Captured by the opportunity at Wentworth

Brent Downs MG reflects on his memorable experience as part of the 2025 BMW PGA Championship volunteer support team

If you’d told me a year-and-a-half ago that I’d travel to the UK twice – first as part of the Bernhard Delegation and then as a BIGGA volunteer for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – I would’ve chuckled and wondered what you were talking about. Those kinds of things happen to other people, not to a Midwestern director from Indiana. Yet here I was, on the other side of the Atlantic again, living one of the best weeks of my career.

It’s funny how life steers you. The opportunities that once feel far-fetched can quietly become the ones that change you the most, especially when you toss your hat in the ring not expecting to be chosen.

The headline that knew before I did

When Greenkeeper International published a short article announcing that I’d been selected for the Wentworth volunteer team, I was equal parts proud and mortified. Proud because – well, Wentworth! And mortified because it described me as, ‘the Master Greenkeeper from America seizing the opportunity’. I remember laughing out loud at the phrasing, thinking it might’ve been a bit of hyperbole. Now, months later, I can admit it: they were right, but the words were in the wrong order. More on that later.

A castle for a clubhouse

Let’s start with the obvious: Wentworth Golf Club is sublime. You don’t so much arrive there as you step into an English portrait. A castle serves as its clubhouse. Heather and pines line the holes like something from a classic postcard. The 1st tee view, framed by that centennial logo carved into the bank, is one of the most dramatic opening scenes in golf. The amphitheatre finish at 18 rivals anything I’ve seen, anywhere. The second morning we mowed fairways under a full moon, the light reflecting off the dew and purple heather, I had to stop for a second and realise where I was. The texture, the turf, the meticulous detail. I immediately wanted to borrow their approach lines for the two courses I oversee in the States.

Fairways, food trucks and friendly fire

Of course, it wasn’t all grandeur and perfection. It was also good-natured banter, long hours and plenty of laughter. Dan Clarke, the course manager, summed up my week perfectly when he told me: “You did a great job sitting on your butt all week.” I replied that he made me feel like a true American – and that I’d finally perfected my sitting posture.

Our daily routine included a ritual stop at the same doughnut and coffee food truck every morning on 13. I’m convinced we were half of that truck’s revenue for the week. Between that and the number of spectators taking photos of us mowing fairways, we started joking that the ‘fairway team’ was the real show.

 

The home team at the heart of it all

As impressive as Wentworth is, the people are what make it unforgettable. Getting to know Dan Clarke, Glenn Stone, Ollie Maskell, Kenny Mackay, David Hughes (the equipment manager) and the rest of the home team was a privilege. Glenn was thrown straight into the fire and handled it well, while Dan’s calm management and dry humour kept us all grounded.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Mikey B, Bradley White, Callum Corey, Charlotte (Lottie) Fosten, Phoebe Baker (and many more) as well as all members of the home team for being exceptionally welcoming. Many I still keep in touch with six months later on WhatsApp and saw at BTME. Bradley turned out to be a former Bernhard Delegate himself, something I didn’t learn until later in the week. That discovery hit home. Once you’ve been part of the Bernhard family, you realise how interconnected this profession truly is.

The next generation restored my faith

One of the most powerful parts of the week was connecting with the younger greenkeepers – many in their twenties - and realising, though I am in the heart of my career, I am in a teaching stage now. My roommate, Jonathan Dykes, and I had late-night conversations about turf, life and leadership when we should’ve been asleep before our 4am wake-ups.

Sam Ewing, Matthew Kent, Liam Watson, Cam Macken, Lucy Rogers – each one passionate, hardworking and full of promise. Lucy, by the way, was our morning DJ. She drove a car full of us to the course every day, blasting everything from techno to US rock before sunrise. By the time we pulled through the gates, we were wide awake and ready to work.

 

I’ve said this publicly before, but it bears repeating: if that group is representative of the next generation of greenkeepers, then our profession is in incredible hands. When that last putt dropped and we all gathered at the 18th, I had a chance to reflect on my future because that week was so fast-paced. It was there I realised my passion had grown but now from a learning and mentor perspective. That is my next growth arc. I left Wentworth with renewed faith in the future of this industry and realising how much I still had to learn from my transatlantic friends.

Full circle

After the tournament, I took a few days to visit friends and colleagues: Grant Peters at Parkstone, Wendy O’Brien, who I connected with many years ago at a US golf course in Georgia, Liam at Walton Heath. Each stop reminded me how small and tight-knit this profession truly is. I even had dinner with Master Greenkeeper legend David Langheim, who kindly picked me up from my hotel and spent the evening swapping stories about certification, leadership and life. It was surreal – 15 years ago we were just greenkeepers chasing good turf. Now we were sharing stories as peers and friends.

 

What I took home

When I left England, I thought about the title that started all this: ‘An American Greenkeeper in London’, a nod to the classic movie title. I realised it wasn’t really about geography. It was about connection. About rediscovering what makes this profession so special – the people, the passion and the shared pursuit of excellence.

Yes, Wentworth was stunning. Yes, the tournament was world-class. But what I brought home weren’t souvenirs or stats – it was a sense of belonging to a career way bigger than myself and an understanding that it is a privilege to pay forward what I was given to the next generation.

So maybe Greenkeeper International was right all along but put the words in the wrong order. I cannot say I “seized the opportunity”. Instead, I feel it captured me and showed me how many more opportunities I still have to go. 

Apply for your chance to follow in Brent’s footsteps

The world-renowned Wentworth Club are looking for volunteers for this year’s BMW PGA Championship to work alongside the Wentworth greenkeeping team and prepare the iconic West Course for this DP World Tour flagship tournament.

Volunteers will be required to be at Wentworth Club for a welcome meeting on Sunday 13 September at approximately 3pm where uniforms will be distributed and jobs assigned.  Volunteers will be required for AM and PM shifts throughout the week until Sunday 20 September. Volunteers will also be put on a rota to sit on standby during the tournament rounds, where they will be able to watch the action unfold and assist the rules team clear surfaces of leaves/debris if required. After the AM shift on Sunday 20 September, the volunteers are encouraged to join in with the post-tournament celebrations with the Wentworth greenkeeping team.

Wentworth Club will provide accommodation, all meals on site as well as uniform (t-shirts, cap and jacket). Steel toe-capped boots are required and dark, waterproof trousers are encouraged, as with the tournament being in September, we can’t promise warm, sunny weather.  Additionally, the Bernhard Academy will be delivering some informal education seminars for those who wish to attend them.

The volunteers will be fully integrated into the Wentworth greenkeeping team and get to experience the West Course setup as if they were part of the home team.

 

Scan or click the QR code below for more information: