Reel Turf Techs Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Join us for the first installment of our brand-new segment, Outside the Shop, where we’ll feature a guest who doesn’t turn wrenches in a turf shop but does work to support our profession. This week we’re talking with Diana Kern, GCSAA’s Manager of Certificates and Program Validation. Diana pulls back the curtain on the Golf Industry Show based on her 24 years of service in educati...

Send us Fan Mail Jack Nicklaus, Clydesdales, and fighter jets - oh my! Just another day at the golf course for Ben Beard. Ben is the Equipment Manager at American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, MI. Meet the former John Deere service tech who began his wrenching career down on the farm and knows a little bit about a lot of things. Ben discusses the role of fate in guiding his career path and share...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine walking into your first day at the golf course shop with no reel mower experience and no one who knows how to work the grinder. That’s the scene John Borsos, mechanic at South Park Golf Course in Pittsburgh, PA, found himself in when he joined our industry. John is an ASE Certified Master Technician and successfully completed GCAAA’s Equipment Management Certificate Progra...

Send us Fan Mail This week we’re talking with Chris Whittaker, Equipment Manager at The Winston Club in Calgary, Alberta. An experienced automotive tech and Certified Ford Master Diesel Technician, Chris was the first turf tech in Canada to complete Level 1 of the GCSAA Equipment Management Certificate Program and is a Melrose Equipment Management Experience winner. Chris encourages us to view the...

Send us Fan Mail Two old friends and former superstars of the Jerry Pate road show catch up in this week’s episode. Meet Cory Phillips, Equipment Manager at Horseshoe Bend Country Club in Roswell Georgia. Cory and Trent discuss the ins and outs of taskTracker. Cory shares a tip on fabricating a hose reel frame, reminds us that asking questions always makes us better, and shares the benefits of giv...

Send us Fan Mail This week is a little different! Hear straight from host Trent Manning on why, and find out how to get a consolation prize in the form of a Google Drive folder stuffed with turf tech resources. Join the Reel Turf Techs WhatsApp group, fill out the short survey, and help us build on the strengths of this great community. Hear the stats on the pod to date and a little behind the sce...

Send us Fan Mail Lead by example and foster an environment where people want to be - these are just a few of many words of wisdom offered up by one of the industry’s greats. Skip Heinz - just like the ketchup - is the Equipment & Facility Manager at Royal Poinciana Golf Club in Naples, Florida. Skip comes by it honestly, practically born on a golf course to two parents working in golf. A forme...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Wade Borthwick, Equipment Manager at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia. Wade’s path from groceries to gardens to golf includes a stop at a castle with a secret staircase. Join us for a wide-ranging episode covering everything from common industry topics like aerification and poa to goose lasers and fun with arduino projects. Wade also shares a great tip we can a...

Send us Fan Mail Don’t panic! We’re talking this week with Justin Prescott, Equipment Manager at Kenosha Country Club in Wisconsin. Get philosophical with us as we discuss the satisfaction of getting things right, the EM’s role in safety and the value of not sweating the small stuff. Learn about the restoration project at Justin’s Donald Ross-designed golf course and what you can get out of becomi...

Send us Fan Mail Race cars? Muffin trays? We cover it all with Jerry Knight, Equipment Manager at Mississaugua Golf & Country Club in Ontario, Canada. Hear different takes on backlapping and relief grinding, the value of talking shop on WhatsApp, a trick for getting the pin out that holds a carburetor float, and much more including Jerry’s Gold Wing motorcycle challenge. Tweet us @ReelTurfTech...

Send us Fan Mail You’d be hard-pressed to find a turf tech with a more impressive backstory than Kayla Kipp’s. Kayla is the Equipment Manager at Wisp Resort in McHenry, Maryland, serving two 18-hole public golf courses - including one on a mountaintop. Tune in to hear where Kayla found her favorite tool. Get the scoop on snowmaking and servicing two courses with only one tool box, high and low sid...

Send us Fan Mail Catch up with Eric Dickerson, Equipment Manager at Reynolds Lake Oconee - Great Waters and 2020 Most Valuable Technician award-winner. Eric shares his Twitter-famed everyday helper the reel dolly, talks game-changing mower ramps and mobile reel storage racks, and takes a firm stance on pin vs. ball hitches. Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning Email us at ReelTurfTechs@gmail...

Send us Fan Mail Join Kevin Hennigar, Head Equipment Manager at Angus Glen in Ontario, Canada as he reveals the one investment you need to make to get started fabricating, why you might want to make an adjustable tow gauge, discusses the value of cleaning as preventive maintenance, and answers the age-old question: what do Canadians do at the golf course in winter? Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTr...

Send us Fan Mail Join Bobs Shop blogger and Twitter star Bob Pruneau, Equipment Manager at the Links at Brunello in Timberlea, Nova Scotia, as he shares his daily routine at a golf operation with a real estate side, talks snow groomers, offers a fab solution for bent tie rod ends, and makes us all wish for the day we can travel to Nova Scotia. Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning Email us at...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Brian Bressler, Equipment Shop Manager for the famed Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois. Brian encourages us to get out of our comfort zone and try speaking to our peers, talks dual fuel tanks, and gives an in-depth look at how free tools like Google Drive and QR codes can make life in your shop easier.  Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning Email us at ReelTurfTech...

Send us Fan Mail Join JR Wilson, head equipment technician at Noyac Golf Club (and Rescue Crew Chief for the Sag Harbor Fire Department), as he offers up his tips for fabricating tines, talks feeds and speeds, gives the scoop on his Twitter-famous T-handle, and shares his enthusiasm for mentoring students in robotics.  Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning Email us at ReelTurfTechs@gmail.com...

Send us Fan Mail Join Tony Bevolo, Equipment Manager at Trinity Forest Golf Club, as he shares his path from the golf side of turf to the turf side of golf, reveals which early mentor aided his transition to turning wrenches, details the daily operations at his unique Texas facility, and talks to Trent about - what else - fishing. Tweet us @ReelTurfTechs and @MTrentManning Email us at ReelTurfTech...

Send us Fan Mail Meet your host, Trent Manning, and find out what the Reel Turf Techs Podcast is all about. Trent shares his background in turning wrenches, grinding reels, and working in a variety of roles in golf and sports turf - starting with one of his first high school jobs and ultimately returning home to Ansley Golf Club at Settindown. Join us every other Wednesday as we highlight the care...