In the highlands of Scotland Royal Dornoch is celebrating the handover of a £1.5 million Toro irrigation system for the Struie Course and the arrival of a fleet of all-electric ride-on Toro Greensmaster mowers and Workman utility vehicles.
Termed a ‘Toro Total Solutions’ customer when both Toro irrigation and machinery are selected for the complete care of the course, Royal Dornoch has been a loyal Toro customer of both for decades.
Replacing the irrigation on the Struie Course with a future-proof solution had been in discussion for many years. The club had acquired 50 acres of land with plans to build additional holes, including a new par3, and needed an irrigation infrastructure capable of supporting an expanded layout.
For this purpose, the club specified Lynx Smart Control System, Infinity 35 Multi Trajectory sprinklers, Infinity 55 Dual and Multi Trajectory sprinklers and 590G sprinklers with Precision Rotating Nozzles for the 18-hole course.
Explaining the reasons behind this decision General Manager Neil Hampton says, “The new system provides a robust and flexible backbone for current maintenance and new turf in future course development. It will be much better on the sustainability front: we won’t be using more water; the system will allow us to target where water is needed and control application from mobile phones and laptops.”
With the system operational since the beginning of 2025, Course Manager Eoin Riddell can confirm: “It’s already saving our greenkeepers a huge amount of time and effort; it makes watering so efficient. The benefits are significant all round – it’s good ecologically, financially and from an agronomy perspective, too.”
Robert Jackson, Division Manager at Reesink Hydro-Scapes, says, “So many people came together to ensure the smooth installation for Royal Dornoch: Adrian Mortram Associates, the installation team from Ocmis, Simon Squires from Toro and us as distributor. It’s credit to all involved that the project was completed on time and on budget.”
Meanwhile, the continuing choice of Toro machinery is down to its reliability, consistency and quality, says Neil: “Toro performs all day, every day for us. It takes a lot of stress away knowing you do not have to worry about that aspect of the business.
“We’ve always been able to trust Toro. There’s reliability in terms of performance as well as Toro always being at the forefront of new machinery research and development. As the expectations of golfers continue to increase, we need to provide the best conditions for play, and we can do that with Toro.”
The most recent machinery delivery includes four of the Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 mowers and eight Workman GTX Lithium-ion utility vehicles.
Eoin says, “We first invested in the electric Greensmaster eTriFlex when it launched in 2020 and they’ve proved year after year to be able to do the job we require with the benefit of being the sustainable option. Same with the utility vehicles. These machines are now a staple in our fleet.
“As well as all the previous reasons stated, the back up from Reesink is a big factor in our continuing loyalty, as is the interest that Toro shows in how we use the equipment.”
Mike Turnbull, Reesink Scotland Branch Manager, concludes: “We’re in a privileged position to understand Royal Dornoch’s requirements having worked with them for so long, and it’s a continuing pleasure to be able to support them as they maintain the high standards and move forward with exciting projects that will benefit the club for years to come.”
