The Grass Group's Pro-Flex 120 gets the thumbs up from Fulford Heath Golf Club

Fulford Heath Golf Club, located close to Solihull, is considered the premier course of its type in its area. Designed by James Braid, this parkland course offers a challenging 18 holes over 6,000 yards. This year, Course Manager Kim Blake purchased a Progressive Proflex 120 finishing mower from The Grass Group which has solved many maintenance problems at the club.

The Pro-Flex 120 offers a cutting width of 3metres (10ft) and graduated cut height options of 1"- 3" in ¼ inch increments. The flexible mower decks adjust fore and aft, +/- 10º up and down +/-22º while wings can be adjusted up to 10º up and hitch swivel to 360º when working in more confined areas, reducing cut width to 1.83 metres. "We took delivery of the Proflex in May," says Kim, "and it makes light work of big spaces. We've used it solely for the semi-rough. It's one of our younger lads who has used it the most. You can't get him off it, he loves it!"

Kim faces a number of challenges in maintaining the course, one being that a third of Fulford Heath is set on 'ridge & furrow' ground. This originates from the land previously being agricultural but now means the surface is very uneven. Kim again, "The way the Proflex deals with the undulating ground was a key reason we chose it. Each deck is equipped with a shock absorber preventing the deck from bouncing, thus providing a smooth and even cut over all contours. The size of the unit also suited our course perfectly because of the number of trees we have.

This coupled with the versatility of the decks means mowing requires little operator intervention. Being a parkland course, it can also get extremely wet leaving larger, heavier machines unable to operate. Having the Proflex on the back of a tractor means we can use it no matter the weather conditions. It disperses the clippings very well and doesn't leave a mess like a roller mower would. The course is always left looking tidy."

Kim's' last word, "This mower offers great value for money compared with alternatives in the market. It is just a great overall piece of kit, and very easy to transport for our outside contract work".

www.thegrassgroup.com