Episode 176: Austin Wright, CTEM Returns

Description:

Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast, Episode 176.

Today we’re talking with Austin Wright, CTEM, Equipment Manager at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. Austin originally joined us back on Episode 68 when he was at Sand Valley in Wisconsin. Now he’s at one of the country’s most recognizable championship venues, managing the equipment operation at Hazeltine.

Hazeltine is an 18-hole championship course with a 10-hole short course, putting course and golf performance center. Austin has one assistant in the shop and primarily runs Toro equipment, with a long list of championship events on the horizon. After hosting the 2024 U.S. Amateur and the 2026 Women’s PGA, the operation is already looking ahead to the 2029 Ryder Cup.

Austin talks about the level of precision required to keep equipment performing at championship standards and how Hazeltine uses data to help measure and maintain consistency. They get into clip volume, smoothness, firmness, speed and shear strength, along with Austin’s “Right Cut Rating” system, which uses a prism and macroscope to take a closer look at quality of cut.

He also shares a great troubleshooting story involving clip volume and behind-center distance, plus some of the shop upgrades and long-term planning that go into preparing for major championships.

The conversation also covers hiring and training a new assistant equipment manager, including Austin’s approach of combining field and shop experience with structured learning and training resources. It’s a great look at how an equipment manager adapts when the expectations, data and preparation all get turned up a notch.

It’s another great conversation with Austin, this time from behind the scenes at one of the biggest championship operations in the game.

Transcript: 

Trent Manning 0:56

Welcome to the reel turf techs podcast for the technician that wants to get reel follow along. As we talk to industry professionals and address hot topics that we all face along the way we’ll learn tips and tricks. I’m your host, Trent. Manning let’s have some

1:16

Welcome to The Real Turf Techs podcast, episode 176. Today, we’re talking to Austin Wright, CTIM, equipment manager at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Austin originally appeared on episode 68 when he was at Sand Valley in Wisconsin. Now he’s at Hazeltine National In Chaska, Minnesota. Hazeltine National is an 18-hole championship course. They also have a 10-hole short course, putting course, and a golf performance center Austin has one assistant in the shop. He has mostly Toro equipment. Let’s catch up with Austin

Trent Manning 1:56

this episode are real turf techs on golf course industries Superintendent radio network is presented by Foley county a strong supporter of equipment technicians and golf course maintenance departments everywhere Foley county offers a proven solution for above and below the turf for turf professionals To learn more about Foley company’s line of real grinders bed knife grinders and the air to G2 family of products or to find a distributor visit www dot Foley C o.com Foley Ready for play welcome Austin to the Reel Turf Techs podcast. Thanks for being back on

Austin Wright 2:42

Hey, thanks, Trent. I’m super pumped to be back. Love Reel Turf Techs. It’s a great platform and I’m happy to be back on

Trent Manning 2:49

Yeah. Thanks a lot. You were originally episode 68, if anybody wants to go back and listen to the original episode. But w- I wanted to have you back on. It’s been several years. Let’s see. That was July of ’22. So, and you were Yeah, it’s been a minute. You were at Sand Valley, and some things have changed

Austin Wright 3:15

Yeah, some things have have definitely changed, and it, it’s hard to believe, that it’s been that long since we last did an episode. And yeah, I was at Sand Valley for a little over seven and a half years and had the opportunity to earn my C-TEM there actually just right before the, the previous episode came out. So it was a great time in my life, and I’m very grateful for the career path that I’ve had and all the steps along the way. Each one meant so much to me and really helped prepare me for the next step. And it’s something that, I really haven’t had a chance to sit down and think about until I kinda became, I guess, more of an adult, that, everything happens for a reason and, every step prepared me for the next, and if one of those steps went away I wouldn’t be where I am today. So, very grateful for for the career path that I have and and look forward to what the future holds.

Trent Manning 4:10

No, that’s awesome. Yeah. No it’s good. Yeah. Yeah, tell us where you’re at now.

Austin Wright 4:15

Yeah. So, in August of 2023, I joined the team at Hazeltine National Golf Club, and it’s hard to believe it’s been three years now. It flies by. I was able to– I was presented with the opportunity to kinda take over the operation, the shop operation from the retiring equipment manager of thirty-six years. And Chris Tritabach, the golf course superintendent, reached out to me and said, “Hey, like, would you be interested in this?” And it was one of those where it just it felt like the right move at the right time. I had a three-year-old daughter at the time and really looking to– It was– It felt good to kinda go back to a, a very dialed in operation, kinda focused on eighteen holes and kinda get back to where I could really put a large focus on kind of the, the cutting units and quality of cut and everything. I know we’ll talk more about that, but it– I’m very grateful for the opportunity and and being part of the Hazeltine team is something that’s really special.

Trent Manning 5:15

Yeah, no, that is super cool. And yeah, I want you to share with the listeners if you don’t mind, ’cause, I mean, we’ve been friends and we’ll talk about, yeah how that started and stuff. But so I had a little more insider information, but why did Chris Tribou reach out to you?

Austin Wright 5:34

Yeah, so, while I was at Sand Valley he came over part of one of the Toro groups, and it was quite frequent that we hosted like grounds complex tours for superintendent groups and things like that. And so, and I had hosted so many of them that I– everybody just kinda blended together and so I actually don’t personally remember, meeting Chris at that specific time just ’cause it happened so frequently for me. But, after providing that information in that tour and evidently I made a strong impression on him, and he was kinda like, “Hey when Ralph decides to retire I’m gon- I’m gonna reach out to Austin,” and it’s a pretty, pretty cool thing. And it just shows just how tightly knit the golf industry is and all of your experiences that you have and interactions that you have are very meaningful. And so you wanna make sure that you present yourself in the best way possible and just work hard. I mean, I’m a perfect example of just, if you just work hard and you try to do all the right things, like it– the, the world has a way of just kinda continuing to pay it forward. And so, it wa- it was really cool, and it was one of those when I remember getting the email from Chris about the opportunity and my mother-in-law was actually in Wisconsin at the time, and I got the email and something about it just hit different to where it just felt like, man, this is something that I really need to look further into. And the more that I learned about Chris and, the brilliant mind that he is in the turfgrass industry it felt like something I really wanted to be part of. And I knew that, we- being part of his operation and the Hazeltine team was going to kinda help me continue to build the career that I really ultimately kinda, kinda want in the golf industry. And so it’s provided a great platform for me. And so, it’s, for everyone out there, like it, it starts as simple as having a conversation and an email, and so, yeah it’s been really cool. And g- and honestly, like one of those when I was able to go over there and meet the team and see the facility, see the complex, when I left that, that interview I, I already felt like I was on the team, and that’s how I knew like it, it was the right move for sure. So, yeah, fast-forward, it’s we’re having a lot of fun and doing a lot of great things.

Trent Manning 7:53

No, that is awesome. Yeah, so what’s some of the, the new things or how are you doing things different at Hazeltine than you were at Sand Valley or

Austin Wright 8:06

Yeah. Some of the stuff that I would say is different is just the level of precision all the time. So I mean, when we mention that, we put forth, championship level conditions every day from, open to close, that’s what our team achieves or we strive for, to execute on a day in, day out basis. And so, as far as like, the things that stayed the same were, basically like my work ethic. I was still working hard trying to learn as much as I can. How can I make improvements? What can I do better? But just, it’s just, it’s a whole different notch kind of going up. It’s, going from a large operation with multi-course, multiple technicians, it’s a very busy seven-day, twenty four-seven type operation. And and being able to go to a, a championship hosting facility it’s all about precision all the time, so it’s very unique, but it’s a lot of fun

Trent Manning 9:06

No, it sounds like it. I mean, definitely going back to how we met at Bellerive at the 2018 100th PGA Championship, I mean, that stuff is fun,

Austin Wright 9:20

It really is

Trent Manning 9:22

yeah, and, maybe it’s not for everybody, whatever, but it’s something that I really enjoy. And how often do you have tournaments there at Hazeltine?

Austin Wright 9:33

So when I came on in 2023, we were hosting the 2024 US Amateur Championship, and so that was the first, major that I was part of. And that was such a cool event and, being able to host that is just, it’s just something special. And it’s a long tournament. For those of you that aren’t familiar with like the US Amateur it’s a lot of days of golf, and so it is, it’s a grind. Pun intended, and and so, the US Amateur was a great event, and then we most recently hosted the Women’s PGA Championship in 2026. And

Trent Manning 10:09

So is that kind of normal every couple years having some kind of event?

Austin Wright 10:14

Yeah and actually on the radar we have the 2029 Ryder Cup. So, Hazeltine is the only course in the United States to host a second Ryder Cup. So, it’s pretty special to, to be part of the team and looking forward to to the build-up for that. And I mean, let’s be real, like it starts now, so,

Trent Manning 10:34

Oh yeah, for sure

Austin Wright 10:35

we’re we’re doing everything we can do to make sure that we are prepared and ready

Trent Manning 10:39

Yeah, no, that’s awesome. So do you have anything coming up ’27, ’28? Do not. Okay. That’ll be,

Austin Wright 10:46

not as far as televised events, but we definitely have, our big club events and things like that. So, kinda weird to think about that it’ll be, maybe a couple years of just a little bit more normal operation.

