JUNE 2024 • VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 2
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Talking Ocean Organics with Mike Aube, Superintendent at The Powelton Club, Newburgh, NY
The 2nd edition of our 2024 “Talking Ocean Organics” Newsletter takes us to The Powelton Club in Newburgh, NY. Our article will focus on Mike Aube. Mike has been the superintendent at The Powelton Club since December of 2022. We will focus on Mike’s personal and professional journey, the iconic property he looks after, and how he’s incorporated Ocean Organics products into his agronomic programs.
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About Mike:
Mike was born in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1981 but grew up in New Paltz, NY. Mike’s dad Ray was a mailman and his mom Jill worked as a secretary for a law firm. Mike is the oldest of the three Aube children.
Mike got into the turfgrass industry in high school. “I was working for a landscape company which invested in and became part owner of the New Paltz Golf Club,” Mike recalled, “so in the summer I would work at the golf course during the day and at a local restaurant at night. At the golf course, I began to unravel the mystery of maintaining and growing grass and at the restaurant I would bus tables, serve, and even worked as a line cook when necessary."
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"At the golf course, I began to unravel the mystery of maintaining and growing grass and at the restaurant I would bus tables, serve, and even worked as a line cook when necessary." |
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After high school, Mike attended SUNY Albany, a state college, and in 2003 received a Bachelor’s Degree in History. “I had planned on becoming a teacher,” Mike said.
“In the summer, I always worked at the golf course,” said Mike, “I really liked the work. There was a salesman and former superintendent that called on the course. His name was Ernie Steinhofer. I asked Ernie advice on how to do this for a career and he pointed me in the right direction.”
So, Mike enrolled in SUNY Delhi’s turf program. Since Mike had all those core credits from SUNY Albany, he was able to complete his Bachelor’s Degree in Turfgrass Management/Plant Science in two and a half years.
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“...it was a holiday and I asked Mike if we got the day off. He glared at me and said, “Do you think the grass knows it’s a holiday?” |
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In 2005, Mike did his first internship at Morefar in Brewster, NY. Morefar was a very exclusive private club and Mike worked for its long-time superintendent, Mike Maffei. “I lived in the employee housing at the golf course. One morning I had overslept and woke up to find Mr. Maffei standing over me,” Mike laughed, “he asked me if I was going to go to work that day. He wasn’t happy. So, I jumped out of bed and hurried up over to the shop. Another time I remembered it was a holiday and I asked Mike if we got the day off. He glared at me and said, “Do you think the grass knows it’s a holiday?" Needless to say, I went to work that day. Mike taught me that this occupation was all about discipline and hard work. It was a good lesson to learn.”
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“What I discovered working at Quaker was the true amount of effort it took to maintain a top 100 golf club. It was an eye opener.” |
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In 2006, Mike did his second internship at Quaker Ridge GC in Scarsdale, NY working for superintendent Steve Renzetti. “What I discovered working at Quaker was the true amount of effort it took to maintain a top 100 golf club,” said Mike, “The hand mowing, the hand raking of bunkers, spray hawking the greens, and the attention to detail. It was an eye opener.”
After graduation from Delhi, Mike’s first job as an assistant superintendent was working for Sean Cain at Sunningdale CC in Scarsdale, NY, another top club in the NY area. “I worked with Sean from 2007 until 2014. Sean taught me the correct way to manage people. He was very good with the crew. Sean, being pretty much a scratch golfer, also taught me to see the golf course from a player’s perspective. He appreciated hard work and was a great mentor.”
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“Sean taught me the correct way to manage people....
(He) also taught me to see the golf course from a player’s perspective.”
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Mike’s first superintendent’s job was at Osiris Golf & CC in Walden, NY. Mike worked at Osiris from 2014 till December of 2022. “What I took away from my time at Osiris is how to do a lot with a little and how to manage time and people,” Mike remarked, “I worked for a single owner who didn’t put a lot of money into the golf course. The club had a 50-year old block irrigation system where you couldn’t isolate the heads which made watering efficiently very difficult. At one point, I only had a crew of two to manage an 18-hole property. It wasn’t all bad though. The best part of working there was I had a house on the property. I was able to spend a lot of time with my kids and I enjoyed riding around the course with them in a golf cart when the work day was done. I had the experience of building three completely new golf holes on the course with an assist from a local architect. There were plenty of good times to offset the tough times.” |
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In December of 2022, The Powelton Club came calling. “I had interviewed with them a couple years prior,” Mike said, “I was a finalist but didn’t get the job. But things didn’t work out for them with my predecessor. This time they really wanted me so I made the move. I have loved my time here. The membership is great. I have great employees. It’s a good feel, like a family. I look forward to ending my career here.”
