Scott Fenwick reflects on four decades

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Scott Fenwick reflects on four decades: He remembers hoisting the bag over his shoulder and playing from sunrise to sunset at Craigie Hill Golf Club.

At this point young Perth High School student Scott Fenwick harboured dreams of rising through the ranks to stardom on the professional tour.

That particular dream was not realised but his journey in the golfing world has taken its own unique and incredibly successful pathway to the top.

It was 40 years ago when Scott, a shy 16-year-old at the time, was talked into applying for the position of apprentice greenkeeper at Gleneagles.

“As a youngster I was a keen golfer and played a lot,” reminisced Scott (56).

“I harboured ambitions of being a pro golfer. When I was leaving school I was going to become a joiner, but my dad had said there was a greenkeeping job at Gleneagles.

“I came out for the interview, got the job and everything moved on from there.

“At that time the main shed was a small bothy area.

“I remember there were a lot of people and it was quite intimidating, all of these older guys and young 16-year-old me turning up for work in the morning.

“Back in those days you started off quite basic. The majority of it was raking bunkers in the morning and then out filling divots for the rest of the day.

“You got your wheelbarrow full of soil and off you went around the golf course.”

Those humble beginnings laid important foundations for progress and he would later be appointed Gleneagles’ golf courses and estates manager.

Now director of agronomy and estates, Scott has been reflecting on four memorable decades of success at one of the world’s finest golfing resorts.

“I was inspired by seeing the guys doing all the different jobs,” he says.

“It made me realise there is a lot more to looking after a golf course than I first thought.

“As time went on, the thoughts of becoming a golfer dwindled away and I got more interested in the golf course maintenance side of it all.

“But I was there almost a year before I even got a shot of a mower. Once you started getting on the machinery, everything changed.”

Producing pristine playing conditions for members and visitors across the Queen’s, King’s and PGA Centenary courses became second nature.

There has, too, been a huge buzz associated with hosting tournament golf throughout his time at Gleneagles.

“When I first started, there was still the pro-celebrity golf,” he said. “But 1987 was the first of the Scottish Opens coming, the bigger televised events.

“Tented villages were coming on site. At the time I think the Bell’s Scottish Open was the third biggest tournament on the European Tour.

“You had all the top pros coming in – Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Ben Crenshaw – so it was a huge tournament.

“It was great to be involved in that and see the actual golf course being presented on the television.

“I have always found tournament golf really enjoyable.”

When 2014 rolled around, the spotlight intensified on the fairways of Gleneagles when the Ryder Cup welcomed thousands from across the globe to the Perthshire hills.

Scott and the team had learned the PGA Centenary Course would host the biennial showpiece between Europe and the USA 13 years earlier.

“It is the biggest golfing event in the men’s game,” Scott told the Perthshire Advertiser. “We had started altering golf holes, building greens and changing areas on the course.

“We planned for the worst case scenario, but we ended up getting perfect weather.

“Everyone got stuck in and did a tremendous job.

“Our team of greenkeepers wasn’t big enough to set up the golf course, so we needed volunteers and brought a lot of former Gleneagles guys back in.”

Scott added: “We had the biggest sporting event for men, then were told we were hosting the Solheim Cup in 2019. I’m not sure if there is anywhere else that has done both.

“It’s a great achievement and terrific for everyone involved at Gleneagles.”

The Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup experiences will live long in the memory but, when the dust settled, there was no time to down tools.

Maintaining and building on high standards was paramount. That has been achieved, but the past few months have been strange times for golf.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of courses across the country in March and only now is there a real sense of normality returning.

While it has proved a “tough” period for those in the industry, Scott is now looking forward to building on his own and Gleneagles’ success story.

“Golf courses are there to be played and you want golfers out on them,” he said. “When this all happened, the paramount importance was safety.

“Now we’re getting back to a little bit of normality and four-balls are coming back in. Hopefully the visitors will come back as well.

“I’m enjoying what I’m doing and we’ll see where it goes next.

“The good thing about working at Gleneagles is that there is always a new challenge.”

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Ryde GC’s long serving greenkeeper

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Ryde GC’s long serving greenkeeper: Binstead-born Doug Rigby has helped develop Ryde Golf Club’s popular course into one of the best and challenging on the Isle of Wight over his 40-year career.

