Global leader in turf and landscape maintenance, Toro Australia, has teamed up with Golf Management Australia to bring a pre-owned Toro Triflex 3400 mower to two lucky not-for-profit golf clubs through the Toro Support & Grow Grants program.

With an estimated value of $18,000 each, the mowers will give a much-needed boost to maintaining courses and grounds as well as ensuring that staff and volunteers have the right equipment for the job.

One of the program’s recipients, Gisborne Golf Club based in Victoria, has recently introduced a volunteer brigade to help cope with the need to reduce staffing levels. These volunteers need to be trained and educated without interfering with the continuing maintenance of the greens, tees and fairways.

For General Manager Bill Papadimitriou, new machinery was vital to help achieve this.

“The introduction of a volunteer brigade has revitalised the focus to deliver a great course for members, guests and visitors on limited funding and resources,” Bill said.

“This focus can only be successful if we can maintain our greens, tees and fairways at the level required and have the equipment on hand to match.

“Winning this mower is an absolute blessing for a club like us. It’s an amazing gesture from Toro who support Course Superintendents everywhere; their support is really 24/7. Our club is just beside itself and really excited to have this opportunity.”

For the historic Gloucester Country Club, which has been in operation since the 1920s, the mower was a very timely addition.

Course Superintendent Anthony Ross says the club’s goal is to promote golf in the regional area, however the current equipment was in need of replacement and they had no means of funding it.

“Our old mower had well over 4,500 hours on it, it was ready to breakdown any day,” Anthony said.

“We’re a club run by volunteers, I’m the only full time employee, and we were in no position to buy new equipment. Winning this mower means we can present a great golf course for our members and the golfing community.

“It’s great to come in and know that the mower we now have is going to do an A1 job. Compared to our old mower where you didn’t know whether it was going to make its way around the course,” Anthony said.

Club President Bill Mansfield says the program is so important, especially to the regional golfing community.

“Gestures such as this enable our club to offer a first class golf course in a small country town,” Bill said.

“The efforts of Toro and Golf Management Australia in bringing this program to fruition should not be looked upon lightly. The impact of this program will bring closer commercial relationships as well as enhancing people’s enjoyment of the game.”

Toro’s Senior Marketing Manager - Equipment, Elise Willemsen, said the golf course industry is Toro’s oldest market and the company is proud to continue to support the golfing community through the initiative.

“Toro entered the golf equipment business in 1919 and we know the challenges many face in being able to afford new equipment to maintain their prized courses,” Elise said.

“Whilst Toro Australia offers a large range of used equipment and finance packages to the industry, we are proud to assist through this program and have no doubt this grant will benefit these two well deserving clubs for many years to come.

“We strongly believe in building long-term relationships with our customers and investing back into an industry that has been such a great supporter of us.”

Elise says Toro was overwhelmed with the positive response the Support & Grow Grants Program received and would like to thank every club that applied.

“The sheer number of applications received show just how important programs like this are to clubs all over Australia. We look forward to doing it all again next year!”

Toro is pleased to announce that the Toro Support & Grow Grants Program will be an annual offering. For further information on how Toro supports local communities, such as the Toro Giving Program, please visit www.toro.com.au