greenkeeper apprenticeship

THE SHIRE LONDON GOLF CLUB LIMITED

LONDON (EN5 4RE)

Closes in 23 days (Friday 9 October 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 16 September 2026

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Summary

You will learn how to maintain and care for golf courses and sports turf. You will gain practical experience in areas such as mowing, turf care, machinery use, irrigation and keeping the course in a safe, high-quality condition. This is a great opportunity to gain hands-on skills, work outdoors and build a career in greenkeeping.

Wage

£16,640 to £26,436.80, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Sports turf operative (level 2)
Hours
Working hours are summer 5.30 am till 2 pm winter 6.30 am till 3 pm. weekends we work 1 in 2 weekends this is paid overtime

40 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 10 November 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

  • Mow and maintain greens, tees, fairways and other areas of the golf course.
  • Carry out daily turf maintenance such as watering, feeding and aerating.
  • Maintain bunkers, including raking and keeping them in good condition.
  • Use a range of greenkeeping machinery and hand tools safely.
  • Assist with irrigation and drainage maintenance.
  • Repair and maintain turf, including divoting, seeding and replacing damaged areas.
  • Keep the course tidy by removing leaves, grass cuttings and other debris.
  • carry out work such as scarifying, top dressing and overseeding.
  • Clean, check and carry out basic maintenance on machinery and equipment.
  • Follow health and safety procedures and work safely as part of the greenkeeping team

Where you'll work

THE SHIRE LONDON
ST ALBANS ROAD
BARNET
LONDON
EN5 4RE

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

TRAIN TOGETHER LIMITED

Training course

Sports turf operative (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Apply the correct rates and range of materials to sports turf surfaces (e.g. grass seed, granular fertilisers, bulky top-dressing, turf and root zone).
  • Set and mark out the sports turf surface in accordance with the relevant governing body rules (including line marking, the 3-4-5 squaring technique, and marking arcs and semi-circles).
  • Prepare machinery and equipment to ensure their safe and effective use when carrying out sport turf tasks.
  • Maintain levels of soil moisture using either irrigation or drainage systems.
  • Inspect the condition of sports turf, make observations and communicate findings (e.g. PQS, weeds, pests, diseases, thatch content).
  • Prepare the ground and established grass areas as part of sports turf renovation tasks (e.g. overseeding, turfing).
  • Carry out cylinder mowing of sports turf surface(s) in accordance with set requirements.
  • Carry out repair of sports turf surfaces using relevant equipment and machinery (e.g. divot repair, foot hole repair, animal damage).
  • Prepare and safely operate a tractor and it's attachments.
  • Select and use relevant communication styles (e.g. verbal, written, digital) to convey information to different audiences (e.g. clients, staff, suppliers).
  • Adopts a systematic approach to troubleshooting and solving day-to-day resource or equipment issues.
  • Identify a range of turf grasses (vegetative and seed). (Including, perennial ryegrass smooth stalk meadow grass, annual meadow grass, fescue grass (fine), bent grass).
  • Carry out maintenance of sports turf surface using relevant equipment and machinery (including scarification, and aeration).
  • Dispose of waste in a safe and sustainable manner.
  • Apply the correct rates and range of materials to sports turf surfaces (e.g. grass seed, granular fertilisers, bulky top-dressing, turf and root zone).
  • Set and mark out the sports turf surface in accordance with the relevant governing body rules (including line marking, the 3-4-5 squaring technique, and marking arcs and semi-circles).
  • Prepare machinery and equipment to ensure their safe and effective use when carrying out sport turf tasks.
  • Maintain levels of soil moisture using either irrigation or drainage systems.
  • Inspect the condition of sports turf, make observations and communicate findings (e.g. PQS, weeds, pests, diseases, thatch content).
  • Prepare the ground and established grass areas as part of sports turf renovation tasks (e.g. overseeding, turfing).
  • Carry out cylinder mowing of sports turf surface(s) in accordance with set requirements.
  • Carry out repair of sports turf surfaces using relevant equipment and machinery (e.g. divot repair, foot hole repair, animal damage).
  • Prepare and safely operate a tractor and it's attachments.
  • Select and use relevant communication styles (e.g. verbal, written, digital) to convey information to different audiences (e.g. clients, staff, suppliers).
  • Adopts a systematic approach to troubleshooting and solving day-to-day resource or equipment issues.
  • Identify a range of turf grasses (vegetative and seed). (Including, perennial ryegrass smooth stalk meadow grass, annual meadow grass, fescue grass (fine), bent grass).
  • Carry out maintenance of sports turf surface using relevant equipment and machinery (including scarification, and aeration).
  • Dispose of waste in a safe and sustainable manner.

Training schedule

All training is done on-site with a tutor visiting and via Teams online.

The tutor visits around once a month.

More training information

The training provider is Train Together. 

Requirements

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Patience

About this employer

Family run golf club which is apart of a larger organisation called the Bridgedown Group which own four quality golfing properties across north and west London. The Shire has many high profile tournaments throughout the year and is recognised in the surrounding area as a highly regarded and well maintained golf club.

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

Once you become a Level 2 Greenkeeper there are more training courses ahead to progress your career such as level 3, spraying courses, chainsaw, irrigation.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

THE SHIRE LONDON GOLF CLUB LIMITED

dale sullivan

dale@theshirelondon.com

07539466906

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000053849.

Apply now

Closes in 23 days (Friday 9 October 2026 at 11:59pm)