Guy Cipriano (4)
Burgers, chicken, chips and soda under a picnic pavilion with a tiny view of the 18th hole through a patch of trees framing the right side of the par 5 and protecting errant shots from smacking revelers foreshadowed a special day at a course epitomizing American golf.
Unless somebody lives in the affable region or follows this course’s authentic superintendent on social media, it’s unlikely they know anything about Terry Hills in Batavia, New York.
That’s OK. Thousands of courses resemble Terry Hills. They represent the soul of American golf.
One hundred fifty-five industry professionals gathered at the welcoming 27-hole facility in late August for the annual GCSA of New York POA Tournament. Terry Hills hosts dozens of outings, but this one was especially meaningful for longtime superintendent Thad Thompson. His peers came to a place where it seems like every western New York golfer plays at least once during the golf season.
Terry Hills doesn’t boast seaside views like Pebble Beach or Cypress Point, the major championship history like nearby Oak Hill Country Club, or the glamour of resorts with more attendants than a $1,200-a-night Manhattan hotel. Terry Hills has something greater going for it: relatability and consistency.
Nearly every market boasts a golf facility like Terry Hills: a well-conditioned, interesting and inviting course with a comfortable picnic pavilion or banquet room where somebody can detach for a morning, afternoon or evening. A few Dr Peppers or Labatts, plus fellowship, with the serenity of greenspace — all for less than three figures — sounds like golftopia.
No judgment. No ego. Just a release for everyday people with golf as the backdrop. Because more people are discovering the Terry Hills-like spots near their homes, the game remains on a 2000 Tiger Woods type of heater. Courses you don’t know about unless you live nearby drive the post-COVID golf industry.
On the day of the GCSA of New York event, Terry Hills supported morning tee times and Wednesday evening league play. Around 5 p.m., as outing participants gathered in the pavilion for a post-golf BBQ and beers, golfers transferred their Buffalo Bills and Labatt Blue bags into carts as they greeted leaguemates. Two Wednesday night regulars participated in the GSCA of New York outing: Thad and his son Dylan.
A selfless figure who has devoted decades to making golf a better game, Thad is an ambassador for the industry, the game and Terry Hills. His @TerryHillsMaint X account is approaching 10,000 followers, many of them regular golfers receiving candid glimpses of work and life at a busy public facility.
When he’s not elevating Terry Hills, guess where Thompson elects to spend his free time. His hobbies include music, engaging with the #BillsMafia and playing in three weekly golf leagues at … Terry Hills.
Few golf experiences can top playing in an industry outing at Terry Hills with Thompson, Dylan and Standard Golf vice president Matt Pauli. Father and son. Superintendent and employee (Dylan works weekends at Terry Hills around a successful fulltime job as a welder). And two other golf-lovers. Many of us would take an afternoon at Terry Hills with the Thompsons and Pauli — or normal golfers from Buffalo, Rochester, Batavia, Leroy or Depew — over playing one of golf’s well-known cathedrals.
Standard Golf vice president Matt Pauli and Terry Hills superintendent Thad Thompson.
The family affair extended beyond father and son. Drew Thompson, the longtime superintendent and general manager at East Aurora Country Club in suburban Buffalo, played a few groups behind Thad. Duplicate last names weren’t required to feel part of this family reunion. The turf industry is a gigantic and gritty family with weather often the center of the picnic pavilion chatter.
From greeting peers hitting shots on adjacent fairways to trading barbs with coworkers, the joy of the day emanated wherever Thad and Dylan drove their cart. The only thing better than working at a golftopia is receiving a chance to share it with others you care deeply about.
Guy Cipriano is Golf Course Industry’s publisher + editor-in-chief. Have a course like Terry Hills near you? Email him at gcipriano@gie.net with that course’s story.
