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Wyatt Harris, equipment technician at The Four Seasons Orlando, comes to us with under a year in the shop. Find out how Wyatt went from getting picked up from elementary school in a golf cart to crew to spray tech to the shop. Wyatt’s fresh perspective shines a light on the value of keeping it light and positive so that operators don’t fear the ‘grumpy mechanic’ and how handy a 90-degree drill is for QA5 reels. We discuss the value of volunteering and Wyatt’s days with John Patterson at Atlanta Athletic Club, and the calm a great leader can project in their shop even during a tournament advance week. We get to know a little about Wyatt: he’s a new dad (Congratulations! It’s the best!), a proficient bass player and enjoys Jiu Jitsu. Last, Trent asks the million dollar question - how do we attract the next generation of techs to turf?

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You’ve never heard a ‘how I got into the industry’ story like Hector’s! Get to know the man behind the videos: a person of faith, family man, and absolutely the real deal. Hector will inspire you to speak your dreams into reality and is a living example that there is strength in being vulnerable about our fears, hopes and dreams. On the wrenching side, learn how his background as a motorcycle mechanic impacts his approach to turf equipment. Important reminders on chainsaw and chipper safety, as well as communicating with and caring about your operators, are discussed. Find out which PBS superstar influenced Hector to create Hector’s Shop and begin his video career, and how the desire to spend more time with his family resulted in taking his show on the road. We wrap up with all the details on Hector’s new venture, the Hector’s Shop Outdoor Power Equipment Training Center, and how the void in technical education for homeschool students called him to teach in a new way for future generations of techs. We’re thrilled to hear all the ways our industry has come together to support someone who has given so much to educate and support us. 

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From Albany, New York to Sag Harbor to L.A. all by age 30 - Geoff Briggs is making the most of his opportunities and living with no regrets. Listen in with the EM from The Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, CA. Hear all about the challenges of going from east coast to west coast turfgrass and adjusting to green vs. red. Geoff shares some cool details on a bridge railing fab project and donating his time and expertise to a local 9-hole veteran’s hospital golf course. We discuss the importance of communication, whether it’s mastering enough Spanish to get your point across and joke around or having open communication with the operators at your course.

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Taylor Cairns, equipment manager at The Rock Golf Club in Muskoka, Ontario catches up with us this week and shares his story of getting into the turf equipment industry. Hear how networking, being open to learning and working on the GCSAA Equipment Management Certificate Program all led Taylor to where he is now, happy at the golf course. Get an idea for a fun project involving old bedknives and oil drums and a reminder that it’s ok to swap the side hustles for a little gaming and family time. Life is short, let’s have some fun!

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Matthew Axton jumped out of his comfort zone from the cricket pitch in the United Kingdom all the way to The Royal Golf Club in Bahrain. A rare find in our field, Matthew studied turf equipment and won a National Vocational Qualification Award which was presented by none other than Prince Phillip. Find out what it’s like to be Workshop Manager on an island in the Persian Gulf where Matthew faces challenges such as weeks delays to receive parts, and has unique opportunities like working with a multicultural staff. We learn about the mezzanine storage Matthew created to take advantage of wasted air space in the shop and discuss the uphill battle our industry faces in building the pipeline of qualified technicians.

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We cover so many important topics this week with Tommy Richey, Equipment Manager at Pine Valley Golf Club in Pine Valley, New Jersey. Tommy got his start turning wrenches as a machinery technician in the United States Coast Guard and now manages the equipment for the top club in the U.S. Hear what it’s like to achieve your dream and find it’s even better than you imagined. We get an inside look at the daily shop routine at Pine Valley, a fab project that did nothing less than improve someone’s enjoyment of life, and a few reminders on the critical importance of safety. We discuss what you really get out of volunteering at championship events (education, networking, and resume-building to name a few). Get deep with us on theories and practices for leading the next generation of technicians and walk away with a “PFM” trick for what to do when your drill bit starts dancing around. Fishing might be the only thing we didn’t talk about!

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Get ready to meet one of the best minds in the business - Roland McPhearson, Equipment Manager at Orinda Golf Club in Camino Sobrante, California. From LA (not that one - Lower Alabama) to NoCal by way of upstate New York and New Jersey, Roland is the inventor of the Roller Tamer and an Edwin Budding Award winner as well as a veteran of the United States Air Force. Roland and Trent get into the nitty gritty of backlapping and discuss Roland’s ingenious solution for tine storage. Roland gives us a great reminder on the importance of recognizing and naming problems so we can solve them, and shares how his least favorite task at the golf course shop - rebuilding rollers - led him to become an inventor. And there’s a 1949 Lincoln restoration thrown in just for fun.

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Join us for the first installment of our brand-new segment, Outside the Shop, where we’ll feature a guest who doesn’t turn wrenches in a turf shop but does work to support our profession. This week we’re talking with Diana Kern, GCSAA’s Manager of Certificates and Program Validation. Diana pulls back the curtain on the Golf Industry Show based on her 24 years of service in education. We get into the weeds on the development of the Equipment Management Certificate Program, how you can use the study guides to best prepare for the exams, and what completing the EMCP does for you beyond just passing a test. Learn the differences between certificate programs and certifications, and be on the lookout for a Certified Turf Equipment Management certification soon to come. Find out some challenges you can take on in the meantime, ways you can get involved in creating education for equipment managers, and how to make the most of your GCSAA membership.

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Jack Nicklaus, Clydesdales, and fighter jets - oh my! Just another day at the golf course for Ben Beard. Ben is the Equipment Manager at American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, MI. Meet the former John Deere service tech who began his wrenching career down on the farm and knows a little bit about a lot of things. Ben discusses the role of fate in guiding his career path and shares fun stuff including: how to make a floating green and tips & tricks involving crayons, and the magical properties of an Egg McMuffin. Ben and Trent inevitably get going on their shared passion for barbeque. If you’re not familiar with the story of American Dunes, read up on the club’s mission to fund the Folds of Honor Foundation.

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Imagine walking into your first day at the golf course shop with no reel mower experience and no one who knows how to work the grinder. That’s the scene John Borsos, mechanic at South Park Golf Course in Pittsburgh, PA, found himself in when he joined our industry. John is an ASE Certified Master Technician and successfully completed GCAAA’s Equipment Management Certificate Program Levels 1 and 2. John shares some great tips with the listeners including how making a change when you experience burnout can lead to greater things. John lets us in on the unique challenges of working at a municipal facility and delivers a great tip on how to create a ‘third hand’ when you’re the only tech in the shop. Get to know John, and join me in thanking him and his wife for that food delivery we took advantage of during the pandemic.

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