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Get a life
Golf has a history of being paired with fermented drinks after a trip around the course. Everyone has a different opinion of what goes best with golf, but Russ Jones, equipment manager at Martis Camp in Truckee, Cali., thinks his wine pairs perfectly. In addition to managing the machines of the course, Jones owns and runs the Truckee River Winery, which recently won an award for his Best Man Pinot Noir.
What’s the Truckee River Winery like?
It’s a full-fledged winery. I started in 1989. I made small batches of wine, high-quality stuff. I bring in grapes to Truckee, and sell the wine all around town. We just opened a tasting room recently – this is our second summer of that – and we’ve got four bocce ball courts as well. So we’ve got people that come down to play bocce ball and try the wine.
How did you decide to get involved in making wine?
I went to UC Davis and graduated in viniculture and fermentation science, so it’s something I really wanted to do. I worked in Oregon, but I decided I wanted to move back to Truckee and started the winery there.
How are winemaking and golf similar?
Golf goes pretty well with winemaking. Golf starts early in the morning, and then I have what I call my “vineyard duty.” I work in the winehouse after. We source our fruit from vineyards in California. Golf and wine-making are the same in that they’re both a real hands-on job. You have to do everything by hand. And if you’re a winemaker for a small winery, you have to be good at maintenance. It goes hand-in-hand with golf and winemaking.
What do you enjoy about making wine?
It’s something I have a real passion for. The thing I really love about it is the hands-on part. You have to go down to the vineyard, you can help hand-pick the grapes, load up the truck or trailer, pitch the grapes into the crusher, get them ready for fermentation and stir the vats by hand. It’s a really involved process. It’s a two-year process before the wine goes into the bottle.
Do you have a favorite wine?
Pinot noir is my favorite wine to make. It’s a very difficult wine to make. It’s a little more complex than some of the other varieties: It’s kind of got layers of flavors and complexity that some other wine doesn’t have.
Where can we find your wine?
We sell my wine here at Martis Camp, and use it here. You can also find it at the Truckee River Winery, or on our website, at www.TruckeeRiverWinery.com.
Turf for thought
The crew at Skyline Country Club may be planting seeds for turf, but the membership is planting seeds for the growth of the crew. For the seventh year running, members donated toward scholarship funds for education and career goals, a total of $26,000 for nine employees or immediate family members. Each scholarship of $2,000-$3,000 will help pay for college or PGA programs.
The Skyline Country Club Scholarship Awards program has provided $144,325 through the last few years awarded by financial need, potential for academic achievement and extracurricular activities. The club partners with the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona for the process, and winners received letters announcing the awards.
This year’s scholarship recipients are using the scholarships for enrollment at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College and Seattle University.
Roll Call
Darin “Lumpy” Pearson is the new superintendent for Eagle Bend Golf Course, Lawrence, Kan.
David McGhee, the general manager of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, Bedminster, N.J., announced his retirement.
John Gertz has joined the leadership team at PrimeraTurf to replace Frans Jager as chief executive officer. Jager is retiring on Sept. 30, 2011.
E-Z-GO promoted John Collins to vice president, integrated supply chain.
Hunter Industries announced the addition of Tim Curnow, who will be responsible for working with distribution, contractors, and municipalities in South East Asia.
LebanonTurf named Dave Dell director of marketing.
Harrell’s hired Jack Harrell, III, to service turf managers from Sea Island, Ga. to New Smyrna Beach, Fla; Al Pondel, territory manager servicing golf courses in Chicago; and Adam Wright territory manager for St. Petersburg, Tampa and Ocala.
Thunderstruck
The storms that swept across the Midwest in the past few weeks did a lot of damage, but one bolt of ionized air left its mark on the No. 9 green at the Ironwood Golf Course in Normal, Ill.
After an early-morning thunderstorm June 27, superintendent Rob Hale drove out to check over the 18-hole muni course for damage.
“The weirdest thing is that I just started right with the No. 9 green,” says Hale. “I never go there first.”
Arriving on the scene, he saw a strange scar pattern spread across the turf, tendrils cutting out jagged from the middle of the green in a 20-foot radius.
“I just looked at the green at first, but then I realized what happened,” he says.
Lightning ignored the flagstick but struck the green during the thunderstorm, leaving a pattern cut into the grass similar to lightning in the sky. Despite the scar, the turf seems healthy and Hale is continuing play, including an upcoming local tournament.
Maybe Zeus will call ahead the next time he wants to practice his short game.
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