Living life in the fast lane
Restricting ourselves to only one speed and one lane within our industry may not be wise, we should embrace and understand that all our roles run parallel, and we all rely on each other for success.
That's what makes our industry so amazing, the diversity of jobs we can all enjoy and all we have to do is chose a 'lane'. What's wrong with changing careers from time to time if that spices up our life/career or prospects?
Personally, I have often wondered what it might be like to alter career paths, I wondered what the drivers or desires are to steer you onto an alternative 'lane'. I recently caught up with Pete Newton MG (irrigation technical sales rep with Reesink Turfcare UK), to chat about his change of direction and wanted to understand what made him want to switch careers, especially as he had already reached the top in the greenkeeper ranks. Undoubtedly, he is a great example of someone grasping this opportunity extremely well and his story is one which I hope some of us contemplating alternative routes within our industry will find interesting as you read his 'real life' experience.
I have always been intrigued by the many opportunities we can all experience in our wonderful world of turf management and wanted to understand what drivers Pete felt to swap trades and move 'over to the other side of the fence', especially as he made the jump whilst at the height of the turf management ladder.
In the beginning…
So, how did it all start? Well, like most of us, Pete began working at his local golf club in the spring of 1997 at Rochdale Golf Club, Lancashire as part of his studies working towards his HND in turf science and golf course management at Myerscough College. Upon completion of his three year course (which he passed with flying colours), he successfully gained employment as assistant greenkeeper at the prestigious Marriott Forest of Arden in the Midlands and quickly climbed the ranks to first assistant during his five and a half years of service. Pete then moved to another Marriott venue, this time Worsley Park, again as first assistant before joining The Belfry team as deputy greenkeeper on The Brabazon course in January 2006. Then, Pete's big break came with the move to Rockliffe Hall Golf and Spa two years later as Head Greenkeeper, then promotion to the role of Course Manager.
Soon after, this new role saw him take on the grow-in of their brand-new golf course, turning an adjacent potato field into a five-star world class venue we know it as today. "The grow-in was an amazing experience," explained Pete. "It was a huge learning curve for me, but one which helped me develop my organisational and communication skills." He went on, "I'm very proud of that team which successfully completed the grow-in of the new championship course."
During his greenkeeper career, he has been fortunate to be involved in many tournament preparations, highlights are the PGA Seniors English Open 2013/2014 at Rockliffe Hall, Quinn Direct British Masters 2006/2007 at The Belfry, JJB Euro Pro Challenge 2004/2005 at Worsley Park, Daily Telegraph British Masters 2003/2004 at The Forest of Arden, Compass Group English Open 2000/2001/2002 at The Forest of Arden, and finally PGA Seniors Tour 2000 at The Belfry. Pete was also busy during his greenkeeping career gaining a clutch of continued personal development achievements, highlights are-
- Toro/DeVere greenkeeper of the year 2006
- B.I.G.G.A. delegate Las Vegas G.C.S.A.A. convention
- 59 Club greenkeeping team of the year 2014 Rockcliffe Hall
- Master Greenkeeper status 2015
- B.A.S.I.S. foundation in amenity chemical control
- Former mentor at the F.T.M.I.
Fast forward eight years from his time at Rockliffe Hall, and Pete grasped the opportunity to join the Reesink irrigation team as irrigation and aeration field sales and support operative under the stewardship of Rob Jackson and has, as they say, never looked back in the seven years he has held his new role!
The world of H2O
His key deliverables (other than the obvious sales objectives) are wide and varied but consists mainly of support and assistance to the greenkeeper/groundsman community in all its forms. Admittedly, Pete does a lot of travelling as part of his role, which isn't for everyone, and he is the first to acknowledge this, but the positive element is that he gets to travel up and down the country seeing and experiencing some amazing golf clubs and sports grounds and meeting a wealth of turf managers. As I probe about the strenuous travelling, he replies, "when you love your job, it stops being a job," he laughed. "It feels like I'm getting paid to see my mates." This is due, in part, to his networking whilst he worked within the greenkeeper ranks.
Pete's innovative eye is always on the lookout for developing fresh opportunities, one which now has led him into the world of education running alongside his day-to-day role
Pete is a natural born communicator, and this aspect of his role is one which he not only relishes but thrives on. "Put simply, I enjoy meeting people," he explained. "My role means
I get to meet lots of my turf manager colleagues up and down the country every day. This business is all about people, building trust and through honest conversations building respect." He continued, "I get great satisfaction from helping turf managers understand the intricacies of key water management fundamentals and how best to use water efficiently, which is number one for me personally.
Pete went on to explain, "It's rewarding to be acknowledged as a turf professional, not just an irrigation guy." He clarified, "Greenkeepers and groundsmen who know my background, which has been built as working relationships develop, are more comfortable reaching out for a little turf management advice. It's extremely fulfilling to be able to help and assist colleagues by supporting them in that way. It means that I get to share my experiences and knowledge from all my previous roles and think that it demonstrates that all our paths (or jobs) within the industry are intrinsically linked."