Royal Birkdale Course Manager Chris Whittle.
Southport, England: The Open has returned to Royal Birkdale for the 10th time in the club’s history this week and it is being presented in magnificent condition for the world’s greatest golfers thanks to a talented and highly-trained team of greenkeepers.
The team is led by Course Manager
Chris Whittle and are counted among the almost 6,000 members of the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA).
This year’s Championship will be Whittle’s final Open and the 63-year-old is aiming to go out on a high. He said: “I can’t deny that expectations are higher than ever. But preparations have been smooth so far, and we’re confident of presenting the course in a better condition than ever before. Let’s just hope we get the weather to allow us to show off everything Royal Birkdale has to offer.”
This is Whittle’s fifth Open, having prepared the course for the event twice before, in 1998 and 2008, and also at Muirfield in 1992. His first Open experience was as Deputy Course Manager for the 1974 Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Supporting the home team during the Open is a team of over 50 BIGGA members, drawn from clubs all over the United Kingdom and further afield, who have volunteered their time freely and will be on hand to assist with duties such as bunker raking.
Additionally, BIGGA members across the country worked hard to prepare their courses for Regional and Final Open Qualifying competitions in the build up to this week’s main event.
“The BIGGA Volunteer Support Team is invaluable to us,” said Whittle. “With their help, I can be confident that everything out on the course is under control, allowing the home team to undertake all the duties that come with hosting a Major tournament.”
