Maintaining top-level match conditions at Stanmore Golf Club in North London is a constant balancing behavior, especially under the ever-changing challenges brought by the climate.
After 31 years at the club, course manager Barry Neville knew what it would take to keep the course in shape, which started with the right machinery to provide efficiency and excellent grades. With the GKB machine’s new SP100, the team now has a powerful, versatile top-notch solution to support ongoing course renovations and drainage engineering.
Based on challenging London clay, the course was originally connected inland – has evolved into a full-fledged Parkland layout that is now fishing like most people, with longer rainfall and requires improved drainage. Barry, in his search for efficiency to improve routine efficiency, explained that the multi-year plan drives the need for new reliable solutions.
“Our previous dressers have been serving us for nearly two decades, so the process of finding its alternatives hasn’t been easy to go,” he said. “We looked at some of the many options, but the GKB Sandspreader really stands out. Seeing it on BTME 2025 and then again on the DOE Show, the build quality is obvious right away.
“Not only can you say that the steel structure is strong, but we also like the fact that Sandspreader uses hydraulic control over electricity. Many modern kits are getting more and more complex and can be good at running, but in the real world, the weather and conditions we operate end up having problems,” Neville said.
Once the machinery is fully equipped to meet the club’s unique requirements, the SP100 was delivered by dealer Ernest Doe in June.
“Filling the trolleys after installing the new drain is a labor-intensive task with lots of damage, tips and backfills by hand. This is manageable on the Greens, but for fairways and larger areas, it’s just not efficient.” “It turns out that the ability to swap the SP100 rotary disc for SP100 rotary disc proves to be Gamechanger.”
Coupled with the task of changing the ditch, the SP100 also impressed with the routine suppression around the course. “We’ve worn the green twice and it’s not perfect. If we had the first thing in the morning, the work was done before 9am, and within a few hours the light seasoning was brushed off, so the golfers didn’t even notice it. In addition, we’ve been using a conveyor system to supplement the bunker that has saved a lot of time.”
Looking ahead, Neville predicts that the versatility of the Sandpier will pay dividends throughout the process. “Plus with every few weeks of daily finishing, we will put 100 tons of material in it during the maintenance week in August. With the hopper slightly larger than previous machines, it’s also possible that we’ll wear clothes on the fairways in the future. This is an expected purchase in the future.”
