Description:
Core Objective: Lead the greenkeeping team to maintain world-class championship standards in an environmentally responsible way across the 51 hole golf facility, turf health, and pristine course presentation.
Key Responsibilities
- Turf Care & Agronomy: Manage fine fescue and bentgrass surfaces, implement integrated pest management, and oversee precise irrigation and fertiliser programs tailored to links terrain in an environmentally responsible way.
- Day to Day course and surrounding area preparations: Prepare the courses and surrounding areas on a day to day basis to the highest standard for the benefit of Member play and international visitors.
- Tournament Preparation: Prepare the course for elite competition play, ensuring Stimpmeter speeds, trueness, smoothness and consistency of greens and tight fairway tolerances, are in line with R&A/championship setup guidelines.
- Team Leadership: Recruit, train, and mentor a dedicated team of greenkeepers and mechanical staff.
- Nature & Environment: the golf courses sit on environmentally sensitive land with large areas designated as SSSI. Protectiing and enhancing the nature and biodiversity of the site is an essential part of the role.
- Budget & Administration: Manage operational budgets, machinery maintenance schedules, and material inventory.
- Health & Safety: Ensure compliance with all workplace safety regulations and environmental stewardship practices.
Requirements & Qualifications
- Experience: Proven history of managing a high-profile championship golf course in an environmentally responsible way. Minimum of 5 years leading a team of eight or more greenkeepers.
- Tournament Experience: Proficiency in preparing a links or heathland course for a national/international golf tournament.
- Education/Certifications: Level 4 or higher in Greenkeeping, Horticulture, or Sports Turf Management.
- Technical Skills: Deep expertise in coastal turfgrass science, managing positively for nature and biodiversity, data collection to inform decision making, automated irrigation systems, and modern turf machinery operation and maintenance. Experience of robotics could be an advantage.
- Communication: Excellent communication skills to spread messaging to Members and visitors and wider stakeholders regarding best practice sustainable golf course management.