St Andrews, Scotland: The R&A may have battled with the elements at last month’s 144th Open Championship. But despite unrelenting rain and wind, the aesthetics and playability of St Andrews Links’ historic Old Course received high praise from many of the competitors.
The beautifully presented course, which provided a demanding yet unique test for the world’s best golfers, was prepared using all-Toro irrigation and equipment, including greens, fairway and rough mowers, and utility vehicles.
Director of Greenkeeping, Gordon Moir, said the Toro equipment allowed his 65-strong greenkeeping team to achieve the best possible conditions for what was the 29th time The Open had taken place at the world’s most famous links.
Crews spent months preparing for the event with the help of Toro products from distributor Lely UK. And, following the concluding round in which Zach Johnson took the Champion Golfer of the Year title, it seems the hard work paid off.
“The R&A told us many players said the course was the best they’d ever seen it,” Moir was quoted as saying by Golf Business News.
“All our Toro equipment performed fantastically well prior to and throughout the tournament, giving us that reliably precise finish an event like The Open demands. Our Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid 3420 mowers were a particular favourite, resulting in a superb cut and finish on the fairways.”
As well as a good result equipment-side, Moir expressed his appreciation for the support received by both Toro and Lely: “We had a couple of Toro service engineers from Lely on hand throughout the tournament, who sharpened and handled machine maintenance. This support really was a huge help, taking some of the pressure off our own workshop staff.”
Toro, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, also supplied St Andrews’ greenkeeping team with a brand new uniform especially for the championship.
“As our official supplier, Toro has provided mowing equipment to the course for 15 years, throughout which they’ve supported us through many an event. We’re very grateful for their continued support during The Open 2015, and the new uniform was a great addition, ensuring our greens team looked just as smart as the course!” Moir said.
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