The Oregon Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America has recognized Sean Hoolehan, CGCS of Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Pendleton, Ore., to receive the Richard W. Malpass Distinguished Service Award. The award will be presented at the Oregon Superintendents Annual Meeting at Salashan Resort and Spa on May 4th.
The award recognizes outstanding service and leadership to the profession of golf course superintendent, and is named in honor of Richard W. Malpass, Oregon's first sitting president of the GCSAA in 1976 who exemplified these traits. Malpass was superintendent at Riverside Golf and Country Club from 1968 to 1984 then served as the Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association Executive director from 1985 to 1995 before passing away in 1996.
Hoolehan, a 23-year GCSAA member, was the second superintendent from the state of Oregon to serve as president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Through his example and leadership he has inspired other Oregon superintendents to become actively involved in the GCSAA which has benefited each individual personally and professionally. He had served on the GCSAA board of directors starting 2001and finished his term as President in February 2007.
Hoolehan is a dynamic speaker and has been invited to address organizations throughout the country. In 2006 Hoolehan earned the Rutgers University Turf Management School Award for Professional Excellence.
Hoolehan, who first earned certification in 1991, has been the golf course superintendent at Wildhorse Resort & Casino on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon since 1996. Previously, he was superintendent at Ko'olau Golf Club in Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Navy-Marine Golf Course at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He is a member of the Oregon GCSA, the Idaho GCSA (both affiliated GCSAA chapters) and the USGA Green Section committee. He also was a member and past president of the Hawaii GCSA.