14th Annual Green Start Academy

October 23 - 25, 2019

Green Start Academy — world-class training for assistant superintendents

Green Start Academy is a leadership and development program co-hosted by Bayer and John Deere. The event will be held at the Bayer and John Deere facilities in North Carolina, October 23 – 25, 2019.

Since 2006, the goal for this program has been to help assistant superintendents build a strong foundation for their careers, as well as to support the future of golf courses and the entire industry.

Attendees have the unique opportunity to network with peers and receive valuable insights from industry leaders. With topics from career development to budgeting to labor management, the Green Start Academy provides attendees with the education, networking and career insights they need to excel as superintendents and lead our industry into the next decade and beyond.

Assistant Superintendent at Green Start Academy

Meet the Green Start Academy Class of 2019

Welcome to the Green Start Academy Class of 2019! These assistant superintendents represent the best in class and come from across the United States and Canada.

Darren Ashley Wade Hampton Golf Club North Carolina	Robert Bailey Village Club of Lake Success New York	Kyle Baseshore Blue Bell Country Club Pennsylvania
Spencer Blackburn Grandfather Golf and Country Club North Carolina	Joseph Blood Rolling Hills Country Club California	Jordon Bowling Biltmore Forest Country Club North Carolina
Peter Braun The Minikahda Club Minnesota	Christopher Briggs Noyac Golf Club New York	William Brooks Country Club of Birmingham Alabama
Richard Brown Orangeburg Country Club South Carolina	Cody Laux Longue Vue Club Pennsylvanian	Charles Crandal Champions Golf Club Texas
Andrew Crawford Congressional Country Club Maryland	Terrance DiLoreto Canterbury Golf Club Ohio	Adam Distler Jefferson City Country Club Missouri
Jeremy Feister Magnolia Green Golf Club Virginia	Daniel Gelder Devil's Paintbrush Golf Ontario	Fredrik Gustafsson John's Island Club Florida
Ken Gregory Muirfield Village Ohio	Geoffrey Hay Oakfield Golf and Country Club Nova Scotia	Ben Holmes Oakfield Golf and Country Club Nova Scotia
Elizabeth Holmes Metuchen Golf and Country Club New Jersey	Jacob Boelsche Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Texas	Jordan Kalasky Pikewood National Golf Club West Virginia
Adam Kimber Westmount Golf and Country Club Ontario	Cody Little Springbank Links Golf Club Alberta	Raul Iurk Carmel Country Club North Carolina
Alex Mangini-Harold Hollywood Golf Club New Jersey	Cole Mckenzie Shaganappi Golf Club Alberta	Michael Sharp Montclair Golf Club New Jersey
Sean Nolan Oak Hill Country Club New York	Jacob Norquest Northland Country Club Minnesota	Patrick O'Brien Arcola Country Club New Jersey
Alexander Opgenorth Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course Michigan	Ben Pacific Nashawtuc Country Club Massachusetts	DC Plake Atlantic Athletic Club Georgia
Dan Pollack Wilshire Country Club California	Travis Price The Club at 12 Oaks North Carolina	Miranda Robinson Cordova Bay Golf Course British Columbia
Nicholas Ruschmann Ruffled Feathers Golf Club Illinois	Kyle Schwieter Sunset Ridge Country Club Illinois	Michael Smith Riviera Country Club Florida
Adam Stottlemeyer The Suburban Club Maryland	Nicholas Sujkowski Concord Country Club Pennsylvania	Paul Sullivan Mississauga Golf Club Ontario
Vincent Taylor Winged Foot Golf Club New York	Morgan Taylor Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club Alabama	Justin Trodella The Country Club Massachusetts
Cameron Walls Wheatley Hills Golf Club New York	Kevin Whalen Maidstone Club New York	Cote Wolcik North Oaks Golf Club Minnesota
Garrett Clark Mountain Top Golf Course Missouri	Geoffrey Griffen Port Carling Golf and Country Club Ontario

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Program Timeline

Application period: June 1 – June 28, 2019
Panelist evaluation period: July 1 – July 27, 2019
Selection notification: Week of August 5
Registration/book travel: August 20 – Sept 21, 2019
Program: October 23 – 25, 2019
Accommodations: StateView Hotel, Raleigh, NC

Academy Alumni

We're proud to say we have over 600 graduates from across the U.S. and Canada.

That's 13 years of recruiting the best in the industry! If you’re an Academy alum and know of a great candidate, please share our page to get the word out about this exciting opportunity.

David Delsandro,
Ground Superintendent,
Oakmont Country Club

"Attending the inaugural Green Start Academy in 2006 was a defining moment in my professional development. Interacting with and listening to the distinguished panel of contributors was a great opportunity. The ability to network with similar, driven assistant superintendents only provided greater motivation in my daily work. John Deere and Bayer provided a first-class, fantastic experience that proved to be very beneficial. I recommend applying to Green Start Academy to our current assistant superintendents on an annual basis."

2019 Advisory Panel

Billy Weeks

Golf Course Superintendent
Houston Country Club // Houston, Texas

Bob Farren, CGCS

Director of Golf Courses & Grounds
Pinehurst Resort // Pinehurst, North Carolina

Michael Stevens

Regional Director of Agronomy // Southeast Region
Billy Casper Golf // St. Augustine, FL

Grant Murphy

Associate Golf Course Superintendent
The National Golf Club of Canada // Woodbridge, Ontario

Carlos Arraya

Golf Course Superintendent
Bellerive Country Club // St. Louis, MO

Lukus Harvey

Director of Agronomy
Atlanta Athletic Club // Johns Creek, Georgia

Pat Finlen

General Manager
Winchester Country Club // Meadow Vista, CA