Meet Phil Helmn

Phil Helmn is a Master Greenkeeper (one of a select few worldwide) and has risen from the bottom through the greenkeeping ranks. Since leaving college in 1987, where he gained his diploma in sports turf science with honours, he has lived and breathed golf and greenkeeping. 

His father was the local golf pro which influenced Phil’s early years growing up in his hometown of Morecambe, Lancashire. Like many in the turf industry he got the greenkeeping bug by working on his local golf course during school holidays and weekends. Phil knew from those early days that greenkeeping was to be his lifelong vocation and, as a result, has always worked in the golf course world. Phil has gained over thirty five years valuable experience working with plentiful as well as tight budgets, large and small teams and has mastered the need to get the best out of all resources available. Phil has managed full golf course construction projects, grow-in’s, re-builds and regular maintenance operations with teams on a wide range of soil types in the U.K., Europe and America and has used these experiences to fine tune his mentoring and common-sense management style.

Phil is a respected contributor to leading turf magazines, with his leadership columns widely recognised across the UK and USA. As a university sports turf lecturer at the renowned Myerscough College, a leading institution in sports turf excellence and as an industry assessor, he champions practical, work-based learning approaches that bridge theory and real-world application. A sought-after speaker at regional, national and international conferences, Phil excels at transforming leadership concepts into engaging, hands-on workshop formats. His natural ability to communicate, combined with an infectious passion for sharing knowledge in a clear, no-nonsense style, resonates at every level. In addition to these roles, Phil works with The Bernhard Academy, which specialises in training industry professionals throughout the UK and USA.