From the April 2016 issue of GCM magazine:
Sunshine and success in San Diego
Chamber of Commerce weather combined with a wealth of education and trade show offerings fueled a successful 2016 Golf Industry Show.
Photos by Montana Pritchard Photography
GCM staff
Read this story in GCM's digital edition »
Austin in Wonderland? Sure sounds like it — but this was neither fiction nor fantasy. All real deal here.
Among the thousands of people in attendance at the 2016 Golf Industry Show Feb. 6 through 11 in San Diego, GCSAA member Austin Anderson certainly was taking it all in. “This is my first show in six years, and I am just walking around like a kid in a candy store,” said Anderson, general manager and superintendent at Grand Elk Golf Club in Granby, Colo. “It has changed so much since my last show — and all for the better.”
Perhaps the weather buoyed Anderson’s sunny disposition. Temperatures well into the 80s, often accompanied by clear blue skies, were a constant for much of the event. That included the GCSAA Golf Championships (sponsored for the 22nd year in a row by The Toro Co.), which attracted more than 450 players. The ultimate winner was Shawn Westacott, superintendent at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, who recorded a championship at Aviara Golf Club and Torrey Pines’ South Course (see “California dreamin’” in the digital edition).
GIS also saw a rise in several measures, including total attendance (12,600), which is an increase from the previous year in San Antonio (12,469). A total of 6,000 qualified buyers attended the two-day trade show — 400 more than in 2015. Approximately 550 exhibitors covered more than 184,700 square feet of exhibit space (which is more than the 182,000 in San Antonio). The total 250,000 square feet of exhibit space included the new Electric Avenue feature, where show-goers could demo electric equipment.
“This is the first year for us, and we are very happy,” said Carmelo Grenier, district sales manager for Billy Goat Industries, a manufacturer of specialty turf equipment. “We’ve been considering it for a couple of years, but we finally got the go-ahead to exhibit, and it’s been well worth it. The additional exposure has been phenomenal. With the new products we’ve introduced, it’s a great fit.”
The educational portion of GIS was also a hit in San Diego, with 5,240 seminar participants as well as hundreds who attended complimentary forums, sessions and panel discussions throughout the week. Subject matter included agronomics, business, environmental management, communications, leadership, technology and personnel management.
In 2017, GIS will be Feb. 4 through 9 in Orlando, Fla. You will probably see Joey Panozzo there.
“The Golf Industry Show has a bigger international presence than the PGA Show, and that is beneficial,” said Panozzo, vice president of sales in North America for Garia Inc., a Denmark maker of luxury golf cars and utility vehicles, who noted that he was making sales and finding new dealers. “This is a significant investment, but a worthwhile one for us. We will be back, I guarantee you.”
— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
PGA Tour supports BMPs with $250,000 grant
The PGA Tour will contribute $250,000 over five years to GCSAA to help implement best management practice models for golf courses, with a focus on localities and states in which PGA Tour events are held. The Tour is joining the USGA in an industry-wide effort, spearheaded by GCSAA, to establish best management practices (BMPs) across the country. Funding is channeled through the Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of GCSAA.
“We believe in the good work that golf course superintendents are doing every day to establish quality, healthy playing conditions for all golfers, while protecting our environment,” Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner, said. “Best management practices will help us demonstrate that golf courses can deliver benefits to everyone in a community. This also represents a long-standing commitment to environmental excellence at our own TPC courses.”
The goal is to have BMPs in place in all 50 states by 2020, providing resources to help golf course superintendents, and increasing credibility for all professional land managers. The golf industry as a whole supports and promotes BMPs to protect the environment and the future of the game. Currently, BMPs are in place in some form in 11 states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Grass elected 2016 president, new member standards approved at annual meeting
Peter J. Grass, CGCS, was officially named GCSAA’s 2016 president during the association’s annual meeting and election Feb. 11 at the Golf Industry Show.
Peter J. Grass, CGCS, became GCSAA’s 80th president at the association’s annual meeting Feb. 11 during the Golf Industry Show.
“Members matter most — we live and breathe that mantra,” Grass told meeting attendees after the results of the election had been announced. Grass, superintendent at Hilands Golf Club in Billings, Mont., and a 31-year member of the association, said he will likely make mistakes in his new role, but also pledged his dedication to the position. “You will get my best efforts in everything I do,” Grass said.
Grass hails from Mankato, Minn., and earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Montana College in Billings. He served as vice president of the association in 2015, and has been on the board of directors since 2009. He is also a member and past president of the Peaks & Prairies GCSA.
