Royal Birkdale Renovation

When we caught up with Sean McLean, Course Manager at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, it was early October 2025.  This was their maintenance week, and the course was partially closed to allow for an intensive renovation program across the championship links.

Having taken over the role only three years ago, Sean is facing the task of preparing one of golf’s most iconic venues for the 154th Open Championship, only nine months away. Yet, he’s quick to stress that the work being carried out goes far beyond Open preparations. “We’re doing a lot of procedures ahead of the Open next year,” he explains, “but it’s also just for general play. It’s not just targeted at the Open. It’ll be something that we’ll be looking to do annually going forward.”

Sean outlines the scope of this autumn’s renovation programme:

“Starting off with verticutting and brushing, using the GreenTek units.  And then following on from that, this week its been scarifying to target the top 7mm in the profile”.

Using a plug cutter, he inspects a core from the green and decides to take the Thatch-Away Scarifier Cassettes another millimetre deeper. Four clicks of the Set-by-Feel adjusters later, and the greensmower is back in action — a small adjustment, but one that makes all the difference.

The renovation continues with further processes to reduce organic matter, including deep-tine aeration with solid tines, followed by micro-coring with Dyna-Corer units. Next comes seeding with a fine fescue mix, applied using their Dyna-Seeder units. 

This is followed by a once over with a pedestrian solid tine aerator set at a shallow depth to punch even more potholes for the seed.   “Following on from that it’s been a heavy topdress, and then work all the material into the surface and help dilute that top profile.  So, yeah” he concludes, “all these products have been good, and all these inputs have been a great help for carrying that out”.

Already, the first of the R&A cabins has appeared beside Birkdale’s famous clubhouse, signalling the early stages of Open Championship preparations. Among the greenkeeping team, the talk has turned to the well-drilled operation that soon unfolds as Europe’s premier golf event moves in.

But the man at the centre of it all remains calm and measured. For Sean McLean, this is simply business as usual - maintaining Royal Birkdale to the highest possible standard, for members, guests, and the world’s best players