GOLF Getting Personal
Daniel Scanlon - I’m sure everyone will agree that I’m pretty awesome. I’ll be getting plenty of texts about this!
Who are you? Daniel Scanlon - Head Greenkeeper at Leek Golf Club.
Family status. Married for nearly two years.
Who’s your hero, and why? Mike Goodhind. He gave me my fi rst job and put up with my antics for ten years. He also scored 177 not out in a game of cricket.
What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Probably the last ten months.
If your younger self saw you now, what would he think? He would probably wonder what happened to all that hair I used to have. Other than that, I reckon he would be pretty damn happy.
Which famous people wind you up? It would be easier to tell you the ones that don’t!
What job would you love, other than your own? A musician.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? Probably reading this when it’s published.
What is your favourite fi lm? Bad Boys one and two.
What is your favourite sport? Football and I’m a Manchester United fan.
What would you cast into Room 101? Infl uencers - how is that even a job?
Do you have a lifetime ambition? Form a band and play on the main stage at Download Festival (which is never going to happen!).
What’s your favourite piece of trivia? I only found out recently that only twenty- eight miles separate Russia and Japan.
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Toro Sidewinder/Trimax.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Chester Bennington, Corey Taylor and Ivan Moody.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? I always used to get told to save money by the older lads I used to work with ... how I wished I had listened.
What’s your favourite smell? A bacon butty.
Which three albums would you take to a desert island? Linkin Park; Hybrid Theory, something by Volbeat and Three Day Grace.
What’s the daftest work- related question you have ever been asked? The have you cut the greens today question ... even though you’ve just been cutting the green they are playing on.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Hard working, approachable and genuine.
What is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16-year-old greenkeeper? Work hard, be patient and listen. It’ll be worth it!
What talent would you like to have? I would love to be musically talented.
34 PC April/May 2021
and is fully automated. Laughing, Daniel admits he is yet to get to grips with how it all works. “It’s a Bailoy control system with an iPad where, for example, you can set automatic programmes and check how much water has been applied on each green and tee. It is all new to me; I am used to a control box on the wall. There is a mix of Hunter and Toro heads, but I do not have to get too involved with replacements and repairs as we have Simon Roe from Congleton, with whom we have a maintenance contract. He originally worked for the company who installed the irrigation system before going independent, so he knows it like the back of his hand, plus I worked with him for ten years at Stockport Golf Club, so I know him well.”
With only nine months under his belt (and lockdowns to deal with) Daniel hasn’t had much time to implement his desired maintenance regime on the greens. “John did an excellent job of getting air in and introducing bentgrass seeds into the greens, so we have a strong bent content. At the minute (March), we are currently cutting at a height of 6mm with Toro GreensMaster 1000 hand mowers. The plan will be to lower the height of the cut gradually down to no lower than 3.5mm and then, once the growing season kicks in, hand-cut three times a week and use the Tru- Turf greens iron to give them a roll.” I was interested to know if he had a certain speed he was looking to achieve. “The golfers seemed quite happy with the
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