Enville
Golf Club, founded in 1935, is one of the finest examples of heathland golf in
the Midlands and to help maintain their impressive 36-holes of golf near
Stourbridge, they have just invested in a Ventrac package from local dealer,
Farols.
The
package includes a Ventrac compact tractor unit with Tough Cut deck, Contour
deck, stump grinder, blower and trencher.
Course
Manager Andy Wood has a team of 13 greenkeeping staff and a dedicated mechanic
to ensure that both the Highgate and Lodge courses are kept in excellent
condition, all year round. After graduating from Myerscough College in 1997,
Andy joined The Belfry becoming Deputy prior to the 2002 Ryder Cup.
At the
tender age of just 23 he was appointed Course Manager at Cosby Golf Club near
Leicester before moving in 2009 to Robin Hood Golf Club near Solihull. In 2017
he took up his current role at Enville.
“I first
heard of Ventrac through social media”, he said, “and was intrigued by what it
appeared to be able to do around a golf course. It was about 15 months ago that
we had one in for a demonstration and it was very impressive. We have many
‘manufactured’ mounds around the course where strimming was the only option and
hugely labour intensive. We tested it with the Contour deck and I was impressed
at how well it performed.
“We’ve
purchased quite an extensive package what with the stump grinder, trencher,
blower and Tough Cut deck, but as both courses are predominately a
heathland/woodland mix, they will help us maintain the golf course estate,
year-round. All the lads’ love it and I can safely say that it’s one of the
premier machines I’ve bought in the last 10 years.”
Greenkeeper
Adam Worral has worked at the Club for 26 years and is one of three operators
using the Ventrac. Commenting on the machine he said: “It’s up there with the
best machines I used. With its 8-wheel configuration you feel really safe on
slopes; it’s just a case of getting to know its capability and getting the
confidence to go where no other ride-on can go. It helps us to maintain
difficult areas on a regular basis and has certainly enhanced the presentation
of the courses.”
