Meet the course manager: David Jones

By Alistair April 22, 2023 07:15

The course manager at Knutsford Golf Club, which was established in 1891, and is one of the oldest golf clubs in Cheshire, takes us through his average day.

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

I arrive at the course for 6am in the summer months and 7am in the winter months. This can sometimes be earlier though when we need to work around a busy fixture list. I always plan the jobs a day ahead, based upon the weather forecast which I’ll check the day prior and again before I leave for the course in the morning. When the team arrive, jobs are usually written on the board so everyone knows what they are doing for the day ahead.

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

We are a small team of three and we share nearly all of the tasks. We have a great routine during the mowing season and our first tee time is 8am all year round which helps us to prepare the course to a high standard ahead of play.

How do you motivate your colleagues?

Being a small team, we share the motivation to improve the golf course and deliver high-quality golf surfaces all year round. I will always be sure to share good feedback, as we all do with one another, and the occasional breakfast roll from the local café also seems to do the trick! In addition, the team are all currently studying, which is a great motivator and an initiative financially supported by the club and The R&A.

What aspects of your job give you the greatest satisfaction?

Seeing the course develop over the past three years since I moved to Knutsford has been very satisfying. Huge improvements have been made and seeing the course in all its glory, peak summer season, is a highlight and makes all of the hard work worth it.

And the least satisfaction?

Finding unrepaired pitchmarks and divots, and bunkers not being raked.

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

As a team we try to attend as many educational seminars as possible throughout the year. Myself and my colleague Neill recently attended The R&A Scholarship education day at Alwoodley which we took ideas away from which we will try to implement ourselves at Knutsford. We are also pleased to host educational sessions where practical, including a recent ‘Sustainable Seed’ seminar in conjunction with DLF, which brought together more than 20 turf managers from in and around our local area.

What’s your favourite season of the year and why?

Each season brings different challenges and tasks. I enjoy the transition from spring to summer and seeing the course come alive again. I also enjoy the autumn and winter work as we can get stuck into course development work, improving the course further for the following year.

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

Weather patterns seem to be a lot more unsettled in recent years which present more challenges but we just have to adapt our programmes around this, rain or shine.

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

Our focus over the past three years has predominantly focused on greens surfaces, introducing a completely new programme and it has really improved things. Fusarium was an initial problem, but this is now much improved with new management practices. We’re not fungicide free yet, but two applications in three years is certainly heading in the right direction.

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

We have been overseeding greens with Johnsons J All Bent from DLF for the past three years and seeing great results. This programme has seen us seeding in late March and August during maintenance weeks, however this year we aim to do some small overseeding operations mid-season when we can. This year we will also introduce a full tees programme, so I am excited to see the results of this! Our tees are quite small and a lot of them are shaded so we are introducing Johnsons J Tee mixture into the programme and will begin by overseeding twice a year.

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

As a club we have been working to become more sustainable throughout. Out on the course we have changed our mowing operations which has significantly reduced our diesel and petrol use. Our irrigation system has also had an overhaul to reduce water usage and the new programmes in place are using minimal fertiliser and chemical inputs.

What do you do to support wildlife?

Ecology has been a key area for us at Knutsford working closely with BIGGA and The R&A, with the introduction of ecology roughs, wildlife habitats and bird boxes of all shapes and sizes. The introduction of managed ecology roughs has reduced our mowing practices further and attracted a host of wildlife such as newly nesting buzzards, a host of butterflies including the rare ‘wood white’ and our resident pair of Egyptian geese. We have added over 200 gorse plugs to the site, and wildflower areas which we aim to grow in the near future.

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

Technology and the industry is evolving all the time and this can only be a positive. Our new greens programme using new products has allowed us to make significant improvements while reducing our fertiliser and water inputs. As a club we have invested heavily in new mowing equipment which has allowed us to improve surfaces throughout the course and reduce our costs.

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

We use social media a lot as a greens team and as a club, promoting the team’s work and keeping members and visitors informed of what is happening at the club. It is also a great networking tool within the industry and helps me to speak to people from far and wide!

How would you improve the greenkeeping industry?

I think the greenkeeping industry deserves more respect and greater understanding in general. When speaking to golfers of all levels they have very little understanding of what the job entails, and we are just viewed as ‘grass cutters’. This can be very demoralising when everyone within the industry works tirelessly to produce great golf courses. More education is needed for golfers and golf clubs as to what it is we actually do and the complexities of the job.

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

Always ask questions no matter what it is – I’m still asking questions after 17 years! Work hard to gain as many qualifications as you can and enjoy it, it’s a great industry with great people.

How do you spend your leisure time?

I’m a keen golfer and huge motorsport fan.