Piltdown Man Is Greenkeeper Of The Year

Matthew Hutchinson, the Course Manager of Piltdown Golf Club has been named Greenkeeper of the Year for 2016 by the Sussex Professional Golfers Union for his tremendous work at Piltdown.

Hi is still relatively new to the role having started in November of 2014, but the feedback received by General Manager, Phil Bonsall, from both members and visitors has been tremendous.

Phil said “People visiting Piltdown this year who have played the course in the past can’t believe the difference. A couple of years ago we took a brave decision to invest over £400,000 into improving the golf course, especially the greens.

We hired Matthew to come in and oversee the end of the project, and also to take the course forward to the next level. I could tell during the interview process that he was the man for the job. He showed a knowledge and passion that is rarely seen, and the results of that are now evident on the course. He has done a truly wonderful job, and this award is very much deserved.

His team also deserve a mention, with all 5 of our greens staff being with us for less than 2 years. They all work extremely hard, and go above and beyond the call of duty to get the course looking its best. Piltdown has always had a fabulous reputation for catering and hospitality, and for being a wonderful heath-land layout.

The condition of the course now matches everything else that we do, and I truly believe we are now the must play course in East Sussex.”

Cliff Pluck, the Secretary of the Sussex Professionals who presented Matthew with his award on Friday said “We have visited Piltdown on 3 occasions this year. Once in July for an Alliance Meeting, again in early September for our prestigious Sussex Open, and then this week for a Pro-Am.

My professionals have had nothing but praise for the new design, and also the condition of the course. It is as if the place has been transformed with Matthew working alongside Phil. We can’t wait to come back next year when we will again be holding the Sussex Open at Piltdown. Well done to Matthew who has definitely earned this award.”

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