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Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

May 26, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale In July, the gaze of the golfing world will be riveted on the 154th Open Championship as it unfolds on Royal Birkdale’s famous links. But what the world will not see is the extent of the work that goes into maintaining this iconic course all […]

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

May 22, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans John Deere has been named as one of the UK’s top 15 employers of armed forces leavers. The achievement reflects the success of its Military Hiring Programme, which continues to offer veterans careers as technicians in agriculture and professional turfcare. The GREAT British Employers […]

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

May 26, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

May 22, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

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Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

May 26, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

In July, the gaze of the golfing world will be riveted on the 154th Open Championship as it unfolds on Royal Birkdale’s famous links. But what the world will not see is the extent of the work that goes into maintaining this iconic course all year round.

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

When we caught up with Course Manager Sean McLean, it was early October 2025. It was maintenance week, and the course was partially closed to allow for an intensive renovation programme across the championship links.

Having taken over the role only three years earlier, Sean was now facing the task of preparing this legendary venue for the forthcoming Open Championship, then just nine months away. Yet he is quick to stress that the work being carried out goes far beyond Open preparations.

“We’re doing a lot of procedures ahead of the Open next year,” he explains, “but it’s also just for general play. It’s not solely targeted at the Open. It’s something that we’ll be looking to do annually going forward.”

Sean outlined the scope of the autumn renovation programme:

“Starting off with verticutting and brushing using the GreenTek units, and then following on from that, this week it’s been scarifying to target the top 7mm of the profile.”

Using a plug cutter, he inspects a core from the green and decides to take the Thatch-Away Scarifier Cassettes another millimetre deeper. Four clicks of the Set-by-Feel adjusters later, and the greensmower is back in action — a small adjustment, but one that makes all the difference.

The renovation continues with further processes to reduce organic matter, including deep-tine aeration with solid tines, followed by micro-coring with Dyna-Corer units. Next comes seeding with a fine fescue mix, applied using Dyna-Seeder units.

This is followed by a pass with a pedestrian solid-tine aerator set at a shallow depth to create even more holes for the seed.

“Following on from that, it’s been a heavy topdress, then working all the material into the surface to help dilute that top profile. So yeah,” he concludes, “all these products have been good, and all these inputs have been a great help in carrying that out.”

By then, the first of the R&A cabins had already appeared beside Birkdale’s famous clubhouse, signalling the early stages of Open Championship preparations. Among the greenkeeping team, the talk was of the well-drilled operation that would soon unfold as golf’s oldest major moved into town.

But the man at the centre of it all remained calm and measured. For Sean McLean, this was simply business as usual — ensuring that Royal Birkdale remains at the highest possible standard for its members and guests, while also preparing a worthy challenge for the world’s best players in the months ahead.

Watch the video of our exclusive OPEN 2026 PREP interview with Sean McLean here

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John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

May 22, 2026/in News, Press Release/by Admin

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

John Deere has been named as one of the UK’s top 15 employers of armed forces leavers.

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

The achievement reflects the success of its Military Hiring Programme, which continues to offer veterans careers as technicians in agriculture and professional turfcare.

The GREAT British Employers of Veterans programme benchmarks organisations to set a national standard for employing former servicemen and women.

John Deere made the top 50 last year but has risen further up the ranks in the 2026 list, released today. The company’s final placing will be announced in June at the ninth annual British Forces in Business Awards.

“We are passionate about finding a way to give back to those who have served our country,” said Allan Cochran, John Deere Branch Training Manager for the UK and Ireland.

“The skills and the mindset of those leaving the forces are perfectly suited to the roles being offered by our dealerships, and those who have resettled into the John Deere family have cited many similarities in a working environment that’s built around team effort and camaraderie.

“We’re honoured to be recognised in this way and thrilled to be shortlisted in the Top 15. It will further fuel our passion for offering service veterans a next step in their careers across the agricultural and professional turfcare sectors.”

The groundbreaking initiative to attract ex-service personnel into new careers at John Deere was launched in the UK in 2023.

Following the success of a similar scheme in the United States, the Military Hiring Programme matches ex members of the armed forces with technician role vacancies at dealerships across the country.

In addition to John Deere, four dealerships have signed the Armed Forces Covenant in support of service leavers pursuing careers in the agriculture and turf industries.

Hunt Forest Group, Ripon Farm Services, Ben Burgess and Tallis Amos Group have all pledged to ensure that those who serve, or have served, in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly and should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services.

The 50 GREAT British Employers of Veterans was created to provide a definitive, data-backed guide to the UK’s most exemplary Forces Friendly employers. It stands as a mark of excellence for organisations whose support is embedded, enduring and effective.

Each year, more than 15,000 individuals leave the British Armed Forces. Highly trained, values-driven and mission-focused, they represent one of the most capable and under-utilised talent pools in the labour market. Yet barriers remain to building a meaningful second career.

Ben Rossi, founder of the global Forces in Business Awards series and 50 GREAT British Employers of Veterans programme, said: “Nine years in, the Forces in Business Awards have grown into a significant platform – not just for showcasing outstanding talent, but actively changing how the business world thinks about where that talent comes from. The quality of this year’s nominations has been remarkable and the stories behind them make the case more powerfully than any statistics ever could.

“Hiring from the Armed Forces community is not an exercise in corporate responsibility or morality. It’s a serious talent strategy which elevates business performance. These finalists are proof of that and we’re proud to celebrate them as high achievers in their own right, but more importantly as powerful role models for the many service leavers who follow them.”

Service members and ex-service members interested in the John Deere Military Hiring Programme can find out more by visiting Deere.com/JDMHP.

They will be put in touch with an ex-services person within the John Deere network to discuss all potential options.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

Open Championship 2026 – Behind the scenes at Royal Birkdale

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

John Deere named on list of UK’s top 15 employers of veterans

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