Bruntsfield Links see fruits of their transformation with £250K Toro Equipement deal

Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society CEO Dougie Cleeton seals a £250,000 Toro equipment deal with Stuart Tait of Reesink Turfcare, while course manager Neil Hogg and his team look on.

Exciting times for Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society and, on top of all that, the Edinburgh club has also just made a big investment in new greenkeeping equipment.

The makeover at the historic club has now been completed by leading architects Mackenzie and Ebert, the company also involved in changes made at Royal Portrush for this year’s Open Championship.

At Bruntsfield Links, they were charged with preserving the legacy of past course work carried out by Willie Park jnr, Dr Alister Mackenzie, James Braid and Fred Hawtree, while giving it a contemporary feel.

The Society, which dates back to 1761, sanctioned eight new holes and more than 80 bunkers have been redesigned and repositioned to reflect the distances club golfers are now striking the ball.

The 12th and 13th holes were combined to create a challenging dog leg par-5 into a prevailing wind and a new signature par-3 hole at the 16th over a pond has been introduced.

“Despite being an Open qualifying venue since 2011, there hadn’t been any changes to the course since the early 1970s,” said club captain David Lawson.

“The improvements were designed to elevate Bruntsfield to be one of the top  parkland courses in Scotland.

“The works have only recently finished but have made such a difference and been so well received we’ve surged up the Top 100 Golf Courses list by 69 places.

“Plus, we’ve seen an increase in membership and now have an extensive waiting list.”

Completion of the new-look par-71 course paved the way for a major investment in equipment, with £250,000 being ploughed into a tie up with Reesink Turfcare for a new Toro greenkeeping fleet.

“This raises the bar at the club. We now have faster, more efficient and reliable machines that will free up time for many other tasks on the golf course,” said Lawson.

Course manager Neil Hogg added “The shed was previously a mixed bag of machines. Some were getting on for 30 years old.

“Chief executive officer Dougie Cleeton had been involved in similar projects before and brought with him a wealth of experience.

“Together we planned the new fleet. They will bring out the best in the course for years to come.”