In June 2007, Muswell Hill Golf Club was left devastated after a fire broke out in the club’s machinery shed.

With the building housing a diesel tank recently topped up with some 5,000 litres of fuel as well as chemicals including fertiliser, the force of the inferno consumed the club and lit up the London skyline. It took six fire engines and 50 firefighters to bring the blaze – believed to have been started deliberately – under control.

Fast-forward one year, however, and the club has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. Amid demoralised staff walk-outs, Matt Plested walked in as the club’s new course manager and set about rebuilding the club and restoring staff confidence. One of his first tasks was replacing the £300,000-worth of grounds maintenance kit destroyed by the fire.

“The first thing I did was order new Toro kit,” Matt recalls. “The club had been using another manufacturer’s machinery, but for me Toro is the best for quality and service. Things are looking up now – we have an enthusiastic new greenkeeping team, the right machinery for the job and an excellent dealer in AT Oliver. It’s an exciting time.”