Tizmann Sithole, Assistant Golf Superintendent is highly credentialed with a BS in Agriculture and studies in Golf Course Management from various universities. Some of you also know that he worked at some great golf courses around the country honing his profession and his craft before coming to Oak Hills Park.

However, what many of you may not know is, to keep Oak Hills Park's conditions top notch, there is a tremendous amount of science and technology at play. Jim Schell, Head Golf Superintendent and Tiz are both members of the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America, (GSCAA). The GSCAA is the professional association for Golf Superintendents with tremendous educational, resource sharing, science and golf maintenance guidance for its members. The organization has over 20,000 professionals in more than 78 countries.

The GCSAA offers an Assistant Superintendent Certificate Series for further field advancement. This four-part certification process covers key competency areas in: Agronomy, Business, Leadership/ Communications and Environmental Stewardship.

The test can be rigorous, up to three hours long for each competency, providing great knowledge for the golfing professional. For example, the first exam Agronomy includes topics such as:

• Understanding Plant Biology
• Managing Fertilization
• Understanding Different Turfgrass Practices
• Incorporating Pest Management
• Managing Equipment

This is only a very small list of all the topics just in the first module.

We are happy to report that Tiz is 1/2 way through this certification process, so way to go Tiz! So, the next time you are on the course wondering why the conditions are so good, you can thank Jim Schell, Tiz and team. Both of their tireless study about golf course conditions make Oak Hills Park the very best it can be. We congratulate Tiz again on completing half of this journey.