When Chris Marker, course manager at Waterlooville Golf Club, began looking for new hand mowers as part of the club’s machinery replacement programme he had already heard plenty about Baroness and the quality of cut their machines could produce. Two years on, he says their trio of LM66 mowers for tees have not only lived up to the hype – they’ve exceeded expectations.
Chris has been at Waterlooville for 11 years, overseeing a demanding, tree-lined parkland course maintained by a team of seven greenkeepers. To ease some of the pressure on the busy team, the club sought a new fleet of hand mowers to replace the existing tees set-up which consisted of older, narrower mowers. “We demoed all makes and models, looking for something that would cover more ground without compromising cut quality or presentation” he explains.
“I’ve known Luke Collins of Baroness for a long time and obviously he was keen for us to give the LM66’s a try. I was intrigued as I’d heard a lot about the cutting cylinders on these machines, so we gave them a go to see if they actually lived up to their reputation.”
And the result? “The quality of cut is outstanding. They stay on cut incredibly well meaning, not only do we have a wider more productive unit, we’re saving further time in terms of initial set-up and not having to continuously re-adjust the cut” Chris says.
Today, the trio of Baroness LM66’s are in use three times a week to maintain the tees, collars and aprons, with the team impressed by more than just the cut performance. “The simplicity of operation is another big plus with these machines, together with their balance and reliability.” He adds, “They’re bulletproof – probably the machines that require the least amount of maintenance and upkeep in the shed.”
The positive in-field experience has also been backed by strong aftersales service from both Luke, and Mark Carter from local dealer Lister Wilder. “They’ve both been on hand to answer any questions we’ve had. Being able to speak directly with the manufacturer is a nice thing and just brings further confidence in our purchase and in the brand.”
Chris concludes, “These machines have really opened our eyes to the possibilities with Baroness and, with the cut being so good, they’ve definitely put themselves in contention when we come to review some of our other cutting equipment in the future.”