As one of England’s top 100 golf courses Northamptonshire County Golf Club is well above par (or below par in golf terminology). The course comprises of 100 acres of grass, trees and shrubs which makes up the main golfing area, as well as 110 acres of woodland and meadows which makes up the course ‘scenery’. For those of us whose golf experience is limited to hitting a ball through a miniature windmill it is hard to imagine the demanding maintenance a real golf course requires. The playing area requires constant and fastidious attention to ensure conditions are perfect and rogue clumps of grass cannot be blamed for disrupting the ball’s natural roll. When amongst the top 100 golf courses, even the landscape is carefully manicured to a five-star standard.
Maintaining the course
Rob Hay is Northamptonshire County Golf Club’s Course Manager, the man with the critical responsibility of ensuring the course is in pristine condition. Managing a golf course isn’t just about upkeeping the holes and tackling the moles, and one of his key roles is the allocation of the club’s budget. Every item of equipment purchased must be high-quality and highly reliable, able to withstand heavy usage. As Rob elaborates, fueling this machinery requires onsite petrol storage and dispensing:
“Maintaining a golf course takes loads of equipment from utility vehicles for carrying tools and personnel, to ride-on mowers, and even handheld equipment like strimmers, blowers and hand mowers. All of this is powered by petrol. Having a petrol tank onsite offers much more convenience than getting our fuel from a forecourt which simply wouldn’t be feasible.”
Safe, compliant and reliable fuel storage
Rob explained that their previous petrol storage tank had been in service for over 15 years and required replacing. With a criteria of finding a compliant and reliable petrol storage tank for quick and efficient dispensing, Rob took to surfing the web. The Course Manager admitted that during his research he was surprised by how few tank manufacturers made petrol tanks in relatively small capacities of one or two thousand litres. However, while browsing Twitter a little ‘birdie’ told him about Tuffa’s petrol tank range which fit his criteria well. The Tuffa 975 litre model had a similar capacity and footprint to the old tank and came with a 12 volt pump and mechanical meter housed in a cabinet. This meant that the tank could be sited in a location without mains electricity with the work utility vehicles powering the pump.
Tuffa’s petrol tanks are built to be compliant and safe. The static storage is designed in accordance with the Blue book guidelines and DSEAR (Dangerous substances & Explosive Atmospheres Regulations). To protect the tank’s contents and surrounding area, the system is fire proofed, and the primary tank and bund is hand fabricated with a 3mm thick mild steel, all topped with 4.5mm steel durbar.
Finding solace in the greens
Shortly after the petrol tank was ordered, the UK went into its first lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. On March 31st 2020 Northampton County Golf Course shut their doors to the public. After seven weeks of isolation for most of the country, Boris Johnson announced a slight easing of the lockdown restrictions including allowing golf courses to reopen. As one of few permissible sports and leisure activities, the club reopened to a huge influx of applications for memberships all hoping to find solace in the greens.
With new members to impress and plenty of lost time to make up for it was vital to ensure the premium course was in top form. Of course, the most important thing for any golf club is the quality of the course (at least when the clubhouse and bar are closed). Fortunately, the Tuffa petrol tank was delivered and installed in a ‘surprisingly quick and simple process’ and is now being used to power the club’s machinery and equipment, bringing the Northamptonshire closer to the No.1 best golf club spot. With the course finally reopening (with any luck indefinitely) in March 2021, Tuffa’s petrol tank will be a small but significant tool assisting with the continuous task of keeping all 210 acres in perfect condition.
Read our expert guide to petrol tanks for more information or call the Tuffa team on 01889 567700 for a quotation.
