are with regards to pitch preparation, maintenance and presentation for both the stadium and training grounds are rigorous and high. There’s a reason why I stick with Toro and TYM time after time and that’s because I know I can rely on them to get the job done to the highest standards. Even though I rarely, if ever, need it, the back-up and after-sales service you get from Lely is reliable and efficient, and a reassurance to have.”

Make Savings This Spring With Toro MVP Kits

Toro’s MVP kits keeps machinery performing consistently and constantly without the risk of extended downtime.

MAKE SAVINGS THIS SPRING WITH TORO MVP KITS

Toro distributor Lely UK is reminding customers that there is one easy way to save money and time this spring. Toro’s MVP kits are designed with specific maintenance and repair issues in mind, allowing turf professionals to be as productive as possible while stretching that all-important budget further.

Toro MVP kits are a prudent investment at any time, but whether the tough times are behind us or not, these must-have handy packs save up to 20 percent compared to buying the individual parts as and when maintenance is required.

Conveniently packaged into special kits for over 100 maintenance issues like overhauling cutting units, replacing hydraulic hoses and rebuilding rollers, MVP kits provide all the genuine Toro parts needed to quickly get your turfcare machinery and equipment working again. They also provide instructions on when to carry out the job depending on the model and number of hours of use to avoid that easy temptation to run your turf equipment harder and longer without proper maintenance.

Phil Bowen, distributor Lely’s Toro parts manager, comments: “MVP kits are handy to have all the time, but especially so in the spring. Winter work can take its toll on machines and summer is the busiest time for our customers. Spring provides that welcome opportunity to make sure all routine maintenance is carried out and inconvenient and costly downtime in summer is avoided. Stocking up on MVP kits will make sure you get ahead of the competition and keep your machinery performing consistently and constantly without the risk of extended downtime.”

Wentworth Keeps Faith With Toro

Julian Small, CEO, Wentworth, centre right, shakes hands with Lely UK managing director Graham Dale. From left are Jeff Anguige, Lely, David Cole, John Shaw Machinery, Kenny Mackay, director of golf courses and grounds, Wentworth, and Andy Brown, Toro.

WENTWORTH KEEPS FAITH WITH TORO IN BIGGEST-EVER DEAL

The Wentworth Club has renewed its five-year Toro exclusivity agreement with distributor Lely UK.

The world-class tournament venue has been a Toro customer for 25 years, and Lely is delighted to see the club sticking with the company’s machinery as part of a new agreement.

Under this new contract Wentworth has replaced its entire fleet with brand new Toro mowers, utility vehicles, aeration machinery and top dressers, as well as TYM compact tractors, at the club’s three 18-hole championship courses. It makes it one of the biggest deals ever to be done by Lely, says the distributor.

Kenny Mackay, director of golf courses and grounds at Wentworth, is a long-standing Toro fan, having used its machines previously at The Belfry. He says: “There was never any question in my mind. When it came to re-signing, it was always going to be Toro again. They’re the most reliable machines there are and the build quality is superb. The most important thing is the operators here think that, too. The feedback from all the staff was strongly in favour of Toro.”

So is there a particular machine impressing Kenny? “That would be the new Triflex 3420-D,” he says. “The quality of cut is most impressive and it’s a machine moving with the modern times.”

Toro Launches Golf Industry First At BTME 2014

The new Toro Sand Pro 2040Z, an industry first, will debut at BTME 2014 on the Lely – Partners in Turfcare stand.

TORO LAUNCHES GOLF INDUSTRY FIRST AT BTME 2014

 Unique, all-new Sand Pro 2040Z zero-turn bunker rake debuts in the UK

Visitors to BTME will be the first in the UK to see Toro’s all-new Sand Pro 2040Z zero-turn bunker rake.

With the SP2040Z, Toro brings zero-turn technology to bunker maintenance for the first time. The result is a mechanical groomer delivering unmatched manoeuvrability and productivity – and, as a result, one of the most laborious jobs on the golf course just got a whole lot easier.

The machine boasts a brand new ‘flex’ raking system with a patent-pending ‘lift in turn’ feature that enables operators to make the tightest of turns in bunkers without leaving unraked ‘teardrops’ or tyre marks, to produce picture-perfect surfaces even in small, tight bunkers and those with sloped walls. Toro also says it won’t tear bunker liners or turf on bunker edges.

