HOME AND AWAY GARY JOHNSTONE: JOHN O'SULLIVANtalks to the Scottish head greenkeeper at Portmarnock GC who used to play off a scratch handicap in his youth

GARY JOHNSTONE appraised his amateur golf career with an honesty that belied his teenage years. Playing off a scratch handicap he was a regular competitor in boys’ championships in Scotland but despite being fiercely competitive he realised he wasn’t quite good enough to muscle his way into the higher echelons of the amateur game.

Instead he chose to pursue an opportunity in greenkeeping, a journey that took him from Scotland to Wales before accepting his current remit of head greenkeeper at Portmarnock Golf Club. That decision to prepare rather than play golf courses has proved a prescient career move.

“I knew in starting my apprenticeship as a greenkeeper it would demand my sole attention and that my golf would deteriorate. A lot of my friends at that age group were in the Scottish squad. I was getting coaching but realised it would be very difficult to break into the elite level.

“I loved being outdoors, the lifestyle, so when the opportunity came to work as a greenkeeper I didn’t have to dwell on it for too long. It started off in terms of a career with the district council in Aberdeen. It was quite a good grounding because I worked on a selection of golf courses in the short period I was there (two years), basically working on a heathland course, a links and also a cliff-top type course.

“I then moved to Carnoustie where I spent just short of six years, working my way up to being in charge of the second course (of three) there, the Burnside.”

An opportunity arose to take up the position as head greenkeeper at the Southerndown GC, a links style, cliff-top layout in south Wales that had hosted several top amateur championships in the Principality. He remained there for 16 years before being enticed to Dublin, in search of a fresh challenge and the chance to preside over the preparation of one of the world’s best links courses. Now in his third year, he’s content with the progress made but like any perfectionist prefers to dwell on what’s ahead rather than what’s been achieved.

The current conditioning and manicuring of the links has drawn lavish praise, manifest recently in magazine course rankings but Johnstone isn’t content to dwell on the approbation. “To be honest we have a long way to go. It’s nice to get praise at the moment but it’s more important to focus on where we want to go.

“Yes we are on the right track but we still have things to do that will take a bit of time. That’s where the club committee have been superb. They have been fully behind me. To actually progress a golf course you have to have the backing of a club committee as well as the members. I have that here.”

Golf course preparation resembles an interminable loop, a journey that often retraces familiar ground. Johnstone smiles: “It is a never-ending job, greenkeeping. There is always something that needs to be addressed. If you ever get into a position where you think you have cracked it, you are doing something wrong.

“Basically it is attention to detail, getting things right on the ground and producing the right surfaces for the golfer. If you haven’t got the right conditions, then you will struggle.”

His routine generally incorporates a 12-hour day, seven days a week. “I usually get in about 5.30am and the guys (12 staff for the 27-hole layout) come in for about 6am. I would have a meeting with them maybe twice a month. On a normal day I would allocate the jobs and we’d be on the course by 6.15am.

“I would be in that mix because I like to be hands on: whether that involves raking bunkers, cutting greens or tees or repairing divots. I take part in all that because the guys appreciate that you’re contributing on a practical level.

“I have got great support from the staff since I came over here. They have been very helpful and are a great bunch of lads. It is a team effort to produce a golf course. The guys finish at 1.30pm and I usually get away around five or six in the evening. I leave all the paper work until the end of the day.

“I tend to come in seven days a week; I like to be here. The club provides a cottage in the grounds so it is very handy for me to come in. If you are too far away you can’t do a proper job because you are away from the golf course too much.”

Johnstone returns to Scotland whenever he takes holidays and also indulges his passions for skiing, although he does concede with a laugh that he likes to play golf to relax. He’s on his way up to a three handicap.

He’d love to be in a position to prepare the course for world golf’s elite players at some point in the future but the primary focus remains the continuing refinement of a course that he describes as superb in terms of design and orientation.

On the evidence of what he has already achieved during his tenure, he may realise all those ambitions.