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About this blog

A TurfNet RADIO podcast series for those climbing the career ladder as well as those at the top who manage a younger "Millennial" labor force.

Entries in this blog

Josh Saunders: Labor shortages, career experiences

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Josh Saunders, superintendent at the Longue Vue Club in the Pittsburgh area. Saunders laments some of the challenges of hiring staff in his area: hours, weekends, and opioids... his quests for interns and assistants... tapping into new demographics... putting a hard sell on the industry as a career... the lure of tournament golf on a resume... and how agronomy over time yields to management of budget, membership and assistants.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Jordan Kitchen: Professional Development Yields Personal Introspection

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Jordan Kitchen, assistant superintendent at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario. Jordan relates his experiences with launching a new company and product while obtaining an MBA and working full time to boot.   Surprisingly, he finds the benefits of the MBA program to be as much in personal introspection and development as in broadening his business skills.   Presented by STEC Equipment.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Carlos Arraya: Pillar Management at Bellerive Country Club

In this episode of The Ladder, presented by STEC Equipment, host John Reitman chats with Carlos Arraya of Bellerive Country Club about his career path, team building at Bellerive through Pillar Management, and fostering staff development through one-on-one "weeklies". Carlos also discusses the benefit of giving up some management control to others and letting them make decisions. "It's amazing how much we can get done, and how much it improves everyones work/life balance."  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Jared Weight of Muirfield Village Golf Club

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Jared Weight, assistant superintendent at Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, OH, about his career path, working with Paul B. Latshaw and Chad Mark, and golf course conditioning in Pittsburgh... among others.   Presented by STEC Equipment.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Anthony Williams, CGCS, on the changing role of assistants

In this episode of The Ladder, presented by STEC Equipment, host John Reitman chats with Anthony Williams, CGCS, of TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas in Irving, TX. The conversation revolves around the role of the assistant superintendent and how it has changed dramatically over the past twenty years.   A former TurfNet Superintendent of the Year, Anthony joined TPC Four Seasons after a 30-year career with Marriott Hotels, where he received Marriott's highest honor the J.W. Marriott Award of Excel

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Dane Wilson, son of a superintendent, hones his craft at Medinah #2

Host John Reitman chats with Dane Wilson, superintendent at Medinah #2 near Chicago, about his internships, career goals, development of his own personal golf course management strategies, and wisdom instilled by his father, Mark Wilson, former superintendent at Valhalla Golf Club and host superintendent of many professional tournaments and events.   "My father always told me, 'you can only do better than what your father did'" - Dane Wilson  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Sam MacKenzie, CGCS: The Value of Different Points of View

In this episode of The Ladder, presented by STEC Equipment, John Reitman chats with Sam MacKenzie, CGCS, director of grounds at Olympia Fields Country Club (Olympia Fields, IL), about Sam's career path over the 38 years he has been in turf management.   MacKenzie, the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year in 2008, reflects on people who have influenced him and the value in being exposed to different points of view in both turf maintenance and people management... as well as the current state of t

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Tom Zoller of Tehàma Golf Club: Fortunate career breaks

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Tom Zoller, longtime superintendent and now Managing Director at Tehàma Golf Club (owned by Clint Eastwood) in Carmel, CA.  Zoller relates his experiences growing up and through the ranks of the greenkeeping profession to his current position.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

The Ladder, with Justin Sims of The Alotian Club

In this episode of The Ladder, John Reitman chats with Justin Sims, golf course superintendent at The Alotian Club in Roland, AR, about Justin's career path (from college to East Coast Sod in NJ, The Club at Cordillera in CO, The Olympic Club in CA, Victoria National Golf Club in IN, Augusta National Golf Club and finally to Alotian) -- and his quest for varying experiences along the way.   Recorded at the recent Northern California Golf Association Assistant Superintendent Boot Camp.   Pres

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Gavin Dickson: Newly promoted supt at Tehàma Golf Club, Carmel, CA

