They do things a bit differently at The Open – even raking bunkers
Their alarm went off at 2.30am. Most of us don’t see that time in the morning – unless it’s involved not going to bed the night before – but for eight greenkeepers The Open began right then.
The octuplet are part of the Open Support Team organised by the British & International Golf Greenkeepers’ Association that is assisting the home team at Royal St George’s.
They have the job of raking all the bunkers each day of the championship and making sure they cut the mustard.
How long does it take you to smooth the sand? A couple of scrapes with a rake and away you go? It’s a bit more of a job when Rory McIlroy might find a sandy trap at one of the globe’s biggest tournaments.
It takes the octet between three and three and a half hours to get round all of the course’s 100 plus bunkers, which range from dastardly little pots to cavernous scars in the turf.
And as you’ll see if you watch BIGGA’s Twitter video below, where Royal St George’s greenkeeper and irrigation tech Damien Puxted demonstrated how it should be done, it’s a pretty involved process.
Maybe it will give you a few ideas of what to do the next time you find yourself sweeping the sand at your home club…
- RELATED: The Open you won’t see on TV
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
