Customers Discuss TriFlex™ Hybrid Benefits

Golf course maintenance is a balancing act. On the one hand, quality of cut is critical to meet player expectations. On the other, there’s constant pressure to get the job done faster and use time and resources more efficiently.

Toro’s Greensmaster^® TriFlex™ Hybrid mowers are designed to provide the productivity of a rider with the precision cut of a walk-behind, so you get the best of both. And with Toro’s new EdgeSeries™ reels, they deliver the crispest, cleanest cut yet.

It’s been five years since the TriFlex Hybrid first launched, and customers have put it to the test. We recently asked several golf courses to share their experiences and what they like most about the design

We recently asked several golf courses about their experience with Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid mowers and what they like most about the design.

“Quality of cut is second to none.”
Dave Visocan, superintendent at Chester Valley Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, bought two Greensmaster TriFlex Hybrid mowers over a year ago to save labor on the weekends. “They’ve been great machines,” Visocan says. “Quality of cut is second to none. I think they actually may cut better than the walkers.”

According to Visocan, his course has been able to maintain green speeds and keep players happy with just a single cut using the TriFlex Hybrid units. They don’t even need to roll the greens, unless they have a special event.

He says that’s partly due to the hybrid design. “You’re seeing the benefit in the quality of cut because the reel speed is consistent with the electric motors — no matter what the mower’s doing or how fast it’s going,” he explains. “That’s the biggest plus. You don’t have that surge on a cold morning when the mower is just warming up.”

Productivity Gains
Pat Rose, superintendent at Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, agrees with Visocan on quality of cut and productivity. “We love the machine,” he says. “I think the quality of cut is as good or better than a walk mower — and then I’ve got the efficiency of it being a triplex. So for me, it’s a no-brainer. I’m not walk-mowing my greens with five or six people each day; I’m triplexing them with one. With the smaller staff that we’re all operating with, that’s really important.”

For Rose, the TriFlex Hybrid is also versatile, thanks to the Quick-Change reel design. “I can send someone out to mow greens, and then when he’s done I can change the cutting heads and he can go out and mow approaches with the same unit,” Rose says. “We used to use a competitive mower on our approaches and this machine just blows it out of the water in terms of quality of cut and efficiency.”

TriFlex Mower for Fairway Applications
Another golf course superintendent in Maryland uses his TriFlex Hybrid to cut fairways instead of greens. “We tried out all of the competitors, timed each one on the first fairway and looked at the quality of cut,” he recalls. “For our needs, the TriFlex Hybrid 3420 was far superior because of its lightweight footprint and its productivity.”

“On the areas that are constantly under wear, the lighter footprint also helps take that mechanical stress off the plant — especially in the summertime,” he continues. “And the quality of cut is excellent. It does a great job in any kind of weather conditions.”

What ultimately sold him on the mower? “It was a combination of quality of cut and productivity,” he says. “You can mow an acre of turf with a good quality of cut and complete it significantly faster. I would say it saves around 20 percent of our time.”

Preventing Hydraulic Leaks
Mike Giuffre, director of greens and grounds maintenance at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, also uses the TriFlex Hybrid to cut fairways. “It’s working out really well,” he says. “One of the big reasons why we had an interest in it was to reduce the risk of hydraulic fluid leaks damaging the turf.”

Aaron Ohloff, superintendent at Wyndemere Country Club in Naples, Florida, also says his course switched to the TriFlex Hybrid mowers because they didn’t have hydraulic hoses. Mike Hendricks, superintendent at Imperial Golf Club in Naples, Florida, agrees. “We like the fact that we don’t have to worry about hydraulic leaks,” Hendricks says.

The TriFlex Hybrid’s electric reel circuit is designed to eliminate up to 90 percent of hydraulic leak potential, and the Turf Guardian™ leak detection system provides immediate audio and visual indication of possible hydraulic fluid leaks.

Giuffre says the electric reels also have less drag than hydraulic motors. “The electric reels spin more freely than reels with hydraulic motors. When you’re adjusting that reel-to-bedknife gap for cut quality, it’s much easier and smoother.”

Easy to Service
“Service-wise, our mechanics love them,” Giuffre adds. “The access panel in the middle flips up so you can get to the center reel. It’s very mechanic-friendly so they can get in there and do what they have to do.”

Another key feature that makes the TriFlex Hybrid easy to service is Toro’s patented DPA cutting units. They’re precision-manufactured for minimal adjustments with a proven ability to maintain adjustment for longer periods of time. “My equipment manager really likes the setup and how easy it is to work on and adjust,” says Rose. “He finds it stays in adjustment really well.”

“We’ve had pretty good success with the new reels as well – as far as extending out grinding intervals and so forth,” Ohloff adds.

More Benefits
In addition to the other benefits, Visocan appreciates the lighting on the front and back of the machine.  “We’ve been using them a lot earlier in the morning with the LED lights,” he says. “I’m not afraid to send them out in the dark.”

The Maryland course superintendent credits Toro for innovation, too. “They listen to the end user,” he observes. “In my opinion, that’s why their greensmower has progressed compared to the competition over the years.”

One last important benefit the courses mention is the TriFlex Hybrid’s ease of operation. “It’s a very operator-friendly piece of equipment,” Giuffre notes. Adds Visocan, “Everybody loves them, the way they operate — they’re easy to run. So far I’ve been very happy with them.”

Comments like these confirm the TriFlex Hybrid has achieved exactly what it was designed to do: maximize productivity with the best possible quality of cut. Stay tuned, because we’re never finished working on new enhancements to help golf courses get the most out of their equipment.