After serving more than 20 years as golf course superintendent at The Reserve at Lake Keowee in Sunset, S.C., in 2020, Chris Vincent, CGCS, joined the turf division at Precision Laboratories as district manager for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. We chatted with Chris about his new role and longtime passion for environmental sustainability.
What sparked your interest in turf management?
I’ve always been an outdoor enthusiast. I had a job on a golf course when I was growing up, Terrapin Hills Country Club in Fort Payne, Al., and that passion bled over into my first couple years of college as I continued working there. I wasn’t originally studying turf, and I noticed that I started dreading going to class but always loved the days that I worked. That led me to studying agriculture at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina. The school has a history in producing great turf managers in the industry. One of the guys I graduated with, James Huntoon, worked in the industry for a while and teaches there now. After I graduated, I work for two years as assistant superintendent at Legends Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Fl., and then in 2001, I began my two-decades long career at The Reserve.
What were the highlights of your career at The Reserve at Lake Keowee?
In 2017, the golf course received certification as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary along with an Environmental Stewardship Award. Golf course superintendents should also be stewards of the environment, and it took a lot of work to identify different wildlife specifies and create buffer zones along water bodies [as examples of tasks completed to receive the certification]. We tried to do everything we could to make sure we’re protecting the natural environment on the course. It was a learning process for me, and something that I consider a great accomplishment. I would also say receiving my certification as a member of the GCSAA in 2011. There’s really no incentive or financial gain that comes with getting that certification, so for me, it was about continuing my education and gaining status among my peers.
How did you transition from the golf course to Precision Laboratories?
Over the course of 20 years, I was there for the original construction of the course and the renovation of the course. It’s a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, so we brought Nicklaus’ team in for the renovation and switched our greens to a different type of turf that is easier to maintain. We also made the course more environmentally sustainable by reducing some of the bunkers and creating more natural habitats. After that renovation, I felt I had come full circle. I had built the place, grew it, and finished a complete renovation. It was a great time for me to look back at my tenue and give the keys to someone else. I decided to pivot in a different direction by joining the turf division at Precision Labs, [a leading provider of specialized chemistries applied to plants, seeds, soil, and water]. Their mission is focused on sustaining the Earth by taking care of the natural environment, which directly connects to my passion.
How does your role at Precision differ from your work as a superintendent?
I can expand my reach outside of the golf course. My work at Precision has allowed me to take my blinders off, so to speak, and connect with a larger audience of peers in the turf industry. It’s not only golf courses and golf course superintendents – I get involved with landscape company operators and sports turf representatives, and I spread the message of environmental stewardship to them through education. I’m taking the knowledge that I gained from my years as a superintendent and using it to help others in related fields. I’m very thankful to our business manager, Erick Koskinen, for his leadership and positive influence as I transitioned into this role. I’m really learning a lot from him and expanding my career as a result.
What is your favorite piece of equipment that you’ve used so far in your career?
I’ve always enjoyed cutting greens, so I’d have to say a turf mower. It gets you out on the course first thing in the morning when no one else is there – it was always one of my favorite jobs, and it’s something that you don’t do anymore when you progress in your career and become a manager. But that’s the kind of job that first made me passionate about the industry.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love being outside, whether it’s fishing, hiking, or just relaxing. I enjoy spending time with my wife and two daughters – they’re both involved in volleyball and track and field right now. When they’re not competing in school, they’re playing during the off season, so our weekends are usually filled with volleyball tournaments and our weeks are filled with track meets. It’s a busy time in our lives, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Kyra Molinaro is an award-winning writer and editor based in Richmond, Virginia. She manages donor communications in the Advancement Office at the University of Richmond.