Meanwhile, the new GreensPro 1240 being exhibited has 18 new upgrades over its GreensPro 1200 predecessor, taking greens rolling to another level. The offset smoothing roller design delivers unmatched roll consistency for exceptionally smooth greens and putting surfaces while independent smoothing heads follow undulations and preserve natural contours. There’s a new transport system, too, which features a Quicklatch coupler and makes moving the GreensPro 1240 from green to green quick and simple. 

Lely has also chosen BTME to showcase its latest Toro PREMA machine – a Reelmaster 5410 – to show visitors the quality of machines available for clubs wanting to buy quality, pre-owned Toro turf machinery that’s technically as good as new, at affordable prices, under its new PREMA scheme.

Completing the comprehensive line-up are Toro favourites such as the Triflex 3420 and Reelmaster 3100 with Sidewinder, plus sprayers, aeration equipment and utility vehicles. Green technology will be represented by the eFlex.

TYM Tractors At BTME For First Time On Lely – Partners In Turfcare Stand

The T503 53hp TYM tractor with cab will be at BTME on the Lely – Partners in  Turfcare stand.

TYM TRACTORS AT BTME FOR FIRST TIME

ON LELY – PARTNERS IN TURFCARE STAND

TYM tractors will be at BTME 2014 for the first time with UK distributor Lely. Displaying alongside Toro machinery on the Lely – Partners in Turfcare stand, the exhibit is designed to show visitors what a great fit TYM tractors are for those looking for a compact tractor to run with their Toro equipment.

Coming to BTME are the 35hp and the 53hp models. The 35hp unit is particularly suited to the turf sector, and the 53hp product with cab is a great draw for those looking for a more powerful machine. The full range extends from 23 to 100hp.

Toro Launches New Infinity™ Series Sprinkler At BTME 2014

The new Infinity Series Sprinklers with Smart Access launches at BTME.

TORO LAUNCHES NEW INFINITY™ SERIES SPRINKLER

WITH SMART ACCESS™ AT BTME 2014

Toro says the best golf sprinkler in the industry just got better with its new Infinity Series Sprinkler with Smart Access.

Launching at BTME, the company describes its new Infinity Series Sprinkler as a quality product that delivers all the benefits clubs would expect from a Toro golf sprinkler, with the added benefit of Smart Access.

So as well as increased efficiency, enhanced course appearance and improved playing conditions, every serviceable aspect – big or small, mechanical or electrical – of this new sprinkler is quickly and easily accessible from the top of the unit. This means an end to digging out the sprinkler for repair and maintenance and consequent scarring of the playing surface, with all the time-consuming repair work needed to make good. Music to every greenkeeper’s ears!

First Toro CATT Event Held In The UK At The Wentworth Club

The Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder is just one of the revolutionary new products to come out of The Toro Company’s CATT programme.

FIRST TORO CATT EVENT HELD IN THE UK AT THE WENTWORTH CLUB

Company consults with greenkeepers as part of worldwide new product development programme to maintain its innovative leadership

Toro has staged its first Centre for Advanced Turf Technology (CATT) event in the UK, at The Wentworth Club. The role of The Toro Company’s CATT programme is to help maintain and develop Toro’s global market leadership as a manufacturer of innovative products through its worldwide research into the science of turf management.

The Wentworth event, organised with distributor Lely UK, gave members of the CATT team’s leading agronomists and engineers from Minneapolis world headquarters the opportunity to meet with an invited group of UK greenkeepers– to learn first-hand more about their needs in the development of new turf machinery and irrigation products and technologies.

Andrew Brown, Toro international corporate accounts manager, says: “CATT’s success in identifying emerging trends within the turfcare market is directly linked to the way it takes the time to go out into the field to meet Toro and non-Toro users. It was a real pleasure to welcome CATT’s managing director Dana Lonn and chief engineer Jack Gust to the UK to help them with their research.

“Work with customer groups like this has led to the development of revolutionary new products, such as the Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder, and new technologies like the electric-powered Greensmaster eFlex 21, the industry’s first lithium-ion battery-driven greensmower.”

The day included outdoor demonstrations of machines developed through the CATT initiative. And Dana Lonn gave a presentation giving an insight into its operations and the importance placed by Toro on developing industry-leading products that increase productivity, reduce fuel or save water.

