51 day agronomy, championship agronomy and construction,” says Moeller. “It is exciting to connect with likeminded individuals that want to continue learning and make these golf courses the best they can be based on their budget, climate and infrastructure. “My primary role at the USGA saw me work as an agronomist, assisting courses with day-to-day agronomy and projects. Working on USGA Championships was a great opportunity to be at a golf course for a 10-day stretch, as opposed to visiting 10 courses in 10 days. It was nice to see how much superintendents and the maintenance teams dialled up the conditioning to peak for those events.” Moeller also served as editor-in-chief of the USGA’s Green Section Record publication. “It was great to get content out there to educate superintendents and talk about the latest research and trends to give turfgrass managers information that could help them,” he says. “We provided a mix of technical content to make it easier for the superintendent to maximise the performance of their course, but also help them communicate with golfers.” Moeller conducted research for the 2018 version of the USGA’s putting green construction recommendations. “Now, I can move on to figuring out the best ways to maximise a rootzone for putting reconstruction, focus on what a client wants from a playability and maintenance perspective, and taking those principles and putting them into a golf course,” he says. “Seeing that evolution is something I am excited about.” Next up is Toro veteran John Lawrence, recipient of the 2022 Donald Ross Award from the American Society of Golf Course Architects. A friend and mentor to Clarkin for the last 25 years, Lawrence brings 40-plus years of industry experience and a vast network to the team. “I have spent most of my adult life in the golf industry,” he says. “My role at Toro afforded me the opportunity to work with architects, developers, owners, supers, contractors, anyone that has a significant stake in building or maintaining golf courses. “The most important, and enjoyable, part of my tenure with Toro was solving problems. It was how I spent a big part of my career, working on some of the best projects and with some of the best people. And, via osmosis, you learn and take away a lot of best practices from those experiences. “I came from a principle-centred company – that’s why I stayed at Toro forever. And I consider John and his team principle-centred. They focus on quality and doing things the right way; both are very important to me. This role provides me an opportunity to use skills I’ve learned from working with the best of the best. I can also bring my knowledge of knowing the best people out there, understanding a client’s needs, the best solutions and recruitment.” The US team is completed by Brad Owen, whose 38 years at Augusta At Adare Manor, Turfgrass played a key role in the course’s redevelopment in 2018 and now oversees its maintenance agronomy and tournament preparation for the upcoming 2027 Ryder Cup Photo: Adare Manor TURFGRASS
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