Left: Neil Jones, former superintendent and senior territory manager of Buy Sod/Sod Star. Right: Chantel Wilson, a recipient of VGCSA's Buy Sod Scholarship.
Editor’s note: Chapter Spotlight is a bimonthly GCM feature designed to highlight notable achievements and impactful initiatives among GCSAA’s 94 affiliated chapters. To submit ideas for this feature, contact Howard Richman at hrichman@gcsaa.org.
Chantel Wilson remains grateful for a Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association program. She certainly has made a life out of it.
When the VGCSA established the Buy Sod Scholarship in 2012, it was done to support the children of qualified golf course superintendents or VGCSA partners. One of those was Wilson.
A first-generation college student, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Hood College and a master’s degree in plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When going to Virginia Tech, Wilson (pictured at right) applied for and was accepted for a Buy Sod Scholarship. Guided in the process by Erik Ervin, Ph.D., then at Virginia Tech, the scholarship was vital in her eventually earning a doctorate in crop and soil environmental sciences from Virginia Tech.
How vital? “It helped me keep going. It kept me in the program. It opened doors,” says Wilson, now at Penn State University as its 4-H STEM Extension specialist.
Including Wilson, 24 people have received the Buy Sod Scholarship. Recipients receive anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. Nowadays, those who are awarded can also be children, grandchildren and stepchildren of superintendents and assistants. The VGCSA board of directors is the final authority in the selection process. The 2026 recipients will be invited to accept the scholarships at the annual meeting in December.
Buy Sod — which is in the process of rebranding to Buy Sod/Sod Star — identified the VGCSA as a worthy entity for the award. The association, then overseen by executive director David Norman, agreed. “It’s a way of helping our members of VGCSA, help their kids for college and to give back to the chapter,” says Neil Jones, senior territory manager of Buy Sod/Sod Star in Virginia and the Carolinas and a former superintendent.
In 2025, there were three Buy Sod Scholarship recipients.
Emerson Keene. He’s the son of Bill Keene, a 24-year association member and GCSAA Class A superintendent at Blacksburg (Va.) Country Club. For his son, his connection to the golf industry runs deep — even as he pursues a different professional path. He’s a freshman at the University of Tennessee studying finance and a double major in accounting. Although the golf industry isn’t in his future, he cannot underestimate what it means to him. “GCSAA has been a big part of my life, and my dad’s life,” says Keene, who in his younger days accompanied his father to the golf course to help change pins and ride around with him on the property. “I think I saw things from him that could carry on in my life, like what it takes to manage people.”
Hunter Pierce. He’s the son of Jason Pierce, CGCS, director of agronomy at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va., and 26-year GCSAA member. Hunter grew up surrounded by the golf industry, with multiple family members working in course management, and he has carried that connection with him. His hands-on experience working on golf courses has taught him the value of hard work, teamwork and responsibility — whether assisting with daily maintenance, contributing to construction projects or supporting overall course care. He has seen firsthand the dedication, early mornings and attention to detail required to keep a course performing at its best, and those experiences have inspired him to pursue a long-term career in the industry.
Ava Davis. She is stepdaughter of Eric Ferrell, a 22-year GCSAA member who is the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Caverns Country Club in Luray, Va. Ava’s story is one of determination, gratitude and the power of support. Ten years ago, Ferrell stepped into her life and provided guidance, encouragement and financial support as she pursued her passion for sports and her academic goals. He has been her biggest cheerleader, and his influence continues to shape her journey. She is preparing to attend James Madison University.
In all, the Buy Sod Scholarship has been a winner, says Jeremy Waddell, GCSAA Ckass A director of agronomy at Williamsburg (Va.) National Golf Club, a 20-year association member and current VGCSA president. “When my daughter, Grey, goes to college, we’ll be applying,” Waddell says.
As for Wilson, she’s thrilled others have benefited for more than a decade. “Every little bit helps,” says Wilson, “and it was so much appreciated by someone like me.”
Howard Richman is GCM's associate editor