Charlotte, N.C. (March 21, 2013) – When PGA TOUR players arrived this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard in Orlando, eighteen holes of perfectly-manicured turf were ready to greet them.

After months of intense preparation, Bay Hill Club & Lodge Superintendent Matt Beaver and his team have the course in perfect shape for its annual turn on the world stage. For Beaver, tournament preparation was a little easier this year thanks to some favorable weather conditions leading up to this week.

“It was a mild winter down here with warmer temperatures that were ideal to get us ready,” said Beaver. “Now we’re a little cooler which works out just great. If we can just get that rain to hold off, we’ll be in perfect shape.”

Jacobsen, a Textron (NYSE: TXT) Company, has long been the exclusive turf equipment supplier to the Bay Hill Club & Lodge. The maintenance crew uses ECLIPSE walking greens mowers on the greens, ECLIPSE 322 and GP-400 riding greens mowers on the tees and approaches and SLF-1880 fairway mowers on the fairways. The roughs, left to grow to three and a half inches for the tournament, are typically trimmed by Jacobsen’s AR-522 rotary mowers.

The sprawling greens should be fast and firm all week and will surely test some of the world’s best players’ skill and patience.

Matt especially likes the Jacobsen ECLIPSE walking greens mowers, which provide excellent performance year-round. “Of course we depend on the ECLIPSE mowers for the Arnold Palmer Invitational but it gives us so much flexibility throughout the year. We had a juniors tournament in the heat of the summer and we adjusted the frequency-of-clip (FOC) settings to allow us to mow at .135 inches and Stimp 12 feet. You just can’t get those results with other mowers.”

At the center of it all is Mr. Palmer, still as active as ever and a common sight around the grounds of his Bay Hill Club & Lodge. When asked about Matt and his team, his face lights up with excitement.

“Matt’s doing a great job and continues to do well out there,” said Arnold Palmer. And why does the living legend use Jacobsen equipment at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge? “We only use Jacobsen equipment because it provides the superior performance Matt and his team need to present world-class, tournament conditions year-round.”

About Jacobsen
With over 90 years of experience in the turf maintenance industry, Jacobsen has built a legacy of precision craftsmanship, legendary quality of cut and unmatched expertise. Dedicated solely to delivering perfectly groomed turf, Jacobsen equipment is used on some of the finest golf courses, sports fields and other formal turf areas across the United States and the world, through an extensive distribution network and the international Ransomes brand. Additional information about the company can be found at www.jacobsen.com.

About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defence, 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, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. For more information visit: www.textron.com.

For further information please contact:
Adam C. Slick, Public Relations and Communications Manager, Jacobsen
11108 Quality Drive, Charlotte, NC 28273
Tel: 704.504.4867 Email: aslick@textron.com