STATE REPORTS
VGCSA
It was a good day all round for Huntingdale Golf Club with Nicholas Fiddelaers winning the VGCSA Apprentice of the Year Award alongside boss Michael Freeman receiving VGCSA life membership
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hat a season we have had here in Victoria! And no doubt a hard few months for many of us all across the country. Like most, I’m glad it’s over and we can only hope that next summer is a little kinder. It was an extremely tough period for superintendents across Victoria and I commend our members who reached out and openly discussed their course issues as we all tried to deal with varying problems brought on by the climatic conditions. A big thank you to the NSWGCSA in granting us valuable resource information which the VGCSA adapted to accommodate members’ needs and issues of the day. A message from the VGCSA committee was sent out to superintendents in late March. Its purpose was to offer support to superintendents who needed to open communication with their Boards and members.
Matt McLeod (left) and John Neylan were honoured with VGCSA Recognition Awards at the association’s 2019 AGM
I spoke with plenty of supers out there who had simply depleted all available resources, whether water and/or budget related. They basically had to make do or were resigned to be very selective in their management, carrying out what chemical applications they could until the weather provided some relief. On a lighter note, it was a great autumn day for golf at the Commonwealth Golf Club as part of the 92nd VGCSA Annual General Meeting in early May. The lunch presentations included the announcement of the 2019 VGCSA Awards, with Matt McLeod (Cobram Barooga GC) receiving the Superintendent Recognition Award and John Neylan
(SportEng) receiving the Trade Recognition Award. Matt began his career at Coomealla Golf Club near Mildura in 1992. After a stint working at Carnoustie in Scotland, he returned to Australia in 1996 and secured the 2IC role at Murray Downs the following year. After a short stint in Hong Kong, he returned in 2001 to pick up his first superintendent role at Millicent Golf Club in South Australia. In 2003 he headed back to the Murray and became superintendent at the 36-hole Tocumwal Golf Club, during which time he served a number of years on the VGCSA committee. After 12 years at Tocumwal, in 2015 Matt moved up the river to take over
HUNTINGDALE’S MASTER BESTOWED VGCSA LIFE MEMBERSHIP
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ong-serving Huntingdale Golf Club superintendent Michael Freeman was honoured with life membership of the Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association (VGCSA) at its AGM in early May at Commonwealth Golf Club. Freeman, a past VGCSA president and committee member, was recognised in front of more than 100 VGCSA members and industry representatives for his incredible 37 years at the former home of the Australian Masters. Freeman’s rise to the peak of his profession comes as little surprise considering his background. His formative years revolved in and around some of Melbourne’s elite sandbelt clubs as his father Lawrence was course superintendent at Yarra Yarra Golf Club for 23 years. A young Freeman would caddy for members and
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also spent a lot of time with his father after school and on weekends changing holes, hand watering and tree planting. He chipped in and helped out during tournaments – his first as a seven-year-old picking up sticks at the 1972 Dunlop International – and also helped out alongside his father at other sandbelt courses when they had events. On one occasion, although he can’t recall when, Freeman was introduced by his father to Royal Melbourne superintendent and industry icon Claude Crockford. Instilled with his father’s work ethic and passion for the industry, after leaving school Freeman sought an apprenticeship and was duly taken on by John Spencer at Huntingdale Golf Club as a 17-year-old in 1982. By 1990 he had worked his way up to assistant superintendent, a position he
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 21.3
would hold for 12 years before taking over from Spencer in 2002. Still in charge today, during his 37 years at the club Freeman was involved in 27 of the 31 Australian Masters held there and in charge of preparations for eight. “Michael is one of the most giving, caring and inspirational individuals you’ll ever meet in this industry,” says current VGCSA president Barry Proctor, who worked under Freeman for a number of years as Huntingdale assistant. “He has been a stalwart of the Victorian industry for many years and thoroughly deserves his place alongside some of the great superintendents this state has produced.” Australian Turfgrass Management Journal congratulates Michael on his VGCSA life membership.