TurfNet Podcasts

So who graduates from UMass in 1971 with a BS in Plant and Soil Science, takes an assistant job at a very private/secretive 500 acre facility on the NY/CT border, gets promoted to superintendent three months later, grows in a new back nine... and then stays for 51 years? We'll tell you who: Mike Maffei, CGCS, recently retired golf course superintendent at Morefar in Brewster, NY.

Google "Morefar" and you won't come up with much. "A lot of newcomers to Brewster don't even know it's there," quipped Maffei. "We keep a low profile." Only two months into retirement, Maffei still says "we" rather than "them". 51-year habits are hard to break.

This is a fascinating story of managing a corporation-owned property that intentionally flew under the radar, and existed solely for the entertainment of corporate guests. "I think we had 350 rounds on 9 holes the first year I was here," Mike recalled. "That grew to maybe 7,000 in our heyday in the late '80s/early '90s, but settled down to the 2500 or so we do today."

Mike Maffei is also known for his association activities, serving in virtually all offices and on most committees of the MetGCSA, Hudson Valley GCSA and the New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA). He was instrumental in organizing a Turfgrass Advocacy Lobby Day for state legislators in Albany, which continues today.  He is continuing with his committee activities while in retirement. Watch or listen.

Our latest All Star of Turf is Michael Morris, CGCS, 36-year Director of Buildings and Grounds at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Michigan. A native of Frankfort,  Mike is one of the few golf course property managers who has spent his entire career at one course, in his hometown. He is also a rarity in obtaining a BA and MS in English and film studies at Michigan State before realizing that life on the golf course spoke to him more than a future in academia.

He is known internationally for his work with Dr. Thom Nikolai in quantifying the effects of lightweight rolling and other greens maintenance practices on ball roll distance and putting green consistency.  They took that a step further by correlating that data with golfer satisfaction in order to determine the ideal or proper green speed range for a particular golfing clientele. Together, Mike and Thom presented seminars for GCSAA for over 10 years, around the world.

Mike also researched the effects of cutting unit sharpness and adjustment on putting green health and presentation, co-presenting a 5-day  QOC Week webinar series for TurfNet back in 2014. He has also presented several webinars and podcasts over the years with John Reitman and Frank Rossi.

Some sage wisdom from an astute, thoughtful and courteous career superintendent. We are pleased to recognize his contributions to the industry. 

In this first "It's not just about growing grass" segment of TurfNet All Stars of Turf, we recognize Scott Dodson, CGCS, and John Taylor. Both career superintendents but perhaps better known as the founders of the Golf Course Hockey Challenge, an annual 2-day/4-game tournament that attracted as many as 16 teams of hockey playing superintendents, assistants and suppliers over a 25+ year run.

Dodson has been at the Park Country Club in Williamsville (Buffalo) NY for 30 years. Taylor is the property manager at the Grand Niagara Golf Club near Niagara Falls, Ontario.

TurfNet fielded a team in the Hockey Challenge for 22 years, providing offseason fun and friendships for many who wore the Team TurfNet jersey. Peter McCormick reminisces with Dodson and Taylor about the memorable exploits, characters and shenanigans that emerged from the event.

Jordon Bowling found his calling into turfgrass management a little later than most, at 22 with a six-month old son to boot. His brother-in-law, Chad Kuzawa, was an NC State turf grad making the rounds of some clubs in the southeast and convinced Jordon to visit from his home in Michigan and shadow him for a couple of days. That set things in motion.

He enrolled in the turf management program at Wayne Community College in NC and worked at Wedgewood GC, then Country Club of Virginia, Carolina Country Club and Wade Hampton Golf Club before signing on as the first assistant at Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, NC.

Jordon tells us about his journey to date, his experiences and mentors, and what hopefully lies ahead for him. Complete disclosure: Chad Kuzawa is an agronomist for EarthWorks (one of our sponsors) and recommended Jordon, among others. That's OK... he qualifies as a Rising Star in our book.

