When the time came to replace a faithful and long serving semi-rough mower at Berkshire’s Billingbear Park Golf Course, Head Greenkeeper Ross Jones decided the time had come to take a closer look at the much talked about Baroness offering alongside its longer established competitors.

He liked what he saw of the GM2800B five-deck rotary at Saltex 2014 but had one prime concern around its weight; would it be so heavy that it would leave muddy wheel marks as it made turns in wet weather? An extended trial courtesy of Lister Wilder’s nearby Reading branch provided all the evidence needed to convince him on that issue while also persuading him that it was the right choice on all other fronts.

“It is still early days but I am liking what I am seeing,” says Ross who leads a small greenkeeping team of four on the family-owned 18-hole pay and play course just outside Wokingham. “The weight is not actually an issue because it is well distributed over a long wheelbase and that means it turns really well without leaving tyre marks.

“It also disperses the cut grass really well, so where other mowers will tend to leave piles of grass in wet weather, this one throw it out much more evenly.”

He adds: “My impression is that the Baroness has been designed around the greenkeeper. It’s what I would call a back-to-basics machine that is not dependent upon computers and does the job excellently without being overly complicated. It is particularly easy on maintenance with good access to the places you need to get to. It is also very solidly built and the cut is superb.”

I am liking what I am seeing” The fact that Billingbear Park is a short step away from the Baroness UK base in Basingstoke also gave Ross confidence in terms of ongoing support. “It was very obvious that Lister Wilder has great confidence in Baroness as a brand and they have together been good in giving us an extended trial so that we could really get to know it,” he says.

Like others in his trade, Ross appreciates the fact that the GM2800B is both a powerful and flexible machine with the capacity to deliver a high work rate while also being eminently manoeuvrable on the most demanding of terrain. The five independently mounted cutting decks deliver a 280cm cutting width and ensure that the blades follow the ground contours in any conditions.

The unique height adjustment system enables the operator to change cutting heights in minutes.

Meanwhile, the rear cutting decks swing out for ease of access, so eliminating the hard to reach points for cleaning and service. Baroness has been designed around the greenkeeper.”

The GM2800B combines a powerful Kubota engine and high-torque wheel motors. Four-wheel drive makes it comfortable and safe to use on the most demanding slopes and turns.

The purchase of the Baroness was an early decision for Ross who took up his first Head Greenkeeper position at the course in the summer of last year. He learned his trade at Tylney Park Golf Club at Hook and Worldham Golf Club at Alton before picking up invaluable experience at Wentworth where, as he puts it, “the machinery is out of this world”. He also took time out from the famous Surrey course to do a year at a golf club in Oklahoma, USA where he was involved in the final growing stages of a new course in a hot climate.

He hadn’t heard of Billingbear Park when the job came up there but was immediately impressed by the sheer quality and beautiful surroundings of what is often regarded as Berkshire’s best pay and play course. With nine par-3 holes and an older full-size nine-holes, it has greens and fairways that put the playing quality alongside that of many private courses.