THE INSPIRATION
Dudley Golf Club
Having been within weeks of permanent closure, Dudley, in the West Midlands, recently celebrated its 130th anniversary and is looking ahead to a bright future. That is thanks, in large part, to the award-winning work of Course Manager Stewart Marshall.
Stewart Marshall and Rob Woodall stood on the stage of Harrogate Convention Centre's Main Auditorium earlier this year in stunned disbelief. Around them, contemporaries from golf clubs across the country were unified in their adulation. Dudley Golf Club had just claimed the Greenkeeping Project of the Year prize at the BIGGA Awards. The rousing applause was not merely a formality of such an occasion – there was a little more to it than that. This was a story that had captured the imagination.
On the brink
Just a few years earlier, Dudley had been on its knees, scarcely able to keep the doors open for its dwindling pool of members. Rob, the General Manager, had already told the 150 or so regulars still left that it was just a matter of time before the plug would be pulled.
And then Covid came. An unwelcome imposition in almost every conceivable way, its seismic impact changed behaviours, outlooks and priorities. While baking banana bread, working from home, and catching up with friends and relatives via Zoom became the new normal during lockdown, other things also occupied a new place in the public consciousness as restrictions began to ease.
When golf courses reopened, the opportunity to get outdoors and engage in a physical activity in pleasant surroundings tempted millions of people to a facility, many of them new golfers or lapsed ones. Even the most avid were now playing more frequently than ever.
“I've seen the effort and the desire from people to get us to this stage and they deserve recognition too”
Enter Stewart Marshall
Dudley, having staved off the worst-case scenario thanks to vital donations, also felt the benefit, with greater numbers of visitors and an upturn in members. However, the consequences of being underfunded and under-resourced were apparent in the condition of the course, which was in desperate need of repair and upgrades. That's where Stewart, a visibly emotional presence under the spotlight in Harrogate as he clutched his award, came in.
Leading a team of just three, none of them trained greenkeepers, Stewart – who had previously helped out as a volunteer before taking a full-time role in May 2022 – implemented innovative and often cost-free sustainable solutions to transform the presentation of the course.
His work was pivotal in helping to double membership numbers to 300, steering the club away from a grim fate that had once seemed inevitable. And he did it just in time to celebrate Dudley's 130th anniversary.
DUDLEY IN NUMBERS
1893
The year the club was formed
130th
The anniversary the club
celebrated last year
150
The number of members at the
club’s lowest ebb…
300
…which has now doubled
three
The number of greenkeepers at the club
Creative thinking + hard work = results
The former operations manager has shown what can be achieved through creative thinking, expertise and no short amount of hard graft, making Dudley's Greenkeeping Project of the Year award triumph a richly deserved one indeed.
"It's an amazing honour," said Stewart, whose efforts alongside Tony Salt and Darren Povey helped Dudley land hosting duties for a county match last summer.
"We were just blown away by it. I didn't even think we belonged at an event like that, but to win this award obviously shows we do belong.
"I've seen the effort and the desire from people to get us to this stage and they deserve recognition too.
"I don't think this is the end either; I don't want to rest on this and there's still more we can do."
The silent majority
Stewart has tapped into the potential of the club's significant catchment area and called on the power of community to get results. In one instance, a local school was having its astroturf pitch upgraded and Stewart contacted them to ask if the club could have the old turf. They agreed and this enabled the construction of temporary tee boxes for winter at zero cost.
It's exactly the kind of thing that has made the whole journey an enjoyable one for Stewart, who sees Dudley as representative of many clubs across the country who go about their work without fanfare.
"The main feeling for me has been excitement," he said of the process to revive Dudley. "I love helping to produce a product that people can enjoy – they can finish a day at work and come and play golf, and the fact that makes them feel good is great."
"I think there are a lot of clubs in our position, and we represent the silent majority who probably don't get the attention or the acclaim they should, so this is a win for them as well."
FOUR EXAMPLES OF DUDLEY’S RESOURCEFULNESS
1
Acquired unwanted wooden planks from a local timberyard to construct bridges and reused olf materials to create flower beds and pathways
2
Engaged with local schools to enhance and promote the ecological offering of the site
3
Hosted fun social events in the clubhouse to raise money for equipment
4
Collaborated with environmental groups and rehomed rescued hedgehogs
“We represent the silent majority who probably don't get the attention or the acclaim they should”
Off to The Open
In further good news for Stewart, he has been selected as part of the volunteer team for this year's 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he will assist the home greenkeeping team.
He is looking forward to the opportunity to learn from the best and will take notes for when he returns to Dudley, although he will be forced to miss a special occasion back at home.
"I can't wait for the Open," he said. "I'm actually missing my wife's birthday but she's okay with The Open being my excuse.
"It's a massive opportunity to get to see up close and personal how a course and major competition is put together, as to be honest little old Dudley couldn't be any further from that set-up.
"Even volunteering in local club competitions over the last two years has proven to be very useful with tips and contacts that I have utilised back at my course, so going to The Open could really set me and Dudley up for the next few years as we strive to drag ourselves up to the standard of Royal Troon!"
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