Celebrating the success of Thank A Greenkeeper Day

17 September 2025

Golf clubs, GMs and stars from across the world of sport joined the chorus of support for greenkeepers.

Thank A Greenkeeper Day once again shone a light on the tireless work of course maintenance teams, with golf clubs, managers and some of the sport’s biggest stars showing their appreciation.

The initiative, led by BIGGA and the GCSAA, took place on September 9th and invited the global golfing community to show support for the professionals who keep courses in top condition.

What began as a social media campaign has grown into a worldwide celebration of greenkeeping as a profession, and this year’s edition saw record engagement. The hashtags #ThankAGreenkeeper and #ThankASuper achieved a combined reach of 19.6 million, a remarkable rise on the 13.6 million recorded in 2024.

Many golf clubs embraced the opportunity to highlight the contribution of their teams, with general managers and staff taking to social media to share stories, photographs and messages of gratitude.

High-profile voices added weight to the message. Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose joined figures from across the worlds of sport and entertainment in acknowledging the commitment of turfcare professionals.

“Thank you to all you special, amazing people that make the courses so beautiful for us to play on – we’re very appreciative,” said FedEx Cup winner Fleetwood, speaking at the BMW PGA Pro-Am. “I love golf, I love playing golf, and you guys make it better, so thank you very much.”

Major winner and Olympic gold medallist Rose echoed those sentiments, as he tweeted: “A huge thank you to all the greenkeepers around the world who work tirelessly – early mornings, long days, and in all kinds of weather – to keep our golf courses in such amazing condition. Your hard work and dedication make the game we love possible, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Tennis legend Andy Murray, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and comedian Michael McIntyre provided an added sprinkling of stardust to the tributes.

While the words reached wide audiences, it was the collective effort from clubs, managers and members that ensured the campaign resonated at every level of the game.

Thank A Greenkeeper Day is more than a one-day celebration. It provides a platform to raise awareness of the skills and expertise within the profession and to underline the need for ongoing recognition, support and fair conditions for those who dedicate themselves to the role. By amplifying the campaign through their own channels, general managers and clubs played a key role in strengthening that message and showcasing the people behind the scenes who make golf possible.

By GCMA Content Team

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John Steele

John Steele is a former professional athlete, sports coach, Olympic Leader and is the Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University. He has been Chief Executive across a range of sectors. Drawing on leadership experience of nine different Olympic and Paralympic Games (including the amazing events at the Rio Games), John reflects on the lessons from this unique period in British sport and relays his fascinating views on creating high performing teams.

Indeed, inspired from PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, by the most successful performance ever for Team GB, he has a whole host of new business and leadership insights into how this was brilliant performance was achieved and how it can translate back into your organisation.

John moved into the corporate world, before he enjoyed an outstanding career as a professional rugby player achieving international honours. After his playing career, he turned his hand to coaching and achieved the highest accolade for a British club coach by winning the European Cup with Northampton Saints. He then became Executive Director on the Saints Board during a period of unprecedented growth, and served on the England Rugby Board during the successful world cup campaign of 2003. It was no surprise that John’s talents were called upon to drive through a change and modernisation programme as CEO of the Rugby Football Union – a challenge that became controversial and ended in his departure from the post after only a year, but with his dignity and professional pride intact.

Headhunted by UK Sport, John took up post as CEO the day before London won the 2012 Olympic bid – and this promising start was sustained as he embarked on developing the UK’s high performance sport system, which he led for a six-year period of unprecedented success through the Beijing and London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Post-London 2012, with the Olympic legacy in place and an obligation to continue inspiring a generation, John took up his post as Group Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust. He has also succeeded Steve Cram as Chairman of the English Institute of Sport, an organisation described as ‘the team behind the team’, which delivers a range of performance impacting solutions to over 40 Olympic and Paralympic sports and some non-Olympic sports.

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Dr Jo Salter MBE

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