A partnership between a “living laboratory” golf course and a leading manufacturer of grounds maintenance equipment is helping more club properties learn to buy with confidence.
It would be foolish to buy a car without first taking it for a test drive. The same should certainly hold true when purchasing or leasing new equipment for the golf course.
FarmLinks Golf Club, in Sylacauga, Ala., is in a unique situation as the world’s first—and only—research-and-demonstration golf course. As a “living laboratory,” the course at Pursell Farms has access to the best agronomic goods on the market, and Director of Agronomy Mark Langner has developed research partnerships with leading industry suppliers.
“We have the opportunity to work with [suppliers’] current product portfolios [and also get] hands-on experience with products [in development] that have yet to be introduced,” Langner says. As part of that process, he adds, “We talk with [other] superintendents all the time, to keep abreast on the products and techniques they are using to be successful.”
A partnership with John Deere Golf had been discussed since the inception of FarmLinks in 2002, Langner says, and following extensive research, FarmLinks began to experience the Deere line of golf equipment during the summer of 2012.
“The John Deere brand aligns perfectly with ours on a variety of levels, from specialty turf to agricultural and more,” Langner says. “You have to spend time with products to truly understand how they fit your needs, and demoing equipment is more than just ‘seat time.’”
The assessment process at FarmLinks for the Deere equipment, Langner adds, “is a collaborative effort with the entire agronomy team—including superintendents, assistants, technicians and operators—to evaluate the product.” That evaluation covers “operation of equipment, serviceability, cost of ownership review and performance,” he says.
FarmLinks GC currently has a fleet of 30 John Deere units, including utility vehicles, and reel mowers for greens, tees, fairways and rough. It also has rotary mowers for rough and general grounds, and a bunker rake. In addition, FarmLinks is running programs with John Deere to introduce the new generation A series mowers, which includes another eight units.
“The new model ‘A’ meets the Tier 4 regulations, but what it means for our operation is a redesigned mower that actually has improved fuel economy, an improved operator’s station, and the ability to manipulate ground speed, turning speed, reel speed and other functions from the operator’s seat,” Langner says.
“The ‘A’ series mowers also have the ability to self-correct ground speed based on turf conditions—for example, thicker grass,” he adds. “They have also added a few other operator conveniences that improve getting on and off the machine. The bottom line is that the quality of our turf will improve while the operating costs of the equipment are reduced.”
Everything in One Place
The on-site demo opportunities at FarmLinks, says Mark Ford, Tactical Marketing Manager of John Deere Golf, reflect how John Deere seeks to maximize the opportunities that all of its customers have to experience the company’s equipment in settings that provide realistic testing conditions.
“Equipment demonstrations, either at a unique facility set up to support [them] like Pursell Farms, or on a superintendent’s home turf, are an essential part of [our] equipment sales process,” Ford says. “Ultimately, one of the most important products a club sells is the quality of the conditioning of its golf course. Every course is unique—that’s what makes golf so special as a game—and that means turf conditions and climates may vary between courses that are right next door to one another.”
John Deere, Ford says, understands that clubs are looking to make decisions based on two perspectives: the performance a piece of equipment delivers on the course, and data that shows its operating costs can work within a club’s financial model.
“We recognize that selecting the right piece of equipment is a decision that often involves more than the superintendent and equipment manager at a course, although they certainly are the folks we want to make sure are completely confident in the results our machines deliver,” he adds. And because Pursell Farms often hosts groups of superintendents from throughout the world for educational and networking events, he adds, it has proved to be an especially valuable part of that process.
“Pursell Farms helps us provide an opportunity for customers [from around the world] to see our entire fleet, or a large portion of it, at one time in one location,” Ford says. “That’s pretty amazing, and the customers who have [gone there] to demo our equipment so far seem [to agree].”
Going Through the Paces
The best way to maximize the opportunity to try new equipment is to utilize all resources when asking questions and making assessments, Langner advises. “We like to give folks an opportunity to really dig in and experience, first-hand, equipment in a real-world environment,” he says. “Gaining user feedback from all of our team is a critical part of what we do.
“Helping your team gain knowledge of products and practices is a great way to expose them to new ways of doing things, as well as experiencing what is in the marketplace,” he adds. He encourages superintendents to “take your team on a field trip” to test out equipment at Pursell Farms or other locations.
But regardless of where it takes place, he adds, “It is important to incorporate your entire team, especially the operators, into the demonstration phase. [Operators] run equipment day in and day out, so their feedback can come from solid ‘time on’ exposure to the unique characteristics and usability of the machines.” At Pursell Farms, Langner adds, “We like to have team discussions about likes and dislikes [after a demo], while the ideas and opinions are still fresh.”
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