WELCOME TO Boot Camp Training program helps northern assistants march forward in their careers

STORY & PHOTOS he Asilomar Confer- its Assistant Superintendent Boot Camp, a BY LARRY AYLWARD ence Grounds in Pa- three-day conference that gives assistants the cific Grove, Calif., is opportunity to meet, to learn and to bond, not exactly Parris Is- among other things. land, S.C., the well- The NCGA held its third annual boot known site for camp at Asilomar in September. Located on U.S. Marine Corps the , Asilomar is comprised boot camps. There of 107 acres of flora and fauna fascination. are no marching Henry David Thoreau would adore this place. troops chanting "hup, two, three, four." And The great thing about Asilomar is that its Tthere are no barking drill sergeants dressing quiet — really quiet. The lodges feature rooms down crewcut-wearing privates. That said, without televisions and phones. From a rooms Asilomar is the perfect place for the Northern balcony, one can hear the tranquilizing sound California Golf Association (NCGA) to hold of the rippling Pacific surf surging to the shore. "This is a refreshing removal from society," says Mike McCullough, director of turfgrass The Asilomar Conference Grounds, located on services for the Northern California Golf the Monterey Peninsula, is comprised of Association and creator of the boot camp. 107 acres of flora and fauna - and a splendid And that's just the way McCullough wants view of the Pacific Ocean. it. He began the boot camp three years ago because there was a need for an assistant superintendents educational conference in northern California. He developed the boot camp with input from several area assistants. Often, it's assistants who oversee the agro- nomics of golf courses, McCullough says, but they often get overlooked when it comes to attending conferences or meetings. It's not intentional — that's just the way it is. "Assistants are an integral part of the man- agement team," McCullough says. "But they never get the training to take the next step." Says Lonnie Stevens, assistant superinten- dent of Poppy Ridge in Livermore, Calif., and one of the assistants who helped Mc- Cullough create the program: "Most superin- Continued on page 78 Continued from page 76 McCullough doesn't want attendees who are tendents meetings are geared toward superin- only interested in getting away from their tendents, and assistants generally get left behind courses for a few days so they can party. Two to manage the store. A lot of assistants don't get attendees are assigned to a room, and all at- a chance to go to the national conference, so tendees dine together in a nearby cafeteria. this is kind of the next best thing." McCullough limits the boot camp to about While not really a boot camp, McCulloughs 40 participants to keep it intimate. program borrows from one. The whole idea of Jeff Steen, who joined Pebble Beach Golf the event is get attendees to focus intently on Links as an assistant in the spring, says he came why they're there — to learn and interact. to Asilomar to learn, "You've really got to put something into this to get something out of it," Steen says. "You just can't look at it as just a few days off THE SERGEANT from work." Name: Mike McCullough t's shortly after 8 a.m. on a cool and foggy Monday morning. McCullough Rank: Director of Turfgrass Services for stands in front of the nondescript con- the Northern California Golf Association ference room and takes roll call for boot camp attendees. What He Has to Say: "Assistants are an I"Griffing," McCullough barks. integral part of the management team. But they never get the training to take "Here," Griffing answers. the next step." "Thomas," McCullough bellows. "Here," Thomas returns. This will be a long day, packed full of field trips and educational sessions that will last until nearly 9 p.m. McCullough instructs attendees to be polite during the presentations — and THE ENLISTED turn off the cell phones, he warns. Name: Sheila McGrew Attendees heed McCulloughs words. They realize, in a sense, that he's the sergeant of this Rank: NCGA intern at the Meadow boot camp. Club in Fairfax, Calif. The only woman Attendees range from