The 19th Hole: Jon Lobenstine

Jon Lobenstine

Director of agronomy //  Montgomery County (Maryland) Revenue Authority

What can I get you?

I’ll do a Tito’s and pink lemonade.

Tell me about your family.

We have a blended family. I have two girls, ages 10 and 12. Crystal has three boys, ages 7, 10 and 12. The way I look at it, we’re fielding our own basketball team.

Speaking of sports, who are your teams?

I’m a diehard Redskins fan, a lifelong Orioles fan and if I’m watching college sports, I’m watching the Jayhawks.

When were you at Kansas?

From ’91 through ’95, then I spent my last semester studying abroad at the University of Costa Rica. My degree from Kansas is in Spanish. And I did the Penn State World Campus for turf in 2002.

We just missed each other at KU. How did you like living in Lawrence?

I always thought that the town of Lawrence is an oasis of the Midwest, from the variety of the topography to how cool the people are. There was a cool grunge/hippie music scene going on when I was there. The people are warm and there was never a shortage of parties.

I bet that degree in Spanish has been helpful.

Most of our crew are Hispanic guys. I’ve gone through over the years and translated our employee handbook, the forms we use on a daily basis…

OK, give me a good phrase you like to say to the crew.

Hazlo con ganas hoy, señores! ‘Do it with enthusiasm today, guys!’ You’ve got to get these guys pumped up and out the door.

What’s your favorite vehicle you’ve ever owned?

I’m driving it now. A Taurus SHO. At work I’m all about operating with efficiency; I guess you could say I like driving with efficiency as well.

Tell me something that’s on your bucket list.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit a lot of different countries in Central America, Europe, the Middle East. One of the things on my bucket list is to go back to those places and share those experiences with the kids.

Fill in the blank: I know a person is a true turf professional when I see ________.

When I see him or her excelling at what they do on the golf course, but then openly sharing that for the betterment of all of the turf world. Social media is beginning to rapidly excel our profession, and it’s leading us to great places. I think the best turf professionals are kicking ass, and they’re sharing it with the world so the rest of us can keep up.