R&A Championship Agronomy Programme cohort meets at Royal Liverpool

The BIGGA members selected for the 2026 R&A Championship Agronomy Programme gathered at Royal Liverpool in March, marking the start of their journey within one of the industry’s most valuable development initiatives.

Now in its second year, the programme will see 10 members embedded within host greenkeeping teams across five of the season’s biggest championships, including The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes. The visit to Hoylake provided an early insight into the standards, planning and detail required at the very highest level of tournament preparation.

Jethro Wilson, head greenkeeper at Bradford Moor, described his reaction to being selected as a significant personal milestone.

“I was ecstatic because I’ve had a lot of knockbacks,” he said. “This was one of the first initiatives I managed to get onto and it’s only increased my interest to apply for more in the future. This will be a good springboard to push myself, get out of my comfort zone and really apply for more events.”

The day at Royal Liverpool included an introduction to The R&A’s championship agronomy work, led by Assistant Championship Agronomist James Walker, alongside insight into hosting The Open from Course Manager James Bledge. A clubhouse tour and a course walk further reinforced the scale of preparation involved. For some, the programme represents a first experience of working within a championship environment. Harry Glover, greenkeeper at Lee Park, said the news of the opportunity had provided a lift during a challenging period.

“It was a horrible winter’s day building bunkers when I found out, covered in rain, and it just gave me a boost,” he said. “It’s probably the best thing that’s happened in my career so far. It’ll be my first ever experience volunteering at a tournament, so I’m quite excited to see how everything works behind the scenes.”

Others bring previous tournament experience but are looking to deepen their understanding within a more focused environment. Jonathan Fisher, head greenkeeper at Ruddington Grange, will join the team at the AIG Women’s Open.

“I’m looking forward to working at a tournament, making new friends, networking and learning what goes into hosting a major,” he said. “Hopefully being part of a smaller team will allow me to get a bit more hands-on.”

For Kate Stillwell, course manager at Golf Club of Kópavogur and Garðabær who will also be part of the team at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the programme offers the chance to experience a different approach to championship preparation.

“I was absolutely stunned to get the opportunity,” she said. “I was so excited. The Open is the pinnacle of what we can do in greenkeeping. It’s about excellence and seeing what can be achieved at the very highest level. I’m really looking forward to working with different people, learning different ways of doing things and understanding more about ecology and biodiversity on golf courses. It’s been fascinating already.” GI