Articles

H
ow do you describe some-
thing new that’s so different
and so much better that it
hardly sounds real? We’ve all heard
hype and exaggeration about everything
from sporting events to medications,
and it can be easy to get skeptical.
However, in the case of Toro’s incred-
ible new Greensmaster
®
cutting unit
for riding greensmowers, all the great
things you can say about it are true!
Key features and capabilities are indeed
a “wish list” of exactly what a superin-
tendent and technician wants. These fea-
tures include:
■ Lower height of cut (to 1/16 inch or
1.6 mm)
■ Superior quality of cut at all heights
■ Sealed bearings to eliminate greasing
(no zerks!)
■ Simplified adjustment process
■ Greater rigidity to eliminate squar-
ing-up
■ Backward-compatibility with all cur-
rent and previous units
The new cutting unit for riding greens-
mowers, available in 8- or 11-blade reels,
replaces all 4-bolt and single point adjust-
ment units in favor of the dual point
adjustment proven on the Greensmaster
1000. With today’s emphasis on lower
mowing heights for greens, and demands
for improved productivity, this unprece-
dented cutting unit will be just what
many courses have been looking for.
Love At First Sites
When Toro engineers developed the
new cutting system, they knew it would
be a major breakthrough for the industry.
But before the equipment could be offi-
cially unveiled, it first had to be proven
in the field under real-world conditions.
Several test sites were chosen, and in no
time at all, the cutting units were show-
ing what they could do.
“They were phenomenal!” says
Superintendent Pete Petersen emphatical-
ly. “The changes Toro made are fantastic!”
Petersen is the Director of Golf at the
Riverbend Golf
Complex in Kent,
Washington — one
of the busiest golfing
facilities in the
Northwest.
Riverbend’s public
18-hole course typi-
cally does about
75,000 rounds a year,
and its adjacent par-3
course adds another
40,000. Riverbend
also hosts more than
100 tournaments
annually.
When Riverbend was offered the
opportunity to test Toro’s new prototype
cutting units last year, Petersen jumped
at the chance.
“They did a fantastic job,” he says
about the units. “I was very, very happy
with them, and had no complaints from
anybody on my crew.”
Known as a challenging course,
Riverbend attracts a lot of low handicap-
pers, and Petersen says he likes to keep
his poa greens firm and fast.
“We mow down to a little over a
tenth of an inch,” he explains, “well
below an eighth. And when you cut that
short, you’re going to notice any imper-
fections or misadjustments. My techni-
cian is fanatical about it.
Well, with these units
we noticed they were
holding adjustments bet-
ter. Everything just
seemed to be a little
tighter, a little better
designed.”
When the testing
began at Riverbend,
Petersen used the new
units only on the front
nine greens, with his reg-
ular equipment mowing
the back nine.“But with-
in a week, the better
players noticed the difference,” he adds.
Different Grasses,
Same Results
Another test course for the new cut-
ting unit was the Barton Creek Resort in
Austin, Texas. Andy Hudgins is the busy
Service Center Manager at the 72-hole
facility, and he was impressed with how
Toro’s new greensmower unit performed.
“I’d say the biggest thing all together is
just the quality of the cut you get out
there on the golf course,” Hudgins
2
The new Greensmaster cutting unit is easy to adjust and retrofits to all Greensmaster riding units.
Andy Hudgins, of Barton Creek Resort
was impressed with the cutting unit’s
quality of cut and ease of
maintenance.
A Truly Revolutionary Cutting U
Lower Heights, Easier Adjusting, No Greasing
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