The purchases were four 2500E hybrid electric greens mowers equipped with 7- and 11-blade cutting units, two of which can be fitted with dedicated groomers when necessary, plus an 8800 TerrainCut rotary mower for the rough.

"The John Deere mowers offered us the right combination of value for money and performance," says course manager Phil Stain. "There was not a bottomless pit of money available, but cost initially didn't really come into the equation. We looked at what we needed and then looked at the available finance options.

"The bottom line was the machines had to do the job required - we needed to know we could prepare the course prior to play in a tournament situation. Having four greens mowers means we've always got spare capacity too, which is good because we aim to cut everything before play. This allows us to maintain standards to the same high level every day, and gives us the ability not to let these standards slip."

One of Phil's team of five fully trained greenkeepers is responsible for maintenance and servicing, and does the regular service work on site. "He checks over the mowers when they come in each day, keeps good service records and monitors the hours worked. He can then tell the dealer when the PowerGard cover kicks in," adds Phil.