Other officers elected during the meeting were Bill H. Maynard, CGCS, director of golf course maintenance operations at St. Albans Country Club in St. Louis, as vice president, and Darren J. Davis, CGCS, superintendent at Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples, Fla., as secretary/treasurer.
Elected as directors were Kevin P. Breen, CGCS, superintendent at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, Calif., and Rafael Barajas, CGCS, director of golf course operations at Boca Grove Plantation in Boca Raton, Fla. John Walker, director of golf course maintenance at Bentwater Yacht and Country Club in Montgomery, Texas, was appointed by the board to a one-year term as director.
Continuing to serve for the second year of their two-year terms as directors are John R. Fulling Jr., CGCS, grounds and facilities manager at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Country Club, and Mark F. Jordan, CGCS, natural resource leader at Westfield Group Country Club in Westfield Center, Ohio. GCSAA 2015 president John J. O’Keefe, CGCS, director of golf course management at Preakness Hills Country Club in Wayne, N.J., will remain on the board as immediate past president.
Earlier in the meeting, delegates voted to approve revisions to the Class A member standards, and also passed 11 bylaws changes, which included a new definition of Class A, and renaming the Superintendent Member classification to Class B.
— Megan Hirt, GCM managing editor
A grand opening
Herb Kohler Jr., the former chairman and CEO of the Kohler Co., received the Old Tom Morris Award during the Golf Industry Show’s Opening Session.
Rounds of golf played at U.S. facilities have increased, TV viewership and attendance at golf events are at an all-time high, and about 800,000 junior golfers have taken up the game in just the past three years. “This is the largest jump in total volume compared to all other youth sports,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans told the crowd gathered in a ballroom of the San Diego Convention Center on the evening of Feb. 9. Evans’ collection of promising stats was a fitting kickoff to the Opening Session, the official kickoff to the Golf Industry Show, and an event that celebrated the best in the golf course management profession.
Presented in partnership with Syngenta, the Opening Session also featured comments from Jeff Cox, global head of Syngenta’s lawn and garden business, who echoed Evans’ emphasis on golf’s future by speaking about the need for diversity throughout the sport. “Golf can grow — and grow significantly — if we achieve greater diversity in the game and across the industry as a whole,” Cox said. “Let’s make diversity a new measure of success.”
Next, GCSAA’s 2015 president, John J. O’Keefe, CGCS, reflecting on his career, offered words of wisdom to the audience of his peers. “True leaders don’t set out to be leaders; they set out to make a difference,” O’Keefe said. “It’s not about the role; it’s about the goal.” Of his year serving as association president, O’Keefe added, “A lot of luck and hard work got me before you today. The best preparation for great work tomorrow is to do good work today.”
The presentation of accolades began with the Leo Feser Award for the best superintendent-penned article published in GCM, which was given to Tom Elliott, CGCS, superintendent at Monarch Dunes Golf Course in Nipomo, Calif. The Excellence in Government Affairs Award went to the Hi-Lo Desert GCSA, with Stu Rowland, director of golf course operations at Rancho La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, Calif., on hand to accept the award.
Winners of the GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards, presented in partnership with Rain Bird and Syngenta — Mark Condos, superintendent at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore, Calif.; Dave Davies, CGCS, director of golf course management at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif.; and Jason Honeyball, superintendent at OslerBrook Golf & Country Club in Collingwood, Ontario — received recognition next, followed by the 16 members of the CGCS Class of 2015.
Peter McDonough, superintendent at The Keswick (Va.) Club, was honored with the President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship, and the spotlight then turned to the trio of recipients of the 2016 Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award: David Fearis, CGCS Retired; Al Turgeon, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Penn State University; and Paul McGinnis, CGCS, director of golf course maintenance at Pebble Creek (Ariz.) Golf Resort.
Capping off the Opening Session was the presentation of GCSAA’s highest honor, the Old Tom Morris Award, to Herb Kohler Jr., former chairman and CEO of the Kohler Co.
Kohler’s acceptance of the award took the form of a Q&A session with John Maginnes, host of “Katrek and Maginnes On Tap” on SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio. In his comments, Kohler expressed his admiration and respect for superintendents, as well as his fascination with Old Tom Morris himself. Asked about his take on the future of golf, Kohler, former chairman of the Environmental Institute for Golf, said he foresees an all-organic course someday being a reality. “And the superintendent who does it will have his name in bright lights,” Kohler said.
— M.H.
