Green Start Academy is another piece of the puzzle

Headshot: Kelsey Baier-Anderson

Kelsey Baier-Anderson, the assistant superintendent at TPC Potomac, says the Green Start Academy will be another piece in the puzzle of his development.

The Green Start Academy is co-hosted by Bayer and John Deere.

“I’ve been in the industry for some time, and I know how to grow grass,” he says. “But the Green Start Academy is going to put me in the position to succeed and further my knowledge of management, networking and more.”

TPC Potomac is based in Potomac, Md., just north of Washington, D.C. A “typical tournament course,” as Baier-Anderson calls it, it’s hosted Quicken Loans events the past two years and boasts an 18-hole course, professional practice facility and short game area.

Aside from the challenges that come with hosting a PGA Tour event, Baier-Anderson has also had to contend with about 10 extra inches of rainfall this year.

“This year was particularly difficult,” he says. “It’s about keeping up standards, holding membership and providing a top-notch golf course while trying to recover from a tournament and a month and a half of straight rain conditions.”

Baier-Anderson says he’s looking forward to hearing from Bob Farren at the event about his experiences at Pinehurst and in the industry as a whole.

TPC Potomac (Photo provided by Kelsey Baier-Anderson)

He says he first heard about the academy from his boss, Stephen Britton, CGCS, after starting at TPC Potomac about a year ago.

“When my boss mentioned it to me, I was in the middle or preparing for the PGA tour event (the Quicken Loans National), working 12-hour days over a long period of time,” he says. “But I put in a few extra nights at the course and knocked out the application. I was so happy to be chosen.”