The Ford Plantation in Savannah, Ga., recently hired longtime Pete Dye protégé and turfgrass expert Nelson Caron as golf course superintendent. Caron is responsible for all aspects of golf course and grounds maintenance and for helping the community's 18-hole Pete Dye golf course achieve its highest standards of play for members and guests.
Caron has worked on two other Pete Dye courses during his career and has earned the trust of America's leading golf course architect. Caron collaborated with Dye on the 2007 remodel of The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn., playing a key role in the team responsible for the planning, construction and execution of the remodeled holes. At The Ford Plantation, Caron remains in close contact with Dye, discussing everything from turf genetics to enhancing channels of light on the course.
Prior to joining The Ford Plantation, Caron worked as a member of the golf course superintendent team at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn., which has been consistently ranked as one of the nation's top golf courses by Golf Digest and Golfweek. Over the years, he also served as assistant superintendent at Kingsmill Resort's River Course in Williamsburg, Va. and as groundsman at Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, N.C.
Originally from Durham, N.C., Caron earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy with a concentration in turfgrass management from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. A GCSAA member, Caron has been a guest lecturer at N.C. State. In recent years, he has successfully prepared golf courses for a number of PGA Tour events including the Michelob Championships and the Michelob Ultra Open Championships. He reports directly to C.W. Canfield, The Ford Plantation's director of golf. An avid golfer with a 6.1 handicap index, Caron resides on Savannah's south side.