Knott End Golf Club near Blackpool is described as a stunning 18 hole Golf Course.  It’s a course of two halves with the first nine holes running alongside the River Wyre with breathtaking views of the Bowland Hills and Morecambe Bay whilst the back nine go down into the woodland part of the golf course with fantastic views of the local countryside and wildlife.  

Andrew Smallshaw is Head Greenkeeper and has been at the club for 30 years. “I was a keen golf junior with thoughts of being a pro but even though that didn’t happen I knew I wanted to work within the golf industry.

“I always had a keen interest in machinery as a child and supplemented that with a City & Guilds course at Myerscough College. All that has eventually helped me to become Head Greenkeeper here, supported by a team of three.” 

The Pro-Flex 120 ‘ticked all the boxes’ for Head Greenkeeper Andrew Smallshaw.

The course has a lot of semi-rough grass to cut over undulating surfaces so the need for a rotary contour finishing mower was paramount.  Andrew began the search and spotted the Progressive Pro-Flex 120 outside the halls at BTME. Initial discussions led to a demonstration by Jon Proffitt of The Grass Group, and “it ticked all the boxes” he said.

The Pro-Flex 120 abounds with features not found in competitive units. It has a full frame to facilitate mowing whilst backing up.  The high speed of the blade tip leads to a second to none after cut appearance and the adjustable discharge deflectors make for clean and even discharge of clippings. Each deck is equipped with a shock absorber to keep the deck from bouncing, thus providing a smooth even cut at speeds up to 6 mph – a speed that increases productivity while maintaining quality of cut.

The purchase was made at the tail end of 2013 and first saw service this spring. Andy again, “It’s great – easy to maintain, strong and robust. The whole team use it, it’s a dream to attach to the tractor and operate. You can easily reverse into tight areas; something we weren’t able to do with our old machine.  I also can’t fault the service provided by The Grass Group – they travelled overnight to fix a parts problem.”