Age no handicap for greenkeeper

External sourcein Golf

golfTo be appointed as the youngest head greenkeeper in Scotland, James Taylor said that landing his dream job feels like sinking a hole in one.

The 21-year-old who has been working at Wick Golf Club for almost a year was recently named the youngest to be put in charge of any golf course in the country.

But with a passion for golf and years of experience already behind him, he is relishing the challenge of increasing participation in the sport in the far north.

Mr Taylor, of Banks Road, Watten was blissfully unaware he was the youngest greenkeeper in Scotland until he was told, but said his age is not a factor in his ability to do his job well.

"Every day I wake up and look forward to going to work and there are not many people who can say that about what they do for a living. From what I've been told, I am the youngest greenkeeper in Scotland and it is a title which I'm very proud of.

But I feel that after completing my apprenticeship at the Castle Stuart course, I have all the experience needed to carry out my job to help market the golf course, regardless of age."

After leaving school, he moved to Fife to study greenkeeping at Elmwood College and returned to his home area after his stint at Castle Stuart, near Inverness.

With golf being a major part of his life - his father Rognvald is club secretary - James is a decent player himself with a respectable handicap of seven.

He said his job means he gets less time to get out on to the course to play, but said that helping to maintain and promote one of the best courses in the Highlands is a challenge he relishes.

"The main thing I love about it is getting out there and dealing with people to encourage them to take up the sport.

"It's the kind of job that you have to take day by day - the main challenge is that you also have to be a part-time mechanic as working with machinery is a big part of the job.

"The other side is doing business with people to try and get prices reduced to help maintain the course.

"But another big part of my job is to encourage people to play and in recent years we have seen a number of members actually coming back to the course and hopefully the sport will continue to grow here.

Article sourced from :-John o groat journal

Article Tags:
Golf

Want the latest news, ideas and exclusive offers direct to your inbox?
Then sign up to our weekly newsletter today.