Who are the best greenkeepers in the US?

[archie_struthers]

Guys , we all could make a case for many superintendents. They are one of a kind workers , who give way more than people could ever imagine.

But if you would ask them to anser this , and I'm looking at it as a kind of Hall of Fame list , the total body of work must be considered. Pretty hard to not have Latshaw and my personal pick Bator on the "all time great list"  . ask the many great supers who have learned and worked for them .

[Mike Hendren]

An observation and ancedote:

Almost without exception, golf course superintendents are among the nicest gentlemen I've met.

Joe Kennedy, the super at Vanderbilt Legends Club told me of his first job.  He was at a small club in North Carolina and during his first summer he lost four greens.  He was invited to the year-end member banquet and thought he would get a going away gift.  Instead they praised him and gave him a bonus because that was the fewest number of greens lost in several years.

Mike

[Mike Hendren]

Rod Lingle at Memphis CC deserves a nod, primarily for his pioneering use of Champion Bermuda.

Mike

[Ian Andrew]

There are 1000's of guys who work at low profile clubs with half or even one third of the budgets of the big clubs mentioned here. They also deliver outstanding conditions under much tougher circumstance. I think they are the ones that need the recognition.

[jeffwarne]

 I don’t use a budget and when I tell people that they usually think that means unlimited funds which is not how we operate. We use a zero based approach to maintenance costs and keep track of our spending vs previous months and years.  We try as hard as we can to get by with what we have and if we need something, we buy it. Not very fancy I know but we have reduced maintenance expenses for four consecutive years and in '10 we came in under 500K which includes all taxes, insurance, and any administrative costs associated with the property.

I've been very fortunate to have an owner give me free reign to do it any way I wanted with the only directive being keep it nice and be practical about it.

A great post about budgets.
My pet peeve is people spending money "because it's budgeted" out of fear they'll lose it if they don't use it.
as you said "if you need it-buy it"

[Anthony_Nysse]

Gregg Stanley at The Bridge.

[Michael Burrows]

Doug Petersan at Austin Golf Club. Long time superintendent at Prairie Dunes and Baltimore Country Club. He was one of the first superintendents to start topdressing greens religiously. He loves to tell the story about how the members at Prairie Dunes started to call him Doug "Peter-sand".  He is also a member of the Nebraska golf hall of frame and GCSAA Distinguished Service Award recipient.

[Stewart Naugler]

Phil Owen at Warwick Hills Country Club in Grand Blanc, MI- The most intelligent superintendent I know and absolutely the best financial manager in the business. Warwick just lost the Buick Open and the local economy is struggling due to the automotive industry. Still, Phil produces P.G.A tour quality greens on a daily basis. Tiger once called it the best conditioned course on the P.G.A. tour. I've played some of the best courses in the world and Warwick's greens are still the truest I've ever putted on. Phil's done a masterful job at cutting his maintenance budget, while still providing elite level playing conditions to his membership. I'm truly blessed to have him as a close family friend and mentor.

Jeff Markow at Cypress- Again one of the most intelligent people you'll ever meet (Jeff should be a presidential candidate). Jeff's truly one of the most humble and hardworking superintendents in the business. He's done an incredible job of restoring Cypress to the doctor's original intent. Some of the before and after pictures are absolutely stunning. He has a keen eye for detail and restoration. I asked Jeff so many questions while at Cypress, some brilliant and some not so brilliant, but he always had an intelligent in-depth answer. Jeff's best skill though is his ability to manage people, I've never worked on a staff in which every single employee loved and respected their boss. At Cypress, every single employee has the utmost respect for Jeff and for good reason. Jeff truly cares about every single one of his employees from his assistants to his bunker crew. I know I'll never work for a better person than Jeff Markow and I truly feel lucky to have worked for him.

Jeff and Phil are the best of the best.

[Dan Herrmann]

Bruce Cadenelli - super genius, great guy, hard worker, and lover of his craft.

He truly makes the game better for all who play.

Check out his paper from 20 years ago:  http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/itgcs/article/1983feb19.pdf

He brings the same passion and love of the game and its architecture to his work today.   He practices as much art as science in his craft.  

In his own words:  http://punchbowlgolf.com/2009/04/bruce-cadenelli/

[Stewart Naugler]

Thanks for posting that!

[David Kelly]

Donnie Beck at Fishers Island is a huge reason why the course has climbed up to #7 on GW's Classic list. 

Stan George at Prairie Dunes is also great especially considering the weather he has to deal with which ranges from freezing ice storms to broiling heat and the course stays open year round.

[Eric Smith]

There are 1000's of guys who work at low profile clubs with half or even one third of the budgets of the big clubs mentioned here. They also deliver outstanding conditions under much tougher circumstance. I think they are the ones that need the recognition.

I agree with you, Ian.

There's one guy on the list when my ship comes in and his name is David Helton. You've never heard of him, but he's real and he's fantastic.

[David Lott]

There are 1000's of guys who work at low profile clubs with half or even one third of the budgets of the big clubs mentioned here. They also deliver outstanding conditions under much tougher circumstance. I think they are the ones that need the recognition.

Amen.

The invisibility of a superintendent is a mark of success.