Turf Club Guest Speaker: Curtis Tyrrell, CGCS

On January 26, The PSU Turf Club was forunate enough to welcome the Director of Golf Course Operations of Medinah Country Club, Curtis Tyrrell, CGCS for a speech on his career path, some career advice, and also a bit on the renovation process currently taking place at Medinah CC.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Medinah CC is getting ready to host The Ryder Cup in 2012. Such a prestigious honor also comes with an immense amount of preparation (geared mainly toward the championship No. 3 Course). Some of the main renovations include:

- A complete grow-in of the No. 3 Course to achieve 100% bentgrass greens and fairways
- Rebuilding the remaining push-up greens to USGA specs
- The addition of two new practice greens behind the clubhouse
- Bunker renovations
- Rebuilding the practice facility
- Construction of a new maintenence facility

Though these preparations are, in part, to get ready for The Ryder Cup we were informed by Mr. Tyrrell that they are primarily being done to bring an overall consistent and great golf experience for the membership and their guests. On the surface, it may seem that the course itself is recieving all the attention. In reality, however, there is an incredible amount of planning that extends beyond the playing conditions. Mr. Tyrrell and his staff must also figure out how to accomidate thousands of spectatorsand when/how cultural practices will be carried out among many other things.

The most beneficial aspect of the speech to me was receiving career advice from one of the industry's best. The highlights on this subject include:

- Set very specific and realistic goals for yourself
- ALWAYS realize there is something else about turf management to be learned
- Make an effort to "Control the controllables"
- "Manage up" - know what your superiors are expecting and try to anticipate their requests
- Utilize your resources and networks
- Always be willing to evaluate your own management program. No one's, not even your own, is perfect

I look forward to working under Curtis and his staff as an intern this summer and anticipate implementing what I learn into my own philosophies I am currently developing.