Greenkeeping staff at the recent Scottish Open, held at the Castle Stuart links near Inverness, were helped out by tournament support teams from equipment manufacturer Ransomes Jacobsen.

Course manager Chris Haspell may not have had to deal with the same extreme conditions as at last years tournament, where torrential rains caused landslides across one fairway and resulted in the event being shortened to 54 holes, but he said the extra help was still most useful.

Haspell and his team use Jacobsen SLF-1880 light fairway mowers on the Gil Hanse-designed links and these were supplemented with four additional machines plus Cushman utility vehicles. Technical staff from the company’s European headquarters in Ipswich, were also present to help with the increased maintenance requirements.

Haspell said: “Having additional technicians on site is fantastic during the week, especially when they have a wealth of knowledge like the guy from Jacobsen. Without the availability of the additional 1880s along with the run-arounds it would make the week much harder to run. We really appreciate the support that Ransomes Jacobsen afford us and look forward to their continued support next year should it be needed.”

The event was won by Jeev Milkha Singh with a 12 foot birdie putt at the first extra hole during a sudden-death play-off with Francesco Molinari.