This was illustrated by the story of Toro Precision Sense soil mapping technology. Developed by the CATT team, this award-winning wireless sensing technology enables collection of data covering soil compaction, moisture levels, turf vigour and salinity for a bespoke approach to irrigation. Paul Woodham from the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) demonstrated it to those attending.

Toro says that round table discussions produced a number of good ideas for the CATT team, as well as reinforcing research already underway.

Toro Distributor Lely UK Acquires South East Dealership

TORO DISTRIBUTOR LELY UK ACQUIRES SOUTH EAST

DEALERSHIP IN STRATEGIC BUSINESS MOVE

Toro turf machinery distributor Lely (UK) Limited has announced that it has acquired the turfcare equipment dealership, John Shaw (Machinery) Limited. The move follows a strategic decision by both companies that the future of their businesses and customers’ interests are best served by merging JSM with Lely’s Turf Division, based at St Neots in Cambridgeshire.

JSM was founded in 1985 specifically to represent the Toro Commercial brand and both companies have enjoyed an unbroken, close working relationship over 29 years, with Lely-Toro accounting for the large majority of JSM’s turfcare machinery business operations. This partnership has been a big success in developing new customer relationships and retaining important Toro key accounts in JSM’s trading area across the south east of England.

Lely sees this region as important for future growth of sales of its Toro and other turf products, and JSM’s head office in Sheffield Park, East Sussex, will continue as an important regional base for the merged business. The distributor says that it has a high regard for JSM’s past performance, and that everyone at JSM will be important to continuing its future success. This ensures security, both of employment for JSM’s staff and the location, and continuity for customers.

In due course, Lely will work to integrate Sheffield Park into it own business systems.  Meanwhile, the company says it will be ‘business as usual’ and sees a positive future ahead with the enhanced support and resources created by bringing the two businesses together.

Added to strengthening its own position and that of the Toro brand in the south east, Lely says this development will also strengthen its own senior management team at St Neots and play a significant role in succession planning.

Therefore JSM managing director David Cole will become senior manager of the Lely turfcare business, basing himself at St Neots and reporting to managing director Graham Dale.  He will succeed Peter Mansfield, who in addition to supporting David Cole will take on a new business development role overseeing and enhancing Lely’s national network of dealers and service centres.

Toro Machines Are ‘Grist For The Mill’

Chris Curley, left, shakes hands with Lely’s Jonathan Lewis, as the greenkeeping team looks on.

TORO   MACHINES   ARE  ‘GRIST  FOR  THE  MILL’  AT  WINDMILL  VILLAGE  GOLF  CLUB

Windmill Village Hotel, Golf & Leisure Club in the West Midlands has invested £250,000 in brand new Toro machinery.

And true to the saying ‘grist for the mill’, the machines are helping the club succeed in a new seven-year machinery replacement deal.

The historic 18-hole parkland course has had a windmill on site since the 1500s and was turned into a coaching inn 300 years ago, with an original well and drinking trough still to be found on site.

But course manager Chris Curley was looking to the future when considering a new fleet deal for the Coventry club – with Toro the brand that impressed the most.

“We switched exclusively to Toro seven years ago because it seemed the best at the time,” Chris recalls. “But when we came to renew I compared Toro against one of its main competitors, wondering how much the other make had moved along in terms of technology and developments. But Toro had moved much further forwards. You can’t compare greens and fairways machines on a like-for-like basis – the Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 riding greensmower and Reelmaster 5610 fairway we’ve since bought are just incomparable.”

Chris also counts a Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder fairway mower, a Groundsmaster 4500-D rough mower, one Workman MDX-D utility vehicle and two Workman HDX-Ds, plus a Workman-mounted 200-gallon sprayer among his new arrivals, with these models being straight replacements for his previous fleet.

But new additions include a GreensPro 1200 greens roller and a ProForce debris blower. “I’d been using the vibrating rollers on our greens machine, but wanted an iron to apply Primo Maxx treatments and cut down on my mowing,” Chris continues. “We now mow the greens every other day since using the iron. And the blower is just a fantastic bit of kit.”

Chris says that the club – which is part of the Best Western hotel group – chose to stick with Toro machinery because of its reliability. “I’ve never had any problems with our Toro machines because they’ve always been maintained properly. So ultimately I thought why change just for change’s sake to something perhaps less efficient.”

