Myerscough learners become first to pass sector leading greenkeeping apprenticeship

Earlier this year Nik Wadsworth and Tom Bromfield became the first apprentices to pass out from Advanced Golf Greenkeeper Level 3 and are already applying their new skills across British courses, as they step on to a career ladder they hope will see them reach greens team management.

Content for the two-year course was developed by a group of employers and BIGGA advisors with a remit to upskill the sector.

Reaction from apprentices to date strongly suggests Level 3 has equipped them with a platform to move right up to the top, thanks to their commitment to succeed, inspirational tutors and supportive managers.

The ten-topic apprenticeship spans a broad curriculum, from health and safety, personal and professional development and supervising staff to advanced golf course preparation and maintenance, construction of course features, integrated pest management and project finance and costing.

Apprentices learn remotely and at the training provider's hub, with extensive practical work on their home course and, at the end of their Apprenticeship, take an end-point assessment (EPA) undertaken by an independent assessor. This is chosen by land-based awarding body Lantra, which includes a written examination, practical and a professional discussion.

Nik Wadsworth - First Assistant at Dunham Forest Golf & Country Club

After completing the apprenticeship, former business analyst Nik moved from his training base at Lymm Golf Club, Cheshire, to a new role as first assistant at the proprietary Dunham Forest Golf & Country Club nearby.

Officially the first in the country to pass the course, which he completed through Myerscough College, Nik had taken his Level 2 at Lymm under Rick Sinker and Dave Whitby, and remained there to complete his practical projects for the Advanced Golf Greenkeeper Level 3, under James Dennett and Paul Davy.

"My tutor, Chris Garland-Kelly, supported me through the entire course and we carried out regular course walks at Lymm Golf Club to view my work and to check my knowledge, before I moved to Dunham Forest," Nik explains.

"The course content was more academic and had been extensively modified from earlier topic areas.

"With a geography degree under my belt, I suppose I was familiar with the process of passing exams, but the EPA was pretty demanding. I worked hard and I was determined to succeed once I'd started."

Nik's practical projects included the taking and analysis of core samples on greens and approaches, assessing greens speeds, smoothness and trueness.

Nik was a high achiever in the business world before switching career paths.

He adds: "I fancied working outdoors and landed on my feet in greenkeeping at Dunham Forest; such an atmospheric place with its magnificent stands of native trees, some hundreds of years old.

"As you develop your career, managing a greens team to get the most out of it is crucial. Many greenkeepers have not experienced an office environment - totally different from working outside."

Tom Bromfield – Trentham Golf Club

Tom Bromfield is the second Level 3 nationally, and was recently promoted to first assistant within the eight-strong team at his home course - private members club Trentham Golf Club - which has given him fresh insight into the work of others in the greens team.

Tom commented: "The exam certainly made me think about how the content applies to my everyday work. My job involves far more management thinking and I'm trying to put myself into the mindset of my deputy course manager and course manager, because I hope to climb further up the career ladder to run my own team eventually."

Putting into practice skills covered on Level 3 is not necessarily that easy. "Integrated pest management presents a big challenge," he states. "How we can combat their impact is up in the air still. Pesticides we once used to tackle worm populations are off limits now, and casts cause havoc on parkland courses like ours."

Summing up, Tom states: "Completing Level 3 has been a big help and I'm already benefitting greatly from taking it. The content covered is more extensive and in far greater detail, which is tougher to pass all round. The exam and EPA require full concentration.’’

The Advanced Golf Greenkeeper Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard was developed by the employer Trailblazer group in 2020.

The new Apprenticeship Standard culminates in an End Point Assessment which includes three components, an online written examination, a number of practical tasks and a professional discussion with a course walk, undertaken by an Independent End Point Assessor.

This article features in the current issue of Pitchcare magazine