2017 News Releases

Blas Huezo, the equipment manager at Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif., has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Most Valuable Technician Award, presented by GCSAA and GCM in partnership with Foley United.

GCSAA Associate Director, Member Relations R. Scott Woodhead, a past president of the association, announced that he will be resigning from the association staff effective Sept. 15, to pursue other opportunities..

Ryan Bearss of Michigan State won the Mendenhall Award scholarship of $6,000 in the 2017 GCSAA Scholars Competition. This year the program, funded by the Robert Trent Jones Endowment and administered by the EIFG, awarded scholarships to 14 turf management students.

GCSAA Chief Operating Officer J.D. Dockstader has resigned, effective Sept. 29, to pursue other career interests. He joined the GCSAA staff in January 2014.

Tom Height, a 16-year member of GCSAA, spends most of the year as superintendent at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Connellsville, Pa. But for Fourth of July celebrations, he trades the fairways for fuses as part of an annual fireworks show in Ralston, Pa. Height will be featured on SiriusXM radio, July 5 at 6 p.m. (Eastern).

Jacob Schaller, son of Scott Schaller, superintendent at North Shore Golf Club in Menasha, Wis., is one of the 20 recipients of a 2017 Legacy Award scholarship from GCSAA. The award, funded by EIFG and Syngenta, is open to children and grandchildren of GCSAA members who have been active for five or more consecutive years.

Canada and U.S. golf course superintendents face off in October at two top New Jersey clubs.

Canada and U.S. golf course superintendents face off in October at two top New Jersey clubs.

This week Erin Hills welcomes its third USGA championship since 2008, and becomes the second youngest course to host a U.S. Open. Director of golf course operations and GCSAA member Zach Reineking will lead his staff to bring home a win for Erin Hills. Reineking will be featured on SiriusXM radio at 6 p.m. (Eastern), Wednesday, June 14.

Craig Smith, GCSAA’s director, communications and media relations, is retiring after nearly 30 years working in the golf industry. Smith joined GCSAA in May 2014, and during his time, has helped to strengthen and refine the association’s external communication efforts, including the successful “Thank a Superintendent” campaign that entered its third season in 2017. In addition to GCSAA, he also spent 20 years with the USGA.

Months of collaborative effort by members of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents and the Eastern Shore Association of Golf Course Superintendents will soon pay off with the August 2017 publication of best management practices (BMPs) for Maryland golf courses.

The 2017 Rounds 4 Research online auction sold more than 1,080 rounds and yielded more than $217,000. The top bid was $5,200 for four rounds of golf offered by Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, S.C. The Carolinas GCSA raised more than $50,000 and was the leader among more than 70 GCSAA affiliated chapters and turfgrass organizations that participated. The national campaign is supported by a $50,000 donation from The Toro Co.

After 30 years as a superintendent in Texas, John Walker is taking on a new role with GCSAA as the field staff representative for the South Central region. Walker, who is a graduate of Texas A&M University, will begin his position on June 1. He will serve members of the GCSAA affiliated chapters in Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas based from his home in Magnolia, Texas.