The service Chris receives was also a clincher. “The service I get makes me feel like I’m the only customer my service centre has got. They’re so efficient and helpful. Good maintenance is worth its weight in gold – it’s half the battle in this job!”

From left: Richard Wood, John Shaw Machinery, Paul Larsen, course manager, Royal St George’s Golf Club, Larry Pearman, regional sales manager, Lely UK and Tim Checketts, secretary, Royal St George’s Golf Club.

ROYAL ST GEORGE’S INVESTS £330,000 IN FIRST TORO FLEET

World famous Royal St George’s Golf Club is celebrating the arrival of its first Toro machinery fleet, worth £330,000.

The 18-hole course, which lays claim to having hosted PGA and Amateur Championships, and Walker and Curtis Cups, as well as 14 Open Championships, is considered one of the world’s best, so chose what it considered the best machinery and after-sales service available to care for its historic course.

Therefore from now on St George’s high standards of course presentation will be delivered by a new Toro fleet, comprising a Groundsmaster 4700 and 3500 with Sidewinder, plus two new fairway mowers – the Reelmaster 3550-D and 5410. The very latest in green technology completes the line-up in the shape of four TriFlex Hybrid 3420 riding greensmowers with electric reel cutting units.

Paul Larsen, course manager, explains what clinched this, the club’s first Toro deal. “The only bit of Toro equipment we’ve had in the last 20 years is the ProCore aerator, but lately I have been considering how we can better suit our machinery to the course’s needs. As a club we want to continue the highest standards of presentation possible and consider all the advances in technology - and Toro gives us both.

“First-class course maintenance is of the utmost priority and one of the main things I was looking for was a machine that could give a really precise cut around the bunkers. We’ve only been using the new machines for a few weeks, but straight away the Sidewinder is achieving that. The cut is a bit higher which will avoid scalping and give us a better finish long term. I’m also not getting so much wear and tear on these areas any more, so I’m really pleased with that result.”

He continues: “Of course the quality you get from Toro is well-known and that played a major part in our decision-making process. But just as important is the confidence I have in the after-sales service. Richard Wood at John Shaw Machinery and I have a good relationship and I know I’ll get the service I need from him.

“Toro is the right choice to enable us to continue moving forwards in providing the very best for our members,” he concludes.

John O’Gaunt Golf Club Signs Up For 'Total Solutions'

Jeff Anguige, Lely UK commercial sales manager, and Brendan Roulston, chairman of finance at John O'Gaunt Golf Club, shake on the deal. Also pictured – from left – is Nigel Broadwith, course manager, John O'Gaunt; Simon Davis, general manager, John O'Gaunt; Francois Pienaar, captain, John O'Gaunt; Julian Copping, Lely UK retail area manager and Robert Jackson, Lely UK irrigation sales manager.

JOHN O’GAUNT GOLF CLUB SIGNS ON DOTTED LINE

TO BECOME TORO ‘TOTAL SOLUTIONS’ CUSTOMER

Bedfordshire venue adds Toro irrigation to new

machinery deal for a total turf management solution

John O’Gaunt Golf Club in Sandy, Bedfordshire, has signed a new £300,000, five-year agreement which sees it become a Toro ‘Total Solutions’ customer.

In what is described by the club’s treasurer Brendan Roulston as a “major capital investment” in the course, this deal not only extends the club’s relationship with Toro machinery, but also sees it invest in Toro irrigation for the first time. Hence the ‘Total Solutions’ tag.

“John O’Gaunt Golf Club has a long-standing relationship with Toro machinery, so when it came to that side of things we were always going to renew with Toro, as we value its quality and pricing,” says Brendan. “Toro won the irrigation deal in a competitive pitch against two other brands because we were hugely impressed with – again – the value and quality on offer.”

The club has chosen Toro’s Lynx and Golf Decoder Controller (GDC) irrigation system, operated with DT series (dual trajectory) full or part circle sprinklers. Installation starts in January 2014 on the greens and approaches at the club’s 18-hole Carthagena course.

Meanwhile it’s Toro’s greensmowers on which the club plans to spend the bulk of its 2014 machinery budget. Details will be announced later.

“This is a big investment for the club,” concludes Brendan. “But one we feel more than confident making in partnership with Toro.”

