The assistant greenkeeper at Lees Hall Golf Club in Yorkshire, Danny Tozzi, takes us through his average day.

What time do you arrive at the club and what is your morning routine?

I arrive at the yard at approximately 5.50am ready for the 6am start. This gives me time for a quick breakfast snack and then it’s out onto the course.

How many people are there in your team and do you share tasks?

We are a team of four at the moment. We do tend to have our own set tasks and jobs but we can rotate when needed.

How do you motivate your colleagues?

I try to keep colleagues motivated by keeping things light-hearted; there’s always time for a bit of banter between ourselves!

What aspects of your job give you the greatest satisfaction?

I get the most satisfaction out of seeing the jobs delivering real impact, for example when we stripe up the fairways. It’s also satisfying to see projects that I’ve undertaken and managed, such as planting and the wildflower projects, flourishing.

And the least satisfaction?

I get the least satisfaction from negative comments, and people not following basic etiquette by not replacing divots or repairing pitch marks.

Have you attended any courses recently, and if so, what did you take away?

I’ve not attended any courses recently, but we do our best to attend BTME in Harrogate every year and I’ve also had some refresher training on the grinders with our mechanic.

What is your favourite season of the year and why?

My favourite season is the summer, when we can see the course in its best condition and my wildflower and planting projects are in full bloom.

Are you witnessing evidence of climate change and, if so, how has your job had to adapt to changing weather patterns?

Yes I think we’re definitely seeing the effects of climate change, especially last year with how dry the spring and summer was. With that in mind, we are really having to focus on our heights of cut and watering to counteract the impacts of this.

Have you had to overcome any course issues with disease and / or pests?

We’ve had the usual problems with disease on the greens, but are putting practices into place to try and make them as resilient as possible.

What seed mixtures and / or cultivars do you use for your greens, tees, fairways and roughs?

On our greens we use Johnsons J All Bent. For the past three seasons we’ve worked alongside DLF to incorporate areas of wildflower around the course, for which we’ve used Floral Carpet and Honey Bee & Butterfly from the Colour Boost range, along with some new planting in 2026 with the Carnival mix. Everyone is excited to see even more bursts of colour around the course.

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

We have started to introduce multiple areas of eco rough across the course to improve sustainability.

What do you do to support wildlife?

We support wildlife in many ways including the aforementioned wildflower areas, along with bird boxes and bat boxes in various places around the course.

Do you use social media professionally and what do you think this contributes to the industry?

I don’t use social media professionally, but I do post things every so often to do my bit in promoting the golf club.

How would you improve the greenkeeping industry?

I would improve the greenkeeping industry by trying to make it more appealing to the younger generation. We really need to be attracting some young, fresh talent to safeguard the future of the industry.

What are the technological developments that you feel have been the most important in your career to date?

In recent years technology is increasingly playing an ever-more important role.

Here, personally, we’ve found the ability to take data on our greens, such as moisture readings, has been really beneficial.

Also, implementing a digital accu gauge for setting heights of cut really makes a difference.

What advice would you give to a young greenkeeper starting out today?

Work hard and try and get all of the different, relevant qualifications needed to give you the best start in your career going forward.

How do you spend your leisure time?

In my spare time I’m a big carp fisherman and love nothing more than spending a few hours on the bank! You can find me on TikTok (@craftyitaliancarper) if anyone wants to know more about my hobbies outside of greenkeeping!