A perfectly manicured golf course can look effortless, but behind every carefully cut green is a team of people working from early morning to keep it that way. Greenkeeping is so much more than cutting grass. It is a technical, practical career requiring knowledge of plants, soil, machinery and course management.

Brian Dunne is the course superintendent at Adare Manor Golf Club, the Old Course, an 18-hole parkland golf course in Limerick. It is a course steeped in history with the Desmond Castle dating from 1200 serving as the backdrop to the 1st and 15th greens and the Franciscan Abbey dating from 1464 framing the centre of the course.

Brian has spent 25 years in greenkeeping, and this career has combined his early interest in gardening with practical experience, training and a lifelong interest in working outdoors.

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“There’s a lot involved in the background that people don’t realise,” says Brian, in relation to running the popular golf course. “A typical day can involve identifying disease, spraying greens, fertilising, aeration, top-dressing and dealing with pests,” says Brian, who along with his team is responsible for approximately 90ac, with work continuing throughout the year.

Pictured at Adare Golf Course are Brian Dunne, golf course superintendent, Pat Murray, manager, Michael Weldon, Weldon's machinery, Mari Barker Lady Captain, Patsy Hall course manager.

“I had disease on the greens this morning, so I had to go out and identify the disease and then spray.”

The grass is cut every morning, seven days a week, which means an early start for Brian, who is up at 5.30am. The only day the grass isn’t cut is Christmas Day. Brian says, “It’s not just cutting the grass, we also brush the grass to remove dew.

“It is an outdoor career and winter can be challenging, you’re out in the wind and rain and so on, but the rewards outweigh the difficulties. I don’t think I’d do anything else.”

14th green in the Old Adare golf course with the Franciscan abbey in the Background.

Brian’s route into greenkeeping began long before he started working on a golf course. His grandfather was a gardener with a 2ac garden. Brian spent his childhood summers gardening and cutting the lawn with him.

“I just loved going down there gardening with him and cutting the lawn. My mother was also a keen gardener, and these early experiences definitely shaped my career choice. I wanted to go down that career path so it was either going to be gardening or greenkeeping.”

Brian went to study horticulture for his first year before choosing sportsturf management for his final two years. College also provided opportunities to gain practical experience, including a stint at Gleneagles in Scotland.

“I was picked out of the class to go to Gleneagles for six months. That was a real experience, a fabulous place to work.”

Brian also worked in local golf clubs.

“When I was starting out, I worked in a couple of golf clubs to get a bit of hands-on experience. The practical side is very important.”

The work has changed during Brian’s career, with technology and machinery making many tasks more efficient.

“We’ve a lot more machinery now than we had maybe 20 or 30 years ago. They’re getting more accurate and you’re getting the work done at a faster pace.”

I was picked out of the class to go to Gleneagles for six months. That was a real experience, a fabulous place to work

Preparing for competitions can mean additional work, including cutting and rolling greens and preparing bunkers.

“Coming up to a big competition, we’d cut the greens and then roll them. That’s a two-man job. Then sometimes a third person has to go in with a blower and blow off any debris.

“We normally rake the bunkers twice a week but that is a job that is more frequent when it’s a busy competition weekend.”

Practical experience

While technology has helped evolve the area of greenkeeping Brian believes that the fundamentals remain the same: practical experience, learning from others and having an interest in the work.

“You can ring anyone that you want to get advice from and it’s the greatest kind of a community. If you’re a fan of the outdoors, it’s a career that can give a great level of satisfaction.

“For young people who enjoy working outdoors and want a practical career, greenkeeping offers the opportunity to develop skills while seeing the results of their work every day,” he adds.

In Short

  • Starting at QQI Level 6, there are greenkeeping and sports turf management courses across the country.
  • Teagasc runs a Sportsturf Management Apprenticeship which combines classroom work and hands-on experience at golf courses.
  • Courses are also run at Cork College of FET (Tramore Road Campus), Mayo College of Further Education and South East Technological University (SETU)/Kildalton.
  • As well as greenkeeping, those that study the subject can also go into work in other sports facilities including natural pitches such as soccer, rugby or GAA pitches or synthetic soccer pitches.