JCB pair cut down the competition at Houghwood Golf Club

The rough at Houghwood Golf Club in St Helens has presented no problems for a new member of the team to tackle the challenging course - a JCB Groundcare ZT20D zero turn mower.

The club has purchased the new model with the primary role of grass cutting in the rough between the 27,000 new trees planted on the course.

The ZT20D model is joined in the Houghwood fleet by a new JCB Groundcare 354 Turbo compact tractor which has a variety of tasks including fairway mowing, aerating the greens and the pulling of a trailer to transport materials and equipment.

Course owner Peter Turner said: "We were keen to buy JCB due to the reputation for quality and reliability which the company holds. We have seen this first hand with a JCB mini excavator we have operated for seven years and we are delighted that both new machines have been fault-free since they arrived.

"The course here at Houghwood is extremely undulating and a key feature of both models has been their stability and performance when working on slopes. The compact tractor is often used to pull an articulated mower up steep inclines and never has any problems.

"We have also planted thousands of trees in the rough which line each hole. Obviously these are growing rapidly and the space between is reducing all the time. However, the compact dimensions and manoeuvrability of the ZT20D, means it is no trouble to keep the course looking neat, even in these tight areas.

"We must also compliment the service and support we have received from Gunn JCB, which has been excellent from day one."

The ZT20D zero turn mower is the focus of JCB Groundcare's latest special finance offer - with 3 years interest free credit and 3 years free warranty being available on the model until 31st May 2007. Aimed at the commercial market, it is powered by an 18hp diesel engine, giving multi-fleet customers the ability to use a single and safer fuel. The JCB mower has an extremely fast travel speed of 13mph making it the most productive type of grass cutting machinery - proven to be between 30 per cent and 50 per cent faster than alternative equipment.

Powered by a 54 hp diesel engine, the JCB 354 Turbo comes with a fully air conditioned cab as standard. With performance levels to rival larger competitive machines, the compact tractor is capable of pulling wide width mowers - making it an ideal choice for large scale commercial mowing tasks. It uses a 24 x 24 mechanical transmission and features selectable four-wheel drive for extra traction. With category 2, three-point linkage, it can power numerous attachments enabling operators to perform many grounds maintenance tasks.

Auto headland management is an innovative feature which automatically cuts off the driveline to any potentially dangerous rear-mounted attachment when it is raised for turning or in transit. This feature also provides real productivity benefits as the operator does not need to manually dis-engage the PTO and the driveline to the attachment automatically re-starts when it is lowered. At Houghwood the feature is particularly useful when aerating the course's greens.

Houghwood opened in May 1996. The Course covers 132 acres and has panoramic views over the Lancashire plain and the Welsh hills. It features large greens constructed to USGA specification and thanks to an extensive drainage infrastructure and computerised irrigation system, play is possible throughout the year even in extreme weather conditions.

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