Ryder Cup superintendents reflect on their week in France

Capillary Concrete bunker liner technology was installed on all of the bunkers on the Albatros course at Le Golf National, site of last week’s 2018 Ryder Cup. But that wasn’t their only contribution to the event.

Capillary Concrete’s Ryder Cup greenkeeping team. (Photo: Capillary Concrete)

Twenty of the 180 greenkeepers who volunteered to work on the course for the event were sponsored by Capillary Concrete — 10 GCSAA members from North America, and 10 from FEGGA-affliated countries across Europe. Here’s what some of the crew had to say about their Ryder Cup experience.

“Alejandro (Reyes, Le Golf National course manager) and his team were the most gracious of hosts,” said Ryan Walsh, superintendent 
of Woods Hole Golf Club
 in Falmouth, Mass.
 “I really enjoyed the downtime to interact amongst his staff and have an understanding of the preparation that it took that led up to that week. During the week of the Ryder Cup, I was placed on the Practice Team. I very much valued every second of making an impact on such a high-trafficked area. It requires trust on all of the teams to have that mentality on each Team Section to provide the conditioning that we saw over the weekend. Kudos to all!”

Cutting fairways at the 2018 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Jiří Lahodný)

“It was an unbelievable learning experience,” said Steven Murphy, superintendent of Ole Miss GC in Mississippi. “It’s hard to pinpoint just one specific take away from the week but for me it has to be the culture of the crew and management of Golf National. I’ve never seen people so inspired to do anything and everything needed to get the job done at the highest level possible. Alejandro is a tremendous leader and his high level of energy and enthusiasm towards our profession is inspirational.”

Said Kyle Anderson, superintendent of Edgerton Towne CC in Wisconsin: “This was hands down the greatest experience of my life. Meeting new people, learning different ways to prep a course, working under conditions with language barriers, and being part of a team with 160 people involved. I will never forget this experience and have so many new friends and great contacts.”

The GCSAA members sponsored by Capillary Concrete at the 2018 Ryder Cup were:

• Brian Acosta, assistant superintendent, Spanish Oaks Golf Club, Bee Cave, Texas;
• Kyle Anderson, superintendent, Edgerton Towne (Wis.) Country Club;
• Natalia Arlint, superintendent, Polson Bay (Mont.) Golf Course;
• David Eichhorn Jr., assistant superintendent, Elmcrest Country Club, Cedar Rapids, Iowa;
• Jason Ellis, superintendent, Villages at Country Creek, Estero, Fla.;
• Brian Gietka, CGCS, Fountain Head Country Club, Hagerstown, Md.;
• Jeff Hacior, superintendent, Fort McMurray (Alberta, Canada) Golf Club;
• Steven Murphy, superintendent, Ole Miss Golf Club, Oxford, Miss.;
• Herminio Plata, assistant superintendent, Monarch Dunes Golf Course, Arroyo Grande, Calif.; and
• Ryan Walsh, superintendent, Woods Hole (Mass.) Golf Club.