After earning his bachelor’s degree in history, Scott Hebert worked for three years in environmental construction before realizing that his true passion was in golf course management. He enrolled in the IAA and committed fully to excelling in his field. His hard work and determination as a student earned him multiple scholarships (Shields Memorial, TESCO, ESAGCS, GCSAA/EIFG), Dean’s List Honors, 2nd and 3rd place in the GCSAA Intercollegiate Turf Bowl, as well as 1st and 4th place at the STMA Competitions.
Since graduating from the IAA in 2016, Hebert has never wavered in his commitment to excellence and has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the IAA’s Early Career Alumni Award. Along with Hebert’s strong track record of environmental stewardship at high-profile clubs, his professionalism elevates him within the golf course industry.
“Scott has shown exceptional industry acumen and made a significant impact during the early stages of his already distinguished career,” says nominator Tyler Johnson.
In 2018, Hebert was selected to become a Quail Institute Agronomy Fellow at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. This experience combined Hebert’s passion for learning with golf course agronomics and exposed him to all facets of the industry through an immersive year of cross training. He ran member outings, caddied, gripped clubs, managed merchandise, hosted dinners, and managed events. As the Agronomy Fellow, Hebert contributed to the success of multiple PGA TOUR and professional events such as the Wells Fargo Championship, The John Deere Classic, The Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and the 2019 Masters.
After his fellowship year, Hebert moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 2019 where he now assumes the role of Senior Assistant Golf Course Superintendent at TPC Scottsdale. He continues to promote excellence and education. He conducts mock interviews with IAA students to help prepare them for the job search, and in February he hosted IAA turf students so they could experience preparations for the WM Phoenix Open, the largest professional golf event in the world.
IAA Turfgrass Advisor, Geoff Rinehart praises Hebert’s generous spirit in giving back to IAA students. “We had four students volunteer for Scott,” says Rinehart. “The students worked ‘advance week,’ the week before the tournament begins. It is a week when a lot of critical last-minute touches are made to the golf course to be ready for the pros and the thousands of spectators the tournament has. It was a definite resume builder for our students. They had the opportunity to experience preparations for a prominent PGA TOUR event, and gain some knowledge about what it takes to maintain turf in Arizona.”
Johnson wrote, “Scott’s diverse background in managing golf courses in the four corners of the continental United States has allowed him to excel in his trade through exposure to various climates, agronomic and construction practices, business models, and tournament operations of all scale. Scott’s passion for greenskeeping and dedication to advancing future generations is abundantly clear in his commitment to the IAA. All of these reasons, and many more, make Scott Hebert more than deserving of the IAA Early Career Alumni Award.”
The IAA’s Award Committee agrees! Congratulations, Scott.
