One of the latest golf clubs in the west country to invest in Ventrac equipment is Merlin Golf Course on the north Cornish coast. Situated on high ground close to Mawgan Porth and only a short drive from Newquay, this heathland course enjoys stunning views towards the Atlantic Ocean.

This latest package, delivered by local dealer Devon Garden Machinery, included a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor unit with Contour mowing deck and a Sisis Multitiner 1200.

DGM’s Vic Robinson (second left) congratulates course manager Martyn Bennett on the purchase of the Ventrac package, alongside Rob Hall and Carl Quible of the greenkeeping team

Martyn Bennett is the Course Manager and is assisted by two long-serving greenkeepers, Rob Hall and Carl Quible. He joined Merlin just 8 months ago after four years as deputy course manager at Caversham Heath Golf Club in Berkshire and before that spent 12 years at Basingstoke Golf Club in Hampshire.

“We were in the market for a new rough mower and my predecessor had a demonstration back in July 2018,” he said. “We had a further demonstration when I arrived, so I could confirm that it would be suitable for the course and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s remarkably powerful for a sub-25 hp tractor, quiet and produces an excellent stripped finish with no mess. We used gang mowers previously so this has been a revelation. It’s so manoeuvrable and has reduced our fuel bills for maintaining the rough by 50%; that’s a significant saving."

Carl Quible is the principal operator of the machine and says, “We have some extreme slopes around the course and I feel 100% safe when I’m mowing. It enables us to maintain the banks on a regular basis and can go where other mowers cannot go. It’s a powerful compact machine and has certainly enhanced the presentation of the course."