Longtime turf consultant Tom Burrows passes away

Tom Burrows, a familiar face in the turf community around Florida and the nation, passed away late last week. He was 75.
 
Burrows was a Penn State turf grad who began his career at Glencoe (Ill.) GC in the early 1960s. He was superintendent and director of properties of the Playboy Clubs in Lake Geneva, Wis., and Great Gorge, N.J., before moving to Florida in 1972 to oversee Mariner Sands CC. He then spent 14 years at Turtle Creek CC in Tequesta, Fla., before launching Burrows Turfgrass Services in 1988. He consulted at more than 200 courses annually, mainly around the Southeast but also internationally, for more than 20 years.
 
He also left his mark through a remarkable 26 years of service on the Musser International Turfgrass Foundation board of directors, including 20 as vice chairman, and the Brookside Laboratory board of directors where he was vice chairman and a recipient of the organization’s Hall of Fame award. He was a member of GCSAA for more than 50 years and a recipient of the Florida GCSA Distinguished Service Award in 1989. He co-founded the Penn State Turfgrass Alumni Association in 1969 and was its second president.

According to his obituary, “He was an avid golfer, outdoorsman, history buff, and animal lover. Tom enjoyed traveling, fishing, cooking Chinese food, and building or repairing almost anything.
He was dedicated to his family, friends, and pets. He impacted many lives. Tom is loved by many, respected by all, and will be sorely missed. His was a life well lived.”

Visitation is 6 to 8 p.m. Friday Aug. 21. The memorial service is 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at Treasure Coast Seawinds Funeral Home, 950 S.E. Monterey Rd. Interment will follow the ceremony at Forest Hill Memorial Park in Palm City.
 
Survivors include his son Mark who follows in his footsteps as an independent turf consultant.