Both started their careers in their native Ohio before attending Rutgers for turf education and completing internships at Castle Pines. They share insights about their mentors Steve Ehrbar and Jim Loke, and discuss the challenges of managing golf courses in South Florida's climate. 

The conversation covers labor recruitment and retention strategies, with both emphasizing the importance of treating crew members well through competitive wages, benefits, and hands-on leadership. They maintain daily communication about work challenges and solutions, supporting each other's professional growth. 

The interview also touches on how the golf industry has evolved over their 30-plus year careers, from early financial struggles to current leadership roles managing multi-million dollar operations.

He also talks about the trajectory of his career that includes working as an assistant under Matt Shaffer at Merion Golf Club and a long tenure as superintendent at historic Chicago Golf Club.

Finally, Bordner talks about his efforts to help solve golf turf's labor challenges by helping raise funds to offset the cost of college for potential turfgrass majors and organizing educational training events for those already working in golf.

While he climbed the career ladder, he learned the value of working varied climates where he had the opportunity to manage both warm- and cool-season turf. He has imparted that wisdom on aspiring superintendents, convincing them that a diverse work experience opens the door to more career opportunities.

He also discusses the importance of mentoring the next generation of golf course superintendents, his dream foursome and why he is a Michael Jordan fan.

Kreuser has a wide range of experience in the turf industry. He is a former golf course superintendent and professor at the University of Nebraska, and along with Doug Soldat, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, is the founder of TurfGrade LLC.

TurfGrade is a multi-platform entity that offers science-based information to turfgrass managers in golf, sports turf, lawn care and sod production.

Those offerings include Greenkeeper App, which helps turf managers schedule spray programs; Greenkeeper CIS that creates sprayer maps to guide GPS sprayers; and Greenkeeper University that offers specialized education from many leading university researchers.

In this episode of All Stars of Turf, Kreuser discusses his varied background, the evolution of TurfGrade and future plans for the platform.

Starting out as a night waterman and skunk-hunter at a local 18-hole, low budget Mom & Pop, David quickly learned by doing... a work ethic he kept with him throughout his career. "I know I'm not the sharpest tack in the box," he said, "so I knew I was just going to have to work harder than everyone else."

He soon enrolled in Penn State's two-year program — with classmates that included Kevin Ross and Ken Flisek — and was taught by the venerable Drs. Duich, Waddington, Shetlar and Watschke. Admitting to being intimidated by Dr. joe Duich, David credits Dr. Tom Watschke with making him observe and think from various viewpoints.

One of Webner's early jobs was second assistant at Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, Ohio, were Terry Bonar was a notch above him as first assistant, on his way to a long career as superintendent at Canterbury. The two became fast friends and stayed in touch beyond Bonar's retirement until his death within the past year.

There's a lot more, so watch or listen in.

Jeff started working at Williamsburg Country Club at age 12 as a cart attendant.  He took over as superintendent when he was 25, with no degree and still working toward a turf certificate. He is still there, 27 years later, surviving and thriving through a transition from a traditional member-owned country club to a sole-ownership, golf-only structure. He learned from both.

"Being a golf course superintendent is not a job, it's a marriage. I haven't worked a day in my life." ~ Jeff Whitmire, CGCS

A self-described information and research junkie, Jeff's favorite "new tool" over his career isn't a piece of equipment or a new PGR; it is the internet. It has enabled him to easily indulge his thirst for information and knowledge.

Jeff listens to his staff and values them as individuals and as a team. His operators and mechanic give thumbs up or down on equipment purchases. His staff came up with their unusual weekly schedule.

There are nuggets of wisdom sprinkled all through this conversation. Watch or listen, learn and enjoy.

A graduate of the Rutgers University turfgrass program, Pavonetti has developed a reputation for providing exceptional playing conditions while also being recognized for his efforts at producing an environmentally friendly landscape.

In his 17th season at Fairview, Pavonetti previously was superintendent at the Edison Club and the West Point Golf Course at the U.S. Military Academy.

In this episode of All Stars of Turf, Pavonetti discusses the importance of his work in government relations and how it benefits the turf industry, his penchant for great golf course photography and the importance of superintendents promoting their efforts while also meeting the exacting standards of a largely New York City membership.

A graduate of the two-year program at Ohio State, Ehrbar has been a legendary fixture in South Florida for years.

