INDUSTRY
Media requests come thick and fast Stand and deliver Links Manager at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, James Bledge, has been in the industry for twenty-seven years and knows the importance of speaking positively.
James Bledge Links Manager at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
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As Links Manager of an Open Golf Course, you feel somewhat obliged to carry out any media requests that are asked of you, whether this be from industry magazines, turf and golf, television and even local news channels. It is part of the territory and actually very enjoyable, albeit considerably out of any greenkeeper’s comfort zone! In the weeks running up to the Championship, the requests come thick and fast. These are generally arranged by The Club’s media officer and could be from media companies that work on the behalf of the club, The R&A or magazines – all of whom would be looking for you to answer certain questions, discuss preparations, give progress reports etc, or even write an article for them. Quite often these requests could take a half day to complete, as camera crews would have specific areas of the course they would like to shoot at. One of the most time-consuming activities are photoshoots, which quite often can involve a large number of the team and are not everyone’s cup of tea! There is a certain skill set you need when undertaking media work around a major Championship. You must always remain super professional and really think about your answers; are they factually spot on, do they reflect the way the club wish to be portrayed, do they reflect the way The R&A wish their championship to be portrayed? - especially during live television. A lot of damage can be
PITCHCARE November/December 2023
done should you slip up and say something that is wrong or comes out in a way you never intended! Live television especially can be quite intense. Journalists are always after a ‘scoop’ and they can prey on greenkeepers to run a story. The perfect example at the 2023 Open: when a number of competitors struggled to get out of bunkers, a story ran discussing how greenkeepers had made huge changes to the raking style overnight. This was not actually the case, but as greenkeepers, we need to play our cards close to our chests sometimes - especially when tabloid newspapers are around! It is important to always speak positively when talking about the course, club or championship. We are very lucky at Royal Liverpool to work in and around a positive environment and I feel this came across well in July. Personally, I have always enjoyed speaking as a result of being pushed by my mentor Lee Strutt over ten years ago. Standing up in front of people - talking at colleges and conferences - gave me the confidence to talk in front of cameras. These skills help you to manage your team, whether it be with a small team of staff on a Monday morning or in front of fifty volunteers at The Open. It is a skill all modern course managers should possess - whether we are hosting a major championship or not!