OPEN SUPPORT

Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland has signed an exclusive partnership deal with Reesink Turfcare and Toro machinery ahead of hosting The Open 2024 for the tenth time.

The deal has provided Billy McLachlan (pictured above), who’s been at the helm of the world-famous golf course for 31 years and course manager for four of The Open tournaments, and his team with a range of equipment, including the latest electric mowers, for the championship.

Preparations have been well underway for years; starting as the club came out of the 2016 tournament with drainage work and then the installation of a “revolutionary” new Toro irrigation system.

“To have the reassurance of an irrigation system which allows us to be proactive and reactive depending on weather conditions; targeted and effective with our water usage and to have an entirely different level of precision and control throughout the tournament will be revolutionary,” Billy says. “It will take a lot of stress away.”

Billy who has been using Toro machinery for years felt the timing was right to make the commitment with Reesink, especially in the run-up to and over the tournament. Plus, he had his eye on sustainable mowing options: “We have a focus on using electric machinery and were extremely impressed with the Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 ride-on and Greensmaster e1021 pedestrian mowers, which will be taking care of the greens. 

“Having all-electric turfcare machinery is a new addition to our fleet at The Open and I’m looking forward to the huge benefits that will bring. For one, they will allow us to get out to any areas we need to without disturbing viewers or the flow of play and we know we can work all hours needed, because they are so quiet.”

The club has a core fleet of machines and included new versions of the Reelmaster 3575 and Groundsmaster 4300 mowers for fairways and roughs respectively as well as mid and heavy-duty utility vehicles in the last delivery. There’s a ProCore 648s which will be instrumental in post-event recovery work.

Billy contined “To have the support of Reesink throughout the tournament will be vital. We will have additional models of the same machines we’ve been using coming in and extra technicians, which provides great peace of mind.” 

So, what can players and viewers expect from The Open 2024? Billy says it will certainly be bigger than ever: “We have the longest hole in Open history and, just two holes after that, the shortest hole in the championship’s history - our iconic par-three eighth, also known as the ‘Postage Stamp’. 

“There are nine new tees too which lengthened the overall course - I think we’re sitting just 36 yards fewer than the record at Carnoustie in 2007 - and the event has sold out, ensuring a record attendance of 250,000, an increase of more than 70,000 people from the last time we hosted it in 2016. The grandstands, catering facilities, temporary buildings, services, everything is bigger to accommodate the increase in numbers.”