Carnoustie Golf Links announces partnership with John Deere and Rain Bird
Three global brands with shared values have united with a vision to produce a blueprint for world leading golf course management.
Carnoustie, ‘Golf’s Greatest Test’, has a long history of firsts and is regarded as the ancestral home of American and Australian golf. ‘The Carnoustie 300’ – a group of club and ball makers, professionals, caddies and greenkeepers – took golf to the New World in the early 1900s, and paved the way for the growth, development and modernisation of the game.
Carnoustie Golf Links, having established itself as a flagship for innovation and sustainable management, has now joined forces with Rain Bird and John Deere and the trio are committed to continuing a heritage of innovation by aligning world leading irrigation, turf care and greenkeeping expertise in a major strategic partnership for the golf industry.
The three organisations all share long and impressive histories built on innovation, and are combining their strengths in this landmark partnership which will see a major investment in irrigation, greenkeeping and development of the game of golf at Carnoustie.
As the global leader in irrigation, Rain Bird has a rich history in the golf community dating back to 1933. Since then, irrigation and the management and movement of water have remained its sole focus. Trusted by golf course managers, its technologically advanced irrigation systems enable them to perfect playing surfaces at iconic sporting venues around the world.
Rain Bird is committed to ‘The Intelligent Use of Water’ through its products, partnerships, leadership and education. Research and development teams work with greenkeeping teams and technicians to develop forward-thinking water, energy and labour-saving innovations. More than 450 patents confirm the strength of its commitment to delivering solutions that set the standard for playability and performance while preserving the planet’s most precious natural resource.
Following a topographical system analysis and other investigations conducted by specialist consultants, Carnoustie Golf Links, supported by Rain Bird UK’s golf distributor Rigby Taylor, will embark on a full renovation of each of its courses to upgrade them with the most advanced irrigation technologies. They will benefit from Rain Bird’s Cirrus Central Control System combined with Integrated Control™ (IC), which enables sophisticated real-time, two-way communications between the control system and other components. This will provide Links Superintendent Craig Boath and his team with the ultimate in field control.
Assisted by Rain Bird Golf’s UK team, they will fine-tune the new system to continually monitor conditions across the Links and apply the precise amount of irrigation each area needs. The Central Control generates a significant amount of data to help inform course management decisions, enabling staff to optimise turfgrass performance and drive efficiencies.
John Deere is fully committed to the manufacture and independent dealer support of advanced, innovative equipment and precision technology for the world’s best golf courses, supported by flexible John Deere Financial solutions. The company has a long history of pioneering innovation that enables customers to optimise their machinery operations while reducing both costs and environmental impact.
John Deere was the first manufacturer to introduce hybrid electric cutting reel technology and now offers the widest range of hybrid greens and fairway mowers in the industry, including the brand new 2750E ride-on triplex, of which there are 12 in the new Carnoustie Golf Links fleet, supplied by local dealer Double A. These machines reduce both noise and fuel consumption as well as the risk of hydraulic oil leaks.
In addition, A Series mowers feature the password-protected TechControl system, which allows the course or fleet manager to set equipment up for consistent cutting, turning and transport speeds to achieve the desired course finish regardless of who operates the machines.
John Deere is also a world leader in GPS automatic guidance technology and vehicle telematics, developed over the past 20 years for its agricultural business. This advanced technology is now becoming available for golf and turf customers, through the new GPS PrecisionSprayer – Carnoustie has three of the first machines to be sold in Europe, which apply inputs more accurately and record spraying operations for environmental purposes – and the development of autonomous mowing equipment.
For further details and/or photographs please contact:
Michael Wells, Chief Executive, Carnoustie Golf Links
E: chiefexecutive@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Steve Mitchell, ASM Public Relations (John Deere)
E: steve@asmpr.co.uk
T: +44 (0)1926 818762
M: +44 (0)7717 213182
Ellie Parry, Forte Marketing & Public Relations (Rain Bird)
E: ellie@fortemarketing.co.uk
M: +44 (0)7870 164496