Kilmacolm Golf Club in Scotland is already reaping the benefits of electric mowing following the arrival of a new Jacobsen Greens Mower ELiTE 360 supplied by Fairways GM.
Delivered to the Renfrewshire-based club in May, the battery-powered mower is the first Jacobsen machine purchased by Course Manager John Dale for the club, although he was already familiar with the brand from previous roles elsewhere.
Together with Fairways GM’s Jonathan Rae and Stuart Cameron, Dale explored the available options before selecting the ELiTE 360. As part of the process, he sought the views of fellow course managers who had already introduced Jacobsen electric technology into their fleets.
“I spoke to several and the feedback was consistently positive,” he explained. “Jacobsen was already well established in the electric mower market and everyone was impressed with the performance and cut quality. After the demonstration, I had no hesitation.”
The ELiTE 360 has quickly become an important part of the club’s maintenance programme, particularly because of its exceptionally low noise levels.
“Both our large practice putting green and a chipping green are close to neighbouring houses, traditionally, I’ve been reluctant to work in those areas too early in the morning because of the potential disturbance. The ELiTE 360 has completely changed that. It’s so quiet that we can prepare much earlier, which really helps us make the best use of the day.”
With a team of five maintaining the course and greens cut six times per week, consistency and presentation are essential.
“Our members expect high standards and one feature I particularly like is the ability to adjust the cut rate,” he continued. “It’s very straightforward to make changes depending on conditions or upcoming competitions. If we’ve got a Friday competition, it’s easy to alter the settings to achieve exactly the finish we want. It gives us another level of control.”
Battery performance has also exceeded expectations. “We’re comfortably getting more than 36 holes from a charge, which covers everything we need for two days. With fuel costs continuing to rise, electric technology makes increasing sense from an operational perspective.”
To support the purchase, Kilmacolm Golf Club also opted for a full-service agreement with Fairways GM.
“The machine has been fantastic so far and having the backing of a full-service contract gives us additional peace of mind,” concluded Dale.