‘ELiTE equipment for an elite golf club.
Wildwood Machinery and Ransomes Jacobsen have teamed up to supply Ferndown Golf Club in Dorset with a state-of-the-art, lithium-powered mower. James Bastian of Wildwood, Ben Rumsey of Jacobsen and Danny Murray, Course Manager at Ferndown talk elite turfcare.
Sometimes a product is just too good to ignore. While Ferndown Golf Club’s Course Manager, Danny Murray, wasn’t actively looking for a new greens mower, he is always looking for ways to improve the playing experience for his members and guests.
As Danny himself says, “There’s a lot of innovation in the turfcare market right now, and sometimes you feel as though you could be updating your equipment every few weeks. Mostly, of course, these are marginal upgrades. We weren’t actually in the market for a new greens mower, but I kept hearing good things about the Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE, and when James Bastian of Wildwood Machinery called me, I wanted to know more.”
As a Jacobsen dealership, Wildwood was delighted to recommend, and then demonstrate, deliver and support the Eclipse 360 ELiTE mower. As Ransomes Jacobsen’s Southern England Regional Sales Manager, Ben Rumsey says, “Wildwood has a rapidly-growing reputation as a supplier of state-of-the-art turfcare equipment to prestigious golf clubs and elite football clubs in Hampshire, Surrey and London. The quality of service and support they are offering customers is a perfect match for the Jacobsen brand.”
Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE – highlights
Powered by a 250Ah lithium battery using Samsung SDI cells, with a 5-year battery warranty and 2-year machine warranty.
Zero hydraulic oil, filters, or exhaust emissions — no maintenance downside to going electric.
Frequency of cut is electronically adjustable from 0.91mm to 6.35mm, with consistent results regardless of operator input.
15-blade Jacobsen reels means more cuts per foot of travel, producing a finer, smoother cut quality.
The lighter roller reduces compaction and stress on the surface, protecting greens during high-stress summer periods.
Eclipse 3WD kit — improves traction and spreads the machine's weight more evenly, reducing wheel marking and scuffing on fine turf.
Ferndown Golf Club
Ferndown’s Old Course – opened in 1913 – is ranked 93rd in Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland list (2025/26).
The Club has hosted events including the Hennessy Cognac Cup, the European Ladies' Championship, and the Women's British Open.
The future is electric.
Powered by a 250Ah lithium battery, the Eclipse 360 ELiTE is capable of covering 143,000 square feet – the equivalent of 50+ typical golf greens on a single charge – so there is no issue with capacity and durability. The real game-changer however, is the adjustable frequency of clip, which lets the team dial in a finer cut-quality, effectively delivering a double-cut in a single pass.
“That facility,” according to James Bastian, “has added a whole foot of speed to Ferndown’s already immaculate putting greens.”
Danny Murray says the elevated speeds they are achieving on the stimpmeter meet elite-level requirements, adding to Ferndown’s reputation, the playing experience for their members, and their capacity to host tournaments.
“The real stand-out benefit of the Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE is the quality of the cut,” says Danny, “with the added benefit that the greens require less rolling to maintain their speed.”
“As an electric machine it also meets our sustainability objectives, and is near to silent which is a big benefit for a Club such as Ferndown where we want to nurture our relationships with neighbours.”
“With our own association with East Horton Golf Club, we know how challenging this summer has been for all turfcare professionals,” says Wildwood’s Managing Director, James Bastian.
“It’s been great to see just how well the Jacobsen Eclipse 360 ELiTE has worked for Danny at Ferndown. We’re delighted to be working closely in partnership with Ransomes Jacobsen to introduce their innovative technology across the South of England.”