Toro’s 100 years in
business was celebrated in style in 2014 and now the company’s is marking its
centennial milestone serving the golf industry.
Starting as it meant
to go on, The Toro Company made its entry into the golf sector with product
innovation by developing the industry’s first motorised fairway mower for the
Minikahda Club in Minneapolis.
By mounting five
lawn mowers on the front of a farm tractor, Toro created the motorised golf
course equipment industry and in doing so started a century of listening
closely to its customers, developing innovative products based on feedback and
available technology, long-standing customer relationships, and establishing a
distribution network to deliver great local service and support.
Reesink Turfcare, or
Lely Turfcare as it was, has been part of that journey as the sole Toro
distributor in the UK for golf and sports fields equipment and irrigation
products for almost half that time. And as Toro’s four pillars for success so
closely match Reesink’s, it’s no wonder it’s been such a long-lasting and
rewarding partnership for all these years.
But the biggest
reason for marking the occasion is to say thank you. Grant Young, general
manager of Toro’s Commercial Business, says: “Without a doubt, we owe much of
our success to the Toro employees who have helped shape the golf industry with
countless innovations.
"But we
wouldn’t be here today without the Toro customers across the globe who put
their faith and trust in our products every day. As we celebrate a century in
the golf industry, we simply want to say thank you to our customers and channel
partners for continuing to put your trust in Toro people and products.”
David Cole, managing
director of Reesink Turfcare, says: “The first Toro product to hit UK shores
was the Toro Greensmaster 3 at the beginning of the 1970s. That innovative
ride-on product was born from Toro’s established golf focus and projected the
brand into the UK as a producer of high quality, innovative golf equipment in
the UK.
“Since then a
reputation has been built that centres on reliability, durability and support
and a mutual trust has developed between our customers, us as distributor and
Toro which can be truly viewed as a partnership. We’re extremely proud to have
represented Toro and its product values for so many years and we also thank our
UK golf customers for their long-standing loyalty, confidence and trust.”
