Tritabaugh is ready to welcome the world’s best players with the help of other Golf Course Superintendents Association of America members.
Lawrence, Kan. (Sept. 27, 2016) – Minnesota native Chris Tritabaugh loves the passion of preparing for the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
Tritabaugh, 37, is the golf course superintendent at Hazeltine, where preparing for major golf events comes with the territory. The club has been the site of two U.S. Opens, two U.S. Women’s Opens, two PGA Championships and a U.S. Amateur.
This 41st Ryder Cup will be held Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, and the format is Team USA versus Team Europe. But one more team deserves a mention: Team Tritabaugh.
“This is Hazeltine’s and Minnesota’s event,” Tritabaugh told associate editor Howard Richman for a preview story in Golf Course Management magazine, the flagship publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). “We all know what the goal is. The message will be the same as I tell my staff every day: We’re all great at what we do. Enjoy what you are going to be part of. Enjoy the company you are with. And enjoy the product that you are going to produce. We will do this as a team – and it will be something special.”
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III has Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and other familiar names on his roster. Captain Tritabaugh’s team includes Ryan Moy, Steve “Rollie” Giesen, Ralph Arnt and Keith Conway.
Moy, who arrived at Hazeltine as an intern in 2007 and is now the top assistant, once thought he’d be a businessman.
“Hosting an event of this magnitude brings our team closer together,” says Moy, who loves the frequent brainstorming sessions over lunch, when ideas for improving their efforts are welcomed and shared.
Giesen, 55, has been at Hazeltine since it hosted the 1991 U.S. Open.
“We’ve got a good core, and we have great camaraderie,” says Giesen, a golf course technician. “We think we keep the course in condition like they would have for a major event all the time.”
Tritabaugh is a 17-year GCSAA member who says he learned a lot from observing his father, a Minnesota school district superintendent. But his journey in the golf course superintendent profession started with picking up range balls and loading a Cushman with gravel so he could fill potholes on cart paths at Albany Golf Club in Albany, Minn.
Gary Deters, superintendent at St. Cloud (Minn.) Country Club, worked alongside Tritabaugh at Albany Golf Club.
“We did a lot of things as teammates. It was so much fun because of the working environment,” says Deters, a 16-year GCSAA member. “A lot of it was attitude. Chris is intelligent, willing to take risks and learn. It’s taken him to a great place.”
Hazeltine green chairman Reed Mackenzie often sees Tritabaugh walking the course. A former USGA president, Hazeltine president and a Rules official in 38 U.S. Opens, Mackenzie doesn’t need a ruling when it comes to Tritabaugh, who writes a blog to keep members informed of course maintenance.
“He’s probably the best hire we’ve ever made,” MacKenzie said. “Chris and his crew are the perfect example of environmental stewards – (through) water reduction, naturalized turf areas.”
From the day it opened its doors in 1962, Hazeltine was prepared for major events. The first 22 words of its 300-word mission statement make that clear: “The Mission of the founders of Hazeltine was to build and maintain a golf course suitable for the conduct of national championships.”
They did just that.
To Read more about Tritabaugh and Hazeltine National see the the September issue of Golf Course Management Magazine (GCM). To hear more from Tritabaugh tune in this week to “Katrek and Maginnes On Tap” at 6 p.m. (Eastern) Sept. 28 on Sirius channel 208 and XM channel 92.
About GCSAA and the EIFG
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. Visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game. Visit EIFG at www.eifg.org. or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Contact:
Craig Smith, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Phone: 800-472-7878, ext. 4431 or 785-691-9197 (cell)
csmith@gcsaa.org
