Listen in as Carson Letot, Ph.D., joins TurfNet's John Reitman to discuss his less-than-traditional route from an intern on a golf course to becoming a school teacher to finally being named program coordinator of the USGA Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program.
A former TurfNet intern in Ireland, Letot fills us in on how the one-year GAP program works as it helps prepare non-traditional students in the North Carolina Sandhills area for careers in golf turf maintenance. He also addresses how he
Scott Lambert's career in golf began like that of many superintendents — working on a golf course as a summer job.
His career shifted onto the fast track after nearly 10 years prepping under William Shirley at Peachtree Golf Club in Brookhaven, Georgia, Lambert ventured 10 miles up the road to Atlanta Country Club, a 1965 William C. Byrd design, where he has been head superintendent since 2019.
Although he has been a head superintendent for a short period, Lambert's leadership and prof
David Webner is winding up a 42 year career in golf turf management, the last almost-25 of which have been as the golf course superintendent at Westwood Country Club in Rocky River, Ohio, on the west side of Cleveland. Peter McCormick caught up with David and got some fascinating insight into what makes him tick.
Starting out as a night waterman and skunk-hunter at a local 18-hole, low budget Mom & Pop, David quickly learned by doing... a work ethic he kept with him throughout his caree
Carlton Henry was well prepared when he earned his first head superintendent position three years ago at Dedham Country and Polo Club just outside Boston.
A native of New York, Henry first prepped at golf courses in his home state, home to the nation’s strictest pesticide regulations. A graduate of the Rutgers turf program, he eventually spent several years working for another Rutgers product, John Zimmers, at both Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh and later the Inverness Club in Toledo,
Have you heard the opinion that Gen Z'ers are lazy and unfocused? Meet Kate Phillips: driven, entrepreneurial, aspiring golf course superintendent who knows where she wants to go and how she is going to get there. She shows up.
Has conversing via social media and communicating via thumbs prevented young adults from developing confidence, poise and tact? Meet Kate Phillips: calm, cool and collected, poised beyond her years.
Can Gen Z'ers hold their own in an interview situation? Meet Ka
When Jeff Whitmire was 12 years old, his request for a birthday/Christmas gift was not the usual. He wanted a copy of Dr. James Beard's now-classic textbook, Turf Management for Golf Courses. One might say Jeff's direction in life was pre-ordained at an early age.
Jeff started working at Williamsburg Country Club at age 12 as a cart attendant. He took over as superintendent when he was 25, with no degree and still working toward a turf certificate. He is still there, 27 years later, surviv
The latest TurfNet All Star of Turf is Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, of Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut.
A graduate of the Rutgers University turfgrass program, Pavonetti has developed a reputation for providing exceptional playing conditions while also being recognized for his efforts at producing an environmentally friendly landscape.
In his 17th season at Fairview, Pavonetti previously was superintendent at the Edison Club and the West Point Golf Course at the U.S. Military A
Andy Mallick's trajectory as a Rising Star of Turf has been a long one, entailing stops at four golf courses over 14 years before landing his first head superintendent position. Now in his fifth season as superintendent (and 11th overall) at Metedeconk National Golf Club (Jackson, NJ), Mallick had interim stops at Pine Valley Golf Club, Country Club of Darien and Southward Ho Golf Club on Long Island, picking up valuable experience at each one.
Mallick credits his girlfriend, Rachel, with g
The latest TurfNet All Star of Turf is Steve Ehrbar, CGCS at Panther National Golf Club, a private, single-owner facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
A graduate of the two-year program at Ohio State, Ehrbar has been a legendary fixture in South Florida for years.
His career includes stops at Jupiter Hills Golf Club in Tequesta, Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens and Lost Tree in North Palm Beach, the home course of Jack Nicklaus.
Ehrbar has been involved in multiple con
Our first Rising Star of Turf for 2024 is Jeremiah Mincey, first assistant superintendent at Savannah Quarters Country Club in Pooler, Georgia. Many might recognize Jeremiah from his activity on TurfTwitter/X and as a recent recipient of a GCI/Aquatrols Super Social Media Award.
Jeremiah, 26, graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BS in business management and then took the certificate program in turfgrass management from the University of Georgia. His first exposure to turf mana
Our latest All Star of Turf is Patrick H. Sisk, CGCS, career superintendent, athlete, marathoner, inventor, entrepreneur and family man. Pat guides us through his path from a college transition to early adventures in Colorado and Arizona, then a career that took him from his native coastal Connecticut to 18 years in Milwaukee and recently back to western Massachusetts. It hasn't always been a cakewalk. Early on he fell into substance abuse but clawed his way to sobriety... and has been sober for
Fred Taylor, CGCS, retired in early October, 2023, after a 43-year stint working exclusively at Mankato Golf Club in his hometown of Mankato, Minnesota. Fred followed in the "bootsteps" of Boots Fuller in 1992, becoming who would wind up as only the third superintendent at MGC in almost 100 years.