Toro continues Rounds 4 Research support
The Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), the philanthropic arm of GCSAA, has again received a $50,000 grant from The Toro Co. for continued support of the Rounds 4 Research program in 2016 to help further turfgrass research at local universities. With this contribution, Toro has donated $200,000 to the program over the past four years.
Rounds 4 Research is designed to address a critical shortage in turfgrass research funding by auctioning donated rounds of golf online. The program allows GCSAA chapters and turfgrass foundations to participate as fundraising partners and direct the proceeds from auctioned rounds to specific projects that will have the most significant impact in their areas. Since its launch in 2012, Rounds 4 Research has raised more than $400,000. The 2016 auction will be held April 1 through 10. The program is administered by the EIFG and presented in partnership with Toro.
“Toro continues to see the value in supporting turfgrass research for the long-term benefit of the golf industry. The commitment to Rounds 4 Research is critical to the success of raising funds for research and the advancement of our industry,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO.
A kiss is just a kiss
GCSAA 2015 president John O’Keefe (far left) and David Plaster (far right), North American sales manager for John Deere Golf, flank the members of the Penn State team that won the 2016 GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl (from left to right): Kirk Bender, Rob Sicinski, Thomas Goyne and Jeff Reggio, along with faculty adviser Ben McGraw, Ph.D.
A kiss is just a kiss — unless you’re Ben McGraw, Ph.D., planting a big one on outgoing GCSAA president John O’Keefe as Penn State University, for the second consecutive year, collects the trophy for GCSAA’s Collegiate Turf Bowl competition, presented in partnership with John Deere Golf. The kiss was a reminder of the school’s 2015 success, when the Nittany Lions took three of the top 10 slots in the competition, including first and third place, and McGraw, the group’s faculty mentor, enthusiastically kissed master of ceremonies Alex Ellis.
“I definitely did not expect to win this time,” said McGraw. “This was a rebuilding year for us — 16 of the 18 students were first-timers, and you don’t expect them to win. Next year we have the potential for more returnees. A lot of kids come late (to Penn State) because they spend their first two years at a branch campus, so we don’t have a lot of time to work with them.”
Despite losing all but two of the 2015 contestants to graduation — Kirk Bender and Thomas Goyne were members of this year’s winning team after placing third in 2015 — Penn State students went on to take first and 10th place this year. Until 2015, Penn State had captured the trophy only once, in 2001, even though the school had consistently placed in the top 10 nearly every year from 1999 to 2016.
The members of Penn State’s winning team are Kirk Bender, Jeff Reggio, Thomas Goyne and Rob Sicinski. They are keeping the traveling Turf Bowl trophy in Happy Valley for another year, and depositing a check for $4,000 into their program’s bank account. In addition, the students have been invited to volunteer at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in May.
Joining Penn State in the top three were Cal Poly-Pomona and the University of Maryland. Cal Poly captured second place under its new adviser and new faculty member Priti Saxena, Ph.D., while 2014 champion Maryland took third place. The Terrapins have placed in the top 10 in eight of the past 11 years, and their faculty mentor is Kevin Mathias, Ph.D.
2nd: $2,000. Team 34, Cal Poly-Pomona — Oscar del Real, Mark Nakatsui, Kamrin Campbell, Sean McLaughlin; Adviser: Priti Saxena, Ph.D.
3rd: $1,000. Team 30, University of Maryland — Ian Patrican, James Halley, Scott Hebert, Marvin Martinez; Adviser: Kevin Mathias
4th: $800. Team 35, Auburn University — W. Allen Carroll III, John Peppers, Austin Brown, Robert Collier; Adviser: David Han
5th: $700. Team 31, Iowa State University — Ryan May, Eric Langford, Conrad Pannkuk, Desmond Decker; Adviser: Nick Christians
6th: $300. Team 11, University of Massachusetts-Amherst — Daniel Anastos, James Shea, Alan-Michael Turner, Christopher O’Brien; Adviser: Pat Vittum
7th: $300. Team 28, Michigan State University — Tim LeBlanc, Jason Decker, Kenny Doyle, Dylan Smith; Adviser: Trey Rogers, Ph.D.
8th: $300. Team 47, Michigan State University — Carlota Sanchez, Ryan Bearss, Michael Kennings, Andrew Brandt; Adviser: Trey Rogers, Ph.D.
9th: $300. Team 25, Rutgers University — Katherine Wickel, James Surico, Elizabeth Holmes, Emily Braithwaite; Adviser: Brad Park
10th: $300. Team 18, Penn State University — Kyle Basehore, Brigido Miguel, John Falvey, Tyler Jackson; Adviser: Ben McGraw, Ph.D.
