While attending the Western Washington GCSA Annual Meeting at Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish, Wash., this week, the chapter recognized Karen Armstead with the Paul Backman Distinguished Service Award for her long-standing dedication to First Green, a program whose roots began right here in Washington. That presentation stirred emotions in a young assistant superintendent. He shared with me that the high school field trip he took to a local golf course was the beginning of a journey that led him to where he is today. Later in the week, I spoke with him by phone to learn more about his career path. This is Trevor Kiunke’s story.

Trevor grew up in Arroyo Grande, Calif., where he was part of the ag science program at Arroyo Grande High School. In 2018, his teacher arranged a field trip to Monarch Dunes Golf Course. Superintendent Herminio Plata welcomed the class and offered them a look at what goes into maintaining a golf course.

Trevor clearly remembers that day because the crew happened to be aerifying a practice green. “I remember seeing the cores pulled from the turf and how they filled the holes with sand,” he said. “I had no idea that kind of work went into keeping a green healthy, and yet you could still putt on it afterward. It blew my mind.

Note: below, Trevor is right there in the front row!

The group toured the maintenance facility and got a close-up view of the equipment. Trevor said one detail stood out to him immediately: the price of a fairway mower. “I’ll never forget hearing it cost around $80,000,” he said with a laugh. “That really opened my eyes to the scale of what it takes to manage a golf course.”

But what stood out most was the passion. “You could just tell Herminio loved what he did,” Trevor said. “That made a strong impression on me.”

Before the students left, Herminio offered his business card and mentioned that working at the course came with free golf. Trevor took him up on the opportunity. He worked at Monarch Dunes for two summers, and during his senior year, he came in twice a week to mow the driving range tee. “Herminio trusted me with a key to come in, mow and lock up. That trust meant a lot.”

After high school, Trevor attended Washington State University and completed two internships at Montreux Golf & Country Club under the guidance of Doug Heinrichs, CGCS. When his girlfriend stayed in Pullman to complete her degree, Trevor moved to Seattle and joined the Inglewood Golf Club, where he now works as an assistant superintendent under Greg Matz.

When I later spoke with Herminio, he remembered that 2018 field trip clearly. It was the first time he had ever hosted a high school ag science class, and aerification just happened to be happening that day. He didn’t even think of it as a First Green event at the time. It lasted only about an hour — a brief moment in a busy schedule — but it turned out to be life-changing for one student.

Today, Herminio serves on a High School Ag Advisory Committee and was thrilled to learn where Trevor’s path has taken him.

A one-hour field trip.
A curious student.
A superintendent willing to share what he loves.

Sometimes, that’s all it takes.