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The Castle Course: Holding back the floods on 6

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This winter, the greenkeeping team redeveloped the approach to the 6th hole of The Castle… Read on

March 18, 2020

Winter maintenance on the Old Course

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It has been a busy winter so far on the Old Course. Mild weather until… Read on

February 27, 2020

New Course putting green and 1st tee work pt.2

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If you haven’t already, click here to catch up on the beginning of this project… Read on

December 12, 2019

New Course putting green and 1st tee work pt.1

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One of the main greenkeeping projects at the Links this winter is the reconstruction of… Read on

November 8, 2019

Fibion Chikwaya’s Links greenkeeping experience

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From Royal Harare Golf Club in Zimbabwe, Fibion Chikwaya recently made the long trip to the… Read on

November 1, 2019

What is hydrojecting?

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One of the key elements to healthy turf is oxygen. As turf managers, we need… Read on

August 28, 2019

An ‘Open invite’ for greenkeeper Natasha

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Every year, the R&A invites a greenkeeper from those courses on the Open Championship rota… Read on

August 2, 2019

The Open 2019: Supporting a special Championship

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For the first time in 68 years, The Open Championship was held outside mainland Britain… Read on

July 30, 2019

New road on the Old Course pt.2

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It has been a little while since pt. 1 of my blog (which you can… Read on

July 25, 2019

101st US PGA Championship: A greenkeeping grand slam

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In August 2017 it was announced that the 2019 US PGA Championship would be moved… Read on

June 28, 2019

Top turf men: A meeting of the minds

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Recently, I was lucky enough to visit the Allianz Arena, home to FC Bayern Munich…. Read on

May 10, 2019

Shell Bunker reconstruction pt. 2

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If you haven’t already, click here to catch up on the beginning of this project… Read on

April 4, 2019

Bunker improvements at The Castle Course

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After maintaining the greens, bunkers can take up the largest amount of man hours. It… Read on

March 19, 2019

First tee and putting green revamp for the Castle

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Practice facilities are an important part of any golf complex and over the years the… Read on

February 8, 2019

Rewarding work experience at the Home of Golf

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I was so fortunate to be selected as the 2018 Toro Student of the Year,… Read on

January 16, 2019

New road on the Old Course pt.1

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What a start to this winter’s maintenance programme. The weather has been mild so far,… Read on

December 12, 2018

Shell Bunker reconstruction pt. 1

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It’s that time of year again where construction is on the agenda for the greenkeeping… Read on

December 1, 2018

Annual divot plugging on the Old Course

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As we move into the winter period, each year the process of plugging out divot… Read on

November 28, 2018

Director of Greenkeeping to bid farewell to the Home of Golf

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For over 600 years the Links has evolved and witnessed the coming and going of… Read on

November 20, 2018

Greenkeeping at the 2018 Ryder Cup

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In December last year I received an exciting phone call to say that I had… Read on

October 18, 2018

From the longest hole to the oldest course

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When you’re not playing your best and bounces don’t go your way, a round of… Read on

September 21, 2018

The Senior Open Championship in photos

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Last week, The Senior Open Championship was played at the Home of Golf for the… Read on

August 1, 2018

Summer is firing up the Links

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During late May and early June, we’ve had seen some perfect conditions to help present… Read on

June 28, 2018

Life on the Links as a seasonal greenkeeper

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In April, we welcomed the new seasonal staff to our greenkeeping department here at the… Read on

June 20, 2018

Cutting edge grass

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Last week, myself and managers from our Greenkeeping Department visited our seed supplier’s head office… Read on

May 24, 2018

Irrigation upgrade: The Castle Course pt.3

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The final phase of the irrigation upgrade at The Castle Course involved: Installing a new… Read on

May 7, 2018

Through a greenkeeper’s lens

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There are times when being a greenkeeper can be physically and mentally demanding and generally… Read on

April 26, 2018

Irrigation upgrade: The Castle Course pt.2

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The main part of the irrigation upgrade was to replace all 635 sprinkler heads across… Read on

February 15, 2018

Old Course: 12th championship tee rebuild

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During the course of this winter, we have been busy on the Old Course with… Read on

February 6, 2018

Irrigation upgrade: The Castle Course pt.1

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Over the last few months we have been working towards improving our irrigation system at… Read on

January 16, 2018

New features for the New Course

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Last month saw our greenkeeping team undertake the main construction project in this year’s busy… Read on

December 20, 2017

The frost effect

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At this time of year it’s quite normal to wake up and discover that it’s… Read on

December 15, 2017

Strathtyrum Maintenance Day

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The Strathtyrum Course had its annual closure at the start of November. This was to… Read on

