REGIONAL PROFILE REGIONAL PROFILE
Thurgoona is one of many superb courses along the Murray River and this November will host the NSW Senior Open Championship
Thurgoona Country Club Resort, NSW Dean Lewis is about to notch up four years in charge at Thurgoona Country Club Resort, a period which has seen some significant changes in the management and presentation of the course.
The Thurgoona crew (from left) Charlie Borella, Dom Newnham, Jason Berkhout (assistant superintendent), Dean Lewis (superintendent), Sam Mirtschin and Jarrod Heaphy
Superintendent: Dean Lewis (44). Nickname: Deano. Family: Wife Natarsha, daughter Mackenzie and son Ethan. Social media: Zilch – I leave that to the kids! Years as a superintendent: Coming up to four. Association involvement: AGCSA member 17 years, VGCSA and GCSAA (13 years). Career: RSL Club Mulwala (bowling green apprenticeship); Apprenticeship exchange to Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club, Washington State, USA; greenkeeping positions at Tocumwal and Yarrawonga; Construction of St John’s course at The Heritage Golf & Country Club, Vic; Assistant superintendent at The Heritage and now superintendent at Thurgoona Country Club Resort. Qualifications: Certificate III in Turf, Diploma in Turf Management, Cert IV in Frontline Management. Major hobbies/past-times: Hobbies include running around after the kids (like all parents do), water-skiing and golf, if I get the chance! Where in Australia is Thurgoona Country Club Resort and what is the club/township famous/ known for? Thurgoona Country Club Resort is in
a great location three-and-a-half hours’ drive from Melbourne and around five-and-a-half hours’ drive from Sydney on the NSW/Victorian border. The area has some famous sporting greats such as Lauren Jackson and Margaret Court and is a prime waterskiing and fishing location with Lake Hume about 10 minutes away. The club itself is located about 10 minutes’ drive from the township of Albury. Give us a bit about your background and how you came to be a superintendent. I knew I wanted an apprenticeship and I wanted to be outdoors, so I initially did some work experience with a local plumber but decided not to pursue that path – maybe I should have given the wages of a greenkeeper! I then applied for a local position in Mulwala (the NSW side of the border of Yarrawonga) as an apprentice greenkeeper looking after the bowling greens of the RSL Club. I was successful in gaining the position and my passion for turf began at the age of 17. Since then I have held various positions at clubs along the Murray River and I completed my apprenticeship via an exchange programme at Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club in Washington State, USA, which gave me my first exposure to working on a golf course. I returned to study to complete my Diploma and following this thought I would explore the construction side of things. This took me to Melbourne to construct the Jack Nicklaus-designed St John’s course at The Heritage Golf and Country Club. That six-month construction job changed my life and 14 years later after rising to be the assistant superintendent at The Heritage, I moved back to the Murray River to become superintendent at Thurgoona CCR. Who were some of your early mentors? I have been very lucky in my career as far as mentors are concerned. In the early years, my manager at the
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AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 19.5