The Mere Golf Resort & Spa in Cheshire has joined a growing list of UK golf venues that are embracing the time and labour-saving technology offered by Kress robotic mowers.
Under the expert guidance of course manager Jon Quinn, the club has transformed not just its maintenance operations, but opened doors to ambitious course improvements that were previously thought possible following the arrival of the new fleet of Kress Mission Mega RTK robotic mowers, whose impact extends far beyond simple grass cutting.
“For us, the Kress robotic mowers have made everyone’s life much easier,” explains Quinn. “The job they’re doing is done fantastically well, and they enhance the job that the rest of the team can do because it gives us the time to do all the other bits and pieces that we normally don’t find time to do.”
This liberation of human resources has proven to be a catalyst for long-awaited course enhancements. The most striking example is the transformation of the approach to The Mere’s 18th hole. What was once a modest quarter-sized approach has been doubled in size, extending up over the slope and around the bunkers — a project that had been discussed for years, but never implemented due to time constraints.
The time savings generated by the robotic mowers have created opportunities that seemed impossible before. Says Jon: “This year it was, ‘We’ve got about 16 hours spare. What are we going to do?’ The approaches – that’s what we’ve done this year. And now next year it’s going to be something else.”
This cascading effect of improvements represents more than just enhanced aesthetics; it’s a fundamental shift in how the greenkeeping team can approach course management. Each robotic addition creates more capacity for other projects, establishing a positive cycle of continuous improvement.
Quinn’s endorsement comes from genuine hands-on experience. “From my experience, I’ll give warts and all feedback, but the Kress robots have been brilliant,” he states candidly. While acknowledging initial setup challenges – some areas required soil filling and ground preparation to optimise robot performance – these were quickly resolved within the first few weeks of operation.
The key insight Quinn shares is refreshingly practical: “You can’t just set it out onto the course and it’ll cut everything perfectly, but once you’ve done them and after six weeks, you’ve learned all the ins and outs of it, it’s great.”
For more details, visit kress.com