Greenside APR 2015 Low Res

News
O’Keefe Elected
President of GCSAA
John J. O’Keefe, director of golf course management
at Preakness Hill Country Club in Wayne, N.J., has been
elected to a one-year term as president of the Golf Course
Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) for 2015.
O’Keefe, a certified golf course
superintendent (CGCS), served as
vice president of the association
in 2014 and has been a member of the
association’s board of directors since 2008. A
35-year member of GCSAA, O’Keefe also is a
member and past president of both the GCSA
of New Jersey and the Metropolitan GCSA.
A native of Lenox, Mass., the 58-year-old
O’Keefe earned an associate’s degree from the Stockbridge School
of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
He succeeds Keith A. Ihms, CGCS and golf course maintenance
manager at Bella Vista Village in Bella Vista, Ark., who served as
president for 2014 and will move to a final one-year term on the
board as immediate past president.
Other elected officers were Peter J. Grass, CGCS and
superintendent at Hilands Golf Club in Billings, Mont., as vice
president; and Bill H. Maynard, CGCS and director of golf course
maintenance operations at St. Albans Country Club in St. Louis,
as secretary/treasurer.
Three others were re-elected and will continue service on
the nine-member board. They are Darren J. Davis, CGCS and
superintendent at Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples, Fla.; John
R. Fulling Jr., CGCS and grounds and facilities manager at
Kalamazoo (Mich.) Country Club; and Mark F. Jordan, CGCS
and natural resource leader at Westfield Group Country Club in
Westfield Center, Ohio.
Rafael Barajas, CGCS and superintendent at Hacienda Golf
Club in La Habra Heights, Calif., will continue on the board as a
director, while Kevin P. Breen, CGCS, was appointed to the board
and will serve a one-year term.
Patrick R. Finlen, CGCS and general manager at the Olympic
Club in San Francisco, Calif., retires from the board after serving
the last year as immediate past president.
Clarke Appointed
Ryder Cup Captain
Tourism Ireland has welcomed the appointment of
Darren Clarke as Europe’s new Ryder Cup captain for
2016 and believes the decision will greatly enhance its
continued ability to promote Ireland as a world-class
golf destination.
Clarke, one of
Tourism Ireland’s
golf ambassadors
alongside world number
one Rory McIlroy, Graeme
McDowell, Padraig
Harrington and Paul
McGinley, was confirmed
in the role by the European
Tour on February 18 to lead Europe’s Ryder Cup defence at
Hazeltine National in Minnesota, USA, from September 30 to
October 2, 2016.
The 46-year-old will be the second Irishman in succession
to captain Europe after McGinley led the continent to its
eighth victory in 10 meetings against America last September.
Latest figures show that the economic impact of golf
tourism in Ireland has risen to £33million, up from
£27million, and promoting Ireland as a leading global golf
destination will be a major focus for Tourism Ireland in
Britain and other key worldwide markets in 2015.
The organisation has launched an extensive programme of
promotions to help deliver its aim this year, and at the heart
of the promotional activity will be the 2015 Irish Open, which
will take place at Royal County Down from May 28-31.
It will be the first time in 75 years that the event has been
played at the historic links venue in Newcastle,
Co. Down, and the tournament is set
to attract global attention, with home
favourite McIlroy set to lead a starstudded
field of world-class stars.
It Pays to Lose
Seamus Weldon Sales Rep, Tom Gentleman, winning the Michael
Sheils A4 Road race in Limerick
Losing weight can reap huge rewards
as was the case with Tom Gentleman,
Sales Rep for Seamus Weldon Golf &
Turf. Tom took part in the Michael Sheils
A4 Road Race in Limerick last March and
won. A delighted Tom, who used to be a
greenkeeper at Ballyheigue Castle Golf Club
in Co. Kerry, said “I lost three and a half
stone over two years and I feel a lot stronger
and fitter for it.” Little did he think that,
during his dieting, he would go on to win a
national cycle road race. It just goes to show
that it really does pay to lose some weight.
www.gcsai.org
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