Euan Grant has come a long way in four and a half years and now has one of the most interesting and diverse jobs possible. GamAhead of ethe

Above: The course is carved from a wonderful piece of land

Below: Euan Grant with Westerham In the Assistant's Profiles which charge of his own 18 hole course. Oh, which was to drag him back to the Head Greenkeeper, appear regularly in Greenkeeper and he's also the man in charge of mainland, amend his ultimate goal, Chris Moor International trie final question, another 18 holer just about to open; and give him the sort of opportunity "What do you expect to be doing in Head Groundsman at two football many more experienced greenkeepers 10 year's time?" invariably produces training grounds and an advisor for would give their eye teeth for. the response "Be a Head two football league grounds. In total "I was in the Mess Room and some- Greenkeeper or Course Manager at a he has around 20 people under his one handed my a mobile phone. The top club," although occasionally charge. voice on the other end said 'It's Ron someone says "Spending my lottery When Euan first came to the green- Noades here. I know you're coming millions." keeping world's notice he was over to Harrogate next week. Can Euan Grant, the 1994 Toro Student working at Effingham Golf Club but you come and see me?" said Euan of the Year, is well ahead of sched- it was not long before he moved to who admitted that, being a rugby ule... and some. Unfortunately for take up the Deputy Head man, he had no idea he was speaking him he is not enjoying the fruits of Greenkeeper's job at Royal Jersey, a to the famous Crystal Palace successfully picking the same six links course which, as part of his mas- Chairman, and the man who after numbers as those thrown up by ter plan, was supposed to open the famously selling the club to Mark Lancelot one Saturday night but door eventually to him working at an Goldberg, is now Chairman/Manager that, a mere four and a half years Open venue. of Brentford. after becoming top student, he is in He then received the telephone call "I mouthed the name 'Ron Noades' to the boys and when I came off the When Euan started in 1996 he woodland, assisted by the great storm phone they being football fans, asked joined Chris Moor, then Deputy and of 1987 when a lot of mature trees if it was THE Ron Noades. I said I now Head Greenkeeper, as half of a were blown down, and was planned didn't know but that I was to meet staff of two. out using aerial photographs and him at Selhurst Park." "I met Chris on site and had a dis- ordinance survey maps. That meeting was to see him cussion about how things were going "There was a lot of natural regener- installed as Head man at the still to and what we were going to do,' ation over the 242 acres and we've be opened Westerham Golf Club, explained Euan, 28. done an awful lot of thinning of trees near Biggin Hill, in Kent, and subse- "I had pages of A4 notes with ques- which were just six inches apart," quently to be Clerk of Works and the tions I hadn't, at that point, been explained Euan. man responsible for the successful able to get answers to and we went With Westerham on the right growing in of the new and spectacu- through them all," recalled Chris, track, the excellent new clubhouse is Far right: A beautiful lar Happy Valley Golf Club, in whose duties had included carrying nearing completion, attention was vista of Westerham Golf Caterham, Surrey; developing the bags of fertiliser on foot for up to a turned towards Streete Court, and Club and beyond Crystal Palace Training Ground at mile, returning for more, and then Crystal Palace's training ground. Streete Court in Godstone, assisting going round the green with a hopper. "We developed Streete Court Below: The Westerham with Brentford's training ground "The two biggest hurdles we had to which has five Premier League stan- greenkeeping team with at Griffin Park, and Brentford's overcome was staff and money. We dard training pitches and six acres of Lossie, the extra member stadium. had no staff and no money. So we put formal gardens which we maintain. a plan together and took it to Ron "The pitches are sand construction and told him that we needed to with full irrigation, dwarf rye which spend £250,000 straight away or he we've over sown with fescue and it wasn't going to have his course open has established well. The first year in a year from then. was bliss, but then the players came "Ron is a very fair and reasonable down and anyone involved with foot- man and although it took him by ball training will know what damage surprise he gave us the money and 70 people training seven days a week gave us the staffing," said Euan, who - because they've also got a School of also appreciates the benefits of work- Excellence at the weekend - can do." ing for a football man for whom a Being involved in both greenkeep- quarter of a million represents the ing and groundsmanship has given fee for a reserve goalkeeper. Euan an insight into what is required They then head hunted some good to achieve success in each. greenkeepers, persuading them that "The general skills of turf mainte- Westerham would be a good move nance are the same but the for them. The club started selling headaches are completely different. I memberships and as it looked like a do lots of aeration during the sum- golf course, and a fine one at that mer period on the golf courses, prior to opening, 1000 were sold in normally the final aeration we do is about six weeks. about October and we won't do any The course is cut from heavy more until we start vertidraining the

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A COMBINATION OF POWER & VERSATILE PERFORMANCE. To UNLOCK THE PRICE... JJTL CALL 01235537575 Now! fairways in March. That is pretty Management when he moved into much the same with the football. greenkeeping and is keen to promote "The only time we have a worry is the benefits of education to his team. when we get a bit of compaction on "I spend a lot of time looking into the football grounds and we then greenkeeper education. I do believe choose the driest day to get out there that the NVQ system is the way to go and open the surface up." but feel that after Level 2 there isn't With Streete Court on track, atten- a great deal of scientific knowledge. I tion was then turned to the don't want to put a 19 year old lad construction of Happy Valley Golf on to Level 3, because I don't think Club which if Euan and Ron are to be he's either ready for it or needs the believed is on an even finer piece of type of information that is being golfing land than Westerham. taught at that stage in his career." "It has been designed by David Euan is therefore investing in more Williams who also did Westerham, practical courses, covering among and where Westerham is shorter and others First Aid, Chainsaws ana tighter Happy Valley is long and spraying. open. They're both going to be real "We nave a fairly formal education tests of golf." plan on site which takes the Black Euan was the Clerk of Works of the Book a stage further for the^uys who Happy Valley site ensuring that all have got Level 2. Chris, Mark decisions and plans were followed Thornton (Head Greenkeep-er at through and he ensured that green- Happy Valley) and myself will get keeping staff were employed from an them to do not just wnat the Black early stage. Book says but how we want it done "That meant when something was as well." done we were straight on top of it to With regard to his own education, assist with the finishing off." bearing in mind his role is more With three main sites in Caterham, administrative and the time spent Godstone and Westerham Euan out on the course working is limited, spends quite a bit of time behind the it is perhaps surprising that he sees wheel but it also has resulted in the soil science rather than budgeting employment of a mechanic, Trevor and managerial skills as the way he Tuppen, to work between all three wants to go. sites. There is a workshop at each "The majority of my job is looking BIGGA meetings to give them a bit keep on getting bigger. venue, and a driver, who works close- for ways to make the company as effi- of knowledge. They could then see "Four and a half years ago I'd have ly with the mechanic to transport cient as possible and it is not possible where the money is being spent." been looking to have definitely been machinery from site to site. to do that without agronomic green- As far as the future is concerned a Head Greenkeeper, or perhaps a Euan is quick to attribute his suc- keeping knowledge. I'm responsible Happy Valley opens later this year Deputy at a top club," he said. cess to education. He already had a to tne accountant and to Ron and I'd and Euan's job, which has just grown As I said at the beginning. He's degree in Sports and Leisure really love to get them to some and grown since he started, will just ahead of schedule.

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