Ask just about any golf course superintendent to name the easiest part of their job, and many will answer "growing grass". It's the other things that come with the job, managing time, managing others, working with outside agencies, working with in-house committees, that are such a challenge.Fred Gehrisch thrives on all those other things that come with the job. The things they don't teach in turf school.
The superintendent at Highlands Falls Country Club in Highlands, North Carolina, Gehrisch manages the mountaintop golf course to impeccable standards, is always looking for non-agronomic projects to improve the club for its members, and volunteers his time and expertise to complete a variety of public service projects for the community surrounding the golf course.
In the past several years, Gehrisch, 45, has completed a room dedicated to Highland Falls architect Joe Lee that serves as a history museum for the club and its members, planted trees throughout Highlands for the city, cleared a downtown lot to make room for a municipal park, managed hemlocks for the town's land trust, repaired its hiking trails, cleared debris so a local animal shelter could expand its operations, cuts firewood for the town to distribute to needy families, builds doghouses for a local charity.
"The easy answer to why I do this is it's fun to keep challenging myself with other stuff," Gehrisch said. "Growing grass is easy, and I have a lot of experience at it. Likewise, I'm blessed with a great staff, and I give them a lot of leeway to take on the superintendent's role. That frees me up to do other stuff."We don't ask for anything for it. The club likes that we do these kinds of things."
For the ease with which he can grow grass at Highlands Falls, and for the great lengths to which he goes to improve the lives of those in the surrounding community, Gehrisch has been named as a finalist for the 2014 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.
"Fred Gehrisch not only knows how to grow grass and manage a crew and a budget, he is also very attuned to the club members and probably the staff member who does the best job of seeing that members have reason to be proud of the club," said Highlands Falls general manager Jason Macaulay. "This is more than just the condition of the golf course. Our celebration of the history of the club and the accomplishments of Joe Lee, the golf course architect, was Fred's idea from the start. It was his vision that our members would have a much greater appreciation of the club if we could do a good job of presenting its history to them. He and I worked together closely on the project for a full year and I've got to say that Fred was the reason for the success of what we now call the Joe Lee Room and the dedication plaque recognizing Joe Lee that now graces our first tee. He is much more than a golf course superintendent in my mind."
Gehrisch, with the blessing of his members, converted a little-used room in the clubhouse into a shrine dedicated to the club's history and Lee. When the project was finished, the dedication included a tournament to showcase the architect's handy work, and a dedication ceremony that included Lee's widow, Ginny, among many others. Two guests attending the event were so impressed by the festivities and the facilities that they joined the club.
Gehrisch is able to perform so many extracurricular duties because of his ability to train and manage his staff.
"As an assistant for Fred for the past six years, I have come to the realization that growing grass is the easy part of being a superintendent," said Josh Cantrell. "Making yourself and your staff available to the needs of the membership, whatever and whenever they may be, is the key to being successful in this industry. That's what separates the great superintendents from the average. Many times we are asked to do things that may be out of our comfort zones. Fred has changed my thought process in these instances. All too often I hear, ?That's not in my job description' or ?I don't get paid enough to do that.' Not with Fred. He has taught me to embrace these challenges and not to be afraid to try something new."
Gehrisch is one of 10 finalists for the award. Finalists are chosen by a panel of judges from a field of nominees based on the following criteria: labor management, maximizing budget limitations, educating and advancing the careers of colleagues and assistants, negotiating with government agencies, preparing for tournaments under unusual circumstances, service to golf clientele, upgrading or renovating the course and dealing with extreme or emergency conditions.
The winner will be named Feb. 26 at the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio. Previous winners include: Chad Mark (2013); Dan Meersman (2012); Paul Carter, CGCS (2011); Thomas Bastis, CGCS (2010); Anthony Williams, CGCS (2009); Sam MacKenzie (2008); John Zimmers (2007); Scott Ramsay, CGCS (2006); Mark Burchfield (2005); Stuart Leventhal, CGCS (2004); Paul Voykin (2003); Jeff Burgess (2002); Kip Tyler (2001); and Kent McCutcheon (2000).