Robots take control at High Legh

High Legh Park Golf Club was designed by former Ryder Cup captain Mark James and was first opened in 1998. Boasting two courses, great practice areas, a floodlit driving range and an American Golf Academy, High Legh Park is the perfect destination for any golfer. 

 It’s 18 hole championship course is situated in a glorious wooded landscape that is easy on the eye and great for defined hole routings. The 9 hole academy course is ideal for all levels of golfers and has a 2435-yard layout, described as a real ‘risk and reward’ course on its website. The range itself consists of 3 private teaching rooms, 14 public covered bays with additional outdoor bays. Each bay is roughly 3.5 metres apart giving an open private feel for players to practice. 

Andrew Vaughan owner of High Legh Park Golf Club, bought the club in 2011 after it previously went into receivership. With Andrew’s management and investment at the forefront, the club has been transformed into one of Cheshire’s premier golf venues. 

We speak to him about his latest development of the golf facility, the recent install of robot technology at the driving range. Distributed by AMS (Automated Managed Services Ltd), the robots automate the chores of driving range outfield maintenance such as grass management, ball collecting, ball washing, ball handling and transportation to the dispenser. 

 

 

GF: Andrew what made you decide on AMS robot technology for your outfield here at High Legh?

AV: Well with about ten to fifteen thousand balls a day being hit out onto the outfield, the man hours in getting those balls in were quite prohibitive. Usually taking several hours per day to get balls in, clean them and put them back into the ball dispenser. Also over the winter we’ve been going out with heavy machinery churning up the outfield and finding a lot of balls were being mechanically plugged by the equipment, which was causing the outfield to look a right mess.

 

GF: What do you see as the major benefits of the system now its installed?

AV: The fact that the robots are picking up over 24 hours. It’s only been in nearly a week now, but the signs are looking really good, it’s been picking up from all the areas of the outfield.  We have quite a large outfield with some quite bumpy areas, so I was very sceptical as to whether the machines could actually cope with that. However so far they have perfectly, also the added benefit of the system putting the balls back into the ball dispenser and cleaning them, it’s just a perfect solution.

 

GF: Did you see the system installed at any other facilities?

AV: Yes we travelled up to Rotherham and had a chat with the head green keeper there, who’d apparently had the system in for two years I think. Waterfront I think, that’s right yes, he was highly complementary about the system. As long as it’s maintained in a sort of daily routine of cleaning the robots really, then he said you shouldn’t experience any major problems whatsoever. 

 

GF: How did you find the AMS team during the installation process and subsequently?

AV: Very good. Sam and  his colleagues were excellent. Since we’ve had it installed we’ve be on the phone two or three times about some teething problems and he’s been great talking us through them. Whilst onsite he was perfect, he didn’t leave site until he was perfectly sure that everything was working great.

 

GF: What was the feedback from the other sites that helped you decide to install the system? 

AV: Well  going back originally we saw them at one of the golf shows. We were sceptical at the time about whether it would actually work, but my manager persuaded me to come over to Rotherham and have a look and see for myself. Also the fact that I could talk to the green keeper there and have an independent view of the system was one main reasons that made me actually decide to go ahead with installing the robots. 

 

High Legh Park Golf Club is located on Warrington Road, High Legh, Knutsford WA16 0WA, if you would like more info about the AMS Outfield Robots, please visit our website www.true-bot.com or call us on 01462 676 222.