How our greenkeepers prepare for the Club Championship

At 4:45 on the Monday of Championship week, eleven greenkeepers gather in the maintenance barn behind the 10th tee. There is coffee, a whiteboard with every hole’s pin sheet, and a single target written in red: 11.5 on the Stimpmeter by Saturday.

Double-cut, then rolled

Our A-4 bentgrass greens are normally cut once a day at 3.2 mm. For the Championship we drop to 2.9 mm and cut twice — once in each direction — before rolling them with a lightweight vibratory roller. “It’s the rolling that gets you speed without stressing the plant,” says Rhys. “Cut too low for too long in October and you pay for it in November.”

“A fast green isn’t a dead green. We’re looking for pace and true roll, not a sheet of glass.”

Bunkers by hand

All thirty-eight bunkers are raked by hand on the Thursday and Friday. The faces are edged with half-moon irons, and the sand is checked for depth with a probe — four inches on the flat, two on the faces.

The pin sheet

Head Professional Tom Harrow and the Championship committee choose the final-round pins on Friday evening. Tradition says the 18th flag is always cut back-left, within sight of the clubhouse terrace, so that the winner’s putt can be watched by everyone holding a glass.

• Monday–Wednesday: verti-cut, topdress and water lightly.
• Thursday: double cut, roll, rake all bunkers.
• Friday–Sunday: double cut and roll at dawn; stimp readings at 6:30.

The result, if the weather holds, is the fastest the course plays all year. If you are a visitor the week after, you will still find the greens running beautifully — just a touch kinder on the downhill putts.