Trent Manning 10:58

Ho- hopefully more normal operation. I

Austin Wright 11:01

you go. I like

Trent Manning 11:02

goes too, i’ll never forget one year they said, “We’re not doing any projects this year. We’re just gonna maintain the golf course.” And I swear we did more projects that year, and there were no big projects, but just little tiny stuff like change the cart path here, fix this bunker. I mean, it was a million projects that one summer. But no big projects What they meant when they said no projects that year

Austin Wright 11:29

Yeah. It, and it’s funny, like when I came over and we hosted the US Am in ’24, like during that same time of us hosting the championship we were also under construction and building our short course. And so not only balancing kind of slight pause of, the construction of the short course and also hosting a championship and then turning around, it’s like boom, right back to building the short course. So it was cool. I was joking with Chris, I’m like, “Man, I just can’t get away from construction.” Like I just,

Trent Manning 11:58

All right,

Austin Wright 11:59

I came back from, coming over from Sand Valley and building, five-plus golf courses and I took a year break and then here we go, building another one.

Trent Manning 12:07

Time to build some more stuff. I mean, it’s, it’s good for the industry, it’s good for golf, more building. But it does wear on you. The course I just left, we’d went through the renovation and yeah, it was tough going through a renovation. A lot of, broken reels and hitting stuff, and it’s just, yeah, pretty frustrating at times

Austin Wright 12:28

Yeah. And it, whether it’s a renovation or new construction, I mean, it really takes kinda two years to get past that window, with as far as, we’ll just call it equipment management side of it. With the braking reels and drain grates and things like that, sprinkler heads that you, that reels are great at finding that, that are a little bit misaligned. Those are just, that’s just part of it. It doesn’t matter where it is, that’s just it’s the way it goes. And, But yeah, so yeah, it’s it’s definitely been a fun ride and now, with the short course open, the, the membership has a great amenity. It’s super cool with the golf performance center now and villas. It’s a s- really unique property

Trent Manning 13:07

Yeah. No that’s awesome. Yeah, what has your priorities changed as equipment manager in this new role?

Austin Wright 13:15

You know, I would say that, kinda like I mentioned before, it’s all about precision and the focus on, like, optimal quality of cut. And so, the more I learned about that and joining, Chris’s team, data collection is huge within our operation. And Chris is the most methodical person I know. I mean, like, everything is thought through to the detail. And so we collect a lot of data. So, clip volume, smoothness, firmness, speed now shear strength. And so as you gather all that data on the agronomic side and the playing surface side, I was sitting there thinking like We got to do something to measure quality of cut. And, because ultimately, if you are basing your agronomic decisions off of, we’ll just say clip volume, that’s the easy one. A lot of people are starting to collect clip volume to to manage their turf grass at a higher level. And the one thing that has to be consistent if you’re gathering that information is your cutting units. Like, they have to be a consistent piece of that equation to where, ‘Cause you and I both know, like if you have a dull cutting unit and then you turn around and send a sharp set out, your clip volume is going to go way up. Like, it will. And and so working with Chris, I was thinking, I’m like, “All right, what can we do?” And so I came up with a system, calling it the Right Cut Rating system at the moment.

Trent Manning 14:53

I like it. I love it. That’s awesome

Austin Wright 14:55

and so really it’s three… or it’s really four ratings. So your first one is you’re gonna use your prism, and you’re– what you’re doing is you are setting strictly your baseline. So what’s your effective height of cut? What’s your actual height of cut? So we’ll just say two millimeters. So that, that is what we’ll be scoring off of is that two millimeters is what we are looking to achieve. And I just use millimeters because it’s way easier to read on a prism.

Trent Manning 15:24

Yeah.

Austin Wright 15:24

and so once you establish your baseline, then you have three ratings. So you’re gonna have your overlap, which if you’re walk mowing, it’ll be directly on the overlap between passes. Or if it’s a triplex, I’ll find between the front and the center reel. So I make sure that a tire track is not within that overlap. And what we’re looking for is just a discernible difference in that overlap line. So, is there a slight dip for the double cut? That happens. So that’s gonna get a zero to 10 rating. Then you’ll take the prism, and you’re gonna spin it, so now you’re looking down the line, and then we’re gonna look at the clip. So how many stragglers are we getting off of that baseline two millimeters? So that’ll score as a zero to 10 rating And then lastly is you’re gonna use your macroscope and look at the cut of the leaf tissue. So is there any tearing, fraying? Is it suboptimal? And so that will give it a zero to 10 rating scale. And then within the spreadsheet that Chris helped me develop is that it just takes the average of everything, and then within that same sheet I’m notating what the height of cut– what the bench set height of cut is, what our effective height of cut is. Also whether it’s a walker, triplex, single cut, double cut, the roller setup, which for the most part we’ll use smooth front rollers.

Trent Manning 16:55

Угу

Austin Wright 16:56

we actually use like the Wileys almost as like a cultural practice. It’s

Trent Manning 17:00

Yeah yeah. Yeah

Austin Wright 17:01

pretty crazy to think about doing that. And then one thing I started doing this year is notating when a fresh set of reels went out on the golf course, so when this rating scored on a new set of reels. So, I believe I looked last week and our greens had 10 fresh sets throughout the season. So, just trying to kinda gather more data. We’re on year three now of this and just kinda seeing like what trends we have. Like when we top dress, how far does it dip? How long does it take to climb back up? If you skip a mow day, how long does it take to get back to where you were? It’s really interesting to see these trends, but the ultimate goal of it is just to achieve consistency to where, I’ll be– in the macroscope, I’ll be able to see whether we’re ready for a grind or getting close to a grind prior to then just cutting paper on the lift or in the

Trent Manning 17:58

What, yeah, like what’s the interval there? Like, do you see it three days before you would see it in the shop cutting paper?

Austin Wright 18:05

That’s a really good question. Typically when I start to see it on the turf, it’s just s- like it’s time to swap, swap cutting units. So I tend to not like kinda delay it too much just because so many other factors. So, I guess I couldn’t a- I couldn’t answer that question exactly ’cause as soon as I see it kind of as a, a issue may not be, but like a potential issue we’ll go ahead and preventatively make that swap so again, we can keep that consistency

Trent Manning 18:35

And I don’t, you could, you might know this k- and I can’t remember, but I’m pretty sure it’s Jim Netten that says, “The grass is our customer. Talk to the customer.” And he’s always talking about, “Look at the grass. What is the grass telling you? What is the customer telling you?” So I don’t know. I mean, it’s, I think it goes in line with what you’re saying. You’re looking at the plant. You know what I mean? It’s one thing to look at the reel in the shop and see if it cuts paper. It’s another thing to look at the plant that just got cut and see what it looks like.

Austin Wright 19:08

Mm-hmm. Yeah and what’s kinda cool is, like, when I’m down with the macroscope looking for a fresh cut that day, I can almost predict clip volume for the day. Like, how hard is it to find a fresh blade that was cut, in just a little region? And and so it’s kinda funny to… Like, we’ll watch the clip numbers come in and that’s, from an equipment manager standpoint, the clip volume is a giant tool in our world. Like, anytime those machines go out and they come back and the crew members are sending in their clip volume, like, I’m instantly opening those, that, that information to see, like, all right, are we consistent? Is there a group that’s a little bit off? Just to see how the machines are performing. So I mean, I’m always like, like right on it,

Trent Manning 19:55

if you don’t mind sharing the story that you shared with me about one day you saw clip volume go up a lot on some greens, and it was due to a cutting unit setup

Austin Wright 20:11

Yes. Yeah, so, this was early on kind of when I got there and we went through and managed our cutting units as we normally would. And so it was the first day that we sent out… This would have been in early spring, and so these cutting units would have come in and we kind of touched them, did our thing, to send them out on the golf course. And it was the first day we sent out two triplexes versus one. both machines went out in mode and one machine was almost double, was basically double clip volume. And we were sitting there, it’s like, A, we could see that from the data standpoint, like something’s not right. Like there’s no way these… This is not a turf grass issue here. This is definitely an equipment issue. And so we pulled those machines in the shop, checked the height of cut, everything’s good. The quality of cut, good. I mean, we were drag racing them to make sure that, everything’s the same, clip rate was set the same, like everything was the same. And so we’re sitting there, it’s like, God, golly there’s gotta be something wrong. And so we got them back up on the lift and wouldn’t you know, one set of cutting units had an extra rear roller spacer in the rear. Changing that behind center distance and basically doubling, the behind center distance. I don’t have the data in front of me exactly to see what those numbers were, but

