Training & Development
Head Greenkeepers and Groundsmen benefit from Pitchcare’s Supervisory Essentials course
Pitchcare’s Supervisory Essentials Course for Head Groundsmen and Head Greenkeepers
You may remember that, in response to requests for a course that would cover specific supervisory topics in more depth, we worked with the course leader Frank Newberry to redevelop our established Essential Management Skills course for Winter 2012/2013. This resulted in a programme of 4 x 1-day workshops which could be taken individually or as a complete suite. The workshop topics were:
- Taking Charge - Getting Better Results - Enhanced Communication Skills - Problem Solving and Decision Making
The first two workshops were held in December with the remaining two in February and each was fully subscribed. Delegates easily warmed to Frank’s energetic and enthusiastic style, even those who were initially a little apprehensive about spending time “back in the classroom”!
Having worked with groundsmen and greenkeepers for over twenty years, Frank fully understands the challenges faced by those in supervisory positions, particularly when they have been newly promoted and find themselves leading a group who were recently their peers. Another common challenge for Head Groundsmen and Greenkeepers is their sense of being “piggy in the middle” between club members and club management. Frank was able to offer invaluable tips on how to handle such situations - and much more besides!
We received excellent feedback from delegates, which has been passed on to Lantra as part of their continuous monitoring of our course standards. In fact, all the delegates awarded a score of 9 or the maximum 10 for each workshop.
Here are some examples of the delegates’ comments:
“Excellent workshops with a very professional tutor. A pleasure to attend
course run by Frank. Excellent and entertaining, as always. Very enjoyable and can relate numerous topics to my work - with advice for the way forward.”
Martin Sampson, Head Groundsman, Alton Town Council
“The course was very useful and I will be putting all I have learnt into practice. I would recommend Frank and this course to anyone who needs any [supervisory] help. He made the course feel relevant and understandable. Very good course.”
Paul McCormack, Poplar HARCA
“Excellent presentation, very useful information in supervisor communication and effectiveness.”
Andy Beale, Canford School
We will be offering the entire suite of workshops again in autumn/winter 2013/14 in the South of England and/or the Midlands, so if you are interested in attending and would like to be informed when dates and venues have been decided, just drop me an email to
chris@pitchcare.com with your name, position, employer’s name and town, and your contact details.
Other Spring Courses
Our public Spring & Summer Cricket Preparation, and Winter Sports Pitch Maintenance courses have been well attended again this year. The longer winter and lingering cold weather has put back the cricket preparation work, so we will probably be running these Lantra accredited courses through to early summer. Check our website
www.groundsmantraining.com for details of available dates and venues.
Ever popular is the Lantra Basic Tree Survey & Inspection course.
This 1-day course is ideal for any persons employed working on golf courses and other extensive sports facilities, as well as sportsturf contractors, local authority highway inspectors, forestry, woodland or arboricultural employees, estate or park rangers or anyone who has a responsibility for trees in the course of their work.
Additionally, this course may be useful for those who work with trees in a voluntary capacity.
Attendees will learn how to:
- State the legal and safety implications of hazardous trees
- Maintain their own health and safety while carrying out Basic Tree Survey and Inspection
- Recognise hazardous trees - Determine level of risk
- Decide on an appropriate course of action
- Collect and maintain adequate information
- Recognise their own limitations
At the time of writing, we have a public course available in Newcastle Upon Tyne on 21st May and places can be booked online at
www.groundsmantraining.com.
Stem Injection Treatment for Invasive Species
Again, a very popular 1-day course which is accredited by Lantra. Delegates learn how to deal with invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Rhododendron. I understand that there is a particular problem with Knotweed in Wales, so if that is your area and you can gather a group (minimum 6) together for some on site training, let me know.
In fact, we can usually arrange group onsite training for both our own Pitchare courses, including our Health and Safety Refresher on All Turf Machinery, Lantra courses on machinery and equipment, and Safe Use of Pesticides, e.g. PA1/PA6 so, if you would like a quote for training your group, get in touch with me at
chris@pitchcare.com www.groundsmantraining.co.uk 136 PC APRIL/MAY 2013
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