Staff Profile: Willie Trent

Willie Trent was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in August of 2002. Willie's primary duty at the golf course is mechanic. He starting out mowing rough when he was hired on and moved into the mechanics spot about 4 years ago. Though you don't see him a lot except when a piece of equipment broke down on the course or during aerification, Willie has done a great job of keeping the equipment running and operational for us during his time at the golf course. The good thing about working on the golf courses equipment is that he has plenty of support from the city garage. Mechanic's are the life blood of a well maintained golf course and with the new equipment we are getting to better maintain Juniper Hill, Willie is getting the knowledge and support in doing his part in helping improve this golf course.

2011 Begins a New Year!!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with family and safe travels for all. The crew and I took the last 2 weeks off to spend time with family, take a break from a struggling summer, and to reflect on what was and what the new year will bring. This is the time of year where we can slow things down, really look at what needs to be done to improve the conditions of the course for the next summer. Due to all the snow and rain we got during December, we were not able to get some of the drain lines and irrigation lines in like I wanted to, but we still have 2 more months before we really start moving into warmer weather. I hope everyone understood the struggles that not only Juniper Hill, but all the courses went through this past summer.

I'm looking forward to this year with the new equipment that we purchased this past winter. We got 2 new fully electric greens mowers, which will take away all hydraulics off the greens. We will take the old greens mowers and put them onto our tees, collars, and approaches, giving us better equipment to mow those areas with. We also purchased a greens roller that will help in smoothing the greens and taking less wear and tear off of the greens mowers. Also purchased were new fully electric utility vehicles that will reduce noise on the course and gas consumption. A new fairway mower that has electric reel motors that will reduce the hydraulics on the mower.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am about the upcoming season and pray that the weather will be a lot better for us. Again... Happy New Year!!!

Staff Profile: Don Tyre

Don Tyre was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in May of 1983. Don has been with the maintenance staff the longest out of everyone on the crew. Don's primary duty on the golf course is changing the cups (pin placements) and moving the tees. He has been through the high's and low's of this golf course and seen a lot of changes in his years here. He is also apart of the men's association and started playing out here on a regular basis this past year as he moved over from the country club. I think with him playing out here after he has finished work, has given me extra eyes on some little things that we might miss throughout the day. Don pretty much works 7 days a week, as he keeps an eye on the greens with concerns to disease and hot spots. Don has a lot of passion and desire for Juniper Hill Golf Course and takes a lot of pride in what he does. Just this past fall, Don was inducted into the Frankfort Parks & Recreation Hall of Fame. He has been a wonderful addition to the staff, as he is very dependable, hardly ever misses a day, and can be counted on to get a job done. Don has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Bob Robinson

Bob Robinson was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in June of 2005. But as many of you know, has been with the club a lot longer. He is apart of the men's association and the Central Kentucky Senior Golf Association. Bob and his wife play out here on a regular basis, as she is apart of teh women's association. Bob's primary duty on the golf course is mowing the tees. When needed, especially on the weekends, he mows greens. Bob has a lot of passion and desire for Juniper Hill Golf Course and takes a lot of pride in what he does, especially with the tees. He is always seeing new areas to put tees, the tee placement themselves for tournaments, etc. He has been a wonderful addition to the staff, as he is very dependable, hardly ever misses a day, and can be counted on to get a job done. Bob has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Victor Refalo

Victor Refalo, or Vic as we all call him, was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in July of 1997. But as many of you know, has been with the club a lot longer. Vic was the very first JHGA Presidents back in 1961, and as been apart of the men's association ever since. Vic's primary duty on the golf course is mowing the greens, although he is usually not seen because he is the first out of the maintenance area and done before most of the golfers arrive. When needed, he has mowed tees, collars and approaches, some fairways, and as of this past summer, has stepped up and mowed a lot of green and tee banks. Vic has a lot of passion and desire for Juniper Hill Golf Course and takes a lot of pride in what he does as this golf course has become a second home to him. He has been a blessing to have of my staff, as he is very dependable, hardly ever misses a day, and can be counted on to get a job done, no matter the task. Vic has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Adam Curry

Born and raised in the City of Frankfort, Adam Curry has been with Juniper Hill Golf Course since August of 2003. He started out repairing the irrigation system, doing nightly watering cycles, and and filling in where needed. When I started in Feburary of 2008, Adam and I immediately began a great working realtionship and both had the same vision for Juniper Hill Golf Course. During the summer of 2009 Adam was given the title of Irrigaiton Technician even though it has become his baby since day one. With working on the irrigation system being a full time job, Adam wanted to learn more, so we squeezed in time to help him learn how to operate every piece of equipment we had and he has excelled at every turn. And during all of this (2003-2009), working a night time job. This proved to me how devoted Adam was to this golf course. In the spring of 2010, thru hard work and a passion for his job, Adam was given full time status thru teh City of Frankfort and I promoted him to Assistant Superintendent. Since then Adam has begun learning how to maintain the turf, learning all facets of the chemical side of golf course maintenance, and how to manage a crew. As I look at it, Adam will only keep succeding and is the greatest asset to Juniper Hill Golf Course.

1st Annual Greens Keeper Revenge

Last Friday we held our first annual 'Greens Keeper Revenge Scramble'. 22 teams showed up in support for Juniper Hill Golf Course and had a great time. All the money collected ($3027.00) went straight to the golf course to help continue the improvements that have been made over the past 3 years. PGA Professional Kirk Schooley happily donated the golf course in support of the cause. I personally would like to thank everyone that came out to support the golf course and I also would like to thank Bill Bell and his staff of helpers for putting this event together, as it has been a months in the making. To those who didn't play, I hope you can make it out next year and to those who couldn't play but still donated money, I thank you and we missed you on the course. I hope this will become an annual event because this golf course is a big part of City of Frankfort and it's community. Without you all, this course would not exist.