A new hybrid greens mower has resolved a dispute with a neighbour at Sutton Green Golf Club in the UK.

“About 18 months ago we received a complaint from a neighbour in a nearby house close to one of our greens about the noise from early morning mowing,” said Nathan Kim Sing, greenkeeper at the Surrey club. “We took a reasonable approach and changed our greens mowing regime, but it is inconvenient for us as we have many early golfers, especially at weekends, and preparing the greens in that part of the course is an issue for us,” he said.

Kim Sing solved the problem with the purchase of an Eclipse 322 diesel-electric greens mower from Jacobsen, supplied by local dealer TH White. The mower has electric drive for the traction motor and cutting cylinders, and thus no hydraulic oil. Electric power is provided by a small 13hp diesel engine and 48-volt continuous generator, which makes it much quieter and less obtrusive on the course.

“These features were contributory factors that convinced me to go down the hybrid route,” said Kim Sing. “There’s no chance of hydraulic leaks on the greens and being much quieter than conventional mowers it has solved the noise issue with our neighbour.”