The prestigious Royal Jersey Golf Club, situated on the east coast of Jersey in the Channel Islands, is benefitting from a new fleet of turfcare equipment following a near £¼m investment in Toro.
With a rich history dating back to 1878, the Royal Jersey has been part of island life for the past 137 years, throughout which the 18-hole, par 70 course has gone through many changes.
However, the present layout, with views of Mont Orgueil castle and the French coast beyond, has been in existence for approximately 20 years, and the new Toro fleet is a welcome addition.
In a £224k deal with local Island dealership The Jersey Farmers Trading Union (JFTU), made in conjunction with Lely UK, sole UK Toro distributors, the club has taken delivery of two Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers, two Reelmaster 3550-D fairway mowers, a Multi Pro 5800-D sprayer, a Groundsmaster 3500-D rotary mower and five Workman MD utility vehicles.
Ben Blampied-Smyth, course manager at the Royal Jersey, says that of the new fleet, his favourites include the Reelmaster 3550-D and Groundsmaster 3500-D.
“The new Reelmasters are great. We have undulating fairways here, so they’re fantastic at hugging the contours of the course.
“The Groundsmaster is also a favourite, proving to be very versitile. It’s particularly good at cutting the tee banks and getting under bushes, leaving a high quality cut every time,” he says.
Feedback from members mirrors Ben’s thoughts, with comments including noting a clean definition between cuts and that surfaces have improved in terms of consistency.
Ben adds that feedback from the club’s mechanic has also been great. “He’s said that the new Toro greens mowers keep the height of cut better than our previous mowers and that there has been less maintenance required on the blades.”
Aside from a better quality of cut and lower maintenance, financial savings have factored greatly into Ben’s list of top benefits from Toro.
“We’ve bought the fleet on a five-year finance deal, which has allowed us to stay on budget while also benefitting from an extended warranty, for that extra peace of mind.
“We’ve also already saved approximately £10,000 in the past six months of the new Toros being here, from a combination of fuel savings and maintenance – and that’s including paying finance,” he says.
Working with Lely and dealers JFTU, Ben adds that he’s found the customer service “exceptionally good”.
“We live on a tiny island, so it’s great that JFTU get parts to us so quickly, they’ve even started stocking blades and other parts for us, which is very helpful,” he says.
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
Royal Jersey Golf Club www.royaljersey.com
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