Portrush, Northern Ireland: Toro machinery and irrigation is being used to present the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club to the world for The Open Championship. 

The United Kingdom’s Toro distributor, Reesink Turfcare, is providing additional back-up Toro machinery and support throughout the week-long tournament and has confirmed the completion of a new long-term agreement to continue working with Royal Portrush.

With more than one million fans applying for tickets and an anticipated 278,000 spectators in attendance, it’s shaping up to be the biggest Open in history (outside of St Andrews).

Maintaining a cool, calm head throughout years of preparations has been Course Manager Graeme Beatt.

He said: “It felt like there was no time at all between the 2019 Open finishing and preparations for the 2025 tournament starting.

“With 40,000 more people coming and a significant increase in corporate hospitality, we, along with The R&A, have been focused on improving the spectator experience and it was agreed we’d enlarge all of our spectator areas, rebuild the range and reconstruct the front nine of the Valley Course.

“The rest of the changes are subtle. We’ve adjusted the first and seventh greens and have two new championship tees on the fourth and seventh – the fourth is now 25 yards longer and the seventh about 15 yards longer than in 2019.”

Preparations are now focused on maintaining the courses at their general tournament standard: “From season to season we’re busy with members and events so we maintain the courses at a tournament standard year-round with Toro,” said Beatt.

A Toro customer for over 30 years, Royal Portrush, its team of 30 staff and an international support team of 18, are using the club’s complete fleet of Toro equipment including battery-powered ride-on greens mowers, fairway mowers and utility vehicles, plus a new state-of-the-art Toro Lynx Central Control System to achieve ideal playing conditions. 

In addition, the club is welcoming, for the first time, four Toro Vista shuttles configured for four, six and eight passengers to aid personnel transportation around the site.

There are changes to the way the Toro machinery is being used for the championship. The biggest, says Beatt, is that the electric ride-on mowers are being used for the greens instead of hand cutting as was the case in 2019.

He said: “The precision and technology of the Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 ride-on mower is such that the results are equal to a hand mower. This was an approach favoured by St Andrews and Royal Troon when they hosted The Open and eliminating the chance of an oil leak brings peace of mind.”

The irrigation system upgrade, which included replacing all sprinkler heads with Infinity and B Series across both courses, is accommodating an unseasonably dry spring.

Beatt said: “We’re having a really dry spell which would be absolutely perfect if it was the end of June. But as it’s springtime we’re having to employ the technology of the system.

“The individually controlled irrigation heads are perfect for giving precise control over watering, ensuring only the exact amount needed is used and we can achieve our goals without wastage.”

Of the new agreement with Toro, Danny Campbell, General Manager at Royal Portrush, said: “The Club has had a wonderful relationship with Toro for more than three decades and we’re delighted to extend it even further.

“Graeme’s team produce the best surfaces all year round and their dedication, along with the support of Toro, enable us to continually deliver our courses to the highest standard.”

*Toro is an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.