APRIL 2024 • VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 1
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Talking Ocean Organics with Ryan Walsh, Superintendent at Woods Hole Golf Club, Falmouth, MA
The 1st edition of our 2024 “Talking Ocean Organics” Newsletter takes us to Woods Hole Golf Club in Falmouth, MA. Our article is on Ryan Walsh. Ryan has been the superintendent at Woods Hole since 2017. We will focus on Ryan’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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The iconic Woods Hole GC and the 100 year old clubhouse overlooking Buzzards Bay.
Drone photos taken by Ryan Walsh.
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You’ve probably never played a golf course with the physical features that Woods Hole possesses. The topography of the land from tee to green is beyond unique. |
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About Ryan:
Ryan was born in Harrisburg, PA in 1981. Ryan is the oldest of 4 in the Walsh clan. Ryan’s dad Jim was a salesman in the food industry and moved the family to Bridgewater, MA when Ryan was 6 months old.
“We had a cottage on Cape Cod in West Hyannisport,” said Ryan, “so we spent our summers there.” Ryan developed a love for golf at an early age. “My dad had a set of clubs at the house in Bridgewater. We had a huge back yard. It measured about 125 yards from the back of the house to the edge of our property so I could hit some full irons out there. Every once in a while, our next-door neighbor would bring over a bag of golf balls that I had hit into his yard,” Ryan laughed.
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"During senior year, I ended up working on the grounds crew. I loved it." |
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Ryan is a self-described early riser, even as a young teenager. His first job was as a paperboy delivering the Boston Globe. He coupled that by caddying at Hyannisport Club. “The golf course was in walking distance of our cottage. The club had a youth caddy program and from 8th grade till my senior year in high school, I caddied. During senior year, I ended up working on the grounds crew. I loved it. I had planned to major in business, just like my dad, when I went to college but working on the crew totally changed my mind.” Ryan’s next stop was UMass-Stockbridge to pursue a degree in Plant Science.
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“Tom is a different breed of professional. He is the mayor over there.” |
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Ryan did internships at Hyannisport in 2002 and 2003. Upon graduation, Ryan was hired as a 2nd assistant working for then superintendent Mark Egan. In 2007, the club hired Tom Colombo as their new superintendent. This development was a milestone for Ryan because it was Tom who became Ryan’s most important mentor both professionally and personally.
“Tom is the epitome of professionalism. It’s the way he interacts with the membership, how he controls the room, the way he carries himself. Tom is extremely sound agronomically. He knows his stuff. When he found something that worked, he wouldn’t stray from it. Tom is a different breed of professional. He is the mayor over there. And he is not afraid to get his hands dirty.” Ryan said.
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"I was ecstatic because this was the job that I really wanted.” |
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Ryan was promoted to Golf Course Superintendent at Hyannisport in 2010 with Tom as the Director of Golf. Ryan garnered a ton of construction experience at Hyannisport. In 2006, the club installed a new irrigation system. After Tom’s arrival, a new golf maintenance facility was planned and constructed. The club hired Architect Ron Forse to develop a master plan for the golf course. A complete restoration followed which included a full bunker renovation, restoring the original character of the Donald Ross designed greens complexes, drainage, and tee renovations. By 2016, Ryan was ready for his next challenge. “I had applied for a number of superintendent positions but nothing had come through,” Ryan said, “I was at a greens committee meeting in November of 2016 when I got the call from Woods Hole. Tom Flaherty was retiring and they wanted to hire me. I was ecstatic because this was the job that I really wanted.”