Trent Manning 21:46

Well, yeah, roughly when you add that spa- if you’re mowing at around a eighth of an inch, if you add the spacer, that moves your behind center close to 100,000ths, so almost an eighth of an inch. It would move it further behind center

Austin Wright 22:04

Yeah. And and so, so what we learned is that just because you have the same height, the same setup, everything’s the same, if that behind center distance or that cutting unit is not set up the same your clip volume will be drastically different. And I like, like we like to watch the Reel Turf Techs YouTube videos kind of over lunch in the shop

Trent Manning 22:28

thanks for the plug

Austin Wright 22:30

And I thought that the video you did of the fairway mower and how you’re like, “Hey there’s one cutting unit here that’s off,” and I bet if you had baskets collecting, you would’ve seen double clip volume, out of that single cutting unit. And then getting it up on the lift, using the BCM and getting it just seeing how different, that was shows exactly what it can do to every kind of cutting unit. And so I just thought that was a really good illustration to kind of just show, how you can really look to dial in your cutting units

Trent Manning 23:02

Yeah, and I mean, I think it is really important, aspect to dial things in and you might say, “Oh, well, how could that ever happen?” But I mean, stuff happens all the time, I don’t– Like that one, I don’t know. I really think it came from the Deere dealership that way, and I don’t know if they had demoed it and broke a bed knife and replaced the bed knife with a different bed knife. I really don’t know what happened. But what… Yeah, to elaborate some more, I have experienced that with John Deere fairway mowers is we, we had these two fairway mowers for whatever, for six, seven years, and we were running a certain bed knife on them. We got the same model from John Deere, and John Deere had changed the bed knife to a different length bed knife. The thickness was roughly the same, but it was extended, if you will. John Deere calls it less aggressive, four millimeter less aggressive bed knife, and that was standard for the machine. And we had an extra set of cutting units that had a standard bed knife on it, so the behind center distance was greater, and we threw that set of cutting units on there. We set the height the same. We’re not even thinking about the bed knife being different. So I mean, it’s… End of the story, it’s easy to for things like that to happen, and with the tool, it just gives you a way to check.

Austin Wright 24:34

Yeah, absolutely. And, a- and like to be quite honest with you if we didn’t collect clip volume, like we, we wouldn’t have caught it for a while. Like it, it would’ve taken probably, a few mows to really start to see it from like a, a playing surface standpoint. But you know, no turf was harmed in,

Trent Manning 24:55

Right, right, right

Austin Wright 24:56

the gathering of that information. But ultimately what it did is it just it put our focus kind of back on where it needed to be, to where it’s like we really need to almost like kind of reset and then let’s go through, let’s think everything. The way I utilize, the BC Master is like once it’s all good, like we’re good. Like everything is kind of the same. As long as our maintenance procedures are the same on all cutting units consistently, the way we grind, everything like that that’s how I utilize it is just once we’re good and consistent something drastic would have to happen for that to be thrown off

Trent Manning 25:27

Yeah. No, and I totally get that, and I think, yeah, ultimately the idea behind it is everybody is able to put a number on what they’re doing. And just like you’re saying, collecting data. I got a text from Jason Fontana at Medina, not too far down the road from y’all, but, Not that

Austin Wright 25:48

Yeah, I was gonna say, but,

Trent Manning 25:50

not that close, but,

Austin Wright 25:51

midwest, northern Midwest.

Trent Manning 25:53

it’s still Midwest, right? It’s all the same. But anyway, he texted me and he said two to three degrees behind center is his sweet spot on mowing greens, and I don’t remember the height, exactly, the height of cut or whatever. And I think he’s getting ready for the President’s Cup, right? But he’s got it, dialed in and he knows where his sweet spot is and where he wants to keep that number.

Austin Wright 26:18

Yeah.

Trent Manning 26:18

So, and that way you can check it

Austin Wright 26:21

Yeah. I mean, it goes just with everything, it’s like get it dialed in, get it to where you like it, and just keep it there. And just have the right procedures in place to manage that. And kind of a funny story, but it’s super related to data collection, is I got fitted for golf clubs for the first time ever in my life, and it was an amazing experience. But you wanna talk about data, like the golf swing and, tracking ball speed and launch angle and swing speed and, I mean, everything is tracked within your swing. And I was sitting there thinking, I’m like, “Man, this is exactly like the turf grass.” It’s like your swing is one element of precision golf, playing great golf, and then you have your equipment and your golf clubs. And one thing I learned is that my irons were very much out of date. Like, it… they’re 20-some years old, and technology has come a long way. So, swing was good enough, and it was worthy of a benefit from the equipment. And what I learned is that my swing is also not good enough for a new driver.

Trent Manning 27:30

Okay.

Austin Wright 27:31

so it was really funny to hear because it was like, it’s tough to hear like, “Hey, that’s, that’s on me.” Like, I gotta do better. But it’s just like in our world, it’s like you have the turf grass and the agronomic side of managing that, that playing surface, and the equipment and the mowing equipment. And so you can have really healthy turf grass growing just the way you want it, right rate, everything is good, but if your equipment is not dialed in to where it needs to be then you’re not getting the most out of that, that playing surface. And then vice versa, you can have the best equipment set up, sharp, dialed in cutting units, but if the turf grass isn’t healthy, you know what I mean? They just kind of go back and forth with one another. So they really have to complement one another. So it’s no different from the golfer’s side the golf swing and the equipment, just like the turf grass and our mowing equipment. So it’s just kind of funny. I… just something I thought about, you know, last week

Trent Manning 28:28

Oh yeah. No, for sure. No, I totally get that. And while we’re, yeah, talking about, the clip volume, I interviewed Michael Woods, which I know he’s good friends,

Austin Wright 28:36

Oh, yeah

Trent Manning 28:37

the Hazeltine team. He was on episode 130, if anybody’s interested in going back and listening to that one. A really good interview with him. Super smart, knowledgeable guy. I mean, a lot of it was way over my head. But that’s fine. But we did talk a lot, and I wanna ask you some of the same questions because, he was unsure ’cause he’s not really an equipment guy like you and I are. So I was asking him these questions about on a Toro, the cutoff bar. On John Deere, it’s the shield, that helps throw the clippings in the bucket. So that would be one thing that I think would change clipping volume.

Austin Wright 29:19

Yep.

Trent Manning 29:20

And then Go ahead

Austin Wright 29:22

oh yeah yeah, I would say definitely each winter when we do kind of our fall cutting unit we’ll just call it maintenance and dialing everything in for the season that is when we reset that cutoff bar,

Trent Manning 29:35

Okay

Austin Wright 29:35

on all the cutting units. ‘Cause we do collect, we collect in fairways as well. So, now that obviously is not measured, but we do wanna make sure that is being, the turf is being thrown into the bucket the way it was designed to do so

Trent Manning 29:49

Yeah. The other thing I think reel diameter would affect the clipping volume

Austin Wright 29:58

Yeah. And we just wanna make sure that everything is within that t- that Toro tolerance. And

Trent Manning 30:06

Yeah. Do you try, so like on a triplex or a fairway mower, do you try to keep each reel within a range of

Austin Wright 30:15

Yeah. And I think I have… So we run Bernhard grinders, so, I’m a big believer in pie tape. So we pie tape before, we pie tape after. Most of the time from like a, we’ll just call it a coning standpoint, I’ll allow from like the leading to trailing a maximum of five thousandths. Everything comes out closer to like two-ish, three-ish unless it’s like, obviously you wanna get it spot on, but I’m not gonna chase thousandths,

Trent Manning 30:42

Right, right, right

Austin Wright 30:43

And then, within that set, I wanna try to keep everything as tight as possible, and I would say most of the time within the set of cutting units, especially like we’ll just use triplexes or walk mowers for an example when I set up two triplex or two walkers together to mow as a pair, I try to keep those within 10 thousandths reel

Trent Manning 31:04

Yeah

Austin Wright 31:04

Collectively as a whole, like we’ll just use our fairway fleet as an example we’re right around 30 thousandths reel diameter,

Trent Manning 31:12

Okay.

Austin Wright 31:13

is kind of our range. And I… You can’t see it. Like, you know what I mean? It’s just if it’s sharp and maintained, like you, you just, you won’t ever know. So that, that’s kinda what we try to achieve. And things happen, break a reel or whatever and then you gotta gri- grind it down. But,

Trent Manning 31:28

Yep

Austin Wright 31:29

yeah that’s kind of the range that we try to shoot to keep

Trent Manning 31:32

Okay. Yeah, I was just curious. I’ve heard, other people say maybe 25 thousandths on fairway units. I wanna say going back to Jim Ned and I got so many things that go through my brain, but I think he said it was close to 100 thousandths before you would see it visibly. Say on a fairway mower, if a reel was 100 thousandths bigger or smaller, you might visibly be able to see. So I mean, I definitely think, I mean, 30 is plenty. 25 is definitely plenty if you’re in that range. I don’t think you’re ever gonna know the difference

Austin Wright 32:11

Yeah. And, like I always tell people and especially like young assistant superintendents pursuing the next level, it’s like you will always see the cut before you see the height. Like the, if the cut is not precision or not optimal, like that will show itself long before a height of cut will.

