The BIGGA Podcast

As the sole greenkeeper at nine-hole Bonar Bridge in the Scottish Highlands, Caroline Munro knows all about making the most of limited resources. For more than 16 years, she has maintained and improved the course on a small budget, with support from neighbouring clubs, volunteers and her family.

Caroline joins us to discuss the realities of working on her own, from maintaining machinery to deciding which jobs take priority, and learning to balance high standards with what one person can realistically achieve.

Having learnt her trade at Royal Dornoch, she reflects on how that grounding prepared her for a very different challenge. She also discusses her experiences as a woman in a male-dominated industry and why volunteering helps her stay connected to the wider profession.

Throughout the conversation, her pride in Bonar Bridge shines through — culminating in an emotional reminder of why the hard work is worthwhile.

Rhett Evans is preparing to stand down as CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America after almost 18 years with the organisation.

With the GCSAA celebrating its centenary, he joins us to reflect on his time at the association and the work to give greenkeepers a stronger voice within golf.

We discuss its close relationship with BIGGA, the impact of First Green and why course managers deserve a seat at their clubs’ top table.

Rhett also shares his remarkable experience of climbing Everest, how it changed his outlook on life and leadership, and what he hopes to do next.

Rob Phillips has experienced the greenkeeping industry from almost every angle. He began as a trainee greenkeeper at Porters Park Golf Club in 1986, spent 21 years as course manager at Sandy Lodge and later moved into apprenticeship training before becoming BIGGA's Education Director.

Today, he oversees an education offer stretching from the entry-level BIGGA Kickstart programme through formal qualifications and continuing professional development to Master Greenkeeper. His work also includes the Professional Leadership Programme, created to help greenkeepers develop the communication and management skills required as their responsibilities grow.

Rob joins us to discuss his own journey through the industry, the support available at every stage of a greenkeeping career and why professional recognition can help course managers earn a stronger voice within their clubs. He also reflects on what he misses about life on the golf course, although 4am alarms do not make the list.

Our guest on The BIGGA Podcast is one of the leading figures in golf course performance. From his early career as a mechanic and Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year, to his current role as Managing Director of Bernhard and Company, Steven Nixon has spent more than 20 years at the forefront of turf performance.

More recently, he has been closely involved in bringing advanced soil data into mainstream turf management thanks to Bernhard’s partnership with Soil Scout – a technology that allows course managers to see in real time what is happening in their root zones.

Steven joins us to discuss those innovations, how mowing and surface performance has evolved in club golf, as well as the role AI will play in greenkeeping – now and into the future.

We’ve seen record-breaking temperatures and drought conditions putting golf courses under enormous pressure. But the conditions we’ve seen in the UK this summer are starting to look less like extremes and more like the new normal.

BIGGA Chief Executive Jim Croxton joins us to discuss how the association is supporting members, and how clubs can prepare for a changing climate.

We also look forward to Thank A Greenkeeper Day and discuss the impact that messages of support given by golfers, celebrities, and the wider public can make to the greenkeeping profession.

It’s been a huge year of initiatives for BIGGA and there are also updates on the Professional Leadership Programme, the Future Turf Management Initiative and Kickstart, as well as the revamped Golf Environment Awards, the upgraded Xtra Benefits healthcare offering, and much more.

Our guest this time on The BIGGA Podcast is a leading expert in turfgrass health and integrated disease management.

Sean Loakes is Syngenta’s Technical Manager for Europe, bringing a background in biology, environmental science and decades of research into pesticide efficacy, biological controls, and best practice for turf and landscape management.

So what is the role of ITM and how can clubs develop a proactive programme? How is climate change altering the disease landscape and is dollar spot the biggest threat right now on our golf courses?

How do we inspire the next generation to see golf courses as a place of opportunity and a rewarding career?

Jenny Bledge, BIGGA’s Workforce and Careers Lead, is responsible for the First Green initiative that’s becoming a powerful tool for introducing young people into careers in the turf industry.

With a background in education and information governance, she is helping to connect classrooms with golf courses and show people how STEM subjects come to live in the real world.

Jenny is our guest on The BIGGA Podcast and she discusses the origins of First Green and the impact the programme is having on clubs, schools and on the wider turf industry.

What does a typical First Green day look like at a golf course? How have new greenkeepers been inspired to join the profession because of First Green? And how can clubs and schools get involved?

For this episode, we are joined by a hugely respected greenkeeper – one of the few to be awarded the profession’s ultimate accolade: Master Greenkeeper status.

From starting out straight from school at Nairn Dunbar, Richard Johnstone now leads the team as Course Manager at one of the world’s great links in Royal Aberdeen.

His career has been built on learning, volunteering and a commitment to excellence, and we’ve seen all these qualities displayed in a huge project to preserve the Balgownie links from the threat of coastal erosion.

Richard reveals the work that has been done at Royal Aberdeen, why continuing to learn is so important and why he always strives to develop and improve.

If you haven’t been to Royal Birkdale since Jordan Spieth’s back-9 heroics won The Open in 2017, you’ll be surprised how much has changed.

Over the past couple of years, the Southport Links has been through a massive redevelopment project which has transformed the soon-to-be 11-time host of golf’s oldest major championship.

Leading that work has been Royal Birkdale Course Manager Sean McLean, whose team has balanced the demands of construction with the day-to-day requirements of maintaining one of the world’s best golf courses.

He joins us to give valuable insight into how to handle a significant renovation and construction project, and what it takes to prepare one of golf’s most iconic venues for one of the sport’s biggest events.