INTRODUCING OUR
Super Superintendent
I have asked several people over the last few months what they think of the condition of our course . Everyone responds , “ spectacular .” Jane Mortensen sums it up best when she adds , “ Tom and I have been members for almost 30 years , and the condition of LGCC is by far the best we have ever seen it .”
It is indeed a pleasure to come out and play such a well-maintained course . Personally , Judy and I are proud to invite guests out to the club to play and enjoy our course . We owe it all to superintendent Jake Valentino and his crew of five .
Jake began his career as a cart attendant at Reston National at age 16 . One summer of that was enough . The following summer , Jake joined the Greens Crew at Reston National . His passion for course maintenance was off and running . After graduating from the University of West Virginia , Jake returned home to Reston and became Asst . Superintendent . After deciding to make a career in golf course maintenance , he attended the University of Maryland and earned his degree in Turf Management . Jake is also licensed by the State of Virginia as a “ Certified Pesticide Technician .” Wow !
Before joining LGCC last June , Jake was Superintendent at three golf clubs in California . After Indigo Golf joined LGCC , Jake was asked to take a look at LGCC and Lexington . As he says , “ I have never seen a better piece of property for a golf course .” As for Lexington , he loves the small town and the friendly people here .
It is amazing Jake and his crew of five ( which is small by industry standards ) produce such a quality product , but as with all organizations , success filters down from the top . Jake leads by example . It is not uncommon to see him hand watering greens in the late afternoon when the temperature is in the mid-90 ’ s or see him mowing or spraying greens early Sunday morning . As Jake says , “ We do whatever it takes to get the job done right .”
So what can we do as members to help Jake and his crew ? The basics :
• Repair your ball marks on the green ( and one more )
• Fill in your divots in the fairway
• Observe the ‘ cart path only ’ rule when in effect
• And please , please , please keep your carts on the paths around the greens – 20 paces is a good rule – we could all use the exercise
So many thanks to Jake and his crew . You can tell by the job they do that they take tremendous pride in LGCC . When you see them on the course , give them a friendly wave or , better yet , stop and tell them how much you appreciate the job they do . Well done , Jake .
By :
Rick Werner
PGA Professional
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