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Miller time at the GIS
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ANAHEIM , Calif. – When Johnny Miller spoke, a packed room of 2,500 superintendents at the Golf Industry Show listened. I quietly jotted notes while recording the conversation from the front row.
Had I known I’d be spending the next two-plus hours with Miller, I’d have prepared a little more.
“This show is way bigger than I thought it’d be,” Miller told me as we wandered around the trade show floor. “I’m blown away. I could stay a week here. This is almost as good as fly fishing stuff.” Miller was looking at a chipper that he thought would be useful on his ranch. I wondered aloud if the salesman working the booth would kick himself later since he was too busy on his cell phone to notice that Johnny Miller was enthralled with his product.
Miller gave an emotional talk during the Golf Industry Show’s Opening Session. On more than one occasion his voice cracked and eyes welled up. My job was to follow Miller after this talk and observe the reactions — both from Miller and toward Miller — on the trade show floor. I was joined on this adventure by GCSAA President Ricky Heine, CGCS, and his brother Bobby Heine, a turf consultant.
The thought was that some superintendents might not like Miller because of his stance on grain. But once the 1973 U.S. Open winner set foot on the trade show floor, it was mostly words of thanks for the heartfelt speech Miller had just delivered.
“Great talk today!” a superintendent would exclaim while shaking Miller’s hand. Every time, Miller stopped to chat. “Thank you, I hope I didn’t bore you,” he’d say.
I asked Miller if he had ever sat in the driver’s seat of a triplex mower, and he answered no. I led him to a mower, which he enthusiastically hopped on for the photo op.
Moments later, a superintendent lunged toward him. “Hey Johnny!” he shouted while pointing at the reels of the mower. “I bet this will take the grain out of the greens!” And then he faded back into the crowd.
Miller looked around the new exhibitor pavilion and checked out the Club Car booth. Then he ran into some old friends — first Ron Reed from the USGA and Denny Davenport of Esler Golf Design, then Bruce Devlin, former PGA Tour player and golf analyst and now golf course architect. Miller enthusiastically greeted everyone he saw, long-time friend and first-time fan alike.
Finally, Miller wore down — he needed lunch soon. We offered to take him to the staff lounge, where a buffet of Italian food was waiting.
As we’re having lunch, Miller reverts to the analyst. “The value of the superintendent has really risen in the last 30 years. There’s such a tremendous respect for what they do. Now, these guys are almost bid on, like NFL coaches!”
And finally, it wouldn’t be Miller time if he didn’t offer a golf tip. On putting: Take your index finger out of your putting. There are more nerve endings there and more chances to overplay your ball.
“That’s a W.O.O.D. tip,” Miller said while leaning back from his lasagna. “Works Only One Day.”
Six golf courses designed by Hurdzan/Fry have combined efforts to form the Hurdzan/Fry Golf Trail, which covers parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The six courses involved all received mentions or honors in Golf Digest’s “Best New Places to Play” rankings when they opened. The courses are: Little Mountain GC, Stonewater GC, GC of Dublin, Cook’s Creek GC, Eaglesticks GC and Olde Stonewall GC. The trail is organized by regions so that golfers interested in playing all six courses can do so in a couple of outings, the company says. Golfers who register and play all six courses within one calendar year become eligible to receive an autographed book from Hurdzan/Fry and an invitation to a social event at the firm’s design office. “Sticks for Kids,” the program spearheaded by the Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation and the National Recreation and Park Association, is going nationwide. The groups recently selected 100 NRPA facilities to implement the program with the help of U.S. Kids Golf, which sent more than 1,000 golf clubs to the facilities in 39 states and three international U.S. military bases. The golf instruction workshop targets youth between age 5 and 15 who may not otherwise have opportunities to learn to play golf. Sticks for Kids offers year-round instruction in the classroom and on the golf course. |
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