Harborne Golf Club Chooses Toro Once Again

Harborne Golf Club in Birmingham have again evaluated and invested with Reesink Turfcare, upgrading its Toro fleet with three new machines chosen specifically to focus on improved course presentation and productivity.

The beautiful 6180-yard par 70 parkland course, famous for its fast, sloping greens, will now benefit from a brand-new Groundsmaster 4500-D rotary mower, a Greensmaster 3250-D and a GreensPro 1260 riding greens roller. 

These new machines will enable course manager Jim Gilchrist, who has been overseeing the club’s greenkeeping team of five for 17 years, to keep the classic and unspoilt 1893 Harry Colt design in pristine condition while saving time and money all year round. 

After spending time with the new fleet, Jim chooses the Groundsmaster 4500-D rotary mower as the absolute standout: “It has improved course presentation immensely from our previous rough mower. The fact that it covers more ground, reduces the time it takes to cut the roughs by half a day allowing us to focus on other areas on the course.”

Excited about the noticeable improvements, Jim is already planning more projects for the course, which include greens drainage using PC (Passive-Capillary) drainage on all 18 greens over the next few years. The club is also set to renew its frontline cutting machinery with Toro next year – a sign this symbiotic relationship will continue to flourish.

“During my time here, Toro has been instrumental in allowing us to achieve our goals over the years with the continued improvement on machinery and customer support. We have been an all-Toro club since 2012, and it has been all we could have asked for in terms of professionalism and reliability,” Jim explains. 

“Dan Tomberry and David Timms from Reesink have been very supportive since they have taken on their new roles with the company, especially during the pandemic. They have made the whole process seamless and easy, so of course we’ll keep coming back to them. The Toro service centre Redtech is another big pillar in our line of work – Graham Hall and his team have been there for us from the very beginning for everything we’ve needed.”

Despite the difficult past few months, Jim believes there will always be opportunities for the industry to prosper. He says: “We have dealt with lockdowns, staff shortages across the business, and golfers’ expectations on their return. However, I feel that everyone came together for our club – from the committee to management and staff, they have all handled the whole process extremely well.

“The club, our members and our visitors have all appreciated the hard work and challenges we have faced over the last 18 months. Their support is what keeps us going and we will continue to make improvements on and off the golf course in the coming years.

“These new additions to our fleet will help with all the plans we have in store for Harborne Golf Club. We know the machines will deliver – Toro doesn’t disappoint. So, we’re very much looking forward to seeing all they’re capable of.”

As for what Jim thinks of the future of golf? “It looks very positive,” he concludes. “There could well be trials ahead, but nothing we won’t be able to tackle. By continuing to invest in our club, will bring continued improvement. Hard work and dedication from the team coupled with a machinery partner like Toro will produce visible, positive results, and that’s what we’re focusing on.”