When Robert Muth received the plaque that identifies him as the recipient of the 2021 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by John Deere, he called it "A big plaque for a little place."
Muth is more than the equipment manager at Allentown Municipal Golf Course in eastern Pennsylvania;. He also is a member of the crew who also rides a mower, sprays, cuts cups and more on a daily basis, all while keeping all equipment in top shape for Allentown superintendent Chris Reverie, who nominated Muth for the award for his ability to innovate and create solutions, play a leadership role on the staff, finding creative ways to meet budget and helping drive and environmental philosophy at one of the best maintained municipal courses in Pennsylvania - and beyond..
"It's nice for the little guy to win," Muth said. "We are a very small muni with a small staff; there are six of us for the entire property. I'm not just a mechanic."
Muth came to Allentown from a background in auto mechanics, so he had a pretty good handle on the job with one exception - grinding.
"He was a quick study," Reverie said.
"He knows he has to stretch things."
He also now knows his way around reels, and often is able to make bedknives last an entire season on a single grind.
"As a machinist, I'm about precision. I am about thousandths, not watching for sparks and listening for noise. That doesn't work for me. I'd rather know how much I'm taking off. That's how I save bedknives for a year. If I know how much I'm taking off and how thick the bedknife is, I can account for all of that."
Muth is active in driving Reverie's goal of achieving Allentown's certification as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Audubon certification. To minimize issues associated with water runoff around the maintenance facility, he blows equipment clean instead of washing it when feasible and built a hybrid filtration system to catch water from the washpad behind the building. Water now moves through rock sediment and moves through grasses, then into a pool. All those materials are getting stopped before entering into the water into the ground."
Muth was selected by TurfNet's panel of judges and received the Golden Wrench Award along with a $1,000 cash prize. On hand to present Muth with the 15th annual award were Reverie and Ted Zabrenski, account manager for Finch Turf Inc., a John Deere distributor covering eastern Pennsylvania.
"I've been coming to Allentown Muni as a sales rep for 11 years, and I've coming here for 25 years overall," said Zabrenski. "You can see the enthusiasm that Chris and Robert bring to the job. These guys eat, live and sleep, Allentown Muni."
When he is not fixing equipment at Allentown, Muth is operating it, splitting time as mechanic and a member of Reverie's small, but dedicated on-course staff of six.
"He is the greatest assistant (superintendent) and mechanic any superintendent could hope to have," Reverie said. "Having the golf course in this condition is a direct reflection of Rob and the job he does. If I don't have someone in his position who is able to do what he does, then I don't have a golf course in the condition it's in right now."
Criteria on which candidates are judged include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.
Previous winners of the Golden Wrench Award are: (2020) Evan Meldahl, Bayou Oaks GC, New Orleans; (2019) Dan Dommer, Ozaukee CC, Mequon, WI; (2018) Terry Libbert, Old Marsh Golf Club, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; (2017) Tony Nunes, Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton, IL; (2016) Kris Bryan, Pikewood National Golf Club, Morgantown, WV; (2015) Robert Smith, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA; (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, CA; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, CA; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, IL; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club, Easton, CT; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont (PA) Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas, Irving, TX; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (GA) Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead, Lakewood, CO; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo (MI) Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort, Sarasota, FL.