Seagulls ‘Fly’ Toro At Club’s Training Grounds

Steve Winterburn seated on the RM5510-D with Jon Cole of John Shaw Machinery (left) and Lely’s Larry Pearman (right)

SEAGULLS ‘FLY’ TORO AT CLUB’S TRAINING GROUNDS

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club has turned to Toro for vital mowing equipment to maintain its training pitches. At present Steve Winterburn, the head of grounds maintenance, is running new Toro Reelmaster 3100-D and Reelmaster 5510-D ride-on models to maintain the turf at the Seagulls’ training grounds. East Sussex-based John Shaw Machinery supplied the machines.

The club officially moved to the American Express Community Stadium – or Amex for short – in May 2011, the Championship League club’s capacity running to 30,750.

What many may not appreciate, however, is that the Amex is just one part of the club that Steve and his grounds team has to look after, along with the club’s old ground at Withdean and management input on the two hectares of training ground pitches.

“At present we have five staff looking after both the Amex and our previous home pitch at Withdean,” says Steve. “For the training grounds, we have four, our staff structure dividing so there is a supervisor at Amex and for the training pitches.”

Mown with the new Toro Reelmasters to between 20 to 30mm, depending upon conditions and time of year, the training grounds are managed to the same exacting standards as the new Amex stadium. Having good facilities is absolutely crucial to a club that aspires to ever-improving performance, but it does put a great deal of pressure on the team.

“We are looking for a clean cut in all conditions,” adds Steve. “A good finish is a must, so a wet leaf or dry grass under slight stress and less turgid has to be cut equally cleanly and evenly. In the growing season we cut daily or even twice daily to ensure the ground is just right. Over the winter period we perhaps mow once a week to keep uniform height. The key is to balance quality of cut with fast cutting performance. We have to work around training demands and all the other work relating to the grounds and stadium. We cannot waste time.”

“We are busy and demand high performance with no compromise in the quality of the mown finish. I cannot afford to let the team down on the training grounds and the stadium has to play well and look good too.” In this respect, Steve says that so far his new Toro mowers have done all that’s been asked of them.

‘Rolls-Royce Of Turf Machinery’ For Druids Heath

Jim Lake, left, with Lely’s Jonathan Lewis and the greenkeeping team looking on.

‘ROLLS-ROYCE OF TURF MACHINERY’ FOR DRUIDS HEATH

Druids Heath Golf Club near Walsall has switched to an all-Toro fleet in a new five-year agreement.

Jim Lake, course manager of the 18-hole, par 72 course, decided to switch to what he describes as “the Rolls-Royce of turf machinery” after experiencing reliability issues with the mix of makes he previously used.

As he explains: “We were a multi-machinery site before, but decided to switch exclusively to Toro. With the other main make we used, it just felt that the machines weren’t properly thought through, which made maintenance difficult. So we bought Toro as part of a course improvement plan, and also because we wanted a more reliable and better quality fleet.”

Joining Jim’s older Toro machines is a Reelmaster 7000-D fairway mower, a Groundsmaster 4300-D rough mower, two Greensmaster 1000 pedestrian mowers and a Workman MDX-D utility vehicle.

And with Jim’s existing kit including a Toro mower that’s now 20 years old, he’s in no doubt that these new arrivals will prove just as reliable. “Our 1993 Toro mower is still going strong – I can’t see other makes being able to compete with that longevity,” he continues. “When I send a greenkeeper out to do a job I don’t want to see him back in the greens maintenance facility until the job is finished – it’s no good him wandering back here halfway through with a broken part in his hand! So reliability was really important to us.

“With our old fleet, I was forever spending money on replacement parts – it was costing me a fortune. So, although Toro is seen as more expensive, I really don’t think that’s the case because prices are competitive, build quality is outstanding and the whole-life costs work out well in terms of less downtime.”

Little Aston Golf Club Is First Customer For Lely PREMA

Neil Baker, right, and Lely’s Jon Lewis shake hands on Lely’s first PREMA deal.

LITTLE ASTON GOLF CLUB IS FIRST CUSTOMER FOR LELY’S NEW

PREMA PRE-OWNED TORO MACHINERY SCHEME

When Neil Baker joined Little Aston Golf Club as course manager six months ago, the club – a Great Britain and Ireland top 100 course – was using all Toro machinery and Neil had no intention of changing that. So with times being tough, and seeking to get the best value from his machinery budget, he opted for Lely’s new PREMA pre-owned Toro machinery scheme to enable him to buy the equipment he needed to maintain the course to the highest standards.

