EMPLOYEE Testimonials

Much like the racehorse “American Pharaoh,” who won the Triple Crown of horse racing in 2015, Old Elm taught me to have my “blinders off” and see EVERYTHING. I learned how to sprint to the finish line by providing the best possible playing conditions day in and day out. Additionally, Old Elm taught me to be a well rounded individual in all aspects of the golf course industry, including course construction, daily maintenance, and motivating/making everyone better on my team, all while staying within the yearly maintenance or capital improvement budget. Simply put… Old Elm made me a better husband, father and leader in all aspects of my life.

Old Elm is a very special and unique facility to grow/develop both professionally and personally. All the experiences I gained there are irreplaceable and highly valuable to the growth of my career. Everyone I worked with had drive, dedication, and passion which made it a better place day after day. Curtis James is one of the best mentors you could ask for throughout the industry. If you ever have an opportunity to join the Old Elm family, do not hesitate.

You can feel the history when you step on the property at Old Elm. It's a truly special and unique place. What made my experience so special to me was the passion from everyone on the agronomy team and the relationships we built. My experience at Old Elm opened doors I didn't think were possible. It helped propel my career to become the golf course superintendent of the 32nd ranked golf course in the country at 28 years old.

During my time at Old Elm, my idea of course conditions changed and I soon learned many top notch cultural practices, golf construction methods and the opportunity to use top shelf products like fertilizers, chemicals and a state of the art irrigation system. Being involved in every part of the process allowed me to gain experience that I can take with me anywhere I go. Thanks to Old Elm I was able to attend Professional Golf Turf Management School at Rutgers University. Since then I have expanded my horizons because of the networking with many high-end prestigious clubs, architects , renown golf turf agronomists, and many golf course professionals of the industry nationwide.

My name is Dalton Taylor and I am currently an Assistant Superintendent in Florida. I was at Old Elm Club from 2017-2020. During my time there I began as an intern and gradually worked my way up to Assistant Superintendent. Old Elm gave me the unique opportunity of enrolling in online classes to finish my degree in Turfgrass Science and Management, while also working full time with Curtis and his crew as an Assistant in Training. I learned a lot from my time at Old Elm. From the education at Penn State that Old Elm helped me achieve, to the knowledge that Curtis shared and taught me about golf courses and maintaining them at a championship level. I would not be where I am today without Old Elm.

The atmosphere of working at Old Elm is one that I doubt I'll ever find myself apart of again. Almost instantly it became a brotherhood. A brotherhood of young guys that wanted to succeed in the golf course maintenance industry and Curtis James gave us all the tools we could ever need. Working at Old Elm taught me that the workday is never over just because the clock ticked 5 o'clock. Instead it's over when you've acomplished your goals for the day and then some!