Success is a matter of course for Tim
Golfers owe a debt of gratitude to a man who has received a top professional award, writes TOM?HOWARD. Tim McCreadie, course manager at Royston Golf Club, was named as an Unsung Hero in the world of turf management for his painstaking 10 years of work on
Golfers owe a debt of gratitude to a man who has received a top professional award, writes TOM?HOWARD.
Tim McCreadie, course manager at Royston Golf Club, was named as an Unsung Hero in the world of turf management for his painstaking 10 years of work on the course.
Mr McCreadie has a difficult job keeping the course in trim, facing tight restrictions because of the heath's status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, under the jurisdiction of both English Nature and English Heritage.
He said: "It came as a complete surprise, as I didn't even know I'd been nominated, and I'm very honoured to be named as the top unsung green-keeper in the country, as there are more than 10,000 green-keepers working in the UK.
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"Most awards tend to go to big places with money to spend, where they can do what they want, so it's good that this award recognised those who make the most out of what they've got."
Award judge Steve Gingell, southern area-manager for the Sports Turf Research Institute, said: "Tim has done a splendid job working under strict specifications.
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"As the course has both Anglo Saxon and Bronze Age burial mounds, and is home to the rare Chalkhill Blue butterfly, he has to keep it as natural as possible while maintaining it to high playing standards."
Mr McCreadie explained the difficulties this creates, saying "You have to ask permission from so many different sets of people for everything you want to do.
"I'm currently working on improving the grass type on the greens, to make it harder wearing and playable all year round."
Mr McCreadie received a framed certificate, a £200 cheque, and holiday vouchers in recognition for his efforts, but has no plans for a celebratory trip away yet.
The annual ceremony organised by Terrain Aeration, a professional body supervising grounds maintenance, in hand with award sponsors Pitchcare and Green Keeping Magazine, has run the award for five years.
