British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association

Royal Birkdale Course Manager Sean McLean outlines the sheer scale of the work he and his team have tackled at the famous Southport venue to make it Open-ready ahead of - and during - this summer’s championship Arnold Palmer’s miracle out of a bush in 1961. Tom Watson’s drilled 2-iron from the 18th in 1983. Padraig Harrington’s incredible 5 wood into the 17th in 2008. Jordan Spieth’s crazy, electrifying back-nine surge in 2017. What do these memorable Open moments have in common?

The 2026 BMW PGA Volunteer Support Team are excited to grace one of the biggest stages in European golf after being selected to support the greenkeeping operation at Wentworth. Chosen from BIGGA members across the country, the 19 volunteers will join the home team during championship week, gaining first-hand experience of tournament preparation at one of the DP World Tour's flagship events in September.

We spoke to three course managers about how they maintain, develop and pay for their bunkers. Meet the panel: Name: Simon Bell-Tye Position: Course Manager Club: Skylark Country Club, Hampshire About Simon: “I’ve been here 12 years. The course is privately owned by First Golf (Hampshire). Skylark’s an 18-hole complex and we’ve got 40 bunkers.” Name: Kerr Rowan Position: Course Manager Club: Kilmarnock (Barassie), Ayrshire About Kerr: “I’ve been course manager coming up two-and-a-half years.

For some of you, a golf course without bunkers might seem unimaginable. They can be awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time. They can be the first thing you think about when you hear a club’s name pass another golfer’s lips. Remove the sand, the naysayers might tell you, and you lose the very identity of the game itself. Where is the strategy? Where is the challenge?

The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) have announced the launch of a new podcast taking listeners behind the scenes of greenkeeping and golf course management. Produced in partnership with golf-specialist creative agency 18Players, The BIGGA Podcast will share insight and inspiration from the people shaping the future of the profession, from apprentices to course managers, industry leaders and innovators.

During this podcast, we spoke with Sean McLean, Course Manager at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, ahead of the 154th Open Championship. Sean spoke about the unique challenges that come with preparing an Open ready course, as well as the highlights that have come with his experience managing his first Open.

The delegates for the 2026 Future Turf Managers Initiative (FTMI) have been decided by BIGGA and Jacobsen. Each year, 15 up-and-coming association members are chosen to participate in the training programme credited with developing some of the most influential course managers and head greenkeepers. First hosted in 2013 as a two-day education event, FTMI has since expanded around the world, with similar schemes now operating in Spain, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand.

Dollar spot has become an increasingly important disease for golf courses across the UK and Ireland, with greenkeepers facing the challenge of understanding how integrated turf management can help reduce pressure without overpromising what it can deliver. That was the focus of a BTME session presented by experts Dr Andy Owen and Henry Bechelet of ICL.

Applications are open for the ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship, giving five BIGGA members the chance to access the world-class education offering at BTME 2027. Delivered in partnership with BIGGA Premium Partner ICL Turf & Landscape, the scholarship supports greenkeepers who are committed to their professional development but may otherwise find the cost of education, travel and accommodation a barrier.

BIGGA members now have access to healthcare cover, along with a personal wellbeing coach and AI money advice, as part of a major expansion of BIGGA Xtra Benefits. The service, which offers discounts and services exclusively to members, already helps participants save an average of £426 a year on utilities, home and car insurance, groceries and much more. But a survey carried out by BIGGA in 2024 revealed that 70 per cent of members thought the Association should offer access to healthcare.