Privately owned Matfen Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa near Newcastle has made its first significant machinery fleet purchase for four years, with the acquisition of five new golf course mowers from dealer Greenlay at Cramlington in Northumberland, John Deere's longest serving turf dealership in the UK.

First open for play in 1995, the golf club now offers a combination of three nine-hole courses - Dewlaw, Douglas and Standing Stone - plus an additional nine-hole par 3 course, and co-hosted the English Senior Amateur Championships in June with Hexham Golf Club.


Matfen Hall Golf Club course manager Derek Millar, John Deere territory manager Richard Charleton and Greenlay dealer principal Geoff Lowes (standing, left to right) with the greenkeeping staff and their new John Deere fleet in front of the Grade II listed 19th century country mansion

The new fleet includes two 2500E hybrid electric greens mowers, a 7200 PrecisionCut trim & surrounds mower, an 8700 PrecisionCut fairway mower and an 8800 TerrainCut rotary rough mower, bought using a John Deere Financial package with PowerGard Plus protection. This includes an annual service by the dealer, with regular maintenance done in-house.

"Some of our previous machines were anything from four to 12 years old, but we wanted to get back onto a more regular replacement schedule, so this deal is the first step on the way to achieving that," says Derek Millar, who has worked at the course for 17 years, the last five as course manager. "This is the most we've ever bought in one go, and we now have the mowing fleet that we wanted to get back into a more sensible rotation.

"The club has been buying John Deere machines from Greenlay for over 25 years, so we certainly believe and trust in the kit," adds Derek. "Mainly though it's about the relationship we have developed with the dealer and the back-up we've had over the years, that's really been more than 50 per cent of the equation. Whenever we have had an issue, it's always been sorted out quickly and efficiently."