Specialist spotlight: Lee Rowbotham

Specialist spotlight: Lee Rowbotham

Since leaving school at 16, Lee Rowbotham, service manager at Reesink Turfcare, has had an education in all things turf. Before joining us in 2011, he worked as a course mechanic in the golf industry. This hands-on technical experience would go on to inform work with Toro and – some years later – Reesink.

As a product specialist, Lee knows his way around turfcare machinery and digital management products. So, we recently sat down to learn a bit more about our resident expert, and get his take on the issues currently troubling the turfcare industry.

What does it mean to be a service manager at Reesink?

As a service manager, my responsibility is to deliver technical support and training to our dealer network and direct areas. I look after a team of five – from warranty experts to our on-site training specialist. As a team, our job is to offer aftermarket support to our dealers and, sometimes, end users, getting them accustomed to the latest turfcare technology.

How has the turfcare industry changed since you first started as a golf course mechanic?

When it comes down to the machinery, though the equipment’s changed significantly, the fundamentals haven’t. Mowers still need to be set before cutting; they still need servicing at regular intervals; and they still need configuring by skilled technicians.

But the industry’s smarter now. Today, for instance, I can log into a GeoLink sprayer over in Ireland, see how it’s working, and interact with it – which simply wasn’t possible when I first joined the industry in 1994. Even in the last 12 months or so, there’s been a push for more digital products like Toro’s GeoLink and myTurf Pro, because customers want data – tangible machine data that they can use to improve and optimise operations. 

So, for us, a big challenge at the moment is helping our dealers embrace this exciting new technology and educating them on the benefits it can offer.

How are professionals responding to electric turfcare machinery and new digital technologies?

The rise of electric-powered mowers and machines has been interesting because, running on lithium-ion batteries, we’ve had to educate our dealers about the technology, including how it will perform for their customers. We look to provide practical answers to questions like, ‘How long does an electric mower run for?’ Because it’s going to depend on usage – if you run it hard, it might only run for a few hours. Whereas, if you treat it nicely, it will run all day. 

So far, we’ve seen a really strong uptake for electric machinery. I think most of this is a result of customer demand, which has made dealers more proactive about adopting new technologies. 

Looking forward, we’re expecting to see an even greater focus on data acquisition and management tools, such as myTurf Pro. For course managers and grounds teams, good, usable data is a real game changer. So, that’s what we’re working on now, educating our network so they can pass the knowledge onto the end user.

What other issues are sports clubs and turfcare professionals facing?

In the last year or so, one thing that’s shot to the top of many agendas, including our own, is staffing and the wider skills shortage. For many clubs and businesses, there’s no plan for succession – when someone leaves, where do they go to find new talent? Like I’ve said, the turf industry has changed a lot. You can’t just hop on a machine and get to it; preparation and planning inform every part of a day’s work, and that requires training schemes and more vocational opportunities, such as apprenticeships.

With new and advanced technologies coming through, the importance of training is only going to grow. But that’s also exciting! There are all kinds of transferable skills from, say, gaming and computer science that would be beneficial within the turfcare industry – from digital applications to, potentially, remote machine diagnosis and repair. 

As an industry, we need to do more to encourage that next generation of turfcare professionals and get them excited about the future of the sector.

Finally, what do you enjoy most about working for Reesink?

I love the variety! Of course, as with any job, mine has its moments… but I get to travel, meet people, and put my own little stamp on the turfcare industry, so to speak. I get to visit golf courses and football stadiums and cricket clubs. Every week is different.

I’m always learning new things and teaching others, helping them get more out of their role and making their day-to-day working life better – so that’s a great feeling.