Badminton groundsman

Phil Cole on flawless going for cross-country, perfecting his craft on polo pitches and being at the mercy of the weather

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In the lead-up to Badminton in 2007 a front page of Horse & Hound pictured a tractor trying to level the ground there a month later I got a call to get involved as a contractor to help.

The organisers had been caught out by a very wet March, followed by a really dry April, which meant the ground was poached and lumpy.

It was one of those perfect storms really, but I think it was good in the end because it gave everybody a wake-up call to say actually we do need to start paying attention to the quality of the ground.

I've been doing surface preparation for various sports grounds from racecourses to football pitches for more than 30 years.

Expectations for good ground have got higher in all sectors, but with Badminton being a signature course, people are much more critical.