The golf course manager at Royal Burgess Golf Club in Edinburgh, Chris Yeaman, takes us through his average day.
What time do you arrive at the club and what is your morning routine?
I arrive just after 5:30am and have a quick coffee with the guys. I’ll then write the jobs on the board for the day ahead, which we’ll discuss as a team before heading out on the course.
How many people are there in your team and do you share tasks?
We’re normally a team of nine but at the moment there’s eight of us. We do try to share tasks between the team so we’re not all doing the same things day-in, day-out, however, some like the routine of focussing on the same jobs. The remainder of the tasks are shared out to make the best use of everyone’s different strengths.
How do you motivate your colleagues?
I wouldn’t expect the team to do anything I’m not prepared to do myself. I’ve been in the job for nearly 48 years and I still like to get out and do the work with the guys – if we’re all out there working together it’s better for everyone and enables us to chat and problem solve as we go round.
What aspects of your job give you the greatest satisfaction?
There’s so many! Working as a team to produce a fantastic golf course and hearing that the members are very proud of what we produce. We receive a lot of compliments about the fact we maintain standards all year round and not just build up for certain events.
And the least satisfaction?
I’d go as far as to say that greenkeeping for me is more than a job, it’s a way of life, so there is really very little I don’t like. Golfers that don’t rake bunkers, replace divots or repair pitch marks I suppose. I make a point of attending members’ nights once a month which provides an opportunity to educate, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t!
Have you attended any courses recently, and if so, what did you take away?
I attended BTME in Harrogate and the GCSAA show in America in January and took part in education at both events in addition to the show and general networking. We try and keep training to the autumn / winter, when it’s slightly quieter, but I have recently attended a first aid course with some of the team, as well as a defibrillator course.
What is your favourite season of the year and why?
I love them all but if I had to pick, I’d say winter. I love the variety and the ability to work on projects which provide a different course at the start of the new season – it’s satisfying surprising the members with the work the team and I can do.
How has your job had to adapt to changing weather patterns?
In the last few years, the weather has been at the forefront of everything we do. We started a greens’ drainage programme a few years ago, aiming to do three greens a year. While we haven’t had a lot of rain this year, it tends to be in torrential downpours and the greens are already benefiting from this work. We’re working hard to make sure the golf course is playable in the extremes of weather we’re seeing, which has meant a lot more aeration for drainage on all the greens, fairways and surrounds.
Have you had to overcome issues with disease or pests?
There’s more disease, particularly fusarium and dollar spot. We’ve lost a lot of the products we would traditionally use for control which means we’ve gone back to old school techniques. We use various apps and websites to predict and monitor disease pressure days.
What piece of equipment would you say is the most popular and frequently used by you and your team?
We recently added a trio of INFINICUT FX26 pedestrian cylinder mowers to our fleet, which are used twice a week for mowing tees and these have been fantastic. As a GEO certified club, the electric INFINICUTs fit with our overall vision and also mean we can mow close to our course boundaries without making noise and disturbing our neighbours.
With a growing focus on sustainability, do you deploy any sustainable practices in the management of your course?
Electric equipment is a big thing for us, we’re continually looking to add more to our fleet with the eventual aim of changing everything over from diesel to electric. This also helps us financially with the rising cost of diesel. Manufacturers are continuously developing machines which may be more expensive to buy in the first instance, but often prove to be a better investment in the longer run. We’ve also gone back to some of the more traditional greenkeeping methods such as making our own fertiliser.
What do you do to support wildlife?
We have an environmental committee who meet four times a year and steer a lot of our wildlife projects. We have lots of wooded areas, with many that don’t impact the course left wild. In addition, we’ve planted some more trees and added lots of shrub and flower beds across the course with varieties chosen to encourage wildlife. We’ve installed 100 bird boxes, bat boxes and owl boxes and are looking to introduce some bug hotels into the deeper woodland areas – oh, and we have six beehives which reside behind the greenkeepers shed too!
Do you use social media professionally?
We use all of the social media platforms. It’s great for our members to see what we do and provides an opportunity for us to speak to, and learn from, other greenkeepers around the world. Every day is a school day and anyone not using it is missing out!
How would you improve the greenkeeping industry?
I would like to see more younger individuals coming into greenkeeping. I’m into my 48th year and spent 25 of those on the BIGGA committee – it seems more of a struggle than ever to bring people into the industry. We know there are lots of job roles available, so maybe we need more help from the government and other agencies to push the agenda forward otherwise golf clubs are really going to struggle in the future.
What advice would you give to a young greenkeeper starting out today?
Education! Get to college and learn as much as you can. If you get the chance to help on support teams at events, take it and use the opportunity to learn from your fellow greenkeepers.
If you’re proactive and willing to learn, you can get anywhere you want to be.
How do you spend your leisure time?
Both my wife and I are golfers so everything we do together is golf! I am also the vice captain at our club and run my own charity golf tournament, which has been going for 25 years. Besides that and talking to other greenkeepers about the day job, I enjoy spending time in the gym and travelling.