A significant fleet of course maintenance equipment has been delivered to Peterculter Golf Club, situated on the banks of the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, by local Ransomes Jacobsen dealer Fairways GM. The club have elected to contract hire this new equipment over five years and included in the agreement is a full maintenance package.
Paul Sharp is the course manager and heads a team of five full-time staff. He began his career at Kinross Golf Club in 1993 and has subsequently worked at Stonehaven, Carnoustie and Deeside, before taking up his current role in since December 2006.
Commenting on the new fleet he said, “We’ve gone down the contract hire route with the maintenance package because we know precisely what our machinery cost will be for the next five years. Included in the fleet are two Jacobsen Eclipse 322 diesel-electric hybrid greens mowers, which have low running costs and a Jacobsen GP400 with powered brushes for the tees.
“We are situated on a flood plain and sometimes we have up to eight holes out of play; however, that does mean when the grass grows, it grows profusely, so we need good equipment. Our new LF570 fairway mowers have cruise control, which a great asset when we have just two and half hours to cut the fairways.”
Peterculter Golf Club was founded in 1989 after a group of 600 local people petitioned the council to provide funding for the venture. Today it is thriving club with over 1200 members including 300 lady members and 70 Juniors. The 18-hole, 6,226 yard course follows the natural contours of the riverbank with panoramic views of the Grampian mountains in the distance.
“With our healthy membership we are a busy club,” Paul Sharp continued, “and with a small team we need the best equipment to keep the course in pristine condition. John Morton and the team at Fairways GM have been superb during the negotiations and nothing has been too much trouble for them. The maintenance contract we have ensures that the equipment is kept in first class condition and that we maintain the standards expected by the members.”
Ransomes Jacobsen www.ransomesjacobsen.com.
Peterculter Golf Club www.petercultergolfclub.co.uk
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Course manager Paul Sharp with his greenkeeping team