In late 2017, Gloucester Golf Club re-established itself as a member managed club and took on Keith Wood as its General Manager. With Joe Curtis as Course Manager, the new entity quickly established that much of its existing batch of precision and maintenance machinery was unreliable and costing too much to maintain. The club had one nearly new ‘rough’ mower, which they acquired from the Tallis Amos Group (TAG) last year and so Joe Curtis contacted Bob Culverhouse at TAG to discuss the replacement of key equipment. Commented Joe, “Keith and I discussed with Bob from TAG about the needs of the club’s greens and the tricky ground conditions at Gloucester, especially the back nine which are on steep ground.” Bob Culverhpuse recommended the John Deere 8700A Precision Cut Fairway Mower because it was designed to cope with undulating terrain and had excellent traction capabilities.
On the strength of past John Deere product experience and the back-up service they had experienced, Gloucester Golf Club also purchased a John Deere 2653B Tees mower and a 2500e Precision Greens mower.. They also decided on a new ProGator utility vehicle to handle all the general duties around the course. Since the new machines have been installed, feedback has been very positive. “We’ve been really pleased with our decision,” commented Joe “the 8700A cuts our eighteen holes as if it were a flat fairway - even in wet conditions. Cut of height is so simple and maintenance takes just a few minutes. The entire package is very helpful to us because we only have a small team of greenkeepers, meaning we can get on with the job, cut at almost any time, even if there is a heavy dew.”
Maintenance is a very important part of the support requirements at Gloucester Golf Club and Joe Curtis and his team of greenkeepers were taken through the daily schedule of maintenance checks, prior to the machines being installed. Much focus was spent on all the easy access points that cut maintenance time to a minimum. For main service and maintenance support, “I know,” said Joe “I can call upon the professional service back-up that TAG provides.” “The decision and purchase process with TAG has been so easy.” added Joe, “Bob and his team gives us so much support and back-up and nothing is too much trouble. The quality of finish from the John Deere products and the backup we get from Bob and TAG has been excellent and it’s all we need to help us provide our members with the best golf course around.” he concluded.
