Moor Hall curates Toro fleet to tackle course wish list

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Moor Hall Golf Club’s latest Toro machinery fleet has been curated to bring the club the latest technological advancements, tackle particular environmental considerations and make specific improvements.

Course manager Wayne Ganning at the club based in Sutton Coldfield created a wish list and with the help of Reesink Turfcare and dealer Redtech Machinery now has a fleet he can rely on to produce results, make savings and implement a more responsible course management programme.

The fleet features two of Toro’s latest UK launches – the brand new GreensPro 1260 and the GeoLink Precision Spray System, the industry’s first turf-based spray system – and 15 greens, tees and roughs mowers, top dressers, aerators and UTVs vehicles.

Wayne says: “Despite being a 100 percent Toro club, this is actually the first fleet we’ve brought in. Our machinery replacement programme for the last decade has seen us bring in a couple of new machines a year, but this year I presented my colleagues Jon Lewis at Reesink and Graham Hall at Redtech with plan of what I wanted to achieve with the course and they pulled out all of the stops to make sure I got what I needed.”

In opting for the GeoLink, Moor Hall was one of the first clubs in the country to reap the benefits of precision spraying. GPS technology and a single nozzle level control means application is accurate to within 10mm. The system automatically turns individual sprinklers on and off based on the machine’s exact location and the boundaries set, and thus virtually eliminates waste. Wayne says of this decision: “We are making a concerted effort to be more environmentally friendly in our approach to course management. The GeoLink is a fantastic and effective way to do this. Not only do we make a difference to the amount of chemicals we’re putting on the ground, but there are significant savings to be made when there is far less wastage.”

Among the many technological improvements in the GreensPro 1260 is a hydraulic drive system. This replaces the hydro and chain drive and eliminates leaks and potential contamination of the grass as well as reducing the amount of maintenance required with chain drive systems. Wayne says this is already proving to be “more reliable and easier for the team to use”.

As for the rest of the fleet, the Groundsmaster 4700-D is cutting the roughs with two more units than the club’s previous mower and that’s making a big difference in terms of productivity, while the SandPro 5040 has won Wayne the thanks of the six-strong greenkeeping team: “The extra hydraulics on the front of the machine is making a huge impact on raking especially in inclement weather. It’s certainly saving our backs!”