When you’re at the top of your game awards come your way, and for Mike Bush it’s been happening for years.

The latest award for the esteemed course manager at St. Mellion Estate in Cornwall came at this year’s 59club Global Service Excellence Awards, where Bush was named Superintendent of the Year.

The experienced Cornishman beat golf course superintendents from 22 countries worldwide, short-listed to ten nominees, in 59club’s first-ever global awards in front of 300 people at a glittering ceremony at The Belfry Hotel & Resort near Birmingham, England, a worldclass.golf destination.

Bush’s pride and joy, the world-famous Nicklaus Signature Course at St. Mellion, is one of the most breathtaking golf courses in Europe, and like all superintendent nominees Bush and his team went through an intense data-driven assessment period involving mystery shopping and benchmarking.

In the final judging, their presentation of the Nicklaus Signature Course was measured against the world’s best golfing experiences in Denmark, Ireland, Australia, Canada, England, the USA, the UAE and Thailand.

St. Mellion achieved an astonishing near-perfect score in the 59club assessment, and Bush accepted the award on behalf of his team. “St. Mellion is in my blood” he said. “I’m a proud Cornishman and actually grew up in the village of St. Mellion, so I feel a deep personal connection with the estate here.

“I’m so proud to receive such a prestigious award, and I am hugely grateful to 59club for this rare accolade, but I see this as much as a win for my dedicated team and for the glorious St. Mellion landscape which we have cultivated in this corner of Cornwall, as it is a personal accomplishment.”

Bush came to St. Mellion in October 1995 after an early career in golf course construction, and subsequently supervised course preparation for a host of professional events on the European Tour and Senior Tour.

He achieved BIGGA Master Greenkeeper status in 2011, one of the first 60 people in history to reach that level. To this day fewer than 100 of Bush’s peers worldwide have earnt this status. Bush subsequently expanded his role to become group course manager across the Crown Golf collection.

Jeff Chapman, founder of Crown Golf owners Bangarra Group, said: “The world of international golf is like most global industries in that there is intense competition to be the best, but it does not always recognise the outstanding talents which are making such huge contributions to the success of the sport.

“So it is great news that Mike Bush has received this level of global recognition. As the proud owner of the world famous St. Mellion Estate, I take this opportunity on behalf of all those associated with the resort to congratulate him & say ‘thanks for a job well done’.”

59club sets industry performance benchmarks and celebrates service excellence across the world, running over 4,000 independent mystery shopper visits annually. St. Mellion joined 59club in 2022, and Bush won UK & Ireland Superintendent of the Year Awards in both 2023 and 2024 before receiving the coveted global accolade this year.

“You need a world-class course manager to fully realise the potential of a world-class golf course, and Mike Bush is that man at St. Mellion,” said David Moon, director of golf at St. Mellion Estate. He is our own multi-star Michelin chef of the golf industry, and in The Nicklaus he has his Signature dish.”

South West England’s most famous golfing attraction was designed with both Tour golf and members’ golf in mind by Nicklaus personally, before he won his last Major at The Masters in 1986.

“St. Mellion holds a special place in my heart,” said Jack Nicklaus, speaking in 2013. “It was my first design opportunity in the UK and among all of the golf courses I have designed I would rank it very high as a test of golf, as a design, and looking at the beauty of each individual hole.

“St. Mellion is a strong test of golf, and it gives me a great deal of pride.”

St. Mellion’s Nicklaus Signature Course is best-remembered for hosting the Benson & Hedges International Open for six consecutive years in the early 90s. Anecdotes which highlight the golf course’s legendary toughness in full Tour mode are legion.

“I’m not saying it’s tight, but I walked down the 12th hole sideways,” quipped Zimbabwean Tour pro Tony Johnstone, runner-up to Peter Senior in the B&H in 1992.

One year a visiting Australian Tour golfer ran out of golf balls during his round, forcing him to retire from the event, and in 1992, Jesper Parnevik – on his way to a round in the 80s – played the 18th in under a minute, running all the way and finishing by bombing fully-clothed into the lake beside the final green to the delight of the crowd.

But the beloved Nicklaus golf course, lovingly cared for by Bush and the St. Mellion Estate greenkeeping staff, has many thousands of loyal fans who return time and again.

“We’re the only European Tour venue for almost 150 miles, and for thirty years golfers have been making a pilgrimage to take on The Nicklaus Signature Course,” said Moon.

“The course is so steeped in history. In the summer of 1988 we held an exhibition match to open The Nicklaus course. Jack Nicklaus himself partnered Tom Watson against Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle, and the Brits won. Now that’s what I call a fourball!

“It rained hard that day, like it sometimes does here in Cornwall,” said Moon, “but there’s always sunshine in the clubhouse at St. Mellion. We want your memories of St. Mellion to be amazing no matter how you played, so our welcome is truly warm and genuine.

“Luckily, Jack Nicklaus designed his course to be playable for all levels, so we also have some very generous forward tees which make The Nicklaus extremely playable for all standards of golfer.”

On Mike Bush’s 2025 award, 59club Founder & CEO Simon Wordsworth said: “Mike’s achievement is testament to his exceptional standards, professionalism, and dedication at St. Mellion, which is one of the world’s leading golfing destinations.

“To be recognised as Global Superintendent of the Year is no small feat: it reflects not just the quality of St. Mellion’s playing surfaces and Mike’s agronomic capabilities, but also Mike’s ability to galvanise his team to deliver exemplary performance day in, day out.

“He is a true leader within the industry, and we are proud to celebrate his success on a global platform.”

David Moon finished: “As a colleague Mike consistently helps me to raise my own game and over the last 30 years his high quality standards have been an inspiration to all staff at St. Mellion. With unrelenting commitment and passion he has nurtured not only the world-famous golf course which Jack Nicklaus created for us, but he has also supervised the elevation of our second course, The Kernow – itself a former European Tour venue – to an international standard.

“This magnificent global award is a fine validation of his achievements here. Mike sets a shining example not just for his team here at this resort, but also for his peers in the global golf industry.

“Mike Bush’s work is one of the main reasons why St. Mellion is such an extraordinarily rewarding place to visit.”