Ferndown Golf Club has reported immediate improvements in putting surface performance following its investment in a Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE greens mower supplied by Wildwood Machinery.
The Dorset club was not actively looking to replace its existing greens mowing equipment, but Course Manager Danny Murray decided to investigate the lithium-powered Eclipse after hearing positive reports about its performance.
“There’s a lot of innovation in the turfcare market right now, and sometimes you feel as though you could be updating your equipment every few weeks. Mostly, of course, these are marginal upgrades. We weren’t in the market for a new greens mower, but I kept hearing good things about the Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE, and when James Bastian of Wildwood Machinery called me, I wanted to know more.”
Jacobsen dealer Wildwood Machinery subsequently demonstrated and supplied the Eclipse 360 ELiTE to Ferndown, as well as providing ongoing support.
Ransomes Jacobsen Southern England Regional Sales Manager Ben Rumsey said: “Wildwood has a rapidly growing reputation as a supplier of state-of-the-art turfcare equipment to prestigious golf clubs and elite football clubs in Hampshire, Surrey and London. The quality of service and support they are offering customers is a perfect match for the Jacobsen brand.”
Powered by a 250Ah lithium battery, the Eclipse 360 ELiTE has the capacity to cover 143,000 square feet – equivalent to more than 50 typical greens – on a single charge.
One of the key features for Ferndown has been the machine’s adjustable frequency of clip, which enables the greenkeeping team to achieve a finer quality of cut and effectively deliver the results of a double cut in a single pass.
“That facility has added a whole foot of speed to Ferndown’s already immaculate putting greens,” said Wildwood Machinery Managing Director James Bastian.
Murray said the increased speeds being recorded on the stimpmeter are meeting elite-level requirements, further enhancing the playing experience for members and visitors while supporting Ferndown’s ability to host high-level tournaments.
“The real stand-out benefit of the Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE is the quality of the cut,” says Murray, “with the added benefit that the greens require less rolling to maintain their speed.”
He added: “As an electric machine it also meets our sustainability objectives, and is near to silent which is a big benefit for a Club such as Ferndown where we want to nurture our relationships with neighbours.”
The investment comes following a particularly demanding summer for greenkeeping teams, with Bastian highlighting the mower’s performance in challenging conditions.
“With our own association with East Horton Golf Club, we know how challenging this summer has been for all turfcare professionals,” Bastian said. “It’s been great to see just how well the Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE has worked for Danny at Ferndown. We’re delighted to be working closely in partnership with Ransomes Jacobsen to introduce their innovative technology across the South of England.”