Fred takes credit for all that goes wrong and give his staff credit for all that is right on the golf course. He has over the years served as a buffer between the staff and club membership,"runnin
Sam Moynihan took over the reins at Detroit Golf Club this spring just 90 days prior to hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Soon thereafter somebody painted two greens with Roundup as a "welcome" present. The challenge was on.
A graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in agriculture, Sam kicked off his turf career with a stint at Muirfield Village Golf Club, first under Paul B Latshaw and then Chad Mark. He then moved over to Caves Valley Golf Club for the next five years as fir
James Morgan was fresh out of Lake City Community College (now Florida Gateway College) and a summer/part-time stint at the Country Club of Orlando when he followed CCO superintendent Kasey Kauff to build Trinity Forest in Dallas. Morgan started as an assistant and was promoted to superintendent during his 5+ year stay at the Coore/Crenshaw layout. That Coore/Crenshaw connection led him to being selected to grow in Wicker Point Golf Club on Lake Martin, the first new golf construction in Alabama
Rob Munro is finishing up his third season at Cabot Cliffs in Inverness, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the #1 rated golf course in Canada. Rob landed there with a turf degree from Olds College in Alberta and Poa-and-bentgrass experience at Capilano Golf & Country Club on Vancouver Island, BC. This winter he will travel to New Zealand to satisfy both his yearning for travel and to also put another bullet in his agronomic holster. Have a listen and see why Lee Strutt, Director of Agronomy a
Our latest All Star of Turf is Jason Haines, whom many in the industry will remember for his high profile social media presence (as @PenderSuper) that suddenly went dark several years ago. As the golf course superintendent at Pender Harbour Golf Club and later Sunshine Coast Golf Club in British Columbia, Jason developed (by necessity) a low-input, minimalist turf maintenance strategy that he shared and brainstormed with his Twitter following of 8,000+ before deciding to step away from social me
So who graduates from UMass in 1971 with a BS in Plant and Soil Science, takes an assistant job at a very private/secretive 500 acre facility on the NY/CT border, gets promoted to superintendent three months later, grows in a new back nine... and then stays for 51 years? We'll tell you who: Mike Maffei, CGCS, recently retired golf course superintendent at Morefar in Brewster, NY.
Google "Morefar" and you won't come up with much. "A lot of newcomers to Brewster don't even know it's there," q
Our latest All Star of Turf is Michael Morris, CGCS, 36-year Director of Buildings and Grounds at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Michigan. A native of Frankfort, Mike is one of the few golf course property managers who has spent his entire career at one course, in his hometown. He is also a rarity in obtaining a BA and MS in English and film studies at Michigan State before realizing that life on the golf course spoke to him more than a future in academia.
He is known internation
In this first "It's not just about the grass" segment of TurfNet All Stars of Turf, we recognize Scott Dodson, CGCS, and John Taylor. Both career superintendents, they are perhaps better known as the founders of the Golf Course Hockey Challenge, an annual 2-day/4-game tournament that has attracted as many as 16 teams of hockey playing superintendents, assistants and suppliers over a 25+ year run.
Dodson has been at the Park Country Club in Williamsville (Buffalo) NY for 30 years. Taylor is
Jordon Bowling found his calling into turfgrass management a little later than most, at 22 with a six-month old son to boot. His brother-in-law, Chad Kuzawa, was an NC State turf grad making the rounds of some clubs in the southeast and convinced Jordon to visit from his home in Michigan and shadow him for a couple of days. That set things in motion.
He enrolled in the turf management program at Wayne Community College in NC and worked at Wedgewood GC, then Country Club of Virginia, Carolin
Chad Allen, finishing up his first year as golf course superintendent at the Club at Chatham Hills near Indianapolis, IN, has a unique background and training as a substance abuse and addiction counselor prior to shifting to turf management. A recent attendee of both Green Start and the Syngenta Business Institute programs, Chad employs a "bottom up" management style that centers on listening to and engaging his staff in the processes of managing the golf course.
A fascinating conversation
Jim Surico, senior assistant superintendent at North Jersey Country Club in Wayne, NJ, is admittedly a "glass half full" kind of guy. As such, when asked to name something he doesn't like to do on the golf course, he came up blank. "Ooh, I don't know, tough question... There really isn't anything I don't like to do, even dealing with members..."
Now THERE is a guy who is going to have a successful career as a superintendent.
Surico talks us through his career from Rutgers University to
Jared Viarengo of Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, bucked a trend early in his career by also becoming general manager at the club in eastern Pennsylvania. Since then, Viarengo's role has expanded as the club's director of grounds and director of club operations.
In this broadcast, Viarengo discusses how his career started in the field of psychology and how he eventually returned his roots on the golf course, where he had worked during summers since high school.
He also
