 Leading a groundswell to
ensure a legacy
This industry has been very good to me. I can’t wait to get up in the
morning and see the sunrise and those straight lines on the fairway.
I’m doing something I love and I’m living a lifestyle I never thought I
could afford. I want to give back. We have tradition and we have history
on our side. We have to bring it to the next level and not let it get away.”
A graduate of the turf management program, Paul Miller has become
a major player in the field of golf course superintendents. For the past
sixteen years, Paul has run the Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord,
over-seeing sixteen PGA tournaments in his time there. “There aren’t a lot
of people who can say they’ve done what Paul has done. Paul stands out as
a leader in his field, a true professional,” said Charlie Cross, co-owner of
Nassau Suffolk Turf Services, Inc.
Though working in the golf world with personalities like Arnold
and Jack is surely exciting, being a ’super’ comes with its share of hard
work. One of the most important parts of the job, for Paul, is being out in
the field. Some superintendents take a more administrative role in
preparing the course, but he prefers to be in the thick of it.
“To me, it’s really about working with nature. I’ve never given up
the hands-on approach. I think I’m a member of a dying breed who
believes you have to be involved with the turf yourself.”
Being so involved in the day-to-day condition of the course has its ups
and downs, especially when Mother Nature and the PGA are involved. “It’s
extremely gratifying and extremely frustrating at times,” confesses Paul.
“We’re trying to walk that fine line, consistently giving premium conditions
to our members while working with nature, an element that’s totally out of
our control.” Adding to this balancing act is the pressure to have the course
in peak condition for tournaments. The combination of challenges leads to
a constantly changing daily routine and increases the importance of having
a good relationship with customers. “You have to establish yourself as a
creditable person, as someone people can count on,” he says.
Paul has also become someone people can count on back at the
Stockbridge School. Last year Paul reconnected to UMass Amherst and
the turf program when he agreed to assist with fund-raising for a new
building at the Joseph Troll Turf Research Center in South Deerfield.
The center was named in honor of one of Paul’s mentors, a retired UMass
Amherst faculty member who is widely credited with expanding the turf
program and having a profound impact on his students. “Joe Troll was
one person who really made a tremendous difference in my life,” says
Paul. “There has not been a stronger leader in the turf program than Joe.”
In honor of his mentor, Paul quickly became a key figure in the
campaign, rallying together a group of golf course superintendents that
became “captains” of fund-raising teams. The turf alums were brought
together by their shared gratitude towards the program and Dr. Troll, as well
as by the vision of what will be accomplished with the new research building.
“When people heard the cry, they rallied around the cause,” explains Paul.
“We are the people that will drive this. The torch is in our hands now.”
Through the effort of Paul and hundreds of other alumni, the turf
program is experiencing a resurgence to national prominence. In addition
to the new building, the program is adding to its faculty, as well as
increasing its extension staff. Foremost on the minds of the contributors is
the new research that will be possible at the center. “To look at all the
research that’s going to come out of this university now and to know it
will be coming out of the Joseph Troll Turf Research Center... his name
and legacy will live on and we have a part in that.”
Related links
Turf Research Center Campaign
UMass Amherst Turf Program
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