throughout north- attending boot camp. ern California and come in all shapes and sizes. The tallest and biggest attendee is the muscu- What She Has to Say: "I'm a late lar and chiseled Greg Amsler, who looks more bloomer, but I'm really enjoying my like a football player than an assistant super- career so far." intendent. Well, that's because the 35-year-old was a football player — Amsler played run- ning back for the University of Tennessee in the late 1980s and then spent two years in the National Football League. After retiring from THE ENLISTED football, Amsler, a former caddy at Baltusrol Name: Brian Thomas Golf Club in New Jersey where he grew up, decided to pursue golf course maintenance as Rank: Assistant superintendent of a career. He's been the assistant superintendent King's River Golf and Country Club in at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach for Kingsburg, Calif. almost two years. Brad Griffing, 28, is the assistant superin- What He Has to Say: "I didn't even know tendent at Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasan- there was anything like this for assis- tants. I think it's great" ton, Calif. This is the second boot camp he's attended. A few years ago, Griffing told him- self he wanted to be a superintendent by the Continued on page 80 Continued from page 78 Yountville, Calif., and a first-time attendee. time he was 30. He's attending this boot camp "The no-TV thing surprised me," says to sharpen his skills so he can ready himself to Brian Thomas, assistant superintendent of take the next step. King's River Golf and Country Club in Kings- Sheila McGrew, who's interning on behalf burg, Calif. "But I've adjusted to it." of the NCGA at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, The night before, Thomas says he and his Calif., is the only woman and one of the few roommate talked shop until midnight nonassistant superintendents attending the boot before going to sleep. camp. The 38-year-old spent four years in the "You can go back to your room after the Navy in the 1980s, and she didn't decide to pur- day and reflect on the notes you've taken," sue turf maintenance as a profession until 1999. Stevens says. "There are no distractions here." She hopes to attain an assistant's position when This is the third boot camp that Stevens she finishes her internship in June. has attended. "I'm a late bloomer, but I'm really enjoy- "And it's my last," he says with a chuckle. ing my career so far," she says. "I hope I'll be unqualified to be a boot camp The boot camp's serene environment is a participant at this time next year." topic of conversation. No television means The 39-year-old Stevens has been the as- there's no watching ESPN. But most agree that sistant at Poppy Ridge for eight years and is the bonus of such an environment is that it itching to become a head superintendent. screams interaction, especially when two Stevens is attending his third boot camp be- assistants share one room. cause he realizes he still has plenty to learn. He "It forces the attendees to get together and also knows that boot camp gives him an talk turf," says Rob Whitham, assistant at opportunity to make new relationships that Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park in could help him land a superintendent's job. Most everyone loves that aspect of the boot camp. It provides them the opportunity to as- semble and network with their colleagues so THE ENLISTED they can discuss their needs and goals. Name: Jeff Steen Thomas says he didn't know there was a program of such for assistants until his super- Rank: Assistant golf course superinten- intendent, Mike Kroeze, told him about it and dent of Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. asked him if he wanted to attend. "This is great," the 35-year-old says, stressing the need What He Has to Say: "You've really got to for such events for him and his peers. put something into this to get some- Amsler says it's important to gain face time thing out of it You just can't look at it as with your peers. "A lot of the learning isn't just just a few days off from work" taking place in the classroom, but it's through conversation with others," he says.

