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GOLF


Caption


S


et in the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the clifftop on the western edge of Budleigh Salterton, East Devon Golf Club is a heathland golf


course measuring 6,344 yards and rising to 450 feet at its highest point. It is renowned for its fast greens and spectacular views across Devon and Lyme Bay, from Haytor on Dartmoor to Portland Bill in Dorset. Paul left school in 1979, playing off a two handicap and fully intending to be a professional golfer. “At this time, my father told me I had to get a job and I was lucky enough to get a summer position here working as a greenkeeper, which I loved. I then moved to St. Pierre in Chepstow, but still with a view of turning pro. I had a good colleague, who was involved in Whitbread at the time, and he got me a job up there, but I didn’t feel comfortable a long way from home and got pretty homesick.”


“I came back down to Devon where I got a job as a greenkeeper at Exeter Golf and Country Club within three days of being back. I spent a happy seven years there working my way up to the first assistant role.” Whilst working as a greenkeeper, Paul didn’t give up on his golf. He was now playing off scratch, playing county golf and the odd big national event. “I was very much a part-time golfer, but I was getting some good results,” he comments.


In 1987, Paul was approached, out of the blue, by the President of Downes Crediton Golf Club. “He rang me and asked if I would like to be Head Greenkeeper. I accepted the offer and spent three very happy years there. Then, in 1990, the opportunity arose for me to apply for the position of Head Greenkeeper here at East Devon. After going through the interview process, I was lucky enough to get the job, and I have been here for nearly thirty years; and I have


enjoyed every minute of it. I do sometimes wonder if I could have become a pro, but I had no backing. That’s why my father said, ‘you have to find a job son’. I love what I do, greenkeeping is a fantastic job, and I have no regrets. I see myself as a working head greenkeeper; I love being hands-on and getting involved with the team. That’s why I still call myself a head greenkeeper and not a course manager. I’m a greenkeeper more than a manager; that’s what I do best.” Paul has attended many educational courses and achieved various qualifications to broaden his knowledge over the years. “In the early days, I took a lot of IOG courses, long before City & Guilds qualifications were available, which I have also done. I continue to this day - management, first aid, chainsaws, and obviously spraying tickets - so I have continued to learn. The most recent course was to improve my chainsaw tickets because of the projects we have going on; and I lost two of my staff who were trained up.”


A few people have inspired Paul in his career, especially in the early days, but the one that stands out is Jim Arthur who wrote many articles and books, including Practical Greenkeeping which was published by the


We are really pushing to get back to as pure heathland as we can. We know we are going to have some gorse, but the plan is to stop the scrub trees coming up


Head Greenkeeper, Paul Newcombe


14 PC April/May 2020





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