John has 40 years greenkeeping experience and was superintendent of Ireland’s oldest golf course –The Royal Curragh from 1993 to 2019. Academic qualifications include City & Guilds greenkeeping, First Class Honours Degree in Turfgrass Science and a PhD in Plant Pathology at the University of the West of England, Bristol. 

He has also conducted independent research on turfgrass disease management for the past 15 years, covering extensively the subject Microdochium nivale infection of turfgrasses, turfgrass responses to biotic and abiotic challenge and the effect of nutritional programmes on disease suppression, turfgrass growth and quality. 

Since 2019 John has headed Independent Turfgrass Research. His current work is focused on biotic and abiotic stresses in turfgrass, integrated disease control and enhancement of turfgrass defence responses. 

He has presented the results of this research at numerous conferences and seminars in Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Norway, Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic and at GIS in the USA and BTME in Harrogate, UK.