Golf greenkeeper apprenticeship, level 2 · Register title: Golf greenkeeper (ST0209)
Grow greenkeepers who understand the course they're preparing
The Growth and Skills Levy covers the training and assessment, and we handle the enrolment and the paperwork. Your apprentice learns on your own course, with a tutor who comes to you, preparing greens, tees, fairways and bunkers and learning the science behind every job. They might already be on your team, cutting greens, or be someone new you take on from school or another career.
BIGGA recognised training provider
It helped me know a lot about machines and day to day life at work that is gonna help me for the future and present.
Grant Carter Golf greenkeeper apprenticeWhat they'll be able to do
Three milestones, ending ready for assessment
Work safely on the course, prepare it for play, and operate and look after the machinery, from mowers to ride-on equipment.
Identify grasses, weeds, pests and diseases, apply fertilisers and top dressing correctly, and carry out rolling, verti-cutting, scarification and aeration.
Maintain bunkers, drainage and irrigation, support renovation and construction, work to the Rules of Golf and course etiquette, and be ready for end point assessment.
Their learning journey
Four themes, built around your work
Course preparation and safe working
Health and safety, preparing the course for play, and operating and maintaining machinery.
Turf science
Soil and plant biology, grass identification, and the effects of fertilisers, top dressing and treatments on playing surfaces.
Surface maintenance
Mowing principles, rolling, verti-cutting, scarification and aeration, and controlling weeds, disease and pests.
Water, features and the game
Irrigation, drainage, bunkers and water features, environmental best practice, and the Rules of Golf.
Test, practical assessment and professional discussion
A 75-minute multiple-choice test, a three and a half hour practical assessment with questions, and a 90-minute professional discussion underpinned by their portfolio. Graded fail, pass, merit or distinction. New starters from 2 March 2027 follow a revised plan, graded pass or distinction.
Every programme works the same way. They learn it, use it in your organisation, then look back at what they did and why.
Know it
How turf grows, what threatens it, and how each job on the course affects play.
Show it
Greens, tees and bunkers prepared to standard, and machinery run safely and well.
Live it
Pride in the course, a safety mindset, and asking why as well as how.
Who you could put forward
Someone already with you, or someone new
The greenkeeper already cutting your greens
Practical and keen, and ready for the knowledge behind the work.
Someone returning to greenkeeping
Paul Kendall's apprentice, Ben, had worked as a greenkeeper in Australia and needed a clear route on.
A school leaver who wants to work outdoors
Someone new you hire onto the apprenticeship from day one.
Someone changing career
An adult who wants a hands-on career, at any age.
You're trusting us with someone from your team. Here's how we look after them.
One tutor from start to finish, who comes to your site and gets to know your ground and your team.
A one-to-one review every month, and a three-way review with you at the end of every stage. Nobody is guessing where they are or what's next.
Learning built around your season. Off-the-job time is agreed with you in hours per week before they start, and much of it happens on your own ground. No day or block release.
What your organisation gets
Surfaces to standard from a team that knows why
A team that knows why
Greenkeepers who understand the reasons behind the work make better decisions when you're not there.
Surfaces presented to standard
Greens, tees, fairways and bunkers prepared consistently, week in, week out.
A career path that keeps people
Level 2 leads on to advanced sports turf technician, then golf course manager, all on your own course.
Training and assessment are funded from the Growth and Skills Levy you already pay, up to the funding band for this standard. If you don't pay the levy, there's nothing to pay for apprentices under 25, and a 5% contribution for those aged 25 and over.
We check eligibility before you commit to anything. We complete the enrolment, the funding agreement, and the records the rules require, in the format auditors expect.
You get one named account manager, from your first conversation to your last review. If something isn't working, you go to them, and we take it seriously.
Where it leads
The next step, when they're ready
Advanced sports turf technician, level 3 ›The next step for greenkeepers moving into technical roles.
Golf course manager, level 5 ›For greenkeepers heading towards leading the team.
The honest answers
Questions people actually ask
At least 509 hours of off-the-job training across the programme. We convert that into hours per week for your season and agree it in writing before anyone starts.
Enrolment is rolling, so yes. Autumn starts put the heaviest learning in your quietest months.
No, but BIGGA apprentice membership is free while they train, and on completion they can apply for full membership.
Training and assessment are funded from the Growth and Skills Levy, up to £8,000. If you don't pay the levy, there's nothing to pay for apprentices under 25, and a 5% contribution for those aged 25 and over. We'll confirm exactly what applies before you commit.
From 1 October 2026, you may receive up to £2,000 for an apprentice aged 16 to 24, an extra £1,000 if they're 16 to 18, and an extra £3,000 if they've received Universal Credit for more than six months. We'll check what applies to you before you commit.
If they move to a new employer, they can carry on their apprenticeship there. Your funding commitment from the Growth and Skills Levy ends when they leave.
Let's begin
Tell us who you'd like to back.
We'll reply within one working day. You'll know whether this programme fits them, what it costs you, and how quickly they could start. No commitment. And if we're not the right fit, we'll tell you.
Together, let's go