Background

With a career as a turfgrass specialist, Richard Hurley, PhD, CPAg, has gained extensive international experience in selecting grasses for new golf courses and working with turf management issues on existing golf courses.   This experience includes working as a golf course superintendent, participating in turfgrass management education and research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and involvement with dozens of golf course design and construction projects throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, Russia, China, Japan, and Africa.  He has assisted in course preparation for 30 Masters Tournaments, 5 US Open Tournaments, attended 5 British Opens, in addition to dozens of other national golf events.

For over 30 years, Dr. Hurley has been involved with breeding improved turfgrasses (in association with Rutgers University), including creeping bentgrasses, starting with his highly successful development and release of both Southshore and L-93 creeping bentgrasses in the 1990's, to his newly released 007 creeping bentgrass.  His L-93 has a track record as one of the most widely used bentgrasses for tees, greens and fairways in the world.  The new 007 is a significant improvement over L-93 and is now receiving high marks for improved performance for the same uses.

Dr. Hurley has authored three book chapters on grasses and grasses for golf courses, and in 2005 published his first book, "My View of the Green," which includes forty years of life experiences around the game of golf.  My View of the Green available at www.authorhouse.com  

Projects

Some golf course project highlights include:

Spanish Bay Golf Club, Monterey, CA, USA (1985 - 1986)

Site visits while assisting golf course architects RT Jones, Tom Watson, and Sandy Tatum with site visits and consulting for construction of a “linksland” golf course.

Beijing Golf Club, Beijing, China (1986)

Site visit while assisting golf course architect Mike Poelette during construction of the golf course.

The North Country Golf Club, Hokkaido, Japan (1989)

Site visits while assisted golf course architect, Isao Aoki and the golf course owner, Mr. Faruru, during construction of the golf course.

The White House, Washington, DC, USA (1993)

Assisted with the installation of a putting green on the grounds of the White House.

Great Bear Country Club, Shawnee, PA, USA (1996)

Site visits while assisting the owner, Keystone Hollow Corporation, and architect Jack Nicklaus during design and construction of the golf course.

Bethpage (Black) Golf Course, Bethpage, NY, USA (1997 - 2000)

Assisted the USGA and the golf course superintendent with site visits and consultation during remodeling of the golf course in preparation for the 2002 US Open.

Olympia Fields Golf Club,  Chicago, IL, USA (1999 – 2001)

Assisted the golf course superintendent with site visits for renovation of the greens and re grassing with L-93 creeping bentgrass.  Follow up with maintenance programs for the new greens leading up to hosting the US Open.

Pine Barrens Golf Club, Lakewood, NJ ,USA (1998)

Assisted with golf course design and construction in association with Eric Bergstol with planning and construction of the golf course.

Kildare Club (K Club), Straffin, Ireland (1999-2000)

Provide turfgrass management consultation with multiple site visits (Gerry Byrne, Golf Course Superintendent).  The consulting visits were in advance of the Ryder Cup matches.

Loch Lomond Golf Club, Loch Lomond, Scotland (2000)

Provide turfgrass management consultation with site visits (Ken Siems, Golf Course Superintendent).

Pine Hill Golf Club, Pine Hill, NJ, USA (2000)

Directed turfgrass and natural plant selection, use and establishment for Eric Bergstol with planning and construction of the golf course.

Branton Woods Golf Club, Stormville, NY, USA (2001)

Assisted with golf course design and construction in association with Eric Bergstol with planning and construction of the golf course.

Bayonne Golf Club, Bayonne, NJ, USA. (2002 – 2007)

Assisted with golf course design and construction in association with Eric Bergstol.   In 2008 rated number 32 in modern golf courses by Golf World Magazine.

Pestovo Golf & Yacht Club, Moscow, Russia (2004 – 2007)

Grass selection and site visits for agronomy during construction working with Michael Puchkov, Proticon Limited, Moscow, Russia.

Forrest Hills Golf Club, Moscow, Russia (2008)

Grass selection and site visits for agronomy during construction working with Michael Puchkov, Proticon Limited, Moscow, Russia.

Peterhouf Lakes Golf Club, St. Petersburg, Russia (2008)

Grass selection and site visit for agronomy during construction working with Michael Puchkov, Proticon Limited, Moscow, Russia.

Pine Forrest Golf Club, Ekaterinburg, Russia (2008)

Grass selection and site visits for agronomy during construction working with Michael Puchkov, Proticon Limited, Moscow, Russia.

Links Golf Club, Moscow, Russia (2009)

Grass selection and site visits for agronomy during construction working with Michael Puchkov, Proticon Limited, Moscow, Russia 

Bayonne Golf Club (Opened in 2006) is a links style golf course on the Hudson River in New Jersey.  Fescue grasses were used extensively for seeding the hills and mounds, as well as all of the roughs.  

Education

University of Rhode Island, BS, 1970, Plant Science, Turf Management

University of Rhode Island, MS, 1973, Plant Science, Turf Management.  Thesis: Kentucky bluegrass and Chewings fesuce for sod production.

Rutgers University, PhD, 1983, Soils and Crops, Turfgrass Breeding.  Thesis:  Poa trivialis characteristic for turf and breeding.  Led to the development of Laser Poa trivialis.

Teaching

Rutgers University - Instructor, "Professional Golf Turf Management School"

golfturf.rutgers.edu

Rutgers University - Advisor, "Professional Golf Turf Management School"

Rutgers University - Faculty member, Center for Turfgrass Science, College of Science and Environmental Biology

turf.rutgers.edu

Certification

CPAg (Certified professional Agronomist) by the American Registry of Professional Agronomists

Professional

Tavistock Golf & Country Club, Haddonfield, New Jersey - Superintendent 1973-1978

Lofts Seed, Inc., Bound Brook, New Jersey - Director of Research & Development 1978-1995

Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University, College of Science and Evironmental Biology. Faculty member, Center for Turfgrass Science, 1991 - Present.

Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Georgia - Advisory team and volunteer for tournament preparation 1978-2008

R.H. Hurley, LLC - Owner 1996-Present

Dr. Hurley has attended 32 Masters Tournaments, 30 as a volunteer, working on the course maintenance crew.