Michigan State University students not only took seventh and eighth place in the Turf Bowl, but also showed exceptional school spirit on Twitter to win the Turf Bowl Tweet Rally, which earned them the Collegiate Spirit Award and $1,000 for their turf program.
— Teresa Carson, GCM science editor
Take it from the top
GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans (center) and Jay Karen (right), CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association, joined Golf Channel’s Geoff Shackelford (left) and the CEOs of the PGA of America, Peter Bevacqua, and the Club Managers Association of America, Jeff Morgan, during the CEO Roundtable discussion in San Diego.
Rhett Evans. Peter Bevacqua. Jay Karen. Jeff Morgan.
What do all four of these men have in common? Each one serves as chief executive officer of their respective golf organizations. On Feb. 10, they also shared space. In a nearly hour-long event titled “CEO Roundtable: Issues and Answers” held on the Main Stage at the Golf Industry Show, each addressed multiple issues that are affecting them and the members they represent.
One topic they all seemed to agree on is how essential it is for them and the brands they hold dear to join forces for the good of the game.
“We know the game has been struggling, has had some headwinds, but when we come together as associations, when we look at the challenges together, whether it be water, whether it be to grow the game or grow player development, I think all of our associations have the tools and the resources ... to figure this out,” said Evans, CEO of GCSAA.
Bevacqua, CEO of the PGA of America, said his organization needs to do its part to “conquer this perception that golf is somehow at odds with environmental sustainability.” He added that developing a workable golf experience, even if it’s for half an hour instead of four hours, is essential.
“The typical modern-day American will say he or she has less time than ever, so let’s create models that allow for a golf experience in the time that it takes people to do other pastimes,” Bevacqua said, “whether it’s going to the gym for an hour, going to yoga class, or watching ‘House of Cards’ on Netflix. That’s not to say we should replace the ultimate golf experience, but give them 30-, 60- or 90-minute experiences that really attract them to the game.
“We want to make the funnel into the game as big as possible. Whether that’s your first golf experience playing the South Course at Torrey (Pines) or taking a golf lesson or hitting a ball on a miniature golf course, if we can be clever, aggressive, proactive about bringing the game to people in various forms, I go back to the magic of the game taking over and converting enough of those people into true golfers.”
Karen, who oversees the National Golf Course Owners Association, said his members tell him they’re concerned about the cost of doing business in the future and their profitability. New options for the golf course give him hope, however.
“The examples we’re seeing — FootGolf, FlingGolf — none of that’s desperation,” Karen said. “That’s having fun with your business, trying to diversify what you’re doing. A sign of desperation is deep discounting, when all of a sudden you can find golf for 90 percent off.”
Morgan, CEO of the Club Managers Association of America, noted that private clubs often no longer follow the old, cookie-cutter model, because times have changed.
“We are going to have to create an environment that is inviting, family-focused, that people want to come to,” Morgan said. “So it could be food, it could be day care, it could be running buses from the school to bring your kids after school to teach them golf or tennis and other activities. It’s going to be very unique and not this one model that we all think of when we think of a private club.”
The bottom line from the men at the top?
“It’s a combination of everything that we should be doing in our organizations to make this game fun again,” Evans said.
— H.R.
A deep dive into irrigation
Attendees arrive at Hunter Industries’ facility
for their irrigation- and water-focused field trip Feb. 9.
The 14-acre Hunter Industries’ campus served as learning land for more than 100 superintendents during the Golf Industry Show.
The off-site visit Feb. 9 provided superintendents a behind-the-scenes look at Hunter, a manufacturer of irrigation equipment for the golf course and landscape industries, which is based in San Marcos, Calif. The home-game opportunity for Hunter allowed the company to showcase its golf product division and inform superintendents about irrigation.
Superintendents got to experience what Hunter has to offer, and they also got to hear from industry members that Hunter brought in for the special event. One of those was Doug Bennett, conservation manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, whose message included that water shortages can happen anytime, anywhere, and that superintendents should plan for a crisis. “It will come. So exercise foresight,” Bennett said.
Attendees also received insight on turf reduction projects and the kind of irrigation makeovers that are often related to those reductions in the session “Turf Reduction: When Does it Make Sense and Is It the Future for all Existing Courses?” Presenters Ken Alperstein, Brent Harvey and Casey O’Callagan offered advice about selecting the right time of the year for such projects, and project oversight, suggesting that a staff member be assigned to serve as the eyes and ears of the project, which in the case of an irrigation makeover means watching every wire and pipe installed to guarantee the work is being done right.