His career includes stops at Jupiter Hills Golf Club in Tequesta, Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens and Lost Tree in North Palm Beach, the home course of Jack Nicklaus.

Ehrbar has been involved in multiple construction projects and his career has been heavily influenced by names like Nicklaus and Pete Dye. 

In this conversation with John Reitman, Steve talks about who and what helped form his career, the importance of leadership and mentoring assistants and team members, the challenges associated with managing a golf course on the edge of Florida’s wetlands as well as labor issues, including how they affect the operation and steps toward solving them.

While Pat describes himself as a highly competitive achiever who has always looked for the next mountain to climb, he acknowledges that internal drive and competition can be a blessing and a burden. He values those he has learned from, worked for, worked and served with, mentored and otherwise befriended along the way.

Pat invented and brought to market the Green Sweep blower attachment for incorporating topdressing sand with minimal leaf abrasion, which is currently marketed by PrecisionUSA.

This All Star of Turf conversation with Peter McCormick ranks as one of the most open, honest and humble discussions we have had. Give it a listen to find out Pat's plans for the next mountain he is getting ready to climb.

Fred takes credit for all that goes wrong and give his staff credit for all that is right on the golf course. He has over the years served as a buffer between the staff and club membership,"running interference" for his staff and allowing them to do their jobs unhindered by the inevitable politics of private club operations.

Watch or listen in as Fred, a long-time TurfNet member, recounts some of the highlights of his career and the enjoyment he has gotten from it. Fred will also be honored this December by the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association with their Distinguished Service Award.

Also, check out the excellent profile video that Mankato Golf Club did of Fred a few years back (bottom)

In April of 2023 Jason made the leap from British Columbia 3000 miles east to take over the reins at Cabot Links on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Along with Cabot Cliffs and a newer 10-hole short course, Cabot Links is part of Cabot Cape Breton and is ranked #35 on the World Top 100 golf courses. Cabot Cliffs is ranked #1 in Canada.

In this fascinating conversation with Peter McCormick, Jason recounts the reasoning behind the advent of his minimalist turf maintenance programs, explains his departure from social media, and the positive move east to Cabot Cape Breton for him and his family. He uses the term "awesome" quite a bit in the conversation.

The transition from growing Poa in British Columbia ("unsustainable", in his words) to tee-to-green fine fescue in Nova Scotia: "In a word, awesome."

About joining the team of high-performance turf managers at Cabot: "I was used to working by myself. It's awesome to be a part of this group. Everyone here is here to be awesome. It’s easy to be inspired here. But just because somebody comes to work here doesn’t make them awesome... they have to make this place awesome in the first place."

"This is the perfect job for me, everything that I have been working toward with the minimalist style of greenkeeping in a links setting. This has been one of the most rewarding seasons of my career — so good — can’t believe I’m here."

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.

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.  Watch or listen.

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.

A must-watch (or listen) for anyone who has played in the Hockey Challenge, laced up skates or otherwise enjoyed the game of hockey.

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.
 

Fresh out of the University of Rhode Island (where he had a notable roommate, Frank Rossi) and an internship under Ted Horton at Westchester Country Club, 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, John offers hard-learned lessons and guidance 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, presented by Foley and Air2G2.  Listen or watch.

In this episode of All Stars of Turf, Kepple talks about the keys to career longevity and some of the changes that have occurred at East Lake during its time as the the final stop on the Tour schedule. Chief among those changes have been a conversion from bentgrass putting surfaces to ultradwarf Bermudagrass following a brutally hot summer leading up to the 2007 tournament and the infamous reversing of the nines on the Donald Ross design in advance of the 2016 event, as well as an upcoming restoration project by architect Andrew Green.

Although East Lake occupies an important place in the game's history, it also plays an important role off the golf course through the work of the East Lake Foundation, the goal of which is to help revitalize one of Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods.

Hoban, who prepped under Palmer Maples at the nearby Standard Club, uses biologicals, homemade compost tea and other organic nutrients to promote healthy turf and soils that require very little fungicides and are naturally resistant to disease pressure. 

Through the use of several species of native grasses he has eliminated 30 acres of irrigated turf. Those native areas attract wildlife and he manages bees with the recent addition of an on-site apiary.

Hoban first became interested in sustainability while working for Maples and has further developed his practices largely through research conducted in the agricultural industry.

