Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/96024
TL1301-proof 11/22/12 9:04 AM Page 1 IN PROFILE INTERVIEW BY JERRY ROUSSEAU REDDEKOPP MAKING A TLN Interview with Darren Reddekopp, Greywolf Golf Course, November 2012 TLN: First off, congratulations on your new position as Superintendent at the Bearspaw Country Club in Calgary. It will certainly be a big change with some very different surroundings. What's going through your head right now in regards to the new job? DR: Thanks. Change is good and is one of the reasons I took the job. The first thing I am thinking about is getting Greywolf ready for winter. The owners and staff at Greywolf and 'Pano' (Panorama) have been great to work with and I want to insure that the course is ready for winter. Like every Superintendent I am thinking about getting fungicides sprayed, installing our tarps and doing all the last minute things before the snow flies. In terms of the new job I am thinking about transition and moving. Luckily all of my family and many friends are in the area. That makes moving and finding accommodations easier – yes, I will be couch surfing for awhile. Finally, I am thinking about the new course, getting to know the staff, looking at the agronomy programs, and getting ready to tackle the projects that are getting underway. TLN: We've known each other for awhile and you always seem to be very thoughtful and relaxed not to mention well-spoken and a very good listener. Is this something you've had to develop or does it come fairly naturally? DR: Thanks. Sorry what were you saying. I wasn't listening! Ha ha. There are those MOVE who say I talk too much, do not listen enough, and talk about one topic – golf course maintenance. To answer the question, I think it is a little of both. I also know when you love what you do and you are passionate about it makes talking about the job easier. TLN: What other qualities do you think a successful superintendent needs? As I previously mentioned, passion for the job is vital. That makes the long days easier. Also adaptability. I often call the staff I work with the Turf Marines. Superintendents and their staff have to adapt, improvise, and overcome plan? Were you thinking about getting back to Alberta? What do you think might come next? DR: The decision to leave was very difficult. I love the challenge that Greywolf presents and the location. The site does kick you in the pants (and often times other places!) once in a while but that's what makes it interesting. I will miss the tight knit staff at Pano, the small town feeling, and my colleagues in the Kootenay Chapter. So, yes it was difficult. In terms of a career plan there is no hard and fast plan. I just want to be at a site that is seeking to improve and is There are those who say I talk too much, do not listen enough, and talk about one topic – golf course maintenance. challenges daily. We may be short two staff members, down a mower, short on budget, and a storm is rolling in, but all of us get the job done. Good all around management is key. We have to be able to grow good turf, but also manage a budget, work with and train staff, and communicate what we are doing to member, guests, and other staff. TLN: You said, "I love living in my cave on top of a mountain" and that you will miss Greywolf and the surroundings. How difficult was the decision to make a move? Was this move part of a career challenging me constantly. Bearspaw is another challenge. Working at a private club and in a tight labour market should be interesting. But the big reason for moving was family and friends who are in the Calgary region. I am looking forward to being more involved with family. What is next? Who knows where the metaphorical golf ball of life ends up? For me it is usually rough, bunker, rough, bunker, maybe fairway and a three jack. Down the road I have thought about teaching but that is a distant plan. For now it is turf management for the foreseeable future. TLN: Not to sound jealous or anything but you've pretty much got every job you applied for. How do you prepare for a job interview and what's your secret to success? DR: Not sure about that. I have been turned down by many potential employers and not even made it out of the resume stage on many jobs. There are a lot of great candidates out there. It is an employers' market. I think the one thing that has helped me is that generally I have been happy where I was employed. Therefore, if I did not get the job I was happy to stay where I was. I think it makes the interview a little looser and perhaps advantageous for myself. I also have a portfolio that I use to highlight my work history and expand on the resume. It allows me to point to pictures, projects and samples of work that provide another source of reference for potential employers. I have also been using Twitter and blogging to promote myself and the facility I am at. It is a competitive job market now-a-days. I think anything you can do to promote yourself in a different way and highlight the things you can do for a potential employer is key. TLN: Greywolf is an excellent golf course in an amazing location but has a very unique set of challenges in terms of turf management. What were some of the lessons you learned? Do you wish you had a Mulligan for anything? Any advice for the new guy? DR: Summer is easy. Surviving the winter is the challenge and the key for Greywolf. No matter what type of grass you have bent or poa it has to survive the winter. Ice prevention is critical. Also do not hesitate to sod. Damage will not recover at Greywolf and the guests expect good turf. I know this contradicts what I just said but only sod if you have to. Sod is going to take two years to root at Greywolf. Sodding does not make up for poor growing conditions; it is a band aid in those situations. If I could have a Mulligan I would like the third week in April 2009 back. That week we decided to sod seven greens instead of twelve. In the spring of 2009 we had massive ice damage and frost heaving. We resodded seven greens in early May but should have sodded twelve in total. About 25% of our heads stripped off the street elbows at the top of the swing joints due to frost heaving. We stopped counting irrigation breaks when we hit 90. I estimate we had about 130 breaks. The Irrigation Foreman needed therapy that spring. Drainlines in bunkers and greens heaved as well. I had never seen anything like it before. The mistake I made was I trying to patch, overseed, and grow back marginal turf in an attempt to Continued On Page 49 WESTERN CANADA TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 13