Liberty, S.C. – Grant Bennett, one of two men responsible for forming the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association, died this week in Columbia, S.C. He was 85. A lead story in Columbia’s newspaper described Bennett as “a local giant” for his contribution to the game as a superintendent, club professional and teacher.
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“Grant Bennett was a special man who could move individuals to do special things, on their own and collectively,” Carolinas GCSA president, Mike Brown, CGCS, says. “He tutored many young men on their way to becoming fine superintendents and he was one of the most successful teachers of junior players that the Carolinas have seen. Golf has benefited from Grant’s contribution for a long time and will continue to do so for years to come. His is quite a legacy.”
At a ceremony to present his life-membership of the Carolinas GCSA during the association’s 50th anniversary last year, Bennett said he could not be certain whether the idea for the regional body was his or that of Henson Maples.
“I just remember that we both agreed it was a good idea,” he said.
Just a few dozen superintendents attended the inaugural meeting at Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte, NC. Today, the Carolinas GCSA is the largest affiliated chapter in the 21,000-member Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
South Carolina Magazine will name Bennett as one of the “10 Most Influential” people in South Carolina golf in its November issue, alongside the likes of PGA Tour veteran, Jay Haas, and Charles Fraser, who transformed Hilton Head into a golf destinations. His pupils as a coach include current PGA Tour players Jonathan Byrd and Charles Warren; former tour pros Randy Glover, Jack Lewis and Mike Holland; four-time state amateur champion Billy Womack; former LPGA player Kathy Hite; 1958 USGA junior champion Buddy Baker; and five-time USGA senior women’s champion Carolyn Cudone.
“Call him Mr. Hall of Fame; he is in all of them,” Happ Lathrop, executive director of the South Carolina Golf Association, told the newspaper. “We have lost a pioneer of golf promotion.”
A son, Gary, is a golf course superintendent and member of the Carolinas GCSA. Another, David, became a member of the PGA of America.