Investment in Toro for course improvements for a true links experience
Hayling Golf Club on the south coast of England has upgraded its machinery fleet with a significant investment in Toro.
Driving the decision was the club’s masterplan for course improvements created by renowned Golf Architect Tom Mackenzie to raise its profile as one of the top links courses on the south coast.
“We have a clear blueprint to follow over the next few years and have our sights set on becoming a top 100 golf course,” says Course Manager Graeme Roberts.
Hayling Golf Club Course Manager Graeme Roberts, left, with Reesink’s Peter Cornwall from the Reesink South East branch with some of the Toro fleet.
We know success is reliant on having the right resources available, and having worked with all the major turfcare machinery brands, I knew Toro would be the choice to raise the bar and present a true links course for visitors to experience Hayling at its best.
The purchase was structured by Toro distributor Reesink Turfcare and its financial partner, Novuna, to give the club control of its budget, forecasting every payment for the next five years.
Graeme continues: “When Steve Slinger, our new general manager, joined the club in February 2024, he was keen to prioritise what we needed to get the course where it needs to be. Once we’d put together the fleet list, we needed to safeguard that so other priorities didn’t delay or prevent us from getting the equipment, which can happen sometimes at golf clubs. The planned purchase and payment schedule suit our objectives.”
The Workman MDX Lithium, Toro’s latest addition to its hugely popular and successful utility vehicle range, headlines the new fleet and complements the heavy-duty HDX Workman, also included in the order.
“The MDX Lithium is ideal for a busy club like ours. There were 48,000 rounds of golf played here last year, so maintenance has to happen while there is play going on and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, reduced noise pollution is a key objective of ours. The MDX Lithium is quiet and quick, meaning there’s little interruption for visitors or disruption to wildlife.”
The club’s new Workman MDX Lithium utility vehicles.
The fairways will be cut with Toro’s Reelmaster 3555-D mowers, which Graeme chose for their light footprint, low centre of gravity, and smooth, turf-friendly slick tyres. These are perfectly suited to Hayling as a links course, says Graeme.
“The course is built on shingle, and we want to promote fine grasses, which can be challenging for a site with limited water resources which dries out quickly. It’s like these mowers were specifically designed with these conditions in mind, delivering a delicate cut with no turf damage.”
The greens have been taken good care of by the Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 for 13 years and there was no intention to change that, and for the surrounds, the Reelmaster 3550-D joins the club, chosen for its wide cut for enhanced efficiencies.
It’s a privilege to be working with and supporting Hayling with the machinery they need to improve the course and raise their profile. This is a comprehensive package deal, and all the choices Graeme and the team made will make a valuable contribution to that.
