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 From the News Desk...Hughes heads group of super of the year finalistsThe impact Mark Hughes had on the industry he served and the people who knew him continues despite his untimely death at age 49 in 2007.  Hughes, who most recently was superintendent of Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y., recently was named as one of nine finalists for TurfNet’s 2008 Superintendent of the Year, presented by Syngenta.
Joining Hughes on the list of finalists are Thomas Bastis , CGCS, California Golf Club of San Francisco; Eric Bauer , The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas; Todd Daniel , Riverchase Country Club, Birmingham, Ala.; Scott Guidry , Ellendale Country Club, Houma, La.; Sam MacKenzie , CGCS, Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club; Jake Renner , CGCS, The Legend at Brandybrook, Wales, Wis.; Barry Strittholt , CGCS, Brown’s Run Country Club, Middletown, Ohio; and Fred Theus , The Plantation at Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges from a field of 69 nominees. The judging panel included Dave Ravel of presenting sponsor Syngenta , Peter McCormick and John Reitman of TurfNet , Craig Horan and Bradley Klein of Golfweek , Larry Hirsh of Golf Property Analysts , Jim Letourneau of Foley United, Frank Rossi, Ph.D., of Cornell University, Cal Roth of the PGA Tour , Jim Snow of the USGA Green Section , Tom Stine of Golf Datatech and reigning superintendent of the year John Zimmers of Oakmont Country Club . For a list of all nominees, click here . The award is presented annually by TurfNet to someone who demonstrates the ability to excel in one or more of the following areas: labor-management skills, maximizing budget limitations, educating and advancing the careers of colleagues and assistants, negotiating with government agencies, preparing for tournaments under unusual circumstances, service to golf clientele, upgrading or renovating the course and dealing with extreme or emergency conditions. The winner will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Syngenta booth during the Golf Industry Show in New Orleans. Whether it was family, friends, fellow church members, chapter associates or other superintendents who played in a golf league with him, Hughes touched many on his path through life. “Also, his service to his members, fellow superintendents and his community was unparalleled,” said Monroe head professional Jim Mrva. A former high school horticulture teacher, Hughes’ teaching skills always seemed to come to the forefront during his turf management career. He showed a knack for being able to relate to those who worked for him, while still coaxing the best from them. “I only knew Mark for a couple of years, but he is one of those special people you only meet once in a lifetime,” said former assistant and successor Matt Delly. “After a few months aboard, it seemed as if I knew him for years.” To read more on Mark Hughes, click here . Thomas Bastis, CGCS When questions and heel dragging by public officials threatened to derail Quick thinking by Bastis, 37, helped keep the restoration of California Golf Club of San Francisco on track.
His crew took on about 40 percent of the labor involved in the restoration, which kept workers (several of whom have worked at Cal Club for more than 20 years) employed throughout the duration of the project and helped the club save millions. “While the architect takes the bows (for a restoration project), I can assure you that the timely completion of the project was due in large part to the talents and extraordinary efforts and leadership of Thomas Bastis,” said former Cal Club president Allan Jamieson. “I don’t know of any superintendent in the country who did more or worked harder in a one-year period.” To read more on Thomas Bastis, click here . Eric Bauer A disaster-preparedness plan by Eric Bauer helped not only helped ensure the golf courses at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, were ready for Hurricane Ike last year, but that they were able to get up and running again in a timely manner when others in the Houston area could not.
The storm took down 500 trees on the golf course, but Bauer and his staff already had in place pieces of the plan, including all necessary equipment, they would need to clear the course after the storm. The end result was opening one course within about a week and the other about a week after that. The rapid recovery ensured that the club could hold its annual member-guest tournament as scheduled. The job that Eric and his team did was nothing short of extraordinary in obtaining resources and manpower to fully restore both courses to pre-hurricane conditions in time for the event,” said club vice president William Langley. To read more on Eric Bauer, click here .
Daniel, 40, has become an expert at overcoming the worst Mother Nature and membership can throw at him. His short tenure at Riverchase Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., has included three floods, two years of drought, strict budget cutbacks and a club filing Chapter 11.
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 In other news... Greens of envy Olympic Club members and 2012 U.S. Open reap benefits of converting from Poa annua to bentgrass. Posted: 11/19/2009 Read more » News and people briefs Register now for New England turf show, Toro introduces walk-behind trencher, Sipcam adds to sales staff Posted: 11/19/2009 Read more » A better divot digger Motorized device developed at the University of Arkansas produces uniform damage quickly and could help advance turf recovery research. Posted: 11/19/2009 Read more » Currier moving on from Bethpage Site of this year's U.S. Open to get new superintendent and 15th green. Posted: 11/18/2009 Read more » Economic struggles mean finding more fat to trim Superintendents look for ways to cut due to shrinking budgets. Posted: 11/16/2009 Read more » Complete news index »
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Todd Daniel
Guidry inherited a golf course, crew and membership in disrepair at Ellendale Country Club in Houma, La. Guidry, 32, worked to restore order to all corners of the operation – and had succeeded just in time for Hurricane Gustav to come through and threaten to unseat everything.
Worsening economic conditions brought on in part by declining conditions on the North Course, site of the 2003 U.S. Open, coupled with several expensive projects on the books caused a rift in morale among staff and employees at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club.
Renner, 57, and his staff worked tirelessly to remove several feet of flood water from parts of the course at The Legend at Brandybrook when the Wales, Wis., area received record rainfall for the month of June – in two days.
Strittholt, 65, has delivered consistent conditions at Brown’s Run Country Club in Middletown, Ohio, for more than 30 years. His impact on the game and the industry has been reflected by the many nominations he received for this award. Those who nominated him included members, fellow superintendents, a USGA Green Section agronomist and a former employee.
That was no small task. When he arrived in 2006, the majority of the club’s greens hard large areas where turf was supposed to be – but wasn’t. He instituted a new agronomic plan that put the course on its way to recovery. He also retrained his staff – which he described as rag-tag and undisciplined – into a model crew.
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