Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club greenkeeper Stuart Imeson capped a great year with one of the industry’s biggest awards.
General manager and head greenkeeper at Dunstanburgh, Stuart became a father for the first time in 2018 and was awarded the BIGGA Greenkeeping Project of the Year Award sponsored by Baroness.
In addition to taking on parenting duties and embracing his changing role at the golf club, Stuart has continued to provide educational opportunities for fellow BIGGA members through his Bunker Camps, which were a sell-out in 2018 as greenkeepers from across Europe took part.
Bunker Camps have been running for five years and were setup as a way for Stuart’s young team – he was only 23 at the time – to interact with other greenkeepers. The camps see greenkeepers head to Dunstanburgh to participate in the construction of revetted bunkers over a two-week period, with educational seminars and workshops taking place alongside the practical greenkeeping. More than 250 people have taken part so far.
Stuart said: “I’m a little bit star struck by the whole thing. If you just look at the standard of people that were up for awards, it’s an amazing achievement. If you look at my three lads, it’s absolutely out of this world to even think we could win something like this.”
BIGGA chief exec Jim Croxton said: “Stuart is a fantastic example of the modern greenkeeper. He has a genuine passion for greenkeeping and to improve standards, which is highly commendable.”
