New mower saves cash at Sakonnet

1 September 2010

Kirk Whiting with one of his new mowers

Kirk Whiting, the long-serving superintendent at Sakonnet Golf Club in Rhode Island, says he is saving money as a result of the new all-electric Jacobsen Eclipse 322 riding greens mowers he purchased from local dealer Steve Willand.

“We used to hand cut, but due to the economic climate we had to get smarter, make some savings but without losing quality. That’s why we bought the Eclipse 322s; they are really economical to run and we’re easily getting 20 greens out of every charge,” he said. “They’re old greens, about 4,000 – 5,000 sq ft on average, and we double cut four times a week and roll them four times as well to maintain a fast speed. Then we do the clean-up pass with walkers.  I’ve got one machine with groomers, which stands the grass up and produces a great cut.”

Whiting, a former school teacher, has been at Sakonnet for 32 years, 30 of those as superintendent. He runs a team of 16, eleven full-time and five seasonal. “This is probably the best riding greens mower available today, especially this battery powered version, as it’s so quiet and unobtrusive around the course. The guys just love it, because all they can hear are the reels rotating, which means they can really concentrate on the job in hand,” he said.