Doug, 56, who joined the club straight from school, is believed to be one of the longest serving greenkeepers in the industry.

After a trial working under John West initially, then Paul Knight, who went on to become Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club’s greenkeeper, Doug has made Ryde the envy of many clubs in the South.

With the advancements in technology, more televised golf events and a shift in the seasonal patterns, Doug, of Jellicoe Road, Binstead, has seen many changes during his career.

Doug said: “I always thought of Ryde Golf Club as like my back garden.

“I enjoy getting up early in the morning and being on the course — seeing the sun rise, squirrels running around — you can’t beat it this time of year. I couldn’t work in a factory!

“It’s a seven day a week job and it does take over your life a bit, but it gives me great pride and satisfaction what I’ve achieved in 40 years. It’s gone in the blink of an eye.”

From what was once a very open course, Ryde looks resplendent following Doug’s introduction of almost every variety of native tree imaginable to it.

“I’ve noticed how much the weather and seasons have changed over the years,” said Doug.

“When I first came to Ryde, the ground was frozen in October and I used to have to use a lighter to get the key in the shed door. Even the kettle was frozen.

“The fairways were like aeroplane runways, but I’ve always planted trees — getting cuttings from wherever I can and growing them.

“The second fairway used to be so open, but now it’s one of the hardest holes because of all the trees and out of bounds areas.”

Doug, also a keen fisherman and metal detectorist, was put on lockdown for five weeks, which he said had “done his nut in” after breaking his busy routine.

He has, since, had to put in an 80-hour week to get the course back to how it was before lockdown.

Club president, Mick Timms, celebrated Doug’s landmark by presenting him with a bottle of his top tipple, gift vouchers and an engraved hip flask — at a club’s length!

He said: “Doug is a super guy, who is tireless, adaptable and resourceful. Nothing is too much trouble for him.

“To achieve 40 years of loyal service at Ryde is incredible.

“His work is a greenkeeping masterclass, making Ryde one of the Isle of Wight’s most prestigious courses.

“Doug’s ingenuity has saved Ryde thousands of pounds over the years too. He is an absolute godsend and we’re very lucky to have him.”

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Tributes paid to a first-class groundsman

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Tributes paid to a first-class groundsman: Tributes have been paid to Durham Cricket’s former head groundsman, Tom Flintoft, who died on Tuesday, aged 86.

Mr Flintoft, who lived in Whitby, spent seven years at Emirates Riverside becoming the club’s first head groundsman in 1991.

He was born and brought up in the Whitby area on the family farm, where he helped out until he was called up for National Service.

During his few years in the Army he spent most of his time as a driver in Hong Kong, and was on the last ship through the Suez Canal before it closed.

He returned to North Yorkshire and farming, and was asked to help out at the playing fields in Nunthorpe.

Wife Kath said: “He was always keen to earn a bit of extra money, so he helped out with the playing fields. He was then asked if he could help out at Middlesbrough Cricket Club. He didn’t think he was up to the job, but he gave it a go.”

Mr Flintoft’s reputation as a first-class groundsman spread and he took up the role of head groundsman at Hampshire Cricket Club, winning many awards throughout his career.

He returned to his native North-East and became head groundsman at Durham. Durham Cricket Board Chairman, Bob Jackson said, in a statement on the club’s website: “There is no doubt that Tom Flintoft was one of the most popular recruits that Durham made nearly 30 years ago. His knowledge of many of the cricket clubs from Whitby to Whitburn, the people and grounds around them, proved to be invaluable as Durham had to bring several grounds up to speed for first-class cricket in the initial years.

“This was a big enough job without the incredible responsibility of creating a future test ground at Chester-le-Street. Not only was Tom needed to provide the scientific input to the pitches but all of the groundsmen were desperate to improve their own knowledge and Tom was the source of this. Not only did he support those clubs involved with hosting first-class and second team matches, he found the time to advise numerous club groundsmen.

“Durham is indebted to Tom for his magnificent part in their short history.”

Philip McCormick, head groundsman at the Northern Cricket Union’s main ground Stormont, Northern Ireland, also paid tribute to Mr Flintoft. He said: “Tom used to come over and see our grounds as an advisor. He was never shy about getting his hands dirty and helping where he could. Although he was there to advise, he was always keen to get involved. He was a great man, he wanted to help everyone. He was a rare find.”

