Bryn Meadows Golf, Hotel and Spa near Caerphilly has invested £300,000 in a comprehensive fleet of new John Deere golf course maintenance equipment from South Wales dealer Frank Sutton.
The John Deere equipment includes two 220C walk-behind greens mowers, a 2500B triplex greens mower and a 2653B tees & surrounds mower; an 8700 PrecisionCut fairway mower, a 1600T wide-area rough mower and a 7400 TerrainCut semi-rough mower; and a 3520 compact tractor with 300CX front loader, which is equipped with Galaxy low ground pressure tyres and is used for spraying and spiking.
“We replaced nearly all the grass cutting equipment we had, of another make,” explains David Jakeway, who has been course manager at Bryn Meadows for 17 years and manages a team of four greenkeepers plus a summer casual helper. “Financially it made sense to buy John Deere, and it proved cheaper in the long run to buy new than to keep servicing the old kit.”
Six TM Systems cassettes completed the fleet purchase, together with an AFT45 compact trenching machine to carry out in-house drainage improvements, to help extend the golf season on this mature 18-hole parkland course.
“The first programme of drainage starts this autumn, to install completely new pipework across the course,” adds David. “As a spa resort, it is paramount that we keep the course open year round.”
“It was very pleasing for us to be able to invest in this new equipment and move the course forward, particularly when some golf clubs are struggling,” says Bryn Meadows director Gary Mayo. “We also opened a brand new 9-hole Academy course with all-weather tees on our old practice ground in September, with the help of funding from Caerphilly Borough Council and Sports Development Wales.
“This course is aimed at beginners, children and adults wanting a quick round of golf, which I believe will become increasingly popular. We worked very closely with Sports Development Wales to ensure that it is disabled friendly and accessible to everyone.
“The course as a whole is also open to non-members, with the green fees being based on time spent on the course rather than the number of rounds, and a casual dress code, so it is both affordable and fun for users.”
John Deere Limited www.JohnDeere.co.uk
Bryn Meadows Golf, Hotel and Spa www.brynmeadows.co.uk