John Deere fleet helps increase the bar at Leven Hyperlinks

Golfers visiting Leven Hyperlinks Golf Course in Fife are sometimes unaware that they’re enjoying, partially, over one of many oldest items of {golfing} land on the planet. It is a conventional hyperlinks with rolling fairways, a lot of that are lined by historical sand dunes, quick placing surfaces, burns and pot bunkers.

The membership dates again to 1820, though golf solely began being performed right here in 1846, and it’s thought that the unique format turned the primary course that century to boast each 18 tees and 18 greens. Leven Hyperlinks additionally lays declare to internet hosting the oldest open beginner strokeplay championship on the planet.

The Customary Life Assurance Firm’s Beginner Champion Gold Medal has been held right here since 1870, with more moderen winners together with Lee Westwood and Andrew Coltart. It additionally hosts the historic Lindsay Defend, an interclub match between Leven, St Andrews and Carnoustie which may be traced again over 150 years.

Establishing a brand new heritage is the purpose after all supervisor David Grey, who took over right here in 2018 after a interval as head greenkeeper at Ladybank Golf Membership, additionally in Fife. Grey, who’s a BIGGA Central Part Scotland committee member, believes there may be loads of potential to carry Leven Hyperlinks again to a pre-eminent place by as soon as extra internet hosting huge occasions and placing its identify firmly again on {the golfing} map.

Two golf equipment share the course, Leven {Golfing} Society and Leven Thistle, and this comes with its personal challenges, says Grey. The sheer quantity of aggressive golf generates loads of work to fulfill the required requirements and means the stress on the small greenkeeping crew is fixed.

“It’s nice to have the chance to handle my very own course in the way in which I’d like,” says Grey. “Expectations are excessive, and we’re attempting to provide the absolute best circumstances on a daily foundation. This has meant the introduction of extra trendy strategies and cultural practices, in addition to funding in updated course equipment.

“Aside from my deputy Gary McLaren, who has spent a formidable 30 years at Leven Hyperlinks, I’ve been in a position to construct a unbelievable new crew who’ve tailored very nicely to my methods and are loving the introduction of the brand new gear. Teamwork is massively necessary in our business and with employees working independently in direction of the identical finish purpose, the collective outcomes are so rewarding.”

As a part of this preliminary modernisation course of, a John Deere ProGator utility automobile, outfitted with an HD200 amenity turf sprayer, was purchased from native supplier Double A at Cupar. This supplies extra accuracy and precision plus a much bigger tank capability than the course’s earlier mounted sprayer, and led to the golf equipment’ first John Deere equipment deal being agreed with the dealership in late 2019, as a part of a brand new partnership method.

The fleet now additionally consists of 2500E hybrid electrical and 2550 E-Minimize triplex greens mowers, one other ProGator with a Dakota high dresser, TE electrical and HPX diesel Gator utility automobiles and an R Serieswalk-behind rotary mower plus ancillary merchandise together with a Wessex collector and a Tru-Turf greens curler, for which Double A is the official UK distributor.

“There was no structured equipment alternative technique in place after I got here to the membership, so this was one of many first issues we needed to tackle to enhance the general course high quality and presentation, in addition to reliability of the gear,” says Grey. “I made a proposal to the Leven Hyperlinks Joint Committee, and their assist has been unbelievable, making an allowance for we’re breaking utterly new floor for the golf equipment with this deal. Now we now have a longtime plan and we’re at all times speaking about what occurs subsequent, so it’s very a lot a seamless course of.”

“We opted for a John Deere Monetary lease deal, which proved to be extraordinarily versatile as not solely might we defer funds on account of Covid-19, we have been additionally in a position to bundle in an additional machine, the HPX Gator,” added Grey. “We had nice assist too from John Bateson of Double A, and each of those points have been key elements in making the deal occur in a short time and easily.

“Our slicing regimes have modified as nicely since bringing within the new Tru-Turf curler. John Deere slicing items are arrange otherwise to our earlier mowers and the clip charges are increased, so by utilizing the curler we are able to miss out the odd lower every so often, which is a superb bonus given the pressures on play.”

Grey concludes: “My previous expertise with Double A has been price lots, particularly having them on the doorstep and figuring out I can depend on the identical degree of service I’ve at all times acquired. They helped me to concentrate on precisely what I wanted to slot in with my plans for the course, and we’re already benefiting from that and the good technological strides John Deere has made in recent times with its product vary.”