“Little Aston is one of England’s best loved inland courses and was recently included in the Rolex list of the world's top 1000 golf courses. To achieve such high acclaim the standard of our course has to be exceptional,” says Neil. “I won’t use anything other than Toro machines, but times are tough and we all want the best quality for the best price.

“When I got my budget for machinery spend I called Jon Lewis at Lely and had a chat. Together we looked at the club’s requirements and how we could get the best value out of what we had to play with. The decision was made accordingly and that was to buy PREMA machines.”

It means that Little Aston Golf Club is the first in Britain to take advantage of PREMA, the new Lely scheme that gives customers the opportunity to buy quality, pre-owned Toro turf machinery (and TYM tractors) that’s technically as good as new, but at affordable prices.

“I decided to go with a PREMA Toro Reelmaster 5410 and a Sand Pro 3040. When they were delivered to the club a couple of weeks ago they were in immaculate presentation. They’d been stripped back and re-done to the highest standard. We’ve been using the machines daily since then and the performance is just what I would expect from Toro and Lely. I would never consider any other brand of pre-owned machine. Because with Lely and Toro I know I’ve got the reassurance of a great guarantee of service, as well as a great machine.”   

Neil concludes: “British greenkeepers are the best in the world and we’re also the busiest. Having the best product to work with is essential for efficient course management, and having the best quality for less money is the icing on the cake!”

The PREMA scheme enables clubs to buy Lely-certified Toro pre-owned equipment with complete peace of mind, as each product is backed by a 180 days’ or 300 hours’ conditional warranty. To qualify, every machine is given a comprehensive inspection by Lely’s trained technicians, who thoroughly check everything from the engine, cooling system, hydraulics, electrical system, steering and brakes, to the chassis, fuel system, transmission and final drives, as well as wheels, tyres, cutting units, operator platform and controls.

 Toro ‘Total Solution’ For Chipping Sodbury Golf Club

John Keenaghan, course manager, right, and Lely's Robert Rees, with the greenkeeping team and their Toro machinery and Lynx irrigation.

TORO ‘TOTAL SOLUTION’ FOR CHIPPING SODBURY GOLF CLUB

Chipping Sodbury Golf Club has become a Total Solutions customer after signing both a new five-year Toro machinery deal and investing in a new Toro irrigation system.

John Keenaghan, course manager of the 18-hole Cotswold course, decided to remain with Toro machinery after first switching to an exclusivity agreement five years ago. But he’s new to the golf giant’s irrigation products, after a state-of-the-art system, coupling Toro’s brand new Lynx software with proven Golf Decoder Controller (GDC) field hardware, was installed last winter.

Says John: “We stick with Toro because it’s just quality-built machinery. The existing fleet has been no trouble at all in the time I’ve had it. I’m also encouraged by the fact that a lot of my industry peers use Toro, plus, as a keen golfer, I play a lot of courses, so get a chance to use the machines and talk to my contacts about them. So I know Toro machines are well built and are going to last.”

John’s new additions include a Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 riding greensmower, a Reelmaster 5510-D fairway mower, two Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder fairway models with shifting cutting units, and a Groundsmaster 4500-D wide-area roughs machine. “They’re all cracking pieces of kit,” John continues. “I was like a schoolboy in a sweetshop when they arrived!”

Chipping Sodbury, like so many clubs, experienced record grass growth last year during the hot, wet conditions. So robust, productive mowers were a ‘must’ for John. He continues: “We’re a bit of a ‘grass factory’ here, with the excessive rainfall making it difficult to keep up with the fairway cutting last summer. So this year I went for a slightly wider cut in the 5510-D, with the bigger units able to cope if we get the extra grass growth. And if we don’t, we’ll just get an increase in productivity. The wide-area 4500-D roughs mower was another priority as this is out cutting all week, clocking up over 40 hours per week. So that’s a key machine, too.”

But John’s hopes for a dry summer this year, so as to experience the full features and benefits of his Lynx-GDC system, were completely fulfilled. “Our irrigation covers the greens, approaches and some fairways,” he says, “but we’d like to upgrade to tees coverage in future. It’s all part of our course improvement plan to get the approaches looking better and improve the general aesthetics by getting higher quality grasses in there for more definition. It’s a fantastic system and the back up is great. I couldn’t wait to use it properly and was just praying for a hot summer!”