Hoban's work was brought into the public eye in 2014 through Randy Wilson's video series "Chasing Rivermont" that appeared on TurfNetTV. His work has since won acclaim at the state and national level, and Hoban says none of what he has accomplished would have been possible without the support of Rivermont owner Chris Cupit.

He has mentored and graduated many assistants onto their own successful superintendent careers, and takes great pride and satisfaction in the ongoing relationships with them. His primary criterion for hiring an assistant is character. "I owe it to the rest of the team to not bring in someone who isn't a good fit," Cook said. "I look for good people. The other stuff they can learn."

Cook has a knack for boiling the seemingly complex down to the simple, whether it's writing a blog or orchestrating a management plan. "What we do as superintendents really isn't that complicated," he said. "I think we tend to overcomplicate it at times."

Why are there so many open positions for assistants? "Because of the self-inflicted damage we've done to ourselves as an industry over the past two or three decades," according to Cook.

This is a fascinating conversation with one who gets it. Gets the job and life away from it. Who else do you know who had climbed a 22,000 ft mountain in Nepal? Listen or watch, and learn.

Following a life-long passion for all things green, in 1990 Joe transitioned at age 32 from a ten year stint in school bus system management — supervising 150 drivers and a $3 million budget — to an assistant superintendent position at nearby Sunset Country Club under Lee Redman. 

Joe consulted his younger brother Ed, superintendent at Franklin County Country Club, prior to making the move. “Ed told me, ‘You have the management education (BA in business management from Southeast Missouri State) and experience. If Lee is willing to teach you the agronomy, then go for it,’” Joe recalled.

Turned out Lee was a big believer in education and new experiences, so took Joe under his wing. Joe took eleven horticulture courses over the next five years at nearby  STLCC- Meramec, and attended regional and national turf conferences with Lee.

”I was really playing catch-up with my peers in the early years, so I grabbed all the education I could and surrounded myself with smart people who I could learn from,” Joe said.

I was really playing catch-up with my peers in the early years, so I grabbed all the education I could and surrounded myself with smart people who I could learn from…”

After three years at Sunset CC, Joe got his first superintendent position at New Melle Lakes GC. Three years later he moved on to Eagle Springs GC, a 27-hole track on the outskirts of St. Louis. It was at that point that he joined TurfNet, paying the ($295 at the time) fee out of his own pocket.

”Joining TurfNet provided me with another opportunity to learn from a lot of smart superintendents, guys like Oscar Miles, Jerry Coldiron, Gordon Witteveen and Kevin Ross, among many others,” Joe said. “All those people not only helped me become a better turf manager, but also a better human being.” He went on to become one of our most active participants over the next 25 years, offering his own experiences and opinions while learning from others.

Prior to the 2009 GIS in post-Katrina New Orleans, TurfNet decided to help with a Habitat for Humanity build prior to the show. Joe organized and orchestrated the 2-day, 20-person effort. Why?

“My parents were very active on the local and state levels of Kiwanis, and instilled in me a strong ethic of public service and giving back to others,” Joe explained. “Running the Habitat project was a natural extension of that.”

My parents instilled in me a strong ethic of public service and giving back to others…”

Joe spent seven years at Eagle Springs before moving to Spencer T. Olin GC in Alton, IL, where he spent another five years in public golf. He transitioned to the private side in 2008 by taking the reins at Glen Echo Country Club, one of the oldest clubs west of the Mississippi and the site of the 1904 Olympic golf competition.

Early into his tenure at Glen Echo, Joe decided to document a construction/repair project on the course in a blog (http://geccgcm.blogspot.com) which he still maintains and has contributed over 1400 posts to this day. “I didn’t want to be the guy walking down the road due to a failure to communicate,” Joe said.

He stepped up to GM/superintendent at Glen Echo in 2018 and served in that capacity for two years before deciding it wasn’t for him and returning to the golf course full time. “That was a long two years,” Joe quipped.

Joe has recently initiated conversations with club management regarding his transition to retirement three years out. “I’m 64 now and want to work until full retirement age of 66-1/2,” he said. “The club has been very good to me over the past 13 years. I want to give them time to select a good replacement for me and every advantage in having a smooth transition, not only here but at the club my replacement will be coming from.”

A noble thought, one that we can’t recall ever hearing before.  For his character and contributions to the industry and to TurfNet, we are happy to recognize Joe Wachter as our first All Star of Turf.  Spend some time with Joe in the video below.