Hamilton Golf Club has added two pieces of Wiedenmann kit to bring their tally of the German-engineered machinery to six.
In July, they took delivery of a Whisper Twister blower and in November, a 2,3m Terra Rake from dealer Fairways GM at Renfrew.
Neil Hogg, Course Manager, at the busy South Lanarkshire parkland course said: “There has hardly been a day since summer when we’ve not used the blower; firstly, for tidying and presenting, now for leaves. It is going to be on leaves for the near future; it’s got no shortage of work…”
Hamilton is one of those golfing rarities with a three-year waiting list for membership. The club is counting down to the centenary of its Riccarton course, on April 4, 2025. Since taking up his post in December 2022, from a similar post at Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, Edinburgh, Neil, has systematically added and honed maintenance processes, while the James Braid course continues to thrive.
“Sustainability is vital and underpins what we are about. Next priority is a five-year plan incorporating much of our white rough back into play. We need to rid it of rogue grasses and re-establish finer, wispier rough. This autumn marks the launch year, and so in October, with the Super 500, we cut rough way down and collected. Through the winter months we need to consistently comb and clean; it is about thinning the bottom, starving the harsh grasses, so they do not grow back as before. The Terra Rake is essential for this task, and we planned its arrival to coincide. Five years of repeat cutting and raking, the careful addition of wildflowers to certain areas when we are ready, and we’ll have the results we need.”
Other duties earmarked across the year for the rake include combing and grooming, standing up grasses before cutting, preparing seed beds and debris collection.
Aiding with the purchases was Mike James, Wiedenmann UK’s National Sales Manager and Stuart Cameron, Area Sales Manager for fairways GM.
“Aside from the rake and blower, we have two Terra Spikes, a core recycler and a Super 500. When I look in our shed now, I think I have Mike James’s entire back catalogue,” quipped Neil.