Kenna joins Golfdom

Golfdom Editor-in-Chief Seth Jones (left) and Mike Kenna, Ph.D, with the December 2019 issue of Golfdom. (Photo provided by Golfdom Staff)

“Dr. Kenna … what kind of doctor are you?” asked the waitress at Stillwater CC.

Mike Kenna, who holds a B.S. in ornamental horticulture from Cal State Polytech, an M.S. in agronomy and a doctorate in crop science, chuckled. “My mom,” he said, “likes to say I’m the kind of doctor who can’t help people.”

With all due respect to Kenna’s mom, the opposite is true. Throughout his career, Kenna has helped thousands of superintendents around the world, working the last 30 years as the United States Golf Association’s director of Green Section Research. He has been the point person for all USGA-funded research projects, has spoken at conferences and has served as editor of multiple books on turfgrass biotechnology, environmental issues, water conservation and reuse.

Kenna now steps into the role of research editor of Golfdom, a position recently vacated by the now-retired Clark Throssell, Ph.D.

View Golfdom‘s video welcoming Kenna to the magazine.

“I’ve been involved with turfgrass research all my professional career … I’ve been involved with more than 600 projects in that time,” Kenna told Golfdom. “(This is) an opportunity to give my perspective on what’s been going on in the last 30 years and, more important, what is coming in the next 10 years.”

A thorough search was done to find Throssell’s replacement, and according to Golfdom Publisher Craig MacGregor, getting Kenna to join the magazine is a major coup.

“We wanted to find the very best candidate out there,” MacGregor said. “Having someone of Dr. Kenna’s pedigree on the staff of Golfdom sets us apart. We’re thrilled to have him join our team and assist us in creating the best magazine in the industry, consistently, every issue.”

Kenna’s first issue leading the magazine’s research section will be the May issue, where he will also begin his column, “Off the Record.” Kenna can be contacted at mpkenna@gmail.com.