The quality of modern day golf courses has improved to cope with the increasing expectations and demands of golfers and this is the result of the skill and knowledge of modern day course managers which have been greatly enhanced through improved education and training.
It follows that the people in charge of the club’s greatest asset should be held in high esteem by the members. At most clubs this is the case but there are still golf clubs where the course manager and the greenkeeping staff are treated with indifference or, worse, disdain
To assist in the development of greenkeeping as a career, the Standing Committee on Greenkeepers Salaries, comprising representatives from golf clubs, golf club secretaries, greenkeepers, BIGGA, The R&A and the Golf Advisory Panel was formed to set guidelines for the salaries of greenkeepers of all ages and stages of education.
While not mandatory, the pay guidelines have helped ensure that salaries for the country’s greenkeepers have increased at a pace not previously experienced and this has resulted in more young people now seeing greenkeeping as a worthwhile career. For example, the salaries for some top course managers now exceed £40,000.
Following the success with greenkeepers’ salaries, the committee has changed its name to the Committee for Golf Club Salaries, since from next year it will also look at the salaries of golf club secretaries.
Don Bailey, chairman of the Committee for Golf Club Salaries said, “The skills required to maintain a golf course to the standards we expect are wide ranging and the people who acquire those skills should be appropriately rewarded. We are delighted that our work to date has produced an increase in greenkeepers’ salaries and while not every club in the country matches our recommendations there has been an overall increase in staff remuneration. It is our hope that we have similar success when setting guidelines for golf club secretaries.”
For further information and a PDF version of the 2006 recommendations contact Don Bailey, chairman, Committee for Golf Club Salaries Tel & Fax: +44 (0)20 8447 3825 Mobile: +44 (0) 7976 276 703 bailey@dsl.pipex.com