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While spending his summers on the Cape as a young teenager, Ryan met his future wife. “Merissa and I met when she was 12. She was one of my friends from the neighborhood. As time went on our friendship turned into something more serious. I proposed to Merissa in 2010 and we were married in 2011. We have three children, Brooke-15, Nathan-12, and Kelsey-9. Merissa is a Special Ed teacher in Duxbury. She has taught me a lot about parenting, a lot about being patient. One of the great blessings in our life is that both sets of our parents live about 12 minutes from us. They pitch in to help us out with the kids which helps us to balance busy careers and family responsibilities.” |
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Woods Hole Golf Club
Henry H Fay, a member of a prominent Woods Hole summer family, was the prime mover in the formation of the golf club in Woods Hole. The interested parties, all Woods Hole summer residents, held their first meeting at Fay’s Boston office on December 19th, 1898. The group voted to call their organization “The Woods Hole Golf Club” and to be incorporated under Massachusetts laws. On December 29, 1898, the corporation leased land for its golf course from the Fay family. The corporation continued to lease the land until 1916 when it bought the land outright from the Fay family. The following year the club purchased an adjacent Fay parcel that allowed the club to expand to an 18-hole layout.
Scottish architect Alexander Findlay designed the original nine holes. In 1916, the club hired Thomas Winton to expand the course to 18 holes. The 1913 US Open Champion and beloved New England icon Francis Ouimet played the inaugural round on the new course in 1919, carding a score of 72. In the early 1920’s, a new clubhouse was built on a knoll overlooking Buzzard’s Bay. This building, which has gone through numerous renovations over the years was just rebuilt in 2016. Woods Hole GC is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
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The course plays approximately 6,200 yards from the back tees. You’ve probably never played a golf course with the physical features that Woods Hole possesses. The topography of the land from tee to green is beyond unique. The course is characterized by its many elevation changes and fairway mounding, the many blind approach shots, the small greens. The course plays much longer than the yardage on the score card and is a very challenging test of golf. |
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The course is characterized by its many elevation changes and fairway mounding, the many blind approach shots, the small greens. The course plays much longer than the yardage on the score card and is a very challenging test of golf. |
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The club hired architect Kyle Franz to develop a master plan for a complete restoration and renovation of the golf course. This all started when Ryan came on board. All the construction experience he gained at Hyannisport was going to come into play. |
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“Our mission with the master plan was not to lose the character of the golf course with the work we wanted to complete to improve the course.” |
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“Our mission with the master plan was not to lose the character of the golf course with the work we wanted to complete to improve the course,” Ryan said, “It’s not all completed as of yet. We’ve widened fairways to create landing areas to give the golfers options and different strategies in playing the holes. When I started, we had 26 acres of fairways, now we have 34. We added short grass areas around the greens, did a lot of tree work to open up vistas and corridors and to take advantage of a very scenic property. All the bunkers were renovated. We added drainage where needed throughout the course. I think we’ve enhanced the playability and aesthetic of the course and can’t wait for people to see it.” |
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"I think we’ve enhanced the playability and aesthetic of the course and can’t wait for people to see it.” |
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Ryan’s Border Collie Champ supervising the early morning course setup. |
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Ocean Organics:
Ryan has incorporated the following products into his agronomic programs at Woods Hole. Ryan 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’ve tinkered with a lot of wetting agents over the years. I’m looking to provide tournament conditions, playability, and turf that holds up stronger. I use Windjammer on my greens every 28 days at 5oz/1000. The performance has been great, good moisture balance and firmness.
I use Mariner on my tees and fairways. The soils here are challenging. I like to split my apps with Mariner so I go 2oz/1000 every 14 days combined with fungicide applications and whatever else I need to throw in the tank. The Mariner had firmed up the surfaces and I’ve reduced hand watering.”
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“I use XP and Stress Rx on my greens. I get great results and phenomenal color. I also use Stress RX on my fairways. The products are great for helping the turf heal up after aeration. The drought tolerance the product provides to the plants enables me to manage the turf on the edge for the conditions we want to provide for the golfers.”
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“I use SeaBlend 14-0-6 AS to wake things up every spring. I’ve been doing it since I got here.”
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“I use NuRelease towards the end of the season to remediate the rising salt index in the soils that we experience every year.”
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Thank you, Ryan, for your time and help in putting this article together.
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Visit our website for more about our products |
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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
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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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