“My Ventracs have gone from strength to strength here at Carden Park”

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Peter Pattenden, the golf courses and estates manager at Carden Park, was one of the early adopters of Ventrac in June 2017. Here he looks back and assesses how his machines have contributed to the upkeep of Carden Park, Cheshire’s premier golfing venue.

“My Ventracs have gone from strength to strength here at Carden Park,” he said. “In 2017 we took delivery of the 14th machine to be sold in the UK together with a selection of attachments that included a Contour deck, Tough Cut deck, Stump Grinder, Edger, Turbine Blower and Power Broom. The following year I bought a second machine and just after lockdown in 2020 I was offered an ex-demo machine from my local dealer, Cheshire Turf Machinery.

“Last year I updated the first two machine to the new 4520 model and also purchased two new Contour decks. These new tractor units have more power and torque, which is really useful when mowing as they have a bit more grunt, especially when mowing on banks and tackling heavy growth. We’ve had absolutely no issues at all, apart from operator error and we’re learning all the time; we know their limits, but they are very easy to use, are nimble and, most importantly, safe on steep banks; the guys are very comfortable with them.

“On our fairways the issue of worm casts is only getting worse; you get a build up on the rollers, this affects the height of cut and it dulls the cylinder blades. To keep us going through the winter, we use a Ventrac and Contour deck set at 19mm, to top the grass once a week. Again, it’s the light footprint of the machine, especially when in eight-wheel mode, that allows us to do this.

“It’s just so versatile; it can do so many jobs. It’s the perfect size, not too heavy, so we can use it in the winter months and not too light that it can’t handle the implements. It has uplifted the presentation of the estate; it’s simply a no-brainer purchase for any golf course or estate manager.”