When Glenn Kirby joined Hockley Golf Club as course manager last November he had a lot to do and quickly formulated a Toro-based plan.
“When I started at the club I was keen to maximise the course’s potential quickly and in order to move us towards that goal the machinery fleet needed some serious investment,” he says. “I didn’t have time on my side as I needed equipment for the start of the season. The course has many interesting and challenging contours and I had to go with a range of equipment that I knew could do the job.”
Overlooking Winchester, the club’s 18-hole course is set in over 250 acres of historical ecologically-rich chalk downland with many archeological features within closely mown areas to consider. As a result Glenn’s Toro fleet has been carefully considered to care for all the needs of the course.
As part of a five-year programme to replace all Hockley’s course equipment, the club has so far invested £90,000 in new Toro machinery including a ProCore 648, Greensmaster 3250-D, a Workman MDX-D, Reelmaster 3100-D with Sidewinder cutting units and GreensPro 1200.
So, is there a particular Toro machine in his fleet that stands out for Glenn? “In my previous role at London Golf Club we used mainly Toro equipment and I knew the Reelmaster 3100-D with Sidewinder was the only machine on the market that would achieve what I needed to do on the difficult to mow areas around the greens here at Hockley.”
“Having said that,” he continues, “The GreensPro 1200 greens roller was new to me and it has made a significant difference to the greens’ performance without the need for additional labour. It’s simple to operate and gives us some much-needed variety when it comes to greens management. The customers are really enjoying the results and the condition of the turf has improved, too. It’s an invaluable new tool in my Toro armoury.”
Glenn finishes by saying: “I have always been impressed with the training, support, service and quality offered by Lely UK and Toro. That coupled with the range available made choosing Toro an easy decision to make.”
For more information on Toro machinery, call distributor Lely UK on 01480 226800, email turfcare.uk@lely.com or visit www.toro.com.
Hockley Golf Club www.hockleygolfclub.com