Toro fleet matches scale of impressive Northumberland club
With two 18-hole championship golf courses set in 500 acres of beautiful Northumberland countryside, Longhirst Hall Golf Club, near Newcastle, required a robust fleet of greenkeeping machinery which was powerful enough to maintain the entire site.
The club was keen to find a market-leading manufacturer which could offer local support and reliable back-up care, and after test-driving a number of machines the decision was made to invest in a nine-strong fleet from Toro.
The Reelmaster 3100-D in action.
Longhirst Hall Golf Club, near Newcastle, sports two 18-hole championship golf courses set in 500 acres of beautiful Northumberland countryside.
Graham Chambers, director of golf at Longhirst Hall Golf Club, comments: “I had spoken to a number of industry friends who were dedicated Toro customers and once we had a chance to trial the products ourselves, it was obvious why that was; the machines were second to none.
The machines function as an extension of our greenkeeping team and we like the fact that they are easy to operate, robust and produce an impeccable quality of cut. Plus, with our guys operating these machines for up to eight hours a day, we need them to offer comfort too.
With an experienced full-time mechanic on site, the club knew that working with a dependable brand like Toro would bring about less repairs, breakdowns and complications. Not only does it save money for the club, but it enables the mechanic to focus on bringing out the best in the machines by servicing them regularly and keeping on top of routine maintenance such as sharpening blades.
Having purchased the machines from approved Toro dealer, Lloyd Ltd, based in Newcastle, the club and its mechanic also have access to high-level back-up care and support, whether it’s to troubleshoot an issue or discuss ways to enhance the fleet.
The Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 ride-on greensmower provides the precision cut of a pedestrian mower and the tool-free, quick-change cutting units make servicing fast and easy.
As part of the deal, Longhirst Hall Golf Club welcomed two Toro Greensmaster TriFlex 3400 ride-on greensmowers, two Groundsmaster 4500-D mowers with free-floating Contour Plus cutting decks, two Reelmaster 5610-D mowers, which are powered by four-cylinder Kubota turbo diesel engines, and one Groundsmaster 360, famed for its unmatched manoeuvrability.
The club’s Graham Chambers (left), Lloyd Ltd’s Andrew Hutchinson (centre), and Reesink’s Mike Turnbull posing with the club’s newly acquired machines.