Trefloyne Golf Club in south Wales is reaping the benefits of investing in a new John Deere hybrid greens mower.

Claimed by its manufacturer to deliver a quieter, more cost effective and environmentally friendly mower, John Deere's hybrid electric 2500E has fulfilled itspotential, according to Trefloyne golf course manager Gareth Knight,even despite the challenging conditions of 2012, characterised by hard, driving rain for much of the year.

"Efficiency and consistency areparamount when machinery budgets are tight," said Knight. "The quality of cut with the John Deere 2500E is as good as anything on the market right now. Perhaps the biggest impact has been the reduction in oil leaks. They can be devastating to greens, but because there are no hydraulics in the cutting unit drive circuit, I've experienced no leaks whatsoever.

"For a modestly-sized greenkeeping team like ours, with just three full-time staff, it's also critical for mowers to deliver a consistent quality of cut. Heavy rain is a fact of life here and we cannot risk missing an opportunity to cut the greens because we have to keep tweaking and making adjustments.That just doesn't happen with the 2500E," said Knight.