Greenkeepers in the north-west of England are preserving the peace and tranquility of their courses, thanks to John Deere’s 2500E hybrid electric triplex greens mowers.

Home of the Stableford scoring system, Wallasey Golf Club in The Wirral is particularly anxious to keep local residents happy and specified the 2500E from local dealer Turner Groundscare of Tarvin, Chester to help them do just that.

The 2500E hybrid electric greens mower cutting one of the greens that borders residential housing.

“Expectations are constantly rising – everyone wants pristine presentation with minimal intrusion. Using the 2500E, we can prepare the course in two halves. Two men can set up the whole course in three hours, thus keeping ahead of the golf.”

The Club first introduced a regular machinery replacement programme about 15 years ago. One of Chris Peddie’s first purchases in 1999 was a John Deere 2500A greens mower, which has around 7200 hours on the clock. This is now due to be used as a back-up machine for greens and tees, and is being replaced by a new 2500E.

Keeping quiet isn’t the only concern for Chris and his five-man greenkeeping team. “A links course like Wallasey is hard on cutting edges, as the sand can quickly blunt them. We regrind all our cutting units, so we need to know how easy they are to strip down. John Deere has simplified the removal of the groomers and rear brushes by introducing quick release clips – this makes the task a matter of minutes, not hours, and so saves us a lot of time.”

The two 2500Es need less servicing too, says Chris, and the hybrid electric design minimises the biggest worry of all – hydraulic oil leaks, which he’s suffered three times in his greenkeeping career.

“Although mowers run on vegetable-based oils these days, spills can still cause dieback when hot liquid leaks onto the greens or fairways. Small leaks are not always visible immediately – only when you turn your machines round and hopefully the light catches the characteristic lines. Unfortunately this is not always the case on dull days, when several greens could be cut before the leak is noticed.”

Limiting the risks of such leaks offers Chris added reassurance, he says. “The course stays open 365 days a year, so keeping it in fine fettle is crucial, including right through the winter. The club is very good at moving us forward, though, and each time we receive a new machine, they can see the overall improvement to the course.”

Noise and oil leaks are also key issues at Delamere Forest Golf Club in Cheshire, which bought its first John Deere 2500E greens mower with QA5 quick adjust cutting units from Turner Groundscare in spring 2013.

Course manager Andrew Ralphs says: “We’ve always bought John Deere mowers, but invested in our first 2500E because I wanted to minimise noise and the risk of oil spills on the course at a time when we are undertaking a three-year extensive renovation programme on our 88 bunkers and a number of tees.

“The quality of build and quietness in operation are everything I expected they would be, and my concerns over the risks of hydraulic oil leaks on the greens have been laid to rest,” adds Andrew, who has also suffered from burst hydraulic lines during his 24 years at Delamere Forest.

“We use the 2500E twice weekly on the greens. It allows us to reduce fuel consumption, noise levels and leaks, without compromising on cut quality – it’s a win:win all round.”