Meet the course manager: Bearwood Lakes’ Andrew Whittaker

By Alistair October 24, 2024 08:47

Andrew Whittaker, course manager at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club in Berkshire, talks about how his team is meeting a rise in expectations from golfers that has come about from an improvement in course conditions in recent years.

Can you start by taking us through your career and what led you to your current position at Bearwood Lakes?

I have been in the industry for 30 years now. I gained my qualifications at Myerscough College before heading on the Ohio State Intern Program, where I gained invaluable experience with warm season grasses in Florida. From there, I moved to K Club in Ireland assisting in four European Opens and the construction / grow-in of the Arnold Palmer Course. My next venture took me to The Grove, where we implemented the infrastructure and successful holding of the American Express Championship, won by Tiger Woods.

From here, I relocated with my wife to the Middle East where I took charge of both Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Beach Golf Clubs. During this time, we held the HSBC Golf Championship eight times and won many international awards for golf course conditioning. It was a fantastic experience and a great opportunity to master warm season agronomy. However, after conversations with Gary Holloway – the owner and chairman of Bearwood Lakes – the passion and enthusiasm he had to enhance his golf course made my next career decision an easy one. The opportunity to work with someone with a desire to deliver unparalleled conditions and cement Bearwood Lakes on the map of recognised golfing venues was one I couldn’t turn down. I’ve now been here for eight years.

What changes have you overseen throughout the last eight years in terms of course or club development?

The last eight years have been amazing, and we’ve conducted many changes to the golf course which have further enhanced both the beauty and playability. Ninety percent of all construction works are carried out in-house by our excellent team who undertake a wide variety of tasks to the very highest of standards. This also allows the team to buy into the projects and give them a feeling of pride and ownership in their work.

To date, we’ve built a new state-of-the-art driving range, complete with a Mizuno performance centre and a large reservoir to assist the irrigation team in tackling the increase in hot summers.

New lakes and streams with waterfalls and the introduction of new strategic tees has also increased options on certain holes.

The pandemic also contributed to a big increase in rounds. How has this changed expectations and demands on what you’re delivering?

Over the past 10 years we have seen a gradual rise in tee time demand, however the pandemic and the ability to be able to play golf immediately after lockdown certainly saw a massive boost to the golf industry. Thankfully this can still be seen today. We were in a fortunate position during lockdown where all our staff remained working, albeit staggered and split shifts, however this allowed for much renovation and cultural works to be carried out which created near perfect course conditions when golfers returned.

The ongoing challenge is that once you reach a certain level, the expectation is that you remain there. As all greenkeepers know, this is a constant battle and fight against nature and other elements which are often out of our control.

How did you fare with the record rainfall over winter and early 2024? What are you doing to try and negate these challenges?

There is no hiding from the fact it was a horrible winter and something we have not been used to for several years. Our course is predominantly clay based so once we reach field capacity it can be tricky, making operational tasks that much more challenging. Our emphasis over the winter months is keeping golfers playing whilst also protecting our asset, so that come March / April we are already on the front foot and ready to go with the season.

Cultural practices on all surface areas do gear up from September in preparation to assist in water movement and adding to / repairing our drainage is now a constant job through winter months.

From a challenging start to 2024, you’ve gone on to host a number of high-profile tournaments this year, including a regional qualifier for The 152nd Open. How did the preparations go?

Over the past few years, we have been fortunate to start hosting some great events here at Bearwood Lakes such as the Justin Rose Ladies series, Senior Open qualifiers and the Regional Open qualifiers. These events are recognition of just how far we have brought the golf course on over the past years and ultimately, where we can take it.

Preparations went very well this year and the greenkeeping team were enthused to be involved in such a great event. To get the course into the condition it was and to maintain it over the summer months is testament to them and their abilities day in, day out.

You have a sizeable fleet of RTVs from Kubota. What role do these play in your maintenance programme?

Last year we purchased nine Kubota RTVs, four RTV-X1110s and five RTV-520s from Lister Wilder under the assistance of David Gray. As per any typical utility vehicle they are paramount to our operation and how we manage tasks out on the golf course. The RTVs offer a wide range of scope and ability to cover all tasks, from transportation of people, equipment and materials to being utilised as a ball picker on the driving range.

What do the team like about the Kubota RTVs, are there any particularly useful features or functions?

After demoing various utility vehicles, it was unanimous among the team of their liking for the Kubota RTVs. For the rigours of the golf course both summer and winter, and with the additional demands of winter projects, the RTVs give us the versatility and power needed, as well as outstanding off-road capabilities. The hydraulic tip, four-wheel drive and closed cab on the Kubota design were also some of the features the team really liked.

How do you keep your equipment running efficiently? How important is back-up and after-sales support when considering the purchase of new equipment?

We are fortunate to have an excellent workshop manager in the team (Bruce) who cares for all our equipment and maintains this to high standards each day. The greenkeepers are required every day to sign out equipment and are responsible for carrying out full pre-start checks. Any discrepancies are dealt with there and then prior to machines entering the course. In addition to Bruce we have the team at Lister Wilder and another dealership both based within 15 minutes of the golf club. Having these nearby is essential for both parts and support if and when needed.

Alongside investment in machinery, the club also invests heavily in ongoing staff and personal development. How important is this to driving further improvements?

The industry is currently struggling with regards to staffing and hiring people with a genuine interest and passion in greenkeeping. While we are fortunate to have a large team including mechanics, gardeners, greenkeepers and irrigation technicians, it is essential that we are always developing and promoting from within.

All of our team have completed NVQ Level 2 or 3, while each year we put four people through spraying certificates, chainsaw training and other golf course related studies. In offering a chance to grow and progress demonstrates an investment in our team and results in us proudly retaining staff for longer.

With a growing focus on sustainability, do you deploy any sustainable practices in your course management?

We are proud to have held GEO certification for the past six years and, with guidance, are always looking to implement and develop new ways to keep the golf club on the front foot. We’ve recently installed 150 solar panels at the maintenance facility to provide for all our needs… and some! In addition, our machinery fleet is increasingly moving towards hybrid and we’ve installed numerous car charging points at the clubhouse. We have also now started to house bees and have numerous bee hives around the course.

In terms of our management practices, we continue to review and hone these to reduce the amounts of granular fertilisers and harsh chemicals outputted on the course.

What plans do you have for the future of the course?

There are always plans in mind for the course however, ultimately, our aim is to enhance the experience for our members and create the best conditioned course we can for 12 months of the year.

This means never resting on our laurels and pushing ourselves daily to deliver and keep the course moving forwards. Infrastructure changes are always discussed and talked about, however these will only be done once we are happy we have achieved everything else we have set out to do.