Director of Agronomy in Brainerd, Minnesota at Cragun's Resort

Cragun’s Legacy Courses is seeking an experienced and passionate Director of Agronomy to lead the agronomic operations of our 54-hole golf destination and help shape the future of one of Minnesota’s premier resort golf properties.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Cragun’s as we enter a new era of ownership investment, course improvement, and growth. The Director of Agronomy will be responsible for delivering exceptional playing conditions while leading a talented team and developing long-term strategies for the property.

The Opportunity

• Lead agronomic operation across 54 holes, including the Lehman 18-hole Championship course, Dutch Legacy 27-hole complex, par-3 course, and practice facilities.
• Establish and maintain exceptional, championship-level playing conditions across greens, tees, fairways, roughs, bunkers, and practice areas.
• Lead and develop a year-round leadership team and 45+ seasonal employees (12+ H2B and 10 J1 Visa workers).
• Oversee approximately $2.0-$2.5 million in annual operations.
• Provide strategic oversight of irrigation, drainage, water management, equipment, turf health, pest management, and course infrastructure.
• Develop annual and multi-year agronomic and course improvement plans.
• Partner with ownership, resort leadership, golf operations, and course architect Tom Lehman on future course improvements and capital projects.
• Prepare the property for the CRMC Championship and other signature events.
• Champion a culture of professionalism, teamwork, safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Regularly experience the courses as a golfer to evaluate conditions, playability, presentation, and the overall guest experience.

• Set and maintain clear daily conditioning standards for greens, tees, fairways, roughs, bunkers, practice areas, and course preparation.
• Deliver consistent, exceptional playing surfaces with the goal of being recognized as the best resort/public golf conditions in the Midwest.
• Use sound agronomic judgement to balance playability, turf health, weather, traffic, labor, and long-term sustainability.
• Coordinate maintenance schedules with golf operations to support pace of play, guest satisfaction, outings, tournaments, and resort demand.
• Lead, coach, and hold accountable the year-round and seasonal agronomy teams.
• Develop the Head Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents as future leaders and provide clear ownership of their respective areas.
• Build a culture centered on pride, professionalism, communication, safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee seasonal recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, training, performance management, and retention, including H-2B and J-1 team members.
• Develop and execute annual and multi-year agronomic plans for all golf courses and practice facilities.
• Manage fertility, chemical, application, cultural practices, pest management, tree management, drainage, and water-use strategies.
• Develop and oversee long-term management for ponds, wetlands, shorelines, sediment, and muck accumulation, erosion, water quality, and related environment features, including recommendations for major repairs or capital solutions when warranted.
• Provide strategic oversight of irrigation systems, pump stations, controls, wells, drainage, and water management.
• Develop repair, preventative maintenance, and replacement plans for agronomic infrastructure.
• Develop multi-year equipment and infrastructure replacement recommendations for ownership review.
• Develop and manager an annual operation budget of approximately $2.0 million to $2.5 million.
• Maintain strong cost controls without compromising the primary goal of exceptional course conditions.
• Forecast labor, equipment, chemical, fertilizer, irrigation and infrastructure needs
• Participate and partner with ownership, resort leadership, golf leadership, and Tom Lehman on the long-range vision for the courses.
• Maintain golf clubhouse grounds and resort-owned or resort-managed homes located within the golf property to a professional standard.
• Coordinate effectively with Facilities, Resort Grounds, Events, Sales, Marketing and other departments when work overlaps or affects the guest experience.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 7+ years combined experience as a Golf Course Superintendent, or Assistant Golf Course Superintendent required.
• Demonstrated ability to produce exceptional playing conditions at a high-quality golf facility.
• Strong knowledge of northern climate turfgrass management, irrigation, plant health, soils, drainage, and pest management.
• Proven experience leading full-time and seasonal teams.
• Budgeting, purchasing, inventory management, and capital planning experience.
• Strong communication, organization, judgement, and problem-solving skills.
• A working knowledge of the game of golf and a willingness to play the courses regularly to evaluate conditions from the golfer perspective.
• Ability to work the hours required by weather, seasonal operations, tournaments, and resort demand.

Additional Qualifications

• Current GCSAA membership expected, with demonstrated active participation in professional education, association programs, industry networking, or leadership activities strongly preferred
• Experience at multi-course, resort, high-end daily-fee, or large-scale golf operation is highly valued.
• Minnesota pesticide and applicator licensing preferred: candidates must have the ability to obtain required licensing within 90 days of employment.
• A degree or certificate in Turfgrass Management, Agronomy, Horticulture, or a related field is preferred but not required when balanced by strong experience and demonstrated results.

Salary & Benefits

• Full-Time Exempt, Senior Management position. $110,000-$150,000 based on experience.
• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance- Supplemental Life Insurances, Employer Sponsored Basic Life Policy
• Competitive PTO Package
• 401k with employer match
• Resort and Golf Course Perks~ discounted lodging, dining, merchandise, use of facilities, marina rental
• Approved Dues, Education, Licenses & Permits reimbursement with leadership approval
• Relocation assistance or temporary housing potential for selected candidate