Reel Turf Techs Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 177. Today we’re catching up with John Michael Clark, CTEM, Equipment Manager at Frenchman’s Creek Beach and Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. John Michael originally joined us from McLemore in North Georgia, and now he’s managing the equipment operation at a private 36-hole club with two championship courses, the North an...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 176. Today we’re talking with Austin Wright, CTEM, Equipment Manager at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. Austin originally joined us back on Episode 68 when he was at Sand Valley in Wisconsin. Now he’s at one of the country’s most recognizable championship venues, managing the equipment operation at Hazeltine. Hazel...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 175. Today we’re talking with Joe Fleszewski, Equipment Manager at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, the spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. Joe is the lone technician in the shop, running a fleet that is primarily Toro and Kubota and keeping equipment ready for 13 baseball...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 174. Today we’re talking with Bryan Epland, CTEM, Equipment Manager at Luling Sport in Luling, Texas. Bryan originally joined us back while he was at Arbor Links in Nebraska. Now he’s taken on a much bigger operation at Luling Sport, a new private 36-hole club set on an 1,100-acre ranch. Bryan leads a shop team of three assistants an...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 173. Today we’re talking with Ryan Bickham, Equipment Manager at Loraloma. Loraloma is a private 18-hole course, and Ryan runs the shop with one other technician, supporting a fleet that’s primarily Toro equipment. Ryan shares his unconventional path into the turf industry, starting with heavy diesel work before making the move to go...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking with Jeff Gustafson, CTEM, Equipment Manager at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield, Michigan. Oakland Hills is a private 36-hole facility with a rich history in golf, including courses designed by Donald Ross. Jeff leads a three-person shop supporting a fleet that is primarily John Deere equipment. Jeff shares how growing up around a small golf course in...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 171. Today we’re talking with Ian Naus, Equipment Manager at Medina Country Club in Medina, Minnesota. Ian is the lone technician at this private club, where he keeps the operation running while balancing the demands of a busy golf season. Ian shares how he found his way into the turf industry almost by accident. After starting on th...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 170. Today we’re talking with Tyler Lewell, Equipment Manager at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minnesota. Spring Hill is a private 18-hole club set on 220 acres, and Tyler oversees a mixed fleet that's primarily Toro equipment with a two-person shop. Tyler shares how a college motorsports program led him into the turf indust...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 169. Today we’re talking with Emilio Mendez, CTEM, Equipment Manager at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada. Nestled along the shores of Lake Tahoe, Edgewood is one of the most recognizable golf destinations in the country, and Emilio helps keep the operation running with a small shop team consisting of himself and one as...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 168. Today we’re talking with Chris Brumley, Equipment Manager at Colonie Golf & Country Club in Voorheesville, New York. Colonie is a private 18-hole facility with golf, tennis, and pool amenities, and Chris is the lone technician responsible for keeping a fleet of equipment from all the major manufacturers up and running. Chris...

Send us Fan Mail Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning Email us at ReelTurfTechs@gmail.com Check out our YouTube Channel

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 166. Today we’re talking with Dan Haxton, Equipment Manager at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Congressional is a private 36-hole facility with a deep history in tournament golf, and Dan leads a three-person shop supporting a fleet that’s primarily John Deere equipment. Dan shares how he got his start in the industr...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking with Marko Bistroi, Equipment Manager at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club in Ontario, Canada (not Ontario, California). Mississauga is a private 18-hole club, and Marko is running a true one-man shop out of a small space tucked under the clubhouse. His fleet is a mix of Toro, John Deere, Tru-Turf rollers, and a handful of other pieces that keep him on his t...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re heading across the pond to talk with Chris “Minty” Minton, Head Mechanic and Workshop Manager at Leicester City Football Club in Leicester, England. Minty oversees an elite training facility with 24 football pitches, a nine-hole golf course, and more than 460 pieces of equipment across three sites, all with a team of four and a lot of John Deere green. From growing up...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 164. Today we’re talking with Jason Sergeant, Equipment Manager at Abenaqui Country Club in Rye Beach, New Hampshire. Abenaqui is a private 18-hole course, and Jason runs a primarily Toro fleet with a small crew — four helpers in the winter and one part-time in season. Jason shares how he made his way into the turf industry, starting...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 163. Today we’re talking with TJ Vollmar, Equipment Manager at Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Desert Mountain is a massive private facility with 126 holes of golf spread across 8,500 acres. TJ oversees an operation that includes 13 technicians working out of five shops, with room to grow to 15, supporting a fleet that’s...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 162, Trent sits down with Kurt Horn, Equipment Manager at Fall Line in Butler, Georgia. Fall Line is a private club with 45 holes of golf along with hunting, fishing, and sporting clays, and Kurt is right in the middle of supporting a growing operation that runs primarily Toro equipment. Kurt shares how he got his start as a teenager at Kelly Plantation in Destin, Flori...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 161. Today we’re talking with Lewis Weems, Equipment Manager at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. Lewis walks us through his path into the industry — from growing up on a farm in southern Oklahoma to studying aviation at Oklahoma State, working for Kubota, then making the move to St. Louis where he cut his teeth learning...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 160. Today Trent is talking with Bobby Medina, Equipment Manager at Snowmass Club in Snowmass Village, Colorado. Snowmass Club is a private 18-hole course supported by an approximately 8,000-square-foot maintenance facility, with a fleet that’s primarily Toro. Bobby shares his path into the turf industry, starting out as a snowcat op...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 159. This week we sit down with Bruce Alexander, Product Performance Manager at Ransomes Jacobsen in Ipswich, England. Bruce grew up on a farm and worked his way into the turf industry, and today he’s the guy helping make sure the machines being built actually work for the people using them every day. Bruce works across all departmen...

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking with Jake Teeter, Equipment Manager at Winding Creek Golf Club in Thomasville, North Carolina. Winding Creek is an 18-hole municipal course, and Jake is the lone technician keeping the operation rolling. After starting his career in automotive repair, Jake found his way into the turf industry, where he’s spent the last 15 years learning the ins and outs of golf...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 157. Today we’re talking to Toby Christoun, Equipment & Shop Manager at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts — a 27-hole private club spread across 236 acres. Toby leads a team of two assistants in the shop, part-time during the season and full-time through the winter months. Toby shares his unconventional journey into th...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 156 of Reel Turf Techs heads to the backyard with member, friend, and turf addict Alex Gaddy – a homeowner who’s gone from a dusty California Trimmer in his father-in-law’s basement to a TifEagle putting green and a small fleet of John Deere reel mowers. Alex and Trent talk about how a simple reel mower turned into an obsession, why pushing a California Trimmer over 20,000...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, we sit down with Tanner Knudsen, CTEM, Equipment Manager at North Oaks Golf Club in Minnesota. Tanner talks through his path from working on small engines to running the shop at a private 18-hole club, and how much of what he knows started in his grandpa’s garage. His grandpa was the first person to teach him engines, and Tanner stil...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 154 Industry legend Jim Nedin returns to share his deep knowledge of the Toro ProCore 648 and how to get the most out of this aerifier. Jim walks us through setup, tine selection, and maintenance tips that make a real difference out on the turf. We also touch on sprayers and cutting units, exploring more of Jim’s time-tested insights...