Dullatur Golf Club is moving towards a more sustainable future for turfcare – and the club, which is situated near Glasgow, saw Toro machinery as the only choice when it came to trusted quality.
At the helm of the move is experienced Course Manager Richard Bell. Richard has worked at Dullatur for 23 years, beginning his career as an apprentice at 16 – and was even a junior member of the club prior.
Golf has nearly always been a central part of Richard’s life, and with a team that combined has several decades of experience at the club, their turfcare expertise is second to none.
Managing an expansive club like Dullatur, with two 18-hole courses, demands a constantly evolving, proactive approach. With a year-round team of seven, supplemented with four seasonals, Richard understands the importance of efficiency – and reliable equipment.
With a total of 36 holes, the sheer volume of greens, tees, fairways and rough is a lot of ground to cover for the team and the machinery, and we have to maintain the highest standards for our club members. We’ve worked predominantly with Toro machinery to deliver the quality of cut we need – I trust Toro equipment to perform at the highest level.
Richard has added to his fleet three new pieces of equipment: the all-electric Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370, Reelmaster 5010-H hybrid fairway mower and Reelmaster 3100 sidewinder. Richard was particularly impressed with the eTriFlex 3370, as his first all-electric mower: “I had read about the 3370, and I had the chance to operate one while volunteering at the British Open at Royal Troon. I spent the entire week cutting greens with it, which was an amazing experience. It gave me the best hands-on demonstration I could ask for.
“The quality of the cut was phenomenal – it rivalled hand-cutting, which is considered the best quality of cut achievable. Even after greens were double-cut by hand, the eTriFlex was still removing clippings. It’s rare to find a machine that delivers results comparable to hand-cutting, but this one did.”
Richard emphasised the importance of sustainability and local community to Dullatur Golf Club, and how the new machinery benefits both: “We’re looking to be better for the planet. It’s our first all-electric piece of equipment, and we already know how good the hybrid 5010 is, as we have one in our fleet. Now that performance is at such a high level, we see this as a start of the long-term plan.
“With electric equipment, you’re more sustainable, there’s no need to worry about oil spills, and we aren’t concerned with noise pollution – so we’re not bothering golfers playing or our neighbours in the morning!”
Ross Neil, Area Sales Reesink Scotland West, has supported Dullatur Golf Club with the acquisitions. Richard commented on the service: “They provide a great service; I’m always able to get them on the end of the phone, and they’re happy to answer any questions I’ve got whenever I need it”.
Ultimately, Richard trusts the future, more sustainable outlook of Dullatur Golf Club with Toro. “For the new electric machinery, I expect we’ll see the same longevity you get with every other Toro mower. It’s just trust in the brand. It’s strongly my belief that Toro is the best – the best longevity, the best value for money. I can’t see us looking at any other brand in future.”
