Originally laid out in 1976, the 18-hole course at Shortwood Lodge Golf Club near Bristol has been transformed in recent years under the ownership of Ian Knipe. Ian’s vision has always been to bring golf to a wide audience with a ‘pay-as-you-play’ strategy and today the course has features designed to provide entertainment and challenges for golfers at all levels.
The transformation has been demanding on the club’s machinery as the course covers more than 100 acres, over 2.5 acres of which are greens. Earlier this year Course Manager Mark Powell and Head Greenkeeper Jason Stevens decided it was time to replace their life-expired mowers with new machinery that was also easier to maintain.
“Ease of maintenance is vital to us as we prefer to carry out all the work in-house to minimise down-time,” Mark explained. “Unfortunately the brand of machinery we had been using was often over complicated and it was difficult to access many of the working parts.”
Working with T H WHITE Groundcare representative Stuart Fry, Mark and Jason put together a new equipment proposal for three Jacobsen mowers – a GP400 greens mower, a Tri-King for the tees and surrounds and a Fairway 250.
Ian, who is ultimately the man who has to write the cheques, fully supported the proposal. “It’s important that the team doing the work feels confident with the machinery. Not only that – they need to know that they can rely on back-up and service when it’s needed and the combination of Jacobsen machines and T H WHITE’s reputation for outstanding service was the obvious solution.”
The three new Jacobsen machines have now been in service at Shortwood Lodge for over a month and have already put in some serious hours. “The difference is amazing,” said Jason. “So far the Jacobsens have been completely trouble-free, they are easy to use and easy to work on – plus the parts are much less expensive.”
As owner of the course, Ian is delighted too: “The members are over the moon with the way the course is looking, and that’s the most important testament. We are really happy to embark on this new partnership and hope that it will last for many years to come.”
