Scott Jaquays knows the ins and outs at Forest Greens Golf Club in Triangle, Va., where he first started working in 1995. Photo by Trevor Baratko
Scott Jaquays has spent more than half of his life at Forest Greens Golf Club.
Twelve months ago, he was rewarded for it.
After almost 30 years as an assistant superintendent, his title changed. In June 2025, Jaquays was promoted to superintendent at Forest Greens GC in Triangle, Va. Initially, he wondered what he got himself into. A nasty summer was the culprit. “It was doom and gloom the first six or seven weeks. The Pythium outbreak got us,” Jaquays says.
Myriad turfgrass diseases pummeled the region due to a cool and wet stretch that soon turned to heat, humidity and more wet conditions that created dollar spot, brown patch, anthracnose and Pythium.
“It got us,” says Jaquays, “but we pretty well recovered. The weather changed, things perked up, and we had the best August and September we had in decades.”
A Virginia native, Jaquays entered the industry after high school. He worked in the clubhouse at the par-3 course at Lake Ridge Golf Course in Woodbridge, Va. When Forest Greens was being built, Jaquays caught on there in the summer of 1995. From the outset, it was all about learning. “When I started, I didn’t know all of the grasses,” says Jaquays, a 26-year GCSAA member who was in what turned out to be an interim role as superintendent at first. “I was dragging a hose, hand-watering where they put the sod. I learned everything from the ground up. At that point, after starting here in its infancy, I wondered what was next for me.”
Two months into Jaquays’ future, his path gained clarity. Jeff Van Fleet arrived and was hired before soon being elevated to superintendent. It became clear to Van Fleet that Jaquays was perfect to be his assistant superintendent. A particular image of Jaquays has remained instilled in Van Fleet’s memory bank. “He was on a spreader, in a cloud of dust,” says Van Fleet. “I saw something in him. He had that drive, a work ethic. He wanted to work. There wasn’t a lot of money in the budget to run the golf course. We did what it took to make it work. He was a good match for me.”
The tandem oversaw multiple projects. The Troon-managed public facility strives to be environmentally friendly, set on rolling terrain and not far from Quantico Marine Base. A 37-year GCSAA member, Van Fleet retired in 2025. It was a no-brainer for Jaquays to move up and replace him. One reason why? Nothing has changed in how Jaquays goes about his business. “He still has the drive. He’s a hard charger, still has that go, go, go,” Van Fleet says. “Pit bull. One of the reasons I retired is because Scott was there.”
Jaquays with broom in hand works with his crew. Photo courtesy of Scott Jaquays
Jaquays says of Van Fleet, “It got to the point where we read each other’s mind. He taught me pretty much everything. I did go to the University of Maryland for a while (to take turfgrass classes). I learned the dedication aspect of this job from him. He made sure I went to meetings and seminars. We had a game plan that we developed over the years. I even remember punching greens through the night with a Toro aerator that had 12 tines on it.”
Being at one location means you’ve encountered a whole lot. Jaquays gets it. “I’ve seen every weather phenomenon. Tornadoes. Blizzards. I’ve seen what happens when Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate,” he says. “I saw Isabel (a hurricane in 2003 that was one of the most powerful and deadliest hurricanes in Virginia history). I’ve seen 27 inches of snow. On 9/11 (in 2001), I was out spraying. I was on the last set of tees when the sprayer broke down.”
Although he did interview for superintendent jobs during his time at Forest Greens, Jaquays never chose to make a move. “There were times I thought should I move on, maybe get a different experience somewhere else,” he says. “When Jeff told me he had 21⁄2 years and he’d be done, I stuck around, and it was a good thing.”
It will be one year on June 1 when Jaquays first occupied the superintendent chair in the post-Van Fleet era. It was memorable for many reasons. “I sat in the wrong chair at first. Everything was new for me,” says Jaquays, whose assistant now is Colt Lee, who’s been there for 10 years and has done great, says his boss.
Jaquays and his wife, Kati, have a son, August. Now as a 48-year-old, Jaquays sure seems young for having spent two-thirds of his life at Forest Greens. Does he ever think maybe he’d have been better off remaining as an assistant? Only for a moment. “Maybe if this thing (being a superintendent) isn’t for me, I’d gladly be an assistant again. But now that I’m doing this here, I said, ‘This is mine.’ Now it’s time for me to show my worth, see this place continue to get better,” Jaquays says. “I think I can.”
Howard Richman is GCM's associate editor