Unfortunately, due to a close family bereavement, I was not able to attend this year’s SAGE show. I was really looking forward to attending the event, which by all accounts had more exhibitors than last year and who expressed satisfaction with the interest shown by those attending the show. You can read my colleague’s report here. 

I do believe though July is never going to be the best time of the year to run a show, as it generally one of the busiest times of the year for turf professionals.

Around now we have so much going on. All the professional football grounds staff are full-on, preparing their pitches for the new season. Wimbledon concluded yesterday, along with a number of other international sporting events taking place including the start of the Women’s Euros football championships - along with a number of short-form cricket matches against India.

The weather has also been challenging for everybody. We have had very little or no rain for a number of months now, and when we do get some, it’s usually a heavy short downpour. That is not nearly enough and it does not get a chance to soak into the ground.

Unless you can water / irrigate your turf during this hot spell, then, like most, you will witness the grass plant going into a drought stressful state. Turf grasses turn brown and stop growing – however, a prolonged period of drought will also affect the soils, turning them into a hydrophobic state. This often means it will take a significant amount of water to rewet the soil profile. However, in most cases the grass plant will recover quite quickly with renewed rainfall. 

I wrote an article on the importance of having an irrigation system in a May edition of TurfPro.

We are also now seeing a fine display of wildflower and rewilding floral displays coming to fruition in many local authority parks and public open spaces. These annual / biennial planting schemes have become popular, providing colour and increased biodiversity across our towns and cities.

Industry recruitment

I read with interest that both the GMA and BIGGA are working hard to promote our industry and address the issues of recruitment and retaining turf industry professionals across all sports. The GMA have reported that more than a third of industry professionals are over the age of 55 and that 10% of those are over the age of 65 - which goes to show we are likely to lose a lot of experienced turf professionals in the coming years.

It would seem from conversations I’ve had, the problem of recruitment is driven by our pay scales and working conditions not attracting candidates. Workers can earn more and not work long hours, particularly weekends, by driving a white van or stacking shelves.

Currently, an average greenkeeper's salary in the UK is £20,000 per year, around £10.26 per hour, some £6,000 less than the average salary in the UK which, in 2021, stood at £25,971. It is also worth noting that entry level positions start at around £17,955 per year, whilst the most experienced workers can make up to £26,500 per year as reported in Golf Monthly. 

The combination of low pay and the pressure being put on greenkeepers in recent years has led to many leaving the industry, making the job of recruitment much more difficult.

For me, this problem has persisted for several years. Many greenkeepers feel undervalued and under pressure to deliver standards they cannot achieve - generally because of staffing levels, resources and reduced budgets. Many golf courses are now understaffed.  

I don’t think I have ever seen so many jobs being advertised. Both Jim Croxton and Geoff Webb, CEOs of our two leading trade associations, are working hard to improve the image of our industry and make people more aware of the skills and endeavour of our grounds professionals.

I personally would like to see our whole industry come together and promote the values and opportunities of working in this diverse and unique sector.