GOLF
Left to right: Ray Holmes, Peter Baynton, John Bachelor, Simon Lang, Allan Smith, Matt Broughton and James Braithwaite
So, in a bid to make it safe when their training academy is built, we raised the issue with Bristol City who were
very supportive of everything we suggested
me up as a greenkeeper … the rest, as they say, is history.”
“My first task was golf course construction, literally from the ground up, including the addition of drainage and all the gravel carpets by hand; just two of us with a wheelbarrow and shovels moving around 120 tonnes per green. Next, we added the blinding layer, moving 70 tonnes of sharp sand with barrows, shovels and rakes. With depth gauges that we made ourselves, we got levels of 190 tonnes of material on nine greens. When it came time to put 240 tonnes of rootzone on a green it just became too much, so we hired a digger and driver and completed it that way.” “Whilst all this was going on, I was still working for my friend part-time and evenings/weekends at the hotel as a silver service waiter. The club sent me to do my
NVQ Level 2 (on block release) at Askham Bryan College which was a two year course and, in that time, I was put forward for Toro Greenkeeper of the Year award which I was fortunate enough to win in 1995/96. I worked my way up to deputy head before eventually applying for the position of head greenkeeper, but they decided to bring a consultant in instead and I realised there was no further progression. Then, whilst holidaying near Bristol, my wife said it would be nice to live down here and, luckily, a job came up at Long Ashton.” That was twenty-three years ago, and James has gained many further qualifications along the way; NVQ Levels 2 & 3 in Sportsturf, Winter Turf Managers qualification (Umass), D32/33, L12 and G3, full first aider, Chainsaw CS30/31 & 36, PA1, PA2 and PA6, Abrasive Wheel, Pest Control, Basic H&S. As well as all this, James does a lot of public speaking and also worked part-time for a while as an assessor for Bridgewater College, which has now led to him lecturing for GCMA.
Club history
Following various re-designs, the famous partnership of Hawtrey and Taylor were commissioned in 1937 to advise and plan the course which, in the main, is still played today. However, it was not until 1957 that the Club eventually purchased the land, which in its earlier years had formed part of the Ashton Court estate. Further additions in 1966 included a 12-acre site, which is now regarded as one of the best practice facilities in this part of the country.
The Club has staged several major golf tournaments, notably The Martini International Tournament in 1966, won jointly by Peter Allis and Bill Large, and the Coca-Cola Young Professionals in 1972, won by Peter Oosterhuis. In the last decade, the English Boys’ and British Ladies’ tournaments have also taken place.
Helping James maintain the course day to day is John Bachelor - Deputy Course Manager (18 years’ service); NVQ Levels
2 & 3, PA1, PA2 and PA6, Chainsaw CS 30/31, 360 digger licence, public speaking course. Allan Smith - First Assistant (14 years); NVQ levels 2 & 3, PA1, PA2 and PA6, Chainsaw CS30/31 and worked one Open Championship on the support team. Peter Baynton - Assistant Greenkeeper/ part-time mechanic (30 years); NVQ Level 2 Sportsturf Maintenance, various Toro mechanic courses, machinery maintenance and grinding competent. Matt Broughton - Assistant Greenkeeper (2 months); NVQ Level 2 Sportsturf Maintenance, NVQ RHS level 2 and Chainsaw CS30/31. Simon Lang - Assistant Greenkeeper (2 months); no formal greenkeeping qualifications but over thirty years’ experience in grounds and greenkeeping, PA1 and PA6, Chainsaw CS30/31. And, last but not least, Ray Holmes - Gardener/Handyman (7 years). James varies his renovation methods on the greens, as the course has two different types of construction; the new ones which were built in 2014, and three that are built to the same spec as the ones James helped construct at Darlington. “We double hollow cored all the greens at the end of the season but, it was quite late in the year so I
30 PC February/March 2020
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