-Concert Golf Partners is pioneering the installation of FireFly Automatix’s robo mowers. The mowers, the company says, position Concert on the cutting edge of agronomic innovation in the private club industry.Concert is implementing the groundbreaking robo mower Autonomous Mowing Platform (AMP) at select premium clubs in its portfolio, such as TPC Monterey at Pasadera in Monterey, CA; The Hawthorns Golf & Country Club near Indianapolis; and Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, FL.
Heathrow Legacy Club near Orlando was the first club in the Concert portfolio – and one of the first in the private club industry – to take delivery of the AMP during a successful pilot test last fall.The AMP-L100, a large battery-powered robotic mower mows fairways autonomously and drives itself between connected pathways.
The robo mower utilizes a sophisticated suite of technologies – including advanced lasers, cameras, sensors, and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS with correction data – to deliver reliable navigation and highly repeatable mowing, with consistent centimeter-level positioning accuracy.It can reach up to 25 acres per charge, with exclusion zone mapping for sensitive areas and customizable mowing patterns.
Heathrow Legacy Club (Concert Golf Partners)
The robo mower machine cuts a precise, 100-inch swath using five reel-style cutting units. It reduces average mowing time by up to 20 percent with autonomous efficiency, mowing at six mph, while keeping razor-straight lines, reducing overlap, and using smart path planning.
“As we expand our implementation within Concert Golf’s family of private clubs, we’re proud to be among the first in the private club industry to adopt FireFly’s game-changing, autonomous technology,” said Concert Golf Partners Senior VP of Agronomy Danny Gwyn CGCS. “Our talented team is able to work together in harmony with these new fairway mowers, as we further use our staff’s agronomic skills and expertise to enhance beautification, playability, and our overall member experience.
”“We’re excited to see Concert Golf Partners as one of the first owner-operators in the private club industry to embrace FireFly’s electric autonomous fairway mowing platform,” said FireFly Automatix CEO Andrew Limpert. “The feedback from their rollout has centered on consistent cut quality and the quiet operation that allows Concert’s crews to work without disrupting play. The decision to expand the program to additional upscale private clubs in the Concert Golf portfolio reinforces the fact that autonomous electric mowing can combine with Concert’s existing agronomy teams to deliver and exceed the high standards that their members expect.”The autonomous machine, Limpert said, reduce mowing noise and decrease maintenance needs, while providing up to three times the shelf life of a traditional mower with a gas combustion engine.
The zero-emissions mowers, Limperts said, are virtually free of any fluids, which eliminates damage to the turf from gas, motor oil and hydraulic leaks. This enhances environmental conservation.
“These fully electronic mowers eliminate many of the challenges that traditional mowers present, and the quality of the cut is simply amazing,” said Heathrow Legacy Club Superintendent Mike Bellino, the Concert Golf Partners Innovative Superintendent of the Year. “With these exciting new innovations, our agronomy team now has an opportunity to use their time, talent, and creativity to further perfect the visual impact and beauty of Heathrow Legacy Club.”
Concert Golf is a boutique owner and operator dedicated solely to private clubs. The company has properties nationwide from coast-to-coast, reaching from Cape Cod’s The Club at New Seabury to TPC Monterey at Pasadera.
Photo: FireFly robotic mower (Concert Golf Partners)