With a growing concern in the Turfgrass industry over water management and usage the Penn State Turf Club has Chosen Dr. Phillip Watson and Dawn Thilmany's article titled "Water-use efficiency in golf" for the 2011 Article of the Year. The article appeared in the June 2011 issue of GCM magazine and was chosen because of its relevance to the industry today. Turf Club members felt that it accurately presented the facts about water consumption on golf courses and gave facts to the reader rather than myths. The Penn State Turf Club would like to congratulate Dr. Phillip Watson and Dawn Thilmany on their outstanding work and look forward to more publishings in the future.
Mr. Kuhns, has been the director of grounds at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield , N.J., since 1999. Previously, he was golf course superintendent at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club; Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa.; and Ligonier Country Club.
He is a member of the Mountain & Valley GCSA, the Greater Pittsburgh GCSA, the GCSA of New Jersey, and is a past president of the Mountain & Valley GCSA. He is a director of the O.J. Noer Turfgrass Research Foundation and a past director of the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. He serves as secretary/treasurer for Pennsylvania Turfgrass Research Inc., and is a past member of the Penn State University Agronomy Advisory Council.
Mr. Kuhns’ resume includes extensive major championship experience. He has hosted the 1989 U.S. Senior Open at Laurel Valley Golf Club; the 1992 U.S. Women’s Open and the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club; the 2000 U.S. Men’s Amateur; the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club and will host the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
A native of Ligonier, Pa., Mr. Kuhns graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Mark Kuhns.
On January 25, 2011 the Penn State Turf Club was happy to start off the New Year by bringing in guest speaker Ian Hoffmann. Ian is the superintendent from the Rolling Rock Club located in Ligonier, PA about 50 miles away from the city of Pittsburgh. The Rolling Rock Club sits on 12,000 acres of land and has many activities to choose from other than golf, such as trap shooting and game lands for the outdoorsman member. The golf course was established in 1917 and is a Donald Ross design on the front nine holes and the back nine holes were designed by Brian Silva. The course plays 6,176 yards from the championship tees with a par of 70.Ian was a 2004 graduate from the Penn State four-year Turfgrass Management program. He started his career off by being hired as the Assistant Superintendent and rose quickly to become the head Superintendent in 2008. Ian talked to the turf club about recent projects and renovations the course completed. Some of the recent projects happened in the fall of 2006 with the renovation of the front nine bunkers, and expansion of the practice area. Rolling Rock Club also put in XGD drainage in 2010. Ian also incorporated a question and answer section into his talk, which was a great success.
Turf Club Meeting
Tuesday January 25, 2011
101 ASI Building
7:00PM-8:00PM
The first Turf Club meeting of the semester will be held on Tuesday January 25th. The meeting will take place in 101 ASI Building at 7PM. On schedule for the meeting is an introduction to the new officers, plans for future trips and fund raising efforts, election of a new Turf Club Secretary, and a guest speaker.
Speaking at the Turf Club will be Penn State Alumnus Ian Hoffman of Rolling Rock Club. Mr. Hoffman will be speaking about what it takes to be successful in this competitive job market and also hopes to generate a lot of discussion among the students.
We hope to see you there!
How do I get in the front position for an internship or assistant's position that will propel me toward my career goals?PSU Turf Club is hosting a resumé building event to help you get at the front of the queue for that position.
This Turf Club meeting will be held in 101 ASI on the 26th of October at 7 pm.
In order to get the most out of this event, we recommend you prepare for this meeting by taking a few minutes to think about what type of internship or job you want and prepare a resumé with your work experience.
PSU Turf Club
Click here to read Dr. Andrew McNitt´s report from STMA 2010 and more about our winning teams.
At 7pm on Tuesday the 26th of January Mr. Curtis Tyrrell, Director of Golf Course Operation at the Medinah Country Club, will be visiting PSUturfclub.
Medinah Country Club in Chicago, IL will be hosting the 2012 Ryder Cup and Mr. Tyrrell will be speaking about how they are preparing their facility for one of the biggest events in sports.
Mr. Tyrrell, a Certified Golf Course Superintendent, is a graduate of the Penn State 2 year program.
He went straight in to the position of assistant at PGA West, Palm Springs CA after graduation. His career has taken him via superintendent positions at Desert Mountain, Scottsdale, AZ, Anthem Golf Club, Las Vegas, NV and Lake of Isles, CT to his current position as Director of Golf Course Operation at Medinah Country ClubAt Lake of Isles, Mr. Tyrrell was in charge of the simultaneuos construction and the grow-in of two 18 hole golf courses.
After opening in 2005 ( South Course in April and North Course in May) Lake of Isles has received numerous prestigiuos distinctions.
In his position at Medinah CC he is working with his 3 superintendents to build a strong team atmosphere among the maintenance staff, instead of having 3 seperate courses.
Curtis Tyrrell, Medinah Country Club
The Turf Club held its annual luncheon during the Golf Course Turf Conference at the Nittany Lion Inn. This year's event drew superintendents from around the country for an update from the faculty and students in the turfgrass programs.
(Photo) Dean Graves, superintendent at Chevy Chase Country Club, Max Schlossberg (Associate Professor of Turfgrass Nutrition), and several students watch on as Andy McNitt gives the program update.
After a great lunch, the group was given an update on the turf program from Dr. McNitt, an update on the past year's events from Turf Club President Neils Dokkuma (2-year class of 2010) and a look at what's in store for the upcoming year from new Club President James Seisun (2-year class of 2011).
The highlight of the annual event continues to be the introductions of everyone in attendance. Each person stood up and introduced themselves and gave a little bit of background on their career and what Penn State means to them. Matt Shaffer, Director of Agronomy at Merion Golf Club, told the group how important Penn State was to him and promised any students looking for an internship three things:
- ...to teach them everything he knows about being a superintendent,
- ...to overwork them,
- ...and to undercompensate them!
The Turf Club Luncheon had one of the highest attendances on record with nearly 200 people. They look to expand upon this next year to draw in even more superintendents interested in sharing their thoughts on the program and finding out more about what the Turf Club is doing to prepare students for a career in the turfgrass industry!
Check out pictures from the luncheon and the Golf Course Turf Conference below.