Stacey Elser (pictured wth his dog, Kronk) has made a life serving the golf course industry as a head mechanic in fleet maintenance. Now, Elser is at Canada's Miskanaw Golf Club. Photo by Jane Elser
Print may be considered old news in some circles. Either way, Stacey Elser is grateful it was at his fingertips a couple of decades ago.
Seeking employment in his late teens, Elser read an ad in the Fort McMurray Today newspaper. Just out of high school, Elser responded to the ad at Fort McMurray Golf Club in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Elser, from Fort McMurray, journeyed to the club and entered the pro shop, where he handed over his résumé. Elser stayed around for a while and hit golf balls on the range. After leaving for only roughly 12 hours, he received a phone call: “You start Monday.” The golf course maintenance department had a crew opening.
For 20 years there, Elser was a staple of the operation as an assistant and a mechanic. Although he moved on, Elser remains ensconced in the industry. In May 2025, Elser launched his second act approximately 8 miles down the road at Miskanaw Golf Club in Fort McMurray. A four-year GCSAA member, Elser is an equipment manager, head mechanic of fleet maintenance. “I left (Fort McMurray GC) because it was time for something different. I felt I needed a change in my life, a new challenge,” says Elser.
Throughout his career, Elser encountered challenges. Big time. He witnessed floods and fires. Those encounters weren’t everyday occurrences, but they do test your mettle. Ten years ago this May, Elser was installing a TurfHound on the driving range. It was midday during what to that point had been a warm, dry spring in this Canadian area. He saw smoke, which soon engulfed the golf course. “That was new. I thought, ‘That’s a lot closer than it should be,’” Elser says. “I saw the fire jumping across the course. A huge cloud of smoke came over us. I was instructed to drive around the golf course, make sure that people were escorted from it.”
People were safely removed. Although everyone — including Elser and golf course superintendent Jeff Hacior’s team — escaped unharmed, the maintenance area wasn’t so fortunate. The shop and 90% of the equipment were destroyed, along with the clubhouse.
A massive fire during Elser's days at Fort McMurray Golf Club is part of his past. Photo courtesy of Stacey Elser
Four years later, a flood created serious damage, leaving several holes under water and rendering the pump house useless.
Through it all, Elser persevered, evolved into a utility player, as they say in baseball terms. “He came to us fresh out of high school. In time, he’d done everything on the property — fertilizing, irrigation, mechanics,” says Hacior, a GCSAA Class A superintendent and 19-year association member. “He liked to dive into things.”
Elser had to learn more about mechanics, but he did have some background in it. In high school, he participated in an apprenticeship, fixing engines among his tasks. Later, he earned a certificate at the University of Guelph in the Turf Managers’ Short Course program. “I kept choosing a path that would further my education. I have always been trying to advance myself in the industry,” says Elser, who also completed an HET Off Road three-year course program, including how to oversee heavy equipment and hydraulic systems.
At Miskanaw GC, Elser is one of two fleet mechanics. He says having played golf enhanced his knowledge of the sport. (Speaking of sports, Elser was a volleyball player at Keyano College as part of a team that advanced to nationals.) Being a golfer, he says, aided his understanding as a course assistant and a mechanic. “I believe playing the sport of golf gives me more respect for what we do,” he says. “Everybody who plays golf should have to work on a golf course. They would respect the course better, like fixing their ball marks.”
Elser’s sidekick at Miskanaw GC is his 4-year-old pure breed bloodhound, Kronk, who loves chasing foxes and geese. As for his past experiences, whether during forest fires or flash floods, Elser learned a lot about himself — and little did he know that from a simple newspaper job posting a lifelong journey into an amazing industry had just begun.
“I realized that the love I had for my golf course drove me to work hard and learn everything I could about my job. I learned I could push myself through all kinds of physical pain and fatigue,” Elser says. “I’ve never complained about my job or the work I had to do because there was always something to be learned, and I enjoyed the challenges. I later learned that being able to fix something that was broken and make it work like new was a new kind of joy for me. There’s no better feeling for me than fixing broken equipment.”
Howard Richman is GCM's associate editor