F TMI
SCOTT REID Country Club Tasmania, Tas Reid joined the greenkeeping team at Country Club Tasmania, just outside of Launceston, in 2004 and since then has gone on to achieve his Diploma. He also recently completed an associate degree in golf operations management through the Golf Management Institute of Canada. During his time at Country Club Tasmania, Reid has helped prepare the course for two Tasmanian Opens and back in 2009 was a volunteer at the Australian Masters. These events gave Reid invaluable knowledge on how a tournament runs and the background and work that goes into creating a successful tournament.
RHYS SHORT Shelly Beach GC, NSW After playing professional football with Parramatta Football Club, in 2003 Short was given his first opportunity in the turf industry by Kenton Boyd at Fox Hills Golf Club where he completed his apprenticeship. With Fox Hills switching to contract maintenance, Short headed to Gosford Golf Club on the Central Coast as a tradesman and between 2007 and 2008 was involved in the club’s major irrigation upgrade. Wanting to take his career further, Short landed a role at Killara Golf Club in Sydney under Ryan Fury. As well as working at a prestigious club and developing his knowledge, Short also completed his Certificate IV before a phone call from Shelly Beach superintendent Andrew Banning saw him heading there as 3IC. In 2012 the assistant’s role became available when Brett Woodward moved to Armidale Golf Club, with Banning having no hesitation in elevating Short. Seven years on and Short has gone on to complete his Diploma as well as a Certificate III in Landscape Construction. His role at Shelly Beach encompasses many facets including overseeing the course and the clubhouse gardens and surrounds. He also oversees the irrigation system and installation and repairs. Short is in charge of the e-par environmental management system and the club’s environmental land management practices.
RYAN STORES Royal Canberra GC, ACT Stores has packed a lot into the first eight years of his turf management career. Undertaking an apprenticeship at Yowani Country Club in Canberra in 2010, Stores was awarded ACT Apprentice of the Year in 2014. He then spent the next 13 months living and working in 28
During his time in the US, Ryan Stores volunteered at a number of major tournaments, including the 2017 Presidents Cup America as part of The Ohio Program where he was placed at the prestigious Quail Hollow Club. Returning to Australia, he had small stints at both The Australian and Royal Canberra golf clubs before travelling back to America for the 2017 PGA Championships at Quail Hollow. After a further eight months in the US he returned home last September to take on the assistant superintendent role at Royal Canberra, Australia’s only wall-to-wall bentgrass course. Stores considers his time at Quail Hollow as the defining moment of his career to date, both in 2015/16 as an intern and 2017/18 as an assistant in training. While there he was introduced to the highest calibre of greenkeeping in the world, learning the techniques and demands of professional golf tournaments and how to meet the high expectations of an exclusive membership. He also had the opportunity to work at five major professional golf tournaments, including the US PGA Championship, the 2017 President’s Cup, The Wells Fargo Championship, The Wyndham Championship and The Barclays. The 2017 US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow was the standout event, with Stores pulling a 106-hour week!
MARTYNA SYNAK
Oatlands GC, NSW Synak studied horticulture in her native Poland and after working for a short time on a golf course there decided to apply for The Ohio Program. Placed for 12 months at Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina, the opportunity to work on a high standard golf course and prepare for the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage event opened up her eyes to the possibilities
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 21.1
the industry could offer. To that end, she also undertook a Golf Course Management Certificate and Advanced Golf Course Management Certificate through Ohio State University, achieving distinction level in both. Despite being offered the 2IC role back at her old club in Poland, Synak felt she wasn’t ready and instead took on a seasonal role at Ingaro Golf Club in Stockholm, Sweden. Her boss at Ingaro was Melbournian Craig Koch who encouraged her to look into the possibility of working Down Under. Arriving initially in New Zealand, Synak ended up getting a visa to work in Australia and took up a position at Riverside Oaks in Sydney’s west. After volunteering at the 2014 Emirates Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club, in 2015 the 3IC role came up at Oatlands Golf Club which she successfully applied for. Following Dominic Yates’ elevation to superintendent in the latter half of 2016, Synak moved into the assistant’s role where she has continued to excel.
AARON TAYLOR The Lakes GC, NSW Taylor couldn’t have asked for a better grounding in greenkeeping. New South Wales Golf Club is one of Australia’s best and after calling up then superintendent Gary Dempsey out of the blue to see if he had any positions available, he was given a start. Working at such a prestigious course under one of Australia’s most experienced superintendents provided Taylor with a unique opportunity and he was involved in numerous projects and tournaments. Among those were the 2009 Australian Open, the conversion of greens from Poa annua to Mackenzie bentgrass, hole reconstruction and managing the installation of a new irrigation system. Taylor says his career there was able to progress thanks to the abilities of those around him and a drive to learn anything and everything about golf course management, both on and off the course. A few months before the completion of the irrigation system at the end of 2015, The Lakes Golf Club advertised for an assistant superintendent, with Taylor getting the nod. The position has only increased Taylor’s previous skills exponentially and most recently he played an integral role in helping superintendent Anthony Mills deliver the course for the 2018 Emirates Australian Open. Since starting at The Lakes, Taylor has assisted Mills build a strong team through staff management, contributing to the development of programmes and managing all irrigation schedules and installations. A current club initiative sees both Taylor and fellow assistant Simon Blagg invited to board meetings on separate occasions to experience this level of club management.