Keeper Of The Greens segment of The Golfing Greenkeeper Podcast is brought to you by John Deere Golf. When you work where others play, you need a partner you can trust to keep your course in perfect condition. Find your nearest ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠J⁠ohn Deere dealer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠deere.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

John Spraggs is a born and bred New Zealander and it gives e great pleasure to have John as my very first New Zealand interview on John Deere Keeper of the Greens.

John is Course Manager of Royal Wellington Golf Club in the southern part of New Zealand's North Island. John grew up on the family dairy farm. Although he worked on the farm, it wasn't going to be his long term career. He found an opportunity as an apprentice greenkeeper and took it with both hands.

Thoroughly enjoying his time learning the greenkeeping trade, it wasn't long before John knew it was managing a golf course that he really wanted to do. Early in John's career he became Superintendent and it was from here that he started to make his mark on New Zealand's greenkeeping industry. After working at a number of courses as Superintendent John took on the superintendents role at Mount Maunganui Golf Club in Tauranga where the club would host the NZ PGA Championship in 1985 that would be won by Frank Nobilo.

Following a number of years at Mount Maunganui Golf Club, John made the move back to Wellington at Hutt Golf Club before he would accept the role leading the team on course at Royal Wellington where he has now been for the past 20 years!

This is a wonderful conversation encompassing a long and established greenkeeping career and a number of New Zealand golf courses that I'm sure you will enjoy listening to!

You hit 'em clean and we'll keep 'em green!

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Send me an email to - [email protected]

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

Royal Wellington Golf Club

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club

Manawatu Golf Club

Wanganui Golf Club

Pirongia Golf Club

Hamilton Golf Club - St Andrews Course

Manly Sea Eagles rugby league team

Westown Golf Club

Mount Maunganui Golf Club

NZ PGA Championship

Frank Nobilo wiki

Boulcott's Farm Golf Club (Merged with Hutt GC)

Scott Macpherson Golf Design

Greg Turner

Cape Kidnappers Golf Course

Te Arai Links

GEO Foundation Sustainable Golf

Women's Amateur Asia Pacific Championship

Asia Pacific Amateur Championship

Asia Pacific Golf Confederation

USGA GS3 Ball

Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary

Kinloch Golf Club

EP.127 Keeper of the Greens - Mark Spraggs

EP.135 Steve's Random Special Guest - Mike O'Keeffe