John O’Gaunt Golf Club purchases two Toro Workman utility vehicles

Related Articles

• How amino acids help drought stress on golf courses
• HS2-destroyed venue to be given new golf course
• Worplesdon Golf Club all but eliminates worm cast removal issue

John O’Gaunt Golf Club in Sandy, Bedfordshire, has recently purchased two Toro Workman utility vehicles, taking the club’s UTV fleet to seven. These hard-working workhorses have racked up over 16,000 hours of work between them demonstrating outstanding value and longevity.

Nigel Broadwith, course manager, runs machines that are up to 18 years old with no problems. “I think we are proving at John O’Gaunt that you can get more out of your Toro machines than perhaps you think you can and that you don’t have to always buy new to get results,” he says.

“Our oldest Workman is the 3300D from 1999, that machine has done an impressive 4132 hours of work over 18 years. Of our more recent machines we have a HDX-D from 2015 which has put in an equally impressive 1652 hours in two years.”

Most of the UTVs Nigel purchases are second-hand, with the latest two purchased as they came out of a five-year lease deal, which means they represent great value for the club. In fact, purchasing the machines this way meant Nigel could buy two second-hand Workman utility vehicles for the price of one new one.

“Even new the Workman UTVs present good value, but purchasing our utility vehicles this way is cost-effective and means we can put the rest of the budget into our turfcare machinery, plus fuel consumption is excellent. A Workman is a workhorse and puts in the hours. We use ours for diveting tees, topping up bunkers with sand, turf and tree work and transportation; we even have one whose body we have removed and replaced with a topdresser for that sole use.”

But that’s not all. The club’s Workman vehicles are nothing if not versatile, stepping in when needed with all sorts of jobs as Nigel explains: “The machines comfortably seat two men and in the rare times when we have issues with player’s golf trollies we’ve been more than happy to pick up members and transport them around the course in the Workmans. They are quick, quiet and still look good.

“I think it’s important to consider all the options available when it comes to creating your fleet. Toro proves itself to be capable of lasting and still being up for the job, even when the machines are up to 18 years old. That’s why I think Toro make the best utility vehicles in the industry.”