SPECIALIST MOWERS
Course and grounds manager Peter Bradburn ( left ) and Jon Cole from Reesink signing the partnership agreement .
When the new machinery arrives in early 2022 , it will be a fleet to reflect the club ’ s environmental stance , says Peter : “ We ’ re very conscious of climate change and are endeavouring to reduce our CO2 emissions . With that in mind , new choices involved in this deal are the Greensmaster 3360 hybrid riding greensmowers , plus three electric STAR EV utility and people carriers from distributor Reesink . And there was no doubt that the Flex 1021 pedestrian mowers would be included again – they ’ ve been key to our greens conditioning and the close cutting of the Reelmaster 3575-D mowers have been involved in improving the fairways for years now .”
While it is a continuing relationship with Toro , rewarding high performing staff and introducing fresh talent is key to make the most of the new fleet . Peter explains : “ In the autumn , we promoted David Howe to Head
Greenkeeper to succeeed Ashley Allpress . David has proved himself as Ash ’ s understudy and Jamie Wright comes in as the new deputy head greenkeeper to support David and start the cycle again . Like most aspiring course managers , Jamie has done his journeyman training in the USA with an enviable year at Pebble Beach and his formative years at Sunningdale . The gardens team has been revitalised with the arrival of Sam Cumber , who was part of the crew who won Gold for Richmondupon-Thames through the Britain in Bloom horticultural competition three years concurrently .”
All of these changes spearhead neatly in time for the Ladies ’ Gold Challenge Cup . Returning after a COVID-enforced break , the event – which is older than the Masters – opens the Spring golfing calendar at the club , with tennis and croquet
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Forefront in every decision we make is what is best for our members . Are we spending their money wisely and will they be pleased with the results ?
championships to follow .
Peter concludes by saying : “ While it was not a foregone conclusion that Toro would be the machinery partner we committed to , the continuation of our history , even as personnel change , reflects a strong partnership between the two companies taking us to 15 years of working together .”
To talk to someone about how the Toro range would suit your course , call 01480 226800 .
GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | March 2022 67