New Carolinas App Ready for Download

The Carolinas GCSA has launched a new mobile app allowing members to perform all kinds of association business anywhere in the field. The new app is a significant upgrade on an earlier version, and the initial response has been positive. It is available for download by searching MemberPlus at Google Play and the Apple Store.

The new app allows members to view and register for meetings and events, pay invoices quickly and securely, access the membership directory and browse job postings in the Carolinas network.

“Download it and get used to it. You’ve only got to download it once,” Carolinas GCSA executive director Tim Kreger says. “It’s fun. The feedback has been great so far. We tried one years ago and nobody really took to it. But now the digital age has really taken hold. I think everybody is ready for it and ready for the ease and access it provides.”

Kreger says one of the best features of the new app is that it provides constantly updated member contact details. “Our printed member directory does a great job but this industry, like many, has some movement,” he says. “So now, as soon as members update any of their information, it will be available to anyone who has downloaded the app.”

Carolinas GCSA board member Matt Jones, CGCS from Forsyth Country Club in Winston-Salem, NC, was one of the first to download the new app. “To me it is very easy to use because it is so intuitive,” he says. “As soon as I got it, I spent a few minutes exploring and was really happy with it. It’s exactly what user friendly is all about."

Cato-Wee One Tee Time Approaching

Many charities generate attention, and thereby attract supporters, by publicizing examples of the work they do. For the most part, the Wee One Foundation is an exception, doing its good work behind the scenes. Still, if you are a member of the Carolinas GCSA, there is a fair chance that you know someone who has been helped by the organization during a time of need.

The Wee One Foundation has been supporting golf course superintendents and their families for more than 20 years now, providing financial support to those who incur overwhelming expenses due to medical hardship without comprehensive insurance or adequate financial resources. That support comes from money raised at tournaments such as one the Carolinas GCSA will host at Solina Golf Club in West Columbia, SC next month.

The 2026 Cato-Wee One Foundation Tournament on September 22 will share proceeds between the Wee One Foundation and a scholarship in memory of Nelson Cato at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. Cato was longtime golf course superintendent and past Carolinas GCSA board member who later worked in sales.

This year’s tournament features TurfBeard’s smashburgers for lunch and a prime rib dinner following play.

Solina is a rebirth of the former Indian River Golf Club and is owned by professional golfers and YouTube stars George and Wesley Bryan and Columbia developer Greg Middleton. Golf course superintendent Patrick Reese arrived in April of 2023 for the major renovation.

His background includes time at Palmetto Golf Club under Rhett Baker, then Mark Swygert, before moving to Congaree Golf Club working for John Lavelle and David Berry. He later followed Lavelle to Old Barnwell before taking the lead role at Solina. “We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone here to support two great causes,” Reese says.

Applications for the next class in the  USGA’s Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program (GAP) are open through August 28, and recent graduate Brooke Heikkila has some straightforward advice for anyone considering the step. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she says. “You gain valuable experience, build an incredible network, and open doors to opportunities you may never have considered. If you’re interested, apply.”

When Heikkila first learned about GAP, she was working as an environmental scientist in Minnesota and searching for a way to combine her passion for the environment with an interest in golf course management. After earning a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Minnesota, she discovered GAP through an article in the USGA Green Section Record.

“It felt like the perfect opportunity,” she recalls. “Free education, a paid position, and the support of the USGA. I couldn’t pass that up.”

Heikkila joined the program and relocated to Pinehurst, where she worked full-time at Pinehurst No. 4 while completing classroom coursework and hands-on training. Through GAP, she gained practical experience in golf course maintenance while building a strong foundation in turfgrass science, water management, soils, fertility and pest management.

“The combination of classroom education and real-world experience is what makes the program so valuable,” she says. “You’re learning the science behind what you’re doing every day.”

Since graduating from GAP, Heikkila has continued her education at North Carolina State University. While she’s pursuing additional academic opportunities, her long-term goal remains rooted in the turfgrass industry. “GAP showed me what’s possible in this profession,” Heikkila says. “It gave me the knowledge, confidence, and connections to pursue a career in golf course management.”

A video from Heikkila offers more insight on her experience and why she recommends others apply.

“Foster-ing” Family Golf at Old Field

Derrick Foster, CGCS is no stranger to maintaining golf courses a little out of the ordinary. At Colin Creek Golf Course outside Mocksville, NC he is responsible for a 13-hole layout. And for the past year, he’s also been looking after Old Field Golf, a six-hole short course right next door.

Old Field is a “community focused” project over 20 acres developed by former club professional Matt Tullos. Tullos is so grateful for the role Foster has played he wants to make sure others in the industry are aware of his contribution.

“Derrick is a super, super nice guy. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him and watching what he has been able to do with our golf course and still keep up with everything he has to do at Colin Creek,” Tullos says. “I want people to know how meaningful golf course superintendents are to the success of projects like this.”

In addition to six holes designed by Smyers, Craig and Coyne, Old Field features a half-acre Himalayan putting green and practice facility. “The idea is that parents and children primarily can spend more time together through family-oriented golf,” Tullos says. The weekday rate for all-day play is $20, weekends $30. Kids with an adult play for free.

“Derrick is very humble and very hesitant to accept credit,” Tullos says. “He assisted Landscapes Unlimited during the design and build and is solely responsible for a successful grow-in and launch this season. He has been just so dead solid throughout this whole thing despite some setbacks and challenges.”

Among the ongoing “challenges” is the fact that Foster is now maintaining bermudagrass (Tahoma 31) greens at Old Field and bentgrass (A1/A4) at Colin Creek. Colin Creek was originally an 18-hole course that lost two holes in a land sale and then three more on the far side of a 150-acre lake were taken out of maintenance.

The Piper to Put Spotlight on Assistants

Assistant superintendents will literally be under the spotlights on the eve of this year’s Conference and Trade Show in Myrtle Beach, SC. The annual Assistant Superintendent Reception heads to Legends Golf Resort for the first time and will feature night golf on the new par-three course, The Piper. Attendees at the event, which runs from 6pm to 9m on November 15, will also have access to Legends’ lighted riving range and Himalayas putting course.

“It’s going to be a blast,” Carolinas GCSA executive director Tim Kreger says. “The venue and activities will allow people to move around and share an experience. It’s a nice change of pace from the traditional bar and food set up.”

The reception will follow another first at Legends earlier in the day, a fundraising golf tournament for students in the turfgrass program at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. The four-person captain’s choice event with a shotgun start will be played on Legends’ Parkland Course. Money raised will go towards student scholarships and travel to conferences and industry events.

“We’re hoping this becomes a staple for folks to kick off their week at Conference and Show,” Horry-Georgetown Golf and Sports Turf Management program associate professor, Jim Huntoon, says. “One of the things everybody loves about Conference and Show week is the chance to spend time together with friends in the industry. This tournament gives them one more opportunity to do that at the same time they’re investing in the future of the superintendent profession.”

Separate registration is required for the Assistant Superintendent Reception and the golf tournament earlier in the day. The reception is once again presented in partnership with John Deere Golf, Beard Equipment Company, Revels Turf and Tractor and Bloom Golf Partners.