Newslines Spring 2020

The Roundup

Lease and purchase Toro a driving force at The Drift

The Drift Golf Club in Surrey has continued its investment in Toro as it embarks on a £1 million project to bring in new facilities and continue the improvement in the course seen over recent years. In an enduring relationship with Toro, the club has purchased equipment to run alongside its Toro lease deal, citing the brand’s quality and longevity. Course manager Mark Ogden says: “We see the value in both leasing and purchasing Toro. With a lease deal we can spread our budget across the year and upgrade to new machines every five years to decrease the maintenance time needed and ensure the best quality cut at all times. “I’ve always been a big fan of Toro. We’re so confident with the quality and robustness of the Toro machines we bought some equipment alongside the lease deal, so we’re in a win-win situation. “We’ve brought in two new Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 machines for the tees and approaches and we’re already seeing a huge difference in both the aesthetics and quality of the playing surface.”

Course manager Mark Ogden sits on one of the club’s new Toro machines, joined by Reesink’s Mike Taylor.

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First fleet deal More Toro for Badgemore Park

Involved in the deal and Lindsay’s favourite is a ProCore 648 with quick tine change collars: “We have a massive aeration programme proposed for the next six months so it’s going to get a lot of use. It’s a real quality piece of engineering, all the machines are, which makes my job easier on a daily basis. We’ve all got confidence in the machines and it’s really boosted morale and productivity.” But what has impressed the team and members of the club most are the results to the course. “The quality of cut is incredible,” concludes Lindsay. “Within a month, members were commenting

team. For us those two things can equal the productivity of an extra person.” For Pat and his greenkeepers – Michael Buck and David Driver – there is simply nothing comparable to Toro in this respect, hence why the club is taking its relationship with the brand and Reesink to 15 years. A heathland course set on common land, course maintenance is constant says Pat: “We have a lot of walking traffic and dogs coming across the course throughout the The course has really flourished recently with a growing membership to prove it. Having Toro on board keeps the team and our members safe in the knowledge the course will be maintained to a consistently high standard. Mark Ogden Course manager

Following on from Toro’s success at The Drift Golf Club in Surrey, Badgemore Park Golf Club in Henley-on-Thames, its sister club, has chosen Toro for its first ever fleet package deal. Course manager Lindsay Anderson says: “We’ve undergone a lot of development, making changes with new greens and tees and re-developing all the bunkers. Investing in a complete Toro machinery package is the next step in the right direction to improve the course in time for our 50th anniversary in 2022.” It was a very thorough process for Lindsay when it came to choosing a new equipment provider, but “it became clear fairly soon that Toro was the way to go,” he says.

on the quality of the playing surfaces having improved.”

01 Badgemore Park owner Jon Connell, left, joined by course manager Lindsay Anderson, third from left and Reesink’s Robert Rees, third from right, with some of the Badgemore Park greenkeeping team.

and if parts are ever needed they arrive promptly thanks to distributor Reesink’s excellent service and backup.” The machines included in the club’s third five-year lease deal are two Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers, a Groundsmaster 4500-D, two Workman GTX-E utility vehicles and the Groundsmaster 3500-D Sidewinder which is quite the star of the show for Pat and the team, thanks to it “creating the perfect finish around the edges of the bunkers,” says Pat.

Machinery partner Toro for the trio at Rushmere

With three greenkeepers at the historic 6200-yard, 18-hole course in Ipswich, Suffolk it is absolutely essential that the machinery brand head greenkeeper Pat Swinn invests in, is the most efficient and reliable there is. He says: “Efficiency and reliability in a machinery partner takes on a whole new meaning when you have a small

day. That requires vigilance to make sure the course presents for our members at all times. Toro is instrumental in helping us achieve that. The machines are very rarely on downtime

08 . news lines . spring 2020