When Mr Flintoft retired he moved back to Whitby and lived with wife, Kath, next to the cricket club.

Whitby Cricket Club secretary Pauline Russell said: “Tom spent his life in cricket and when he retired to Whitby he generously gave his time to work on our ground alongside our groundsman. His knowledge and dedication were greatly appreciated.

“Tom was greatly respected across the cricket community and we were grateful he was part of Whitby Cricket Club. He was a lovely man, down to earth and was always happy to help out.”

Mr Flintoft loved to travel and with Kath he enjoyed more than 60 holidays. She said: “One of the highlights was a trip to Kenya, it was a wonderful holiday. We also went to the Canadian Rockies, France, Las Vegas and enjoyed a honeymoon on the Queen Elizabeth sailing from Southampton to New York ,through the Panama Canal and on to San Francisco.”

The couple, who got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2011, were married in September of that year. They had known each other since school.

Friend Barbara Booth said: “Tom was such a friendly person, a real gentleman. He was very caring and we are going to miss him a great deal. There were six of us who go on holiday together and Tom used to call us his harem.”

Friend Dougie Raine, chairman of Sport Mulgrave, said: “Tom was an amazing man. He was always there to lend a hand. We will miss him very much.”

Mr Flintoft, who was one of ten siblings, leaves four sons, Nigel, Mark, Neville, Craig, from his first wife Mary.

A private celebration of Mr Flintoft’s life will be held at Kirkleatham Crematorium on July 9. The hearse will leave from Whitby Cricket Club at 9.45am and donations are being made to St Catherine’s Hospice.

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Don’t hit your ball towards greenkeepers

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Don’t hit your ball towards greenkeepers: After a course manager suffered a nasty head injury when struck by a ball, BIGGA explain their members often find themselves in the firing line.

The golf course is perhaps unique in sport as greenkeepers can often be seen carrying out work while the course is in play.

It’d be a little odd if a groundsman was marking out a penalty area on a football pitch or the boundaries of a tennis court while a match was in play. But with tee sheets filled to the brim and greenkeepers having a massive area to maintain, it’s inevitable that eventually the greenkeeper and the golfer will come into contact – often with dangerous consequences.

Portlethen Golf Club’s course manager, Neil Sadler, shared a gruesome image of himself after he was struck on the head by an errant golf ball at the weekend, which left him hospitalised and with a concussion…

The damage caused by a golf ball hitting you on the head is about a tenth of a head-on collision in a car crash and of the 12,000 golf-related injuries recorded each year in the UK, around 3,500 are head injuries caused by a golf ball.

The R&A’s Rules of Golf attempt to mitigate the potential dangers to both greenkeepers and other players. Within the ‘Etiquette’ Behaviour on the Course section, it is explained how golfers should always wait until the way ahead is clear before playing a shot. This applies to whether the person ahead is a greenkeeper going about his duties, another golfer or a member of the public.

Golfers have a duty of care not to put others at risk as result of their actions. Sadly, all too often greenkeepers find themselves in the firing line.

We got together three golf course managers to hear their thoughts on the matter and to discuss who should have priority out on the course – the greenkeeping team or the golfer?

Chris Sheehan (left) is a former BIGGA president and head greenkeeper at West Derby Golf Club for over 30 years. James Parker (centre) was course manager at Pannal Golf Club in Harrogate and is now at Longniddry Golf Club near Edinburgh. Jack Hetherington is course manager at Boldon Golf Club in the North East after a spell as head greenkeeper at Alnwick Golf Club.

Here’s what they told us:

Chris Sheehan (head greenkeeper, West Derby): “Most golf clubs that I know, if not all of them, have a policy where the greens staff have priority at all times. But, despite this, greenkeepers sometimes find themselves in the firing line. This is the worst scenario and it not only hurts them from a mental point of view, but it also hurts them if the golf ball hits them. There have been many instances of balls hitting greenkeepers and causing serious injury. It has happened to me and when you go up to the golfer and say ‘did you not see me?’ They say ‘oh no, I didn’t’ or ‘I didn’t think I’d hit it that far’. When you are on a machine, you can’t hear them shouting ‘fore’. As far as I am concerned, don’t play while the greenkeeper is on the green.”

