The U.S. Open Championship, started in 1895 at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, is one of the most prestigious events in global sports. Presented annually by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the event highlights golf tour professionals playing on the most professionally managed golf courses across the country. This year, the USGA selected Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, to host the elite competition on New York’s Long Island.
Stockbridge alum Jon Jennings has been the Shinnecock Hills superintendent for 24 years, and his crew of turfgrass professionals has hosted the U.S. Open several times before.
Founded in 1891, Shinnecock Hills was one of the five clubs that first created the USGA, and it is widely recognized as a world class location for professional golf. The course is modeled after older courses in Britain, taking advantage of a naturally hilly topography that includes poa annua (annual bluegrass turf), and sandy terrains.
A Career Path Through Stockbridge
Jennings (A.S. ’84, B.S. ’86), like many Stockbridge graduates, felt drawn to golf courses while still in high school. After getting a first job at Madison Country Club in Connecticut, Jennings saw the career potential that he could reach with some additional education.
Jennings applied to Stockbridge School of Agriculture and earned our 2-year associate degree in Turfgrass, exploring additional golf courses through structured internships.
Taking advantage of our location on the UMass Amherst campus, he seamlessly transferred into a bachelor’s program to earn an additional degree in Agriculture & Resource Economics. Students today can seamlessly transfer into the Stockbridge School’s Applied Plant & Soil Sciences degree, which offers the ability to specialize in turfgrass while adding either a business or a science focus to one’s academic path.
Jennings’ career led him to manage the turfgrass at a string of well-known golf courses across the Northeast, including En-Joie Golf Club (Endicott, N.Y.), Hiland Park Country Club (Queensbury, N.Y.), and The Patterson Club (Fairfield, Conn). His direction of grounds renovations at the latter two clubs led the Chicago Golf Club (Wheaton, I.L.), another USGA founding club, to hire him.
His 12-year tenure, transforming and restoring the Chicago club’s historic grounds, attracted the attention of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, bringing him back to New York as their superintendent nearly 15 years ago.
Preparing Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for the U.S. Open
At Shinnecock, which under Jennings’ leadership has twice been selected to host the U.S. Open, this talented Stockie used his knowledge and experience to usher in a long-term restoration of the course’s classic William Flynn design.
Jennings and his team of 40 turfgrass professionals developed the course by widening the fairways to restore original playing angles, clearing invasive stones from greenside bunkers, expanding native fescue seedhead boundaries and adjusting irrigation positions to protect the natural, sandy appearance of the historic dunes.
See behind-the-scenes video of Jennings directing his team
Every golf course has specific features, based on their location, character, and history, which a new superintendent must learn. In preparation for the championship, Jennings collaborated with USGA Senior Director of Championship Agronomy Darin Bevard.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Jon and his maintenance team at Shinnecock, who have been exceptional partners as we prepared for this week,” said Bevard. “His leadership, precision and agronomic expertise ensured the course met - and exceeded - the standards of a U.S. Open.”
The event was smooth and the grounds were beautific. At the conclusion of the 126th U.S. Open Championship, the USGA presented Jennings with the E.J. Marshall Platter, which recognizes championship golf course management and honors leaders who demonstrate seamless collaboration with the USGA ahead of a national championship.
See video of Jon accepting the E.J. Marshall award.
Rather than bask alone in the spotlight, Jennings was quick to turn to his team behind him to recognize the success of their collective efforts. The honor conferred by the E.J. Marshall Platter “extends to the entire Shinnecock Hills maintenance staff and its dedicated volunteers for their behind-the-scenes work,” says the USGA.
The career success of award-winning superintendents like Jennings, and other Stockbridge alumni managing many of the top golf courses in the U.S., ensures the ongoing recognition of the Stockbridge School across the golf and turfgrass industries. Many of our current students benefit from internships at these very same golf courses, where they are often supervised and taught by experienced Stockies working in the field.