Superintendent - Joe VerDuin

JOE VerDuin

Joe VerDuin is the superintendent for the soon-to-debut American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven. He started in the business working at Spring Lake Country Club at age 16. He is currently 30 and studied turfgrass at Michigan State University and business at Grand Valley State University where he also worked at The Meadows Golf Course at GVSU. He and his wife Emma have been married four years and have two boys. He has been at what was Grand Haven Golf Club and is now American Dunes since 2017. He has also worked at National Golf Links and Arcadia Bluffs.

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HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN THE GOLF

BUSINESS? I needed a summer job when I was 16. I walked into Spring Lake Country Club and they were hiring. I worked there for probably four years and Kirk Carls said to me that it seemed like I enjoyed myself, and that I had a knack. I went to a community college trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Then went to Western Michigan for a little bit, too, before I found the golf industry.

WHAT PART OF YOUR EDUCATION DO YOU USE THE

MOST? Things have changed even in the last two years to tell the truth. I used more of my current knowledge, especially with this grow-in. I was here when it was Grand Haven Golf Club in 2017 and 2018 and they needed help with the turf when I got here. I worked hard on that.

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WHEN DID YOU LEARN IT WAS GOING TO BECOME AMERICAN

DUNES? I heard that someone who was a big deal was coming to the course. They didn’t really tell me or anybody what was going on. It was probably July of 2018 and Jack Nicklaus showed up with his head designer and Dan Rooney. That was mid-day maybe 4 o-clock. There were golfers on the course and Jack and his designer got in carts and took a spin around the entire golf course. He was buzzing by people, and they were playing golf out there. People were kind of angry at first, and then they were like that’s Jack Nicklaus. It was an interesting day. I was then told at a fall meeting in 2018 the final word, that they were going to do the whole course. I was told we’re going to make this a different place. I was like, sweet, yeah.

TELL US ABOUT THE

TRANSFORMATION? We kept the irrigation and there’s almost double the heads now, roughly 1200 heads, and we probably saved 700 off the old course. All through 2019 there was just construction, bulldozers, backhoes, everything you can imagine. It was mostly taking out trees at first. The first tree hit the ground March 11. We did a first round of clearing, and that wasn’t quite enough, so we did another and then another if I remember right. Then on July 15 we had a huge storm and that night more than 100 trees got knocked down. We had irrigation in the ground, so those had to be cleared carefully because holes were being shaped and moved, too. We had to strategize and deal with some things, and we had a pretty cold spring and then not a lot of snow in the winter so sand was blowing around out there. Once we’re indirect way. The better we do in

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done I think we will have to do a little snow fencing in the winter. We have acres of exposed sand out there. No dirt came in during construction or went out. Everything here was here.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE EXPERIENCE WITH JACK

NICKLAUS? I would say he has been here at least 10 times, and he really seemed to like the site and the project. I think he wanted to make the place extra special because of his connection with the majority owner, Dan Rooney and what they are doing with the Folds of Honor charity work. He would drive around and he would ask questions. He was super nice, but he was all business out there. It was great stuff watching him

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF

AMERICAN DUNES? All of the profits of American Dunes, once the bills are paid, will go to Folds

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of Honor, a non-profit that helps children and spouses of our fallen military with scholarships. It’s a cool thing to be involved with. I didn’t go into the military, but it feels good to be involved in this work.

this department, the more people will come to the course and it will help people down the line.

WHAT ABOUT THE SEEDING?

The really kind of cool thing we did was hydroseeding all around the greens. We couldn’t find any sod that matched our soil profile. It looks great on the first nine. It looks like it has worked pretty well. The other nine holes should be ready to go in May 2021 and then with a good spring we will be open.

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THE

TURFGRASS FOUNDATION? I have questions right now about the research

5THINGS PEOPLE MAY

NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. I am 50% Mexican American. I played water polo at MSU and won a Big Ten Title. I have a business administration degree from Grand Valley State University. I have 3 older brothers (one in the Turf industry). When I was 18, I emailed Nicklaus Design to see how I could get into golf course design, and if they took interns.

