One of the premier courses in the East Midlands, Longcliffe Golf Club, has signed its first Toro package deal.
Wanting to invest in new machinery, course manager Peter Sands called in three major turfcare suppliers to demo. “I reviewed our existing fleet and the money we spend on new machines every year and made a proposal for a lease purchase deal for all new machinery at once,” he says. “It made sense. We’d previously been spending £25,000 – £35,000 each year on a single new machine, while other machines, like some of our mowers, were reaching 20 years of age.”
“The three major suppliers came in and demoed their ranges. We knocked out one very early on and made our final decision based on price and post-sales service and back up. It was actually a very simple process and easy decision to make. Toro came through on all fronts.”
The club invested in a Groundsmaster 4300, a Reelmaster 3100, a Groundsmaster 3250, a Reelmaster 5510, a Workman HDX-D 4wd and two TYM tractors. And so far the fleet has not only helped improve course presentation but has also made the job more enjoyable for the six-strong greenkeeping team.
“Individually the machines are comfortable, quiet and sturdy to use,” says Peter. “But the big thing for me is seeing the difference using a range of Toro machines together makes. We’ve had a couple of pieces of Toro kit before, but with this being our first Toro package deal it’s the first time we’ve had the advantage of using exclusively Toro to tend the course. That in itself has made a big difference, especially in the quality and finish of the cut and therefore the presentation of the course. The fact that the greenkeeping team declares Toro “makes the job more enjoyable” is the icing on the cake!”
Toro turf products are distributed throughout mainland UK by Lely (UK) Limited, 1 Station Road, St Neots PE19 1QH. Call 01480 226800, email turfcare.uk@lely.com or visit www.toro.com / www.lely.com for further details. And in Ireland by Lely Ireland Limited, Kilboggin, Nurney, Co. Kildare. Call 00 353 (0)45 526170 or email turfcaresales.ie@lely.com.
Longcliffe Golf Club www.longcliffegolf.co.uk