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Working the room at Green Start Academy

By |  November 9, 2016 0 Comments

As the equivalent of the assistant superintendent here on the Golfdom staff, it just makes sense that I travel to the annual Green Start Academy (GSA) in Raleigh, N.C. each year. I recently made my second trip — to the 11th annual event — for three days of education, networking and fun.

GSA is an event hosted by John Deere and Bayer for 50 assistant superintendents across the U.S. and Canada to network with peers and learn from high-profile superintendents about topics like tips for a successful interview, how to get the most out of people and budgeting.

The event begins with a formal dinner. After the group was herded into the dining room I sat down at an empty table. Soon after I heard a familiar voice ask if the seat to my left was available. It was Bob Farren, director of grounds, Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort.

Near the beginning of the meal, Farren briefly stepped away from the table and I felt the need to play “dad” and inform the six attendees around me, “Alright, we have Bob Farren at our table. Everyone be on their best behavior tonight.”

I have met Farren multiple times but I was still impressed when he said that he remembered me. It was a pleasure talking with him, and he definitely lived up to the nickname given to him in these pages, Turf’s Most Interesting Man.

He told us stories about his days as a freshman at Marshall University watching the football team with seniors who were the first recruiting class after the tragic plane crash, and about the time he was watching a Los Angeles Dodgers game with his wife when she excitedly recognized a regular customer of the TCBY frozen yogurt franchise they owned. The patron? Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.

I love events like GSA because of the people I get to catch up with, like Farren, and the new people I meet, like assistant superintendent attendee Joshua Krug.

Krug is the second assistant superintendent at TPC Scottsdale (Ariz.), but his path to that position was atypical. The Detroit-area native attended Western Michigan University and received a dual degree in Recreation and Environmental and Sustainability Studies. After graduating in 2015 he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do, and applied for turf management positions in parks and recreation and at cemeteries. He got a call back about a job at Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery.

“There may not be a ton of money in the cemetery industry, but it makes up for it in job security,” said Krug.

His only golf course experience was working on a par-3 municipal course, but he decided to apply for crew positions at golf courses around the country. He got an offer to work at TPC Scottsdale as an Equipment Operator 3 (EO3).

Krug quickly learned the intricacies of the job and was constantly pestering then-superintendent Jeff Plotts for more responsibility. Eventually Plotts ran out of jobs, but Krug kept grinding and took the initiative to get his spray technician certification and an irrigation certification.

Thanks to his efforts and some job movement in the TPC network, within six months Krug was promoted to EO4, to assistant-in-training and finally to his current position at TPC Scottsdale, which he has held for a year.

I’m sure superintendents wish a Joshua Krug would apply at every golf course across the country, but I realize that’s not likely to happen. I bring his journey up for two reasons; Millennials have a negative connotation in society right now. I hope Krug’s story will give superintendents hope for my generation. Plus, I want to applaud Plotts for hiring a recent college graduate from thousands of miles away without a traditional turf degree and with minimal golf course maintenance experience. Because he took that chance, Plotts gained a solid employee and Krug started a career with a bright future.

This article is tagged with and posted in Columns


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