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“The membership is great. I have great employees. It’s a good feel, like a family.” |
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Speaking of family…. “I met my wife Dana working in those restaurants in New Paltz,” Mike smiled, “We got married in 2004. Our wedding date was 10/10/10.”
Mike and Dana’s union has produced three children, Gabriella-12, Michael-10, and Matthew-8. The Aube clan lives in Walden, NY.
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Dana, Michael, Gabriella, Matthew, Michael (left to right)
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The Powelton Club:
The Powelton Club is one of the five oldest golf courses in NY State. It is also one of the 10 oldest golf courses in the United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999.
The origins of The Powelton Club, formally Powelton Farms, dates back to the mid-1800’s. Powelton Farms was the site of the famed Powelton House Hotel which attracted guests from all over the east coast. After a fire destroyed the hotel in 1870, owner Homer Ramsdell formed the Powelton Lawn Tennis Club in 1882. The Powelton Lawn Tennis Club became the Powelton Club of Newburgh in 1892. Changes included a new clubhouse and expanded activities including baseball, croquet, bowling, and ballroom dancing. Legend has it that the first golf was played at Powelton that same year on a five-hole course designed by Homer Ramsdell’s mother Maud. Member James Taylor expanded the course to nine holes in 1897.
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After World War 1, the club decided to increase the course to a full 18 holes. They contracted with Devereux Emmet, one of the most prolific course designers in the New York metropolitan area, to design a new course in 1921. Two years later, after the club had obtained the additional land he said he needed, Emmet began his work and the new course opened in 1926. When NY State announced in 1927 that it would be taking the western portion of the club property to build a new highway, Emmet hastily redesigned three holes to accommodate the land grab. Other alterations to the course occurred in 1985 to accommodate the expansion of Route I-84. |
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Powelton is not long by today’s standards, but don’t let the 6,000-yard layout fool you. The many elevation changes make it play much longer. The course places a premium on accuracy. |
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Even with those changes, Powelton is truly Emmet’s course and many of his original design touches still remain. Powelton is not long by today’s standards, but don’t let the 6,000-yard layout fool you. The many elevation changes make it play much longer. The course places a premium on accuracy. Water comes into play on eleven holes, the terrain can be severe, and the greens are small and difficult.
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Ocean Organics:
Mike has incorporated the following products into his agronomic programs at The Powelton Club. Mike describes, in his own words, where they’re applied on the golf course, how he uses them, and the results he’s achieved.
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“I use Nautilus on my greens. I put it out at 6oz/1000 every 28 days. It’s given me consistent moisture and has really reduced my hand watering. I also use Mariner SWDG granular on my bunker faces and it’s worked very well. I just ordered a 30-gallon drum of Helmsman to use on my fairways. I can’t wait to see how it works out.”
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“I use Stress RX and XP on my greens every 14 days. I put out the max rate of 6oz/1000 for both. It’s been a game changer for me. The turf can really withstand the heat and moisture stress and stay healthy. It lets me sleep much better at night.”
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Thank you, Mike, for spending the time with us to put this article together.
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Visit our website for more about our products |
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SeaBlend®
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Stress Rx® Foliar Fertilizer
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Turf Surfactants
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Ocean Organics high-performance surfactants optimize nutrient and water use efficiency while helping boost plant fitness. Each formulation contains a surfactant, an infiltration agent, and a biostimulant.
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“Thanks for Making Me Look Good.”
– Al Choiniere
“From May through Labor Day, I can sleep at night.”
– Matt Kowal
“The color is fantastic.”
– Ethan Haveman
“The recovery was great. The greens filled in and
the color was unbelievable. We were able to weather
the storm and open the course on time."
– Rob Dorsch
“I like the color, the resiliency it gives the turf, how it gives
to turf the ability to fight back, and how both products give
you great rooting. You need to hold on to those roots as
long as you can. It all works.”
– Steven McGlone
“My tees and fairways have never looked better. The plants seem to utilize water better. The products keep the turf healthy during the most stressful times of the year.”
– Sean Cain
“I use Nautilus on my greens. I also use Mariner SWDG granular on my bunker faces and it’s worked very well.
I use Stress RX and XP on my greens every 14 days. It’s been a game changer for me. The turf can really withstand the heat and moisture stress and stay healthy. It lets me sleep much better at night.”
– Mike Aube
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Superior Strategic Stress Management
Ocean Organics, The Industry Leader
45 Years in the Golf Industry
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All products manufactured in Waldoboro, ME
Superior Surfactants:
Mariner® Privateer® Nautilus® Windjammer®
Superior Liquids:
XP Extra Protection® Stress Rx® Guarantee®
Superior Granular Fertility:
SeaBlend®
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Need information? Want to chat?
Email or call your local distributor
or Kevin Collins
914-621-1151
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Manufacturers of High-Performance, Science-Based
Plant Strengthening and Fitness Materials for Growth, Protection, Stress Tolerance and Recovery
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