Profile from Department of Horticulture Graduate, Ryan Madden

Graduated Spring, 2009
Current Position: Assistant Superintendent, WingHaven Country Club, O'Fallon, Missouri

From the age of 13 I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was something to do with the early mornings, seeing the immediate reward for your work, pleasing many golfers, and being around the game of golf that lead me to choose the profession of Golf Course Greens Superintendent. I knew from early on that achieving this goal would require an undying work ethic, long hours, and a very sound education.

I knew very little about Iowa State University until my junior year in high school when we were fortunate enough to get a new superintendent at the course that I was working at in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a graduate of Iowa State University. He majored in Horticulture with an emphasis in Turfgrass Management. Little did I know that most of the very good superintendent job’s in the St. Louis area were held by ISU Horticulture Department graduates. I figured I would check out ISU and made my first visit on a cold February day in 2005 and the people were so impressive that I chose to attend ISU in the fall of 2005. This decision was the best decision I have made in my life to this point.

I came to Iowa State University knowing absolutely no one besides meeting Dr. Nick Christians and Miss Barb Osborn during my initial visit. In fact, I was the first person from my high school to have ever attended ISU. Miss Osborn and Dr. Christians thought it would be best for me to enroll in the Horticulture Learning Community and live in Willow Hall. This helped me meet numerous life long friends, be around students with the same major, and take some classes with the people that I lived with in the Learning Community. Miss Osborn and the Learning Community helped me get off to a good start and participate in numerous activities my freshman year. This was the solid foundation that I needed to be able to graduate in four years from ISU.

During my time at Iowa State I was a member of the Horticulture Learning Community, the College of Agriculture Student Council, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), and the ISU Turf Club. I was part of the ISU Turf Club all four years and served as Vice President in 2008. During my time as a member of the club I was able to attend the Golf Industry Show all four years in such cities as Atlanta, Anaheim, Orlando, and New Orleans. I also participated in the GCSAA’s Collegiate Turf Bowl all four years - a competition that the ISU Turf Club has won 10 times including seven straight. Our team finished 2nd at this years competition in New Orleans. I was also fortunate enough to participate in two very good internships on golf courses in Vail, Colorado and in St. Louis, Missouri. I was even able to work a PGA Tour Tournament, The BMW Championship, in September 2008 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. My journey at ISU has also taken me to the prestigious Jacobsen Future Turf Manger’s Seminar in Charlotte, NC. The top 35 turf programs in the country were invited to nominate a student and I was chosen to attend. I was able to go to Augusta National Golf Club as part of this seminar and able to network with many others.

The Department of Horticulture at Iowa State has a reputation as being one of the finest in the country. The Turfgrass Management program has a solid reputation as being one of the best in country if not the best. Dr. Nick Christians has helped me, as well as numerous other students before and after me, achieve to be the best in the industry. This is especially apparent with our Turf Bowl record and when talking to students from other colleges and universities. They all know who Dr. Christians is and how strong our program is by all standards. This is also apparent when looking at jobs when graduating. I was offered two very good jobs at private country clubs during my last semester at ISU. My resume made it to the top of the list because of Iowa State University, Dr. Nick Christians, and Dr. Jeff Iles. The professors within the Department of Horticulture not only taught me and helped me become the best that I can be, they genuinely care about me. Like I said before, attending ISU and majoring in Horticulture was the best decision I ever made.

I was offered two jobs in February 2009, one in Des Moines, Iowa and one near my home in St. Louis, Missouri. I chose to take the Assistant Superintendent’s job at WingHaven Country Club in O’Fallon, Missouri. I beat out several qualified people to be offered both jobs and at the end of the day a lot of it had to do with my education at Iowa State University. My daily duties consist of running a 15 man crew, pesticide and fertilizer applications, syringing greens, keeping the Zoysia fairways in top condition, keeping the greens smooth and fast, making sure the course is in the best condition possible for the members, and everything else that comes with managing the grounds of a golf course. My education and experience has helped me get off the ground running.

I could not have asked for a better college experience and a better group of people to learn from and to learn with. Iowa State taught me a significant amount about Horticulture, Business, Turfgrass Management, etc., but none more important than what it taught me about myself. I enjoy what I do for a living and could not be happier. As I type this I am running late for an ISU St. Louis Alumni Club event - Iowa State is part of you for life, not just your time as a student in Ames. I am proud to have a degree from Iowa State University.

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