Last year The Grass Group established a partnership with US manufacturer Ceres Turf Inc. (CTI) for the supply of replacement tines and bed knives exclusively throughout the UK and Europe. 

That tie-up has started to bear fruit for golf courses around the country – Brookmans Park Golf Club being one. 

Nick Billingham: “They are strong, hard wearing and have lasted well – I am very pleased with them.”

Nestled in the beautiful village of Brookmans Park near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, is one of the county’s finest golf courses.  This 18 hole golf course, set in a natural parkland venue, offers a challenging and rewarding course for players of all levels and abilities.

Nick Billington is the mechanic at the club, repairing and maintaining the entire fleet of machinery for 18 months. Part of his remit is to specify and purchase replacement parts, including tines.  “The brand we used to get were very expensive,” he says, “and didn’t last as long as we would have liked.  Quite a few were easy to bend because the quality wasn’t consistent.”

The Clubs’ maintenance regime calls for greens to be spiked 15 times a year and fairways twice.  Nick always makes sure there are sufficient tines available so he orders in bulk.  Eager to look out for different suppliers, and try something that may last a bit longer and be more cost effective, Nick visited BTME 2014 and walked straight into Rob Whiteside from CTI on The Grass Group stand. 

Rob explained how they manufacture them to the ISO9000 protocol to ensure quality and traceability.  This, and the ease of ordering them online via www.tines-shop.co.uk, convinced Nick to give them a go.  “The range is very competitively priced,” he says, “so far we have only placed a couple of orders but are likely to be buying more in the future.

“They are strong, hard wearing and have lasted well – I am very pleased with them. I have also been impressed with The Grass Group’s level of service and will be asking them to look at the full variety of different types of tines we require.”