Jake Mendoza discusses how working for a group of legendary superintendents, including Eric Greytok at Winged Foot and Curtis Tyrrell at Medinah, has helped shape his career at historic Detroit Golf Club where Donald Ross designed 36 holes and where Ross's brother was club president for three decades.

Mendoza also discusses instilling a new culture and a new way of doing things at Detroit, which is the home of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a PGA Tour event that started last year, and how issues like labor challenges affect maintenance practices.

Carlton Henry, assistant superintendent at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, talks in this episode of The Ladder about the compressed schedule of the restoration of this Donald Ross classic golf course to make it relevant for today's game. He also talks about the compressed schedule to restore one of Ross's personal favorites so that it was ready to host this year's U.S. Junior Amateur, as well as preparations for the 2021 Solheim Cup in Toledo. Finally, he talks about learning the business of being a golf course superintendent from John Zimmers, the role he and fellow assistant Ryan Kaczor play in budgeting and communicating with members on a day-to-day basis.

In this episode of The Ladder, Ryan Kaczor, assistant superintendent at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, discusses working for superintendents like John Zimmers, both at Inverness and Oakmont, and Steve Cook at Oakland Hills, and how those experiences are helping him prepare for his first crack at being a head superintendent. 

A graduate of Michigan State, Ryan also talks about the recent restoration at Inverness, one of Donald Ross’s favorite designs, and how contemporary architect Andrew Green brought the 1918 classic back to its roots. Ryan also talks about how the challenges involved with completing the restoration just ahead of this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, and efforts under way to bring the 2021 Solheim Cup to northwestern Ohio.

David Dore-Smith discusses the transition from wanting to become a landscape architect to golf course superintendent and how intertwining the two has helped forge his career. A native of Australia, Dore-Smith also talks about why it was important to leave his homeland to come to the United States to pursue his dream and how an internship at Ohio State University helped him achieve that goal. 

A year ago, Mathieu LeCompte became a first-time head superintendent when he accepted the job at Royal New Kent Golf Club in Providence Forge, Virginia, a Mike Strantz design that had become one of the many courses that had closed through the years.

In this episode of The Ladder, LeCompte talks with John Reitman about reviving the course from the ground up, including borrowing equipment from superintendents at nearby golf courses and hiring a completely new crew from the ground up.

Andy Magnasco, superintendent at Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, California, discusses his path to becoming a golf course superintendent, those who helped him along the way and what he has done to create value in his position and set himself apart from others.

This includes initiatives that are not necessarily related to golf, such as keeping bees, growing grapes for wine and lavender for personal care products that help create interest in the property among golfers and non-golfers alike.

In this episode of The Ladder, Conrad Pannkuk, assistant superintendent at Wynstone Golf Club in North Barrington, talks about his career path and the benefits of participating in Nufarm's EXCEL career-development program for assistant superintendents.

Pannkuk also shares what his club is doing to address the labor crisis facing the golf turf maintenance industry.

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman talks with Ron Freking, superintendent at Devou Golf and Event Center in Covington, Kentucky, about a career in public golf and how that might be appealing to future superintendents in the current golf economy.

Freking was a mechanic in the Air Force when he went to work for his father, who at the time was a golf course superintendent. Today, 30 years later, he continues to maintain one of the hilliest and busiest golf courses in the Cincinnati area.

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman talks with Sean Reehoorn, superintendent at Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish, Washington about how important it is to be ready for whatever curveball life throws at you.

Reehoorn was the assistant at Aldarra Golf Club under Paul Colleran when his friend and mentor died in 2014 after battling brain cancer. Reehoorn emerged from an open call for a new superintendent to take over as the new head greenkeeper at this Tom Fazio design near Seattle.

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Jesus Romero, assistant superintendent at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, FL, about how to best manage an Hispanic workforce.

• Gain their trust
• Let them know you are not going to take advantage of them
• Make them all feel important
• Let them know there are opportunities to succeed
• Listen to them; ask for their opinions and ideas
• Earn their heads and their hearts

Presented by STEC Equipment.

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Pete Bachman, superintendent at San Jose Country Club for the past two years. Pete describes his experiences managing a golf course in Silicon Valley, gathering experience at Pebble Beach and Winged Foot, what he learned (and didn't learn) at Penn State, and the value of a month in Mexico.

Presented by STEC Equipment.

In this first episode of The Ladder, our new podcast series aimed at those climbing the career ladder as well as those at the top who are charged with managing a labor force of Millennials.

TurfNet's John Reitman chats with Dan Meersman, director of grounds at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, about how he leverages the tech-savvy of his staff while meeting their need for a better work/life balance than many in this industry are used to.

Meersman was also a previous TurfNet Superintendent of the Year award winner, in 2012.

The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus, offering high-quality online turfgrass degrees and certificates.

The proverbial "60-hour work week" has been identified as one of the factors responsible for the decline in numbers of people entering the golf turf industry. Peter McCormick, host for this show, chats with Mark Fuller, CGCS, of the Connecticut Golf Club about his staff scheduling and how he avoids working his staff beyond an average of 48 hours each week... and why.

The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus.

What makes for a great experience for an assistant working for a golf course superintendent? Jimmy Pierson, head assistant superintendent at the Meadow Brook Club on Long Island, chats with Peter McCormick about his experiences with various superintendents and their divergent management styles over his six-year career.  Jimmy wraps it up with "Please don't EVER do this ____ to me again" and "Please do this ____ to me EVERY DAY!".

The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus. 

On this episode of The Ladder, Fred Gehrisch, CGCS, of Highlands Falls Country Club (Highlands, NC) discusses with host John Reitman how he gets great results from his job listings and interview process when hiring an assistant superintendent.

The Ladder podcast series on TurfNetRADIO is presented by Penn State World Campus. 

In this episode of The Ladder, host Peter McCormick chats with John Taylor, property manager and golf course supt at Grand Niagara Golf Club in Niagara Falls, Ontario, about the schedule change that enables them to provide better course conditioning on the premium-priced weekend days.. while giving each of the full-time staff members at Grand Niagara two consecutive days off every week.

They also discuss the annual Golf Course Hockey Challenge event, the brainchild of Taylor and Scott Dodson, CGCS, of the Park Country Club of Buffalo.  The tournament, for superintendents, assistants and suppliers, has been held in the Niagara Falls area each January for the past 22 years,  TurfNet has fielded a team there for the past 18 years.

The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus.

In this episode of The Ladder, Jason VanBuskirk of Stow Acres Country Club in Massachusetts talks with John Reitman about his total immersion in management of a 36-hole golf course, and how the integration of technology has allowed him to keep a grip on a large property and staff.  

Presented by Penn State World Campus.

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Laurie Bland, golf course superintendent at Miami Springs Golf Course in Miami Springs, Florida, about her decision to pursue a career as a golf course superintendent and the challenges she faced as a female in an extremely male-dominated field.