GREENKEEPING
Jacobsen ’ s
3-hole Turf Care Centre of Excellence Golf Course Key to Product Development and Testing
ince transferring the
S production of Jacobsen mowers to the Turf Care Centre of Excellence in Ipswich , the company ’ s three-hole golf course has become more important than ever to product development and testing .
The beginning of 2021 has seen a quick start for new product lines with the new AR530 , Eclipse ELiTE 360 and HR800 all in the later stages of testing and development .
It is at this point the 3-hole course comes into its own , with the product development team able to test the mowers in real-world situations and often pass the machines onto Golf Course Greenkeeper , Justin Hunt .
Justin began his working life as an apprentice at Ransomes before becoming a product demonstrator in the UK and Europe . Despite leaving the company , he stayed in the turf industry working with Ernest Doe and Bartrum Mowers before joining Woodbridge Golf Club as a greenkeeper where he eventually became Course Manager for six years .
During his time as a demonstrator , he and others at Ransomes knew the land could be a useful asset for product testing , but he couldn ’ t imagine just how well it could be developed .
14 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | April / May 2021