This summer, the roughs and semi-roughs at St Michael’s Golf Course, Leuchars, are noticeably more precise, featuring stripes and a lower height of cut.
Adam Turner, Head Greenkeeper, at the Fife club, says the arrival of a Wessex CRX-320 sports turf mower means he has more options.
“We’re loving it. We can put a stripe when we couldn’t before. Our well-used rotary didn’t have rollers; this has both, front and rear.
“Previously, HOC could only go down to 50 mm, any lower and there was scalping on humps and bumps. Instantly, we changed to 40 mm, there’s no scalping so quality and presentation are improved.
“Trail-behind using a tractor lets us go out in alternative weathers, enjoying the benefits of both a cab and air con. Fuel savings are also considerable.
“The financials were another crucial factor. Had we made a like-for- like replacement of the machine we retired, it would have been close to six figures; with this Wessex, we could even have added a new tractor purchase and had money left.”
The CRX-320 gives the St Michael’s team of Adam, plus David and Brad, scope to use it almost year-round.
“In winter,” continued Adam, “the Wessex is earmarked as a relief machine for our fairway mower. We’re troubled by worm casts, which play havoc with the units, potentially costing thousands to replace. Normally, we wouldn’t cut between the middle of October to the beginning of March. The risk of repair is too high. The new plan would be to take the Wessex, maybe once a fortnight, and knock it right down to 15 -20 mm if we need to.”
Mike Lindsay, Area Sales Manager from Fairways GM’s dealership at Kinross, supplied the Wessex and installed the machine supported by Wessex International’s Scotland Manager, Steven Brown.
