Pendleton, OR – Environmental Science, a division of Bayer CropScience LP, announced the 2015 Plant Heath Academy class at the 2015 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, TX last month. Among the new class is Sean Hoolehan, Golf Superintendent at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino Golf Course.
 
Hoolehan has been the Superintendent at Wildhorse Resort & Casino for the past 18 years. He has severed on a number of golf industry boards, including being the President of the GCSAA in 2006. Hoolehan is grateful to add this to his long list of accomplishments. “I am excited about being part of the Bayer Plant Health Academy. I look forward to sharing this knowledge and putting it to practice at Wildhorse Resort and Casino.”
 
The third annual academy is part of the Healthy Turf, Healthy Tomorrow program, an initiative Bayer developed in collaboration with Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s (GCSAA) Environmental Institute for Golf to advance plant health research and education for superintendents.
 
“We are blown away by the high caliber of candidates we received this year,” said David Wells, golf business manager for the turf and ornamentals business at Bayer. “It says a lot about our industry that we have so many bright, ambitious, leaders, and we are proud of their commitment to continuing education and their passion to advance their knowledge of plant health and turf management.”
 
“This is a “Top Shelf” training, where I will get a chance to learn some of the latest methods in Turfgrass /Golf Course management,” said Hoolehan. “Learning is a life time proposition with the rapidly changing technology, regulation, and growing environment I work with on the golf course. It’s a real honor to be selected to participate with a very distinguished group of Golf Course Superintendents from across the country.”
 
While Hoolehan, the only member of the 2015 class selected from the Pacific Northwest, the talent runs deep throughout the Country. Other classmates include: Ryan Bourne of Andover, KS, Rodney Crow of Deer Park, TX, Jamey Davis of Birmingham, AL, Anthony Gustaitis, of Lafayette Hill, PA, Brian Haines of Boynton, FL, Nicholas Janovich of Wheeling, W. VA, Tray Maltby of Davenport, FL, Jay Neunsinger of Berkeley, CA, Brent Racer of Axtell NE, Alex Stuedemann of East Moline, IL and Jeff White of Mission Hills, KS.
 
Hoolehan isn’t the only member of the Wildhorse Golf Staff that was honored last month. The GCSAA and Lebanon Turf, named Rory, Hoolehan’s 6 year old Yellow Lab with Eastern Oregon bird dog breeding, Dog of the Year. Rory spends his days at Wildhorse Resort & Casino Golf Course chasing geese and hanging with his buddy Chip a 9 year old Golden Lab. Both dogs get special attention from Roger Hickman, Wildhorse Irrigation Tech. Roger (an Army Veteran) took care of Army Dogs in Vietnam as a Vet Tech. Rory and Chip team up to keep the geese on the move and the crew in good spirits.
 
Rory and Hoolehan donated the $500 prize to “Train a Dog, Save a Warrior” TADSAW (http://www.tadsaw.org/) which was the beneficiary of the contest. TADSAW trains service dogs for veterans. Rory’s donation will be used to train a dog for a Veteran in Oregon.
 
About Wildhorse Resort and Casino:
Centrally situated between Boise, Spokane and Portland, Wildhorse Resort & Casino is a premier destination for family getaways, business meetings and large conventions. The Resort features a 24-hour casino, hotel, RV Park, 7 restaurants, 5-screen Cineplex, 18-hole championship golf course, travel plaza and tribal museum. Expanded in 2011, there is no destination experience like it in the Pacific Northwest. Wildhorse boosts over 1200 slots, all your favorite table games, keno, bingo and live entertainment Wednesday-Friday in our sports bar. Wildhorse is located just off I-84 at exit 216, four miles east of Pendleton, OR. Wildhorse is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
 
About Healthy Turf, Healthy Tomorrow
To fund Healthy Turf, Healthy Tomorrow, Bayer invests a percentage of StressGard™ Formulation Technology (FT) product sales each year for three years – a minimum commitment of $300,000. Funds generated through the program will also be dedicated to the EIFG to support research, education, advocacy and scholarship initiatives executed by GCSAA.
 
About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience, the subgroup of Bayer AG responsible for the agricultural business, has annual sales of EUR 8,819 million (2013) and is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of products including high value seeds, innovative crop protection solutions based on chemical and biological modes of action as well as an extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture. In the area of non-agricultural applications, Bayer CropScience has a broad portfolio of products and services to control pests from home and garden to forestry applications. The company has a global workforce of 22,400 and is represented in more than 120 countries.
 
About GCSAA and the EIFG
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf.
 
The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game.