2025 Super Social Media Awards: Joselyn Kent

Joselyn Kent didn’t plan to become an assistant superintendent at Duke University Golf Club. She previously worked at Home Depot for five years with the goal of becoming a manager. With a lack of opportunity in her town of Danville, Virginia, she relocated to St. Augustine, Florida, to fill a management position. But that didn’t last long. Kent soon found herself applying for — and earning — a seasonal position at The Palencia Club in July 2018.

“I went on Craigslist, of all places, and there was a title that caught my eye. It said, ‘Grounds crew, available for seasonal help, willing to train anybody as long as you have a good attitude, want to learn and get along with everybody.’ I was like, ‘That’s me.’”

Having just moved to Florida, Kent’s boss and mentor at Palencia, David Levin, encouraged her to use social media as a source for learning the industry and the area. Kent and her spouse, after all, had just moved to a location without knowing anybody. That advice started a dedicated journey of social media usage for Kent. 

Known as @MsTurfMuscle on X, Instagram and Tik Tok, Kent uploads videos documenting the tasks her and her crew are accomplishing, as well as tools being used and tips for maintaining the course. By posting and sharing inspirational and informative messages, Kent has earned a 2025 Super Social Media Award.

Kent will be honored alongside fellow award winners at 2:30 p.m., PT, Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the Social Media Celebration at Aquatrols booth #4025 during the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego. The event is open to all. Free drinks will be served before, during and after the ceremony.

How important would you say communication is to success in your job? 

Oh, a lot. I think that’s where I first struggled was that I didn’t have the communication. Just within the last couple of years, I’ve actually taken some time and done some leadership opportunities and got myself more talkative and more out there because I have everything in my head and it sounds correct, but if I don’t speak it and I don’t speak it correctly, it ain’t gonna get done. That’s a superintendent, right? If you want your golf course done a certain way, you gotta speak with us, you gotta speak those words, or they ain’t gonna be done that certain way. You can’t be mad at anybody except yourself. That’s kind of hard for me personally, because I came from a third-world country, and I wouldn’t say Spanish was my first language, but English wasn’t my first language either. I think personally, I have grown to know that communication is key in this industry or in any type of job-related field. If you want things done, then you guys speak it correctly or it won’t be done correctly. 

What have you learned about shooting and posting videos?

The simpler, the better. Personally, I love seeing the finesse on all the platforms, like Instagram, Twitter (X) and all that. And I think in the beginning, that kind of hindered me from posting so much, and I’m like, ‘Nobody’s gonna view my stuff if I don’t have something that pops out.’ Mine is so simple. That’s worked for me because the quicker I can get information out the better. But don’t be afraid to post. I think another thing that kind of stopped me is I didn’t think anything I said was valuable and that kind of stopped me. But if there’s value in something, somebody would find it.”

What guidance would you give a peer for using social media for work purposes?

Just don’t be scared to start, first off. Don’t take anything to heart. The other day I spent five hours on this video, and I was like, this is gonna give me so many views, it’s gonna be so great. I think I have maybe 200 views on it. Sometimes I spend about five hours on the video, and then sometimes I spend maybe 30 minutes on a video. And most of the time, the 30-minute videos are so much better than the ones I do that I try to put some passion into them. So don't take anything for heart. Do it for you. Don’t do it for anybody else at the end of the day. It’s mostly like record-keeping for me on what I do on the golf course every single day. I’ve been at Duke as an assistant for two years, and I can go back all the way to two years, everything, and I have posted at least once a week on a summary. So, that kind of helps me at the end, to know what I’ve done in my past and my previous times and figure out, ‘Hey, did this work? Does this not work?’”

Kelsie Horner is Golf Course Industry’s assistant editor.