At Birmingham’s Harborne Golf Club, Course Manager Jim Gilchrist and his team put quality and consistency at the heart of their maintenance operation.
Since taking delivery of a LM551 fairway mower from Baroness, the club cite a significant improvement in the finish of the fairways, with both staff and members quick to recognise the difference.
Jim has been a part of the club since 2004, taking on the role of Course Manager four years later.
Assisting him with the maintenance of the Harry Colt-designed course is a team of six, including Jim’s partner Victoria Cavinue who proudly holds the post of Deputy Course Manager.
Through the club’s relationship with local dealer Hunts Engineering, Jim took delivery of his first Baroness machine – an LM551 fairway mower – in early 2024 and the impact, he says, was immediate.
“The quality of cut on the LM551 fairway mower is second to none. We noticed this straight away, even though we took delivery of the machine in February which is notoriously a difficult time of year to make strides in course presentation. We, and the members, commented on the difference in the finish we were achieving on the fairways compared to our previous model.”
Alongside the quality of cut, operationally, the LM551 has been well received by the team. “Everybody loves how comfortable the seat is, and how simple the mower is to operate.” He continues, “Build quality is fantastic and there is next to no adjustment needed on the cylinders which helps with user friendliness for the staff, and keeps the budget in check with fewer re-grinds and backlapping required.”
Impressed with the quality, reliable performance of the LM551, Harborne were pleased to add a GM2810A to their fleet in June 2026 – bringing Baroness capability to the mowing of the roughs and surrounds. Featuring five independently mounted cutting decks, the GM2810A rotary mower provides outstanding productivity and supreme manoeuvrability on the most demanding of terrain.
Matching the quality of the machinery, is the back up support and service received from Richard Lucas and the team at Hunts Engineering. “This is vital for any Course Manager and, while we’ve not required anything more from the service department to date than the routine servicing, we know we have a great pool of expertise to lean on to ensure we continue to get the very best out of our mowers.”
