When support matters most

But with rapid support from Reesink Turfcare, Toro and dealer JFTU, the club stabilised operations and began rebuilding – highlighting the critical role of servicing and supplier partnerships when the unexpected happens.

The value of strong supplier partnerships

Royal Jersey Golf Club is well used to challenges. In almost 150 years of operation it has lived through two world wars – even being used as a minefield during the German occupation of the Channel Islands – so it’s safe to say it’s weathered some storms. But in May 2023, the team faced a challenge few greenkeeping teams ever experience: a fire tore through the club’s greenkeeping facilities, destroying buildings, machinery and tools in a matter of hours.

For Allan and his team of 10 who maintain the 18-hole links, the challenge was not only coping with the shock but finding a way to keep one of the Channel Islands’ most historic courses operational.

What followed was a powerful demonstration of resilience – and the importance of strong supplier support.

Disaster strikes

The call came just after 4am on 20 May 2023.

“I arrived expecting maybe a small corner of the shed had gone up,” Allan recalls. “But it looked like a scene from a film.”

The blaze had destroyed the welfare building, workshops and mower sheds, wiping out much of the machinery used for greens and approaches, along with tools and maintenance equipment.

“We’d lost everything required for cutting greens and approaches, plus six electric trucks and most of our tools,” he says.

Just as concerning was the loss of infrastructure. With the irrigation control systems destroyed and electricity cut to the fort, even watering the course became a logistical challenge.

“The computers for the irrigation were in my office, which had completely gone,” says Allan.

Keeping the course going

In the immediate aftermath, survival – not perfection – became the priority.

With greens mowers destroyed, the team adapted the few pedestrian units they still had, lowering heights of cut to maintain greens before raising them again for tees. With no utility vehicles available, staff walked the course carrying out their work. The aim was simply to keep the course playable.

Irrigation was run manually: “We had the guys coming in early in the morning and again in the evening to trigger irrigation heads individually,” Allan explains. “They were soaked through and freezing, but they just got on with it.”

With competitions cancelled and mowing regimes adjusted the team had the breathing space needed to stabilise operations, but long-term recovery would require machinery – and quickly.

Support arrives

At the time, global supply chains were still recovering from pandemic disruptions and machinery lead times stretched well beyond a year, so replacing equipment wasn’t going to be simple.

Allan contacted Toro’s Andy Brown, who quickly connected him with Reesink Turfcare divisional manager Jon Cole. From there, the response was immediate.

“Within a few hours I was speaking to Jon,” Allan says. “He said they’d see what they could get across to help us.”

Despite the pressure of the busy summer season – including preparations for The Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club – and the logistics involved in sending machinery to an island, Reesink was able to source key machines to help Royal Jersey regain operational momentum.

“Jon reassured me they could get two Workman utility vehicles and a Toro Greensmaster 3400 onto the island fairly quickly,” Allan explains. “That was a huge relief because it meant we could get around the course and present the greens properly again.”

The machines arrived within weeks and for Allan, it was the first sign the club could begin rebuilding.

“Without that support, we would have really struggled to keep the golf course going,” says Allan.

Rebuilding the fleet

While the initial equipment delivery helped restore day-to-day operations, the longer process of rebuilding the fleet required continued collaboration.

Over the following months, Reesink worked with Royal Jersey and local Toro supplier JFTU to gradually replace the lost equipment.

Deliveries included Workman GTX utility vehicles, pedestrian greens mowers and hybrid ride-on greens units — all arriving despite industry-wide backlogs and extended manufacturing lead times.

But for Allan, the real difference was the level of communication and reassurance throughout the process. “Jon is the divisional manager, so it’s not really his job to deal with things like this day-to-day,” he says. “But he always had time to answer the phone or emails.”

Knowing exactly when equipment would arrive proved invaluable for managing expectations internally. “They arrived exactly when he said they would,” Allan adds. “That meant I could reassure the club that everything was on track.”

The value of partnership

For many golf courses, relationships with machinery suppliers extend far beyond a purchasing decision. Reesink’s model emphasises long-term support, including servicing, parts supply and technical advice alongside machinery provision. In situations like Royal Jersey’s, that partnership becomes critical.

“Without Reesink’s support, the club would have struggled,” Allan says. “We might even have had to shut the course. We couldn’t be more grateful.”

A stronger operation

Today, Royal Jersey’s fleet is fully restored and the new facilities are complete. The upgraded buildings provide more space, improved workshops and better welfare areas for the team.

The experience has also strengthened the relationship between the greenkeeping team and the club’s membership. “We’ve got a much closer bond now,” Allan says. “The members asked what they could do to help, and now we’ve got a member-run divot team.”

Lessons from adversity

Despite the scale of the setback, Allan believes the experience has ultimately made the operation stronger.

From refining irrigation practices to improving communication across the club, the fire forced the team to rethink many aspects of course management and one lesson stands out above all: “In a situation like that, the support around you really matters,” he says. “And the support we had from Reesink, Toro and our local dealer, JFTU, made all the difference.”

Award-winning support from Reesink Turfcare

Thankfully situations such as Royal Jersey’s are extremely rare but it does show how valuable reliable, trust-worthy comprehensive dealer support is for minimal interruption and downtime. 

Reesink Turfcare is widely recognised for its award-winning aftersales and service support, particularly through its long-standing partnership with The Toro Company. The business has received multiple international accolades for excellence in parts, service delivery, and customer support – highlighting its commitment to fast response times, high parts availability, and consistent service standards. 

Awards such as the Aftermarket Service Award and Outstanding Sales Achievement Awards, given by The Toro Company globally reinforce Reesink’s reputation as a dependable, high-performance support partner when reliability matters most. Reesink prides itself on offering its customers:

1. Unmatched parts availability keeps you running – with access to tens of thousands of parts and rapid UK-wide delivery (often within 24–48 hours), we ensure minimal downtime when equipment failure hits.
2. Nationwide service network for rapid response – our UK-wide branches, dealer network, and service centres mean help is never far away when urgent repairs are needed.
3. Expert technical support when it matters most – dedicated technical specialists and field engineers provide fast diagnostics and solutions, reducing the impact of unexpected breakdowns.
4. Structured service standards you can rely on – our Service Level Agreements ensure consistent, high-quality repairs, warranty handling, and customer support during high-pressure situations.
5. Strong dealer relationships for local backup – we invest heavily in supporting its dealer network, ensuring customers receive coordinated sales, service, and aftersales support across regions.
6. End-to-end aftersales care reduces long-term risk – from training and maintenance to repairs and lifecycle support, our focus on aftermarket service helps protect your machinery investment and maintain productivity during disruption.

Jon, who was instrumental in helping Royal Jersey get back on its feet has perhaps unsurprisingly recently been recognised for his commitment to customers and customer relationships.

Fleet focus: Royal Jersey’s Toro line-up

In total, 15 Toro machines were lost in the fire, these were replaced with:

• Toro Greensmaster 3400 – providing ride-on greens mowing capability during the early stages of recovery
• Toro Greensmaster 3250 utility mower – supporting fairway and approach maintenance
• Toro Flex 1021 pedestrian greens mowers – bringing back the pre-fire precise presentation
• Toro TriFlex 3420 hybrid greens mowers – completing the greens fleet
• Toro Workman GTX lithium utility vehicles – improving on-course transport and daily operations