We look back upon the likes of Old Tom Morris reverentially whenever the Open Championship comes around at The Old Course or Muirfield, the pundits quick to remark on the legacy of his work in the development of the professional game, his influence in spreading the golfing gospel, laying out the original course at many of our hallowed and treasured links and most importantly one of the first ‘keepers of the green’, a pioneering agronomist.
The spotlight shifts to the player that lifts the Claret Jug on the Sunday every year in July as the Champion Golfer of the year is given their moniker, however for a brief moment on Sunday 23rd July at Royal Liverpool, chairman of the R&A’s tournament committee – David Meacher – gave special thanks to James Bledge, saying ‘the presentation of the links has been extraordinary’.
It was testament to the hard work of his team and many volunteers up and down the country who poured in countless hours to deliver a canvas befitting of golf's greatest spectacle.
Recently, Cookie Jar Golf released their latest film, ‘Preparing for an Open Championship’, a project which was originally suggested by James Bledge as a way of celebrating the hard work of not just his team, but that of all greenkeepers who wake up at the most antisocial hours week after week to create magical playing surfaces, whilst showcasing the attention to detail, the craft and expertise as well as the career opportunities within the wider greenkeeping industry.
It leads us to questioning whether greenkeepers are in fact the most underappreciated people in our sport? Golf is unique in that it is the only sport with such radically different playing arenas, and courses are always facing adversity in some form or another.
Mother nature dictates so many of the challenges that face course managers around the world.
Deluges of rain in the late British summer, harsh winters and short days with frozen greens, droughts, leatherjacket infestations, broken equipment and the inevitable challenges of recruitment and retaining talent.
But it is the golfers own expectations that can be the biggest problem for greenkeepers. They cloud our own judgment with our…
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