After an ambitious and successful golf course transformation project, Bearsden Golf Club has continued its long-term investment programme with the arrival of a substantial new fleet of turf maintenance equipment supplied by Fairways GM at Renfrew.
The two-year construction, which began in summer 2023 and encompassed land adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Antonine Wall, transformed Bearsden GC’s previous nine-hole course through extensive remodelling and environmental improvements.
The redevelopment has helped future-proof the course for generations to come, while collaborative flood management measures introduced in partnership with East Dunbartonshire Council are also delivering wider benefits to the surrounding residential area.
The endeavour, led by Project Course Manager David McBride and his team, was made even more remarkable by the fact the course remained fully playable for members throughout the transformation works. The project also earned the team recognition as finalists in the prestigious 2026 BIGGA Greenkeeping Project of the Year Awards.
Working alongside Fairways GM's Jonathan Rae and Stuart Cameron, David McBride selected a broad range of equipment to support everything from fine turf presentation through to fairway maintenance and day-to-day transport duties. However, one of the key considerations throughout the purchasing process was noise reduction, reflecting the golf course's proximity to surrounding housing.
The new fleet includes an ISEKI TG6507 utility tractor, compact ISEKI TH3420 tractor, Wessex CRX-320 rotary mower, Infinicut pedestrian hand mower, Jacobsen GP400 greens mower, Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE all-electric greens mower and Jacobsen LF570 fairway mower.
“Electric mowing was important because of the proximity to housing,” explained David. “Jonathan and Stuart let us trial the Jacobsen Eclipse® 360 ELiTE on our greens and we approved that almost instantly. The same applied to the Infinicut pedestrian mowers.
“Now, a few months down the line, we are complete converts to electric. The reduction in noise is remarkable as is the quality of the cut. We would never go back. We are extremely happy with the decision.”
“We already knew the capabilities of the Jacobsen LF570 from earlier experience. Here, we effectively have a large greens complex with extensive approaches and apron areas around the putting surfaces, and we like to keep those areas particularly short and refined. To achieve that, we opted for a Jacobsen GP400 fitted with seven-blade cutting units specifically for going around the pins.”
“The redevelopment project has raised standards right across the golf course, so it was important that the machinery fleet evolved with it. We've invested heavily in creating a course that will serve the club for many years to come and we wanted a machinery fleet — and a supplier partnership — capable of supporting that ambition.
“Fairways have been excellent throughout and we're delighted with both the machines and the relationship we've developed with the team.”
