Building a career and a better course
Charlie Metcalfe is in the early stages of his greenkeeping career. We spoke to him about being thrown in at the deep end and he shared details of the projects he has worked on so far.
Charlie always wanted a hands-on, outdoor career. He found greenkeeping to be the perfect fit. “I joined Normanton straight from school and I’ve been here for over two years now. I’d never played golf before I started greenkeeping and I didn’t really know what the job involved.
I’ve loved it so far; I’ve learnt so much, but there are obvious challenges throughout each season.”
Normanton Golf Club has always been a naturally wet site. Formerly farmland and underpinned by clay, the land retains a significant amount of water. In recent times, efforts have been made to tackle these issues - and Charlie has been right at the heart of it.
Earlier this year, a key winter project was drainage improvements across the course. “We had heavy snowfall in November and January,” Charlie said. “We noticed problem areas around the bunkers and fairways, so we started work on those - using a digger to remove the majority of debris from the ditches, then going in with shovels to make sure everything was properly cleared. Once the water was let back through, it flowed as it should.”
“On the 16th fairway, we had a grid system that was blocked. We cleared the debris from the ditches and it provided good results - the sward is much healthier, greener and less wet.”
“The 18th ditch had a lot of bulrushes collecting leaves and debris - basically anything that went in just got stuck. That was completely cleared out and it looks ten times better. We have also seen improved water flow in that area.”
Bunkers were another key focus, as Charlie outlined: “We worked on bunkers a lot last winter; most had random drainage systems and many were filling up with sand. The bunkers we worked on have shown huge improvements - they’re now holding less water, they look better and members say they’re playing much better.”
“We also had a great response from members on social media too - it’s a good way to show the work that’s going on behind the scenes.”
The usefulness of winter
Charlie believes that winter is an ideal time for maintenance work, giving greenkeepers the space and opportunity to get stuck into essential projects. “In winter, there are fewer members playing, which gives us time to complete important drainage tasks. When the course is quiet, it’s not only easier to identify problem areas, but it’s also better for our safety with fewer people.”
He also outlined some of the team’s additional efforts last winter: “We worked on tidying and renovating paths, improved bunker drainage, added new sand to several bunkers and even built a new one. We also carried out other routine maintenance like coring to get air into the tees and greens.”
Why greenkeeping?
Charlie concluded “I would recommend this job to anyone. It’s a career you can really grow in, and you could work in America or Europe; it opens up so many opportunities. If you’re leaving school and unsure what to do, I’d say come and give this a go.”