Bought as an ex-demonstrator in January final yr from Ventrac’s native supplier, Devon Garden Machinery, Stover Golf Club’s 4500 compact tractor with Contour deck attachment is a success with course supervisor Jason Brooks and his group because the membership is in the course of a significant renovation of its historic structure.
“They simply like it,” Brooks says. “it’s easy to function and fits our course because it makes gentle work of undulations and the bunker and tee banks which might be a function right here. It’s licensed to function on 30-degree slopes, so from a well being and security standpoint, it ticks all of the packing containers. We’ve got quite a few slopes that we used to strim, however we now use the Ventrac and save a number of work hours, they get reduce extra usually and the definition is significantly better.
“We’re located primarily on clay, in truth there’s a Kaolin (china clay) and Silica (positive sand) quarry lower than a mile away, so the sunshine footprint of the machine is good. We even have a stream, Liverton Brook, working via the course and even in moist climate we will nonetheless mow the banks.”
Situated on the outskirts of Newton Abbot and opened in 1931, the course at Stover was designed by James Braid and constructed by his favoured course builder, JR Stutt. In 1942 throughout WW2 half the course was obligatory bought to accommodate an American army hospital and after buying two close by fields, returned to its 18-hole format in 1949. At present, simply 4 of Braid’s unique holes stay.
Commenting on the newest developments to the course, Brooks stated: “Devon County Council is widening the close by A382 and in doing so it wanted a few of our land, not lots however sufficient to imply {that a} redesign of the entrance 9 was needed because it impacted holes 1, 2, 3 and 9, in addition to the follow placing inexperienced. The council bought an extra 30 acres of neighbouring land and architect Simon Gidman, together with Profusion, have constructed section 1 which consists of 4 model new holes. These opened in June, then section 2 development begins to renovate 4 present holes to finish the adjustments.
“The develop in began final July and in direction of the tip of the summer season the fairways and roughs had been seeded, we had begin to the develop in however then as I’m certain quite a lot of greenkeepers skilled, we had an extremely moist winter. The Ventrac was at occasions the one machine we may get out on the brand new half as a result of low floor stress of it.”
“On the prevailing course we did quite a lot of tree elimination throughout the winter and had quite a lot of stumps to grind; usually we’d get a contractor in to do that at fairly an expense, as a substitute, we employed the stump grinder attachment from DGM and had been very impressed. We managed to take away 150 stumps in only a week! With DGM solely 8 miles away, it’s good to know they’ve a variety of Ventrac attachments for rent.
Brooks, who began his position at Stover in 2021, added: “I’ve inherited an excellent group right here they usually’ve labored arduous to supply very good amenities for the members. The administration have been actually supportive, particularly throughout the development of the brand new holes and, with the addition of recent equipment such because the Ventrac, we’re assured that we will maintain membership shifting ahead throughout the subsequent section of its evolution.”
