Chislehurst Golf Club Rakes Over 75 Percent of Its Time Back with the Toro Sand Pro® 2040Z

Chislehurst Golf Club in Kent has been using a Toro® Sand Pro® 2040Z since it arrived in autumn 2015 as part of a comprehensive Toro machinery deal. Since then, it has been living up to its ‘hype’ by completing the task of bunker raking in about one quarter of the time it used to take.

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Danny Stunt, greenskeeper and mechanic at Chislehurst, says: “We used to rake the bunkers manually and that was a really labour intensive job, taking four people four hours, three times a week, depending on the condition of the sand. Now, with the Sand Pro, the job is done by one person in two to three hours, three times a week; that is a huge saving on time and resources.”

Toro’s Sand Pro 2040Z launched to the UK market in 2014, claiming it was up to four times quicker than ordinary bunker rakes. The savings make a huge difference to the productivity of the club’s greenskeeping team of six. In addition, the new ‘flex’ tooth rake system, which includes a rake made from modified natural rubber, is leaving ‘perfectly formed bunker contours’ in its wake.

“The Sand Pro leaves behind thinner, smoother, tighter grooves, which allows the ball to sit up higher and make it much easier for members to play out of the bunker,” says Stunt. “There’s no question our members much prefer the finish now. And, because the Sand Pro can get much further down than we could by manually raking, it produces a much fluffier top layer of the sand. The finish is, in my opinion, perfect.”

The rake, which is built in three independently moving sections, also has a patent-pending ‘lift in turn’ feature that lifts the inside rake during a tight turn, leaving no un-raked teardrops or tyre marks behind. First impressions of the rake left Stunt wondering if it was up to the job. “I have to admit, when I first took a look at the rubber tongs I didn’t think they would work, but they cut through the wet sand brilliantly and made short work of any puddles!”

Chislehurst Golf Club, which has recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, presents a demanding test of accuracy rather than length across its 18-hole course, set within 70 acres of parkland just 11 miles southeast of London. The design influences of the course are unmistakably from the great golf architect Harry S. Colt, and the Club’s history is illustrious, with its clubhouse having housed Napoleon III, and Empress Eugenie and their son, the Prince Imperial, in the 1870s.

Stunt, who returned to his role at the Club two years ago, says the return was due to the Club’s sound reputation and the opportunities provided, but he was also very relieved to find the Toro Sand Pro was on order. “I was dreading having to manually rake the bunkers, so to find out the Sand Pro was on order was a huge relief!”