Trent Manning 32:32

Ja. Ja

Austin Wright 32:32

like you, you’d be shocked just how far off you have to have like, on like a fairway mower, you know what I mean? Before you actually start to see the height difference. But a bed

Trent Manning 32:41

All right. Right,

Austin Wright 32:42

out of whack it’ll show itself pretty instantly. So,

Trent Manning 32:45

Yeah. No, that’s true. That’s a good point there

Austin Wright 32:48

but yeah, going back to, speaking with Micah, I mean, Micah, like you said, is a great friend of Hazeltine and I, I really enjoy the conversations that I get to have with him and he’s been key on kind of hearing me out on this, this cut rating system. And so he’s been really helpful on creating something that is usable. And, I’ve kind of thought about like, how do I illustrate like what an eight is, versus a nine or, things like that. And that’s kind of the tricky part to where like, let’s just say, Trent, you utilize the same system. My numbers don’t correlate with yours. Like that’s,

Trent Manning 33:24

right, right

Austin Wright 33:25

that it’s okay to have a little bit of an opinion within that measuring system because remember the goal is consistency within your operation. So, the way I score them may be just a little bit different than yours, but the important part is it’s teachable to where like my assistant equipment manager is able to be within like one, out of 30 total, 30 numbers, a score of 30 we’re able to be within either one low or one high, which,

Trent Manning 33:54

Oh, that’s awesome.

Austin Wright 33:55

In the law of averages it all works

Trent Manning 33:57

yeah. Yeah. Yeah, right

Austin Wright 33:59

so, working with Mike and having that conversation and, and he came out for the, the women’s PGA and he’s collecting his data and I’m working on mine and just being able to talk through it and be like, “Hey, what are you seeing? Here’s what I’m seeing,” and so it’s so much fun and it shows on the golf course, it shows on the playing surface and that’s what it’s all about.

Trent Manning 34:18

Yeah, ultimately that’s what we’re worried about. But it makes us, it makes us all better when as, collabority, collabora… You know what I’m saying, as a group, right? Yeah. Two brains are better than one, you know what I mean? Any of the things you wanna throw out there

Austin Wright 34:34

Yeah and just like you said, having a number, whether it’s, BCD or quality of cut, clip volume, speed. I mean, it’s all about having a number and what does that number mean?

Trent Manning 34:45

Yeah, no. Good stuff I had a question. I’m losing it here Oh. What has been the biggest surprise over the last few years?

Austin Wright 34:57

Ooh,

Trent Manning 34:57

Besides having a baby.

Austin Wright 34:59

yeah, so yeah growing family man. Like,

Trent Manning 35:02

yeah, that’s awesome, man.

Austin Wright 35:03

Yep, my wife Katie and I have, have two daughters now Olivia and Gloria, and #girldad.

Trent Manning 35:10

Yeah. I love it, man

Austin Wright 35:12

yeah, it’s, oldest is six, and, Gloria’s gonna be turning two in November, and so it’s a busy house right now. And it’s fun, fun times, but it’s yeah it’s pretty cool. So yeah, obviously that, that has its own mix of surprises and kinda learning, learning that whole thing. And, but honestly, just hosting major championships, joining the team at Hazeltine and kind of, like I said before, like keeping championship-level playing conditions as many days throughout the season as we possibly can, so it’s like, if someone called and says, “Hey, we need to, host the PGA tomorrow,” we’d be like, “All right, let’s go. We’re ready.” So it’s like that’s ul- that’s ultimately the go- the goal and to, provide our strong golfing membership, conditions that they can be proud of. And so yeah, hosting the US AM and the Women’s PGA and now looking towards the Ryder Cup.

Trent Manning 36:10

Yeah, no, that’s cool. Very cool stuff. What’s something you’ve improved or changed in your shop operation?

Austin Wright 36:20

Oh, man, a lot. Coming into a new shop and a new operation it was a, a lot of change, going from designing, part of Sand Valley and designing brand new complexes and brand new operations to to going into a, a complex that is, twenty years old with a high-level operating team already. And so, over the last three years it’s really almost unrecognizable to where it was, when I first started. And the best way I like to think about it is think about, like, moving into a new house, so whether– So the way that you set up your house is going to be different than the previous owner or the previous renter. Like, where you position your furniture, and where you hang the TV, and things like, all that stuff is going to be different. It doesn’t mean that the way it was done for a period of time prior to that was wrong, it’s just how can you find the efficiencies that work best for you and the way that utilize the space and work. And so when I joined the team, it was one of those where I wanted to set kind of an achievable five-year plan. And so– and luckily I have kinda tournaments to kinda, like, set those. So, like, it’s kind of a three-step process. So step one, we had the ’24 US AM. Like, I wanted to make a pretty big jump in the complex and the shop operation to be willing to, like, sign my name on it and say, “Hey, like, this is the operation that, I’m willing to be proud of.” And so, we made a lot of changes added a second, lift. So now we have a golf lift along with the Mohawk to increase our cutting unit efficiency especially for a championship when you are– I mean, it’s just a, a flow of cutting units. So we needed to find some efficiencies there. We did that. And then I also wanted to get, championship heritage signage in the shop. So old course maps from, US Opens and PGA Championships and stuff that they’ve hosted over the years and,

Trent Manning 38:18

Mm-hmm.

Austin Wright 38:18

And, the previous Ryder Cup in twenty sixteen that they hosted. So it’s– we really wanted– I wanted to make sure that the standard of that championship level starts here and we up-uphold that in the shop, and it feeds through the crew, and it goes right to the golf course. It’s like the shop is the heartbeat. And so, so that was kinda step one. Like, let’s make a pretty big jump. Let’s kinda get as far as we can going into the US AM. All right. So now fast-forward, two more years Now it’s like we made a, another big swing to where, we’re increasing like where we park equipment and electrification for charging stations as fleets evolve. And so just kind of looking at like, how are we able to optimize those things and utilize the space that we have? And then kind of my ultimate goal is like, how do we continue those improvements to continue to get better and better as we welcome the ’29 Ryder Cup? And so it was… it’s setting those achievable goals that the team can see, and you can feel, and they can see the organization, and they can see the safety increase. And I mean honestly, like I, I always tell people, I’m like, “Print off the CTAM facility attesting rubric.” Through GCSA, it’s available, whether you’re a superintendent assistant, EM, like print it off and just start going down the list. And that is a great tool that’s available to, to all members to be able to utilize to just kind of continue to dial in that operation. And and but ultimately, it’s all about being safe, it’s about being efficient, it’s about being clean and to be proud of the space, so like, we do host tours at Hazeltine as well for groups coming through and I wanna make sure that I do the best work I can to be proud of the space and proud of the way we’re showcasing the shop.

Trent Manning 40:08

Yeah, no, that’s so good. Good stuff. What’s what’s challenging now?

Austin Wright 40:14

It’s a challenge and also a blessing. I’m getting the chance to train a new assistant equipment manager, and he’s on his first season with me. My previous equipment manager, that assistant that I had who actually started off with me at Sand Valley, and when I came over to Hazeltine, I was able to bring him with me and continue to grow his career and recently he took at the beginning of the season, took a head equipment manager job at another high-level club in the Twin City area, and so super proud of him and, and so I was able to welcome in a new assistant equipment manager and, as I was going through that, that hiring process, I learned that it was more important for me to hire the personality than it was to hire the experience. The golf industry is so unique from many different aspects. I mean, yeah, mechanical knowledge is definitely a solid foundation. Like you, you’d need to have some of that. But it– cutting units are really unique and so, and it can be a little intimidating for a lot of people, especially new to the industry.

Trent Manning 41:17

We’re out

Austin Wright 41:18

and so I was able to hire him and we, we– it’s like, man, who’s a guy like I wanna hang out with, and like who

Trent Manning 41:24

Oh,

Austin Wright 41:24

talk to and have great fun conversations and he has a really high golf IQ, so I didn’t have to teach him the difference between like a green and a collar, and so that was something that’s really, that was kinda easy. It was kinda like, all right, you got the good personality, you got golf IQ you’re great with your hands and he’s done various trades ahead of this and just never really truly found like the career path for him. So, I feel like I caught him in like a really good stage of life and so the way that I’ve looked at training him this year and I think that this is something that anybody can relate to as they go through the process, whether they’re new to the golf industry or bringing on somebody new within their operation, is I wanted to get him out on the golf course in a hybrid role right away. So he was never tied down to the shop. I wanted him out mowing greens and mowing intermediates and mowing fairways and learning the equipment operation and how does it feel when the reel sits down? How does it pick up? What’s it like when it turns? What’s it sound like? all those little things that he’s able to start to think diagnostically and say like, “Okay, when a crew member comes to me and says, ‘Hey, like something doesn’t feel right,’ or, ‘Hey, a, a reel’s making a funny sound,’ what does that mean?” ‘Cause now he’s been in that seat, so he can start to think about it in a different manner. And then ultimately, it’s a great way to get him to interact and bond with the crew Do tasks with the crew, build that trust, build that

Trent Manning 42:54

Ah, yeah, that’s a good point

Austin Wright 42:55

Some may think, but we’re not big, scary folks, we just fix stuff, man, for a living, and and so making sure that we have that strong relationship. And so, kind of incorporating him where in the morning he’s out on the golf course, in the afternoon he’s in the shop. And then kind of… So that was kind of one phase of it. The second one is, since he didn’t have a ton of mechanical background other than just like working with hands and doing other tasks I got him set up on the Wix Filtration online certification program that, that Wix Filters has.

