Relentlessly Dedicated With Jamie Faulkner
Name: Jamie Faulkner
Title Director of Agronomy
Facility and location: The Royal Golf Club, Kingdom of Bahrain
Troon Value: Relentlessly Dedicated
Q: When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up and please explain if there was a story around that.
A: I think I had the typical dream of many young people growing up in the UK and wanted to become a professional football (soccer) player. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite make the cut!
Q: What/Who got you interested in the business of agronomy and what was your first experience with the industry?
A: My first experience within the industry was a summer job working at Blenchingly Golf Club in Surrey, England. I never had any real interest in golf or turf before hand but instantly fell in love with Greenkeeping, driving the machines, hand watering and learning all the many different aspects of the job, it had me instantly hooked.
Q: What has been your career progression thus far?
A: I first started in the industry when I was 16. After the summer at Blenchingly, I then moved into my first full time position at Chipstead Golf Club, where I spent the next five years. I then moved to The Addington Golf Club in London and after two amazing years I received an offer to move to the other side of the World to Kalgoorlie Golf Club in Australia. I had an incredible year in Australia but unfortunately I only had a one year visa and had to return to England, I knew when I returned I wanted to carry on my travels, and working in this industry it provides you amazing opportunities to travel the world. The next stop was the USA, interning with Ohio State University. I requested to work with warm season grasses and was placed in Fort Myers, Florida at the beautiful Fiddlesticks Country Club. I was extremely fortunate during my 18 months in Florida to gain a few promotions and spent the last 12 months as Assistant Superintendent.
During the last few months in America I received an email from William Evans, the Director of Agronomy at the Troon managed Royal Golf Club in Bahrain. He asked if I would be interested in interviewing for the Assistant Superintendent position. I had no clue where Bahrain was, but it did not bother me as I had really caught the travel bug at that point. After a few interviews I was offered the job, and 10 days later I was landing in the extremely hot and humid Middle Eastern desert. After 3 years working under William Evans, I was offered my first Superintendent position within the Troon network working at KGA, Bangalore, India. KGA was an incredible experience with the club averaging over 100,000 rounds of golf per year! With 6,000 members (2,500 active playing members) and a 15-year waiting list for membership. After two years I took a job with our strategic partners Golf Saudi at Riyadh Golf Club, where I was back closer to my wife and son who remained in Bahrain throughout this time. After William Evans and his family decided to leave Bahrain and return to the Grove in London, I was very fortunate to replace him and returned to Bahrain as Director of Agronomy in June 2023. I feel very fortunate to have returned to the club at this time, with substantial investments from the shareholders and the return of the DP World Tour last year, it is certainly a very busy and exciting time at the Royal Golf Club.
Q: What do you do in your daily job or life to inspire others interested in turf management and the agronomy business as a career (could be mentoring your associates or networking, etc)
A: In my daily job, I focus on mentoring my associates by sharing my knowledge and experiences in turf management. I believe in leading by example, so I make it a point to stay up to date with the latest industry trends and best practices.
Q: What is one interesting science fact you about agronomy that not many people know about?
A: I don’t think many people realize we actually measure the speed the grass grows, and how we can manipulate and improve playing conditions by controlling these measures.
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