Andy DevaneyThree years after finishing runner-up in the Young category, Jake Rose returned to the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards 2026 and left Rockliffe with the main prize.
For a competition built to identify emerging greenkeeping talent, it was a neat reminder that disappointment can be useful if you bother to ask what went wrong.
Rose, first assistant at Alwoodley and a Myerscough College student, was named Student Greenkeeper of the Year after two days of practical and theoretical assessment near Darlington. Archie Raynham, a greenkeeper at Essendon Country Club and student at Oaklands College, won the Young Student Greenkeeper of the Year award.
A near-miss that proved useful
Rose had been runner-up in the Young category in 2023. Rather than filing the experience under “nearly”, he asked for feedback and returned with a clearer idea of where he could improve.
“It’s a massive honour. Coming runner-up in 2023 probably spurred me on that little bit more to want to do it again.”
More revealing was the way he approached the return.
“I asked for feedback last time, so I knew where my strengths and weaknesses were. This time I went in with a clean slate, didn’t focus on anyone else and just tried to do the best I could. Wherever that led, it led.”
Rob Hogarth, Dealer Development – North at Reesink Turfcare and a judge for the main award, described Rose as “confident, crisp and knowledgeable” and said the panel believed he could become someone who shapes the future of greenkeeping.
The tests went well beyond turf trivia
Nine finalists reached the 37th national final after online interviews earlier in the year. At Rockliffe, they were tested on seed and grass identification, presentations, interviews and practical tasks.
That mix is revealing. Golfers tend to encounter greenkeeping through the condition of the course, but the job behind it calls for technical knowledge and the ability to explain decisions under pressure. The final tested both, rather than merely rewarding the person most comfortable with a grass sample and a clipboard.
Toby Smith, deputy course manager at Redlibbets and a Hadlow College student, finished runner-up in the main category. Sam Wells of Myerscough College was runner-up in the Young category.
Raynham’s ambition started early
Raynham’s win carried a different story. Greenkeeping, he said, had been the career he wanted since he was about 12.
“Since I was about 12, greenkeeping is all I’ve wanted to do. I loved golf and had a big interest in lawn care, so I put the two together.”
The moment of victory was rather less technical.
“When my name was called, all the background noise just disappeared. It felt like all the hard work I’d put in had paid off.”
Darren Anderson, Dealer Development – South at Reesink Turfcare and a judge for the Young award, praised Raynham’s knowledge, professionalism and enthusiasm, saying the judges saw “the knowledge, passion and potential to make a real impact.”
Why golfers should notice the names behind the course
The Toro awards, organised by BIGGA, Reesink Turfcare and Toro, give unusual visibility to people whose work is normally judged through the playing surface rather than a leaderboard.
BIGGA chief executive Jim Croxton said the standard at Rockliffe showed “the talent emerging across our profession”. For golfers, that is the useful point. Rose and Raynham have won student awards, not major championships, and nobody needs to pretend otherwise. But the knowledge and standards being developed now will eventually be felt on courses.
A competition that identifies capable young greenkeepers is therefore more than an industry pat on the back. It is one small part of how golf develops the people responsible for the places where the game is actually played.
Two winners, and a longer view
The awards will return in 2027. Rose has the satisfying symmetry of a runner-up finish turned into a win three years later; Raynham has confirmation that the career he chose in childhood is already gathering momentum.
Golf loves to talk about the next generation. Usually it means teenagers with tour cards and launch monitors. Sometimes, though, the future of the game is carrying seed samples into an interview room.