Trent Manning 43:25

Awesome.

Austin Wright 43:26

free s- it’s free and it’s awesome. And it, because obviously preventative maintenance is a large part of our operation. And so had him go th- go through that right away. That was the first month goal, he can, work on it over lunchtime, any downtime we have or anything like that, but he chose to do most of it on his own in the evening as kind of homework. And then the second major piece of the, the textbook-style training was having him go through the GCSA EMCP Level One Study Guide of Cutting Units, so the Cutting Unit Study Guide. And he, I had him go through all of that prior to checking mowers any type of really cutting unit maintenance because I wanted him to get some context before he felt intimidated by what we were doing. And I tell you what, man, he came back after doing that kind of over, over kind of a week period of time, and that thing had, that textbook had 20 sticky notes in it,

Trent Manning 44:27

Okay.

Austin Wright 44:28

got a list of questions.” I was like, “Sweet. Let’s sit down. Let’s talk about them. Let’s go sit. Let’s go look at a cutting unit and talk about the different things.” And I’m telling you, like, those two things, or act- three things, the hybrid roll, Wix Filtration, and the Cutting Unit Study Guide, EMCP I feel like was definitely the right move. It, it–

Trent Manning 44:51

that’s a good idea

Austin Wright 44:52

and then he was able to, ’cause obviously anytime grass gets cut, cutting units are checked. Like, doesn’t matter the day, tournament, whatever. That’s just the role we have. And and so he instantly was able to start picking that up. And then– and if you really wanna, like, expedite the training process, just host a major championship, cause he’ll have the chance to work with great volunteers and other people with different experience levels and things like that. So he’s, you have ability to just kinda act as a, a sponge and just learn from other people. And then he’ll also learn really quick whether the industry’s for him or not, ’cause the days are long, it’s hard, the weeks are long,

Trent Manning 45:32

Mm-hmm. Yeah

Austin Wright 45:33

And you’ll learn if you truly have the passion for the industry or not. So, yeah it’s been a good ride, and I tell you what, man I saw– I’ve seen exceptional growth out of him and I’m excited to see, where he goes. Ultimately, my goal is, and I told him this when I’m, when I was hiring the position, it was like, “Hey, I want you to come on. I want you to learn some really awesome stuff that can establish you for the rest of your life, and then I want you to go on and take a head equipment manager role.” Like, like my, my– I don’t wanna keep you. I wanna keep you long enough to make sure you’re ready, and then when the right opportunity comes to fruition, like I want, I wanna help you get there. And so it’s yeah, it’s been really fun from that

Trent Manning 46:11

That’s awesome

Austin Wright 46:12

And ultimately, like, I mean, we wanna try to provide guidance and training, but I really wanna like have him learn as much as he can on his own. And, I wanna minimize those mistakes but it’s okay to make those mistakes ’cause you and I have both done it, and you learn the most when you make a mistake. And,

Trent Manning 46:34

Yes, you do

Austin Wright 46:36

and so my ultimate goal is like if a mistake happens, I just wanna make sure that it tends to not be with the cutting units. And so that’s all, that’s really why I had him push the cutting unit side heavy on the front end ’cause that does affect the playing condition and the playing surface.

Trent Manning 46:55

I don’t know, I do, I love the idea of, yeah, giving them the study guide and reading through it and coming up with your list of questions. I mean, I think that’s awesome.

Austin Wright 47:05

Yeah, it

Trent Manning 47:06

to get them started

Austin Wright 47:08

You know, and it got me thinking too, like, so like another challenge, it’s kind of a different set of challenges, and I think some people will be able to relate to this a little bit more. But one, one thing is getting the crew members of all different skill levels and experiences to operate and complete the tasks at the same level. So like walk mowing greens is a perfect example. Like, you might have a guy that’s been there for three days mowing with a guy that’s been there for 20 years, and, how can we balance that to get the most out of the employees and the team to get– do the best quality of work, but also get it to where there’s consistency among the skill levels? And one thing that we learned while using clip volume is because we’re collecting everything is like there’s certain groups or certain employees that, that kinda change the way that they hold the handle on the walk mower. And you’ve probably ran into this too, some kinda like rest it down, some try to shove it so far into the ground, and so we run the Flex 1021s, the Toro Flex 1021s. And what we learned, and we learned this actually this, this year ahead of the championship, and, if you take what we learned to get to achieve better consistency is the handle, there’s two bolts there at the bottom that go into that, the rubber bushings there that the handle pivots on. If you take that and you break them loose and let the handle fall down to where it’s resting at the bottom, re-torque those down. Now, when we train employees, we want them to just pull, push it into that neutral position. And what that does is it like preloads that cutting unit down into the grass at a more consistent level versus it operating in the neutral position, the handle in the neutral position, and then there’s way more operator influence that can take place, so.

Trent Manning 48:58

Okay

Austin Wright 48:58

That, that was one thing where it’s like it’s always a challenge to how can we set the equipment up to assist the employees as much as possible to get that consistency? And ultimately you have to teach them like, “Hey, why do we want you to put it in the neutral position?” And, what happens when it pulls back and they c- they get to see the clip volume numbers as well, so, so they can understand it a lot better too. So, I would say that’s kind of a, a secondary challenge, and that’s one that, that we’ll always have forever,

Trent Manning 49:28

Yeah. Yep, yep. That’s never going away.

Austin Wright 49:30

to do our best job in the shop to make it as easy as we can on the team.

Trent Manning 49:34

Yeah. Well, I don’t– I know– I mean, you say that about making things we can do in the shop, and it makes me think a lot of times we might run into a cutting issue that is turf related, and I think, there’s plen– and I mean, that happens all the time. But there’s plenty of people that want to say, “That’s turf related.” Like just, “That’s not my problem. That’s turf.” But I think as an equipment manager, it is our problem to do what we can to the equipment to make it get through the turf problem,

Austin Wright 50:15

Mm-hmm

Trent Manning 50:15

if that makes sense. So, if it’s, you got really thatchy turf, there’s things you can do to improve the cut without– because it’s not optimal to go out and aerify or dethatch or, at certain times of the year. Sometimes turf conditions arise, and we need to be able to work on the cutting unit and get it the best we can. Maybe it’s not perfect, but maybe we can do some things to make that turf condition better

Austin Wright 50:47

Yeah I agree. And I see it and we see it at Hazeltine for different grow times of the year. Grow periods. You get a rapid amount of growth then it’s like the cutting units attack the turf a little bit different and, and then you get to some different grow, grow patterns and everything kind of subsides back down and everything’s good. So yeah it’s definitely something to where it’s good to have a strong relationship between the superintendent and the equipment manager to where you can collaborate and say, “Hey,” like, okay, “Do we want to adjust the cutting unit setup or do we want to manage the turf grass to handle those cutting units a little better?” You know what I mean? So, it’s one of those where it’s like, we- let’s work together on this, but you know, you’ll, you may have some spots on the grass where the cutting units might be a little scalpy, but then 95% of the rest is where you want it to be. So it’s like where do you weigh those, those adjustments? And so, but yeah, absolutely. It is it is, there is a relationship for sure between the two and the… When the superintendent and the equipment manager have that understanding of each other’s role and how to communicate that effectively, it’s it just a- achieves better playing surface. But yeah, it

Trent Manning 51:58

Oh yeah, for sure. And I mean, yeah, again, it goes back, like you hear it all the time communication. And ultimately that’s what it is. You just gotta be able to communicate and work through problems together.

Austin Wright 52:12

Mm-hmm

Trent Manning 52:12

What are you looking forward to next?

Austin Wright 52:17

Oh, man just continuing to dial in the operation, and serve like… I just wanna continue to serve as a better leader each season. And, how am I able to learn more or adjust equipment setup or shop organization to just continue to elevate the operation with everything that I have within my control, and so I-I’m just really excited about that. Like I said, we– we’re still on that five-year plan, and so continuing to work up towards the 2029 Ryder Cup. So super excited about that. And and so yeah that’s kinda where my focus is just on the how, how can I optimize the day-to-day and ultimately to build a better, stronger team as we lead into future championships

Trent Manning 53:01

No, it’s perfect. Awesome. Good stuff. What are you better at now than, than you were the last time we had you on?

