Delivering the European Tour's UK Swing

Join us for a behind the scenes discussion about delivering the European Tour UK Swing tournaments at The Belfry and Celtic Manor. Chatting with Eddie Adams, Angus Macleod and Jim McKenzie MBE about the efforts that went into preparing the courses for play, contending with lockdown, furlough as well as all the preparation that goes into delivering a professional golf tournament.

 

 

 

Angus is a 37-year veteran in greenkeeping. He began his career as a 15-year-old apprentice at Inverness golf club in the Highlands of Scotland before moving south to Wales in the 90's, serving 12 glorious years running Newport Golf Club, a private club in South Wales. He then headed east to run Belton woods, a hotel resort complex in Lincolnshire, where he stayed for seven years prior to taking up his current post as director of golf courses & estates at The Belfry Resort.

 

 

Born and raised in the Home of Golf, Adams started his career at St Andrews in 1985, under the watchful eye of the legendary Walter Woods. He worked his way through the ranks until taking on the prestigious role of head greenkeeper on the Old Course in 1993 where he remained for 12 years, delivering both the 1995 and 2000 Open Championships before joining the European Tour in 2004 as a greenkeeping advisor.  

 

He became director of agronomy in 2018, managing the Tour’s Agronomy Department and providing agronomical support to over 50 professional tournaments on the European, Challenge and Staysure Tours, including the Rolex Series and golf’s highest profile event, The Ryder Cup.

 

 

Jim has been in greenkeeping for over 40 years, starting as an apprentice at Haggs Castle in Glasgow, progressing his career at both Cawder and Renfew Golf Clubs. In 1990 he moved to Wentworth to look after its famous West Course before moving on to Celtic Manor in 1993.  No stranger to managing tournaments, he was instrumental in delivering the infamous 2010 Ryder Cup when the rain would not abate. Rallying his team and a band of volunteer greenkeepers, they managed to get the course in a condition where play could resume, albeit with the tournament having to extend into Monday. Jim’s outstanding effort was rewarded with an MBE for services to sport.

Podcast

The Green Room Golf Course Podcast is produced by Karl Hansell on behalf of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association.

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