The “Irrigated Audit” session, presented by irrigation consultants Greg Baer and Craig Zellers, noted that a 10 percent efficiency increase in irrigation can save more than seven million gallons of water annually.
Industry veteran John Pollok spoke about what he considers the top five deficiencies in golf course maintenance. No. 1? Irrigation system maintenance.
Sixteen-year GCSAA member Brian Graham from Sun City Riverview Golf Course in Sun City, Ariz., hopes his experience at Hunter can influence his facility to consider irrigation upgrades. Currently, Sun City Riverview still uses its original irrigation system except for the pump station.
“I see it as an investment opportunity for the golf course,” Graham said. “You want to use what’s best for your facility.”
— H.R.
Golf course as classroom
A student from Sunnyside Elementary School in Bonita, Calif., gets an up-close look at the different components of soil during the First Green field trip Feb. 8
at Bonita Golf Course.
Photo by David Phipps
About 20 superintendents visited Bonita (Calif.) Golf Course Feb. 8 during the Golf Industry Show to observe an event hosted by First Green, a Washington-based organization that promotes and provides youth environmental education on golf courses. A sixth-grade class from nearby Sunnyside Elementary School joined the superintendents on the outing.
“When superintendents host a First Green field trip, they get to see what they do through the eyes of kids,” said Karen Armstead, First Green executive director. “The stuff superintendents do every day — imagine how fascinating it is to kids.”
This was the second year First Green held a field trip in conjunction with GIS, and Armstead said the conference is an important avenue by which the organization connects with superintendents. The opportunity to experience a field trip in action — to see the kids’ excitement and sense of wonder — is invaluable compared with, for instance, simply hearing a description of an event at a chapter meeting, Armstead said.
The Sunnyside students were split into three groups of about 10, and the morning was divided into three half-hour learning labs — grass, soil and math — through which the groups rotated.
After the excursion, the superintendents shifted to a classroom setting of their own to discuss the experience and glean insight from the First Green associates in attendance, which included Jeff Gullikson, CGCS, First Green co-founder and superintendent at Spokane (Wash.) Country Club; Steve Kealy, CGCS, First Green secretary/treasurer and superintendent at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue, Wash.; and First Green board member Lynn McKay. GCSAA Northwest field staff representative David Phipps advised superintendents that their regional field staff reps can assist in both the planning and execution of a field trip, from identifying a school to lending a hand on the big day.
Field trip attendee Dustin McIntosh, superintendent at Fountaingrove Golf & Athletic Club in Santa Rosa, Calif., said he’s now confident and ready to welcome students on his home turf. “Now it’s just a matter of doing the outreach to connect with a school and finding out how I can cater to them,” McIntosh said. “I want to help get kids interested in science, and open that door for them.”
For more information, visit the First Green website at www.thefirstgreen.org.
— M.H.
GCSAA's 2015 president John J. O’Keefe, CGCS (right), and master of ceremonies Alex Ellis welcome attendees to the Closing Celebration of the Golf Industry Show in San Diego.
Festive finale
If you closed your eyes and simply listened during the Closing Celebration of the 2016 Golf Industry Show, presented in partnership with John Deere Golf, it may have almost sounded as if some very special visitors were in the house in the San Diego Convention Center.
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Actors Morgan Freeman and Al Pacino. Former football coach and announcer John Madden. Even Donald Trump seemed to be in attendance.
“We’re going to make the Turf Bowl great again,” said a voice that sure made it sound like Trump was in the room. In reality, though, it was comedian/entertainer/impressionist Frank Caliendo, whose repertoire of impersonations runs the gamut.
Caliendo, who for nine years appeared on the “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show and currently appears on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown,” had plenty of fun with Bush malapropisms. When it comes to knowing your subject, “Use your toboggan,” he said in a Bush-esque manner while pointing to his own head. Then, pointing to the letters GCSAA on the stage podium, Caliendo’s Bush imitation prompted lots of laughs. “How can we forget Goo-kus-ah-ah?” he said, attempting to transform the association’s acronym into a word.
Before Caliendo wrapped up the evening, GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans welcomed those in the crowd. There was a buzz in the air — an upbeat, let’s-have-fun atmosphere to cap off a week of activities.
