For the first time since TPC Boston began hosting the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank Championship in 2003, there have been no changes made to the course this year.
“As much as I enjoyed those projects it’s been nice to just focus on maintenance this year instead of grow-ins,” said Brodeur, who has been the GCSAA Class A golf course superintendent at TPC Boston since it was built 11 years ago. “It’s been really humid here this summer, so we’ve seen some increased disease pressure and some challenges with firmness, but it’s been pretty good for us here. There has been a lot of rain in the Northeast this year, but we’ve managed to avoid most of that. And other than one crazy hot stretch in July, we’ve had lower temperatures than usual this summer. My biggest concern right now is how much rain Hurricane Irene will bring advance weekend.”
The Deutsche Bank Championship is the second event of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup, Sept. 2-5. Brodeur has the bentgrass greens mowed at .125 inch and rolling smooth and fast. The 4-inch rough is a combination of Kentucky bluegrass and fescue.
“Tom is one of the most passionate and creative superintendents I have been fortunate enough to work with during my career,” said PGA Tour Agronomist Collier Miller, CGCS. “This year he has once again risen to the occasion and assembled a stellar maintenance team that will produce an excellent golf course to host this year’s FedExCup competition at TPC Boston. The PGA Tour and TPC Network is very proud of Tom and his accomplishments.”
Brodeur has an associate’s degree in turfgrass management from the University of Massachusetts’ Stockbridge School. A 30-year GCSAA member, Brodeur began his career as superintendent at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club, where he spent five years before a five-year stint at Essex Country Club in Manchester by the Sea, Mass., and then 10 years at Crystal Tree Golf Club in Orland Park, Ill., before arriving at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. He oversees a staff of 30, including GCSAA members Ken Macie and Kevin Crawford, the assistant superintendents. They will be aided tournament week by a group of 40 volunteers made up of nearby superintendents, assistant superintendents, interns, turfgrass students and industry vendors.
Brodeur has TPC Boston certified in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and he is a multiple GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards winner. The golf course was built on a former charcoal production site and gravel mine. TPC Boston deeded 155 of its 600 acres to conservation trusts, and connects to conservation land managed by local preservation societies. All drainage from playing surfaces is returned to the surrounding wetlands via water quality swales and TPC Boston has 3,800 linear feet of wooden bridges crossing the 250 acres of wetlands throughout the property which provides habitat for a variety of wildlife.
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America is a leading golf organization and has as its focus golf course management. Since 1926, GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the United States and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to 19,000 members in more than 72 countries. GCSAA’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. The association’s philanthropic organization, The Environmental Institute for Golf, works to strengthen the compatibility of golf with the natural environment through research grants, support for education programs and outreach efforts. Find GCSAA on Facebook, follow GCSAA on Twitter, and visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org.
For more information contact Bill Newton, GCSAA media relations manager, bnewton@gcsaa.org, 800-472-7878, @gcsaamedia