Royal Aberdeen Golf Club – Golf Course Blog

Month: January 2026

  • Staff Training – BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition 2026

    From the 19th – 21st January 2026 Golf Course Manager Richard Johnstone, First Assistant Greenkeeper Euan Polson and Assistant Greenkeeper Lindsay Skea attended the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition in Harrogate, North Yorkshire

    Royal Aberdeen Golf Club will benefit greatly from their attendance at the Continue to Learn education programme at BTME. Continue to Learn at BTME offers more than 250 hours of education specifically aimed at sports turf professionals and those working within the golf club industry. The education being delivered provided a variety of opportunities to help develop and hone skills.

    Below is a representative list of the types of classes the team attended at BTME 2026.

    Turf & Course Management

    • Irrigation management
    • Water efficiency
    • Drought management
    • Renovation planning
    • Drainage design and management
    • Soil analysis for turf
    • Reading turf trial data
    • Fertiliser programme planning
    • Identifying grass species

    Environmental & Agronomy Topics

    • Sustainable turf management
    • Integrated pest and weed control
    • Biodiversity and habitat management

    Management & Leadership

    • Strategic planning for golf courses
    • Building and managing a budget
    • Recruitment and staff development
    • Supervisory and leadership skills
    • Managing stress and wellbeing
    • Conflict resolution
    • Motivation and team building

    Professional Development

    • Personality profiling
    • Positive thinking and mindset
    • Mathematics for turf managers
    • Using data to improve decision-making

    Attending the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) is an additional attraction. Showcasing 100+ exhibitors, displaying the latest products and innovations in sports turf as well as the opportunity to secure special “show offers”.

    Networking with fellow professionals and industry specialists is invaluable, providing the chance to learn from around 5000 other golf course management experts and colleagues from across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.

    http://www.btme.org.uk

  • BIGGA Awards – Project Of The Year 2025

    The Royal Aberdeen Greenkeeping team were recently recognised at the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition – BIGGA Awards as the winners of the Greenkeeping Project of the year 2025 category.

    The BIGGA Awards were established to recognise and reward the exceptionally high standards, professionalism, innovation and dedication demonstrated by greenkeepers throughout the year. The awards hosted once again by Sky Sports presenter Sarah Stirk, shines a light on those who deliver outstanding renovation and improvement projects, highlighting innovation, sustainability, excellence in project management and outstanding contributions that strengthen the wider profession.

    The award highlights all the hard work the greenkeeping team have completed through a difficult 2025, but mainly for the massive reconstruction projects that were undertaken to ensure we safeguard the future of the historic Balgownie Links. Ongoing coastal erosion prompted a complex reconstruction programme, including a new contingency 1st hole, reconstruction of a new 3rd tee, green and approach, new 4th tees, new grassed pathways and a new turf nursery. All of which was completed alongside the day-to-day maintenance of the links and many other general winter improvement projects.     

    The team overcame some strong opposition and managed to hold off the other 2 finalists of Royal Birkdale and Bearsden Golf Club who also completed huge renovation projects during the last 12 months. The project demanded meticulous planning and adaptability amid challenging weather and tidal pressures, with judges praising the balance between preserving heritage and delivering practical, forward-thinking solutions. 

    The Greenkeeping team lead by Course Manager Richard Johnstone worked closely with Golf course architect Martin Ebert, Golf Link Evolve construction, Callum Chalmers Irrigation and W.M Donald engineering to plan and implement the various projects across the site. We appreciate all the support shown from the club membership, council, General Manager and especially the master planning committee throughout the whole process.

    A huge Congratulations to the greenkeeping team for picking up the BIGGA Greenkeeping project of the year 2025 award and for all their hard work and dedication over the last 12 months.

  • Course Closure – Heavy Snowfall

    It was quite a start to 2026 for the North- East of Scotland with multiple amber warnings issued during the first 2 weeks of the year. This marks the worst sustained snowfall in Aberdeen in 15 years. The severe weather led Aberdeenshire Council to declaring a major incident with the River Don reaching its highest level for 45 years.

    Both the Balgownie Links and Silverburn course remained closed for the first 12 days of 2026.

    Below is a list of some of the things that can affect a golf course during a period of prolonged snowfall and freezing temperatures.

    1. Turf Damage

    • Snow mould is the most common problem. This is a fungal disease that develops when snow sits on grass for long periods, especially on greens.
    • The main types seen on UK courses are linked to Microdochium patch(Fusarium ).
    • When snow melts, greens and fairways may show brown or pink circular patches where grass has died or weakened.

    2. Compaction and Surface Damage

    • If people walk or play on the course during snow, the snow compresses and can damage the grass underneath.
    • Footprints and trolley tracks can bruise frozen turf, leading to dead patches once the thaw happens.
    • Maintenance vehicles on snow can cause soil compaction, affecting drainage later.

    3. Drainage and Waterlogging

    • When snow melts quickly, large amounts of water enter the soil at once.
    • Meltwater can cause:
      • Temporary flooding
      • Waterlogged fairways
      • Soft greens that are easily damaged from pitchmarks

    4. Frost and Freeze–Thaw Damage

    • Snow can actually protect turf from severe frost by acting like insulation.
    • But if snow melts and refreezes repeatedly, it can cause:
      • Crown hydration injury (grass cells bursting)
      • Surface heaving that loosens roots.

    5. Structural and Landscape Issues

    Heavy snow can also affect course infrastructure:

    • Bunker faces collapsing or sand contamination from runoff.(13th Green when drainage could not cope with the amount of water flowing through pipes)
    • Damage to tee markers, signage, irrigation heads, and paths.

    6. Course Closures

    Golf courses often close during heavy snow because:

    • Walking damages turf under frozen snow.
    • Safety risks from ice.