Goodwood’s two highly acclaimed golf courses are already reaping the benefits of new Toro equipment following the delivery of four Reelmaster 3550-D fairway mowers; two allotted for each course.
As the lightest fairway mower on the market, the new additions to the Golf At Goodwood fleet have been floating effortlessly over the contours of both the Downs Course – often referred to as ‘the best downland course in the UK’ – and the Park Course.
Together, the two West Sussex-based courses offer 36 holes of unrivalled golf, each demanding the very best equipment to maintain the high quality levels they’re known for.
“With Toro equipment you not only have a wide choice of mowers and ancillary machinery to choose from, but you also know that you are buying quality,” says course manager Phil Helmn. “And that goes beyond just the ability to do a good job; it includes the support necessary to ensure the equipment delivers throughout its working life.”
As a long-time user of Toro at Golf At Goodwood, Phil not only hopes to continue employing Toro equipment on Downs and Park, but also hopes to use Toro to address responsibilities that go well beyond the golf courses. This includes taking care of the parkland, race circuits and gardens across the entire Goodwood estate.
While at present Goodwood operates a diverse range of mowers and ancillary equipment from multiple suppliers, Phil suggests that the fleet will benefit from a more structured approach in the future.
“It makes good business sense to try and use equipment from as few suppliers as possible,” he says. “We currently have two in-house mechanics, one full-time and one part-time, and sub-contract out servicing and other repairs. Going forwards, however, I want to increase our workshop staff numbers and have three full-time in-house mechanics – and I would like them all Toro-trained to a high standard to work on a wide selection of machines we intend to purchase. This makes a great deal of sense to an enterprise as large as Goodwood Estates, as does carrying a range of fast-moving spare parts for the equipment we operate.”
Adding that he knows and trusts Toro equipment and has many years of experience in dealing with Lely UK, Phil says he wants to develop a Toro ‘super fleet’, using more Toro equipment to maintain areas other than just the golf courses. This includes the motor racing circuit’s grassed areas, where Goodwood’s new Toro RM3550-Ds have already been tested to good effect.
“It makes economic sense for us to share resources between the gardens, golf courses, racing circuit and airfield,” he adds. “We have set ourselves exacting standards and it is my job to ensure the quality of mowing and the presentation we deliver is consistently high. By working with Toro and Lely UK I hope to develop our machinery fleet so it is easier to manage and more economical to operate. By sharing resources I believe we can continue to deliver the best results using equipment I know we can trust.”
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
Golf At Goodwood www.golfatgoodwood.com
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