Recruitment and retention are integral to success of any organization. These are on-going processes that help shape our future as we strive to continually elevate the bar we measure ourselves. In the recent months, we have attended job fairs and networking events (photo top right) to meet prospective staff members at three of the leading universities in our region: Penn State, University of Maryland and Rutgers. We are pleased to announce two students, both from Penn State, will be joining us for their internships this March.
Nick Leggin hails from the Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania area and comes to our team with several years of experience at Glenmaura National Golf Club. Nick was looking for an experience that would provide him an opportunity to learn various turfgrass systems and growth for his career. Prior to joining our team, Nick will volunteer on the maintenance staff for the 2020 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
It was in his hometown of Buffalo, New York where Kevan McDonald fell in love with the turfgrass industry while working at Tri-County Country Club and earning his BS in Business Administration from SUNY-Fredonia. Kevan’s past experiences include Westchester Country Club (New York), Bonita Bay Club (Florida), East Hampton Golf Club (New York) and most recently, the Ford Plantation in Georgia for his winter internship. He has volunteered on the maintenance staffs for the PGA Championship at Bethpage, Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Invitational and experienced the fall over-seed process in September at Augusta National that is the basis for the turf that is played upon for the Masters.
On a separate note, we have borrowed an idea for securing our tarps from the social media world. In the past, we would have used six inch sod staples to secure the protective cover in place on the Practice Tee (photo middle and bottom right). Using a longer stake with one inch pipe sleeve with help prevent any heaving from the freeze/ thaw. This exercise will be repeated when we cover the South Course greens beginning the week of January 6th.
From all of us on the grounds team, we hope you ascertain your goals and the year 2020 is prosperous for you and your families!
Jon Urbanski
Director of Grounds & Golf Courses