Ever wondered what it’s like being a golf course superintendent? Matt Pfeiler, a 1998 graduate of the Institute of Applied Agriculture’s Golf Course Management program, can tell you what a typical day is like. As the superintendent of Compass Pointe Golf Course in Pasadena, MD, Pfeiler directly influences the daily playing conditions of the course.
“I’ve been doing this for five years,” he said. “The hardest part, I’d say, would be finding the right people to work for you and dealing with the guests.” And, Pfeiler says the IAA prepared him well for the job he does through courses in human resource management and in communication.
“I liked the hands-on classes and experiences, as well as the labs,” said the Baltimore native. “I like that the teachers at the IAA really form good bonds with their students. They’re a good group!”
Pfeiler says that in order to prepare for a job as a golf course superintendent, it’s important for students to expose themselves to different types of grasses and soils, in addition to working in different environments.
“I knew very little when I started, but I left with a vast knowledge of how to manage a golf course…and the memory of Dr. Mathias talking to the chalk board as he wrote!”
^^Matt Pfeiler as a first-year IAA student in 1997.
