You look up after a winter of work (and some rest) and a spring of work (and less rest) and the calendar is about to turn to May. When in the world did that happen? We just wrote down our new year’s resolutions, what, a couple weeks ago? If another month flew by for you, rest assured, it did for us too. And if you missed anything from the past month on Superintendent Radio Network, we have you covered.
Hundreds of new golf books are published every year but none is quite like “I Am Hope: Growing Up with an Addict” by Stephen Hope. The book is a quick read — less than 200 pages — but not an easy read: Hope’s mother was addicted to drugs throughout his childhood and later operated a meth lab in their backyard, he bounced around among family and friends, and suffered a pair of brain injuries during high school. He somehow persevered through all that to carve out a career in golf course maintenance and is now the superintendent at The Club at Wynstone in North Barrington, Illinois. “I had no one there who had my best interest,” he told me on Episode 54 of Beyond the Page. “If I was going to make it out of my hometown, or do anything with my life besides be dead or in prison, I needed to make changes and figure something out.” The biggest reason Hope wrote the book, he says, is to let kids in similar situations know that there are resources: “Just let them know they’re not alone, that there are people out there who care. … I think my story can help people.”
So many golf course superintendents work their whole careers in one state or at least one region. Not Renee Geyer. After 13 years at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, Geyer headed west in 2021 for the top spot at Canterwood Golf & Country Club in Gig Harbor, Washington. The two facilities are separated by seven states and 2,460 miles – almost all of it along Interstate 90. She dived into her career history and her recent move with Rick Woelfel on Episode 34 of Wonderful Women of Golf. “You go through it and you learn,” she says. “You grow, and you research, and you talk to people who you trust, and you can get yourself together to try and deal with those agronomic challenges. It’s been a wild ride. But I’m so happy that I jumped at the opportunity.”
Oakland Hills (Michigan) Country Club director of agronomy Phil Cuffare helped us open another new podcast series: Golf Construction Conversations. Sponsored by Best Sand, the series will focus on the mentality, the tactics and the relationships needed for successful projects. Editor-in-chief Guy Cipriano is already having fun hosting. Cuffare and Cipriano discussed the South Course renovation at Oakland Hills, which started during the first height of the COVID-19 pandemic and wrapped up in 2021. Cuffare says he kept his team motivated by telling them “that we’re embarking on something truly special at one of America’s greatest golf courses and championship venues. … The project was fun, and it should always be fun. And if you keep everything aligned, it will be fun, and you will have an amazing outcome when it’s all done.”
Seems like every episode of Reel Turf Techs features an incredible career story. The most recent edition, featuring Nate Lyon of Indian Creek in Elkhorn, Nebraska, is right in line. Lyon discovered his “love for turning wrenches” during a run in the U.S. Air Force, when he worked as a jet engine back shop mechanic for the Rockwell B-1 Lancer heavy bomber. He worked for a couple years at auto dealerships before discovering lawncare and then golf. “I was fine not busting my knuckles on cars anymore,” he tells Trent Manning, but “there wasn’t a lot of money to made in the wintertime” mowing lawns. He climbed the superintendent track at courses in North Carolina, Florida, Colorado and Texas before working on equipment pulled him back in. “This is what I was meant to do,” he says. “This is it.”
Senior contributing writer Lee Carr joined Cipriano on Episode 59 of Greens with Envy to recap their recent three-day, three-state, four-course road trip. The duo visited the “Tallest Town in Virginia,” a pair of Charlotte courses just miles apart and, of course, Augusta National for a Masters practice round and the Par 3 Contest. Such a fun trip and such a fun conversation. “There are a lot of high-pace, overachieving atmospheres in this industry,” Cipriano says. “Yes,” Carr counters, “but in this same conversation we talked about putting priority on family and making time for relationships and the things that not just about golf. There was a really good balance.” Sounds like the challenge so many turf pros deal with every day.
The month wrapped up with the latest installment of Tartan Talks, our longest-running series, and a conversation with Gene Bates, whose golf course architecture career started after his father-in-law — longtime architect Ron Kirby — introduced him to the profession. “I made it my career as a mistake,” Bates tells Cipriano. “I had no intention to pursue golf at all.” Bates worked internationally throughout the 1980s before shifting to the United States. His recent work has focused largely on public golf, which he has always enjoyed. “Public officials were so appreciative, and I understood their side of equation: We have to get this golf course built, we have an expectation on delivery time for the public and please help us out.” He also shares some great wildlife stories.
