Broadway Golf Club Pioneer Use of Ransomes Remote Controlled Slope Mower

February 14, 2008
Ipswich, United Kingdom - February 14, 2008 - Broadway Golf Club, near Evesham in Worcestershire, has taken a pioneering approach to managing its steep banks and previously uncut grassed areas, with the introduction of a Ransomes Spider II remote controlled mower from local Ransomes Jacobsen dealer TH White of Redditch. Ransomes Jacobsen is a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company.

With the introduction of modern Health and Safety standards, Cedric Gough, Course Manager, has had to find alternatives for mowing the steep banks that line the fairways at the at 112-year old club. Previously these were maintained with hover mowers or small ride-on machines.

“I first saw the machine when it was launched at Saltex back in 2004, but I must confess that I looked upon it as a bit of a novelty,” he said. “It wasn't until I was visiting Ransomes Jacobsen's factory in Ipswich as a guest of my local dealer, TH White, that I recognised its potential, especially the latest version with the powered winch.”

With the added demand from members wanting the club's fairway banks maintained, a demonstration was arranged on site and both the small and larger machines were put through their paces. The larger machine, with it's wider width of cut and powered winch providing the capability to tackle inclines greater than 40°, was the preferred option. A further demonstration to the Greens Committee was arranged, who endorsed the decision to purchase the Spider II.

Managing Secretary Vic Tofts added, “With Spider II we're no longer pushing the boundaries of H&S; the machine copes admirably with all the conditions here. But it's not just H&S where we're seeing benefits, there are environmental issues which we can resolve as well, which makes better use of this new resource.”

Cedric continued, “We're also using the Spider as a conservation tool because it can easily tackle previously unmanagable areas. It can get under bushes and into other awkward areas, which enables us to first cut the grass down, collect the leavings which then encourages wild flowers and rare grasses to flourish, as well as providing a better environment for the local wildlife. The machine is very straightforward to operate and we can simply risk assess a given area, ground anchor the machine and mow the bank from a comfortable and safe position. We can do this without interferring with the golfers' enjoyment of their round.”

About Ransomes Jacobsen
Ransomes Jacobsen is a subsidiary of Textron Inc., a $13.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 34 countries with approximately 44,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Ransomes, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.

Connect with Textron IR

David Rosenberg, Vice President, Investor Relations
(401) 457-2288
Kyle Williams, Manager, Investor Relations
(401) 457-2288

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