Austin Wright 53:09

Oh, man.

Trent Manning 53:11

really grown? I’m sure they’re …This, I don’t know if we got enough time to fit all this in of all of your strengths

Austin Wright 53:19

This it kind of makes me think of a couple things and on a personal level, it’s it’s my work-life balance is absolutely bettered. And I’m able to give, Hazeltine 100% e-effort while I’m there, and then when I’m away and I’m with the family, I’m able to give them 100% effort. And I do my absolute best to to turn it off back and forth. And and I’m grateful to be part of a team that, that believes in that, that you can get the most out of your team and your people if you have a strong work-life balance. And and kind of the other thing that I feel like I’m getting better at is, if I’m a little older now, it’s kinda weird to think about ’cause I still think of myself kind of as the young buck, but I’m not really anymore, and and so it’s kind of that mentorship, and, we’ve had great mentors, throughout our entire career, and each mentor meant something in a different way in that phase of life and phase of career. And so I really wanna make sure that as much as I am able, I’m making a good impression on, on other equipment managers and helping them build their careers and also the crew members. We interact with a lot of like high school kids and college kids and

Trent Manning 54:35

Mm-hmm.

Austin Wright 54:35

that, that are going on to, to do other things during their life. And, I can look back on jobs that I had that weren’t golf-related that I learned a lot from a lot of people. And so what I really wanna do, within the, the platform that I have at Hazeltine is when we do have these crew members, these young crew members that are pursuing careers, like what can I teach them while they’re here? And, it’s as simple as like the proper way to sweep a shop floor, or

Trent Manning 55:06

yeah

Austin Wright 55:06

Things like that. But I, I had a really good conversation with a young man that was heading out to school, and you could tell he was really hesitant. He was kinda like, “I’m going to school for this, but I just don’t really know, and I don’t…” He– You could just tell there was a lot of like uncertainty there. So, we went on a cart ride and we just chatted and kind of the one thing I told him, I said, “Hey, like whatever career path you choose, make it something that you’re passionate about. And because the days are going to get hard, and when those days get hard, your passion will carry you through that. It’ll help push through those hard days to where you can kinda reset, so to say. But if you’re not passionate about it, when the days get hard, it’s gonna be really difficult to keep going and say like, ‘Maybe I should switch it up and do something different.'” And so, it was cool ’cause like a couple days later, like right before he h-headed off, he was like, “Hey, like, I really appreciate having that conversation.” I was like, “Man that’s what we’re here for, and we’re all here for you.” Like,

Trent Manning 56:04

That’s awesome, man. Yeah

Austin Wright 56:05

It’s important to kinda think of yourselves as like, just because they’re not pursuing turf doesn’t mean that you can’t mentor ’em. And,

Trent Manning 56:13

Oh, 100%. Yeah

Austin Wright 56:14

And ultimately, the goal is to get as many g- many guys in turf and the equip- management field as you can ’cause they, they have a head start if they’re already on the crew. But and so that’s something I feel like I’m getting better at, and I think I’ll continue to get better at. And it’s, it, just, we just try to have a good, strong relationship between, the shop team and the crew members

Trent Manning 56:36

Yeah, no, that was awesome. And some really solid advice there. And that was great of you to pull the guy off to the side and ride him around and give him that advice. I mean, really good advice. And I remember when I first started at a golf course when I was 16, I’m still in high school, and the older gentlemen that worked there, what I learned from each one of them, about life or about whatever, and like you’re saying, it didn’t– a lot of the lessons I learned from them didn’t necessarily apply just to the golf course. It applied to life and, how you treat people, how you value people, I mean, just a lot of things that a young mind needs to hear and, you know, learning how you do things and, I don’t know. There’s just a, a lot of stuff that can be taught, and I do think a lot of people, and including myself, I mean, I’m guilty too kinda take it for granted of the young minds that are in around your operation that you are Helping,

Austin Wright 57:48

Yeah. Yeah, it’s like you kinda forget about it ’cause it’s like they’re, they’re the team members, the crew members, and,

Trent Manning 57:54

Mm-hmm.

Austin Wright 57:54

They come, they work, they go home, but you… We’re presented with an opportunity to where we can do a lot more than that, and it’s pretty special

Trent Manning 58:03

Very good. You wanna do some rapid fire? Your rapid fire questions

Austin Wright 58:10

I was actually thinking I would really like to talk briefly about kind of the difference between, like, volunteering and kind of, like, the experiences we had versus, like, hosting,

Trent Manning 58:20

okay. Oh yeah. Perfect. Yeah

Austin Wright 58:22

and kinda how all that kinda, like, ties together,

Trent Manning 58:25

and as you’re going through that, we’ll throw this one in there, ’cause I get this question a bunch, is how can I volunteer at a tournament?

Austin Wright 58:34

Yeah.

Trent Manning 58:35

So yeah

Austin Wright 58:36

Yeah, so I mean, like, now having the experience of hosting, versus volunteering, I mean, it’s it is different. And, going back all the way early on in my career when I was still on the turf grass side of the industry, I volunteered for the ’08 US Open at Torrey Pines. And and it– that championship was eye-opening to me to just see how much work, how many people, long days, great communication, like how much it actually takes to put on a major championship. ‘Cause I– you just have no idea. Like, you watch it on TV, you have no idea the behind the scenes of everything that has to work together to make it all come to fruition. And so, every time, like, I’ve gone to volunteer, I’ve started to, like, think about, okay, like, what are my goals that I want to achieve? Like, what do I wanna learn while I’m there, part of that experience? And then how can I relate it to my current operation? Whether you’re hosting or not a championship, how can you bring that back? And so for instance, like the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive where you and I became friends, and that, that experience was one where it really helped shape my career. And it changed the way that I looked at grinding on Bernhardt grinders, and I looked on dialing cutting units and labeling cutting units and machines and crew communication and setting the vibe and having fun with the hard work. And that was something where it– that was a core event in my career that I can absolutely look back and say, like, I’m so grateful for that opportunity. And not only did you and I become friends and have h- done some really cool things beyond that, but just the, the foundational knowledge that I was able to gain going through that experience. And then- Well done.

Trent Manning 1:00:32

Well, I would like to point out just for the listeners, when we volunteered together, that was advance week. And that wasn’t where, ev- all the stars were there and everybody was there to look pretty. That’s when all the work’s happening is advance week, and there is more clubs that are taking volunteers advance week. I know I did the one 26th at Shinnecock this year, US Open, and they had a bunch of volunteers advance week. Crew volunteers and shot volunteers. So just throwing that out there, if you’re thinking about volunteering, it doesn’t just have to be for showtime. It can be advance week. Sorry, go ahead

Austin Wright 1:01:16

Yeah. No, I– it’s well said. I mean, ’cause we did advance week and then and then I also was at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage in ’25 advance week. And during that championship, we were able to get all, everything dialed in, helping out the cutting unit team, the m- the mower maintenance team is kinda how they break out their shop operations. But my ultimate goal during that volunteering experience was to see just how grand the Ryder Cup stage was. And so, like, what’s the build-out feel like, and how busy is the grounds complex, and, how are we gonna, like, prepare and stage equipment? And, they were gathering data just like we do on a day-to-day basis, so I was really curious on kind of that process. And and I got to work with Chase, who was part of Cornell. He was out there, and so him and I had interacted during our US Amateur. So it was fun to see him and go through the course and just talk more about that. And so the context I was trying to grab and learn those experiences were very different than what I was looking to gain at the PGA Championship in ’18. Obviously, I wanna be there and help and provide as much assistance as I possibly can, but ultimately, it’s like, what am I able to learn? What am I able to wa- walk away from? And how am I able to relate this to the future? And so having those experiences that I really thought about how I wanted to approach the, the Women’s PGA this year at Hazeltine. And so, I mean, we started The cutting unit preparations about 10 days out from champ- or from tournament Monday. And so, we had some– I had some awesome volunteers from local out of state. It was– We had just an awesome group of people, built a great team. And and so I really took those experiences of like, okay, what do we need to do? What’s the timeline that we need to get it done in? And how can we make it perform throughout the entire duration of the championship? And so volunteering and gaining that experience, if I didn’t have that, I feel like the execution would not have been what it was for this event. And that’s kinda going back to the mentoring thing, like the, the volunteers that I had in the shop team, it’s like I want to teach them some things that we’re doing that they can take back to their course,

Trent Manning 1:03:42

Mm-hmm

Austin Wright 1:03:43

that are super practical things or s- items just like measuring quality of cut that they would be able to take back and say, “Hey, like maybe this is something I should look at doing and how can I make our member guest a better event?” And kinda going back to like your– like you mentioned on volunteering, if you’re new to the industry you don’t need to like jump right into a major championship. Like honestly, like reach out to the country club down the road and say, “Hey, like, I’d like to volunteer for your member guest.” ‘Cause for us, we’re running AM/PM shifts. It’s, it is, we’re doing championship operations just with a lot less people for our club tournaments. And so, that’s something to also think about too. And you get to meet your neighbor and get to build that relationship as well. So, don’t hesitate to reach out for just those smaller events too that people would love to have assistance with.

