At the BIGGA Welcome Celebration with AMS Robotics, Dennis Mortram, 75, was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award sponsored by Bernhard and Company.
Dennis is a former tutor at Reaseheath College in Cheshire and was one of the first to recognize that greenkeepers would require industry-specific education if they were to elevate the profession and raise standards of golf course maintenance. He also played a key role in the establishment of the Master Greenkeeper certification.
The team at Loch Lomond Golf Club was awarded the Greenkeeping Project of the Year Award sponsored by Baroness. With almost 2 meters of rainfall each year, Loch Lomond is a challenging place to build a golf course.
David Cole MG and his team have overseen a project that has been described as the largest golf course construction in UK golfing history. Using innovative techniques that included placing a sand cap across the entire course, the team rebuilt the entire golf course over a period of four winters.
The Championship Greenkeeping Performance of the Year Award sponsored by Origin Amenity Solutions was won by the team at Clevedon Golf Club following the hosting of the Wright-Morgan Championship on the EuroPro Tour in 2021.
The event was only Clevedon’s third professional event in its 130-year history but despite their relative inexperience and a modest operating budget, Course Manager Richard Ponsford and the team produced a golf course that was described by the EuroPro’s tournament director as by far the best-presented venue of the year.
Also recognised at the BIGGA Welcome Celebration sponsored by AMS Robotics were:
- The winners of the Excellence in Communications Awards with Campey Turfcare Systems were revealed to be John Rowbottom of Woolley Park Golf Club (New Media), John Milne of Garmouth & Kingston Golf Club (Outreach) and Shaun Cunningham of Prestonfield Golf Club (Innovation and Thought Leadership).
- Stuart Taylor, formerly course manager at Glasgow Golf Club, received Life Membership of BIGGA.
- The Amenity Forum Sprayer Operator of the Year Award was given to Jason Garlick of JMG Amenity.
- BIGGA’s latest Master Greenkeepers received their certificates. They were Matthew Aplin, Alan FitzGerald, Greg Fitzmaurice, Richard Johnstone and Paul Brett.
- The audience watched a conversation with Bryn Roberts, deputy head greenkeeper at Padeswood & Buckley, who recently returned from delivering aid to the Ukrainian border.
- Jonathan Wood of St Andrews Links and winner of the 2021 BIGGA Photographic Competition collected his prizes including a frame print of his winning image.
The importance of recognizing & rewarding great work
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of recognizing and rewarding our golf club employees. It is a great way to show your appreciation and keep them motivated.
Try to figure out what are your golf club employees’ motivations, goals, and needs and recognize and reward them accordingly. This can create a positive feedback loop.
Prioritize employee appreciation
If we consider the constraints of the current state of the job market, then we have to realize how important is to demonstrate an appreciation of our golf club employees and reward them for a job well done.