After investing more than 20 years of research and development, Toro have announced it has started field testing of its GeoLink Solutions Autonomous Fairway Mower.

The technology was previewed at the recent 2022 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego.

The manufacturer says the autonomous mower aims to alleviate the issues of labour shortages and budget constraints experienced by customers in the golf industry. They believe greenkeepers will be able to increase productivity and get more consistent results.

During the initial placement period in 2022, Toro say they will work with selected sites to test the technology. The test units will be closely monitored to better understand the operational benefits realised by golf customers, and Toro will believe they will gain valuable insight as the technology is optimised.

“As technology continues to evolve, the future of Toro’s autonomous product offerings is limitless,” Toro product marketing manager Josh Kravik said. “Our initial placement activities in 2022 will help us identify applications in which today’s technology can perform to the levels expected by our customers and where further development and additional capabilities are required.”