What sets a golf course apart from others is usually a mix of its location, its history and the quality of the manicured turf. In the case of the Forest of Galtres Golf Club, whilst all that is true, there is one other factor that can be thrown into the mix, Head Greenkeeper Marian Softley
GALTRES SOF W
Report by Carol Dutton
ith lady greenkeepers thin on the ground (BIGGA have a mere sixteen on their books out of over 6,000 members), lady Head Greenkeepers are a very rare species indeed. Trying to find one to interview was like looking for a needle in a haystack so, imagine my delight, when Pitchcare not only tracked one down, but found her working at The Forest of Galtres Golf Club, Skelton, York, which is practically a stone’s throw from my home in North Yorkshire. That said, having arrived to talk to her, I was in for a surprise. “Although I’m a greenkeeper I originally trained as a gardener,” says Marian Softley, in charge of 120 acres of golf course catering for over 300 members and pay and play golfers throughout the year. Relaxed and joking with her three male members of staff, Marian introduces them all. Carl
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Pallister, her deputy, who has been greenkeeping since he left school, started here in 1996 and is currently working for his NVQ level 3, Assistant Greenkeeper, Shaun Pallister, (Carl’s brother) who is renowned for being a ‘natural’ when it comes to mowing a straight line, and Nick Callaghan, the newest member of the team, a trainee greenkeeper who is also a qualified mechanic. Marian became involved with the
Forest of Galtres Golf Club because she had always gardened for the owner, Geoff Procter. “Geoff is a very successful arable farmer who, at the age of seventy, decided to diversify into golf and use some of his land to build a golf course,” Marian explains. “Being a keen golfer he approached the project with relish. He was interested in the construction and the layout, and enjoyed it hugely,” she continues. Marian remembers being taken round the site and shown a field of
barley which, Geoff exclaimed, was to become the 17th fairway. The course was designed by internationally renowned golf course architect, Simon Gidman, who created the greens, tees and surrounds on huge mounds. “It’s quite a bold design,” Marian continues. “Here in the Vale of York the land tends to be flat and the mounds create a striking visual impact. On a clear day, from the 2nd tee, you can see York Minster in one direction and the White Horse carved into Sutton Bank leading up to the North Yorkshire Moors on the other.”
The first nine holes of the course opened in 1992, with the second nine following two years later. Initially, Marian, having been involved in the construction, continued gardening but worked on the course part time. “We had a set of trailled gangs and employed a man with a tractor who took two days to
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