TOURNAMENTS TOURNAMENTS
Aussies at home at Erin Hills
PHOTOS COURTESY OF IDRIS EVANS AND DEAN HARDMAN
A
The stunning par three 9th at Erin Hills with its spectacular bunkering 6
ustralian greenkeepers are renowned for making an impression wherever they go. Whether it’s their finely-honed practical skills, exemplary work ethic, adaptability or just the innate ability to fit in with just about everyone, many Aussies have left their mark on course maintenance or construction crews overseas or played a significant role volunteering at a major event. A great aspect of the turf industry is the many opportunities that are on offer to greenkeepers to enhance their skills, with one of the most rewarding and eye-opening being volunteering at tournaments. Regardless of how long you have been in the profession, volunteering to assist with course preparations not only gives you a taste of golf course management at the highest level, but on a personal level it can also be an extremely galvanising experience. Take Mal Grundy, who has been course superintendent at Murray Bridge Golf Club in South Australia for more than two decades, as an example. A more passionate greenkeeper
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 19.4
you’ll likely never meet, last year Grundy took annual leave and made the 1400km round trip to volunteer for two weeks at Kingston Heath Golf Club for the 2016 ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf. As he was quoted in ATM Volume 18.6, “If you ever want to reinvigorate your passion for the industry, come and do something like this… I should have done this 20 years ago!” For Grundy, spending time on the Melbourne sandbelt sparked an awakening of sorts. It prompted him, along with good friend and Gisborne Golf Club superintendent Andrew Wright, to try his luck in applying to volunteer for a ‘major’ – in this case the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills. Sure enough, just a few weeks after the World Cup, Grundy received confirmation that both he and Wright had been successful. They would be joining three other Australians who had also been successful in gaining placements – Idris Evans (course superintendent at The Western Australian Golf Club), Dean Hardman (3IC/spray technician at The Australian Golf Club, host of the 2017 Emirates Australian