In just a few short weeks, an Echo RP-1250 from GroundTech has successfully streamlined the driving range operation at Kingsway Royston’s Golf Centre.
Operations Director James Watts explains how their new autonomous range-picker is working seamlessly with the club’s existing washer set-up and has resulted in up to 20 hours of labour being reallocated around the course every week.
Located on the outskirts of Cambridge, Kingsway Royston is a family-focused golfing destination offering a 9-hole golf course and Toptracer driving range alongside foot golf, pitch and putt, 18 holes of Jurassic Links Adventure Golf, Jamaica Blue café and AF Golf store.
Like many, Kingsway has enjoyed a major boost in footfall post-COVID – good for business, but placing additional strain on their maintenance partners of nearly three decades, Turf Care Leisure.
To address the challenge, James engaged with GroundTech’s Marcus Glover to explore options. "I’ve been in the industry for many years and it’s been really interesting to watch the developments and refinements within the robotic arena” he explains.
“Echo is well-established and well-proven so I had no doubt the technology, paired with the expert support and service from GroundTech, was going to be the perfect partner for our 30-bay driving range.”
The RP-1250 is capable of collecting up to 20,000 golf balls per day, silently and in all weathers.
Optimised via GPS to target high density areas, balls are safely and efficiently collected and returned to a designated drop-off point – in this instance, a custom-fabricated holding tank designed and supplied by GroundTech. “It’s fitted seamlessly into our existing washer and Range Servant automated management system, and has reduced the time taken to clear the driving range from three or four hours every day to just one.”
James emphasises, “The time-saving is massive for us. Being able to redistribute close to 20 hours of labour every week enables us to focus our efforts on other projects and course improvements which has obviously been very well received by our customers.
“The service we’ve had from Marcus and GroundTech has been excellent throughout – everything from helping us provide a business case for the purchase, through to installation in early August and supporting us and our team through the initial set-up and induction period.”
