As a kid in Ireland, Alan FitzGerald discovered more than 25 years ago that the best route to becoming a golf course superintendent would include going to the United States - at least for formal education. What he did not know at the time was that what was supposed to be a two-year stop at Penn State would turn into something much more permanent.
FitzGerald, a native of Castlecomer, a small town in the southeast of Ireland near Kilkenny, came to the U.S. in 1996 to attend Penn State. After a stint as assistant working for Rick Christian at historic Pine Valley in New Jersey, FitzGerald has spent the past 18 years as superintendent at vista-rich LedgeRock Golf Club in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, a remote area near Reading. Two years ago, he made his extended stay permanent when he became a U.S. citizen.
"It isn't an easy process. At first, I just wanted to get it done, but when I did it, it was very emotional. It was a big moment," said FitzGerald. "I don't get excited much, but that was something that was very exciting."
It was Aidan O'Hara who convinced FitzGerald of the importance of learning the turf management trade at an American turf school. O'Hara, the superintendent at Mount Juliet Golf in Kilkenny, learned the Jack Nicklaus way of greenkeeping under Mike McBride at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin . . . Ohio.
Something O'Hara said stuck with FitzGerald, who got the assistant's job at Pine Valley in 1998 on the recommendation of Dick Bator, before graduating to LedgeRock in 2004.
"I did my two years of basic greenkeeping at Mount Juliet, then I got into the two-year program at Penn State," said FitzGerald.
"I'm supposed to say I met my wife at Penn State, and that's why I stayed in the States. But I got the assistant's job at Pine Valley, and that made me stay. And here I am 25 years later."
Bator, a consultant and former superintendent at Pine Valley, had recently returned from Ireland when he met FitzGerald in 1998 and recommended him to Christian.
"He's from Ireland, so I felt sorry for him," Bator joked. "Seriously, what impressed me about him was his ability at a young age to think outside the box to get things accomplished."
Nothing FitzGerald learned at Penn State or Pine Valley could prepare him for some of the challenges he has faced for two decades as the construction and grow-in superintendent at LedgeRock. The Rees Jones design has top-to-bottom elevation changes of some 80 feet and severe slopes at every turn that make mowing a real-life adventure.
He's from Ireland, so I felt sorry for him. Seriously, what impressed me about him was his ability at a young age to think outside the box to get things accomplished.
"Most superintendents, when they come here, ask 'how do you do that?' " FitzGerald said. "I just shake my head and say 'Don't ask. It just gets done.' Everything here is four-wheel drive."
Slopes are so severe that one hillside is named in honor of the Toro mowers used to keep it clipped.
"When they saw it, their engineers panicked," FitzGerald said. "They told me when they designed their machines they never would run on a hill like this. Even though it is within tolerance, they never thought they would be used to mow anything like this."
FitzGerald, 45, was seemingly destined for life as a golf course superintendent. He's been on one almost for as long as he can remember and pretty much grew up on the golf course named for his hometown.
"My dad was always involved in Castlecomer Golf Club in Ireland," he said. "Dad was always there. He was on committees, greens committees, whatever. He was that guy."
He finally considered greenkeeping as a career when at age 16 he got a job at Mount Juliet when his mother was named human resources manager there. By 1996, he was off to Penn State.
"The first year there was miserable, but then it became fun. That's when I decided I wanted to do this as a career. Aidan told me 'if you want to do this, you need to go to the States.' "
The transition to life in the United States was difficult at first, mostly due to cultural differences between the U.S. and Ireland, where no one much cares how old you are when ordering a beer.
"Coming to New York City from Kilkenny was a culture shock," he said. "Then coming to Penn State was a culture shock because I was 20, and I couldn't get into bars. It was awkward the first few months, but then I settled in."
In hindsight, meeting Dick Bator was huge for me. At the time, I was young, and I had no idea how huge it was.
Because of his rough transition to life in the U.S. his first year in State College, FitzGerald said the late George Hamilton, Ph.D., then director of Penn State's two-year program, wanted him to intern over the summer for a PSU alumnus. Loch Lomond in Scotland where Penn State grad Ken Siems was superintendent, was deemed the perfect fit.
"He was a Penn State grad, I had friends there and my dad's family was from around there. I was going to my spiritual home," FitzGerald said.
"I spent the summer there, then went back to Penn State. I had a much better year. I was of age and able to enjoy college life more."
Crossing paths with Bator changed the trajectory of his career.
"He called me, and told me to expect a phone call from Rick. He called and told me I was hired," FitzGerald said.
"In hindsight, meeting Dick Bator was huge for me. At the time, I was young, and I had no idea how huge it was."
Bator remembered hearing about the tough transition in FitzGerald's early days at Penn State, and was impressed by his willingness to see it through to graduation.
"He had a lot of staying power," Bator said. "I had just returned from Ireland when I met him. I have a soft spot for foreign guys who can stick it out."
