Send us a text

Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 151! Today we’re talking with Andrzej Strzepek, Equipment Manager at Belmont Country Club in Belmont, MA, a private 18-hole course just outside of Boston. Andrzej shares his journey from mowing lawns for hockey goalie gear to maintaining his high school baseball field, studying turfgrass, and even working for the Boston Red Sox during a World Series run. A turn in the shop with his first toolbox set him on the equipment manager path, and he hasn’t looked back since. We cover everything from shop organization with a paint pen, relief grinding, and turf art, to smoking meat, zamboni mishaps, and flooded backpack blowers - you know, EM stuff!

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Welcome to Episode 150 of the Reel Turf Techs Podcast! Today we’re catching up with Taylor Cairns, Equipment Manager at London Hunt and Golf Club in London, Ontario, Canada. Taylor first joined us back in July 2021, and this time he shares how his journey has evolved from splitting time between the shop and the course while earning a turf management degree and working as a spray technician and assistant superintendent, to ultimately focusing fully on the equipment side. At London Hunt, a true parkland course, Taylor manages a Toro fleet with one assistant in the shop. We dive into how he got started in the industry, the strength of the Canadian equipment manager network, and why he believes in keeping it simple when it comes to diagnostics.

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Back in September 2021, we interviewed Matt Leis, and in Episode 149 we’re catching up with him again to hear about his transition from the golf course to sports fields. Matt is now the Manager of Fleet & Irrigation at the Papago Baseball Complex for the San Francisco Giants Baseball Club in Phoenix, AZ. The 40-acre complex is home to player development and Minor League operations, featuring six full fields, auxiliary surfaces, and a 15,000 sq. ft. facility. As the solo technician in the shop, Matt oversees a Toro fleet, preventive maintenance, and the RainBird irrigation and pump systems while supporting the Field Operations team. We dive into the unique challenges of sports fields—precision grading, grooming artificial turf, finding cleats in mowers—and how the players’ calendar drives cultural practices. Matt also shares how refereeing college football fits into his busy schedule, along with his professional growth through the GCSAA EMCP and CTEM programs and the Toro Grounds Leadership Academy.

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Welcome to Episode 148 of the Reel Turf Techs Podcast! Today we’re talking with Brad Bailey, Equipment Manager at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club in Orlando, Florida, an 18-hole course serving both resort guests and private members. Brad leads a team of three technicians and works primarily with John Deere equipment. With a background in chemistry and a hands-on upbringing working with his dad, Brad found his way into the turf industry during college and never looked back. He shares his expertise in small engines, his thoughts on the less glamorous office side of the job, and his experience managing a team in Florida’s year-round golf climate. Trent and Brad dig into everything Stihl, explore his work with Husqvarna autonomous mowers, and chat about his favorite ways to unwind - fishing, Disney, and building with Lego.

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

On this episode of Reel Turf Techs, we’re talking with Tyler Bradshaw, CTEM, Equipment Manager at Lakewood Country Club in Dallas, Texas. From forklift operator to auto tech to golf course wrench, Tyler’s 21-year journey into turf began when he was asked to fill in for a vacationing mechanic and never left.

Now overseeing two assistants and a wide fleet including Toro, Deere, Stihl, Baroness, Jacobsen, and Kubota, Tyler shares how his ASE certification and fab skills help keep his shop running smooth. We talk welding setups, EMCP exams, earning his CTEM, and what it’s like transitioning from municipal golf to a Top 50 private club hosting a Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Bonus: fab talk, chop saw praise, and guitars.

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 146!

Today we’re talking to James Breeze, Machinery Technician at Huddersfield Golf Club in Yorkshire, England, one of the oldest and most celebrated golf courses in the North of England. James is the lone tech in the shop, managing a fleet of mostly Toro equipment, and he’s also the recipient of the inaugural Bernhard Academy technician volunteer opportunity for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

We caught up with James at the 125th U.S. Open after a string of 4 a.m. volunteer shifts alongside a seasoned team of equipment managers. He shares insights on the camaraderie and precision it takes to keep things running smoothly at a major tournament.

James talks about his roots in sports field greenkeeping, teaching himself the mechanical side of the job, and the pivotal people who supported his transition. He reflects on the importance of learning from mistakes, the value of staying curious even at a high level, and how hiking and photography in the Yorkshire countryside help him reset outside the shop.

Also: he tries to explain Yorkshire pudding to Trent. (It doesn’t go great.)

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Today we’re talking to Jeff Rockhold, Equipment Manager at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Blue Springs, MO, and his son, Jacob Rockhold, CGCS, Director of Agronomy.

Stone Canyon is a public 18-hole course with mostly John Deere and Toro equipment.

After a long career in HVAC (and one too many crawl spaces), Jeff made the switch to turf when Jacob hired him on to mow fairways in a semi-retired gig. We talk about what Jeff has discovered in his second career, how turning wrenches on the course compares to HVAC work, what he enjoys about the golf industry, and how this father-son duo makes it work (at quitting time, roles go right back to normal)!

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 144.

Today we’re talking to Moe Rateb, Equipment Manager at Crowfield Golf Club, an 18-hole municipal course owned by the city of Goose Creek, SC. Moe is the lone tech in the shop, maintaining a mostly Toro fleet and managing it all with skill, heart, and a sense of humor.

We dive into Moe’s path into turf, from starting at a muni for the retirement benefits to learning the ropes of reel grinding and golf course equipment. He shares how his auto-mechanic stepdad inspired his mechanical mindset, and how he's found mentorship and fellowship within the equipment manager community.

Moe talks time management as a working dad and youth sports coach, and how he makes space for his own hobbies, including foraging, metal detecting, and creating healthy habits. Plus, we get into the importance of taking care of yourself in a role that often puts others first.

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Today we’re talking with Tyler Miget, Equipment Manager at Harmony Club in Fort Collins, Colorado. An alumni of the GCSAA Melrose Equipment Management Experience and the Bernhard Academy’s Links to Success program, Tyler brings a unique path and thoughtful perspective to the role.

From turning wrenches with his grandfather to working in nonprofits and running his own handyman business, Tyler’s journey to the golf course shop has been anything but typical. Now overseeing a mostly Deere fleet (and transitioning to Toro), Tyler leads a small but mighty team of 0–2 techs depending on the season.

In this episode, we talk about leadership, the power of coaching, and how taking care of mental health, including finding the right therapist, has shaped his approach. Tyler shares what fuels his balance at home with his wife and two young kids, a tip for shop organization inspired by classic French cooking, and his biggest takeaways from two of the most respected professional development programs for turf equipment managers.

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us a text

Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 142!
Today we’re talking to Chris Snyder, Equipment Manager at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria, Illinois.

Mt. Hawley is a private 18-hole course spread across 110 scenic acres next to Peoria Lake. Chris has been at the course for over 30 years, surviving everything from a decade without a grinder to a full course renovation — and he’s still going strong.

Chris’s love of motorcycles steered him toward a degree in applied science with an automotive focus, eventually leading him to the parks district and then into golf course equipment management. He’s the lone tech in the shop during the busy summer months, maintaining a mostly Toro fleet with EZGO carts, and is a big believer in preventative maintenance — a lesson he learned early on from his dad, who once built an airplane in their garage.

We talk about how Chris keeps things fresh after decades on the job, the importance of patience, surviving parts shortages and budget challenges, smart tips for setting up new equipment, and why you should always pay close attention to the leaf blade with your prism gauge (and your phone!). Plus, his favorite shop tool, his gamer side, and how he balances work with family time.

Let’s jump in with Chris!

• Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning
• Email us at [email protected]
• Check out our YouTube Channel