Royal Jersey Golf Club has overcome a catastrophic fire which destroyed much of the club’s greenkeeping buildings and equipment with vital support from Reesink Turfcare, Toro, and local supplier JFTU.
The fire, which took place on May 20, 2023, wiped out the club’s welfare building, workshop, and 15 Toro machines.
As Course Manager Allan Black remembers: “I arrived at four in the morning to a disaster. It looked like a scene from a war film. Equipment-wise, we’d lost everything required for cutting greens and approaches, plus six electric trucks and most of our tools.”
Fortunately, some equipment was spared, which allowed Allan and his greenkeeping team to continue hand cutting greens and tees on foot while adjusting the height of the cut as needed, while they worked on a recovery plan. But being the start of the season, they had to act fast.
“I contacted Andy Brown at Toro, who put me in touch with Jon Cole, Reesink’s Divisional Business Manager,” Allan explains. “With the help of John Renouf, General Manager at JFTU, they put together a plan for renewing the fleet. Jon reassured me Reesink could quickly source two Workman utility vehicles and a Toro Greensmaster 3400. It was a huge relief because now we could get around the course and maintain our greens.”
By August 2023 the club had received six Toro Workman GTX vehicles. Over the next 12 months, Reesink delivered a Greensmaster 3250, five Greensmaster Flex 1021 walk-behind greens mowers, and three Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3420 hybrid greensmowers, enabling the club to rebuild its course maintenance capabilities.
“Reesink did all this while supporting Royal Liverpool in the build-up to The Open and against a machinery backlog and long lead times,” Allan continues. “Without their support, the club would have struggled, and we might have had to shut the course. We couldn’t be more grateful for Reesink, Toro, and JFTU.”
Allan is feeling optimistic about the future. “We’re now back to a full fleet,” he says. “Three mowers are still at JFTU, awaiting transfer to our new mower sheds, which will be ready by the end of March. Once complete, we’ll see staff morale soar and our 1000-plus members will see that reflected in the course.
“It goes to show that even in the direst circumstances can turn around and bring people together. Ultimately, our club, members, and partners like Reesink and JFTU are closer now than ever,” Allan concludes.