Chad Allen, finishing up his first year as golf course superintendent at the Club at Chatham Hills near Indianapolis, IN, has a unique background and training as a substance abuse and addiction counselor prior to shifting to turf management. A recent attendee of both Green Start and the Syngenta Business Institute, Chad employs a "bottom up" management style that centers on listening to and engaging his staff in the processes of managing the golf course.

Jared Viarengo of Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, bucked a trend early in his career by also becoming general manager at the club in eastern Pennsylvania. Since then, Viarengo's role has expanded as the club's director of grounds and director of club operations. 

In this broadcast, Viarengo discusses how his career started in the field of psychology and how he eventually returned his roots on the golf course, where he had worked during summers since high school.

He also talks about those who helped him forge his career and his role mentoring others. Finally, Viarengo talks about how the industry has changed in recent years and how newfound issues are affecting the turf business.

Our latest Rising Star of Turf is J. Richard Brown, newly minted golf course superintendent at Florence (SC) Country Club. Richard got the nod for the Florence job after ten years "apprenticeship" in the South Carolina golf market, starting with five years at various courses in Myrtle Beach before becoming the senior assistant at Orangeburg Country Club, where he remained for the ensuing five years.

Richard participated in one of our Assistant Situation roundtable conversations earlier this year, indicating that he was ready for a head superintendent job but just waiting for the right opportunity to open up. In the meantime, he felt he was being compensated fairly, had a good work/life balance for himself, wife and young son, and didn't want to hopscotch around taking other assistant positions for the sake of a small increment in pay.

In this conversation with Peter McCormick, Richard recounts the recent process of procuring the unadvertised opening at Florence Country Club and what the experience has been like for him so far.  Watch or listen!

Some career superintendents make their marks by hosting major tournaments or pushing the agronomic envelope, while others quietly go about their business of growing great grass while also navigating the potholes and pitfalls that invariably spring up over time. John Carlone, CGCS, has done that over 37 years as a golf course superintendent at two clubs in one of the toughest markets in the industry: Long Island, NY.

Fresh out of the University of Rhode Island (where he had a notable roommate, Frank Rossi), Carlone went to work for Scott Niven at the Stanwich Club in 1983 before taking over the reins at Middle Bay Country Club in 1985. He stayed there until 1996 when he left for Meadow Brook Club on the north shore of Long Island, where he has been ever since.

In this conversation with Peter McCormick, Carlone offers hard-earned lessons about family, dedication, staff, club politics, humility, swallowing one's pride when needed and "not mailing it in". A fascinating chat with a good friend of TurfNet for many years and our latest All Star of Turf.

Sean Tully of the Meadow Club in Fairfax, California, has made a name for himself as a fan and ultimately an expert on classic-era golf course architecture, particularly Alister MacKenzie designs.

The Meadow Club, where Tully is director of grounds maintenance, is in fact the first course in North America designed by MacKenzie and one of several in Northern California. Tully's expertise in the field has resulted in many opportunities to speak at other golf courses in the region, often to educate members about the history of their own respective clubs.

In this broadcast, he discusses his affinity for classic-era architecture and how it started. He also discusses more current issues, such as the challenges brought on by recurrent drought conditions that have plagued the West for the past generation and the omni-present labor-shortage situation.

In this episode of Me Maintenance, Peter McCormick chats with Zach Bauer, golf course superintendent at the Valley Country Club in Centennial, Colorado, just southeast of Denver. Zach had gone into this year on the heels of myriad construction/renovation projects (both golf course and clubhouse) with depleted groundwater, very dry soils and dessicated turf. Coupled with the short staffing and increased play prevalent within the industry, he started waving the white flag of desperation on Twitter as early as May 4.

With the encouragement of his wife, Karen, Zach made a point of taking time for himself and spending one day a week fly fishing on nearby streams.

Zach tells us about his agronomic and emotional struggles this year and how taking time for himself and his family has helped right the ship. Watch the video or listen to the podcast.