Greenkeeping as a profession, not a ‘holiday’ job

Press, 4 February 1987, Page 27

Greenkeeping as a profession, not a ‘holiday’ job

By

BILL WALMSLEY

There is no better shop front for the greenkeeping profession than the Broadbank New Zealand Open — our premiere golf tournament.

Televised, we see professional golfers playing on an immaculately prepared golf course to professional standards by professional greenkeepers. Those who consider greenkeepipg to be a sort of holiday should think twice.

The cornerstone of the greenkeeping profession is knowledge. Like’ any horticultural crop, golf greens require precisely the correct cultural treatments or there would be problems.

When brown spots appear, the greenkeeper must coirectly diagnose

the problem and apply the correct chemical or cultural treatments to prevent the brown patches from expanding. The greenkeeper often has to make do with insufficient equipment and less than satisfactory irrigation systems. Standards, however, are improving steadily, which is a credit to the skill and hard work of greenkeepers. Unlike horticulture, where the value of the crop can be measured in dollars, the greenkeeper’s product is measured in quality. The playing quality of the golf course is difficult to measure, but the satisfaction of club members is paramount. Various attempts to value the golf turf industry based on land and improvements, annual maintenance costs, salaries and wages paid

and the like have been made. By every measure, it is a multi-million dollar industry. Not only does it generate sales of golf clubs and equipment, but there is also a small thriving industry servicing golf course maintenance.

Irrigation and machinery firms, contractors, fertiliser and chemical companies all service the turf industry. In particular, there are a number of New Zealand manufacturers successfully making gang mowers, surrounds mowers, fertiliser spreaders and a number of other products for the industry. Greenkeepers see themselves as professionals within this industry, servicing the country’s estimated 100,000 golfers on about 400 golf courses throughout New Zealand.