By Mike May
Superintendent Troy Stewart:
The Pride of His Profession
Key West (Florida) Golf Club superintendent Troy Stewart and his staff are passionate about keeping the turf alive and well at the Key West GC throughout the year. That’s reassuring news if you play golf at the Key West GC – one of the 53 courses along the Florida Historic Golf Trail -- where Stewart and his staff spend the vast majority of their waking moments. Keeping the turf alive, well, and thriving at the Key West GC is the expectation and the objective of the daily exercise for Stewart, his irrigation tech Paul Liverpool, and their professional colleagues. Besides dealing with the heat and humidity which impact their ability to do their jobs, Stewart and his crew are also hurricane-aware for most of the year. While the hurricane season starts June 1 and concludes November 30, the key to their success in dealing with the after effects of a hurricane, tropical wave, storm or depression start well before June 1. “For me, having spent the past 13 years as a superintendent in the Caribbean in places like Belize and St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands) and having grown up in South Florida, you quickly realize how unforgiving and life changing these hurricanes can be,” said Stewart. “So with that being said, hurricane preparation has always started for me well before June 1 and that is no different here at Key West.” When storms are approaching, the automatic reaction is to seek cover. In Key West, Stewart and his colleagues 42
do the exact opposite. “What should be emphasized is our vulnerability due to the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean and our lack of elevation,” added Stewart. “To think that for past storms, all primary equipment is brought out of our low-lying maintenance facility and parked on the top of the rolling hills that border the fairways. Crazy to think that it’s the safest spot, but it is.” There are many issues which Stewart
and his colleagues address prior to June 1 such as making sure they jet rod all the pond outfalls; vac truck any culvert basins to allow the next tide cycle to take the flood waters with it; rent a boom lift to trim the coconut palms and limbs near important infrastructure; request fuel tanks be topped off if an approaching storms has the potential to pass nearby; order granular products, such as fertilizers, on a needto-apply basis so the products don’t Golf Central • Volume 22, Issue 4
