Humbly Prosperous With Michael Poindexter
Name: Michael Poindexter
Title: Assistant Superintendent
Facility and location: BallenIsles Country Club, Palm Beach Garden, FL
Troon Value: Humbly Prosperous
Q: When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up and please explain if there was a story around that.
A: I wanted to be a veterinarian because I enjoyed all kinds of animals; as a kid, I had many pets: a dog, birds, rabbits, fish and a snake.
Q: What/Who got you interested in the business of agronomy and what was your first experience with the industry?
A: In 1987 a friend asked me if I wanted a job working at a golf course. I had been working the night shift at Dunkin Donuts and so I said sure! When I got to the JDM Country Club (now called BallenIsles), the manager that hired me took me over to the East Course where Willie Roger was Superintendent. The first thing they did was put me on the trap rake and learn how to rake a trap. The rest is history.
Q: What has been your career progression thus far?
A: During my time at BallenIsles, I have been a maintenance worker – operating all the equipment at the shop, a spray technician, an irrigation technician and now an Assistant Superintendent.
Q: What do you do in your daily job or life to inspire others interested in turf management and the agronomy business as a career?
A: I manage the crew alongside my coworkers and do my best at trying to allow them to do the best job they can each day. I make sure we train them on operating a piece of new equipment or the correct way to rake a trap just like I learned. I try and instill in them the more you learn, the better off you will be because you can never have enough knowledge – always strive to be better.
Q: What is an interesting fact about agronomy that not many people outside the Agronomy world know about?
A: Golf courses will be around for a long time. On our course, we work with the National Audubon Society to manage the wood stork population in our area.
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