MAY 2023 • VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 1
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Talking Ocean Organics with Noah Goldstein,
Superintendent of Old Sandwich Golf Club, Plymouth, MA
The 1st edition of our 2023 “Talking Ocean Organics” Newsletter takes us to Old Sandwich Golf Club in Plymouth, MA. Our article will focus on Noah Goldstein, who took over the reins of superintendent at Old Sandwich in 2021 after a 10-year plus apprenticeship working for grow-in superintendent Sean McCormick.
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6th green at Old Sandwich Golf Club |
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We’ll talk about Noah’s personal and professional journey, the special property he looks after, and how he’s incorporated Ocean Organics products into his agronomic programs.
About Noah
Noah was born in 1989 and raised in Belfast, Maine. His dad, Ronald, ran an organic natural food cooperative. Noah’s mom, Cheryl, was an elementary school teacher. Noah attributes his upbringing with fostering a passion for environmental stewardship and education.
Belfast is on the Maine coastline, a stone’s throw from Ocean’s production facility in Waldoboro, ME. “I had a great childhood,” Noah reminisced, “It was awesome growing up there near the water and being outdoors.”
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“It was awesome growing up there near
the water and being outdoors.”
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Noah started playing golf at the young age of 8. “My dad loved golf,” Noah laughed, “We had a good-sized property so my dad and I created a nine-hole pitch and putt layout. The holes ranged from 40 to 100 yards. When I got a little older, I joined Northport GC in Northport, ME as a junior member. This is when my love of golf took off. When I was 15, I worked at the club picking the range and watering flowers. When I was 16, I was able to join the grounds crew. There were only 4-5 guys on the crew so I got to learn how to do all sorts of things, including mowing and course setup. The golf pro, Peter Hodgkins, was also the superintendent at the club and my first mentor. He encouraged me to pursue a career in the golf industry. I gravitated more towards golf course maintenance because I loved the work and when it was time to pick a college, I chose UMass-Amherst for turf management.” |
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"I gravitated more towards golf course maintenance because
I loved the work and when it was time to pick a college,
I chose UMass-Amherst for turf management.”
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In 2009, Noah received his Associates Degree. In 2010, Noah received his Bachelor’s Degree in Plant Science.
While in school, Noah was strategic in choosing internships. “My first internship was at Samoset Resort Golf Club in Rockport, ME working with Greg Grenert. I wanted to learn as much as I could about irrigation system repair and management. Greg’s irrigation system was 30 years old and needed a lot of ongoing repairs. It was a great learning experience and Greg was a fantastic mentor. We are still close till this day.”
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"I wanted to learn as much as I could about
irrigation system repair and management."
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“My second internship was at Walpole CC in Walpole, MA working with Mark Gagne. I really wanted private club experience. I also wanted to learn as much as I could about chemical and fertilizer management, math, and application. Mark had a talent for truly understanding all of his inputs on the course. Everything he did was intentional and well thought out.”
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"I also wanted to learn as much as I could about chemical
and fertilizer management, math, and application."
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Soon after graduating from UMass, Noah got his first assistants job at Walpole. “I spent a couple of years there but got the itch to start looking elsewhere to grow professionally.”
Noah’s next position was working for Sean McCormick at Old Sandwich as 2nd assistant. Less than a year later, he became the 1st assistant. “Working with Sean was such a good fit for me,” Noah said, “Sean’s programs were focused on reduction of chemicals, fertilizer, and water. It was about giving the members a firm, fast, lean surface with lots of roll and bounce. He also approached course management from the golfer’s perspective. Sean encouraged me to come up with new ideas and let me run with them. It was an incredible learning environment. For 10+ years Sean was my most important mentor. His approach to everything was lacking ego, being inquisitive, and always be learning. Sean retired in the summer of 2021 and advocated for me to succeed him. Sean wanted his successor to do the course justice moving forward.” Noah interviewed for the superintendent’s position and was hired.
Noah and his wife Erin (also from Maine) live on the South Shore in Scituate, MA. They have two children, a son Ari (3 ½ years old) and a daughter Ophelia (7 months old). When Ari is not in preschool, you can find him “at work” climbing on all the equipment and helping Noah hand water.
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Old Sandwich
Old Sandwich Golf Club was named for the nation’s oldest road which skirts the club’s entrance. The land that became Old Sandwich was a private estate in Plymouth, a few miles north of the Cape Cod Canal. The estate was a glacier-scraped sand based site with a 60-foot elevation change, its hills and valleys covered in scrub oak and pitch pine.
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The owners & developers of the golf course purchased
the estate from John Talcott. The only stipulation was his wish
to live out the remainder of his life in his house on the estate
he loved. His wish was granted.
