Golf Styles; Turf Talk, April 2008
Longwood’s Tom Morgahan is a star among stars as director of championship agronomy for USGA
Longwood, New Jersey resident Tim Morgahan has been in the golf industry for 30 years. His experience incorporates a wide range of talents and expertise crowned by 20 years as director of championship agronomy for the USGA preparing golf courses for national championships, including 100 majors.
GS: What contributed to your career choice?
TM: All my time was spent at golf course playing, as acadde and on the ground crew. I spent a lot of time playing golf with my dad at Torrington and Litchfield country clubs where I grew up in Connecticut. It was almost inevitable I’d choose the field for my profession.
GS: The job of a golf course superintendent seem idyllic to me. Up early, working with the land and immersed in nature. What’s the flip side of this?
TM: The Superintendent is the most underrated individual in golf. Course conditioning is the number one reason why golfers select a specific course to play or join.
The biggest uncontrolled entities anywhere are weather and people. Superintendents must address these everyday – whether it be rain, drought, heat, or players and labor.
They deal with budgeting, equipment and labor each day. Usually private clubs and conditions are better because of a superior budget. Buying equipment is restricted in current economic times and an outside-the-country labor force has become more of a problem with today’s security concerns.
GS: You recently left the USGA and founded Aspire Golf Consulting. What is Aspire?
TM: Aspire taps into an extensive and knowledgeable network comprised of leading golf industry professionals with decades of experience. We create short- and long term golf course conditioning programs, facilitate the master-planning process and develop event solicitation and preparation strategies and human resources placement.
In New Jersey, Somerset Hills Country Club and White Beeches Golf and Country Club are currently clients. Numerous other public and private contracts with New Jersey properties are pending.
