Course Manager - Andy Boyce I have been Course Manager here for seven years, and been working on the greenkeeping team for thirteen - making me the longest serving member of staff at the club - although I did begin my career here as a trainee as far back as 1990. Having completed my first years employment back in 1991 I studied Golf Course and Sportsground Management full time at Sparsholt College in Hampshire. This included a middle year placement at Salisbury and South Wilts Golf Club. Since leaving college I have worked at Lansdown Golf Club (1 year) and Castle Combe Golf Club (2 years) before returning to Bath. There have been many changes to the club, the committees, the staff, and the course over this period, but one thing is for sure, the course is presented to a higher standard and in play for longer periods than ever before. This is a combination of the equipment and quality of staff that I am able to utilise, as well as the increased agronomic knowledge and technology that is available - and not forgetting hard work! My job involves short and long term planning, daily and weekly work schedules, recruitment, training, budgeting, construction, machinery upkeep and purchasing, irrigation management, record keeping and monitoring Health and Safety. I now report to the Management Board through John Andrew. Away from work, I have been actively involved in sport including rugby, athletics, cricket and golf - if you keep your eyes peeled, you may even see me out playing a few holes on a Friday afternoon!
COURSE MANAGERS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please see attached information
Nature Conservation
The club are working to preserve and enhance the calcareous grasslands that we have within the clubs boundaries. These are one of the most rapidly diminishing (and least glamorised) environmental areas in Great Britain. We do this through the cutting and bailing of the grass at key times during the year, which as well as encouraging the ground nesting birds (typically Skylarks) helps to encourage the regeneration of a wide range of wild flora –including several types of Orchid.
Dry Stone Walling
The club completed the rebuilding of a section of dry stone wall that surrounds the Roman Hill fort that was once situated on the course. The section of wall, which runs alongside our 17th hole is some 450 feet long and cost in the region of £8000 to complete – this expense was grant subsidised. This has been a great way to combine the rebuilding of a Roman feature, whilst at the same time framing the golf hole and enabling both golfers and members of the public to appreciate and enjoy a part of Bath's history.
Landscape and Cultural Heritage
Bath Golf Club occupies an area of just over 97 hectares (240 acres) of which just over 32 hectares (79 acres) lies within the curtilege of a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In 2004 the club employed Bristol and Region Archaeological Services to complete a desktop study to discover full extend of the features.
Education and Training
Staff are actively encouraged to play a practical part in our environmental initiatives here at Bath Golf Club. Alongside that, qualifications in chainsaw usage and woodland management have been undertaken by over 50% of the staff, with two members enrolled with the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers to learn practical dry stone walling methods.
Waste Management
Our basic policy here at Bath Golf Club is firstly to bring as little as possible off of the course as possible and secondly to try to recycle or send for recycling anything which has to be brought off the course. This can be broken down in the following way: