Top Wales resort splashes out £400,000 on new course machinery
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It may look like a scene from Augusta National but this particular band of greenkeeping brothers belong to a major venue thousands of miles away just off the M4 near Cardiff.
The Vale Resort in south Wales has invested more than £400,000 in state-of-the-art golf course and greens equipment as the new golf season gets off into full swing.
The resort, home to two championship golf courses, has purchased 16 new high-tech John Deere cutters and mowers to enhance the condition of both the Wales National and the Lake layouts. It is hoped the new equipment will give its 550-plus members and thousands of visitors, an even better golfing experience this year.
“This state-of-the-art machinery will undoubtedly improve the condition of both courses and make a difference to the way the game is played on them,” said John Borja, the resort’s head greenkeeper.
“In order to keep the two courses in pristine condition, a variety of cutting machines are required to cut the grass in a specific manner each day in order to give it the best opportunity to grow.
“The cutting direction is alternated so the ground doesn’t become ‘stressed’, creating a striped effect which helps players differentiate between the precisely cut tees, fairways and rough.”
Both courses are maintained by a team of 15 year-round staff, with additional seasonal staff required in the busier playing season of March to October.
The Vale Resort team’s newest purchases include four 8700A fairway mowers, four 2500B ride-on greens mowers, four 220SL pedestrian greens mowers, and four TS Gator utility vehicles. They add to their fleet of four TXT8800 rough cutters, four 2653B banks mowers and another two 220SL pedestrian mowers.
