A day in the life: Craig Sherman

By Alistair February 26, 2022 09:35

The head greenkeeper at St Athan Golf Club in Wales, a nine-hole course that boasts a particularly challenging 590 yard par five hole, takes us through his average day.

What time do you arrive at the club?

Our summer working hours are usually 7am until 3pm but this can change if we are in the middle of a task, or if the weather forecast is bad for the next day. During the winter, our hours are 7:30am until 3pm.

Can you describe your morning routine?

Our morning routine begins with a chat about the work for the day ahead, then we head out to cut the greens and rake the bunkers first of all, before then moving onto the other general tasks like cutting tees, aprons, fairways and so on.

How many people are there in your team and is it a fair number for your collective workload?

Currently it is just myself and one other lad looking after the course. The club and I are hoping to get another person in this year which would really help with the workload, particularly in the summer.

Do you share tasks?

Yes, we share out all the daily tasks which is good and helps to prevent it becoming monotonous, doing the same thing day in, day out.

How do you motivate your colleagues?

That’s a good question haha! I will always give praise where it’s due, and if all else fails, a breakfast on a Friday morning usually works!

What’s your favourite season of the year and why?

Summer is my favourite season of the year. It is hard work and longer days, however seeing the course looking good, enjoying the warmer weather and speaking to the happy members make it all worthwhile.

What aspects / functions of your job gives you the greatest satisfaction?

The greatest satisfaction I get from my job is receiving compliments from the members and visitors about the condition of the course – it reminds you why you put in all of the effort and hard work.

And what part of it gives you the least satisfaction?

The weather – you have no control over it, but it plays such a massive part in day-to-day work.

Have you attended any courses recently?

I have not attended any courses recently due to Covid, but I am hoping to soon.

What seed mixtures and / or cultivars do you use for your greens, tees, fairways and roughs?

On our greens we’re using Johnson’s J All Bent mixture and for the tees, it’s Johnson’s J Tee.

We get great results from both of these mixtures, delivering surfaces that both look good and play well.

How would you improve the greenkeeping industry?

There are a few problems I can see in the greenkeeping industry, one of the biggest is the cost and availability of parts and machinery.

It is also difficult to find good workers who want to stay in the profession – unfortunately all too often we lose people due to poor pay.

Have you ever had any mishaps with lakes on the course or had to undertake a rescue of a daft golfer?

We are lucky enough not to have any lakes on the course, but we have had to undertake the rescue of a few careless buggy drivers who get stuck in the soft in the winter.

Has a golfer ever deliberately directed a ball at you?

No they haven’t, but I have had a few close calls in the past.

What is the most interesting animal you have seen on your course and how do you do support wildlife?

We have a lot of squirrels on the course and a pair of buzzards which return to us every year.

To support wildlife, we have created a few dedicated habitat areas around the course.

Are you seeing any evidence of climate change?

I think climate change has affected everyone in the industry, in particular I’ve noticed that the winters are a lot wetter and warmer than they were previously.

What advice would you give to a young greenkeeper starting out today?

Complete relevant courses, listen to the advice of others and don’t be afraid to ask questions if there’s something that you don’t know. Importantly, always do your best in whatever you do and enjoy it.

How do you spend your leisure time?

My leisure time is mostly spent playing golf or spending quality time with my son.