Golf
“
I was fortunate enough to learn so much from Gareth about heathland management - I also got a great tan, which I don't get up here in the Highlands!
The greenkeeping team l-r: Laura Campbell, Chris Hodgson, Rhys Davies, Douglas Black, Graeme Millar and Mirek Lemanski
The 15th green at Pitlochry
The whole Open experience, including being involved in the course changes many months before and the actual preparations, is by far the highlight of my career
” 22 I PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016
working under Gareth Roberts. As well as being involved in many course changes, I was fortunate enough to learn so much from Gareth about heathland management - I also got a great tan, which I don’t get up here in the Highlands! This (the heather, not the tan) became helpful when, after five great years at Hankley, I moved back to Scotland for a position at Carnoustie working for the great John Philp. Having worked with heather, I was involved in heather regeneration programmes covering all three courses.” “During my five years at Carnoustie, I was lucky enough to work through five Dunhill Championships but, most importantly, the 2007 Open. The whole Open experience, including being involved in the course changes many months before and the actual preparations, is by far the highlight of my career. To be part of a talented team of guys, who produced one of the best regarded Open courses in recent years, was very special. I would love to go back and work that week again.” “During those sixteen years working at
those four courses, I have furthered my education by getting spraying, chainsaw, digger, forklift and irrigation certificates. I look back now and think that, if It was not for Iain Macleod pointing me in the direction of college, I’m not sure what I would be doing now!” “I am responsible for budgeting for both
courses, but do consult weekly with one of my directors, who does have the final say.” “My team members include Chris Hodgson, who is my Head Greenkeeper; he has worked at Pitlochry for nearly thirty years. My assistant greenkeepers are Graeme Millar, Laura Campbell and Douglas Black, and I have a full time labourer, Mirek Lemanski.”
“We also employ a health and safety
officer and all staff are updated regularly on any health and safety changes. We have one defibrillator at Pitlochry; all clubhouse, pro shop and greenkeepers are trained to use this in an emergency. We will be getting one for Blair Atholl during 2016. I openly
encourage the staff to attend as many educational seminars and training courses as possible.”
All this is a far cry from when Stuart
started at Blair Atholl in 2010. “When I took over, there had been no greenkeeper working at the course for over a year and the course was being kept by the members. Even though they did a great job of keeping the grass cut, the basics were sadly not being done,” he explains. “In that time, the greens were overfed and
overwatered and, coupled with at least three or four years of no aeration or thatch removal from the greens, I had a big problem on my hands. Finding this out after I had started the job was quite scary, especially with it being my first head greenkeeper’s role. Coming from Carnoustie, where machinery, staff and materials were all on site, it was an eye opener, to say the least. I had none of this and really had no budget to speak of either.” I was very fortunate to have a volunteer,
Frank Brennan, who gave up his daily golf to work with me. He was a retired mechanical engineer who looked after our old machinery at the time just to keep going. He also helped me day after day cutting the rough, which allowed me to scarify, topdress and feed when needed.” “So, over the next few years, I worked
really hard on reducing the thatch in the greens and topdressing with sand - as much as the club could afford. It was very tough at times knowing what I could do, but simply not having the machinery or manpower to do it.”
“But, I have to say, the members at Blair
Atholl soon saw the course improving and a few more of them began to volunteer their time to help out more. We had one member, Willy Hutton, who had all of his chainsaw certificates. He would help with cutting trees down which was a great help with the air and shade problems.” “Also, every year around our open
competition time, members would help out with strimming, tidying around the
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