NEWS RELEASE 28 July, 2026
Crookwell Golf Club’s volunteers come out in front with John Deere mowers
Crestmead, Queensland (28 July, 2026) — Like many small country courses, Crookwell Golf Club in the NSW Southern Highlands, relies on volunteers to maintain its fairways and greens, tackling extreme seasons with second-hand machinery.
That was until three years ago when the club began applying for grants from the Gullen Range and Crookwell 2 wind farms' community benefit funds, paving the way for the purchase of its first brand new machinery in more than 50 years.
Crookwell Golf Club President, Tim O'Keefe, said the difference in the quality of the new John Deere machinery had made an immediate difference to the cut and roll of their bent-grass greens and surrounds.
"Everyone was doing their bit but it was really hard work before. The precision of the cut with the new John Deere mower changed our greens almost immediately," Mr O'Keefe said.
"The greens are now a lot smoother and faster. I reckon we've now got the best bent grass greens this side of Sydney."
Expert guidance and support
The Crookwell Golf Club committee sought the advice from their local John Deere supplier Hutcheon & Pearce, who recommended they start by investing in a 2550 Precision Cut™ triplex greens mower.
The following year a second grant enabled the club to build a new machinery shed to house the mower, along with a new 2653B PrecisionCut™ surrounds mower which twas purchased with the support of John Deere Finance.
The new mowers join a fleet of older John Deere equipment, which includes two 997 ZTrak™ zero-turn ride on mowers used for the roughs, and a 7400 TerrainCut™ fairway mower which was purchased second-hand from nearby Bigga Golf Club.
"We've gone from having not much at all, to having a nice little set up of green machines," Mr O'Keefe said.
"The investment in the two new machines also gives us access to John Deere's maintenance services and warranty support.
"The boys from Hutcheon & Pearce in Bowral come out to us here on site at the club for the machinery service and maintenance."
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Tim O'Keefe Crookwell Golf Club President said the new John Deere machinery had made an immediate difference to the nine-green 18-tee course.
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The Club's committee sought advice from their local John Deere supplier to start by investing in a 2550 Precision Cut™ triplex greens mower.
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Being able to mow with such a clean cut means we can more regularly cut our greens shorter to encourage the grass to thicken up at that lower level.
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We're now able to put time into managing the grass and managing the greens, rather than maintaining machinery.
Time savings puts focus on course improvement
In a town of just 3300 people, and with a club membership of 120, the nine-green 18-tee course is now well-equipped to improve the playing conditions and attract new participants to the sport.
"It has taken us from a position of spending a lot of time and money maintaining machinery, which was a real drain on the club," Mr O'Keefe said.
"We're now able to put time into managing the grass and managing the greens, rather than maintaining machinery.
"More time is going into jobs like coring the greens or top-dressing the tee boxes, and we now have time to renovate three of our tee boxes to improve their set up."
This has enabled the Club's team of volunteer greenkeepers to be more responsive to the extremes of their seasons, which range from intense dry heat in summer to regular frosts through the region's cold winters.
"We don't have access to irrigation for the fairways, which can dry out quickly during summer, but the greens and tees are irrigated and we can keep them in great condition," Mr O'Keefe said.
"Being able to mow with such a clean cut means we can more regularly cut our greens shorter to encourage the grass to thicken up at that lower level. They're definitely firmer and the grass is smoother than ever before."
Clubhouse revival for centenary celebrations
The Club's next goal is to raise funds and win grants to improve the clubhouse ahead of next year's centenary celebrations, before targeting a John Deere compact excavator as they work on upgrading the course's irrigation system.
"We really couldn't have done this without the support of the community benefit grants, which have provided a significant amount of money into our community, as well as the fundraising of members and local businesses through our corporate golf days," Mr O'Keefe said.
"The community has really got behind the club, whether that's been by taking business membership packages, or volunteers doing small things that make a big difference.
"We have a lady who takes care of our gardens, there's a like a couple of locals who do some stick picking while walking their dogs each day, and we have someone who collects the recycling. It really is a great little club."
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