At SALTEX 2023, on the STM Co Ltd stand, Sam Evans, the Course Manager at the prestigious North Hants Golf Club, and his grounds team took particular interest in the SCAG Windstorm debris blower.
This is a stand-on zero-turn machine with a 37HP motor, 10mph ground speed and a colossal output of 600cfm.
They could see immediate advantages over their present system of a leaf blower unit towed behind a utility vehicle, a system that means that two engines are required, one for the UV and the other for the blower.
The operator also struggles with restricted rearward view because of the blower size. There is also the general safety aspect with the operator needing to look behind regularly to check blower performance and suitable clearance.
The next step was to have an on-site demonstration; this was arranged with David Gray of the STM Co area dealer Lister Wilder.
The Windstorm performance on that demo went beyond expectations; clearly an immediate saving was there being only one motor in use, but the visibility and zero-turn manoeuvrability were real sellers once experienced by the operators on their regular grounds. Not only that but there was an additional benefit; the Windstorm has so much power it can cope with clearing leaves within heather areas, which has been very time consuming in the past. Sam’s expression was “that stuff can be like Velcro”.
The general reaction and enthusiasm were such that Sam was easily able to persuade his General Manager, who was equally impressed with the demo, that this was money well spent.
So now the machine has completed its first winter debris season – but it doesn’t end there because routine mowing can leave grass cuttings on the surfaces.
The North Hants greenkeeping team have always cleared this away to keep the fairways pristine, and now, with the Windstorm, they can do it in two-thirds the time it took them before.
That, with general requirements for clearing wind and storm debris, plus the fact it does its job so well has made the Windstorm a firm favourite with Sam and his team at North Hants.
The machines are available through the STM dealership network.