Trent Manning 1:04:32

Yeah, an extra hand at at any of those would be helpful. And like you’re saying, get- just getting to know your neighbor better so you feel more comfortable to pick the phone up and say, “Hey, Austin, you got a bat knife I can borrow? I run out.” Whatever the case is, I mean, that happens all the time,

Austin Wright 1:04:51

Yeah. Sharing equipment and, “Hey, your Air Fine. Hey, can I, can I borrow your two Pro Cores?” Or you know what I mean?

Trent Manning 1:04:57

Yeah.

Austin Wright 1:04:57

Those, it’s… The golf industry is a very tightly knit group of people and man, as far as equipment managers go, like, man, we’re all about helping each other. Like

Trent Manning 1:05:07

Oh yeah,

Austin Wright 1:05:08

we are all, we’re all in this together. So it’s,

Trent Manning 1:05:10

yeah, well, and I’ve told the story a few times, but John Patterson called me and said, “You got a front tire for a Pro Gator? I’m I run out. I gotta have one today. I got ’em ordered, but they’re not gonna be here for two days or what.” I’m like, “Yeah, come over and get one. Yeah, help yourself,” and I mean, that’s one of the really good things about the golf industry is most people are that way. “Yeah, sure. I got it. Take it.”

Austin Wright 1:05:34

Yeah.

Trent Manning 1:05:35

It’s good stuff

Austin Wright 1:05:37

So what, like you’ve been able to travel around and do a lot of volunteering things. Like what, what type of things are you looking to learn when you attend

Trent Manning 1:05:48

I don’t– that’s a really good question. And yeah, I don’t know that it’s one thing. I think I really just try to observe the whole operation, and when we have free time, I’ll walk around and be nosy and look in this corner, in that corner and be like, “Oh, that’s a great idea. I’ve never thought about that.” You know what I mean? Whatever it is. So I’m there to learn anything I can, and I think one of the most valuable things is the networking aspect too. I mean, just like, me and you becoming friends and more friends that I’ve, Gained from volunteering. And especially for a younger person in the industry, you might be volunteering with your next boss. I mean, you, you never know. And I mean, now I’m traveling a lot with work and stuff, and I was at Leawood Country Club, where you started your career, I think. Anyway, I…

Austin Wright 1:06:46

equip manager job. Yep

Trent Manning 1:06:48

Yeah, so yeah I walk in there and the guy said, “Hey, you volunteered over at Bellerive for the BMW Championship that was a co- a few weeks ago.” I’m like, “Yeah, I was there.” So, I mean, it’s just nice having a connection, right? So I’m not cold calling at that point on a customer that I’ve never met. I met this guy a, a few weeks ago ’cause we volunteered at a tournament together. So it’s a familiar face. Just a whole lot easier. And I’ve heard, plenty of stories where people say, “Yeah, I volunteered at this tournament, and I met this superintendent, and he was looking for an assistant six months later,” or, whatever it was. So it kinda gives you a little foot in the door type thing. But there’s, I mean, a ton of things that you can see far as the shop and the maintenance operation and how, we all do the same thing and we all do it different. So I- I’m always curious to learn, how do you fuel your equipment? How do you wash it off? What’s the procedure? All the things

Austin Wright 1:07:51

Yeah. How– this is actually probably a more difficult question, but when you see something within an operation and you know that there is room for improvement that’s very simple and easy, do you– how do you communicate that? Or do you just kinda say, “Hey, like it’s not my place. Like I, I’m just gonna let them continue their processes,” even though like I, I know that we can be better because of it, because of the adjustment?

Trent Manning 1:08:19

I don’t– That’s, yeah, a really good question and, yeah, a little on the tough side. I think it probably depends on where I’m at and who I’m with. You know what I mean? Obviously, if I was at your place and our history, I’d be like, “Hey, have you ever thought about doing it this way?” And I think that’s kind of the way to approach that too is, definitely not call it out like, “This is the dumbest thing I’ve seen.” I mean, yeah, try to play some politics and say, “Have you ever thought about trying it this way?” Or, “At my club, we do it this way, and this seems to work pretty good for us,” just kinda throw it out there. Sometimes it’s better if it’s their idea, so if you can kinda hint around and, let them… I mean, that’s been my experience with like, superintendents that I’ve worked with before. Sometimes it’s better if it’s their idea.

Austin Wright 1:09:11

Yeah, there you go. Just kinda throw those out there and then let ’em wrap back around and be like, “Oh, I love that plan. Let’s…” I’ll have it ready for you.

Trent Manning 1:09:20

yep, you gotta read the room and know where you’re at, I guess, on some of that stuff if you do have better ways of doing things. And I mean, some people are just totally closed off and not very open-minded to trying new things and, it’s not even worth bringing up. This is the way they’re gonna do it that’s fine,

Austin Wright 1:09:40

mm-hmm. Yeah, and I would say that through my experiences, like, th- the industry is changing away from that to where, like, it’s not so like, “I’ve done it this way for 20 years, so this is how I’m gonna do it for the next 20 years.” It’s

Trent Manning 1:09:53

Mm-hmm

Austin Wright 1:09:54

I feel like, whether it’s equipment side, equipment management, or turf grass, it’s people are becoming more open-minded and allowing things to kind of, their operations to evolve and their practices to evolve as, as all those changes do take place ’cause yeah. I mean, it’s sometimes it’s the, the simplest thing can make a really big difference.

Trent Manning 1:10:16

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and I don’t know, I think it’s probably more of the, the older hardcore people are retiring, and that’s, lightening up the mood a little bit. Younger generation in and that are more willing to be open-minded to, to things, I think is some of it. And I mean, obviously there’s some, some people that’s always an open book. Like, “Hey, let’s try this, let’s try that,” and like the early adopters of technology, some people are all for that. “Oh, give me all the robots I can get on my course today.” And then, there’s other people that’s like, “Eh, I’m gonna play it safe. I’m gonna let you know some other people try that technology before I do,” and that’s fine, you don’t

Austin Wright 1:11:03

that’s a good, that’s a really good example

Trent Manning 1:11:06

you don’t necessarily wanna put your neck out there sometimes, if your neck’s on the line, your job’s on the line. I don’t wanna be the early adopter to technology, but, it all works out

Austin Wright 1:11:17

Yeah, that’s why it’s important to have good neighbors and say, “Hey, why don’t you go talk to them?” And,

Trent Manning 1:11:21

Yep. Mm-hmm.

Austin Wright 1:11:22

I’ll check on it periodically.” Yeah. Yeah, that that’s really good

Trent Manning 1:11:26

Yeah, any other questions from you? I li- yeah, I like getting to answer questions too. This is

Austin Wright 1:11:31

Ooh, man. I didn’t have anything completely dialed up, but it’s our relationship has been, really great as we continue to build, over the years and getting to teach together and things like that with GCSA. Like, how do you feel where the industry is right now with the role of the equip manager with, GCSA’s involvement and CTEM? Like, how do you feel what the value of the equip manager is right now?

Trent Manning 1:12:00

That’s a really good question. I mean, I definitely think this position is elevated to the highest point it’s ever been. I mean, I think there’s a lot more notoriety and not that we necessarily need that or want that, but I just think it’s really good. And I mean, obviously that’s why I started the whole podcast and now doing the YouTube thing too, is to give back to the industry, to promote this profession, to let people know this is a career path. This isn’t just, a angry mechanic working at a golf course, which we were stereotyped for a long time as that. And I mean, don’t get me wrong, they’re still out there. I still run into some of them occasionally. But for the most part, we we just wanna help others and it’s been great. And everything GCSA has done has been wonderful. I’m really excited about whatever the next thing coming down the line from them. They’ve definitely put more focus and effort into the equipment manager position than anybody else has. And I, and that’s not to take anything away from IGCMA. All the guys that were involved in that was, inspirational to where we’re at now. If they hadn’t have started their thing, GCSA probably wouldn’t have took it over. So kudos to everybody that’s been involved. And yeah, I mean, if I guess if I’ve learned anything, it’s the connections that we make, is really what makes us all grow. Like volunteering for the task group for GCSA and the people I met through that. And, you know what I mean? Thinking back, if I hadn’t have volunteered for that, I wouldn’t have met you at Bellerive because I met Chris Rapp there, and he’s like, “Ooh, we’re having the 100th PGA.” And I’m like, “Yeah, sign me up. I wanna do that.” So it’s just cool how not a tight-knit of a group that we are

Austin Wright 1:14:03

It goes back to, man, every-everything happens for a reason, and each step is because it’s supposed to be that step.

