The Open venue has replaced its entire fleet in one go, as head greenkeeper Greig Easton commits to electric mowers, GPS sprayers and a long-term partnership with John Deere to sharpen presentation for a global audience.

Royal St George’s has taken delivery of a huge fleet of John Deere machinery as part of its strategy to attract golfers from across the world to play the iconic Open venue.

The multi-million-pound investment is designed to further elevate course standards, creating an even stronger platform for international marketing.

As announced last year, the club has entered a long-term partnership with John Deere and dealer Tuckwells, which will provide installations, training and after-sales service as part of a broad package.

Key to the decision was the technology available, most notably electric greens mowers, GPS precision sprayers, and full connectivity for fleet monitoring and management.

All-out, all-in on the south-east coast

Head greenkeeper Greig Easton oversaw the demonstration and tender process to select Royal St George’s new equipment supplier.

In April, the ageing fleet was removed and the seven lorry loads of mowers, all-terrain vehicles, tractors and sprayers arrived at his sheds in Sandwich.

Greig says the all-out, all-in approach was driven by a clear need to align equipment with the club’s evolving approach to course management.

“We started looking at our machinery fleet shortly after my arrival,” he said. “Some of it was ageing and needed to be replaced anyway, and some of it didn’t quite fit. With the changes we had made to mowing patterns and our desire to improve things further, it wasn’t of the right scale or the right set up options to do what we wanted.”

Rather than opting for a like-for-like replacement, the club undertook a detailed evaluation of the market, trialling equipment from multiple manufacturers to ensure the final selection met both current and future needs.

“We looked at all the manufacturers on the market and got on as much equipment as possible to actually use it on site and see how it performed,” said Greig. “Performance in the field is obviously the key aspect, but we also looked at improving flexibility of our fleet as well as efficiency. Some of the existing fleet was quite inefficient and didn’t meet our needs.”

That process also highlighted the importance of the relationship behind the machines, with support, responsiveness and the ability to adapt playing a decisive role.

“The backup of your chosen partner, dealership and the manufacturer was critical to the decision making,” he said. “We had a lot of questions and requirements, and John Deere and Tuckwells worked extremely hard to provide us with exactly what we wanted. Any request we made, however small, was dealt with and they met those requirements.”

From combustion to battery

The new fleet places Royal St George’s at the forefront of turf technology, with a strong focus on electrification, precision and operational efficiency.

Within hours of the John Deere 2775 E-Cut riding greens mowers being delivered, they were out on the course carrying out their first cut.

The units were among the first to be used on a UK golf course.
The move towards electric equipment was about both performance and working conditions, Greig said.

“The electrification side was important for two main reasons,” he said. “One is the operator experience. It is far more pleasurable using a silent machine compared to one with a noisy engine. Then there are the environmental considerations as well, not using diesel and petrol. But the machines also have to perform, and when we got the demo unit it excelled in everything we wanted it to do. The operator feedback was instantly extremely positive.”

Electric 225 E-Cut walk-behind mowers were also specified, as were two ProGator GPS sprayers, allowing far greater accuracy in the application of inputs across the course.

“We were looking to be of greater accuracy in certain areas, which wasn’t achievable with the sprayer we had,” said Greig. “We were placing products in areas we didn’t want because we had no choice. The key consideration was not placing products where we didn’t want to.”

The wider fleet has been carefully specified to suit the varied demands of the site, from sensitive turf areas through to larger-scale operations, with a mix of compact and larger tractors, utility vehicles and mowing units providing the flexibility required to manage the course efficiently.

Partnership approach

Secretary Colin Sinclair said the investment and partnership with John Deere and Tuckwells is about ensuring Royal St George’s continues to meet the expectations of a global audience.

“We are custodians of a course that people travel from all over the world to play,” he said. “Everything we do is about making sure it is presented at the very highest level. That means giving our team the best possible tools and support.”

The model is central to achieving that ambition, combining cutting-edge equipment with the knowledge, training and ongoing support needed to deliver consistent results.

Chris Meacock, division sales manager for Golf and Turf at John Deere, said: “Elite courses are not only looking for a competitive edge with the quality of cut and course preparation – but they are also placing far more importance on sustainability.

“To attract the best tournaments, electrification and a focus on only applying inputs exactly where they are needed is becoming the norm. Technology and innovation in machinery is the way to achieve that.”

Tuckwells’ dealer principal, James Tuckwell, said: “The installation and initial training with Greig’s team has gone very well and we’re looking forward to working together with Royal St George’s to achieve everything they can with the course. It’s an honour to be working with such an iconic and professional venue.”

Greig believes that collaborative approach will be key to long-term success.

“The relationship is critical,” he said. “In this industry, having a good working relationship with people gives you a better understanding of each other and expectations.”

With the new fleet now fully in place, Royal St George’s is focused on delivering incremental improvements across the course, building on its natural strengths while refining the finer details that define world-class playing conditions.