A Day in the Life of a Greenkeeper

bunkered’s Scott Peddie dons his overalls to become a ‘greenie’ for a day

Lawnmower man: Our man Scott gets to grips with one of the greens at The Duke’s Course in St Andrews

If I said becoming a greenkeeper was a lifelong dream of mine, I’m afraid I’d be lying. True, my summers as a kid were mostly spent on the golf course although, like most I imagine, the dream was only ever to play for a living.

But, even at a young age, I was well aware when the condition of the course could have been better had the weather, finances or simply luck been a little kinder.

These issues were, however, always in my eyes secondary to the role of the greenkeeper. Any failings in the layout, I naively believed, were his failings – a blame game that some golfers still seem all too happy to play their part in.

Slightly ironic it was, then, when word was passed down at bunkered HQ that yours truly had been designated the pleasure of visiting the Duke’s Course in St Andrews to shadow head greenkeeper Derek Robson for the day.

Having been recently voted the 27th best golf course in Scotland, I have to say, I was possibly the last person they wanted to see adorn overalls. My land management experience goes no further than cutting grass – a fact I decided I was probably best keeping to myself!

The first hurdle to overcome on the day was the early start. Knowing I would be waking up in one of the world’s most iconic buildings, the Old Course Hotel, did soften this blow but 4.30am is 4.30am and, unless you’re six and Disney World is waiting, that’s a wake-up call that can only come too soon.

After stumbling half-blind through an abnormal morning routine, I left the hotel and arrived five minutes later at the Duke’s, just in time for a 5.30am meeting with Derek, and just in time to see the heavens open – not that it bothered the team clocking in.

For some super-human reason, it doesn’t seem greenkeepers require a potent dose of caffeine to kickstart their shift.

In fact, no sooner had the morning’s tasks been allocated than they were checking out machinery and out onto the course.

With golfers on the first tee as early as 7am, and a requirement to stay out of sight of the day’s play while setting up the course, there is little time to spare.

But before I was unleashed on the immaculate Duke’s, it was important, at least, to look like a greenkeeper. For that, Derek provided me with my own boots, fleece, hat and waterproofs, which, in particular, would be put to good use.

Soon after, we joined a few of the team already hard at work on the third, where I would get my first taste of the job.

Like most of you reading this, I’d heard of a stimp reading, often used to stress the pace of greens at the majors, but wasn’t quite sure how the number in question is actually arrived at.

Taking a measurement with the aluminium bar (which is tilted from flat until the golf ball runs off a notch in its surface and the distance it travels is measured) was the perfect confidence-booster. ‘Maybe I could do this after all?’ I began to think. That belief didn’t last long.

While disaster isn’t the word I’d use, my first attempt at selecting and setting a new hole position wasn’t a success. I had to admit, reviewing my work, it was the first lopsided hole I’d ever seen. But at least greenkeeper Jon Methven was on hand to straighten things out. Call me paranoid but I wasn’t really surprised my next task was filling divots.

So, when Derek suggested mowing a green just a few minutes later, you can probably understand why I thought, maybe even hoped, I’d misheard him!

If there is one area that defines the quality of a golf course, it’s the putting surfaces. That’s why I had been pretty certain the last thing the team wanted was me tampering with them.

Now, cutting in a straight line is not the most difficult thing about cutting a green. No, the hard part was turning.

Although the Duke’s greens are cut using something resembling a lawn mower, for a novice, changing direction takes a bit of getting used to.

It involved slowing the throttle (yes, a lawn mower with a throttle!), tilting the mower as you met the fringe, spinning neatly, setting the blades back down and gunning full throttle to ensure a clean cut. For someone who finds changing a bike chain a bit hands-on, this is not a trouble-free process. A foot-long section of over-cut fringe would testify to that fact.

I could, however, take a little comfort from the fact that even the qualified ‘greenies’ continued with their training long after they arrived at the Duke’s.

That means Derek can be confident his whole team is equally qualified. “Just because you are one of the seasonals that comes in and helps out, you have as much chance of cutting greens as one of the full-time guys,” he explained.

“We make sure everyone shares jobs. So, if someone is here for a season, they’re not going to be only raking bunkers for six months.”

Next came my favourite task of the day – cutting approach areas. It started with a crash course in ride-on machinery but, thankfully – as I was cutting on the ninth in full view of the clubhouse – there were no actual crashes to report.

Although, in the name of this feature, Derek was happy for me to try all tasks (save the really dangerous ones), don’t let me fool you into thinking that anyone can do the job. At Derek’s disposal is an elite team, a number of whom were called to Castle Stuart to assist in the first staging of the Scottish Open there.

Getting involved in tournaments, as well as learning from other leading venues, is encouraged as an experience building practice, Derek told me.

“I think it is really important to see what other people are doing. Not to copy them but just to see if what they are doing is really good compared to us and if we can take it on,” he said.

Like everything at the Duke’s, this is a component of the plan laid down by the man who’s made it his mission to set the Duke’s alongside the likes of the Old Course and Kingsbarns in its celebrity.

Billionaire Herb Kohler assumed control of the Old Course Hotel, and with it the Duke’s a short way inland, in 2004. In the time since, he and designer Tim Liddy have updated and improved the layout with the imposition of five new holes and an adoption of a heathland attitude.

“Golf is his thing. That is what he is involved in,” said Derek. “He’s added to the Kohler business and brand with hospitality and golf. That’s his passion.

“He wants to choose the furniture and he treats it like his baby. It’s good because you have someone who is at the top of the tree who cares.”

When it comes to the everyday operation, however, there is one thing that even those with Herb Kohler’s fortunes can’t control: the weather.

As I was continually finding out, greenkeepers dance to its tune and, as the rain continued to pour, the planned top-dressing of the greens was looking increasingly unlikely.

The last task before lunch each day is the immaculate cleaning of every machine used. They don’t come cheap after all. There is even an on-site mechanic, who ran me through a few of the basics, not that I’d trust myself to have a go the next time the car packs in.

Lunch arrived at 11am and the respite could not have been more welcome. Although mine had been more like a taster than a shift, it couldn’t really be further removed from my day-to-day practice of sitting behind a desk.

As we enjoyed our food in the clubhouse, things looked just as bleak and, even before returning to the shed, the general consensus was that the top-dressing would have to wait.

So, I wasn’t going to be able to add that to my growing greenkeeping CV but

I would, at least, get the chance to build my expertise in an area I was more than familiar with – raking bunkers.

By knocking off time, I had learned a few things. One, the Duke’s bunkers are, in a word, huge! But, more importantly, there is nothing easy about greenkeeping.

Work is constant and heavy duty. Things have to be done at a certain time for a limited amount of time and negotiating throughout the day with play – ducking in and out to do a bit here and there when suitable – is a normality.

And then, there is also the weather to contend with, which constantly influences deadlines and changes schedules.

I also gained a sense of just how much pride the guys take in the maintenance of the course. They want recognition for its quality, no more so than from the members who play it day in and day out.

So, before making our next gripe (I’m not suggesting that includes us all) we should perhaps consider exactly what it takes to keep a course tip-top, which is a lot more than I’d ever considered.

Oh, and apologies if you’ve been put off by a slightly bald patch of fringe on the seventh green of the Duke’s lately. It was my first time, after all.

– See more at:

https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf_features/a_day_in_the_life_of_a_greenkeeper#sthash.lE33k8qg.dpuf

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered