Environmental considerations were at the forefront of Coventry Golf Club’s decision over what equipment to choose when buying its new machinery fleet – and chose Toro’s TriFlex 3420 greensmower with electronically-powered cutting units for its energy-saving design.

Course manager Kevin Brown, seated, with four members of the greenkeeping team. 

Coventry Golf Club, in the Finham area of the city, takes great pride in being the first established golf course in England and Wales to be awarded certification by The Golf Environmental Organisation (GEO). The award recognises the outstanding efforts made by them in the area of environmental sustainability at the 120-acre, 18-hole parkland course.

Course manager at the members’ club, Kevin Brown, says: “Environmental considerations were a major factor when it came to choosing our new greensmowers and that’s one of the reasons we opted for Toro. We purchased three TriFlex 3420s and, although they are designed to save energy, they provide outstanding quality of cut. And of course hydraulic leaks are a thing of the past. They have improved the quality of the playing surfaces here. The grooming brushes, in particular, are excellent. There is more continuity with the cut, with no grass left on the ground, and they don’t damage the grass, which can lead to disease, like you often find with steel groomers.”

The seven-strong greenkeeping team uses the greens machines for daily cutting at heights between 2.5mm and 6mm depending on ground conditions and time of year.

 The club also bought one of Toro’s Reelmaster 3100-D Sidewinder models as part of a five-year exclusivity agreement. The machine has cutting units that shift to the side, making it a safe choice for cutting round bunker edges and water features.

It’s a point echoed by Kevin, who says: “One of the main reasons we chose the Reelmaster 3100 was for the Sidewinder cutting units, and the safety aspect they provide. It’s really sturdy and being able to shift the units allows the operator to keep the machine’s weight at a safe distance from a potential hazard.”

Another new machine on Kevin’s list is his new Groundsmaster 4700-D rotary because being a British Open Qualifying venue presentation is a key factor.

“The GM4700-D is aesthetically brilliant and gets tough jobs done quickly,” says Kevin. The units follow the contours of the land over ridges and furrows without scalping, which enables us to use it on the tee-banks and fairway bunker banks. We also got extra power in the form of the Toro Workman HDX-4WD.”

Kevin has also brought in a Reelmaster 7000-D, a Workman MDE utility vehicle and a TYM T503 tractor.

“Toro is far more operator-friendly than other brands we’ve had, whether you’re adjusting on-cut and cutting heights to actually being out on the golf course,” he says, “and it is reassuring to have the good back-up we get from our dealer Redtech should we need it.”

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