June 5, 2020
Nestled on the north shore of Lake Minnetonka you can find a small slice of Minnesota paradise. With tall oaks and rolling hills, Woodhill Country Club is an idyllic place for its members. Like many other top-tier country clubs, steep side hills, bunker faces, and elevated tee boxes have always been part of the course topography. While beautiful, these features can also present significant challenges to course maintenance. Mowing them safely and efficiently can often require large grounds crews and dedicated time to maintain.
Historically, the Woodhill Country Club staff has maintained its course with a crew of 4 push mowers wearing football cleats for traction, along with weed trimming by hand. John Martinson, Facility Maintenance expert at Woodhill Country Club, saw an RC Mowers slope-mower in action at a trade show, and invited us to Woodhill for a product demonstration shortly after.
Since purchasing their RC Mowers TK-44E in May 2020, Woodhill Country Club can maintain steep areas with 1 staff member—instead of 4— who can safely mow the steep hills from flat ground. The work can be done in the same amount of time and frees up staff to be dispersed to other maintenance work. This has led to an overall improvement in their course appearance and playability for their members.
“My staff loves how easy the mower is to operate and how quickly and safely they can get the work done. We used to do the work with a crew of 4 and now we can send 1 person out to do the work in the same amount of time, but more importantly, they are safe.” –John Martinson, Facilities Maintenance, Woodhill Country Club (MN)
Not only does the RC Mowers remote-operated slope mower create opportunities by requiring less manpower to do the same amount of work, it also tangibly elevates the look and playability of the golf course and individual holes by improving the landscape of all playable areas. Since every golfer understands the pride that accompanies a birdie shot on a beautiful course, beautification and maintenance is a high priority for all grounds crews. Woodhill Country Club accomplished this, and more, thanks to their partnership with RC Mowers.
“The RC Mowers TK-44E has improved the appearance and playability of the course for our members. Now we can cut areas once a week that sometimes we were not able to finish each week…. and we get a nice finish cut for playable areas and our members have noticed the improvement.” –John Martinson, Facilities Maintenance, Woodhill Country Club (MN)
Whether you operate an 18-hole PGA Championship golf course or a simple driving range, cutting-edge maintenance equipment can elevate your maintenance capabilities. If you’re seeking ways to safely and effectively maintain your course, contact an RC Mowers Regional Sales Manager and set up a free demonstration today.
