Toro irrigation and turf maintenance machinery has been chosen by Beaverbrook Golf Club for its brand new course, currently under construction as part of a new £90m luxury hotel and private members club at Cherkley Court in Leatherhead, Surrey.
The scheme will see the grade II-listed building, famous for being the former residence of press baron Lord Beaverbrook, converted into a luxury hotel, health club and spa. This will be complemented by a private members club 18-hole golf course co-designed by David McLay Kidd and Tom Watson, opening in summer 2016.
Development is moving apace at the site, where a new, state-of-the-art Toro irrigation system is currently being installed on the 400-acre site. This uses Toro’s innovative Lynx central control system with its intuitive interface that will allow Beaverbrook’s greenkeepers to precisely customise the system to their own course conditions and requirements to ensure efficient, controlled use of water at all times.
Added to this are Toro’s latest sprinklers – the new Infinity Series with Smart Access. Infinity sprinklers deliver all the Toro quality features of increased efficiency, enhanced course appearance and improved playing conditions, but with the added benefit of Smart Access. This feature is a boon to course managers as every serviceable element can be accessed from the top of the unit. It means sprinkler repairs and maintenance can be done without the need to dig up the unit with consequent damage to turf and loss of time and money. The sprinkler is also future-proof, designed to accept new and improved parts whatever the future holds.
Tim Edwards, a director of developers Longshot Cherkley Court, says: “We aim to become the most exclusive private golf club in the UK and have chosen Toro to be a big part of our future plans. Everything about this project is about finding and using the best of the best – and that includes Toro. In my opinion they are the best in the industry; the highest quality.”
He sees it as a big benefit that the club will be 100 per cent Toro and that the irrigation will be complemented in the future by the arrival of a Toro turf equipment fleet to cut and maintain the prestigious Beaverbrook course. Distributor Lely UK’s Toro sales manager Jeff Anguige says this will comprise the full range of mowers for cutting all areas of the course, as well as Workman utility vehicles, sprayers and top-dressers. TYM compact tractors will also be part of the deal.
The project is expected to create around 300 jobs, with staff being recruited from the local community as far as possible. Tim Edwards says this includes bringing together the best greenkeeping team available – “the most skilled staff, ideally those who already know and like Toro and enjoy using Toro equipment”.
Meanwhile, Lely will be providing support throughout the grow-in phase and into the long-term.
Andrew Brown, corporate accounts manager for The Toro Company, says: “Beaverbrook Golf Club is a prestigious new enterprise and Toro and Lely are delighted to be chosen as its preferred supplier for both irrigation and machinery. We look forward to working with Tim and his team over the coming months.”
Toro irrigation products and turf machinery are distributed throughout mainland UK and Ireland by Lely (UK) Limited, 1 Station Road, St Neots PE19 1QH. Call 01480 226800, email turfcare.irrigation.uk@lely.com or visit www.lelyturfcare.com for further details.
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