Send us a text

Lured to loving the game of golf as a kid, Austin Wright, CTEM, studied golf course management at Kansas State University before falling for the equipment side. After getting the basics at Washburn Technical, Austin learned under some great Kansas City superintendents then landed his current gig at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Rome, WI. Hear about Austin’s very cool lawnmower racing hobby, foamers, and some dad life tips you won’t want to miss. 

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

Send us a text

Kayla Kipp, Equipment Manager at Nemacolin Resort, returns to the podcast to share some insider insight on volunteering at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles. Kayla gives all credit to David Fruchte, CGCS, and his team of nine for ‘cutting a diamond’ at the course and welcoming the team of 31 volunteers to support his crew. Kayla enthusiastically shares the experience of being on a crew with so many other women in an industry where women are underrepresented (to say the least!). Kayla educates us on how the improvements in women’s golf affect not only the game but our industry as a whole. Kayla and Trent have a great time discussing everything from pine cones to the power of connecting with others in this great career. Happy Pride Month everyone!

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

Send us a text

After attending automotive trade school and realizing he didn’t want to lift car and truck tires for the foreseeable future, Nick took off to the Power Sport Institute and started his career in a parts store. Nick’s grandma played a key part in his path when she brought him a newspaper ad clipping looking for a golf course mechanic. Nick honed his skills at a public course before landing at the Worcester Country Club as equipment manager and eventually facilities manager, maintaining clubhouse bowling lanes constructed in 1914 along with everything else. Nick talks fabricating everything from dishwasher parts to a gate with granite posts, and bonds with our host over their mutual love of voltage drop tests. 

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

Send us a text

Robert Martyszczyk is among the born tinkerers of equipment managers, growing up with a mechanic dad and spending a lot of time in the garage. After many years of working on outdoor power equipment and building up his knowledge, an opportunity at TPC River Highlands (Cromwell, CT) came knocking. Robert learned golf course wrenching from a 31-year industry veteran. An outdoor enthusiast in his free time, you’ll find Robert camping, hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking as often as he can. Robert reminds us of the value of collective mentoring, crew communication, and continuing education.

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

Send us a text

After attending tech school as a diesel mechanic, Ryan spent lots of time on the road and working second shift with a young family at home. Looking for a better fit for family life, he stumbled across a golf course job on Indeed and describes discovering the turf industry as the best thing that’s happened to his career. We’re talking fabricating trailers and reel racks, reel storage ideas, and why it’s so great to be a golf course equipment manager. Meet one of the up and coming leaders in our industry who’s getting involved and making a difference at the local and national levels.

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

Send us a text

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

Send us a text

John Patterson, equipment manager at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, GA, rebuilt his first engine with his dad at eight years old and never wanted to be anything other than a mechanic. Fed up with Chicago winters, John headed south with plans to become a marine mechanic in southwest Florida. When every boat mechanic he met told him to do something else, John answered an ad at a golf course and after passing the “righty tighty, lefty loosey” test, the rest is history. From fabricating a sand silo and method for filing divot mix more efficiently to a better designed front roller bracket on the John Deere, listeners will find John’s reputation as one of the most brilliant in the business is well-earned. In his free time John enjoys his hot-rod Miata, tinkering on his 1975 BMW 750 and teaching his son to drive. As a founding member and past president of the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association (IGCEMA), John is rewarded to see his vision come to life in the form of the Certified Turf Equipment Manager (CTEM) program launched this year. 

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

Send us a text

Growing up in rural Missouri with a golf course as the only employer closer than a 45-minute drive, Shelby Dubois started out on the crew raking bunkers and walk-mowing greens. After attending Ranken Technical College for high-performance racing technology, Shelby found her way to the equipment side of the golf course. Shelby is the assistant technician at the Talisker Club at Tuhaye in Utah with dreams of heading to Florida. Find Shelby 4-wheeling, at the dragstrip or watching YouTubes about electrical (who doesn’t?!) in her free time. Shelby and Trent talk trucks and more in this week’s episode.  

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

Send us a text

Gersain Villavicencio is the Equipment Manager at Glen Arven Country Club in Thomasville, GA. Gersain followed his dad into the golf course world after finishing auto tech school and working at a transit bus garage. This new dad of a little boy loves traveling with his wife and deep sea fishing in his free time. And his deep sea fishing story is one we won’t soon forget!

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

Send us a text

Shane Pokorney is the Equipment Manager at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, Kansas. Shane started at Colbert Hills as a Kansas State student, working on the crew for beer money, and moved into the shop for a pay bump. A self-taught (thanks, Google!) mechanic with a degree in wildlife management, Shane discovered he liked hunting for fun more than for work and headed back to Colbert Hills. Shane tells us about the bridge crane he fabricated and gets into some chainsaw modification talk. An archery hunter, fisherman, and woodworker in his free time, Shane and his wife love to travel and are halfway to their goal of visiting all the national parks. Shane reminds us of the importance of doing things right the first time and communicates the value of attending the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show (if you don’t have the means to get there, be sure and apply for the Melrose EM Experience just like Shane did).

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