Ransomes Jacobsen appoint Marcus Fuller as new greenkeeper
Experienced groundsman, Marcus Fuller, has settled into his new role as greenkeeper at Ransomes Jacobsen’s Ipswich headquarters.
After leaving school, Marcus started his career in turf at Ipswich Town Football Club where he refined his skills and studied for an NVQ Level 2 in Sports Turf. From there he moved to roles in golf and horse racing before seeking a job closer to home where he could spend more time with his family.
For Marcus, the chance to develop himself as a turf professional and expand his role from his previous positions were contributing factors behind joining Ransomes Jacobsen. The three-hole RJ National course and 7-a-side football pitch are used to fulfil many purposes including product development, training and customer entertainment.
Speaking about his first five months in the job, Marcus said: “I’m finding it really good, I love it. It’s actually the office side of things I really like, and I didn’t think I’d enjoy working inside at all, but getting experience creating budgets and learning about the products is really going to help me going forward.
“It’s the first time I’ve managed my own facility, so it’s completely new for me. We make maintenance plans and then develop the budget from there and see what we can and can’t have so it’s all a new experience. The fact it’s a company with their own golf course and football pitch on site did draw me to the job. And when I spoke to them during the interview, they mentioned how there are so many departments within the business that can help you out and I’ve seen that with my experience with the product team.
“They come out and say we’ve got this idea, we’ve got that idea, what do you think, what have you used in the past, what would you like on a mower. So, they take the time to come out and ask me my opinion because I’m who they are building these mowers for, and they want to develop new features that will benefit the people using them.
“So far, I’m pleased with how the course is. We’re trying to get fungicide free, which is a great thing for us environmentally as a business. We didn’t use any last year, and the course has coped really well, so hopefully this year we can go forward with that.”
Operating in an environmentally beneficial way has been a staple of the course since it opened in 2008. At the time, great care and attention was taken to use as much of the natural resources as possible and introduce a new body of open water and wetland to the Ransomes business park.
After 12 years, the area is now an established and recognisable part of the company and continues to be a valuable asset for education and product development.