Didsbury Golf Club
Rob and his team look to move Didsbury to a new level
DIDSBURY Golf Club’s course manager Rob Davies has endured some tough times in the past year since taking his new role but has come out of them with great pride as he and his team have produced a great course to play on in the past few months at Didsbury.
Rob has been part of the greens team at Didsbury since leaving school and he outlines his career to date and ambitions for the future.
“I started working for Didsbury in 1993 as a trainee at the age of 16 I completed my NVQ levels 1.2 and 3 at Wythenshawe college and Myerscough College and I also obtained further qualifications in chainsaw certificate felling and cross cutting also my spraying certificate PA1/PA2A and PA6 lots of other courses undertaken.
“I am first aid trained which I keep updated and on several occasions have come to the rescue of a member or a colleague
“I embarked on a career in green-keeping as I craved working outdoors and I have 27 years of experience to look back on.
“The highlights of my career are firstly being taken on full time from my YTS trainee scheme.
“To be promoted to deputy at a young age and more recently my promotion to Course Manager I am very proud to be part of such a hard working industrious team.
“We have undertaken many big jobs on course and have transformed areas, installed many paths, bunkers and greens, planted trees removed many trees to keep up the success of Didsbury of which I am very proud.
“I’ve seen many colleagues come and go over my long years at Didsbury and remain friends with many of them.
“Among my big highlights of working here at Didsbury include having trained many a new green keeper and set them on the road for their own success -training new lads is a thing I am very proud of.
“I instil attention to detail and a good work ethic with respect to fellow colleagues and members of the club.
“I have lived onsite for over 20 years and met my amazing wife here at Didsbury where she worked part time while training to be the fantastic nurse she is today.
”She was liked by lots of members and missed by many I am proud to be bringing up my two daughters born and raised here - they are very lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful greenery and wildlife
“The difficulties we have faced or I have faced over the years has mainly been the weather the rain isn’t too kind at Didsbury at times and being totally surrounded by the River Mersey with no natural drainage proves very difficult at times. It hits staff morale hard and obviously members as they cannot play in the severity of wet winters.
“With mental well-being a hot topic at the moment our minds and our hearts get tested a lot but the Springs are a beautiful reward and we can provide a course that can rank up there with the best in the good months of the year.
“COVID-19 has to be mentioned as that was is a strange time and we are dealing with it as I expected very well and still maintaining a good course but again very mentally tough we always had our staff and members and public safety number one priority.
“My future plans are obviously to strive for the best course we can provide at all time’s so keeping our machinery in good condition is essential. Upgrading and updating our drainage system will always be ongoing, consistency in our surfaces and competing with the clubs around us is always a challenge but one we as a team excel at bunker renovation and more buggy paths installed are future plans and tree removal for light and shade benefits in areas of the course namely around greens.
“I’d like to thank Caroline Johnston and my greens chairmen Jeff Corry and John Kirk and all the committee for their continual support, without their hard work and understanding we wouldn’t be able to carry out the work we do as effectively as we do.
“Also a huge thank you to a great bunch of supportive members some of whom I’ve known a very long time they boost morale and always lend a friendly ear with lots of good comments on the quality of course we provide.
“Finally where would I be without my lads my team of my deputy Tom McKay, assistants Dan Lee, Mike Gibbons and also our returning Joe Bickerton not forgetting our mechanic Damien Clemens who has been a great ally in keeping our machinery as good as it is.
“Thank you to everyone for the year round support it’s greatly appreciated and needed keep the good vibes growing.”
It is hoped that Didsbury members will show their appreciation of the good work done by the green staff by giving them a smile, a thumbs up and thanks for the great job they do when they see them working on the course.
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