Andy Johnston completed a two-year program in Turfgrass Science at MSU in 1986. He says that was the most important thing he ever did. 

Johnston has since made a career in golf clubs around the world, living in Australia, China, Florida and Alabama. He has been the General Manager and Director of Agronomy for the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore for the past 12 years. 

When Johnston came to MSU from Albuquerque, New Mexico, he said he experienced culture shock beyond the snow and cold weather. But learning to adapt to a different environment led him to become the citizen of the world he is now. 

“The best thing that ever happened to me in my life and my career was travel,” Johnston said. “Travel became the best educational tool I ever could have seen or had the opportunity to embrace.” 

A fancy word for farmer
 

The Director of Agronomy masterminds everything that grows on a golf club property, Johnston said. He pays attention to the height of every blade of grass and the health of each tree and flower. 

"When you're a farmer, you can never stop working," Johnston said. 

With already over 150 projects under his belt, Johnston has no plans of stopping. Johnston says he hopes to design golf courses for the rest of his life. 

Making golf sustainable

The Sentosa Golf Club is ranked 55 in the world, out of more than 30,000 golf courses. 

Johnston says Sentosa is also the world’s first carbon neutral golf club, a status that took 10 years to reach. Minimizing waste, re-engineering irrigation systems and capturing rainwater are just a few ways they worked to achieve this. Currently the club purchases carbon offsets to complement these efforts, but Johnston hopes they will eventually reach carbon neutrality without that—and inspire other golf clubs around the world to do the same. 

“We have used the golf course to help us with environmental change,” Johnston said. “We have one of the best championship facilities in the world, but we’re showing everybody that it can be done responsibly.”

Under Johnston’s leadership, Sentosa has won the World’s Most Eco-Friendly Golf Course three years in a row.

A newer project Johnston has taken on is beekeeping. Converting a corner of the greens to a bee sanctuary, his team has built nine healthy colonies of stingless bees, which are endangered in Singapore. Local schools bring children to the golf club on field trips and learn about the value of bees to a healthy ecosystem.

Keeping in touch with MSU

Last fall, Johnston made a rare trip back to the U.S. He made time to visit East Lansing to speak to current students in the Turfgrass Management program and catch up with former classmate Dr. Thomas Nikolai, who now serves as the Senior Turfgrass Academic Specialist at MSU.

Johnston also keeps a Sparty puppet in his office as a fun reminder of his career’s beginnings. 

“When I think about MSU, it was the vehicle that sent me into the world,” Johnston said.