Industry Standard Skill Sets
The following three sets of skill sets have been developed and agreed by industry for the industry. A range of qualifications, both work-based and work-related are available to compliment these skill sets.
Golf Course Greenkeeper
A fully trained, qualified golf course greenkeeper must be competent in the following:
- Monitor and Maintain health, safety and security in the workplace
- Responding to emergencies
- Maintain good standards of health and safety for self and others
- Switching and brushing
- Mowing banks
- Mowing rough
- Mowing semi rough
- Mowing surrounds and approaches
- Mowing tees
- Mowing greens
- Mowing fairways
- Scarifying/verticutting turf
- Aerating turf
- Applying nutrition
- Applying top dressing
- Repairing divots
- Irrigating turf
- Identifying and controlling weeds
- Identifying and controlling pests
- Identifying and control of turf diseases and disorders
- Preparing ground to establish turf
- Establishing turf
- Identifying grasses on the golf course
- Marking of hazards, out of bounds and ground under repair
- Moving tee markers
- Maintaining bunkers
- Maintaining golf course furniture
- Changing holes
- Rolling turf
- Driving a tractor with implements
- Undertaking routine machine maintenance
- Preparing machinery for use
- Preparing machinery for storage
- Measuring green speed and interpreting the results
- The rules fo golf relating to golf course maintenance
- Preparing ground to establish plants on the golf course
- Establishing plants on the golf course
- Maintaining trees and shrubs on the golf course
- Identifying plants on the golf course
- Communicating effectively
- Dealing with disagreements/conflict
- Keeping management informed
- Understanding their roles and responsibilities
Golf Course Supervisor
The person supervising golf course greenkeepers must be a competent golf course greenkeeper and must also be competent in the following:
- Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security of the work areas
- Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self, team and others
- Carry out risk assessments
- Respond to accidents and emergencies
- Holding team meetings
- Communicating information to staff, management and golfers
- Briefing teams
- Allocating work and supervising the greenkeeping staff
- Training staff
- Develop their own skills and manage their time
- Survey, collect and record data on the golf course environment
- Report on the condition of the golf course environment
- Promote good environmental practice
- Supervising construction/renovation projects
- Estimating resource requirements and programme work
- Supervising turf maintenance
- Planning and ensuring the maintenance of a golf course in accordance with the golf course policy document
- Supervising the preparation of machines for use
- Supervising the maintenance of machines
- Supervising the preparation of the machines for storage
- Operate and maintain irrigation systems
- Maintain drainage systems
- Planning and managing the control of weeds, pests and disease
- Prepare, establish and maintain grass swards
- Using IT
Course Manager
The person managing golf course greenkeepers and golf course supervisors must be a competent golf course greenkeeper/golf course supervisor and must also be competent in the following tasks.
- Manage and maintain a healthy and safe workplace
- Conduct risk assessments
- Managing meetings
- Communicating to staff, colleagues, other managers, golfers and others
- Briefing teams, managers and golfers
- Managing budgets and finance
- Manage the recruitment, selection and induction of staff
- Managing the performance, training and development of self and staff
- Perform staff appraisals
- Manage conflict, discipline and grievance
- Promote the organisation and its values
- Motivating Staff
- Identify and determine polices for the development of golf course
- Plan, monitor, evaluate and manage golf course maintenance in accordance with the golf course policy document
- Managing the greenkeeping team
- Managing the use of physical resources for projects and tasks
- Managing, implementing and evaluating golf course maintenance and the environment
- Plan and manage the control of weeds, pests and diseases
- Manage projects and events
- Manage themselves and their professional development
- Verbal and written presentation skills
- Using IT
