The biggest package of John Deere golf course maintenance equipment sold in Devon and Cornwall has been delivered by dealer Masons Kings of Chudleigh to Woodbury Park Golf Club near Exeter.
The Club’s first John Deere fleet includes a 260SL walk-behind tees mower, three 2500B triplex greens mowers, two 8700A fairway mowers, an 8800A semi-rough mower and a 1600T wide area rotary mower plus two XUV 855D and two HPX Gator 4×4 utility vehicles, a ProGator fitted with an HD200 amenity turf sprayer and a 1200A bunker rake.
Bought on a three-year finance lease as a like-for-like replacement for the club’s previous fleet, the equipment is used to maintain not only Woodbury Park’s 27-hole parkland golf course but also its full-size football pitch and grounds.
“I think the finance package is the best way to go,” said Woodbury Park’s golf course & estate manager Ian Chenery. “We get the benefit of a full warranty, and changing the fleet every three years gives us almost trouble-free course maintenance; I know John Deere machinery will easily be reliable for that length of time.
“We’ve used all the other leading manufacturers’ equipment and we wanted to see how John Deere performed,” he added, while paying tribute to the part Masons Kings’ professionalism and focused approach to aftersales service played in securing the deal, which he said justified the dealership’s ‘Premium product – Premium support’ motto.
“Masons Kings and their turf sales consultant Lee Kirk were awesome. Not only did they come up with the best price, they went above and beyond the call of duty in keeping in contact with us. They were also the only supplier to provide training for two of our mechanics every year for the full term of the lease. This is important as, in addition to the training, it enables them to keep up-to-date with any new features John Deere introduces on its machines.”
Ian Chenery has been equally impressed with the equipment’s performance on the course. “Whatever John Deere has done over the past few years, they’ve done it right. The fairway and greens mowers give us the best finish, as the groomers lift the grass before it is cut, and the greens mowers maintain a consistent evenness of cut, as the pivot system enables the cutting units to follow undulations.
“The new TechControl computer on the A Model fairway and semi-rough mowers is also very good – surface damage is minimal as the course manager can set the turning speed, as well as the forward and transport speeds. And the machinery has performed reliably; there have been teething problems but that always happens with new equipment and it hasn’t been a major issue.
“If the equipment works as well in three years’ time as it does now we’ll certainly go with John Deere again. The whole experience of working with the company and with Masons Kings has been brilliant, and if it wasn’t for Lee Kirk the deal wouldn’t have happened.”
Masons Kings group turf sales manager Andrew Bowey added: “We are delighted to have established a new partnership with Woodbury Park Golf club and are very keen to grow the relationship. Lee Kirk did a sterling job of representing the dealership and John Deere, and we are all very proud of him. We believe the sale of the equipment is only the first step and that our service and back-up is second to none, which puts us ahead of the competition.”
Woodbury Park Golf Club www.woodburypark.co.uk
John Deere Limited www.JohnDeere.co.uk
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