November 16, 2017

Old Course winter work commences

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Now we are officially in low season that’s the signal for winter works to start… Read on

November 3, 2017

Qualifying to chemical spray

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One of the most important aspects of greenkeeping is being able to apply pesticides correctly… Read on

October 25, 2017

Pearlwort – the precious weed

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Managing fine turf is a constant battle with nature. From poor weather to fungal diseases,… Read on

August 21, 2017

The Castle Course hosts Women’s Open Qualifier

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The Castle Course hosted its first major event on the world stage yesterday. Lady golfers… Read on

August 1, 2017

Tournament preparation

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Now we are really in the middle of the golfing season all eyes have been… Read on

July 17, 2017

April showers – not this month

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April in Scotland – usually a time for rain and lots of it! This year… Read on

April 24, 2017

Fine tuning The Castle Course

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Some people may think we put our feet up and get the cards out once… Read on

April 11, 2017

Course Supervising at the Home of Golf

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St Andrews Links Greenkeeper, Craig Berry, reflects on the first nine months of his new… Read on

March 15, 2017

GIS Show: The greenkeeping world meets in Florida

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At the start of February (from left to right in image below) Gordon Moir (Director… Read on

February 27, 2017

Inspiring greenkeepers of the future

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SRUC (Scottish Rural College) Elmwood are an educational facility 10 miles from St Andrews that… Read on

February 22, 2017

Boundless work on The Castle Course fencing

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Over the years, the boundary fence on the coastal side of The Castle Course has… Read on

February 3, 2017

Cheape’s bunker restoration

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Our winter programme has been blessed with some pretty kind weather, so much so that… Read on

January 16, 2017

New machinery helps drainage at The Castle

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With drainage a priority again this winter at The Castle Course and wanting to maximise… Read on

December 13, 2016

Alterations to 4th and 15th Jubilee

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Our busy winter maintenance programme continues with work currently taking place on the 4th and 15th holes of… Read on

November 11, 2016

Natural dune screening on the Jubilee

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The golfing season might be winding down but it has been a busy few weeks… Read on

November 1, 2016

Open sand areas restored on the New Course

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Golf originated here on the now famous St Andrews links land hundreds of years ago…. Read on

October 24, 2016

My experience as a seasonal greenkeeper at The Castle

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Finding the right opportunity as a seasonal greenkeeper still learning the craft can be tough. There… Read on

October 18, 2016

Course preparation for August tournaments

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August is one of the busiest times of the year for the Eden greenkeeping team… Read on

August 26, 2016

What it’s like to play the Old Course

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A visitor’s account of a once in a lifetime trip to the Home of Golf… Read on

August 3, 2016

Drainage at The Castle – Part 2

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Earlier this month we blogged about a wet winter and drainage operations at The CastleCourse. Catch… Read on

April 25, 2016

Drainage at The Castle – Part 1

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After what seems like months of rain during the winter, the importance of drainage was… Read on

April 15, 2016

STRI visit the Links

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Over the last week all seven of our courses here at the Links have received their annual spring… Read on

March 30, 2016

Repairing pitchmarks

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With the Masters only a month away and many golfers already thinking about getting back… Read on

March 9, 2016

Greenkeeping award for St Andrews Links

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Last month saw over 7000 greenkeepers from all over the country making their annual pilgrimage to Harrogate… Read on

February 16, 2016

Winter maintenance on the Eden Pond

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The St Andrews Links greenkeeping team have this week been working on tidying up part of… Read on

February 4, 2016

A decade of greenkeeping at The Castle

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In 2005 the first turf was cut and work began on ‘Course Number 7’ at… Read on

January 12, 2016

Tee construction on the New

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It’s mid December which means our greenkeeping teams are well underway with their winter maintenance… Read on

December 16, 2015

A season to remember: Jon Wood

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Course Manager at The Castle Course, Jon Wood reflects on an eventful first season back at… Read on

October 30, 2015

Renovations and recovery

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In the run up to and during the 144th Open Championship here in July, the Golf Academy… Read on

September 28, 2015

Advanced Reservations FAQs

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With the window for 2016 Advanced Reservations applications forms closing on Monday (14th September), we… Read on

September 11, 2015

Waste to water

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Our Greenkeeping team recently installed a brand new eco-friendly piece of equipment to wash down machinery… Read on

September 1, 2015

How to renovate fine turf areas

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My name is Natasha and I am a Greenkeeper based at the Eden Greenkeeping Centre here at… Read on

August 24, 2015

Guide to bunker maintenance

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Although bunkers represent a very small portion of the total golf course playing area, they… Read on

