Greenskeeper

Greenkeeper is the common term for the groundskeeper in golf, but also other lawn sports with English roots such as croquet, hockey, polo and Swin. He is responsible for the proper maintenance and management of the system. The supervisor is designated as Head Greenkeeper. The Head Greenkeeper works closely with the plant manager.

The professional group is represented by the Greenkeeper Association ( in Germany: Legislative Decree ), as well as its regional groups. He is the professional body for the lawn care staff on golf courses and sports facilities. Its members are primarily self-employed or employed for lawn care in the broadest sense responsible.

Typical jobs and tasks

• Scarification
• Aeration
• Topdressing
• Overseeding
• Rules of the game operation
• Contact holes and flags
• Pull Kalkstreifen
• Care of the machine

In winter there are often alterations and winter -specific maintenance measures (eg bunker edges intersect, environment care, new roads and trails, etc.).

In particular, setting the flags in the golf sport, requires a high level of experience, because the position of the flag changes the difficulty of the course and can affect the game strategy.

Work and education

Greenkeeper is no professional training in Germany. The title, however, can be obtained by a master craftsman. The staff comes from typical green occupations: Gardener ( nurserymen, landscapers, ornamental gardener, perennial gardeners and horticulturists ), from farming, from forestry, but also from dissimilar areas such as the automotive mechanic or automotive locksmith (or agricultural machinery technician). This occupational group is often weitergeschult to Greenkeeper to guarantee the machine maintenance at a golf course.

The staff receives often a more extensive training in Greenkeeping by the Greenkeeper Association or its designee school (in Germany Rhineland Deula or Freising ). This lasts for three years. The conclusion is reached by a test that is similar to the master degree in the craft. In the U.S., one can also study a three-year study period Greenkeeping.

In Austria Greenkeeper be formed in a three -year apprenticeship ( vocational training). The official description reads gardens and green space design - focus Greenkeeping. In contrast to the training to the garden and green space designers - focus landscaping, the employment of the Greenkeeper Apprentice to horticulture and golf courses concentrated.