- I knew of the golf course beforehand because it had so much allure and history. When the call came in, I knew I had to consider it. Its history is amazing.
- My day usually starts around 3:30 a.m. and goes until about 6 p.m.—actually 7:30 these days!
- By about 10 a.m. each day, I’m already thinking about tomorrow. Seventy percent of my time is spent focusing on tomorrow and 30 percent focused on today… I kid with my peers that I do a poor job of growing grass but I do a better job of growing people, who then do an excellent job of growing grass.
- There are two main components that go into hosting a major. Inside the ropes, we are working on day-to-day maintenance, diagnostics, analytics, and championship course conditioning. Outside the ropes, we are building a “pop-up city” for patrons.
- There is no margin for error. Perfect, pristine conditions are expected.
- I love all of the holes here, but I really love the green on No. 14, which is on The Ridge. With all the work that’s been done, you can see the whole course. It’s just awesome.
- Our industry continues to evolve. For turf data, we look at everything, including soil moisture and temperature. We fly a drone to capture mapping and heat, UV lighting… The data allows us to spot potential issues even before they hit the surface of the course.
- In the Midwest, you have warm- and cool-season grass types, and we manage three different types of grasses, all of which perform best at different times of the year. Our job is to have championship conditions daily. That’s probably one of the more complicated parts of the job.
- I lost my son six months after starting at Bellerive. He passed away in a car accident. It puts everything into perspective. He actually would have turned 21 the first day of the 100th PGA Championship. The experience taught me to never take anything for granted and to never make any event bigger than the people in my life. Everyone is human and has their own story. It’s important we don’t forget that.
The 100th PGA Championship comes to Bellerive August 9–12. For more details, check out this guide to the tourney.