August 11, 2015

Rebuilding Hell Bunker: Time-Lapse

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This time-lapse was recorded as the Old Course Greenkeeping team, led by Course Manager Gordon… Read on

July 8, 2015

The Links Trophy marker’s call

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A quiet weekend was turned upon its head when a call from John Grant, Tournament… Read on

June 18, 2015

Keeping the mowers sharp

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It is vital that our greenkeeping equipment is kept up to scratch at all times… Read on

May 15, 2015

Eden 5th green set to reopen

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Over the winter months, we’ve been keeping you up to date with our changes to the… Read on

April 17, 2015

How to repair a pitchmark

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Despite the wintry weather returning to the Links in recent days there have been a… Read on

February 25, 2015

Rebuilding Hell Bunker

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One of the major winter maintenance projects the Old Course greenkeeing team have undertaken over winter is… Read on

February 4, 2015

Eden 5th green renovations complete

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The renovations to the 5th green of the Eden Course are now complete. Golf course architect,… Read on

January 15, 2015

Greenkeeping Q&A

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Last month we invited you to put your questions to our Director of Greenkeeping, Gordon… Read on

December 9, 2014

Eden 5th green renovations – update

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A good start has been made to the project in the first week despite some… Read on

November 18, 2014

Renovation underway on 5th green of Eden Course

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The 5th green on the Eden Course has had an ongoing issue with flooding due… Read on

November 5, 2014

Links Course Manager returns to Gleneagles for Ryder Cup

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Castle Course Manager Allan Patterson was Course Manager at the Kings and Queens before he… Read on

October 6, 2014

Castle Course Q&A

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The newest addition to St Andrews Links, The Castle Course opened in 2008 becoming the… Read on

September 30, 2014

Dunhill preparations

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It hardly seems a year since the last Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Old… Read on

September 24, 2014

The Fairy Ring

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For those of you that have ever wondered what those darker green, circular and wavy… Read on

August 25, 2014

Wildlife on the Links

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While playing at St Andrews Links you should keep your eyes open for the local… Read on

July 29, 2014

Bumble Bees & Wild Flowers

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Bumble bee numbers have declined by 70% over the past 40 years driven mainly by… Read on

June 27, 2014

Old Course Starter Q&A

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Last month we invited you to put your Twitter questions to our Old Course Starter. How… Read on

June 16, 2014

Verticutting the Old Course

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Aggressive growth of the grass sward on the Old Course putting surfaces is not unusual… Read on

May 26, 2014

Director of Greenkeeping Q&A

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Last month we invited you to put your questions to our Director of Greenkeeping, Gordon… Read on

May 15, 2014

April’s Greenkeeping operations

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Catch up on some of the greenkeeping operations that took place across the Links in… Read on

April 30, 2014

Caddie Manager Q&A

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Last week we invited your questions on Twitter to put to our Caddie Manager, Robert Thorpe…. Read on

April 1, 2014

Grass growth

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The weather may have improved recently with some sunny and warmer days but it’s worth… Read on

March 18, 2014

Winter work on The Castle

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Over the winter months we have been working on our programme of on-going course alterations… Read on

February 24, 2014

Plugging away on the Old Course

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Just prior to Christmas, the St Andrews Links greenkeeping team were busy replacing divots on… Read on

January 9, 2014

Autumn renovations

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We’ve had a busy last few weeks on the Old Course with autumn renovation works… Read on

November 1, 2013

The hole truth

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The golf hole is somewhere that every golfer on a course goes and this is… Read on

October 3, 2013

The caddies of the Dunhill

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As the dust settles on another championship at St Andrews Caddie Manager Robert Thorpe reflects… Read on

September 30, 2013

Gearing up for the Dunhill

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So another tournament is on the way; this time of year sees the return of… Read on

September 20, 2013

Guide to rolling greens

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An increasing trend in maintaining greens over the past 10 years has been greens rolling…. Read on

September 4, 2013

Astroturf Faced Bunkers

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In July 2011 we worked with a company called Envirosports Ltd to rebuild the bunker… Read on

August 15, 2013

WBO preparations underway

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Next week the Old Course plays host to the 37th Ricoh Women’s British Open. Preparations… Read on

July 26, 2013

The art of irrigation

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It’s been great to experience the recent dry spell. Only 9mm of rain has fallen… Read on

June 28, 2013

Taking the rough with the smooth

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It’s normal that in June the rough is at its thickest. The warmer weather encourages… Read on

June 17, 2013

Rygrass control in Links turf

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A fine example of beautiful links turf is the 16th green on the Jubilee. It… Read on

June 10, 2013