Mr John Lockyer, Director of Golf Course Maintenance, The Wisley Golf Club
‘I had an after-cut problem with our fairway mowers, and we’d reached the end of our technical ability to try and solve it in-house. We contacted our manufacturer who were very helpful, gave us some improvement, but we still couldn’t get to the route of the problem. I then saw Tom’s Twitter post about helping a neighbouring course with similar problems and the great results – before and after – he’d had there. So, I took a leap of faith and contacted him. I’m so glad I did!
Tom quickly grasped the situation, understood what we needed to change on the mowers, made the changes himself with our mechanics, and hey presto the solution was found. There are so many variables to understand, and it was clear we just couldn’t see through them all ourselves. We went from seemingly unsolvable problems to the perfect cut in one day! I will comfortably say Tom’s technical knowledge on mower setup is second to none. We all learned so much from him and he taught us in a style that everyone could absorb quickly and easily. He then turned his focus to all other cutting machines from greens’ pedestrians to rotary roughs and proved himself even more across our entire fleet.
The difference in the quality of our turf surfaces because of using Tom’s service is simply amazing. I can’t recommend him highly enough and whether you know you have a problem or not, Tom will make a big difference for you I’m sure and so has my full recommendation. Since his first visit two year’s ago, we’ve used him annually since to make sure the benefit we gained is not lost. There’s always at least three things we gain from Tom that we need to alter due to seasonal conditions, machine wear and other factors.
Tom will be a part of our team going forward and we’re so glad we found him! ‘
Mr Lee Strutt, Director of Agronomy, Cabot Cape Breton, Canada
‘I have been very fortunate to have known Tom for several years. The first encounter was at a greenkeepers section event where Tom delivered a presentation on the principles of mowing efficiency and mower set up. I feel that I am suitable qualified and experienced to know how equipment should set up but discussed so many elements that I hadn’t considered and thought that I needed to engage with Tom and see what could be achieved. I have since enrolled Tom’s skills and knowledge with machinery set-up at The Royal Automobile Club, London, Les Bordes, France and now Cabot Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. I class Tom as a world expert, his knowledge, skills, and effective communication are really second to none. I would not hesitate recommending Tom’s services to anyone and would be very happy to discuss anything above and connect Tom with his unique skill set.‘
Mr Ryan Bezzant, Course Manager, Fulwell Golf Club
‘ Having first got Tom in over 18 months ago to advise on machine set up and quality of cut, I was at first sceptical at what could have been achieved. But after listening to Tom I was amazed at how intricate machine set up was and important out on the course. The changes Tom advised has made a huge difference to the course performance and the efficiency in the workshop.’
Mr Steve Chappell, Golf Course Superintendent, Royal Bled Golf Club
‘I was first introduced to Tom at the BTME in 2020. I was intrigued to hear Tom’s opinions on mower set up especially given that from time to time our after cut appearance was not as good as I felt it should be. We arranged for Tom to come over and spend some time with our mechanic and some of our team to have a look at how we could improve the situation. Sadly his visit was delayed until 2022 due to the pandemic but I have to say it was certainly worth the wait. Tom spent a day looking at the equipment in operation, discussing with me what I expected as a finished surface, what I hoped to achieve, discussing grass types and also discussing with the operators how best to use the equipment. The following morning he spent in the workshop with our mechanic discussing cylinder set up and we started to make some adjustments as per his recommendations. Its fair to say we where a little hesitant at first but as Tom said we needed to believe in the process, so we did and wow the results where clear to see almost straight way’. ‘Subsequent changes to reels & bed knives that Tom recommended have improved things further both from a presentation view point but also from a plant health point of view which has been great to see. I would suggest that getting Tom in for a visit to any facility is a must do as his knowledge and skill’s are second to none and there is no doubt in my mind that you will not only see better results on the golf course but also to your bottom line’