“It has been a very busy week, yet a very productive one,” Evans said. He reeled off numbers from GIS, including nearly 13,000 in attendance, more than 500 exhibitors, 35 chapter events, and 1,391 lost golf balls during the GCSAA Golf Championship. That last figure really coaxed some laughs.
The newly elected GCSAA Board of Directors was introduced, including new GCSAA President Pete Grass, CGCS. John Deere Golf’s David Plaster, North American sales manager, championed what GIS means to the golf industry.
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The 2016 GCSAA Board of Directors were introduced during the opening stages of the Closing Celebration.
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GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans thanked the audience
for their attendance at the Golf Industry Show and for their continued support of the golf course management industry.
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“We’ve enjoyed the time this week to gather as an industry — competitors, thought leaders, partners and friends — to discuss the challenges we all face, and how we can create a positive future for the game of golf,” Plaster said.
His comments preceded the presentation of the final results of the 2016 GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl (see “A kiss is just a kiss,” Page 50), and Plaster praised the teams that participated and the possibilities they present for the industry.
“There’s a continued sense of optimism, and I’m reminded of that by the enthusiasm of those in attendance, and in those of you in the audience who represent the future of our industry. You are the proof that the future of our industry is in good hands,” Plaster said.
— H.R.
Going one-on-one with Frank Caliendo
GCM Editor-in-Chief Scott Hollister sat down with comedian/entertainer/impressionist Frank Caliendo for a Q&A prior to Caliendo’s performance at the Closing Celebration. Below is a snapshot of that conversation. For the full interview, visit GCM’s blog.
GCM: We hear you worked at a golf course once.
Frank Caliendo: Yeah. In high school and a little bit in college, I worked at Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield, Wis. I thought my old boss was actually going to be here. But he texted me today and said he wasn’t going to be in town. He retired and he’s working with UW-Madison or something like that, in turf care.
GCM: So, working on the golf course was a summer job for you?
Caliendo: Yeah, basically. I would do a little bit in college or on the weekends. We would change the tees and cups, empty the trash. During the summer, it was mowing in the morning and working on bunkers in the afternoons, fixing whatever needed fixing.
GCM: How did you first get into comedy? When did you first realize that comedy, the impersonations, were the things you wanted to do when you grew up?
Caliendo: Well, it didn’t go well at the golf course, let me say that. (Laughs) I took a Cushman into a pond and that was it. But actually, I graduated from college and I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I wanted to go into broadcasting, I thought, but I wasn’t so good at asking the questions. I would rather answer them and make up answers.
GCM: Do you have a favorite impression you do?
Caliendo: It’s like trying to pick your favorite child. Which I could totally do. (Laughs) But, no, I think the impressions that are newer are more fun for me. Morgan Freeman throws a lot of people. (As Morgan Freeman) “I just start going like this.” People are never really used to it, so that one always tends to work or be fun for me. But whenever there’s something new, that’s what I really enjoy working on and rolling out.
GCM: What about characters you’ve done for a long, long time — do you ever get bored by them? Do you ever just retire them?
Caliendo: You know, when a famous person dies, you know to kind of put it on the shelf for a while. But for the most part, you do keep “the hits” in there. With John Madden, I don’t even do him on TV anymore, and I really don’t want to do it. But when you do an event like this one, when people pay to see you, you kind of have to do it.
GCM: You’ve got to play the hits, right? The Rolling Stones still have to play “Satisfaction.”
Caliendo: Absolutely. And to be mentioned in the same breath as the Stones just made my day.
GCM: (Donald) Trump is clearly in the spotlight right now. From a professional standpoint, are you rooting for him because, hey, it would be good for business?
Caliendo: Not really. I just kind of wait and see what happens. Obviously, it makes it a lot easier when somebody like Trump (as Donald Trump) “is doing well, it really does. It’s just tremendous.” Some people love him, some people don’t, but I rarely pick sides. I always just kind of make fun of people equally on both sides, because you never know who you’re going to offend.
GCM: In the comedy world, who do you like? What comedians do you think are really funny?
Caliendo: I don’t really watch any comedians now. I try not to watch anybody. I think there’s always the fear of unwittingly stealing material, so it’s better to just stay away. Growing up, it was Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams, guys who could play characters and switch between them. That was kind of what I liked. “In Living Color,” “Saturday Night Live” — stuff like that. Dana Carvey was always a favorite. I got the greatest compliment from Dana one time. We were emailing back and forth, and Dana said to me, “I think you do the best Trump.” So I’m like, “Can I put that on my Twitter feed?” The coolest thing in the world to me.