Golfdom, April 2010

Family Matters Continued from page 44 Dale and Mark Kuehner Cover and Protect Bridges with BridgeRunners Eliminate costly maintenance or repair or resurface damaged areas Excellent dry and wet traction Genuine rubber in 3 4 or 6 widths in lengths up to 16 with optional interlocking tabs for longer installations Linear Rubber Products 1 800 558 4040 www rubber mats com Warehouse Direct Pricing BridgeRunners Landscape Pavers Locker Room Flooring 46 Golfdom A p r i l 2 0 1 0 searching for an irrigation leak at 7 Springs say they enjoy getting their clothes dirty Dales wife Cindy who went with him from Pittsburgh to Fort Lauderdale works at Colony West and takes care of human resources and payroll Theyve been married 20 years For any family that has been involved as long as we have in a business like this its amazing we get along as well as we do Dale says There are no green committees at the two courses to talk about course conditions and other business But that doesnt mean things dont get discussed Most every family function turns into a meeting about the golf courses It goes with the territory We have a greens committee meeting at Christmas we have one at Thanksgiving and one at every birthday party Dale says If theres something wrong with the golf courses my brother and I get grilled Says Mark Its nice when you work with family It has its moments when it gets contentious but its better than working for some jerk you dont know dale and mark had to learn a lot and quickly when the family acquired Colony West Dale who was going to Penn State when the deal was made had to learn how to manage bermudagrass on the fly To help him do so he joined the local Golf Course Superintendents Association chapter in southern Florida to learn the nuances of maintaining the variety When I went to my first meeting I found out who the best superintendents were and I made friends with them right away Dale says For several months Dale oversaw 7 Springs and Colony West while Mark finished his Navy duty He would return to Pittsburgh for a few weeks at a time in the summer to help run Seven Springs He also returned to Pittsburgh in the winter to complete his two year certificate program from Penn State which he had to put on hold after moving to Florida Dale became a certified superintendent when he was 23 a month after he received his turfgrass certificate He achieved certification quickly because he didnt want to be pegged as someone who became a superintendent just because his family appointed him to the position I wanted people to respect me as a superintendent Dale says Thats why I became certified It didnt do a darn thing for me financially Mark had no formal education agronomically But one of the first things he did after getting home from the Navy was join the Pittsburgh GCSA to learn the business At Dales advice Mark also consulted the top superintendents to gain knowledge It was on the job training Mark says I made a lot of mistakes Youre not a superintendent until you kill your first 2 acres of turf Youd never know Dale and Mark are brothers They dont look alike Mark is taller and has a shock of black hair under his cap Dale is mostly bald They also have different personalities Mark is more boisterous in a good way than the more business like Dale But theyre similar as superintendents both like to get down and dirty on their courses Dale and Mark and the family business face numerous challenges in this challenging economy Rounds are down at 7 Springs and holding steady at Colony West While green fees at the two courses havent increased maintenance costs have The two men have looked to trim costs wherever they can to save money Even several family members including Dale and Mark took pay cuts last year to keep the business running steady You have to do what you have to do Dale says matter of factly You could say Dale Mark and their relatives took one for the team or in this case the family business