Profile
At age 16, I officially began my career in turfgrass while working on the greens crew at
the Bavarian Hills Golf Club, a popular 18-hole daily fee course in the Allegheny
Mountains of Pennsylvania. I worked for William Czekai, a construction guru hired to
oversee the construction of the course, and this is where I learned the basics to a solid
career in golf.
A year later, I accepted an offer to go to the Devereux Emmet-designed St. Marys Country
Club and work for Terry Salisbury, a very highly respected Superintendent in the region.
Terry had some of the best poa annua putting surfaces in the region each golf season.
This was a great experience, learning the private club atmosphere, growing poa, and
managing resources with low budgets.
When it came to college, I had only one choice. I drove down to “Happy Valley” alongside my parents to meet the world renowned Dr. Thomas Watshke, the director of Turfgrass Science at Penn State University, as part of the recruiting process. Upon completion of the program, I was fortunate to have networked with some of the best Superintendents in the world. These relationships continue today, years later. I am proud to be part of this distinguished alumni base!
I knew that if were to succeed in the industry, I had to travel to a big venue and work for high profile individuals. With this goal in mind, in the summer of 1999, I traveled east to the Maplewood Country Club, where I interned under Greg Nicoll. He propelled and challenged my thinking, my goals, and my aspirations in the Turfgrass business.
Upon graduating from Penn State, I was recruited in 2000 by Craig Currier to join his team at Bethpage State Park. The experience was very unique—I was working for the State of New York alongside a crew of 90, with unionized labor, 90 holes, and preparing for the US Open in 2002. Craig Currier provided me and so many other young men with work ethic, drive, determination, agronomic skills, and networking. I have such a great deal of respect for what he does and what he has taught each and every one of us. I am truly thankful to two of the best mentors one could have, Craig Currier and Greg Nicoll, for each and every opportunity that comes my way—to this day.
I left Bethpage in November of 2001, 7 months before the 2002 US Open, to pursue an opportunity at New Jersey National Golf Club in Basking Ridge, NJ. The club had offered me the Golf Course Superintendent position, and I gladly accepted. New Jersey National was a young course in an affluent area, and it had its deal of challenges ahead. The club had tremendous amounts of turf loss, had temporary greens in the middle of summer, was in transition from public to private, and had temporary clubhouse renovations going on with staff and management issues. They needed someone to have immediate impact, and I provided the solutions to the golf course conditioning. Throughout the subsequent years, the club has boasted some of the best layout/course conditions in the area. It has changed & grown into a full membership with over 400 total members. I have been part of an award winning management staff that has seen revenues grow year after year.
I am committed to a strong family and personal life as well. I married my beautiful wife Donna in August of 2007, and we joyously welcomed our first child into our lives in the Spring of 2011. I am honored to represent my family as a third-generation green industry professional—my great grandfather was the property manager at the Charles Schwab Estate in Loretto, PA.
EDUCATION
the pennsylvania state university university park, pa
b.s. in turfgrass management 2000
New jersey state pesticide & FERTILIZER applicators license Categories 3a, 3b, Fertilizer ID #C001976
State of NJ DEP Certificate of Environmental Stewardship
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Golf Course Superintendents Association of New Jersey
New Jersey Turfgrass Association
Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council
United States Golf Association
