Rain Bird Golf recently announced that Rod McWhirter, Rain Bird Golf’s national specification manager, will retire after nearly 33 years with the company.
A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in agronomy, McWhirter joined Rain Bird in December 1973 as a golf course irrigation specialist, covering a five-state territory in the southeast United States.
McWhirter rose quickly within the company, serving many roles including district manager and eastern turf sales manager. During his tenure in his position on the east coast, McWhirter provided invaluable leadership to help develop Rain Bird’s Golf Irrigation Division into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of golf irrigation products and systems.
As national specification manager since 1989, McWhirter has cultivated strong relationships throughout the industry with golf course architects and customers alike. In addition to establishing Rain Bird’s brand value in the golf market, McWhirter also helped develop and launch the legendary EAGLE™ line of golf rotors – a cornerstone of Rain Bird’s leadership position.
“Rod’s legacy to Rain Bird Golf is his work ethic, irrigation industry relationships, his propensity to ‘tell it like it is,’ and his commitment to Rain Bird Golf’s success,” says Jeff Kiewel, Rain Bird Golf’s national sales manager. “Rod will end his career as the ‘patriarch’ of Rain Bird Golf but he will leave with the knowledge that he has made significant contributions toward Rain Bird’s success. We will miss his experience and guidance as we continue to grow the golf business. But most of all, we will miss him.”