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Gavin Dickson, newly promoted superintendent at Tehàma Golf Club in Carmel, CA, while at the recent Northern California Golf Association Assistant Superintendent Boot Camp.   Topics include when it's time to move on from one position to the next, decision factors involved in making the next career moves, and interviewing tips for securing the job you want.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

As the Ryder Cup dust settles: Ryan Moy of Hazeltine National Golf Club

Just days after the Ryder Cup was held at Hazeltine National Golf Club, Peter McCormick chatted with Hazeltine assistant superintendent Ryan Moy, arguably the most famous assistant superintendent in the world this week.   Topics ranged from his experience working for Chris Tritabaugh in the years, months and weeks leading up to staging the Ryder Cup event. making the volunteers feel welcome, a few agronomic strategies, fun with coyote decoys and a pink hat, and what's next for Ryan Moy.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

The Ladder, with Scott Bender, CGCS, of Marriott's Griffin Gate Resort

In this episode of The Ladder, Scott Bender, CGCS, director of engineering and grounds at Marriott's Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, KY, discusses his keys to career success... ranging from finding a mentor to personal habits and hygiene, learning how to speak well, and always putting on a professional appearance.   Hosted by John Reitman, presented by Penn State World Campus.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Dr. Pat Vittum: UMass Green School and Winter Short Course

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Dr. Pat Vittum of the University of Massachusetts about two "winter" programs offered by UMass/Amherst: the bi-annual 12-day Green School (coming up in October) and the six-week Winter Short Course for turf managers offered in January/February of 2017.   Find out how this type of program (among others) can springboard your career in turf management.        

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Amy Wallis, PhD: Leading Across Generations

In this episode of The Ladder, presented by Penn State World Campus, John Reitman chats with Dr. Amy Wallis of the Wake Forest University School of Business about how superintendents can adapt their leadership skills to the needs of those staff members older and younger than themselves.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

The Ladder, with Laurie Bland: Against all obstacles

In this episode of The Ladder, host John Reitman chats with Laurie Bland, golf course superintendent at Miami Springs Golf Course in Miami Springs, Florida, about her decision to pursue a career as a golf course superintendent and the challenges she faced as a female in an extremely male-dominated field.    The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus.    

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

John Taylor: Schedule change allows better weekend conditioning and a happy staff at Grand Niagara

In this episode of The Ladder, host Peter McCormick chats with John Taylor, property manager and golf course superintendent at Grand Niagara Golf Club in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Taylor recently enacted a schedule change that enables them to provide better course conditioning on the premium-priced weekend days while giving each of the full-time staff members at Grand Niagara two consecutive days off every week.   They also discuss the annual Golf Course Hockey Challenge event, the brainchild of

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Builder or Destroyer? Be that GREAT boss! With Jimmy Pierson, on The Ladder

What makes for a great experience for an assistant working for a golf course superintendent? Jimmy Pierson, head assistant superintendent at the Meadow Brook Club on Long Island, chats with Peter McCormick about his experiences with various superintendents and their divergent management styles over his six-year career. Jimmy wraps it up with "Please don't EVER do this ____ to me again" and "Please do this ____ to me EVERY DAY!".       The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus. 

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

The 60-Hour Work Week, or NOT? Mark Fuller, CGCS, on The Ladder

The proverbial "60-hour work week" has been identified as one of the factors responsible for the decline in numbers of people entering the golf turf industry.   Peter McCormick, host for this show, chats with Mark Fuller, CGCS, of the Connecticut Golf Club about his staff scheduling and how he avoids working his staff beyond an average of 48 hours each week... and why.   The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus.  

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

The Ladder: Managing Millennials with Dan Meersman

The Ladder is our new podcast series aimed at those climbing the career ladder as well as those at the top who are charged with managing a labor force of Millennials.   In this first episode, TurfNet's John Reitman chats with Dan Meersman, director of grounds at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, about how he leverages the tech-savvy of his staff while meeting their need for a better work/life balance than many in this industry are used to.   Meersman was also a previous TurfNet Superintendent o

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick


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