Source: Dallas Morning News
Scott Ebers describes his abrupt career change as a hard right turn.
He was supposed to be working on his dissertation as a doctoral student in political science in 1991 when he struck up a conversation with Pat Jones, the superintendent at Fort Worth's Shady Oaks Country Club at the time. Ebers was convinced that growing and maintaining grass on a golf course had to be more interesting than putting together an analysis of Lyndon B. Johnson's Vietnam War policy. So he enrolled in Texas A&M's turf program.
"I just knew that's what I had to do," said Ebers, 45, who began work as Colonial Country Club's superintendent last week.
He never thought that veering off his original course would land him at Colonial, one of the best-known courses in the country. When Ebers first heard about the Colonial opening, he was intrigued but hesitant. He could move his family to Fort Worth, where his wife, Valerie, works as a political science professor at TCU. But he liked his job at Northwood, where he had spent 71/2 years.
And he knew that with Colonial's high profile comes intense pressure. All eyes are on the course as many of the tour's best travel through Hogan's Alley hoping to etch their names on the Wall of Champions.
"It is a high-pressure thing to be a superintendent at a PGA Tour stop because perfect is the benchmark," said Geoff Hasley, hired as Colonial's general manager 18 months ago. "So people that have never been at a tour stop want to go and try it, and then they choose that's not the pressure they want to be under. We have high standards, and everyone working here accepts that pressure."
Ebers also knew that Colonial is not a grass grower's heaven. It's in a river basin, and its huge trees, while adding character and history to the course, make it difficult to grow grass. The greens were rebuilt in 1999 with a new A-4 Bent grass that hasn't had a great track record in Texas. Ebers knows maintaining them will be a challenge.
"I really wanted to try it," Ebers said. "I know there are only a few months until the tournament, so I have no time to settle in. But it's Colonial. I'm a history buff, and there's nothing like that course in the state. Those positions don't come open every day. I know I can do this job and give them a course to be proud of."
Not a bad gig for a guy who almost got his Ph.D.
Construction ongoing at Prairie Lakes
Prairie Lakes Golf Course in Grand Prairie is a third of the way through a complete facelift. All 27 holes will be renovated, with the Red Course already completed, the White Course under construction and the Blue Course set to welcome bulldozers next January.
John Colligan, an Arlington-based golf course architect, is handling the work. The Red Course opened in January and has new junior tee boxes, new fairways and undulating greens refitted with Tifway 419, a Bermuda hybrid.
"We wanted to get the greens updated," said head professional Glenn Sockwell, who said the budget was $1.8 million for the renovation. "The Red nine is better than we expected, and we're excited about getting the rest of them done."