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Penn State Alum Talks About His Success
Range picker at 14… Superintendent at 24… Director of operations by 28… How Schuylkill CC’s decision to hire the local kid paid off.
2013 Superintendent of the Year
Penn State Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program alumnus Matt Shaffer has just been named a 2013 Superintendent of the Year finalist. Shaffer graduated from the program in 1974 and is currently the superintendent at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA. He is being recognized for the challenges he faced as at Merion during last year’s
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2014 GIS Alumni Luncheon Announced
This year, the Penn State Turfgrass Alumni Association will be hosting a luncheon (instead of a breakfast) on Thursday at 12:00PM. The luncheon will be near the trade show floor at the convention centers, thus giving more people the opportunity to attend. Please note that attendees are asked to send in their RSVP in advance!
One More Championship for PSU Turf Alum
The name is a nod back to Scotland, where golf’s first rules were written. The inspiration draws upon Bobby Jones and Augusta National. P.G.A. But the stamp upon Muirfield Village Golf Club is wholly that of Jack Nicklaus. Muirfield Village, site of the 10th Presidents Cup this week, is but one of nearly 300 layouts
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Matt Shaffer Speaks!
It has been about a month since the golf/turf world focused on The US Open at Merion Golf Club. With years of preparation and a couple of weeks of superb execution the event is not history. There were challenges with weather but nothing insurmountable. The golf course was an excellent test of the best players in the world. Matt Shaffer had an outstanding
Penn State Grads Hold Integral Role In PGA
Call it a twist of fate or a coincidence, but the people responsible for preparing the golf courses for the masters, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship this summer are all Penn State graduates. Oak Hill Country Club takes your breath away. From the tudor style clubhouse to the meticulously groomed greens and fairways. "I fell in love with Oak Hill along time ago, but I love the short par 4s. I love 2; I love 12; I love 14. Great holes," Jeff Corcoran said. Jeff Corcoran is
PSU Alums Having a ‘Major’ Impact
Penn State Alum Matt Shaffer says, "when you have a championship, you push the grass to its outside ability to survive." Shaffer certainly knows
Dr. Fidanza Receives Outstanding Teaching Award
Congratulations to Dr. Mike Fidanza! Dr. Fidanza, professor of Turfgrass Science at Penn State Berks Campus, recently received
Merion Golf Club still basking in afterglow, recuperating month after hosting 2013 U.S. Open
Matt Shaffer couldn't get the U.S. Open off his mind before it happened. Nearly a month after the Open finished at Merion Golf Club's East Course in Haverford, he now knows it's an experience he will never forget. "Once they announced the Open (coming to Merion seven years ago), it pretty much occupies your thoughts for years," said Shaffer, Merion's superintendent who has worked at the club for 11 years. "My whole premise was
Carry the Torch: Penn State 2-Year Student Wins Zontek Scholarship Award
"He would have loved this more than anybody." That's what Dr. Kimberly Erusha, national director of the Green Section, told me when I asked her what Stanley Zontek would think about the way things turned out at the U.S. Open at Merion. Stan was there in spirit, all right. The week began with
