Toro favoured as much for its longevity as its performance
In a theme of fives, Calcot Park Golf Club has received five new Toro machines on a five-year lease. Headlining the fleet is the Reelmaster 5410 with five cutting units for tackling the challenging terrain of the course with unrelenting ease for years.
The club, situated on the Berkshire border, is no stranger to Toro. In fact, according to Course Manager Tom Jennings, 100 percent of its machinery fleet is red – and that’s as much for its longevity as it is its performance.
Toro machinery is bulletproof when it comes to longevity.
“We have fairway mowers here that are up to 13 years old, which is impressive for the amount of work they do,” he reveals. It’s no surprise, then, that when the time came to upgrade its machines with a five-year lease deal, Toro was the only option considered. One machine in particular that has made its mark is the Reelmaster 5410 with five cylinders.
The club’s thick, grassy parkland course has proved no match for Toro’s Reelmaster 5410.
“The topography at our course is very up and down, and being a heavy clay site, we need a machine that can handle that, especially in the winter,” explains Tom. “As a parkland course, we’ve got lots of thicker grasses – the sheer quantity and coarser texture can be tough to get through, but it presents no problem for Toro and in particular the five-cylinder mower.”
In a fleet deal that also includes two new Greensmaster 3400 mowers, a Reelmaster 3100 sidewinder, and Groundsmaster 4000 – all provided by Reesink Turfcare – Tom says all the mowers work hand-in-hand to navigate the Harry Colt-designed course, and also singles out the Reelmaster 3100 for commendation.
Course manager Tom Jennings and Reesink’s Liam Linehan (right) celebrate the new Toro lease deal.
“We’ve got the 3100 coming in on the lease as well,” he notes. “It’s a smaller machine which is why we chose it. Our course was built in 1930 and a lot of the complexes are quite small and tight; this sidewinder is flexible enough to get around them, whereas others on the market tend to be too bulky for the job.”
Calcot Park Golf Club’s greenkeeping team have enjoyed the benefits of the Toro Reelmaster 3100 (pictured centre).
The club benefits from Reesink’s lease deal which allows it to renew its range of machines every five years. Tom explains: “I know that if we get a five-year lease, in five years from now I’m not only going to get the machines and the brand that performs best on the course, but also the latest technology and machines that will also benefit the course in the long run.”
Beautiful scenes at Calcot Park Golf Club make it a firm favourite among golfers in Berkshire.
And Tom and his team have their sights set on electric power next: “We’ll be considering some of the electric machines next time. We’re in an urban area and I think this will be helpful with our mowing routines,” he concludes.