Golf
GETTING Personal...
Lee Bishop - Wine gums, DB5, James Corden and oboes!
Who are you? Lee Bishop, Course Manager at Burnham Beeches Golf Club.
Family status? Married to Jo for 15 years, daughter Millie - Jo aged 11, twin boys Archie and Max aged 7.
Who’s your hero and why? Eric Cantona, loved his arrogance and self belief.
What would you change about yourself? I would learn to switch off a bit more - sometimes I bring my work home too much.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Wine gums.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Getting the Course Managers Job at Burnham.
What are your pet peeves? Golfers on the course; not really, but the ones who can’t wait thirty seconds for you to finish your cut and rifle a ball straight at you then proclaim with a big grin on their face “I didn’t think I would get there”.
If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? Scilly Isles, it’s got it all; nice beaches, secluded, great for the kids, providing the weather is okay.
What’s the best part of your job? Knowing you couldn’t have done any more and getting the praise for how the course looks and plays.
… and the worst? Destructive feedback. We all need negative feedback, it helps us progress but, when it becomes destructive, it has a negative effect.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? Not really, but I would like to own am Aston Martin DB5 one day.
Favourite record, and why? Haddaway, What Is Love - it was playing when I met Jo.
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? Obviously the wife, but if she had a better offer, then Gwyneth Paltrow.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Find a cure for Alzheimer's and cure my dad.
If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would you be and why? An oboe - it’s big and cumbersome, can be awkward to get on with, is an acquired taste, but is well made and very reliable.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Sir Alex Ferguson - I’d like to ask him why he really kicked that boot at Becks. James Corden for the entertainment. The Kentucky Colonel, as I would love to know what’s in the recipe.
Do you have any bad habits? Eating too many chewy sweets, although my wife would say snoring.
What’s the daftest work related question you have ever been asked? There’s been too many to remember. One guy suggested we use our time better, rather than painting the edges of the hole with a tiny paint brush, thinking it was taking us all day.
40 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 “
I encourage the lads to talk to the members, it’s a good way to get feedback, positive and negative on the course, and the very occasional good idea!
Grass Grabber installed in order to comply with the washdown area legislation. No bugs, no recycling water. It’s simple, low maintainence, cheap to run, easy to use and, according to Lee, costs a fraction of its competitors.
All hands to the pump Lee and his team of six full time qualified staff, along with two additional part-time summer staff (when required), work on an all hands to the pump approach. Lee explained that he generally carries out all the spraying, but all his lads can do every other task. “I like to rotate the work so no one gets complacent,” he commented. “But sometimes, that’s difficult if you get one of the guys that especially excels at one task.” “I have one guy who tends to do most of the aeration. He is an early bird and doesn’t mind coming in, so we get a good start in font of the golfers. We don’t employ a designated workshop technician, but one of my lads knows his way around the machinery pretty well and has attended training courses with both Toro and John Deere. He spends, on average, two days per week in the shed, checking cuts, greasing, grinding and carrying out general maintenance required.
Lee and the club place a lot of emphasis on keeping the staff happy and safe, therefore, all staff are fully compliant with current legislation and the club are very supportive and willing to fund education. Lee’s deputy completed his NVQ level 3 last year and holds a full first aid certificate and
there are currently two other guys nearing the end of their NVQ level 3. I’m sure we would all agree that it’s so hard for the younger generation to find work these days and it’s all about giving someone a chance. Lee has just done that by taking the decision to appoint an apprentice instead of two part time summer staff. “This is working really well for us,” Lee explained, “as we managed to get a slightly older apprentice who had limited machinery experience. He was cutting rough after week one, which is a bonus as this is so labour intensive. There are a lot of young course managers out there now, which is testament to the clubs giving them a chance and also to the course managers for taking the chance. Education has improved ten fold and, with technology moving along at a brisk pace, ongoing development is paramount and such a positive step for the industry.”
As well as the course maintenance, the team tends to two short game greens. One is 400m2
with a bunker
and a few mounds to chip over and is generally used for pitching. Golfers can also hit roughly 150 yards on this range. The other is about 150m2
and
just used for chipping. The range is situated near the reservoir where golfers can hit a driver.
Pests and diseases
Lee used to contract out pest and weed control on the course. However, he found this quite expensive so now it is done in-house using the HD200 sprayer. This also means he can apply it
The first club in the south to install a Grass Grabber washdown system
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