Blog written by Joel German
Meet Mario Linardo, the new GCSAA Superintendent at the Northport Golf Club, pictured below with his wife, Maria, and Faith, one of the couple’s three children.
Mario is no stranger to weather and growing conditions in the northeast. He is a graduate of Maine’s own Bridgton Academy and Vermont’s Norwich University, where he was a cadet in the Army ROTC program. Mario says he fell in love with golf course maintenance working at Northfield Country Club during his college summers.
In 2006 Mario decided it was time to thaw out and moved to Florida where he studied turf management at Indian River State College. After getting his degree, the urge to get back to family and friends brought Mario back northward to courses in New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and, eventually Northport.
In addition to his expertise in course maintenance, Mario has an interest in course renovations. He has worked on such prestigious renovations as Oak Hill in Rochester, NY and on Pinehurst No. 4.
Your humble blogger could do with some major renovations but that’s probably a bit beyond Mario’s skillset.
When asked about his favorite piece of equipment, Mario answered without hesitation. “The Toro 648,” he said. “In my opinion it’s the best piece of equipment Toro makes. Easy to use and reliable. Makes aerification easy with many different heads, tines, and attachments.”
Mario went out of his way to praise the membership at Northport. He is grateful for the overwhelming support and help he has received.
Of course any northeast golf course has to survive the winter. We asked Mario what his ideal winter conditions would be. He said a consistent high of 30 degrees with a low of 15 and minimal snow cover. The worst kind of winter would be one with a lot of melting and re-freezing on the greens. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, Mario.
While some Superintendents can’t stand the idea of actually playing golf, Mario enjoys the game. You’ll undoubtedly run into Mario, Maria, and children when you play at Northport this summer. Be sure to say hello, and when your ball hits and sticks on the green, add a hearty “Thanks.”