ruce Williams, certified superin- tendent of the Los Angeles Coun- THE ENLISTED try Club and a past president of the GCSAA, is one of the boot Name: Greg Amsler camp's top speakers. The straight- Rank: Assistant superintendent of Cy- forward Williams, who has helped train more press Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif. than 100 people to become superintendents, is glad to be speaking at boot camp. What He Has to Say: "This is an opportu- "I've always had a strong place in my heart nity for me to do a little networking. It's for assistant superintendent programs and really important to stay active with other training," Williams says. "Unfortunately, I superintendents." don't think we've done justice over the years to developing formalized programs to train Continued on page 82 Continued from page 80 Regarding the latter, the assistants heard sto- the next generation. We do a tremendous job ries from former assistants who had recently of training superintendents, but we don't do gained first head superintendents jobs. One a good job of training assistants." was Mat Dunmyer, superintendent of Sonoma During his two seminars that focused on (Calif.) Golf Club. Dunmyer, a Buffalo native, climbing the career ladder, Williams empha- told assistants that sometimes you have to move sized the importance of trying to get along around to get what you want — and be with others. When you're a superintendent, patient. Dunmyer attended school at Lake City you need to be a team player, Williams stressed. Community College in Florida before moving "There are a lot of superintendents out there to California and taking a job as a spray tech- that grow grass real well, but [aren't good] when nician at Lahontan Golf Club inTruckee, Calif. it comes to getting along with their pros and Soon, Dunmyer moved up to second assistant general managers." at the course. Two years later, he took an assis- Throughout the boot camp, the assistants tant's job — but a superintendent-in-train- heard presentations focusing on a mixture of ing position — at Stone Tree Golf Club in No- subjects — from maintaining turf equipment vato, Calif. He was there for 14 months before to using growth regulators and biostimulants getting his first superintendent job at Moraga for improved summer turf performance, and (Calif.) Country Club. from taking a tour of the Pebble Beach Golf Dunmyer advised the assistants not to rush Links maintenance facility (see sidebar below) in their quests to become superintendents. to gaining tips for getting their next jobs. Continued on page 84

Dream Maintenance Facility One of the field trips offered during boot camp was a trip to to tour the course's highly touted maintenance facility. The segment was titled, "Maintenance Facility to Die For!' Indeed, Pebble Beach's building, which recently celebrated its first birth- day, is the Taj Mahal of maintenance fa- cilities, as it has been described. It fits in well among the million-dollar mansions that dot the course. It was sorely needed, too. Pebble Beach had badly outgrown its previous maintenance facility, like a 10-year-old in a 6-year-old's clothes. Tom Huesgen, superintendent at Pebble Beach, says the course's former PEBBLE MAHAL: tiny maintenance facility, which featured Cost - $2.3 million a 65-square-foot office for the superin- tendent, was functional. But there's no Site size - 1.4 acres comparing the two buildings. Check Building size - 17,500 square feet out the numbers detailing the new Length - 287 feet facility (right). Employee areas - 2,870 square feet "It worked for a number of years, and it hosted a number of successful events," Indoor equipment storage - 9,000 square feet Huesgen says. "A lot of great people Preparation of site - excavation of 30,000 cubic yards of material from the industry came through it." Permitting process - 1.5 years - Larry Aylward, Editor Architectural versions - Four. Continued from page 82 at Cypress Point Club, says his boss, certified "I wanted to know how to do everybody's superintendent Jeff Markow, understands he job before I sat on the other side of the desk," has to do what's best for his career and wanted he said. "I wanted to learn all that I could." him to attend the boot camp. "Word is out that we're Dunmyer said its important for assistants "A good superintendent is not going to hold trying to provide a to set goals for themselves and recognize what you back from something he sees as a good they need to work on — personally and pro- opportunity for you," Amsler says. "I've heard first-class operation. fessionally — to get to the next level. [Markow] say that to a number of guys who've gone through here." Maybe this could be he boot camp ended with an "Sergeant" McCullough, who has been with a national event." assistant superintendent golf the NCGA for about four years and has a mas- tournament at Del Monte Golf ter's degree in horticulture from Oklahoma MIKE MCCULLOUGH Course on Tuesday afternoon. State University, is satisfied with the direction Then it was back to work. his boot camp has taken, but he plans to im- Speaking of work, all of the assistants were prove it. McCullough, who says he doesn't thankful to their bosses for letting them attend know of any other national turf organizations the boot camp and miss a few days of work. that offer formal programs for assistants, says And that brings to mind an interesting point. the boot camp is gaining a name for itself How many bosses in other professions would "Word is out that we're trying to provide a allow the people they manage to attend an first-class operation," he says. "Maybe this event that could ultimately lead them to leave could be a national event. We're a ways from their current jobs? that, but if we keep it going. ..." Amsler, who says he feels privileged to work Ten-hut! •

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