Scott MacCallum meets Colin Irvine, the man charged with ensuring is at its best for The Open later this month FIELD OF

This year recognising its existence going back sees the golfing elite descend on the to 1744, Muirfield is also regarded as East Lothian town of Gullane. There one of the finest courses any- can be few, if any, towns in the world where in the world. so totally immersed in the game of The entrance to Muirfield is east of golf. Everywhere you look there are the village's three other wonderful superb golf holes, with tees and courses Gullane No 1, No 2 and No greens coming right up to the edge of 3 courses, and the magnificent iron the main road, and golfers of all ages gates at the end of a long driveway and nationalities concentrating on are a clue to the exalted position the their own games, totally oblivious to club holds. the passing traffic and shoppers. When they do they will discover a may be a good form guide to know It is the perfect illustration of golf links which is widely regarded as one that the winner of the Amateur as part of the community but it is on of the fairest to be found anywhere Championship when it was played one of the world's most prestigious - all the trouble is visible from the Muirfield in 1998 was Sergio Garcia golf clubs that the 156 players will be tee which doesn't necessarily mean The man who carries the responsi focussing come the week of July 15. you will avoid it! - and 18 holes which bility for ensuring that the quality of Home to The Honourable have propelled the club to the top of the Muirfield layout is matchea by Above: Colin Irvine Company of Edinburgh Golfers" the British rankings - as carried out the condition of the course is 37 widely recognised as being the oldest by Golf World magazine. year-old Course Manager, Colin golf club in the world with records A regular on the Open rota, Irvine Below: Colin with his team Muirfield has a list of Champions While a traditional club in so many that reads like a Who's Who of golf ways it is perhaps surprising that as it demonstrates an unfailing abili- Muirfield has a Course Manager and ty to identify and crown the best not a Head Greenkeeper, and the players in the world. more modern approach is extended Previous winners have included still further. , (twice), "We don't have a Green Committee , Henry Cotton, Gary at Muirfield. 1 meet with the Player, , , Secretary, Group Captain John and , the win- Prideaux, three days a week to dis- ner of the last two Muirfield Opens. cuss the job and any queries we may Each would have a claim on being the have and I attena five committee best player in the world at the time meetings a year. Then I report on the of his victory while perhaps the great- work we are currently undertaking or est of them all, Nicklaus, named his about to do, machinery purchases, own club in Ohio after the course. It staffing etc and then answer any questions the committee members in the morning the water pressure have said to me that the course has- at the club since he was a 16 year old may have," explained Colin. available to the club would drop off. n't been looking as linksy but while apprentice in 1981. Having praised the modern "In '95 we went six weeks without we can add water we can't take it "I used to do a bit of caddying in approach adopted by the club with a drop of rain but the greens and tees away." the summer holidays and the old its structure Muirfield's traditional didn't prove a problem at all. The A fly on the Muirfield wall would Head Greenkeeper, Dave Kirkaldy, philosophy, when it comes to the boys would ^o out and hand hose see a lot of top dressing, very little used to do the Caddie Master's job management of the links themselves, them and we'd give them a drink on fertiliser and a lot of aeration during to give him a day off on a Thursday is equally laudable. a Friday so we wouldn't have to irri- the winter months. He asked me if I fancied a job on the This can be seen in the club's gate over the weekend. It didn't seem "We don't aerate at all in the sum- greens in the summer. I said I would- approach to irrigation. While most to have had any bad effects on the mer so that the surfaces are as smooth n't mind and he told me to come clubs install a greens and tees system greens. as possible for the members," said down the following day and he'd give if they are not in a position to install "It is easy to sit here with this mouse Colin, who explained that the two me a go at cutting a green," recalled a wall-to-wall system, Muirfield has and just turn on the system if we high points of the year are the Club's Colin. a system which starts at the front of haven't had any rain in a little while, two medals - the spring in May and "The next day I went out with one the tees and finishes at the start of but if you've got to haul a hose out the autumn in October. of the greenkeepers. He cut a couple the greens. and take guys off other jobs just to "October is a busy month as we also of lines on the 8th green then I had "We are the only club I know which water a green quite often you err on give the course over to a charity day a shot. That was the sort of interview has this approach but the club don't the 'Might rain tomorrow' mentalli- that month and it means that we nev- you had in those days," laughed want artificial irrigation on the ty. In the last two years I think we've er do any verti draining until Colin. greens. The reasons we installed the only irrigated the greens five times." November, while most clubs are well It was supposed to be a summer job fairway system, after the drought in It is an approach which has reaped into their winter programmes." but at the end of the holidays Colin '95, was as an insurance against dividends as Colin and his team Colin has been head man at was asked if he'd like to stay on and another drought and because of the haven't sprayed a fungicide for seven Muirfield since 1994 and but for a he jumped at the chance. large areas that needed to be hand years . two year gap - during which time he He missed the 1980 Muirfield watered. Also under the old system "In the last couple of years we've was Course Manager of a course in Open but was an assistant when Nick when the villagers of Gullane woke had some wet summers and people Dusseldorf, Germany - he has been Faldo won his first Open in '87 and

