Golf
GETTING Personal...
Stuart Griffiths - we think he might be keen to head off to Australia ... or Goodison!
Who are you? Stuart Griffiths, Course Manager at Blair Atholl and Pitlochry Golf Clubs.
Family status? Married to Gillian, with two young girls; Holly aged seven and Eve aged five.
Who’s your hero and why? Howard Kendall; I’m a huge Everton fan and he was a fantastic player and manager. I’m sure he had blue blood.
What would you change about yourself? I wouldn’t mind two new knees!
What’s your guilty pleasure? Celine Dion (one of her albums is in my truck).
What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Working at Carnoustie during the 2007 Open.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Howard Kendall, Ian Botham and Phil Tufnell.
If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be and why? Joe Root or Alastair Cook smashing the Aussies to win the ashes.
Do you have any bad habits? I find it impossible to have a lie in.
Do you go to bed worrying about the next day’s workload? Not usually, but I do organise the next day’s work in my head, especially if we have a busy workload.
What are you reading at the moment? I’m not a reader, apart from the Sun.
What are your pet peeves? Bad driving and needless violence.
If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? Australia, to watch The Ashes.
What’s the best part of your job? Going home every day knowing the course looks and plays as good as possible.
… and the worst? Trying to set the course up for competitions when the weather conditions are bad.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To watch an Ashes Test at the MCG on Boxing Day.
Favourite record, and why? Anything from the nineties.
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? I’d better say the wife!
26 I PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Cheesy, I know, but look after my family and friends and go on a great holiday (to Melbourne).
If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would you be and why? A didgeridoo, as it comes from Australia and I want to go there.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Let it develop. Old mechanic used to say it to me to save me taking machines back to him to get fixed.
What’s your favourite smell? Match day at Goodison.
What do you do in your spare time? Play golf, watch sport and look after my young girls.
What’s the daftest work related question you have ever been asked? Why haven’t you changed the holes on the winter greens? (it had been minus 15 for three weeks!)
What’s your favourite piece of kit? The TruTurf roller.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Outgoing, helpful and active.
What talent would you like to have? Time travel.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? Life meaning life for criminals.
Blair Atholl - suggestions from members welcomed Scots pine and birch are the native trees at Blair Atholl
“We have a woodland management programme in place where all trees are limbed when needed, and we have also been planting trees on both courses, especially at Blair Atholl as we had one area between two of the holes that needed some definition. We planted Scots pine and birch trees, which are indigenous to the area. For some of this work we hired in a contractor with a digger to plant some of the bigger trees. Whilst the digger was in, we also upgraded most of the paths as we have started using buggies.” “Whenever we cut branches or cut up fallen trees and branches, we often stack up the old limbs to encourage insects and we have created wildflower areas on both courses to encourage bees.” “And we have a fantastic new
golf range,” continues Stuart, “which opened in 2013. It has possibly the most spectacular back-drop of any range in the country. Stretching to over 300 yards, it can accommodate even the longest hitters!”
And, if that wasn’t enough to
be getting along with, Stuart and his team also maintain the Lettoch Links, a 6-hole, 402 yards par 3 academy course at Pitlochry which, he says, is “great fun and is also used for juniors of all ages to get used to playing on golf course conditions.”
With so much work being
undertaken, how does he communicate with the members? “At both courses, they are updated via a monthly newsletter containing all the relevant club news. This also includes our monthly greenkeepers’ course updates which explains what we have been up to and details any possible work ahead.” Mind you, as previously noted, many of the Blair Atholl members have first hand experience! “We’ve got some momentum in this industry,” says Stuart, “and it’s important to keep that going, on all levels. Greenkeepers now are educated to a very high level and are producing high quality conditioned golf courses, even
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156