Walton Heath Golf Club signed its first five-year agreement with Toro for its fleet of greenkeeping machinery.

Front right, club chairman Alastair Wells with Reesink's regional manager Larry Pearman. From back left: Reesink Turfcare’s area retail sales manager Mike Taylor, course manager Michael Mann and club secretary Stuart Christie (Photograph taken February 2020, before social distancing.)

Discussing the deal, club chairman Dr Alastair Wells said, “Having a fully modern fleet means we can maintain the courses to a very high standard.

"For example, the uniformity of cut and reliability are always going to be better with new Toro machines, plus there are financial benefits. With a package deal we can retain cash as the cost is spread out over five years, which was one reason why we made the switch from buying machines on an annual basis.

“With such a large investment to consider, the decision to go with Toro wasn’t made lightly as we wanted to provide our highly valued course manager Michael Mann and his team the best possible equipment. We had machinery demonstrations from a number of leading brands, however it became clear that Toro was the way to go. Toro and Reesink Turfcare are such reputable companies for one but added to that is the fact that Toro equipment is first class.”

The fleet deal includes four Toro Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420s, two Groundsmaster 4700-Ds, four Reelmaster 6700-Ds and a further two Multi Pro 5800-Ds, three Workman HDXs and one Workman MDX.

“Toro really suits the terrain here,” continued Dr Wells. “We’ve been happy with the service from Reesink and Toro before, so it made sense to invest in a brand we know and trust.”

With the new deal spearheaded by course manager Michael Mann, this significant investment in Toro is only one part of the club’s efforts to improve and develop the course.

“The two courses here at Walton Heath are highly regarded across the country, in part due to the great tournament history they have, but also because of our continuous efforts to make improvements,” continues Dr Wells. “Since 2000, nine hectares of pure heath land have been restored and more recently we’ve brought in architects Mackenzie and Ebert to review both the Old and New course. This new agreement with Toro and Reesink is just the start of further development in the club, which we believe will see improved results.”

Reesink’s Jon Cole, branch manager - South East, added, “We are delighted to have cemented our long-term relationship with Walton Heath Golf Club following the club’s due diligence process. Our local representative, Mike Taylor, supported by the Reesink South East team engaged in a busy evaluation process with Michael Mann and his team at Walton Heath. So after the hard work put into the selection process, we are immensely pleased to have the club reconfirm their confidence in us and the Toro brand.”