AGCSA AWARDS AGCSA AWARDS
Lakelands Golf Club superintendent and 2017 AGCSA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award winner Phil Soegaard
Lakelands
excellence
Lakelands Golf Club has been a labour of love for course superintendent Phil Soegaard and that was duly recognised when he was bestowed the 2017 AGCSA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award at the 33rd Australian Turfgrass Conference.
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t’s hard not to be impressed by the level of dedication and engagement many superintendents have in their course and the industry as a whole. From the day-to-day agronomic decisions which need to be made in order to provide the best playing surfaces, through to peripheral aspects such as community engagement and association involvement, the level of investment a superintendent makes in their chosen profession is not only admirable but deserving of acknowledgement. For many years now Lakelands Golf Club on the Gold Coast has developed a reputation throughout the industry as being one of the best presented courses in the country. It started back in the days of construction and grow-in superintendent Steve Marsden who together with Nicklaus Golf Design transformed what was a very ordinary track of land on a flood plain into a golf course that has won huge respect within the industry. Following on from Marsden, superintendent Darren Moore continued that reputation. Walking into the Lakelands shed in 2002 during Moore’s tenure was a young ambitious greenkeeper by the name of Phil Soegaard. Having just completed his apprenticeship at nearby Royal Pines Resort under Frank Paul, Soegaard was eager to prove his worth and within two years had risen to be Moore’s assistant. A better role model Soegaard couldn’t have had and when Moore moved to China in 2006 it was a natural progression that he assumed the superintendent role. Since taking the reins, Soegaard has, in rugby league parlance, grabbed the ball and run. During the past 11 years, he and the crew have continued
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 19.4
to improve the course significantly despite having to overcome numerous challenges, whether through the fury of Mother Nature or having to contend with fiscal constraints that have seen resources stripped considerably. Through all this Soegaard and his crew have continued to present exemplary turf surfaces day in day out over a sustained period. For those efforts, the club nominated Soegaard for the GCSAQ Superintendent Recognition Award at this year’s Queensland Golf Industry Awards. Winning that, it qualified him for the AGCSA Excellence in Golf Course Management Award, presented in partnership with AGCSA Gold Partner Rain Bird, which he would also go on to receive at the recent 33rd Australian Turfgrass Conference. Writing in his nomination of Soegaard for both awards, Lakelands director Hideya Fujimaki had nothing but praise for the efforts of his hard-working course superintendent and his crew: “As a director it is great to have such a loyal superintendent who I can count on day in, day out,” says Fujimaki, who was present at the Sunshine Coast conference to see Soegaard collect the award. “His knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the role are second to none. Phil is well respected by the members and all the staff at Lakelands and is known for his enthusiasm, hard work, love of the golf course and the turf industry.” Superintendent colleague and immediate past president of the GCSAQ Ben Tilley was also rapt that one of the most dedicated members of the Queensland superintendent community was honoured: “Phil has been a member of the GCSAQ committee for a number of years and his