Larry Olson has been honoured by the BC Golf Superintendents Association as their 2022 Syngenta Superintendent Of The Year…

The Kaslo native has an impressive background in the turf grass industry highlighted by two stints at Balfour Golf Club. He opened the course handling the agronomy duties from 1990 to 1999 before heading to the Penticton Golf and Country Club where he would work for the next 17 years.

Olson played host to the BCGSA Interior Chapter's 50th Anniversary Golf Tournament while at The Penticton G&CC

“Larry Olson has always been an inspiration to his peers in the industry which has gained him the utmost admiration and respect from both his contemporaries and peers alike." - BCGSA President Warren Blue

At that point, he returned to the Kootenays taking back his old job at Balfour. Balfour Golf & Recreation General Manager Craig Wilkinson on the Club’s website acknowledged Olson’s role in the recent success of the facility:

“I am so very happy to announce today that our Superintendent, Larry Olson, has recently been awarded the Superintendent of the Year award for British Columbia! The past two seasons in particular Larry and his team have massively upped our game and our reputation within the industry is starting to spread. Every season we're seeing more and more golfers show up because they had heard there was something special happening out here and needed to come and check things out for themselves. It goes without saying that Larry did not make all of these changes happen single-handedly. He has absolutely got one heck of a strong and dedicated team working with him to help bring his vision to life. This award is testament to his ability to inspire those that work alongside him through leadership, passion, knowledge, networking and drive to present the best possible product.”

Golfers have been noticing the quality of the manicure at Balfour

Olson, described by Wilkinson as ‘about as humble as they come’ initially downplayed the honour but then realized its importance. In a prepared statement for the award ceremony, Olson said:

“When (BCGSA president) Warren (Blue) called me and told me I was being awarded the Syngenta, BCGSA superintendent of the year award I’ll admit at first, I thought, “Well, okay, that’s kinda nice”, but once it sunk in, I realized it’s one hell of an honour. There are so many BC supers that are just as deserving of this award as I am. So, for you, my peers, to recognize my efforts in the industry it truly does mean a lot to me.”

Read Wilkinson's full statement HERE