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Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were hired to design the course. “We had never worked in the greater Boston area,” said Coore, “and this was our chance to design a course in New England. The sandy, gravelly site and its ground contours were very appealing to us. The holes reflect what was already there. There was very little alteration to the land. We exposed sandy areas, but basically we let the contours dictate the flow and shape of the holes.” |
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"The sandy, gravelly site and its ground contours were
very appealing to us. The holes reflect what was already
there. There was very little alteration to the land.
We exposed sandy areas, but basically we let the contours
dictate the flow and shape of the holes."
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Sean McCormack was hired as the grow-in superintendent. He had worked at The Country Club in Brookline, MA and was looking for a good excuse to come back east. When Bill Coore called him about the Old Sandwich project, he jumped at the chance.
Old Sandwich was built entirely from on-site materials except for gravel imported for the sump drains. The sand for the greens was excavated and screened on the property. The greens have no perched water table or drain tiles, they were not built to USGA specifications. This enabled Bill Coore, who floated the greens, the ability to create putting surfaces that had bold slopes and intricate contouring. With their humps, dips, shelves, and false fronts, each green has a highly-individualized putting surface. Sean McCormack grassed the greens with six varieties of bentgrass to give them all different shades of green. And they’re huge. A few of the greens measure 50 yards from front to back.
The bunkering on the course is unique. They’re rough-edged with mounding designed to frame the holes. The fairways are a combination of colonial bentgrass and fine fescue. Aside from the greens, the condition of the course is a direct reflection of the prevailing weather.
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The bunkering on the course is unique. They’re rough-
edged with mounding designed to frame the holes.
The fairways are a combination of colonial bentgrass and
fine fescue. Aside from the greens, the condition of the
course is a direct reflection of the prevailing weather.
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There is no irrigation outside of the fairways. In fact, only 55 acres of turf is maintained at the course.
The club opened for play in 2004. It plays 6,900 yards from the tips, 6,415 yards from the middle tees, and 5,400 yards from the forward tees. Par is 71. There are no tee signs, ball washers, or benches at Old Sandwich. Wildlife is prevalent on the course. White-tailed deer, eastern coyote, red-tailed hawks, and barn owls are frequently sighted. The most common species found on the property is wild turkey.
The club has 330 members and there’s a waiting list to get in.
Old Sandwich is a masterpiece. It is currently ranked 58th out of the top 100 courses in the United States.
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Old Sandwich is a masterpiece. It is currently ranked 58th
out of the top 100 courses in the United States.
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Approach on Hole #16. Firm & fast. |
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Ocean Organics
In his own words, Noah will describe how he’s incorporated Ocean products into his agronomic programs:
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“We try to manage our property to keep it hard, dry and lean. We need surfactants that produce these types of conditions. A consistent playing surface, a predictable dry-down, and controlling LDS is a must. We use Windjammer on greens and Mariner on fairways and tees. These products fit our philosophy on how we want the course to play."
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SeaBlend Granular Fertilizer:
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“We are lean on nitrogen inputs at Old Sandwich. I like to do a late-spring feed on my tees and fairways. I use SeaBlend 12-4-5 at 4/10ths of a pound. I like the consistent release. There is no flush of growth, even during hot periods."
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"I’m adding two Ocean biostimulants to my greens sprays this year, XP and Stress RX. Stay tuned."
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Thank you, Noah. We wish you the best of success in 2023.
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Visit our website for more about our products |
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SeaBlend®
Granular Fertilizer
Stress Rx® Foliar Fertilizer
XP® Foliar Fertilizer
NuRelease®
Soil and Fertilizer Additive
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Guarantee®
Natural Kelp Extract
Turf Surfactants
with a Difference
Helmsman® • Mariner® • Nautilus®
Privateer® • TopSail® • Windjammer®
Ocean Organics high-performance surfactants optimize nutrient and water use efficiency while helping boost plant fitness. Each formulation contains a surfactant, an infiltration agent, and a biostimulant.
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“Thanks for Making Me Look Good.”
– Al Choiniere
“From May through Labor Day, I can sleep at night.”
– Matt Kowal
“The color is fantastic.”
– Ethan Haveman
“The recovery was great. The greens filled in and
the color was unbelievable. We were able to weather
the storm and open the course on time."
– Rob Dorsch
“I like the color, the resiliency it gives the turf, how it gives
to turf the ability to fight back, and how both products give
you great rooting. You need to hold on to those roots as
long as you can. It all works.”
– Steven McGlone
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Superior Strategic Stress Management
Ocean Organics, The Industry Leader
45 Years in the Golf Industry
Best Seaweed Processor — The Mother Ship
All products manufactured in Waldoboro, ME
Superior Surfactants:
Mariner® Privateer® Nautilus® Windjammer®
Superior Liquids:
XP Extra Protection® Stress Rx® Guarantee®
Superior Granular Fertility:
SeaBlend®
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Need information? Want to chat?
Email or call your local distributor
or Kevin Collins
914-621-1151
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Manufacturers of High-Performance, Science-Based
Plant Strengthening and Fitness Materials for Growth, Protection, Stress Tolerance and Recovery
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