The course manager at Moffat Golf Club in Scotland, Fraser Mitchell, takes us through his average day.

What time do you arrive at the club and what is your morning routine?
I usually get into work anytime between 4am and 5:30am, depending on the work schedule for the day ahead. The rest of the team are normally in around 5:30am for a 6am start.  

How many people are there in your team and do you share tasks?
We are a team of four during the summer months and then go down to three in the winter. We do try and vary jobs as much as possible.

How do you motivate your colleagues?
The team are fairly easy to motivate to be honest and, like everyone, enjoy receiving positive feedback for a job well done. I like to think my passion for the job is infectious and the team have really bought into what we are trying to achieve as a collective.

What aspects of your job give you the greatest satisfaction?
That’s difficult to answer as so much of the job can be satisfying. I enjoy the big things like seeing projects through from start to finish, and little things like seeing the course busy with lots of golfers taking photos of the course. It’s also satisfying to see visitor numbers are continuing to rise year on year. I also take satisfaction from seeing members of team taking pride in their own work. There are too many positives to single any one out!

And the least satisfaction?
That’s another one that’s difficult to answer but Mike Tyson once said that ‘everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face’… Greenkeeping sometimes feels a bit like that! You have a week when no one is holiday and you have a solid plan to tackle something on the course, say greens maintenance, then the weather changes and scuppers your plans. Machine breakdowns just before a competition are also less than ideal.

Have you attended any courses recently?
As I came into the industry late, every course I’ve done has been fairly recent. I’ve proudly completed my Level 3 greenkeeping qualification and have obtained both spraying and chainsaw operation certification.  

What is your favourite season of the year and why?
The answer to this question changes depending on what time of year it is! When it’s the middle of summer, I look forward to winter with a slightly more relaxed pace of work, when we can get stuck in to tackling projects. If you asked me again in January, I’ll be dreaming of sitting on a machine in glorious sunshine, covered in sun cream. If I had to choose one I’d probably say spring – when the daffodil bulbs start to pop and the smell of cut grass reminds you summer is on the way. Spring is also the turning point when we begin to focus on our regular aeration and topdressing programme on the greens and prepare the tees and fairways for the busy, upcoming playing season.

Are you witnessing evidence of climate change and has your job had to adapt to changing weather patterns?
Looking back over previous years’ rainfall charts, the overall rainfall for the years are fairly consistent. The biggest difference is more heavy rainfall over a shorter period with more dry spells in between. There has been a noticeable erosion of distinct seasons with far milder winters, and longer, warmer autumns which have extended the disease pressures. The first heavy frosts are a welcome sight!

Have you had to overcome issues with disease or pests?
Some of the worst on course damage has come from badgers. The damage they cause can be pretty significant and takes a while to recover. Fortunately, the damage has been mostly on fairways and rough and not on the greens. Badgers are obviously protected so last year we started putting down chilli flakes at the first sign of damage and this seemed to work quite well.

What piece of equipment would you say is the most popular and frequently used by you and your team?  
We recently purchased the Baroness LM311 greens mower and LM551 fairway mower, which have proven to do a great job and are popular purchases with the team. Having the ability to purchase new machinery is a fairly new thing for Moffat Golf Club. The team are all grateful for the recent investment and the results of this are already visible to the visitors.

With a growing focus on sustainability, do you deploy any sustainable practices in the management of your course?
We have virtually eliminated the use of herbicides and pesticides on the course – instead doing things like sheeting greens to help eradicate leather jackets to hand picking weeds. Most, if not all, chemicals that have been used historically for pests and diseases are likely to get banned in the not too distant future so we might as well get used to not having them.

What do you do to support wildlife?
We have various log piles around the course as well as planting wildflowers and heather banks. We have also constructed a small pond which is encouraging new types of wildlife to the course.

What are the technological developments that you feel have been the most important in your career to date?
I think the general improvement of machinery and how easy it is to work on has made greenkeepers’ lives much easier. For example, I recently had a demo of an Amazone Profihopper and absolutely loved the versatility of it.
To be able to scarify all the tees and collect the debris with one person in under four hours was just unbelievable.

How would you improve the greenkeeping industry?
I think almost every greenkeeper’s first thought to that would be pay more.
In all seriousness I think it’s more about improving the perception of what greenkeeping is rather than improving the job itself. Long gone are the days when members and golfers should believe that all greenkeepers do is cut grass.

What advice would you give to a young greenkeeper starting out today?
I think never stop asking questions, always look to improve and get as much experience as possible through education and volunteering. Greenkeeping can be a fantastic career, but you’ll only ever get out of it what you’re prepared to put into it.

How do you spend your leisure time?
A lot of greenkeepers like to get away from golf in their free time… I’m the opposite, I love playing golf and any time off is generally spent playing a round. As well as playing at Moffat, I’m a member at Southerness which is a fantastic links course. I also try and get over to play Mach Dunes as often as I can as, for me, it’s my favourite course on the planet!