Golf GETTING Personal...
Gary Douglas - Dinner with Gazza, Ally and, err, Nacho - it’s a Rangers thing!
What are your pet peeves? Golfers playing on the course when the course closed sign is up, bunkers not being raked, pitchmarks ... the list is endless!
If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? To see my brother in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
What’s the best part of your job? Being outside on the good weather days! We don't have many, do we? I like the early mornings when it’s quiet as you get so much done before any sign of life on the 1st tee.
… and the worst? Out in the rain doing the job we love and taking stick from golfers about the hole being in the wrong place! And getting hit by a ball while I’m on the green!
Do you have a lifetime ambition? Learn how to sleep in for work!
Who are you? Gary Douglas, Head Greenkeeper at Cupar Golf Club.
Family status? Single.
Who’s your hero and why? Probably my mum - she’s always there when things go wrong!
What would you change about yourself? Try and become healthier by eating better things, which currently I am trying to do.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Watching River City on a Tuesday night. Yes, I watch a few soaps. Oh, and chocolate!
What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Hard to say, but it was nice to be asked to come back and work at my local club.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Paul Gascoigne, Ally McCoist and Nacho Novo. I think Gazza would win with the drinks!
If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be and why? Mark Warburton. It would be a dream to manage Glasgow Rangers, even for just one game against Celtic.
Do you have any bad habits? Where do I start? Sleeping with work clothes on after a long day!
... or any good ones? Treating people with respect and always thriving to do better at things.
Do you go to bed worrying about the next day’s workload? Sometimes during the summer when I am up against it with the growth. I want the place looking its best.
What are you reading at the moment? Sons of Struth Demand the Truth by Craig Houston. A look into the bad times at my football club. A good read.
22 I PC APRIL/MAY 2016
Favourite record, and why? Anything by the Stranglers or Rolling Stones. I’m quite old school when it comes to music.
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? Cheryl Cole. Who wouldn’t?
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Invest into Rangers FC and get us back where we should be.
If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would you be and why? A piano. I change my tune a lot depending on what kind of day I’m having!
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Keep it simple and don’t over complicate things! Most people will understand that way.
What’s your favourite smell? Fresh cut grass and seaweed! Don’t ask!
What do you do in your spare time? Play golf, go to the gym, go out with my mates, watch football; I’m a season ticket holder at Ibrox.
What’s the daftest work related question you have ever been asked? Can you not shovel all the snow off the greens?
What’s your favourite piece of kit? TruTurf roller. It’s just a shame my club can’t afford one ... yet!
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Flexible, determined, loyal.
What talent would you like to have? To play the guitar.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? The death penalty for terrorism.
Over forty moles have been trapped in the past year
the health of the greens is my priority to help minimise disease outbreaks.
We have some rabbits, but they are not completely out of control. I would need to hire in a contractor to deal with them if it got worse.
How important do you consider the local flora and fauna?
It’s an area that I simply don’t have much time for due to lack of staff and budget restraints. I do try and encourage broom and gorse planting in low maintenance areas to try and break them up a bit. This also helps with course definition and provides shelter for wildlife, although it can also attract rabbits.
I have planted over 200 young pine trees in areas I do not cut in. Again, this will add character to the course.
Wildflower planting, bird boxes and such things as rainwater harvesting are always in the back of my mind, but it comes down to the time available. However, I may revisit this in the future.
How do you see your job changing in the future?
Tighter restrictions, more legislation on chemical usage and, subsequently, less products being available.
How do you balance work with your personal life?
It’s important to get the balance right! Being a lone worker can be difficult when arranging holidays during busy times in the summer. I try and make a point of getting some kind of break. We are only human, after all, and not a machine!
What would you consider to be the state of our industry?
My biggest concern is for the game of golf itself. In my opinion, I see a drastic decline in the number of people taking up the game or pulling out for financial reasons - too expensive, bills to pay at home etc. - so they drop the membership. How we address this decline is something we need to look at.
Are we undervalued?
We entered this industry for job satisfaction and not for the money or even having a better social life at times. All I would say is, be professional and conduct yourselves in the way you wish to be viewed.
Thank you for your time.
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