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on how quick I can put down a growth regulator. You know, 12-week-old grass? 10-week-old grass? Do I go through a full growing program. Most people tell you not to put it down until you are all the way grown in. I will be looking for more answers on that, and things like that. I like the research they do.

DO YOU HAVE HOBBIES OR SPECIAL

INTERESTS AWAY FROM GOLF? I like to watch basketball and I love college football, and it usually means the season is slowly wrapping up. My wife and her family love to hunt. I met her when I was working at The Meadows. She worked in the shop there. Her family has 100 acres by Greenville, so we go up there and hunt some. After the season I’m kind of an inside person, but I do love to golf. My wife played golf in high school. I like to get on a course when I can.

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WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF YOUR JOB?

When I first got here we really had to clean the equipment and organize the shop, and now it has moved to changing from a smaller operation to offering this world-class golf course. It’s going to be different.

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WHAT IS THE MOST SATISFYING PART

OF YOUR JOB? When people see and enjoy the hard work you have put in. It’s great when somebody comes up and tells you they noticed. It means a lot when people understand the late nights you work and everything that goes into making a golf course work. I love it when people say they enjoyed playing. Then you know they enjoyed the hard work you and your team put in. That’s pretty sweet.

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WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES FACING GOLF

TODAY? I guess the biggest one is the amount of time it takes for people to play a round. I know for me, to come up with four hours to play with us having two small kids is tough. The last thing my wife really wants to hear after I’ve been working at the golf course for so many hours is that I want to go back to the golf course to play.

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WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN

10 YEARS? Hopefully still here. I don’t see why not. This place has so much potential and the cause is so great with Folds of Honor. I would like to see the impact it makes and be part of that.

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HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED 100 YEARS FROM

NOW? As a hardworking, positive person. There’s a lot to be said about how you treat people and I want people to think I treated them well. It normally works out. Every once in a while you’ve got to use a little more stick than carrot, but I like being a person who treats people with respect, works hard and leads by example.

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WHO WAS YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE

IN THE TURFGRASS INDUSTRY? If I had to point one person out it would be Kirk Carls because he was the one who asked if I ever thought about going into the industry. I had never even thought about it before that. And then I would have to mention all the superintendents I’ve worked for. I’ve learned a lot from all of them. We all learn something from everybody we work with. Good, bad, or indifferent, it has all led to me being the kind of person I am.

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WHAT’S THE MOST VALUABLE THING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED THAT YOU USE ALL THE TIME?

I would go back with a golden rule, and that’s to respect everybody. The more respect you show them, and if they see you working hard, it works. It is easier to pull people in than to push people, right?

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WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TIME DO YOU DEVOTE TO NON-AGRONOMIC GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT?

Right now 40 percent, and maybe more once we are fully open. Right now I have 12 guys, including myself, one mechanic, one assistant and the assistant just came on recently. We’re all working.

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WHAT IS YOU OPINION OF THE ASSISTANT

SUPERINTENDENT? It’s huge. Before April I was doing both and a few other jobs. It anything broke, I was fixing it. If we needed to spray, I had to do it. The assistant is also that other set of eyes to see things.

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WHAT ABOUT THE EQUIPMENT MANAGER? I have learned quite a bit about fixing things over the years, but the backbone of a golf course operation is the mechanic. They are that important.

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GOLF COURSE ETIQUETTE? People not using the cart paths. It is ridiculous. They are there for a reason.

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WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM FOURSOME?

Jack Nicklaus. I can’t have anybody read this and not see Jack in there. Tiger, definitely and throw Gary Woodland in there. He’s a huge Folds of Honor guy. It would be a great group.

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WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PERSONAL

INFLUENCE? I have learned quite a bit about fixing things over the years, but the backbone of a golf course operation is the mechanic. They are that important.