Giving Away Scholarships for Assistant Superintendents

Ohio Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) Conference & Show in partnership with VGM Club, JW Turf, Reynolds Golf & Turf and Shearer Golf Equipment are looking for assistant superintendents to send to the OTF Conference & Show.

This year is the OTF Conference & Show's 50th Anniversary. For the last 50 years, the OTF has been continuing the education of its members through their annual conference held each December. Through the education seminars and workshops at this event, the OTF has provided countless professionals with the tools required to be more efficient and effective at their facilities.

This is our second year partnering with these great companies and organizations to provide the Assistant Scholarship to five hard-working assistants. 

"We continue to partner with the OTF because we not only want to see individuals better themselves but also because we believe in investing in this industry." said Keaton Juergens, VGM Club's Director of Member Development for the Ohio territory.  "This is a way to reward those pursuing careers in the turf industry."

Assistant superintendents can be nominated through October 21 with the winning applicants being announced on October 28.  Each scholarship winner will receive a full conference package, two-night hotel accommodations and a $50 gift card.

"We encourage head superintendents, general managers and club owners to nominate their assistant superintendents for this great opportunity to further develop their knowledge of the industry," said Juergens.  "The process is simple and shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

What is VGM Club, JW Turf, Reynolds Golf & Turf and Shearer Golf Equipment looking for?

• Candidates must have outstanding character, integrity, and leadership.
• Employed at current golf course for at least 1 full year/season.
• Dedication to pursuing a career as a golf course superintendent.
• Has not attended the OTF show in the past year.

The Assistant Scholarship is to reward the dedication, effort, commitment and hard work to his/her course throughout the year. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, click here.

We caught up with one of last year's winners: Matt Neff (), Assistant Superintendent at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club.

Matt: My boss, Joe Noppenberger nominated me for the Assistant Scholarship, and the show was a great experience. I had been to the show before, but this was the first chance I had to attend all three days. The OTF is a great experience, the seminars are fantastic. The conference gives us an opportunity to stay current with new research and address any deficiencies in our knowledge base.

Because the seminar topics are always very timely, there are opportunities to learn more about new situations that have arisen during the previous season that can help you prepare for the coming year.  It's also a great opportunity to earn GCSAA and pesticide license continuing education credits. Just off the top of my head I can remember a fantastic talk about seed head suppression that was immediately put into use the following season. Another talk by Steve Foltz, Director of Horticulture at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, was instrumental in the selection and care of several trees that we planted as part of an ash tree replacement program.

Any advice for people attending their first show?

Matt: First and foremost, take time to look at the schedule in the morning and plan your day. And like I said, think about new issues that you may have faced during the previous season, projects that are planned for the coming year, and what kind and how many GCSAA or Department of Agriculture continuing education credits you need and plan your seminar attendance accordingly.

I have met many great people at the OTF Conference. It's a great opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends.  I've also found that the discussions that occur over dinner or a beer are a great way to expand on the information gained from the day's seminars and to learn how people are applying this information in the field.

We are incredibly fortunate here in Ohio and the surrounding region to have such an outstanding turf conference right here in our backyard. And it's thanks to the amazing efforts of Brian Laurent and his team at OTF, the OSU Turfgrass Science team, and the generosity of many industry vendors and sponsors.

For those unfamiliar with Matt's other work, he is a columnist at Golfdom.com and we highly suggest you check out his work. Click here for Matt's column archive.