RESTORING A HEATHLAND COURSE

Graham Brumpton, course manager at Ipswich Golf Club has been working hard to restore this beautiful heathland course back to its former glory.

With its 9-hole and 18-hole courses, Graham has been the driving force behind the improvements, dedicating his last 33 years to developing the course, gradually introducing heathland elements back and managing the woodland areas to allow the natural habitats to thrive.  

With numerous industry awards for best environmental golf course and conservation greenkeeper, wildlife and environmental concerns are a high priority for the club.  

With all these projects and constant renovation, Graham has a team of nine staff to carefully nurture the golf course, and with that workload they require numerous pieces of machinery. Graham says their previous Iseki tractor was in need of replacement after over 25 years of usage, so another compact tractor with a higher horse power was required. Following demonstrations with different manufacturers, graham says the Iseki TH5370 ticked all the boxes for the course.

Graham explained, “We use the machine for many jobs on the course including aerating, brushing the fairways and topdressing. Another reason we particularly chose the TH5370 was for the width of the tractor itself, we needed a tractor to power the Pro-core and ensure there was no overlap. At 1.3m wide it was perfect for the job

“Alongside powering the implements it is used for all greens work, towing the trailer to carry bunker sand and divot material around the course, then transporting the greens mowers to each hole. So versatility and operator friendly with intuitive controls was important as the whole team use the tractor.  

“We have a long-standing relationship with our local dealer Ernest Doe Groundcare and Iseki. However we always ensure we buy the right equipment for the course making sure we look across the marketplace."