Trent Manning 1:14:11

Yeah. That’s cool, man.

Austin Wright 1:14:12

Yeah, and IGCMA, I mean, they laid the foundation and GCSA took it and ran with it and utilizing their resources to, and great volunteers to, to build the EMCP and the CTEM program, I mean, just continues to increase the value of the equip manager, a-as it should be. And I think every successful superintendent would say that they have a high-level successful equip manager working with them. And,

Trent Manning 1:14:40

Oh yeah

Austin Wright 1:14:41

and and I think the industry is beginning to recognize that. But y- well said.

Trent Manning 1:14:45

Yeah. No, thank you. No, it’s, yeah, it’s been a really fun ride. Yeah, and I mean, just thinking back to volunteering for them or the task group, if I hadn’t have done that, I wouldn’t be teaching. And me and you wouldn’t be teaching a class together. And I mean, it’s just kind of crazy to think back, yeah how those things impact your life. I don’t remember who says it, but it is, it’s about the people.

Austin Wright 1:15:09

Agreed 100%.

Trent Manning 1:15:11

It’s, yeah, it’s awesome. It’s

Austin Wright 1:15:12

great people in the golf industry

Trent Manning 1:15:14

yep, been a fun, fun ride. What, do you wanna do some rapid fire?

Austin Wright 1:15:19

Sure, man.

Trent Manning 1:15:20

Yeah. Is your favorite… Yeah, this is your rapid fire. This is how good Austin is, everybody. He writes his own questions

Austin Wright 1:15:28

Oh, yeah.

Trent Manning 1:15:29

them to me. No, this is, I mean, I’m joking a little bit, but it’s really awesome, and that’s how thorough and prepared you are. And I always make sure to anybody that I’m telling about Austin, I say, “Yeah he’s squared away, dude.” And that’s why our class is really good, because I throw all my scatterbrain stuff in there, and Austin cleans it up and makes it look really professional.

Austin Wright 1:15:53

It’s a team effort.

Trent Manning 1:15:54

it is a, it’s definitely a team effort, and I do appreciate it, and I’ve really enjoyed that, and I’m glad we’re doing it again this year.

Austin Wright 1:16:02

Man it’s by far the most fun session to teach you c- ever. I mean, it’s we have a blast. We get a ton of interaction, and everybody walks away just ready to take something back to their facility and try it out

Trent Manning 1:16:17

Well, I think that’s one of the coolest things, and I know they ask that in the survey, but, like, how quick can you implement what you learn in this class? And I mean, they can do it tomorrow if they’re going back to their place. And it’s just a ton of little tips and tricks that we’ve picked up along the way over the last 15, 20 years, however long it’s been. So cool stuff

Austin Wright 1:16:39

we appreciate all of the, everyone that contributes to the information and allows us to share some tips and tricks

Trent Manning 1:16:47

Oh, yeah, 100%. And it reminds me, I think it was the year that you weren’t there, a superintendent spoke up and he or he came up after the class and he’s like, “Oh, that was great. Thanks. And here’s all my stuff. This is how I organize my shop. Here’s this video.” And I mean, just super nice guy, and glad he shared all the stuff with us and put it in the presentation for next year. So that’s that’s the other cool thing

Austin Wright 1:17:15

the listeners out there, if you have anything cool tips and tricks wise that you wanna share, reach out to myself or Trent and we’ll do our best to help better our neighbors

Trent Manning 1:17:23

Yeah, 100%. We’ll we’ll put it in there. What’s your favorite tool?

Austin Wright 1:17:29

Still my Leatherman

Trent Manning 1:17:30

Okay. All right. Love it.

Austin Wright 1:17:32

Yep, still wear it to church. Yep.

Trent Manning 1:17:34

okay, that’s all right. It’s all

Austin Wright 1:17:36

nothing’s changed there

Trent Manning 1:17:37

Okay, good deal. What’s your favorite sport to watch?

Austin Wright 1:17:41

I’m a big NASCAR guy. Love racing. I gotta support the Kansas State Wildcats and my Denver Broncos, but I’m a big, I’m a big racing guy, and we can blame my papaw for me to the the dirt track in central Kansas. And,

Trent Manning 1:17:56

Oh, that’s so cool

Austin Wright 1:17:58

the– it’s tough to beat the smell of fuel and rubber, so

Trent Manning 1:18:02

That you’re right,

Austin Wright 1:18:03

Man, it’s,

Trent Manning 1:18:04

and you wouldn’t think on a dirt track that there would be rubber, but there’s rubber on a dirt track. I mean, it’s crazy

Austin Wright 1:18:12

I mean, I remember walking down with my mom after a race and, like, feeling the tires of the sprint cars and seeing, just how worn down they are. And then you look at the tracking and see all the rubber laid on top of the clay, and it’s… I have that distinct memory in my head. Like, I can remember that. It’s just, it’s just feeling how warm the track itself was on a dirt track. It’s it’s pretty cool. So yeah I’ve been hooked ever since I was little.

Trent Manning 1:18:38

Oh, I don’t blame you. Yeah, there, so not to get too crazy, but there’s a three-eighths mile dirt track just right down the road that I grew up going to as a kid, and it’s still there, and they still race. And it’s, yeah, it’s, they’ve been, Atlanta is growing up around it, and they’re trying to get rid of it, but they have not been successful yet. It’s awesome. So much fun What’s the best barbecue?

Austin Wright 1:19:05

Well, anywhere in Kansas City. Kansas City’s got the best barbecue for sure. But I would have to say right now my favorite is Q39

Trent Manning 1:19:14

Yes.

Austin Wright 1:19:15

The

Trent Manning 1:19:15

And

Austin Wright 1:19:16

are legit

Trent Manning 1:19:17

They just opened one at Lawrence

Austin Wright 1:19:21

Oh, that’s right. I remember my parents

Trent Manning 1:19:22

in Lawrence. Yeah.

Austin Wright 1:19:25

There you go

Trent Manning 1:19:26

and I agree with you. Best ri- And I’ve had a lot of barbecue. You can look at me and tell I eat a lot of barbecue, but same thing, Q39, yeah, best ribs I ever had. So good. So good What are you most proud of?

Austin Wright 1:19:39

Man, I think, I’m gonna go ahead and say, being a girl dad and being as best family man as I can. But I am really proud of being able to provide that mentorship and introduce young individuals to the equip management field and have them come on and learn tasks and become other high-level equip managers. And it’s pretty special to, to have people that… and I know others that, that have done that will feel the same way as I do. It’s pretty cool to, to see them grow, see them find their passion and succeed and ultimately create a great life for themself, and that’s all we can ask for. So

Trent Manning 1:20:18

no,

Austin Wright 1:20:18

I’m really proud of that

Trent Manning 1:20:19

Yeah. So, so good. So good. Well, tell the listeners how they can get ahold of you

Austin Wright 1:20:25

I’m a member of GCSA, so you can find all my contact information there through through the membership directory. Actively involved in Minnesota through the Minnesota GCSA. And if you wanna shoot me an email, feel free to shoot me an email. I’ll help you out as much as I am able to or pass you along to the next guys. And you can come see Trent and I at– down in New Orleans,

Trent Manning 1:20:50

That’s right. We’ll both be there.

Austin Wright 1:20:52

And then I’ll actually be out in Colorado in November speaking to the Rocky Mountain Group,

Trent Manning 1:20:57

Oh, nice.

Austin Wright 1:20:58

their turf conference in November. And then it sounds like I’ll be potentially heading up to Nova Scotia in February to,

Trent Manning 1:21:05

Very

Austin Wright 1:21:05

Canada again. So,

Trent Manning 1:21:06

Oh, very cool.

Austin Wright 1:21:08

so kinda have a little bit of a, a track ahead this winter

Trent Manning 1:21:11

Yeah. Sounds fun. Fun times

Austin Wright 1:21:13

Well, thank you, Trent. I really appreciate you, man. Thank you for having me back on. This is so cool. I enjoy listening to all the different episodes and and so it’s a good time. So really grateful for you doing this platform and for everything you do for us. So it’s, and it’s always fun to hop on and talk to a friend, so

Trent Manning 1:21:31

Yeah. Yep. No, thank you so much for being on. And yeah, I mean, it’s great to catch up, and I feel guilty that I don’t call or text more often, but you know how it is. We put our heads down, we get busy, and we do our thing. But that’s the other cool thing is anytime I do pick up the phone and call or text, you’re right there. So that’s what a, a friendship’s about. And as always, if I can do anything for you, you just let me know

Austin Wright 1:21:57

Likewise. Appreciate you, man

Trent Manning 1:21:59

Thank you thank you so much for listening to the Reel turf techs podcast. I hope you learned something today. Don’t forget to subscribe. If you have any topics you’d like to discuss, or you’d like to be a guest, find us on Twitter at Reel Turf Techs.