July 2002 Greenkeeper International 1 Right: The 13th - Tom Watson's favourite par-3

Below: The distinctive bunker which graces the 18th hole

Deputy - to Chris Whittle, who is board the different way of managing he applied for the job. ing green keeper when the Head now at Royal Birkdale - when Faldo the course, the different laws that He is quick to admit that it was his Creenkeeper retired." repeated the feat in '92. were in place, how different people experiences while working abroad The arrival of The Open this July Shortly after that Open he left to would do things, as well as, of course, which created the opportunity to hasn't caused Colin and his team to take up the position of Course learn the language." return to Muirfield two years later. make many alterations to their nor- Manager at the Düsseldorfer Golf When Colin learned that Chris "I don't think I would nave got this mal regime. Club. Whittle was moving back to his home job if I hadn't gone off and done the "People do say that you could prob- "I enjoyed my time in Germany and area to become Head Creenkeeper at job somewhere else first. We have ably have an Open here any year so it taught me a great deal. It was an Royal Birkdale the lure of his own moved on from the traditional way we don't really need to make many inland course and I had to take on home patch was just too strong and of the job going to the longest serv- changes to the way we do things when The Open comes along." There are two holes which have been lengthened for the Championship, the par-3 4th and 13th holes, the latter being hailed by Tom Watson as the best par-3 in world golf while the bunker renova- tion has been carried out over the last couple of years. "We do them on a two year cycle. We looked at those whicn the pros wouldn't see so much and did them last year and the ones where they are more likely to find, particularly on the par-3s, we did them this year. "We don't want them to look too brand new or surgical looking when we reface them and the members can play them throughout the winter. I think people would feel cheated if they had to lift balls out of bunkers in the run up to an Open. Having said that, there is nothing worse than finishing a bunker then someone coming along and taking a big divot out of the face, but it's a golf course and we prepare it for golfers. It's the same with divoting fairways, some- one is going to come along and take a divot. We are here to prepare a golf course for golfers." One element which has seen a

20 Greenkeeper International July 2002 change from normal years is the treat- ment of the rough, which has not been cut as much as usual. One of the unique elements of Muirfield is the walk offs from the tee, a small strip of cut grass, often over 100 yards long, through rough to enable golfers to walk to the start of the fairway. "Some of the older members strug- gle to make the carry, particularly into the wind, or top a shot and it can be tough for them when the rough is left to grow. "You have to think long term when planning to cut the rough. People said to me three weeks ago that you could hit the ball anywhere in the rough and still get out of it. They won't be saying that now. When you get the rain and the heat how fast it grows so the same people will be saying in a few weeks time that it needs to be dry. When I got back over the bor- work, Colin has been placed in charge course and good or bad it's going to cut." der on the Saturday you could see of all the ancillary work as well. come on you in the end so there is But other than that the course will even that the road verges were still "Some clubs designate a member to pressure but if you are confident in not change much from its norm, a green and that we were probably a look after these sorts of things but what you are doing on your course point illustrated when Colin points little behind Lytham," he said, berore with me being the Course Manager you should be fine. It is also reassur- to an old aerial photograph pinned revealing that they had 29 mil of rain and knowing the course best they ing to know that I have such a fine to his office wall. in May and that in the first two weeks decided that I should take on the role team behind me. They have done a "A picture taken now would be very of June they have had a staggering 54 of keeping an eye on everything and superb job in the preparations for the similar to this one," he said. mil. you do want to protect your course Championship and I know that will Over the last few years he has vis- He expects the greens to be more as best you can." be the same during the week itself," ited the Open venue and compared than quick enough for the To assist in this they have marked said Colin. it to his own course at the same time Championship, all the sensitive areas which include "The weather is the only thing you of year. "I can get them to run at 10 feet water pipes and drains and told con- have no control over but it would be "You do work different manage- for no special occasion and I have tractors not to go near those areas." nice to see an Open with the sun blaz- ment programmes in the lead up to been asked for 11.5." A genuinely laid back character ing, a fiery burnt up course and the Open time to select the best but He revealed that when Sergio Colin is looking forward to the week wind blowing. That would be my ide- you've got to remember we have a Garcia won the Amateur in '98 they and, with six weeks to go, is happy al." different climate to other Open ven- had been cutting morning and night to boast that he hasn't suffered any He's right but whatever weather is ues. but were asked just to cut in the sleepless nights worrying about it. served up during the third week of "Last year we were a lot greener morning as they were getting too fast, "Yes, you know tne eyes of the July you know that Muirfield itself than Lytham which was amazingly In addition to all the on-course world are on you and that it's your will be the star.

July 2002 Greenkeeper International 21