Jack Hetherington (course manager, Boldon): “Greenkeepers should have priority at all times. It’s easier for me to educate my three members of staff than it is to educate all of my members and say ‘right, you must give way at this time, but at this time we’ll give way’. It’s easier for golfers to give way at all times and for me to educate my staff on when it’s acceptable to make them wait and when it is not.

James Parker (head greenkeeper, Longniddry): “If you’ve got somebody cutting a green then golfers should wait. Conversely, if the greenkeeper feels the task is going to take too long and hold up play, then by all means move to the side and let people play through. The difficulty is that the more we squeeze our tee sheets, which every club is doing now as we want to cram in as much golf as we can, then the fourball who are stood in the middle of the fairway feel under the same pressure as the greenkeeper on the green. They’ve got people on the tee behind them wanting to play. But as long as the member and the greenkeeper can work together, I don’t really see that it should be a huge issue.

Chris: “I spoke to had a health and safety expert in and he said ‘I think all the greens staff should wear a helmet and hi-vis jackets when they work on the golf course, so the golfers can see them and they know it’s a member of the greens staff’. I said ‘don’t you think the same applies to visitors or any member?’ We’re all people out there and if that isn’t enough to stop people hit golf balls towards you, I’m not sure what will.”

James: “I spoke to a health and safety advisor who said completely the opposite. I mentioned about bump caps and hi-vis – I’m firmly against it – and he said he thinks it makes golfers more last if you give them bump caps and hi-vis and the beauty of not wearing them is that golfers should be on the lookout for greenkeepers. Safety gear doesn’t stop golfers from hitting their ball, because they just say ‘he’s got a bump cap on. I’m going to hit it anyway, he’ll be fine’.”

Chris: “You can literally kill somebody with a golf ball. There have been serious injuries that have been caused and our fear is that it won’t be long before somebody gets killed.”

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Maintaining a golf course alone

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Maintaining a golf course alone: Meet the head greenkeeper who took on lockdown single-handedly and was overcome by the community at his club.

Ian Pemberton always joked his course at Cleveland Golf Club would be brilliant if golfers weren’t on it. Then they were gone – for nearly two months.

He was alone, his entire staff furloughed, with a sweeping 18-hole links to manage as coronavirus shut the country as well as the club.

‘Pembo’, as everyone at the club knows him, is part of the furniture. He’s been in the trade for nearly four decades and head greenkeeper at the Redcar course for just over 13 years.

You could say he’s seen a lot. But he’s never experienced anything like the pandemic that gripped the town.

“It was horrible,” he said. “It was a testing time. It was a character building time and it was a learning curve.”

When a pipe burst, he had to be on it. Whether it was tees, fairways or greens, he was the only one on a mower.

Pemberton’s never regarded greenkeeping as anything other than a vocation – “it’s not a 9 to 5 job” – but he knew the only way to get through what essential maintenance actually meant was with detailed planning.

Well, that and an April drought.

“I put together an Excel sheet and programmed timings for when something desperately needed cutting. The greens were every three days and the fairways didn’t take much because it was that dry.

“(Without that) I don’t think I would have coped. I would have had to get the lads back in.”

When he needed it most, in those moments when everything threatened to get overwhelming, there was assistance from volunteers who gave him more of a fillip than they could have known.

“They were tremendous. They need a huge ovation from the rest of the membership. They were limited in what they could do, because they couldn’t jump on machines.

“They were divoting and getting to areas I couldn’t. There were always offers of help and that’s what I needed at that time.”

And even though he’s coming through a torrid experience, as we all have in our own ways, Pemberton has found positives among the hardship.

He’s always had a love-in with the members – anyone who’s ever had a round at the course is bewitched by his infectious enthusiasm and easy way of going about his work.

But even he admitted to getting a little emotional when golfers returned to the course and showered him with praise for its condition.

“It was wonderful. I’d be in the shed and three or four members came in with crates of lager. One brought me some Corona. How good is that? There’s a little bit of Corona for you.

“I love it here. The course is my back garden. It’s just that my back garden got bigger overnight for six or seven weeks.”

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