17 Toros for Enville

The machines have been chosen by the club to help the 11-strong greenkeeping team maintain the club’s two 18-hole courses to championship standard. Among many events the Highgate course was for four years used by The R&A for Regional Open Qualifying. Jonathan Wood, course manager, comments: “Over the past past seven years we’ve been converting the bulk of our ground care equipment to Toro. We’ve tried other manufacturers’ equipment over the years and we think Toro gives us the best quality and value for money.”

In addition to this the machines also have the task of helping the club, which is the first UK golf course to have entered the government’s agri-environmental stewardship programme, manage the complex nature of the course’s heathland and woodland areas. The two courses cover a total of 320 acres of predominantly sandy heathland with half the courses on open heath and the rest playing through woodland.

“We are currently on the Higher Level Stewardship and at the end of our ten years,” says Jonathan. “Next year we will move onto the new scheme through Natural England. The courses are playable all year round but this is mainly down to the techniques we apply and therefore we need the correct equipment to complete these tasks.”

Management of the greens, fairways and roughs includes cutting the greens five times a week at around 4mm using the pedestrian mowers and the fairways twice a week at 14mm.

The club recently installed a new maintenance workshop and has worked closely with Toro engineers to fine tune the cut and performance of the machines for the club’s specific mowing and conservation needs.

Plus there’s the added benefit of being in a renewal agreement. “All our equipment is leased through Oakleys Groundcare,” says Jonathan. “The frontline equipment such as greens, tees and fairways mowers which are used the most, are changed every three years, the remainder of the equipment is replaced every five years.”

And with another national event on the horizon to prepare for, the club will host the Girls British Open Amateur Championship in 2017, and a top 200 UK golf course spot to maintain, these latest Toros will be put straight to good work.