EXCEL Leadership Program participants and GCSAA staff prepare for a day of lobbying on Capitol Hill at National Golf Day. Photos by Abby Olcese
“Getting into this program felt like getting drafted into the NFL,” Alec Nisbet, superintendent at the Apogee Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., told the group of EXCEL Leadership Program participants, graduates and supporters gathered at the Monocle restaurant in Washington, D.C.
Nisbet was one of four EXCEL program graduates who spoke about their experiences at a special dinner during National Golf Day that included program participants, sponsors and GCSAA staff. The three-year program offers leadership training to GCSAA Class C members through a series of education and training sessions and networking events. This year’s events included a trip to Washington to join the advocacy and service events during National Golf Day.
The program has been a transformative experience for these participants, as Nisbet could attest. “The person I was three years ago and the person I am today are totally different, and that’s because of all the people in this room,” he said.
It’s been an eventful journey for many of the program’s graduates. Several have made the jump from assistant to full superintendent. Others have moved across the country for new job opportunities. All of them have made professional and personal connections with each other that they plan to maintain.
“I’m very grateful for this program, it’s a real blessing,” said Kenneth Bush, assistant superintendent at Indian Hills Country Club in Northport, N.Y.
Jacob Martens, who completed the EXCEL program after four years, started the program as an assistant at The Champions Run Golf Course in Omaha, Neb. He applied for the program after learning about it at Green Start Academy in 2022. “I got the call when I was watering the 10th green,” Martens said. “I almost forgot I applied.”
By all accounts, Martens is happy he remembered, not least of all because of the boost it’s given his career. As of a month ago, he pulled up stakes and moved to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take a superintendent position at The Westerfield Club, formerly NorthRiver Yacht Club.
“Four years ago, I never thought I’d be doing the things I’ve done now,” he told the group. Those accomplishments include joining the GCSAA Career Pathways task group, which helped create GCSAA’s Video Training Series.
From left: EXCEL Leadership Program graduates Kenneth Bush, Alec Nisbet, Jacob Martens and Russell Wallace at the program's graduation dinner.
As luck would have it, Martens’ move brought him in close proximity with fellow EXCEL classmate Russell Wallace, superintendent at Greystone Golf & Country Club, Legacy Course in Birmingham, Ala.
“Jacob started in Nebraska, and now our courses are about an hour apart,” Wallace said. “You never know where those relationships are going to take you.”
The full list of the 2026 EXCEL Leadership Program graduates includes:
- Kenneth Bush, assistant superintendent at Indian Hills Country Club in Northport, N.Y., and seven-year GCSAA member.
- Brian Crislip, assistant superintendent at Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet, S.C., and five-year GCSAA member.
- Mackenzie Levesque, superintendent at Vernon Golf & Country Club in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, and six-year GCSAA member.
- Jacob Martens, superintendent at The Westerfield Club in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and nine-year GCSAA member.
- Alec Nisbet, superintendent at the Apogee Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., and 10-year GCSAA member.
- Mark Petrie, superintendent at Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury, Conn., and six-year GCSAA member.
- Russell Wallace, superintendent at Greystone Golf & Country Club, Legacy Course in Birmingham, Ala., and nine-year GCSAA member.
Applications for the next class of EXCEL Leadership Program participants are open through June 15.
Abby Olcese is GCM's online editor.