Bahrain: Jamie Faulkner’s journey from suburban London to the searing heat of Bahrain has been defined by travel and an enduring love of greenkeeping.

He first got on a mower at 16, working at Bletchingley Golf Club in Surrey. He said: “I just liked using the machines. It felt like a fun job at first, but once I started playing golf, I was hooked. I’ve never thought about doing anything else.”

That early enthusiasm has taken him across the world. From his roots in Croydon, Faulkner has built a career that’s seen him work on courses in Australia, the United States, India and Saudi Arabia before settling in Bahrain as Director of Agronomy at The Royal Golf Club – the only grass course on the island. 

The Royal hosted a DP World Tour event this month, so it’s a venue where expectations are high and presentation is everything. The course is also the country’s golfing flagship, setting the standard for two new developments now being planned elsewhere on the island.

Faulkner said: “The players love coming here because it’s such a contrast to the rest of the region. Presentation and playing consistency are everything. Our goal for the DP World Tour was for the course to be the best it’s ever been.”

The club recently completed a £1.5 million machinery investment, replacing an ageing competitor fleet with a full suite of John Deere equipment supplied by Orient Irrigation Services.

Faulkner said: “The guys love the machines, especially the mowers. The kit we had before was 15 years old and completely run into the ground, so these are a huge step up. Everyone’s very happy with them.”

The new fleet includes compact tractors, mowers, and two HD200 sprayers on ProGators. While the purchase was driven by the golf course, the machinery will also support the wider operation, which includes maintaining the nearby horse racing track and landscaping around 1,000 villas that neighbour the club.

Faulkner said: “I’ve got 85 staff in the landscape business and 45 on the course. It’s quite normal managing big teams here in the Middle East because the conditions are so demanding. The desert environment means there’s a lot of manual labour, from weeding and raking sand dunes to constant irrigation work.”

The heat presents relentless challenges. Temperatures can climb to 50 degrees with 90% humidity, making disease and pest prevention a year-round priority. Faulkner said: “It’s a brutal climate. We have to stay on top of everything, especially pythium root rot, which can take hold fast in the summer.”

Faulkner’s journey to this point has been anything but ordinary. After several years working in and around London, first at Chipstead and then at The Addington, he decided to take his greenkeeping skills overseas. 

His first stop was Kalgoorlie Golf Club near Perth, Australia, followed by a posting to Fiddlesticks Country Club in southwest Florida through the Ohio State University internship programme.

He spent three years in Bahrain before taking a superintendent’s role at a course in Bangalore, India, before moving to Riyadh to work for Golf Saudi. When travel restrictions hit during the pandemic, he commuted 600 kilometres between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain every two weeks to see his family.

Faulkner said: “I’ve been away from the UK for 12 years now. I was desperate to see the world, and I wanted to learn something new with every move. You pick up so much experience working in different climates and with different grasses. I think it makes you a better greenkeeper.”

The Royal’s 450 members are mainly expat golfers, but with two new courses planned in Bahrain, there’s optimism that more international visitors will follow. For now, Faulkner’s focus is on perfecting the playing surfaces and ensuring the club continues to set the standard for golf in the region.

Dealer support plays a big part in that. Faulkner works with Orient’s Harry Pattinson, a former outlet manager at John Deere dealer Thomas Sherriff in the UK. Despite being based an hour’s flight away, Pattinson provides on-going technical and parts back-up.

Pattinson said: “We’ve agreed to do an annual expert check of the fleet. We’ll spend a week going through every machine, checking for any small warranty issues and making sure Jamie’s team gets the most from the investment.”

For Faulkner, keeping things simple is key. Her said: “We’ve got a huge workforce with people jumping on and off machines all day. They need to be easy to use and reliable, which John Deere delivers. Out here, that’s what really matters.”

*John Deere is an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.