GULLANE REPORTS LABOUR SAVINGS

PICTURED ABOVE: Paul Armour, course manager, Gullane Golf Club, forefront right with Mike Turnbull, Reesink Scotland, forefront left, with the greenkeeping team

Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian says it is saving up to 40 labour hours a week after introducing four Toro Turf Pro 500 robotic mowers across its three championship courses.

The autonomous mowers were installed in April following a trial with Toro and Reesink Turfcare. Operating overnight across 16 fairways, the club says the machines allow the greenkeeping team to spend more time on presentation, bunker maintenance and other detailed agronomic tasks.

Course manager Paul Armour said the club is saving between 30 and 40 hours each week during the growing season, while stressing that the technology is intended to support staff rather than replace them.

"We're still looking for staff and, with three golf courses to maintain, we never have enough people," he said. "What it's done is free our team from spending hours sitting on machines."

The robotic fleet was introduced around a year after Gullane completed a full Toro fleet refresh and forms part of the club's wider sustainability strategy. The mowers are powered via charging stations supported by solar panels installed in 2025, reducing fuel use and maintenance requirements.

Paul also highlighted the quality of cut achieved by the rotary mowers and suggested that returning grass clippings to the turf could provide longer-term agronomic benefits.

The four machines operate across Gullane's No.1, No.2 and No.3 courses, with installation and site mapping carried out by Reesink Turfcare. According to the club, the fleet was fully operational within 10 days of delivery.